1 . In today’s digital era, social media users are increasingly coming across fake news online. This leads to the pressing issue: What causes people to fall for misinformation on the Internet?
According to researchers at the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology, users can easily fall into an echo chamber (回声室)—a sort of virtual space where users consume only one-sided news, eventually distrusting any opposing views. “We all tend to agree with the group opinion. Hence, people naturally get together with others who hold the same opinion,” said Dongwon Lee, one of the researchers. “But if you’re not cautious, there is a high risk of falling into an echo chamber.”
To prevent this phenomenon, the researchers have crafted a novel tool, a game named ChamberBreaker, to help players resist echo chambers and reduce the rate of fake news spread. The fundamental approach employed by ChamberBreaker centers around a decision-making procedure that mirrors the creation of echo chambers. In ChamberBreaker, a player is tasked with trying to have community members fall into an echo chamber. To begin, the player is randomly assigned a situation that focuses on a health, political or environmental issue, and is presented with six pieces of news on that topic. Then, the player selects news that could cause the other members to fall into an echo chamber while at the same time maintaining their trust. If successful, the community members will fall into an echo chamber and the player will witness the resulting negative effects on the community.
After developing ChamberBreaker, researchers tested it with over 800 subjects to see if it raised awareness of echo chambers and changed news consumption behaviors. The researchers found that those who played ChamberBreaker were significantly more likely to state their intention to observe online information from more diverse perspectives and showed an increased awareness of the echo chamber phenomenon.
Ultimately, the researchers hope that their methodology can excite a greater interest in the scientific and scholarly study related to information consumption. The application of tools like ChamberBreaker, which focuses on fostering analytical reasoning, may lead us towards a more informed online community.
1. What can be learned about an online echo chamber?A.It encourages well-judged views. |
B.It gathers like-minded individuals. |
C.It functions as a virtual reality platform. |
D.It serves as a tool for identifying fake information. |
A.Assignment of situations. | B.Trust-building exercises. |
C.News selection strategy. | D.Community impact assessment. |
A.The results of scientific testing. |
B.The theoretical framework of the game. |
C.The description of the game procedures. |
D.The common challenges faced during gameplay. |
A.Reducing news inquiry. | B.Encouraging passive reading. |
C.Strengthening prejudiced views. | D.Enhancing critical thinking. |
2 . With the emergence (出现) of intelligent transportation systems and the internet of things, the world is entering the next stage of movement — smart transportation.
In recent years, Chinese technology companies have worked hard to speed up the commercial use of robotaxis. In March, Beijing gave autonomous driving permits to tech giant Baidu and self-driving startup Pony.ai to run fully driverless robotaxis on open roads. In June, Baidu carried out its driverless ride-hailing (叫车) service in Shenzhen, Guangdong. Its Apollo Go robotaxis have been put into use across an area of 188 square kilometers in Shenzhen from 7 am to 10 pm daily.
Passengers can download apps like Apollo Go or Baidu Map to their smartphones, and tell the app where they are and where they want to go. Then, a car will appear. With sensors and cameras placed all over the car, a computer takes full control of the drive. A screen on the back seats shows how the robotaxi’s software looks at the space around the car to see other cars, humans, bikes, and anything else that might get in its way.
“The robotaxi goes at about the same speed, providing a good driving experience,” a user posted on Xiaohongshu. As of the first quarter of 2023, the user satisfaction rating for the Apollo Go app has reached 4.9 out of 5, with the latest data showing that 97.12 percent of the reviews are five-star ratings.
Meanwhile, drivers in the city can also enjoy the conveniences of smart transportation. In Guiyang, Guizhou, at some smart parking lots, drivers only need to park their cars at an induction (感应) line. A smart system can put the vehicles into a specific area. When drivers want to get back their cars, they make a request on the terminal (终端的) device and the car will come out of the parking lot by itself in about one minute.
All in all, smart transportation uses new technologies to make moving around a city easier and safer.
1. What do we know from paragraph 2?A.Baidu competes fiercely against Pony. |
B.Robotaxis begin to run in some cities in China. |
C.Robotaxis can run on open roads without driving permits. |
D.Tech companies do little research on smart transportation. |
A.How to work robotaxis. | B.Why to use smartphones. |
C.Where to download apps. | D.Who to control computers. |
A.To compare speed ratings. |
B.To show the users’ satisfaction. |
C.To check the safety of robotaxis. |
D.To introduce a driving experience, |
A.Robotaxis: A New Development |
B.Smart transportation: A Better Life |
C.Giant Baidu: A Leader in Technology |
D.Tech companies: Hope for the Future |
3 . Mobile Bay in Alabama is home to a strange and unique occurrence. During the summer months, hundreds of fish and crustaceans (甲壳纲动物) from the deep waters of the bay move to the shallow waters. The free seafood is so plentiful and easy to catch with nets or bare hands that locals gather to fill their buckets with it. This natural phenomenon has existed for centuries.
Sarah Van Winkle, a student at the Alabama School of Math & Science, is no stranger to the scene. Growing up there, the rich plants and animals never stop to amaze her.
As the world’s oceans face numerous issues such as pollution, overfishing, and habitat destruction, she intended to figure out whether Mobile Bay was experiencing similar environmental threats in her most recent science project. Sarah studied the environment of Mobile Bay and she even extended the range of the research to the Mobile Tensaw-Delta, and the canals of a living district in Fairhope, Alabama. She analyzed key nutrient and metal levels in the ocean ecosystem.
Through the project, Sarah found that turbidity, an important indicator of water quality, increased sharply. This result showed, clearly that the area is filled with tiny pieces of matter, making the water there quite opaque.
For the project. Sarah was chosen as one of this year’s 24 Society for Science & the Public Community Innovation Award winners. “To me, this honor symbolizes that the ten months of late night readings, weekend field trips, and after-school sessions in the laboratory have truly come to fruition and impacted lives,” Sarah noted.
“Our local ocean ecosystem is in danger of chemical pollution from a variety of sources,” Sarah explained in an interview. “The bay plays a vital role in our community and every local should value what the bay offers. It’s our responsibility to work together to preserve it.”
1. What’s the unusual scene in Mobile Bay in summer months?A.The water’s becoming shallow and clear. | B.The decline of the natural environment. |
C.The flood of seafood into shallow waters. | D.The locals’ growing interest in fishing with buckets. |
A.Fresh. | B.Cloudy. | C.Clear. | D.Shallow. |
A.Hard work pays off. | B.Time waits for no man. |
C.Practice makes perfect. | D.Failure is the mother of success. |
A.The focus of her future work. | B.Her concern for the local people. |
C.The complexity of the local ocean system. | D.Her expectation of protecting the bay. |
4 . Letters to customers
Letter 1Dear Mr Johnson,
Thanks for your long-term trust. We take great pleasure in announcing that our latest product, the 1000-watt home theater system, has come onto the market.
The device comes with five speakers. It is Bluetooth-enabled and has a USB port. The sound quality and picture quality are outstanding.
Grab yours today! Contact us at 999-999-999.
Helen
Letter 2Dear Miss Turner,
We are grateful for your good review of our printer. To express our thanks, we’d like to give you a special offer. In the upcoming three months, you will get one free cartridge (墨盒) for any three that you buy. It also applies to any paper you buy.
Please show this note to us when you visit our store. It will make sure you can get the offer and a significant discount on other products.
Call us at 333-555-999 if you have any questions.
Nicholas
Letter 3Dear Mr Davis,
We’d like to congratulate you on the ownership of the new mountain bike. This bike is the first to succeed in all the standard safety tests set by the Cycling Association of America. You can get a free bike repair service within the first month of your purchase.
We also trade in old and new bikes. For more information, call us at 223-334-445.
Bob
Letter 4Dear Miss Smith,
I am delighted that you are satisfied with the washer and dryer purchased from our store.
If you experience any damage within the first six months of your purchase, we will repair them at no cost. After that, we offer competitive rates to ensure your continued satisfaction.
Please feel free to contact us at 111-222-111 for any further information.
Amy
1. What’s Helen’s purpose in writing to Mr Johnson?A.To show her trust. |
B.To confirm an order. |
C.To promote a new product. |
D.To seek opinions on their product. |
A.Give praise for the cartridge. |
B.Bring the note to the store. |
C.Buy at least four cartridges. |
D.Recommend the printer to others. ‘ |
A.Both offer free maintenance. |
B.Both stress the safety of products. |
C.Both display competitive product rates. |
D.Both involve the trade of new and old products. |
5 . Every day Juanita Mengel, a 67-year-old woman from the state of Ohio, wakes up and puts on her prosthetic (假体的) leg.
Then, Mengel does the same for Lola-Pearl, her five-year-old cat. Lola-Pearl also missed her back left leg. Mengel has many cats. Most of them have disabilities. But Lola-Pearl is special. She is a therapy (治疗) cat. And, she and Mengel are partners of a kind. They are among 200 therapy cat teams registered in the United States by the non-profit group, Pet Partners.
The group helps humans and pets alike by setting them up into teams to provide animal-assisted (帮助) therapy. The teams visit hospitals, nursing homes and schools and assist those in need. Besides dogs and cats, Pet Partners registers other species as therapy animals, including horses, rabbits, rats, guinea pigs, birds and mini pigs.
Taylor Griffin is national director at Pet Partners. She said, “Therapy animals are animals who’ve been gauged whether they are suitable for assisting some people, and are based on their ability to meet new people and enjoy the process.”
Mengel said Lola-Pearl showed signs that she would make a good therapy cat soon after the animal joined her family. “I just knew she would be a good therapy because she was so good with people. People really were attracted to her, too,” Mengel said.
Mengel was a traveling nurse when she was in a car accident that almost killed her. One of her legs could not be saved. Later, she connected with a friend in the state of Missouri who had a severely injured kitten. The cat’s legs were twisted together. An animal medical specialist worked to repair the damage, but in the end, they had to remove one of the baby cat’s legs. That kitten was Lola-Pearl.
Mengel took Lola-Pearl as her cat after talking with her friend. Despite the difficulties Mengel has faced, she is grateful to Lola-Pearl and their work in Pet Partners.
“It’s a really rewarding experience,” she said. “I get just as much out of it as the people that I visit.”
1. What can we know about Pet Partners?A.It mainly provides animal-assisted therapy. | B.It is a non-profit group founded by Taylor Griffin. |
C.It only offers help to patients in hospitals. | D.It doesn’t register birds as therapy animals. |
A.Guessed. | B.Designed. | C.Explained. | D.Measured. |
A.By working in Pet Partners. | B.Through one of her friends. |
C.By repairing Lola-Pearl’s leg. | D.Through moving to Missouri. |
A.Optimistic and helpful. | B.Proud and humorous. |
C.Talkative and thoughtful. | D.Honest and talented. |
6 . The dry land in Gir National Park and Wildlife Preserve, located near India western tip, is the proud — and only — home of the Asiatic lion. By the early 1900s, however, their populations had decreased for homo loss and hunting, leaving fewer than 50 known individuals alive. Though their numbers have risen over the past several decades — climbing to around 670 in 2020, a successful story — the lions are still considered endangered.
One of the biggest challenges to keep the lions’ future is to track them, a hard work. Some animals, like tigers and zebras, have special coat patterns (图案) that provide useful marks to the researchers. But for the Asiatic lions, researchers must look elsewhere.
In 2019, Banerjee, who worked for Indias National Tiger Conservation Authority, developed an AI system to recognize the lions with high accuracy (精准). The AI program, SIMBA, has been applied in practice. “It will be a fantastic tool for long-term lion monitoring,” says Banerjee. He adds, “It could help forest officials arrive at a more accurate estimate (评估) of Gir’s lion population. In a few years, the group will have a rich collection of information — how many lions are male, female, how many will bear babies and how many are dead.”
Despite the advantages, Baneijee also adds his worries. He suggests certain rules be made to prevent main information from being stolen. “Where tools like SIMBA really shine”, he says, “is in helping researchers develop monitoring plans that are keys to the protection of at-risk animals,” he says, “otherwise, all your efforts will be in vain.”
1. What is the greatest difficulty in protecting Asiatic lions?A.Stopping them from being killed. | B.Keeping track of them. |
C.Protecting their living environment. | D.Increasing their population. |
A.By locating lions’ homes. | B.By tracking other animals. |
C.By monitoring the animal stealers. | D.By providing accurate information. |
A.It needs to be widely used. | B.It has saved the at-risk animals. |
C.Its possible risks should be aware of. | D.Its disadvantages should be ignored. |
A.The Application of AI on Protecting Animals. | B.The AI Program for the Endangered Asiatic Lions. |
C.The Measures of Protecting Asiatic Lions. | D.The Biggest Challenge of the AI system. |
7 . I always listen to my local public radio station while I’m driving. My focus often changes as I stare out at the road ahead. But I became fully attentive on a recent morning once I realized the entire newscast was dedicated to local wildlife.
There was something about the pack of some 30 to 50 javelinas (野猪) that ruined a golf course near Sedona, Arizona, followed by talk of the recent sighting of a jaguar (美洲虎), a species that ranged across Arizona and Sonora, Mexico, until construction of the border wall blocked the way. Finally, there was an update on Mexican wolf reintroduction efforts in New Mexico and Arizona. The results were mixed: Nine of the wolves had died or been killed recently.
As I sat in my car, listening to the news, I felt helpless, even mournful. What would it take for most of us to understand that the javelinas’ behavior on that heavily irrigated golf course in the desert was a sign that maybe the course shouldn’t be in the desert to begin with? The way I saw it, the javelinas weren’t invading (入侵) the site; they were reclaiming it. After all, the javelinas’ needs—for food and space—are more basic than a few privileged humans’ desire to play golf.
As for the Arizona Mexican wolf pup reintroduction effort that I heard about in the news, for the past 25 years, scientists have been working hard to restore the native wolf population, and yet are unable to remove its greatest threat. Today, almost 250 Mexican wolves are believed to be in the wild, and every year, humans illegally kill one out of ten. The wolf recovery effort is necessary, but it’s extremely difficult because we humans keep getting in the way.
I need to tackle my helplessness, because helplessness leads to no longer wanting to take care of what matters most. Therefore, I think that it must be a good sign that my local news now regularly covers the challenges of coexistence and possible solutions to our problems. That’s progress and fuels my hope.
1. What is the morning news about?A.Dangers of local wildlife. |
B.Efforts to reintroduce wildlife. |
C.Issues of human-wildlife coexistence. |
D.Distribution of wildlife around the world. |
A.To meet basic needs. |
B.To protect the desert. |
C.To oppose golf playing. |
D.To attack human beings. |
A.They are bound to go extinct. |
B.Humans threaten their survival. |
C.Their number has greatly increased. |
D.10% of them have been reintroduced. |
A.Unclear. | B.Negative. |
C.Optimistic. | D.Indifferent. |
8 . Everywhere I look, there are new buildings under construction. The neighborhoods that I knew as a boy, filled with beautiful old buildings, have mostly disappeared, and in their place, modern, high-rise buildings have appeared. There is good reason for this. Residents want all the conveniences of modern living. However, how can our children understand and maintain their cultural identity if we erase so much of the physical evidence of it?
The arguments for preserving historic buildings are not simply about an emotional attachment to the past. There are also good economic arguments in favour of preservation. The renovation (修缮) and preservation of historic districts can become an economic engine, drawing tourists and small businesses to the area. For example, in Dubai, the historic Al Bastikiya district draws thousands of tourists every year from all over the world. It also attracts local residents, eager to learn about their city's past.
Some have argued that historic preservation is too expensive, but many recent projects have demonstrated that this is not necessarily the case. In fact, renovation of an existing structure for adaptive reuse can cost about £40 per square metre less than even the most basic new construction, while preserving the beauty of the original building. And, although it is often claimed that old buildings have a more significant environmental footprint than new construction because they aren’t very energy efficient, architects and environmental experts maintain that the greenest building is the one that is already built. New construction almost always has a more serious environmental impact (影响) because it requires the use of all-new materials that must be transported, often over long distances, instead of recycled materials that are already on site. We recycle so many other things. We can and should recycle buildings, too.
Historic preservation is an option that opens many possibilities; demolition (拆毁), in contrast, is irreversible. Once these treasures are lost, they are lost forever, an important link in our heritage that can never be recovered.
1. What drives people to replace old buildings with new ones?A.Their dislike of old buildings. | B.Their pride in cultural identity. |
C.Their concern about young generations. | D.Their desire for modern comforts. |
A.Historic renovation costs much money. |
B.Local governments support small businesses. |
C.Historic preservation brings economic benefits. |
D.International tourism promises economic recovery. |
A.It uses green materials. | B.It damages architectural beauty. |
C.It reduces enviromental impact. | D.It worries environmental experts. |
A.Positive. | B.Doubtful. | C.Disapproving. | D.Objective. |
9 . Ego (自我意识) can destroy ambition and success. It can prevent us from knowing ourselves and hold us back.
Feelings of superiority (优越感) are destructive. Relationships, whether personal or professional, can easily be ruined if you consider yourself superior. You will soon distance yourself from others if you adopt an attitude of superiority.
The urge to win every conflict and to always be right is extremely unwise. Winning unimportant battles will prevent you from stepping back and assessing the consequences of your actions. You will not be able to take a cool, calm overview.
Getting rid of your ego, therefore, is something that you can achieve by shifting your approach to life.
A.We should respect everyone’s life style. |
B.Learn to be satisfied with what you have. |
C.It’s necessary to understand the damage it does to us. |
D.Life is much less enjoyable when you are an outsider. |
E.The trick to the problem is to quieten the voice of ego. |
F.We should lead a less demanding life, with less pressure on ourselves. |
G.The need to be always right leads to unpopularity and others’ negative view of you. |
10 . Central Park Picnic Experiences
Having a picnic with family, friends or colleagues at the Pool with iconic views of the NYC backdrop would give you good feelings. We handle all aspects of your event from beginning to end, so you can just show up and have a great time! Fresh baked service! — You can now add games to any picnic experience (details below).
Family-Style Picnic
Serves a minimum of 15 people
Our family-style picnic experience is perfect for big groups! Includes set up & clean up, plus fruits and food. Also includes coolers with ice, blankets, pillows and parasols (遮阳伞). $60.00 per adult, $30.00 per child. Includes a 2-hour picnic with set up and clean up. $50 per add 1 hour.
Social Picnic Party
Serves 10 to 12 people
Comes complete with an entire picnic set up including extra space, blankets, pillows, parasols. The meal is a sampling of sandwiches, roast chicken, potato salad, seasonal greens, local cheese platter, lemonade, water and something sweet for dessert. Perfect for meeting new friends.
We Love This Formal Picnic!
Serves 4 to 10 people
Looking for something more formal? This is special and for you! Includes set up with a set low-rise table for business talk, a great selection of delicious food, flowers, and clean up! Tips not included — and should go direct to your picnic expert.
Birthday Party Picnic
Serves 2 to 18 people
Besides our signature birthday party cake, we also offer a local cheese platter (拼盘), seasonal salad, chips, lemonade and water, plus cookies & brownies for dessert! When you arrive at your picnic spot, one of our picnic experts will have everything set up, ready and waiting for you when you arrive! Includes a 2-hour picnic for 2 with set up and clean up. Add up to 16 additional guests. $50 per add 1 hour. $50 per add 1 guest. Max 18 guests.
Contact us with questions!1. What is a new service for the picnic experiences?
A.New spots with wonderful views. | B.Whole-process service. |
C.Allowing for adding games. | D.Offering freshly-made bread. |
A.$720. | B.$1,020. | C.$1,070. | D.$1,150. |
A.Expense of picnic. | B.Number of people. |
C.Age of the group. | D.Purpose of the activity. |