1 . Exercise needs differ from person to person due to a number of reasons.     1    

Genetic (基因的) variability

Genes play a very big role in determining a person’s response to exercise.     2     Some people may naturally prefer endurance activities (耐力训练), while others may have a genetic make-up that favours strength exercises. Therefore, different genes determine different reactions.

Age

    3     Children and adolescents may have different needs for growth and development compared to adults or older people focusing on bone density (密度) and functional abilities. When you are at different ages, you have to choose different exercise.

Personal goals

    4     Most people have their own goals when exercising and the plan they follow needs to meet those goals. Personal preferences also come into play, as some people prefer exercising in a team or class, while others prefer solo workouts.

In between exercise

Activity levels between workouts will also influence a person’s exercise needs and how much they eat. If you’re in an active job, for example, you might not need as much exercise as someone who often sit. Recovery is also important, as this is where the majority of your gains are made.     5    

Recognizing and accepting these differences is vital for tailoring effective and sustainable exercise programmes that meet a person’s needs.

A．Not everyone wants to get faster or be stronger.

B．There are various ways to meet people’s needs.

C．So what are the factors that contribute to varying needs?

D．Motivation and stress level also affect your recovery often.

E．Exercise requirements change over the course of a person’s life.

F．Everyone has different recovery times, even after doing the same workout.

G．Gene influences factors such as muscle fiber composition and other capacities.

2 . Scientists have created a new tool that can know what you mean. It works by using an Artificial Intelligence (AI) program to translate brain activity into words. Scientists say the program could help people who can’t speak because of a brain injury.

To record brain activity without surgery, scientists used an fMRI machine, which can record the activity of the brain as it happens. To translate these recordings into words, scientists used an Al tool called GPT-l that predicts which word is most likely to come next, based on the information that came before. Scientists first trained GPT-1 on lots of stories people had told about their lives. Next, they trained GPT-1 to make connections between brain scans and spoken words. The testing was done on three human volunteers. Each person spent sixteen hours in an fMRI machine listening to stories. The machine created pictures showing which parts of their brain were active. GPT-1 then used these recordings to make connections between the idea s in the stories and the brain activity of the listeners.

Then came the test. The scientists played a brand new story. GPT-I was only given recordings of the people’s brain activity. But the words that GPT-1 predicted were very similar to the words in the story that the people were listening to. The words weren’t exactly the same, but they often carried the same meaning.

For example, when a person was listening to a story about a person who didn’t have a driver’s license, the program came up with this, “She has not even started to learn to drive yet.”

The scientists say that GPT-1 is the first AI program to turn what people are thinking into words without brain surgery. The system isn’t something that is available outside the lab today, mainly because of the size and cost of fMRI machines. But in the future, a similar method could help people who have lost the ability to speak because of an injury or disease.

1. Why were the volunteers asked to listen to stories for 16 hours?

A．To produce brain activity.	B．To awaken their curiosity.
C．To predict the new stories.	D．To remember the words.

2. Which of the following best describes the test outcome?

A．Unexpected.

B．Successful.

C．Discouraging.

D．Complex.

3. What can be learned about this AI program?

A．It’ll reach consumers soon.	B．It hasn’t been put to use.
C．It eases users’ financial worry.	D．It’ll make patients learn to talk.

4. What’s the best title for the text?

A．The fMRI Machine Is Used for Brain Surgery	B．We Don’t Have to Worry About Brain Injury
C．GPT-l Lets Humans Speak from Their Heart	D．Scientists Train Al to Read Human Thoughts

3 . Imagine you buy a new shirt and do not intend to buy a new jacket. You were perfectly happy with it until you wore it with the new shirt. However, you imagine that the new shirt makes the old jacket look worn. Then you can’t help buy a new jacket or even more to better fit the shirt.     1    The simplest description of it is the scenario of buying something new and replacing our old possessions with items to match the new one, even if that means an empty bank account.     2    

Become aware it is happening. Observe when you are being drawn into consumption not because you are in actual need of an item, but only because something new has been introduced.

    3     A store may be having a great sale on a new outfit—but if the new outfit forces you to buy a new pair of shoes or handbag to match, it just became a more expensive purchase than originally assumed.

Avoid unnecessary new purchases. Realize the Diderot Effect is a significant force and overcoming it is very difficult. You may avoid replacing those end tables at first, but eventually, at some point down the road, you are going to break down and buy new ones that better match the new couch.     4     But the best way to overcome the Diderot Effect is to never allow it to overpower you in the first place.

Remind yourself that possessions do not define you.     5     Your possessions do not define you or your success—no matter what marketers will try to tell you.

A．Analyze and predict the full cost of future purchases.

B．Buy things for their usefulness rather than their status.

C．We actually can employ this mind trick in the following ways.

D．The true abundance of life is not found in the things that you own.

E．Then how can we resist this pattern of unnecessary consumerism?

F．The phenomenon can be owed to the so-called “Diderot Effect”.

G．There are times when we have a proper need to buy new things, admittedly.

4 . Summer is finally in the air, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still stay in and have a great movie night. Whether you’re looking for something deep and thought-provoking or light for the whole family, there are many incredible films on Netflix.

The Matrix (1999)

IMDb (Internet Movie Database): 8.7/10 | Runtime: 136 minutes

The Matrix is a science fiction film that stars Keanu Reeves as a hacker who discovers the world he lives in is an illusion crafted by malevolent Artificial Intelligence. The movie presents the very best in technical filmmaking, winning four Oscars. With thrilling action and a complex story, it’s a must-see.

American Symphony (2023)

IMDb: 7.9/10 | Runtime: 104 minutes

Even if you just watch the trailer for American Symphony, you will be in tears. The documentary (纪录片) tells the story of Grammy winner Jon Batiste and his wife, Suleika Jaouad. It’s a beautiful tale of love and resilience, with Variety Magazine calling it “one of the best love stories seen on film.”

Nyad (2023)

IMDb: 7.1/10 | Runtime: 121 minutes

As expected from most sports dramas and biopics, Nyad shares a story of perseverance, the triumphs of determination, and a message of hope. It engages the audience with its solid foundation while entertaining through grounded drama based on reality instead of relying on cheap cliches (陈词滥调).

Society of the Snow (2023)

IMDb: 7.7/10 | Runtime: 144 minutes

In 1972, a Uruguayan flight crashed on the way to Chile, and the survivors of the wreck had to work together to survive in the of the Snow. With a budget of 60 million euros, the film is the most expensive Spanish film ever made.

1. For those who value online scoring, which film would be their top choice?

A．The Matrix.	B．American Symphony.
C．Nyad.	D．Society of the Snow.

2. What do the last three films have in common?

A．They are high-budget films.

B．They are based on true stories.

C．They have the duration within two hours.

D．They have been successful at the box office.

3. Who is the text intended for?

A．Film critics.	B．Film makers.
C．Movie-goers.	D．Cinema staff.

5 . A team of researchers in Florida may have just created the world’s coolest paint ever. Chanda, a researcher in the University of Central Florida, and his team have created a way to imitate copy nature’s ability to reflect light and create beautifully vivid color without absorbing any heat like traditional pigments (色素) do. They focus on exploring structural color (结构色) and how people could use it to live cooler in a rapidly warming world.

Structural colors are created not from traditional pigmentation but from the arrangement of colorless materials to reflect light in certain ways, like how rainbows are made after it rains. Think about the most beautiful colors you’ve ever seen-forest green, wine red or crystal blue, some of which, however, are nearly impossible to recreate artificially. That’s because these beautiful colors are not achieved through pigments — they’re all in the structure, like the green of peacocks’ feathers.

Think about those cherries that redden your mouth after eating them or when your jeans turned green from sitting in wet grass. These are pigments. To create these colors, synthetic (合成的) materials like heavy metals are used to create vivid paints. Chanda stressed, “A deep blue needs cobalt; a deep red needs cadmium. They are toxic. We are polluting our nature by using this kind of paint. So one of the major motivations for us is to create colors based on non-toxic materials.”

Beyond the beautiful colors and safety that structure can provide, Chanda also found that unlike pigments, structural paint does not absorb heat but reflects light back. That’s why people are advised to wear lighter colors in hotter days and why many buildings are painted white. This means this eco-friendly paint could help communities keep cool in an increasingly warming climate.

“Nature has followed the path to create harmony among our surroundings,” Chanda said. “We want to be colorful but our color production is not really supported or inspired by nature. I hope this paint could be the future to a healthier, cooler environment.”

1. Which of the following colors doesn’t belong to structural colors?

A．The purple of ripe grapes.

B．The blue of butterfly wings.

C．The orange of bright rainbows.

D．The green of peacocks’ feathers.

2. What does the underlined word “toxic” in the third paragraph probably mean?

A．Attractive.

B．Harmful.

C．Neutral.

D．Useless.

3. Which of the following best describes the advantages of the newly-created paint?

A．Vivid, eco-friendly and cooling.

B．Colorless, healthy and artificial.

C．Traditional, healthy and cooling.

D．Vivid, man-made and eco-friendly.

4. What’s the main idea of the text?

A．Many attractive colors couldn’t be recreated artificially.

B．Human beings should respect the harmony of our surroundings.

C．Traditional approaches of color production remain to be improved.

D．The paint of structural color could help people live cooler and healthier.

6 . When I was a little girl, I liked drawing, freely and joyously making marks on the walls at home. In primary school, I learned to write using chalks. Writing seemed to be another form of drawing. I shaped individual letters into repeating lines, which were abstract forms, delightful but meaningless patterns.

In secondary school, art was my favourite subject. Since I loved it so much I thought I was good at it. For the art O-level exam I had to present an oil painting. I found it difficult, but still hoped to pass. I failed, with a low grade. I’d been over-confident. Now I’d been declared talentless.

But other channels of creativity stayed open: I went on writing poems and stories. Still, I went to exhibitions often. I continued my habitual drawing, which I now characterised as childish doodling (乱画). In my 30s, I made painter friends and learned new ways of looking at art. However, I couldn’t let myself have a go at actually doing it. Though these new friends were abstract painters using oil paints, or were printmakers or sculptors, I took oil painting as the taboo (禁忌) high form I wasn’t allowed to practice.

        One night, in my early 40s, I dreamed that a big woman in red approached me, handed me a bag of paints, and told me to start painting. The dream felt so authoritative that it shook me. It was a form of energy, giving me back something I’d lost. Accordingly, I started by experimenting with water colours. Finally, I bought some oil paints.

Although I have enjoyed breaking my decades-long taboo about working with oil paints, I have discovered I now prefer chalks and ink. I let my line drawings turn into cartoons I send to friends. It all feels free and easy. Un-anxious. This time around, I can accept my limitations but keep going.

Becoming a successful painter calls for being resolute. I realised I was always afraid of wanting too much. That dream reminded me that those fears and desires could encourage me to take risks and make experiments.

1. How did the author feel about the result of the art exam?

A．Scared.

B．Worried.

C．Discouraged.

D．Wronged.

2. In her 30s, the author _________.

A．avoided oil painting practice	B．sought for a painting career
C．fancied abstract painting	D．exhibited child paintings

3. Which word would best describe the author’s dream?

A．Confusing.	B．Empowering.
C．Disturbing.	D．Entertaining.

4. What can we learn from this passage?

A．Actions speak louder than words.	B．Hard work is the mother of success.
C．Dreams are the reflections of realities.	D．Creative activities involve being confident.

7 . The waves were clean and curling one day about ten years ago when surfer Will Rose stepped into the water at Ocean Beach in San Diego, California. Rose was an experienced surfer then in his mid-20s. Midway through his session, he spotted a young surfer, perhaps 10 years old, who’d lost his board and was struggling in a powerful rip current (离岸流). Rose paddled over as the boy was carried underneath a long pier (码头) and s wept rapidly out to sea.

“It was one of the craziest rip currents I’ve ever seen,” Rose recalls.

He traded places with the boy, handing over his board and pushing the younger surfer towards the shore in a breaking wave. Rose held onto a pier pile tightly in the fast-flowing water as a lifeguard hurried over on his own board before helping him back to the beach.

Rose’s act of heroism, new research suggests, is a surprisingly common one for surfers. In a recent survey conducted in New Zealand, scientists found that throughout their lives, surfers reportedly rescue an average of three people who are drowning (溺死) or otherwise struggling in the water. The findings cast new light on the role of surfers: as largely overlooked guardians of the beach.

The study was conducted by Jamie Mead, then a graduate student at Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand. It began with an online survey of 418 surfers from across New Zealand. Processing the responses, Mead found that these surfers were claiming to have participated in a total of 1,274 rescues, including 296 times when they felt they’d saved a person’s life. Of these rescues, 73 percent took place on beaches without lifeguards present. It showed the crucial role surfers have played in protecting beach goers.

The survey responses also show that in nearly nine out of ten rescues, the people the surfers helped required no further treatment after the incident, and probably left no official record or report of the event.

“We need to get surfers the praise they deserve.” Mead says. The research, Mead writes in his paper, suggests that organizations involved in drowning prevention, “Should work closely with surfing communities on ways to reduce deaths at coastal beaches?”

1. What did Will Rose do when he saw the struggling young boy?

A．He ignored the boy.	B．He called for help from a nearby lifeguard.
C．He helped the boy escape the danger.	D．He helped the boy find his lost surfboard.

2. What is the purpose of mentioning Will Rose’s experience?

A．To highlight the dangers of rip currents.

B．To show the bravery and skills of experienced surfers.

C．To stress the potential dangers faced by young surfers.

D．To exhibit a typical rescue example by experienced surfers.

3. What are para.5 and para.6 mainly about?

A．The findings of Jamie Mead’s study.	B．The purpose of Jamie Mead’s study.
C．Jamie Mead’s comments on surfers.	D．Jamie Mead’s advice on drowning prevention.

4. What is the main conclusion Mead draws from the findings?

A．Surfers deserve public praise.

B．Increased lifeguard coverage is needed.

C．Beaches are safe with both surfers and lifeguards present.

D．Drowning prevention efforts need to involve surfing communities.

8 . Living in a city, you may face fewer parking spaces, more pollution, less personal space, and more traffic and noise, all of which contribute to higher stress levels, often translating to aggression (攻击行为). And now, researchers have found evidence that this behavior applies to song sparrows (歌雀) too. But it comes with a surprising benefit to the youngest generation of city sparrows.

There are fewer city-living song sparrows than in the countryside. However, the increased aggression observed in the males can be connected to a more pressing need to defend territories in urban settings. But that increased aggression doesn’t mean the males fail in their duties as fathers. In fact, the researchers were surprised to find that the opposite may be true.

“Male songbirds are thought to reduce parental care when they are more aggressive. Yet this study showed that urban male song sparrows provided more care for their young,” says Dr Samuel Lane, lead author of the study. “Against our expectations, we found that they visited nests more often and were more successful parents than the males in the countryside.”

The researchers carried out their studies at six sites across southwest Virginia, USA, across four breeding (繁殖) seasons. They found that the high survival rate of their chicks was subject to many factors. Not only did male sparrows visit their nests more often, but they also began feeding chicks earlier in the day. Despite the challenges of being a city bird, hatching success was observed to be higher in urban habitats. And even though brood parasitism, one species laying eggs in the nest of another, is typically higher in urban areas, the researchers observed that rates of nest predation, the act of other animals eating eggs or young birds, were lower, further contributing to the overall nesting success of these sparrows.

Lane said, “Our study adds to growing evidence that certain species of songbirds even benefit from living in urban environments when there is enough green space for them to find food and nest locations.”

The team hope ongoing research in this area will contribute to the establishment of urban environments aimed at offering improved support for wildlife.

1. What causes the increased aggression of male city sparrows?

A．The stress of protecting their territories.

B．The worsening of urban noise pollution.

C．The challenges of building their nests.

D．The growing needs of younger generations.

2. What had the researchers expected of urban males compared to those in the countryside?

A．They lived shorter lives.	B．They had a higher population.
C．They had lower nest attendance.	D．They woke up earlier in the morning.

3. Which of the following can be found in urban areas according to the study?

A．Higher nest locations.	B．Reduced brood parasitism.
C．Limited breeding seasons.	D．Lower nest predation rates.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．City Male Birds Do It All	B．Aggressive Birds Surprise Scientists
C．Big City Life Makes Birds Better Dads	D．The Future of City Birds Lies in Our Hands

9 . ALL DRESSED UP...with nowhere to go? It can hurt when your friend cancels plans at the last minute with a message: “Sorry, can’t make it after all.” But there are plenty of ways to get over the disappointment and make the most of your day.

How to be honest.     1    . You don’t want to make a friend feel bad. But brushing it off with a simple “No worries” might imply that you don’t mind and it’s OK to cancel without thinking.     2    . Let your friend know that you care about what’s happened, especially if you suspect there’s a deeper reason behind their no-show. And it’s good to suggest rearranging plans, so you have something you can look forward to together.

    3    . If the same person keeps cancelling plans with you, it might be time to reconsider the friendship. Have they let you down a lot? Is it often hard to get them to commit to things?     4    . If this is what you suspect, perhaps step back for a while and instead focus on other friendships. If you can, arrange to meet friends who make the effort to spend time with you and whose company you enjoy.

Have a back-up plan. Your original plans may not be possible, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a good time. Despite the upset feeling, you can still make the most of the time you’ve been given back to focus on yourself.     5    .

A．How to draw the line

B．When to draw the line

C．It’s important to acknowledge your emotions

D．It’s common to reply to the last-minute “can’t make-it” text

E．It’s often hard to reply to the last-minute “can’t make-it” text

F．For example, watch a film, or go for a relaxing walk into nature

G．These can be signs that they aren’t the most reliable person to be friends with

10 . In 1992, Edward de Bono argued that “creativity is the most important human resource of all.” But might computers have the capacity to be creative? Could artificial intelligence outperform us in even the most human of phenomena? These questions have moved to the forefront of society with the launch of ChatGPT and DALL-E, two powerful deep learning models capable of creating art.

Where human creativity comes from is a complex and heavily-debated topic. One theory supposes that creativity emerges from solving problems in new ways. The game designer Mark Rosewater explains that “if you use the same neural pathways, you get to the same answers, and with creativity, that’s not your goal.” But studies from the University of Virginia suggest humans most default (默认) to solving problems by building on known solutions, restricting originality. Some neuroscientists propose another theory regarding creativity. Research from the University of Calgary reveals that when being creative, humans don’t use the same brain regions associated with thought and problem-solving, implying that creativity is primarily an unconscious process. According to this theory, the brain solves problems best when not directly focusing on them using the frontal lobe (前额叶) , instead letting the other parts of the brain take over.

A. I. cannot currently emulate (仿真) the full complexity of the human mind. Do these deep learning networks even have the required components that we use when we are creative? Douglas Hofstadter explains how “emergent phenomena,” such as creativity, correspond to connections between levels within mental systems. Similar connections could exist in artificial neural networks, even if the mechanics differ. For example, modern artificial intelligence employs attention circuits that may cause it to behave similarly to the frontal lobe where most of the brain’s focusing tendencies come from.

The emergent nature of creativity opens the door for similar tendencies in machines, but they are tuned so carefully to copy existing ideas that it may not be enough for true originality. Mr. Rosewater’s theory on creativity suggests that for A. I. to be creative, it should be able to solve problems in new ways, which is difficult because A. I. is based so heavily on already existing ideas. Alternatively, if creativity is an unconscious process as the University of Calgary research suggests, then it occurs mostly outside the frontal lobe and may not exist in machine learning networks. Either way, current A. I. probably lacks the capacity for genuine creativity and originality, but it can combine existing ideas in interesting ways.

The question of machine creativity has repercussions in many areas, such as developing copyright law regarding A. I. works, considering A. I. submissions in art contests, and determining the use of ChatGPT as a tool for school assignments. Creativity may be, at least for now, a unique human quality. Computers are not yet starting revolutionary artistic movements, but they are already combining what exists into something new, challenging us to look deeper into our own creativity.

1. About the source of human creativity, research from the University of Calgary discovers that ______.

A．human creativity heavily relies on the existing ideas

B．dealing with problems helps develop human creativity

C．being creative is closely related to certain brain regions

D．human creativity is a process that happens automatically

2. The author would probably agree that ______.

A．efforts should be put into the study of human creativity

B．creativity can be attained consciously on most occasions

C．A. I. creates better than humans in some areas at present

D．humans need machines to be more creative in various areas

3. What does the underlined word “repercussions” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?

A．Influences.

B．Objections.

C．Doubts.

D．Causes.

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

A．Computing Creativity: Is it a good thing?

B．Computing Creativity: Can it be possible?

C．Human Creativity: Why does human develop it?

D．Human Creativity: How can A. I. help human create?