1 . Research spanning several decades demonstrates that you are more likely to think the information that is repeated to be true than the information you hear only once. You usually assume that if people put in effort to repeat a statement, this reflects the truth of the statement. This tendency-also called the truth effect-is a bias (偏见) that can lead you to draw incorrect conclusions.

To what degree are people aware of the truth effect? This question was addressed in a paper in the journal Cognition early this year.

In the critical study in this paper, participants did two sessions. In one session, they read about a hypothetical (虚构的) study in which they were exposed to some statements and then were asked whether both statements they had heard before as well as these new statements were true. They were asked to predict the proportion (比例) of each statement that would be judged as true. They did this both as a prediction of other people’s performance as well as a prediction of how they would do in this study.

At another session a few days later, participants actually performed this study, reading a set of 20 statements in the hypothetical study again and then judging the truth of altogether 40 statements, half of which were from the hypothetical study and the other half of which were new.

This study did replicate the well known truth effect. People were more likely to judge statements they had seen before as true than statements that were new. Two interesting findings emerged from the prediction. First, participants tended to underestimate the size of the truth effect for everyone. T hat is, while they did expect some difference in judgments between the statements seen before and those that were new, they thought this difference would be smaller than it actually was. Second, participants more significantly underpredicted the truth effect for themselves compared to that for other people.   

This study is particularly important in light of the amount of misinformation present in social media. Many people have the power to influence public opinion about important matters. Flooding social media feeds with misinformation will lead people to believe this information is true just because it is stated. Recognizing that we are all susceptible to this influence of repeated information should lead us to mistrust our intuition (直觉) about what is true and to look up important information prior to using it to make important judgments and decisions.

1. In the first paragraph, the author intends to ______.

A．clarify a misconception	B．present a phenomenon
C．challenge a statement	D．confirm a theory

2. What can we learn from the study?

A．Impacts of the truth effect require further studies.

B．Making predictions before judgments is significant.

C．People have hardly any awareness of the truth effect.

D．People tend to believe they can make wiser judgments.

3. What does the word “susceptible” underlined in the last paragraph most probably mean?

A．Critical.

B．Subject.

C．Opposed.

D．Adapted.

2 . Today, what we have, is an always-in-your-pocket, 24/7 news cycle. When you open a news app, you’ll notice a brief moment when the “old news” is still there. In a flash, the ancient history of a few hours ago is swept away for the next “breaking news”.     1     It’s endless, but you had better keep up.

Researchers introduce this world to the phrase, “noise bottleneck”. A noise bottleneck is where we are overwhelmed with so much information or noise that our cognitive (认知的) abilities can’t keep up.     2     Thus, while our attention can watch hours of videos, our long-term learning processes can’t.

    3     We watch TV holding our phones, and we listen to music while shopping. However, the human brain might have structural limitation rooted in the cognitive architecture which causes the slowing down that occurs when two tasks are performed at the same time.

In short, your brain is not as good as you think it is. You are a human being who can only take in so much a day. Understanding the noise bottleneck allows us to fix it. So, here are three tips to get you going:

Clear your content-set up a new account on social media and follow only accounts or people that you think are really valuable.   

Single-task — you don’t need to rid the phone but do rid the distractions.     4     Say, “I will only read this magazine after dinner.” Multitasking is for show; single-tasking is for pros.

Accept your limits — you’ll never read all the news. Accept you can only choose two or three and embrace that fact.     5     You’re getting more out of those few than that “super-productive” person on social media who says they read five books a week. After all, it’s better to have a little remembered than a lot forgotten.

A．Give yourself a time limit or restriction if it helps.

B．Don’t beat yourself up that you’re being unproductive.

C．Every second, you are presented with new information.

D．Breaking through the noise bottleneck is a legendary idea.

E．The matter is made worse by our modern addiction to multitasking.

F．Multitasking has dramatically changed the way we use information.

G．Our brains have limited resources, spread across numerous functions.

3 . Are you looking for teen volunteer opportunities for 2024 that provide a rewarding experience that will stay with you for life? Every year thousands of teens choose to volunteer abroad with International Volunteer HQ(IVHQ)-the world’s most trusted provider of safe and affordable volunteer programs for teens.

Service trips for teens are available in more than 50 destinations and there are 17 teen volunteer programs for 16 to 18 year-olds. Some of the best programs in 2024 include Turtle Conservation in Bali, Animal Care in Costa Rica and Childcare in Tanzania. Or, if you’re wanting to volunteer with a group of students from your high school, IVHQ can tailor a program for your group too!

Benefits for volunteers:

There is no doubt that volunteering as a teenager is a meaningful way to broaden your education and add experiences that will stand out on your college application.

Crossing boundaries to work with partners from different parts of the world fosters global understanding.

Living in a country different to your own means that you will be involved in a new culture, cuisine, and way of thinking.

Guaranteed support:

Chances are your parents will also want to learn more about IVHQ, whether or not they will go abroad with you. Having placed more than 130, 000 volunteers abroad, we’re always happy to speak with parents to ensure all their questions are fielded. Through our online safety training, comprehensive information brochures, on-going support from experienced program managers and round-the-clock support from our local teams, IVHQ volunteers are well supported to make the most of the time abroad.

If you’re ready to pack your bags and experience a completely different lifestyle and widen your global perspective, please contact us. IVHQ will be more than happy to offer a service.

1. What can IVHQ provide for a high school group?

A．Rewards for volunteering.	B．A free service trip.
C．An opportunity to study abroad.	D．A specialized program.

2. What does IVHQ promise to volunteers?

A．Local teams’ assistance.	B．Partners’ support.
C．College recommendation letters.	D．Parents’ company

3. The main purpose of the passage is to_____.

A．advocate volunteering	B．introduce requirements
C．advertise a service	D．suggest a lifestyle

4 . An Art Class

When Kelly was twelve, she started taking classes at Miss Grace’s School for Art. She didn’t like it at first: the “novice artists”—the kids who hadn’t really done art before-worked mostly with clay, and Kelly was a terrible sculptor.

It wasn’t until her third year that Kelly found something she was really good at-charcoal drawing (素描). She loved watching the lines spread unevenly across the page as she moved the bits of charcoal back and forth over the paper.

One day, Sophia, the best artist in her class, sat down and set up her easel (画架) next to Kelly. Kelly felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. She’d actually found an art form that she enjoyed and was good at-and now Sophia was going to outshine her again? Kelly fought back tears when Miss Grace entered the room.

“Hello class, Miss Grace said.” We’ll continue to work on the project today. What masterpiece would Sophia have come up with?

Kelly looked at Sophia’s easel and she couldn’t believe it-it was a mess! For a brief moment, Kelly couldn’t actually believe her drawing was better than Sophia’s.

But then she looked at Sophia, who was watching Kelly with an anxious expression. “I…. I couldn’t decide what to do,” Sophia said. “And you’re so good. Sometimes I feel like my stuff is just so bad in comparison.”

Kelly looked to see if Sophia was joking, but she seemed completely serious. Now Kelly was shocked. “I’m not talented ... Miss Grace seldom praises me. You’re the best one in our class!”

Sophia raised her eyebrows. “I might be a really good copier of the stuff, but I have no idea what to do when it comes to making up my own images. You are so great at making new things out of the old stuff. I’ve loved your works.”

“I’ve loved yours, too,” Kelly said.

“Well, definitely not this one,” Sophia said.

Kelly smiled. “Maybe not right now. But if you move these lines up...” she said, pointing her finger on Sophia’s paper.

Sophia was quiet for a moment. “That’s a great idea!” she said finally.

Kelly smiled and turned back to her drawing, looking every so often at Sophia’s work to see that she was taking her advice, down to the last line.

1. When Kelly started classes at the art school, she _____.

A．was not good at the course	B．lacked confidence in drawing
C．was often pushed by Miss Grace	D．did not get along with the other kids

2. How did Kelly feel when Sophia sat beside her?

A．Thrilled.

B．Confused.

C．Frustrated.

D．Relieved.

3. What did Kelly do in the art class?

A．She inspired Sophia.	B．She praised Sophia’s creativity.
C．She decided to outshine Sophia.	D．She finished the drawing for Sophia.

4. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Interest is the best teacher.	B．You are what you believe to be.
C．Everyone has their own strengths.	D．Hard work will eventually pay off.

5 . When I teach research methods, a major focus is peer review. As a process, peer review evaluates academic papers for their quality, integrity and impact on a field, largely shaping what scientists accept as “knowledge”- By instinct, any academic follows up a new idea with the question, “Was that peer reviewed?”

Although I believe in the importance of peer review and I help do peer reviews for several academic journals-I know how vulnerable the process can be.

I had my first encounter with peer review during my first year as a Ph. D student. One day, my adviser handed me an essay and told me to have my -written review back to him in a week. But at the time, I certainly was not a “peer”-I was too new in my field. Manipulated data (不实的数据) or substandard methods could easily have gone undetected. Knowledge is not self-evident. Only experts would be able to notice them, and even then, experts do not always agree on what they notice.

Let’s say in my life I only see white swans. Maybe I write an essay, concluding that all swans are white. And a “peer” says, “Wait a minute, I’ve seen black swans.” I would have to refine my knowledge.

The peer plays a key role evaluating observations with the overall goal of advancing knowledge. For example, if the above story were reversed, and peer reviewers who all believed that all swans were white came across the first study observing a black swan, the study would receive a lot of attention.

So why was a first-year graduate student getting to stand in for an expert? Why would my review count the same as an expert’s review? One answer: The process relies almost entirely on unpaid labor.

Despite the fact that peers are professionals, peer review is not a profession. As a result, the same over-worked scholars often receive masses of the peer review requests. Besides the labor inequity, a small pool of experts can lead to a narrowed process of what is publishable or what counts as knowledge, directly threatening diversity of perspectives and scholars. Without a large enough reviewer pool, the process can easily fall victim to biases, arising from a small community recognizing each other’s work and compromising conflicts of interest.

Despite these challenges, I still tell my students that peer review offers the best method for evaluating studies aird advancing knowledge. As a process, peer review theoretically works. The question is whether the issues with peer review can be addressed by professionalizing the field.

1. What can we learn about peer review in the first paragraph?

A．It generates knowledge.	B．It is commonly practiced.
C．It is a major research method.	D．It is questioned by some scientists.

2. What can be inferred about the example of swans?

A．Complexity of peer review ensures its reliability.

B．Contradictions between scientists may be balanced.

C．Individuals can be limited by personal experiences.

D．Experts should detect unscientific observation methods.

3. What is the author’s major concern about peer review?

A．Workload for scholars.	B．Toughness of the process.
C．Diversification of publications.	D．Financial support to reviewers.

4. The passage is mainly about ______.

A．what fuels peer review	B．why peer review is imperfect
C．how new hands advance peer review	D．whether peer reviewers are underrated

6 . 根据短文内容，从短文后的七个选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Now there is an increasing number of inactive people, namely the “mouse potato”. A mouse potato is someone who sits in front of his or her computer all day and eats junk food instead of regular meals. Why are we becoming potatoes and what can we do to avoid it?

One reason behind it is our modern way of life. We don’t have as much time to prepare and eat food as we used to.     1    Not all of these are bad for us, of course, but they make it more difficult for us to control what we eat.

If we want to be healthy, we should make good choices about what we eat.   It is not necessary to become a vegetarian, but we must make sure that our diet is varied and balanced. A healthy diet should give us the calories we need but not contain too much fat and sugar. The number of calories our body needs depends on what our body type is, how much we weigh and how active we are.

Teenagers need about 2,500 calories a day.    2    Getting the calories we need is not enough. If we want to be healthy, we must make sure that we get the calories in the best way possible. The best source for calories is carbohydrates, which are found in gains, vegetables and fruit. Our bodies store carbohydrates in our muscles so that we can get energy when we need it.

Junk food has a lot of calories but few nutrients, vitamins and minerals, Some food does have nutrients, for example pizza, but because it contains too many calories, it is still called junk food. A healthy diet should include a variety of food, most of which should be rich in nutrients.     3     Those of us who love French fries, sweets, ice cream and cheeseburgers can still enjoy an unhealthy bite every now and then. All we have to do is to be careful how often and how much we eat of it.

If we make the right choices about what we eat, we will be healthier and have more energy to enjoy the good things in life.     4    And remember, it is better to eat a potato than to be one.

A．Choosing what to eat is no longer as easy as it once was.

B．That does not mean that we are never allowed to eat junk food.

C．A balanced diet combined with exercise is the recipe for a healthy life.

D．Girls usually need a bit less and people who play sports may need more.

E．A large breakfast, one containing about 700 calories, will help lose weight.

F．Fast food restaurants are everywhere and supermarket shelves are filled with ready-made pre-prepared dishes.

7 . 阅读下面短文和问题，在答题卡相应题号后的横线上写下相关信息，完成对该问题的回答。答语要意思清楚，结构正确，书写工整。

Dear headmaster, As president of Sullivan Junior High School’s student council, I have been chosen to write to you on behalf of the eighth grade class. We would like to propose an eighth grade promotion trip to Sea World in San Diego, California. We chose Sea World for several reasons. In science class, we have been studying oceans and the marine life. Going to Sea World would provide us with the opportunity to visit these creatures and to better understand their habitats. This could be a once in a lifetime experience for those of us who have never been outside Arizona. We will have lots of fun and learn at the same time. The close location of San Diego was also a factor in planning this trip. San Diego can be reached by bus in about six hours. If the buses leave Sullivan after school on Friday afternoon, we should arrive in California in time to have a late dinner and get settled into our hotel rooms before midnight.

You may be asking yourself. “How will this trip be financed?” We are suggesting that the school host an “Oceans of Fun” night for family, friends, and community members for a small fee. The activities would be organized and supervised by eighth grade students. Some of our ideas for the night include a Surfer’s Snack Shop with homemade treats for sale, Pirate Pete’s Treasure hunt, and a short production of “A Whale of a Tale.” This would the best chance to show our ocean animal reports. Many of the eighth grade students have gone to school together since kindergarten. We believe that this trip would be a fantastic way to celebrate friendships. This trip may also be one of the last times we see our friends because students from Sullivan Junior High School attend four different high schools. We invite you to our next student council meeting on December 7, 2013, to discuss your thoughts and work out any concerns you still may have. Thank you for taking the time to consider our request for an eighth-grade promotion trip. Sincerely, Julie Martino

1. Who has written this letter? What is she?
__________________________________________
2. What idea has the author mainly expressed in Paragraph 4?
__________________________________________
3. Why has the author written this letter?
__________________________________________
4. Why does the author mention that many students have gone to school together since kindergarten in Paragraph 5?
__________________________________________

8 . To Their Own Beat

When Los Lobos perform in concert today, audiences in the thousands cheer them on. It’s hard to believe that the group started out as just another garage band playing popular rock-and-roll tunes from the radio, In 1974 four high school friends from East Los Angeles formed Los Lobos ( Spanish for “The Wolves” ) .

Like many garage bands, these friends might have simply gone their separate ways after high school. But the members of Los Lobos wanted to keep making music together. They decided to change their musical style and began focusing on traditional Mexican music that showed their tradition.

“We pulled out all those records we used to beg our parents not to play around our friends and found an incredible wealth of music,” says Perez. “These guys (on the records) were doing amazing things with their instruments, and we started trying to pick up on it. ”

The group put aside its electric guitars for the acoustic ones used in traditional Mexican music. For several years Los Lobos played at weddings or parties—any event that needed live music. They also landed a regular engagement (合同)   at a Mexican restaurant.

By 1978 Los Lobos had made enough money to record their first album   (唱片) , and they sold copies of it wherever they performed. They also returned to their electric guitars to get closer to a Tex-Mex sound, which is a mixture of traditional Mexican music, rock and roll, country music, and the blues. This new, louder sound produced one unexpected result: the group was fired from the restaurant.

But it didn’t matter that Los Lobos had lost their one steady job, because they had found a position that no other group took up. They had combined electric and acoustic instruments and blended (混合) musical styles in their own way. Steve Berlin joined the band in 1983 as the saxophone and keyboard player, adding to the band’s unusual sound.

“We didn’t so much want to recycle the music we’d grown up with as much as find the common links between it and all the other styles and sounds that were all around us,” Perez explains.   “It became a mission ...   bringing music together to bring people together. ”

In the 1980s Los Lobos gained the attention of several record companies. They were hired to perform on the soundtrack to the film La Bamba, which earned them a Golden Eagle Award. They have since earned many awards, including two Grammys and an MTV Video Music Award. Their many records have been very successful, and they have toured the world.

Even after 30 years of making music together, Los Lobos continues to experiment with their sound. They never moved far away from their Mexican roots, however.   They still include traditional music in their live performances, sharing their history—and their culture—with their fans.

1. Los Lobos recorded their first album after they_______.

A．lost their job at a restaurant

B．began playing acoustic guitars

C．won an award for a film soundtrack

D．added saxophone and keyboards to their sound

2. Which paragraph writes about the great success of the band?

A．Paragraph 1.

B．Paragraph 4.

C．Paragraph 6.

D．Paragraph 8.

3. What makes Los Lobos special and successful?

A．The way they recorded their first album.

B．Their blending of different types of music.

C．Their decision to play traditional Mexican music.

D．The fact that they performed and toured the world.

4. What can we infer from the passage?

A．Music is best when played with traditional instruments.

B．Music must be recorded to be passed down.

C．Music should remain the same over time.

D．Music can show many cultures.

9 . Scientists are poor forecasters of the future. But two trends can be confidently predicted. First, the world will get more crowded. There’ll be more than 9 billion people by 2050. Second, the world will get warmer and some governments won’t prioritise the long-term measures needed to deal with climate change, even though science offers us a roadmap to a low-carbon future.

That’s why we should be promoters of new technology—without it the world can’t provide the food and sustainable energy needed for an expanding population. But we should also be cautious, as new technologies, such as AI, may be hard to control.

AI will undoubtedly become more intrusive in the future. Records of our movements, health and financial transactions will be stored in the cloud. The data may be used for justifiable reasons, such as protein folding and drug development, or to warn us of initial health risks, but its availability to Internet companies is already shifting the balance of power from governments to global-scale corporations.

Actually, it’s beyond Earth that AI has the most enormous potential. Humans may have established bases beyond Earth by the year 2100．But don’t ever expect mass emigration (移民) from Earth. It’s a false belief that space offers an escape from our problems. Dealing with climate change on Earth is a piece of cake compared to terraforming Mars.

Nevertheless, we should cheer on these brave human space adventurers. They’ll be ill-adapted to a Martian habitat, so they’ll have a super motive to redesign themselves. It’s they, not those of us adapted to life on Earth, who will pioneer the post-human era (时代).

If post-humans make the shift from flesh and blood to fully artificial intelligences, they won’t need an atmosphere of even gravity, so it’s in deep space — not even on Mars that non biological “brains” may develop powers that we can’t imagine. They may end up being mentally different from us. AI could jump-start a huge emigration and thus even more complex intelligence spreads through the universe.

But let’s re focus from the science fiction of the far future. closer to the here and now. This century is special. It’s the first, in Earth’s 4.5-billion-year history where one species-ours—holds the planet’s future in its hands. Our intelligence could initiate billions of years of post-human evolution (演化), even more amazing than that which led to us. On the other hand, humans could cause biological, environmental or cyber catastrophes that foreclose all this potential.

If science is to save us, we need to think globally, sensibly and long-term—empowered by science, but guided by values that science alone can’t provide.

1. Why does the author mention the two trends in the first paragraph?

A．To reply to governments’ decisions.	B．To show scientists’ prediction ability.
C．To present a call for scientific advances.	D．To highlight the challenges to scientists.

2. According to this passage, AI can ______.

A．put an end to climate change	B．make mass human emigration possible
C．speed up the competition in medical fields	D．bring about potential threats from big companies

3. As for the future, what does the author agree with?

A．Post-humans will repeat the history of humans.

B．Complex intelligence will dominate the universe.

C．Fully artificial intelligences may inhabit outer space.

D．Non-biological brains may invite unforeseen disasters.

4. Which would be the best title for the passage?

A．Could AI Save Us?	B．Will Science Lead Evolution?
C．Arc Space Adventurers Pioneers?	D．Is Complex Intelligence Coming?

10 . 阅读下面短文，根据题目要求用英文回答问题。

Smartphones have become a big part of people’s lives. When we temporarily can’t find them, it causes a feeling of anxiety or panic. Some psychologists have called it “nomophobia”. Thankfully, I rode through the withdrawal of my smartphone and it was short-lived.

When I got my first smartphone over a decade ago, I loved it. It gave me instant access to my music, a world of information and thousands of photos and videos. But over time, I became increasingly ambivalent about its role in my life. I would repeatedly refresh my email, shop online for stuff I didn’t need and constantly scroll through the latest news. I’d often complain to my husband and to my seven-year-old son, Louis, that I felt trapped by it.

Then, one day last summer, while I was playing with Louis, I was once again distracted by dings and pings. He finally reminded me of my complaints, but rephrased them as a plea: “Mommy, just give it up already!”

I decided to try. Instead of going cold turkey — no cellphone at all — I bought a flip phone. With no touch screen, texting is time-consuming. Once, while trying to catch up on texts with a friend, I finally got frustrated and called her. I realized I hadn’t spoken to her since her big move. It made a difference to hear both the excitement in her voice as she described seeing the northern lights and her sadness in being away from a sick parent.

Nowadays, people may prefer text-based communication over using the phone because they fear that the call will be awkward. But, just as I learned, when we were forced to connect voice to voice, we would find ourselves more bonded to that person.

Wuyou Sui, an expert researching digital health, describes nomophobia as a reliance that’s been placed upon us. “Whenever something is designed to make a choice easier, it’s called a behavioural nudge,” he explains, adding that the more central to our lives the smartphone’s functions are, the more prisoned we become.

Ultimately, though, that sense of dependence is false. As I’ve found, you can do all the things you need to do in other ways. It’s not always convenient, but I know I’m much calmer on a regular basis without my smartphone.

1. What does “nomophobia” refer to?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
2. Why did the author decide to give up her smartphone?
____________________________________________________________________________________
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
▶According to the author, we will find it awkward to talk with a friend on the phone.
____________________________________________________________________________________
4. Apart from the ways mentioned in the passage, what can you do to avoid “nomophobia”? (In about 40 words)
____________________________________________________________________________________