1 . It’s fair to say that many parents focus a lot of energy — and worry! — on protecting their small kids from risky situations. But this past weekend, reporter Ellen Barry published a piece about a growing movement in Britain: people are bringing risk into the playground experience.
Controlled risk at play time — where, after all, the children are still under close supervision (监护) — would seem a good addition to the free-range child movement. In that initiative, it’s suggested that free-range kids take walks in nature or ride public transportation on their own.
Besides, considering child development from an evolutionary (进化的) view offers more backing. Our long journey through time and nature has made us who we are today, with behaviors, thoughts and bodies shaped.
| A．Kids learn best while playing. |
| B．More exploration is expected. |
| C．It says it’s okay for kids to take some risks. |
| D．Limited-risk playgrounds begin to catch on. |
| E．The idea is to help kids become tough and strong. |
| F．Generally, they are encouraged to get outside and acquire independent skills. |
| G．It is therefore important to let kids do things that match how they naturally grow. |
2 . One day I typed into ChatGPT all about my upset feelings and it instantly responded, offering a list of practical advice. Nowadays millions of people are already turning to ChatGPT and specialist therapy (治疗) chatbots for convenient and inexpensive mental health support.
Some experts say this is a boon. After all, AI, undisturbed by embarrassment and burnout, might be able to express empathy (同理心) more openly and tirelessly than humans. But others worry about the consequences of people seeking emotional support from machines that can only pretend to care. Some even wonder if the rise of so-called empathetic AI might change the way we interact with one another. Indeed, empathy is one of our species’ defining qualities, developing as it did in pace with social interaction.
One recent analysis about empathy looked at 52 studies published between 1980 and 2019, which shows that the empathiser must first be able to recognize how the other person is feeling. They must also be affected by those emotions and differentiate between themselves and the other person, grasping that the other person’s feelings aren’t their own while still being able to imagine their experience.
On the first point, in recent years, Al-powered chatbots have made progress in their ability to read human emotions, most powered by large language models (LLMs) that work by predicting which words are most likely to appear together based on training data. In this way, LLMs like ChatGPT can seemingly identify our feelings and respond appropriately most of the time. But when it comes to the other criteria, AI still misses the mark in many ways. Empathy is interpersonal, with continued feedback helping to perfect the empathiser’s response, which also requires some degree of intuitive (直觉的) awareness of an individual and their situation.
All of this helps to explain conversations like the ones I had with ChatGPT. At the end of the day, despite talking to multiple chatbots online, I did what I knew I had to do all along: I picked up my phone and called a friend.
1. What does the underlined word “boon” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Trap. | B．Prize. | C．Blessing. | D．Challenge. |
| A．It calls for clear communication. | B．It starts with emotion identification. |
| C．It rules out individual difference. | D．It depends on rich imagination. |
| A．Provide data-driven feedback. | B．Recognize one’s real desire. |
| C．Update large language models. | D．Predict one’s behavior by intuition. |
| A．Its development should be sped up. |
| B．Its intelligence is winning more favor. |
| C．Its application should be strictly managed. |
| D．Its artificial kindness is no match for humans’. |
3 . Quiet Parks International (QPI) have got every reason to award Quiet Trail to the Niobrara National Scenic River this year, making it the other Quiet Trail in the world after Cuifeng Lake Trail, Taiwan. Kalli Kieborz, Director of Niobrara Council, received the award for their assistance in managing and protecting its natural resources, including natural quiet, since 1997.
This Award concluded a two-year process that included exploring the full length of the river to collect qualitative and quantitative acoustic (听觉的) data. Gordon Hempton, cofounder of QPI, stated, “Our testing process is very exact. Beyond collecting standard acoustic data, each team member must agree unhesitatingly that natural quiet existed throughout the testing period. The river’s splendid geologic landscape, unusual atmospheric conditions and outstanding wildlife all contributed to a positive outcome.”
The Niobrara River is notable for its beauty, ecological importance, and recreational appeal in the northern Great Plains, U.S.. Six major ecosystems meet in the Niobrara National Scenic River valley, resulting in a special mix of more than 160 plant and animal species. “It is filled with unique, even one-of-a-kind opportunities for the curious and adventurous visitors,” said John Ricks. Nebraska Tourism director.
“97% of the U.S. population faces noise pollution from sources like flights and highways. In fact, the more quiet we have, the more we can see and hear about the world, so we are thrilled to be able to offer it at Niobrara National Scenic River. From a quiet starry night to peaceful natural escapes, it uncovers what cannot be enjoyed in many other places,” stated Susan Cook, another director.
Areas like the Niobrara National Scenic River offer an opportunity to showcase quiet, unspoiled areas in a noisy world. Today, as people’s life is overloaded with noise, the intentional seeking-out of quiet areas is on the rise and with it, the opportunity to engage new travelers in visiting the beautiful, yet still largely hidden treasure of the wild.
1. Which of the following best describes the testing process?| A．Flexible. | B．Reliable. | C．Simple. | D．Loose. |
| A．Ecology imbalance. | B．Biodiversity enrichment. |
| C．Species competition. | D．Tourism boost. |
| A．The joy of winning the award. | B．The outcome of noise pollution. |
| C．The activities of enjoying quiet. | D．The value of natural quiet. |
| A．To call on efforts to reconnect with nature. |
| B．To inform the recognition of a quiet river. |
| C．To display the challenges of protecting ecosystem. |
| D．To stress the need to escape busyness of modern life. |
4 . When Chui-Lian Lee and Valentina Gomez started on their academic journeys as textile (织物) developing and marketing majors at the Fashion Institute of Technology, they were eager to learn more about the clothing industry. Some of the things they ended up learning shocked them. They found out that roughly 11 million tons of textile waste end up in landfill each year, and the chemicals and gases that emerge during decomposition pollute the earth.
Every single class that they joined, they’d go through the impacts and it’d be like, “Okay, cotton has this large of a water footprint and people are turning to organic cotton, but that’s not really a solution because of these reasons.” Or “People are looking at recycled polyester (涤纶) but that’s not great because it still releases microplastics.” As every solution they learned about came with drawbacks, they both wound up feeling really frustrated.
It wasn’t until the two joined a class on the application of biotechnology to the manufacturing of clothing that they realized there could be a more environmentally friendly option for the fashion industry. Lee and Gomez learned that they could use specially engineered proteins to create a fiber that avoids plastics and degrades (分解) naturally, and then the idea for Werewool was born. “By changing how we are creating the fibers that make up our clothing, we can change the entire life cycle of our clothing and their end-of-life impacts on the environment, avoiding pollution from plastics,” Lee explains.
The early-stage biotech company focusing on developing biodegradable fibers for the textile industry initially started as a research project that involved many sleepless nights in the lab. After winning the H&M Global Change Award in 2020, the project launched into a company. Over four years and 4.5 million dollars in funding later, Werewool now has 12 employees and has begun working with brands to develop clothing out of their protein-based fibers, with the hope of launching products in 2025. By 2030, 125,000 tons of fiber is expected to enter the market, which is about 390 million shirts.
“Our goal has always been to make the fashion industry friendly to nature,” says Lee.
1. What surprised Lee and Gomez when they learned about the clothing industry?| A．A wide range of textiles are produced every year. |
| B．There are many poisonous chemicals in clothing. |
| C．Clothing industry brings harm to the environment. |
| D．The textile waste is quite difficult to break down. |
| A．To present features of organic clothing. |
| B．To introduce methods of recycling textile waste. |
| C．To show they’re not good options for sustainability. |
| D．To explain it is essential to reduce the water footprint. |
| A．It has a bright prospect. | B．It funds research on textile waste. |
| C．It proves to be highly profitable. | D．It pioneers in plastics decomposition. |
| A．Werewool Makes Fashion Green |
| B．Breakthroughs in Applied Biotechnology |
| C．Lee and Gomez’s Academic Journeys |
| D．New Protein-based Fibers Hit the Market |
5 . The HSK is a globally-run standardized test of Chinese language ability for non-native speakers. Whether you seek to ensure qualifications for scholarships or gain an advantage in the job market or a related academic field, an HSK pass will serve you well. But, of course, many learners also find an exam to be an excellent source of motivation!
Working with the Chinese Testing Centre, we are delighted to announce that our Institute will continue to offer opportunities for interested candidates to sit 2024 HSK Exams which will be in-person exams only. The next offline exam will take place on Sunday, 19 May.
Please visit HSK Exams Official Page to register. A recent passport photo is required when completing the registration form. A standard 2-inch identification photo no larger than 100kb must be sent to info@confuciusinstitute.ac.uk after you register the exam online.
Your admission ticket can be printed in the exam registration system after the registration closes. On the exam date, you MUST bring your admission ticket and the identification document, or you will not be able to sit the exam on the day.
Examination Fees:
HSK offline | HSK1 | HSK2 | HSK3 | HSK4 | HSK5 | HSK6 |
Standard | £10.00 | £20.00 | £30.00 | £40.00 | £50.00 | £60.00 |
Please note that if you want to book more than one exam level, you need to go through the booking process for each item you wish to book and pay correspondingly. For postage and packing, extra £3.00 is required for each level.
1. What benefit will an HSK pass bring?| A．Qualifying for scholarships. | B．Getting a dream job. |
| C．Having academic exchange. | D．Improving examination skills. |
| A．A recent passport photo. | B．A standard 2-inch ID photo. |
| C．A printed admission ticket. | D．An identification document. |
| A．£33.00. | B．£43.00. | C．£70.00. | D．£76.00. |
6 . The following are some of the most recognizable names in art history.
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci, born in 1452 in Tuscany, Italy, was a genius. His one-of-a-kind gift was expressing human emotions, which earned him a name from an early age. He kept painting until his death in France in 1519. His Mona Lisa is a painting that was originally left incomplete but has become the world’s most famous picture.
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh, born in the Netherlands in 1853, is widely regarded as one of the finest post - impressionist painters of all time. He did not become an artist until he was in his late twenties. In 1886, he traveled to Paris, where he met Paul Gauguin, who encouraged Van Gogh to develop his own style. He died in 1890 after suffering from mental health problems. Van Gogh became famous after his death.
Claude Monet
Claude Monet, born in Paris in 1840, was a talented French artist who is widely considered as one of the most important painters. He was recognized for his talents when he was young and he was the first to employ oil and outdoor methods. The word “impressionism” was created after his picture Impression, Sunrise. Monet died at age 86.
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga, Spain, in late 1881. He began drawing at a young age and had gotten his first lessons in the use of oil paints from his father by the time he was seven. In 1900, he moved to Paris and sold his first painting there. He made significant contributions to the progress of modern art. He passed away in 1973.
1. Which of the following painters lives the longest?| A．Leonardo da Vinci. |
| B．Vincent van Gogh. |
| C．Claude Monet. |
| D．Pablo Picasso. |
| A．He inspired Van Gogh. |
| B．He was taught by his father. |
| C．He suffered mental health problems. |
| D．He led to the birth of impressionism. |
| A．They are all impressionists. |
| B．They liked painting outdoors. |
| C．They all had experiences in France. |
| D．They were recognized in their life time. |
7 . One of the world’s most productive wildlife sound recordists (录音师) has released a large collection of his most treasured recordings of wild places to listen to for free on Soundcloud.
“Martyn Stewart has recorded nearly 100,000 pieces, consisting of 30,00o hours of materials. They have been spread across 40 countries and used in 150 films,” Krause, a friend of Martyn said. “Some of these include sounds that can’t be heard anymore, as they belong to extinct animals or disturbed habitats.”
Martyn is one of the key recordists who helped set the standards that gave the work standing in the world of sound. Few can match the quality of his life-long efforts. Throughout his life, since he recorded his first bird at the age of 11, it was easy to record the sounds of faraway places. But times are changing, and the growing presence of noise pollution has made his job a lot harder.
Among his “treasured” recordings include Hurricane Dorian on a remote beach, thunderstorms in Australia, Denali National Park and Arctic Wildlife Home in Alaska, dawn in Zimbabwe, and so much more. He’s also recorded sounds and calls of certain animals, some of which are extinct like the white rhino and the golden frog.
“I hope the free project, called Martyn Stewart’s Listening Planet, is meant to inspire people to try and protect a more delicate part of the world——the auditory (听觉的) part. They have the connection between sound and the animal making the sound,” said Martyn. “I think we have to become the voice of the voiceless. If we can get these beautiful sound recordings out and let people in the world listen to them, maybe we can start protecting what we’ve got left.”
1. What can be learned from Krause’s words?| A．Martyn’s work deserves praising. |
| B．Recording is a time - consuming job. |
| C．Martyn loves to record rare animals. |
| D．The recordings are intended for films. |
| A．The standard of recordings. |
| B．The loss of natural habitats. |
| C．The increase of noise pollution. |
| D．The extinction of certain animals. |
| A．To meet fans’ requests. |
| B．To make himself more famous. |
| C．To stress difficulty of his recordings. |
| D．To raise concern for sounds in nature. |
| A．Determined and humorous. |
| B．Generous and devoted. |
| C．Curious and friendly. |
| D．Creative and honest. |
8 . How to Fall Back in Love with Reading
Do you remember the last time you spent time reading books for pleasure? In the age of digital distractions, it is easy to struggle to find the time and headspace to get lost in literature.
Set aside time for reading books. Whether it’s 20 minutes before bedtime or an hour on your lunch break, carving out sometime in your schedule will make it easier to sit down and read. And if you find that you don’t have much free time, try listening to audiobooks.
Keep a reading journal. In your journal, you can write down your thoughts about what you’re reading or graffiti pictures inspired by the book.
Make reading a social activity. Whether you start a book club with your friends or join an online reading group, being able to discuss what you’re reading with others can make the experience more enjoyable.
| A．Find a book that interests you. |
| B．Create a positive reading routine. |
| C．But that doesn’t mean reading books is a thing of the past! |
| D．By this way, you can easily fit reading into your busy lifestyle. |
| E．Plus, it’s a great way to get recommendations for what to read next! |
| F．The others in your book club may come from different backgrounds. |
| G．It doesn’t have to be very involved, just a couple of sentences to jog your memory. |
9 . Cannes, a coastal city in France, is famous for hosting the Cannes Film Festival every year. It’s also a beautiful place to visit any time of the year. Here are 4 things to do in Cannes.
Stroll (漫步) along the famous La CroisetteEnjoy a stroll down La Croisette — a famous 2-mile waterfront road. It’s the place where the Cannes Film Festival takes place. Take a seat for people-watching or enjoy the beautiful scenery. Discover recreational (娱乐的) places for kids or go to summer music concerts at a low price.
Explore the historic Le SuquetLose yourself in the attractive streets of Le Suquet, the historic old town of Cannes. An impressive 5th century theater will take your breath away. Visit the World Explorations Museum, and enjoy wonderful views from the tower. Walk through narrow streets and discover cafes and wine bars.
Take a tour of Cannes with a screenwriterYou can set foot on a small-group tour, led by a screenwriter and historical researcher. Get fully immersed (沉浸) in the city’s rich film history, and see how it transforms itself into an international film center. Remember to book your tour on the Internet in advance.
Leave for Sainte-MargueriteTake a ship to Sainte-Marguerite, the largest of the Lerins Islands just off the coast of Cannes. Enjoy walks on coastal paths, or relax on the beaches, which are perfect for swimming and picnics. Enjoy local seafood, or go deep into the island’s past with a visit to the 7th century Fort Royal.
1. What can we know about La Croisette?| A．It holds free summer concerts. |
| B．It offers play areas for children. |
| C．It becomes well known for top-class service. |
| D．It allows visitors to take photos with film stars. |
| A．Stroll along the famous La Croisette. | B．Explore the historic Le Suquet. |
| C．Take a tour of Cannes with a screenwriter. | D．Leave for Sainte-Marguerite. |
| A．By water. | B．By car. | C．On foot. | D．By air. |
10 . Nowadays, we know how to work with al old items. Many of them can be reused after being properly processed. Instead of sending them to the trashcan, we have new choices.
Participate in the Give the Gift of Sight Program. Run by Lions Club International, the program makes it easy for you to donate your old eyeglasses and sunglasses to needy people in developing countries. After you drop glasses off, they are cleaned, repaired, and grouped, then distributed.
Donate your used computer to computers for Kids, a non-profit organization.
Recycle sneakers (运动鞋) and athletic shoes. Since 1990, NIKE has sponsored the Reuse-A-Shoe program.
Never throw away books or magazines. Books and magazines are a great aid to help those who’ve been sent to prison. Some of them quit school at an early age.
| A．Recycle holiday and greeting cards. |
| B．Find one near you by searching online. |
| C．So don’t forget the “early reader” books. |
| D．Here are some ways to recycle worn - out items. |
| E．It aims to improve the computer skills of youth. |
| F．It takes in used sneakers and breaks them into pieces. |
| G．Over 1.5 million pairs of shoes are recycled and repaired. |
