1 . As AI grows more sophisticated and widespread, the voices warming against the potential dangers of artificial intelligence grow louder. “The development of artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race,” according to Stephen Hawking.     1     “AI scares the hell out of me,” Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk once said. Below we take a closer look the possible dangers of artificial intelligence.

Job losses due to AI automation

AI-powered job automation is a pressing concern as the technology is adopted in industries like marketing, manufacturing and healthcare. Eighty-five million jobs are expected to be lost to automation between 2020 and 2025.    2    And while it’s true that AI will create new jobs, many employees who won’t have the skills could get left behind.

Social control through AI algorithms (算法)

TikTok runs on an AI algorithm that fill a user’s feed with content related to previous media they’ve viewed on the platform. Criticism of the app targets this process and the algorithm’s failure to filter out harmful and inaccurate content, raising doubts over Tik Tok, ability to protect its users from dangerous and misleading media.     3     So it really leads to a situation where you literally cannot believe your own eyes and ears.

    4    

Blue-collar workers have experienced wage declines as high as 70 percent because of automation. On the other hand, white-collar workers have remained largely untouched. From this sense, if the trend continues, the existing social and economic gaps between different races and classes will be further widened. Weakening ethics and goodwill If mankind’s so-called technological progress were to become an enemy of the common good, this would lead to a heavy blow to modern civilization. The rapid rise of the conversational AI tool ChatGPT gives these concerns more substance. Many users have applied the technology to get out of writing assignments.     5    

A．This fear has become a reality

B．Widening socioeconomic inequality

C．Financial crisis brought about by AI

D．No one knows what’s real and what’s not

E．It threatens academic integrity and creativity

F．The famous theoretical physicist isn’t alone with this thought

G．As AI robots become smarter, the same tasks will require fewer humans

2 . Top Exhibitions to See in London in 2023

Architectural: Vanishing Points

While we like to think of architecture existing purely in the real world, emerging designers and architects are using platforms like Instagram to create structures in the virtual world. This collection of works, which range from the practical to the fantastical, are all by architects who have gathered significant social media followings.

In the Digital Universe at ROCA London. 8 February—31 July, free.

Flowery: Orchids

This annual festival is back in bloom (开花), this time inspired by the beauty and biodiversity of Cameroon. Just like previous years, the orchids are spread throughout the various zones of the Princess of Wales conservatory and accompanied by sculptures that are just as colourful as the flowers on display.

At Kew Gardens. 4 February —5 March, &16.50—entrance to the gardens included.

Female Abstraction: Action, Gesture, Paint

Art history has often shone a light on the men of Abstract Expressionism, such as Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko. Well, now’s the time to let the most important women of the movement take the limelight in an exhibition that includes works by American artists such as Lee Krasner and Helen Frankenthaler, but spreads the net wider to include the female abstract artists from Europe, Asia and the wider world, with whom most of us will be unfamiliar.

At Whitechapel Gallery. 9 February—7 May, £ 16.50—concessions available.

Powerful Portraits (肖像): Alice Neel

The largest UK exhibition to date of American painter Alice Neel’s work will bring together her figurative pieces from across her 60-year career. Neel went against the popular grain by painting figures when abstract works were most popular, and she painted subjects that other artists ignored — pregnant women, labour leaders, black children, civil rights activists and strange performers. It’s high time we had a major show of her work in London, and the Barbican has duly provided.

At Barbican Art Gallery. 16 February—21 May, & 18.

1. Which of the following exhibitions is held once a year?

A．Flowery: Orchids.

B．Powerful Portraits: Alice Neel.

C．Architectural: Vanishing Points.

D．Female Abstraction: Action, Gesture, Paint.

2. When can visitors appreciate Lee Krasner’s works?

A．On February 8.

B．On January 7.

C．On April 7.

D．On May 8.

3. What can we learn about the artist Alice Neel?

A．She is 60 years old now.

B．Her works didn’t follow the trend.

C．She often ignored some common subjects.

D．She is the most popular American painter in the UK.

3 . The New Yorker picks four of the year’s best books in 2022 and shares them with you.

Afterlives by Abdulrazak Gurnah

The Nobel Prize winner’s most recent novel is a sweeping origin story of modern Tanzania, and a love story between Afiya and Hamza. Their search for a place in the world unfolds against the monumental absurdness of empire, focusing on the East African campaign of 1914-1918. The book questions the costs and rewards of the war’s occasional solidarities.

Nights of Plague by Orhan Pamuk

The Nobel awardee’s latest novel opens like a starry romantic chronicle (编年史): a steamer is making its way at night to an island, the Mingheria in 1901. On board are three medical scientists, and the group comes to Mingheria because of an outbreak of bubonic plague (黑死病). What is most vital in this book is Pamuk’s lovingly obsessive creation of the island itself. He places his humans in this “three-dimensional fairy tale” and observes what happens to the state when an epidemic tests its tolerances.

The Song of the Cell by Siddhartha Mukherjee

In an account that’s both lyrical and extensive, Mukherjee takes us through an evolution of human understanding: from the seventeenth century discovery that humans are made up of cells to our leading technologies for manipulating (操纵) and deploying (部署) cells for medical purposes.

The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams by Stacy Schiff

As a son of a Boston businessman, Samuel Adams was born in 1722. In detailing how Adams went on to shape every significant event in New England’s run-up to war, this book weaves a pleasing tapestry (织锦) of incident and inference. Schiff describes him as a master of the eighteenth-century version of fake news. The result is a wildly entertaining exploration of the roots of American political theatre.

1. What do Afterlives and Nights of Plague have in common?

A．They are romantic chronicles.

B．Their authors won the Nobel Prize.

C．They describe the outbreak of the war.

D．Their authors question the costs and rewards of the war.

2. Which book is about the exploration of medicine and the new human?

A．Afterlives.	B．Nights of Plague.
C．The Song of the Cell.	D．The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams.

3. What kind of book is The Revoluttionary: Samuel Adams?

A．A drama.	B．A novel.
C．A chronicle.	D．A biography.

4 . It is never easy to be away from our loved ones.

Samantha Norris has missed her mother, Tamie Norris, for the past 11months every day. Tamie spent those months working in Jordan, far away from the family’s home in Austin, Texas. When the mom went back home earlier than expected, she decided to surprise her daughter who was still teaching students in the classroom at that time.

Samantha is a first-grade teacher at Harmony School of Innovation in Austin. This is her first teaching job, and she wanted to share every moment with her mother.

In a video of the big moment, Samantha’s jaw(下颌)hit the floor when her mom walked confidently into the classroom without telling her. Her eyes were filled with tears as Tamie gave her a big hug.

Students suddenly looked up to see their teacher tearfully hugging a woman. They had heard stories about Samantha’s mother, but seeing her was very exciting! “My kids were excited when they understood what was happening, of course, ” Samantha said. “They have always been so curious about her!”

Not only was it a surprise to the students, but Tamie also brought along a box of donuts (甜甜圈) for a sweet treat. Tamie made a big impression on the kids that day.

Later, Samantha shared the video and photos of her mom’s visit on Instagram. “11 months too long without giving my mom a hug-the best surprise, welcome home!!” she wrote.

What a special treat for Samantha—and her students! Tamie is a wonderful example of a strong woman and mother. We’re so glad she’s back in the homeland for a while.

1. What do we know about Samantha?

A．She is a teacher of Grade Two.

B．She is an experienced teacher.

C．She once worked in Jordan for 1l months.

D．She hasn’t seen her mother for l1 months.

2. How did Samantha feel about her mother’s sudden visit?

A．Amazed and hopeful.

B．Disappointed and sad.

C．Surprised and excited.

D．Worried and depressed.

3. What can be inferred from the story?

A．Tamie came back home later than expected.

B．Tamie is a confident and considerate mother.

C．Samantha didn’t share the video of her mom’s visit.

D．The students’ first impression of Tamie was favourable.

4. What could be the best title of the story?

A．A Sweet Surprise.

B．A Confident Mother.

C．An Interesting Class.

D．A Surprised Daughter.

5 . According to the Solar Energy Industry Association, the number of solar panels installed(安装)has grown rapidly in the past decade, and it has to grow even faster to meet climate goals. But all of that growth will take up a lot of space, and though more and more people accept the concept of solar energy, few like large solar panels to be installed near them.

Solar developers want to put up panels as quickly and cheaply as possible, so they haven’t given much thought to what they put under them. Often, they’ll end up filling the area with small stones and using chemicals to control weeds. The result is that many communities, especially in farming regions, see solar farms as destroyers of the soil.

“Solar projects need to be good neighbors,” says Jordan Macknick, the head of the Innovative Site Preparation and Impact Reductions on the Environment(InSPIRE)project. “They need to be protectors of the land and contribute to the agricultural economy.” InSPIRE is investigating practical approaches to “low-impact” solar development, which focuses on establishing and operating solar farms in a way that is kinder to the land. One of the easiest low-impact solar strategies is providing habitat for pollinators(传粉昆虫).

Habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change have caused dramatic declines in pollinator populations over the past couple of decades, which has damaged the U.S. agricultural economy. Over 28 states have passed laws related to pollinator habitat protection and pesticide use. Conservation organizations put out pollinator-friendliness guidelines for home gardens, businesses, schools, cities—and now there are guidelines for solar farms.

Over the past few years, many solar farm developers have transformed the space under their solar panels into a shelter for various kinds of pollinators, resulting in soil improvement and carbon reduction. “These pollinator-friendly solar farms can have a valuable impact on everything that’s going on in the landscape,” says Macknick.

1. What do solar developers often ignore?

A．The decline in the demand for solar energy.

B．The negative impact of installing solar panels.

C．The rising labor cost of building solar farms.

D．The most recent advances in solar technology.

2. What does InSPIRE aim to do?

A．Improve the productivity of local farms.

B．Invent new methods for controlling weeds.

C．Make solar projects environmentally friendly.

D．Promote the use of solar energy in rural areas.

3. What is the purpose of the laws mentioned in paragraph 4?

A．To conserve pollinators.	B．To restrict solar development.
C．To diversify the economy.	D．To ensure the supply of energy.

4. Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A．Pollinators: To Leave or to Stay	B．Solar Energy: Hope for the Future
C．InSPIRE: A Leader in Agriculture	D．Solar Farms: A New Development

6 . A machine can now not only beat you at chess, it can also outperform you in debate. Last week, in a public debate in San Francisco, a software program called Project Debater beat its human opponents, including Noa Ovadia, Israel’s former national debating champion.

Brilliant though it is, Project Debater has some weaknesses. It takes sentences from its library of documents and prebuilt arguments and strings them together. This can lead to the kinds of errors no human would make. Such wrinkles will no doubt be ironed out, yet they also point to a fundamental problem. As Kristian Hammond, professor of electrical engineering and computer science at Northwestern University, put it: “There’s never a stage at which the system knows what it’s talking about.”

What Hammond is referring to is the question of meaning, and meaning is central to what distinguishes the least intelligent of humans from the most intelligent of machines. A computer works with symbols. Its program specifies a set of rules to transform one string of symbols into another. But it does not specify what those symbols mean. Indeed, to a computer, meaning is irrelevant. Humans, in thinking, talking, reading and writing, also work with symbols. But for humans, meaning is everything. When we communicate, we communicate meaning. What matters is not just the outside of a string of symbols, but the inside too, not just how they are arranged but what they mean.

Meaning emerges through a process of social interaction, not of computation, interaction that shapes the content of the symbols in our heads. The rules that assign meaning lie not just inside our heads, but also outside, in society, in social memory, social conventions and social relations. It is this that distinguishes humans from machines. And that’s why, however astonishing Project Debater may seem, the tradition that began with Socrates and Confucius will not end with artificial intelligence.

1. Why does the author mention Noa Ovadia in the first paragraph?

A．To explain the use of a software program.

B．To show the cleverness of Project Debater.

C．To introduce the designer of Project Debater.

D．To emphasize the fairness of the competition.

2. What does the underlined word “wrinkles” in paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Arguments.

B．Doubts.

C．Errors.

D．Differences.

3. What is Project Debater unable to do according to Hammond?

A．Create rules.	B．Comprehend meaning.
C．Talk fluently.	D．Identify difficult words.

4. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．Social interaction is key to understanding symbols.

B．The human brain has potential yet to be developed.

C．Ancient philosophers set good examples for debaters.

D．Artificial intelligence ensures humans a bright future.

7 . Live with roommates? Have friends and family around you? Chances are that if you’re looking to live a more sustainable lifestyle, not everyone around you will be ready to jump on that bandwagon.

I experienced this when I started switching to a zero waste lifestyle five years ago, as I was living with my parents, and I continue to experience this with my husband, as he is not completely zero waste like me. I’ve learned a few things along the way though, which I hope you’ll find encouraging if you’re doing your best to figure out how you can make the change in a not-always-supportive household.

Zero waste was a radical lifestyle movement a few years back. I remember showing my parents a video of Bea Johnson, sharing how cool I thought it would be to buy groceries with jars, and have so little trash! A few days later, I came back with my first jars of zero waste groceries, and my dad commented on how silly it was for me to carry jars everywhere. It came off as a bit discouraging.

Yet as the months of reducing waste continued, I did what I could that was within my own reach. I had my own bedroom, so I worked on removing things I didn’t need. Since I had my own toiletries (洗漱用品), I was able to start personalising my routine to be more sustainable. I also offered to cook every so often, so I portioned out a bit of the cupboard for my own zero waste groceries. Perhaps your household won’t entirely make the switch, but you may have some control over your own personal spaces to make the changes you desire.

As you make your lifestyle changes, you may find yourself wanting to speak up for yourself if others comment on what you’re doing, which can turn itself into a whole household debate. If you have individuals who are not on board, your words probably won’t do much and can often leave you feeling more discouraged.

So here is my advice: Lead by action.

1. What do the underlined words “jump on that bandwagon” mean in the first paragraph?

A．Share an apartment with you.	B．Join you in what you’re doing.
C．Transform your way of living.	D．Help you to make the decision.

2. What was the attitude of the author’s father toward buying groceries with jars?

A．He disapproved of it.	B．He was favorable to it.
C．He was tolerant of it.	D．He didn’t care about it.

3. What can we infer about the author?

A．She is quite good at cooking.	B．She respects others’ privacy.
C．She enjoys being a housewife.	D．She is a determined person.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．How to get on well with other family members.

B．How to have one’s own personal space at home.

C．How to live a zero waste lifestyle in a household.

D．How to control the budget when buying groceries.

8 . Ralph Emerson once said that the purpose of life is not to be happy, but to be useful, to be loving, to make some difference in he world. While we appreciate such words of wisdom, we rarely try to follow them in our lives.

Most people prefer to live a good life themselves, ignoring their responsibilities for the world. This narrow perception of a good life may provide short-term benefits, but is sure to lead to long-term harm and suffering. A good life based on comfort and luxury may eventually lead to more pain be-cause we spoil our health and even our character, principles, ideals, and relationships.

What then, is the secret of a good life? A good life is a process, not a state of being : a direction, not a destination. We have to earn a good life by first serving others without any expectation in return because their happiness is the very source of our own happiness. More importantly, we must know ourselves inside out. Only when we examine ourselves deeply can we discover our abilities and recognize our limitations, and then work accordingly to create a better world.

The first requirement for a good life is having a loving heart. When we do certain right things merely as a duty, we find our job so tiresome that we’ll soon burn out. However, when we do that same job out of love, we not only enjoy what we do, but also do it with an effortless feeling.

However, love alone is insufficient to lead a good life. Love sometimes blinds us to the reality. Consequently, our good intentions may not lead to good results. To achieve desired outcome, those who want to do good to others also need to equip themselves with accurate world knowledge. False knowledge is more dangerous than ignorance. If love is the engine of a car knowledge is the steering wheel(方向盘). If the engine lacks power, the car can’t move; if the driver loses control of the steering, a road accident probably occurs. Only with love in heart and the right knowledge in mind can we lead a good life.

With love and knowledge, we go all out to create a better world by doing good to others. When we see the impact of our good work on the world we give meaning to our life and earn lasting joy and happiness.

1. What effect does the narrow perception of a good life have on us?

A．Making us simple-minded	B．Making us short-sighted.
C．Leading us onto a busy road.	D．Keeping us from comfort and luxury.

2. According to the author, how can one gain true happiness?

A．Through maintaining good health.

B．By going through pain and suffering.

C．By recognizing one’s abilities and limitations.

D．Through offering help much needed by others.

3. According to Paragraph 4, doing certain right things with a loving heart makes one________.

A．less selfish	B．less annoying
C．more motivated	D．more responsible

4. In what case may good intentions fail to lead to desired results?

A．When we have wrong knowledge of the world.

B．When our love for the world is insufficient.

C．When we are insensitive to dangers in life.

D．When we stay blind to the reality.

5. According to Paragraph 5, life can be made truly good when ________.

A．inspired by love and guided by knowledge

B．directed by love and pushed by knowledge

C．purified by love and enriched by knowledge

D．promoted by love and defined by knowledge

9 . Is it true that our brain alone is responsible for human cognition(认知)? What about our body? Is it possible for thought and behavior to originate from somewhere other than our brain? Psychologists who study Embodied Cognition(EC) ask similar questions. The EC theory suggests our body is also responsible for thinking or problem-solving. More precisely, the mind shapes the body and the body shapes the mind in equal measure.

If you think about it for a moment, it makes total sense. When you smell something good or hear amusing sounds, certain emotions are awakened. Think about how newborns use their senses to understand the world around them. They don’t have emotions so much as needs—they don’t feel sad, they’re just hungry and need food. Even unborn babies can feel their mothers’ heartbeats and this has a calming effect. In the real world，they cry when they’re cold and then get hugged. That way, they start to as-sociate being warm with being loved.

Understandably, theorists have been arguing for years and still disagree on whether the brain is the nerve centre that operates the rest of the body. Older Western philosophers and mainstream language researchers believe this is fact, while EC theorises that the brain and body are working together as an organic supercomputer, processing everything and forming your reactions.

Further studies have backed up the mind-body interaction. In one experiment, test subjects(实验对象) were asked to judge people after being handed a hot or a cold drink. They all made warm evaluations when their fingertips perceived warmth rather than coolness. And it works the other way too; in another study, subjects’ fingertip temperatures were measured after being“included” in or “rejected” from a group task. Those who were included felt physically warmer.

For further proof, we can look at the metaphors(比喻说法) that we use without even thinking. A kind and sympathetic person is frequently referred to as one with a soft heart and someone who is very strong and calm in difficult situations is often described as solid as a rock. And this kind of metaphorical use is common across languages.

Now that you have the knowledge of mind-body interaction, why not use it? If you’re having a bad day,a warm cup of tea will give you a flash of pleasure. If you know you’re physically cold, warm up before making any interpersonal decisions.

1. According to the author, the significance of the EC theory lies in ________.

A．facilitating our understanding of the origin of psychology

B．revealing the major role of the mind in human cognition

C．offering a clearer picture of the shape of human brain

D．bringing us closer to the truth in human cognition

2. Where does the new borns’ understanding of their surroundings start from?

A．Their personal looks.

B．Their mental needs.

C．Their inner emotions.

D．Their physical feelings.

3. The experiments mentioned in Paragraph 4 further prove________.

A．environment impacts how we judge others

B．how body temperature is related to health

C．the mind and the body influence each other

D．how humans interact with their surroundings

4. What does the author intend to prove by citing the metaphors in Paragraph 5?

A．Human speech is alive with metaphors.

B．Human senses have effects on thinking.

C．Human language is shaped by visual images.

D．Human emotions are often compared to natural materials.

5. What is the author’s purpose in writing the last paragraph?

A．To share with the reader ways to release their emotions.

B．To guide the reader onto the path to career success.

C．To encourage the reader to put EC into practice.

D．To deepen the reader’s understanding of EC.

10 . I’m an 18-year-old pre-medical student, tall and good-looking, with two short story books and quite a number of essays to my credit. Why am I singing such praises of myself? Just to explain that the attainment of self-pride comes from a great deal of self-love, and to attain it, one must first learn to accept oneself as one is. That was where my struggle began.

Born and raised in Africa，I had always taken my African origin as burden. My self-dislike was further fueled when my family had to relocate to Norway, where I attended a high school. Compared to all the white girls around me, with their golden hair and delicate lips, I ,a black girl, had curly hair and full, red lips. My nose often had a thin sheet of sweat on it, whatever the weather was. I just wanted to bury myself in my shell crying “I’m so different!”

What also contributed to my self-dislike was my occasional stuttering (口吃), which had weakened my self-confidence. It always stood between me and any fine opportunity. I’d taken it as an excuse to avoid any public speaking sessions, and unknowingly let it rule over me.

Fortunately, as I grew older, there came a turning point. One day a white girl caught my eye on the school bus when she suddenly turned back. To my astonishment, she had a thin sheet of sweat on her nose too, and it was in November! “Wow,” I whispered to myself, “this isn’t a genetic(遗传的) disorder after all. It’s perfectly normal.” Days later, my life took an-other twist(转折). Searching the internet for stuttering cures, I accidentally learned that such famous people as Isaac Newton and Winston Churchill also stuttered. I was greatly relieved and then an idea suddenly hit me—if I’m smart, I shouldn’t allow my stuttering to stand between me and my success.

Another boost to my self-confidence came days later as I was watching the news about Oprah Winfrey, the famous talk show host and writer—she’s black too! Whenever I think of her story and my former dislike of my color, I’m practically filled with shame.

Today, I’ve grown to accept what I am with pride; it simply gives me feeling of uniqueness. The idea of self-love has taken on a whole new meaning for me: there’s always something fantastic about us, and what we need to do is learn to appreciate it.

1. What affected the author’s adjustment to her school life in Norway？

A．Her appearance

B．Social discrimination.

C．Her changing emotions.

D．The climate in Norway.

2. What did the author’s occasional stuttering bring about according on Paragraph 3?

A．Her lack of self-confidence.

B．Her loss of interest in school.

C．Her unwillingness to greet her classmates.

D．Her desire for chances to improve herself.

3. How did the author feel on noticing the similarity between her and the girl on the bus?

A．Blessed and proud.

B．Confused and afraid.

C．Amazed and relieved.

D．Shocked and ashamed.

4. What lesson did the author learn from the cases of Newton and Churchill?

A．Great minds speak alike.

B．Stuttering is no barrier to success.

C．Wisdom counts more than hard work.

D．Famous people can’t live with their weaknesses.

5. What can best summarize the message contained in the passage?

A．Pride comes before a fall.

B．Where there is a will, there is a way.

C．Self-acceptance is based on the love for oneself.

D．Self-love is key to the attainment of self-pride.