1 . Why you should be eating more pulses (豆类)
World Pulses Day is February 10, so we need get to know some popular pulses and know their benefits.
Maintaining good health means a healthy choice of foods. Pulses are healthy foods that benefit our overall health.
You can buy pulses almost all year round, and all types are recognized as a kitchen staple (主食). Pulses are more affordable than meat. And they are an inexpensive source of protein, especially important in countries where meat and dairy products are not easily accessible or too costly. Adding pulses to stews and bolognese sauces will help reduce your shopping bill. These little changes will make your sauce-based meals healthier, tastier and more filling.
Great for the environment.Essential and delicious pulses are economical and easy to prepare.
| A．Delicious and special. |
| B．Cooking pulses is not complicated if you respect the three golden rules. |
| C．An affordable, practical choice. |
| D．How they are good for our health. |
| E．Pulses boast sustainable agriculture. |
| F．Why should we be eating more throughout the year? |
| G．In other words, pulses will help prevent us from being sick. |
2 . This week, Google researchers published a paper describing results from an AI tool built to create music. The tool, called MusicLM, is not the first AI music tool to be launched. But the examples Google provided demonstrate musical creative ability based on a limited set of descriptive words.
Several different music examples produced by MusicLM were published online. Some of the generated music came from just one- or two-word descriptions, such as “jazz”, “rock” or “techno (高科技舞曲)”. The tool also created other examples from more detailed descriptions containing whole sentences.
The MusicLM model operates similarly to the machine-learning systems used by ChatGPT. ChatGPT and MusicLM both require powerful computers to operate complex machine-learning models. The San Francisco-based company OpenAI launched ChatGPT late last year. ChatGPT has recently received a lot of attention because of its ability to generate complex writings and other content from just a simple description in natural languages. Such tools can produce human-like results because they are trained on huge amounts of data. Many different materials are fed into the systems to permit them to learn complex skills to create realistic works.
However, the MusicLM researchers said there were some risks linked to the new tool. One of the biggest issues the researchers identified was biases (偏好) present in the training data. A bias might be including too much of one side and not enough of the other. The researchers said this raised a question about appropriateness for music generation for cultures underrepresented in the training data.
1. What can we learn about MusicLM?| A．It is the first AI music tool to be launched. |
| B．It requires detailed descriptions of full sentences. |
| C．It creates music based on simple descriptive words. |
| D．It generates complex writings from a simple description. |
| A．They can take the place of musicians. | B．They have gained commercial success. |
| C．They don’t have any practical use in life. | D．They are based on huge amounts of data. |
| A．Creating music with strong biases. | B．Requiring too much training data. |
| C．Being difficult for some people to use. | D．Producing music works with no creativity. |
| A．The future of humans with AI | B．A new AI tool to make music |
| C．Music created by some AI tools | D．AI and its function in culture development |
3 . The traditional Chinese solar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Grain Buds (小满), the 8th solar term of a year, begins on May 21 this year, and ends on June 5. It means that the seeds from the grain are becoming full but are not ripe. Let’s see what we can do during the “Grain Buds” period.
Eating herb of common sow thistle
Grain Buds is a season for eating the herb of the common sow thistle, which is one of the earliest edible potherbs in China. It tastes a little bitter, but also sweet. People in Ningxia Hui autonomous region like to eat it mixed with salt, vinegar, peppers or garlic. It tastes delicious and helps people feel refreshed. Some people boil the herb with water and then squeeze out the juice, which can be used to make soup.
Key period for flower management
This time is a good period of the quick growth of flowers. It is also a season when plant diseases and pests are at an all-time high, which makes caring for your garden even more critical. Flowers need a lot of water and extra care to stay healthy. Weeding should be done as they grow quickly and have to be extirpated in order to keep the soil loose and from competing with the flowers for nutrients.
Celebrating silkworm deity birthday
Silkworm rearing is a traditional byproduct for people in regions south of the Yangtze River. People in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces regard this season as the birthday of the silkworm deity. Those who engage in the silk industry thank the deity by offering sacrifices and staging performances. They pray to the deity for blessings and a boom season for the silk business.
1. Which of the following is true about Grain Buds?| A．It is seen as the birthday of the flower deity. |
| B．It is an essential period to tend to the garden. |
| C．It means that the seeds from the grain are mature. |
| D．It begins on May 21 this year, and ends on July 5. |
| A．offer sacrifices to ancestors | B．pray for a close season |
| C．learn to count their blessings | D．give shows to thank the deity |
| A．Entertainment. | B．Economics. | C．Politics. | D．Culture. |
4 . Before the Internet age, critical thinking was the most important skill of people. But in the digital age, according to Anastasia Kozyreva, a famous psychologist, a more important skill is critical ignoring..
As researchers point out, we live in an attention economy where content producers on the Internet compete for our attention. They attract us with many eye-catching stories while providing little useful information, so they can expose us to profit-generating advertisements. Therefore, we are not customers but products, and each link we click is a sale of our time and attention. To protect ourselves from this, Kozyreva advocates (提倡) for learning the skill of critical ignoring, in which readers can control their information environment to reduce exposure to raise information.
According to Kozyreva, critical ignoring includes three strategies. The first is to design our environments, which includes removing low-quality yet hard-to-resist (难以抵制的) information from around. Successful dieters need to keep unhealthy food out of their homes. Similarly, we need to set up a digital environment where attention-grabbing items are kept out of sight. Like dieting, if one tries to depend on willpower not to click eye-catching "news", he'll surely fail. So, it's better to keep them out of sight at first!
The next is to evaluate the reliability (可靠性) of information, whose purpose is to protect you from false information. It can be realized by checking the source in the mainstream, news agencies, which are trustworthy.
The last is: "never feed the trolls." Trolls are some people who spread false information online to cause harm. Do not correct them, because they do not care about whether the information is correct. Annoying others is their goal. So, never respond to their bad behaviour with our attention.
By using the above critical ignoring skills, we can make the most of the Internet while avoiding falling victim to those who try to control our attention, time, and minds.
1. What can we learn about the attention economy from paragraph 2?| A．It offers more information. | B．It features depressing stories. |
| C．It saves time for Internet users. | D．It seeks profits from each click. |
| A．To discuss the quality of information. | B．To prove the benefits of healthy food. |
| C．To show the importance of environments. | D．To explain the effectiveness of willpower. |
| A．Review their intention. | B．Turn a deaf ear to them.. |
| C．Correct their behaviour. | D．Send hard facts to them. |
| A．Reasons for critical thinking in the attention economy. |
| B．Practising the skills of critical ignoring in the digital age. |
| C．Maximizing the benefits of critical ignoring on the Internet. |
| D．Strategies of abandoning critical thinking for Internet users. |
5 . Learn to Cite Sources (引用资料)
During your university education, you’ll meet new ideas and new challenges. Among them, the academic challenge you face is to make something original.
Correctly citing your sources helps you distinguish (区分) your own ideas from other scholars’. For, readers, it allows a reader to determine the depth of your research.
So you need to learn when to cite and how to provide an accurate (准确的) reference list. If you fail to cite your sources, whatever reasons, you will be found responsible for plagiarism (抄袭).
| A．Some university students may cheat in different ways. |
| B．These include using other scholars’ ideas, figures and so on. |
| C．That means you should go beyond what you learn in your textbooks. |
| D．Make sure that you really understand the academic regulations clearly. |
| E．Often, students want to use others’ opinions to support their own essays. |
| F．It also allows a reader to appreciate your original contribution to the research. |
| G．For international students it is important to know local academic expectations. |
6 . When people hear “artificial intelligence,” many envision “big data.” There’s a reason for that: some of the most important AI breakthroughs in the past decade have relied on enormous data sets. But AI is not only about large data sets, and research in “small data” approaches has grown extensively over the past decade—with so-called transfer learning as an especially promising example. Also known as “fine-tuning,” transfer learning is helpful in settings where you have little data on the task of interest but abundant data on a related problem. The way it works is that you first train a model using a big data set and then retrain slightly using a smaller data set related to your specific problem.
Research in transfer learning approaches has grown impressively over the past 10 years. In a new report for Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET), we examined current and projected progress in scientific research across “small data” approaches. Our analysis found that transfer learning stands out as a category that has experienced the most consistent and highest research growth on average since 2010. This growth has even outpaced the larger and more established field of reinforcement learning, which in recent years has attracted widespread attention.
Small data approaches such as transfer learning offer numerous advantages over more data-intensive methods. By enabling the use of AI with less data, they can bolster progress in areas where little or no data exist, such as in forecasting natural disasters that occur relatively rarely or in predicting the risk of disease for a population set that does not have digital health records.
Another way of thinking about the value of transfer learning is in terms of generalization. A recurring challenge in the use of AI is that models need to “generalize” beyond their training data. Because transfer learning models work by transferring knowledge from one task to another, they are very helpful in improving generalization in the new task, even if only limited data were available.
Moreover, by using pretrained models, transfer learning can speed up training time and could also reduce the amount of computational resources needed to train algorithms (算法). This efficiency is significant, considering that the process of training one large neural (神经系统的) network requires considerable energy.
Despite the growth in research, transfer learning has received relatively little visibility. The existence of techniques such as transfer learning does not seem to have reached the awareness of the broader space of policy makers and business leaders in positions of making important decisions about AI funding and adoption. By acknowledging the success of small data techniques like transfer learning—and distributing resources to support their widespread use—we can help overcome some of the common misconceptions regarding the role of data in AI and facilitate innovation in new directions.
1. What does the underlined word “bolster” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?| A．Promote. | B．Seek. |
| C．Track. | D．Monitor. |
| A．Predicting the frequency of floods in Amazon rainforest. |
| B．Designing a program that can read handwritten documents. |
| C．Forecasting the number of people infected with an unknown illness. |
| D．Predicting house prices based on basic features like area and location. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Optimistic. |
| C．Critical. | D．Unconcerned. |
| A．Transfer Learning: Where Does It Best Fit? |
| B．Small Data Are Also Crucial for Advancing AI |
| C．Transfer Learning Powers Technological Advances |
| D．Big Data vs. Small Data: Which Is the Future of AI? |
7 . In my last semester of college in the US, I struggled with the decision to move to New York to pursue an advertising career, or to stay in Florida to be near my loved ones. While I preferred the latter, everyone kept telling me if I didn’t go to New York, I would never make anything of myself — I would not make achievements in career. Although those statements made my blood boil, I still decided to stay in Florida.
I accepted a marketing coordinator (协调员) position with Coton Colors. I knew the company was growing fast, so it felt like a great place to begin my career. In Coton Colors, I tried to establish myself. I took on basic marketing tasks like helping with small campaigns or simple design. I started undertaking more tasks and discovering things I liked and excelled in. I continued to ask for more responsibilities, and before I knew it, I was leading meetings, directing support staff and taking off in my position.
I started getting in contact with some of my New York classmates. It seemed that most of them were still assistants, running to get coffee and make copies, without getting any useful experience. Those conversations helped me realize that I was in control of my own career. I didn’t need to move to a big city to become an important part of a successful team — I was already part of one. I went to the CEO and asked to create and lead an events team. After only a few months, I worked around the clock to grow this branch while also continuing to maintain my regular job duties. In the end, all of my hard work and devotion paid off. I have watched myself grow from an entry-level college student to a valued member of a powerful management team. I have overcome many stereotypes (刻板印象) of my generation with my hard work and positive attitude.
1. What does the underlined phrase “make anything of myself” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Help a person find a job. | B．Help a person reach a place. |
| C．Make a person feel excited. | D．Make oneself succeed in one’s career. |
| A．Promising | B．Stressful. | C．Peaceful. | D．Well-paid. |
| A．Her talent in marketing. | B．Her good luck in the work. |
| C．Her devotion to all her tasks. | D．Her help with complex designs. |
| A．Make decisions suitable for yourselves. |
| B．Stay positive despite difficulties we meet. |
| C．Working hard helps you get more famous. |
| D．Starting a career in small cities is the best choice. |
8 . Data shows Chinese brands are winning more consumers in recent years, especially among the younger generation. The trend is usually called “guochao”, or “Chinese fashion trend”, which has driven demand for domestic (国内的), brands and products that include Chinese traditional culture and style.
Its main followers are millennial born between1980-1995 and Generation Z born between 1995 and 2010. Unlike the older generations who could have attachment to Western culture and brands, Chinese youth were born and raised when the country’s economy was taking off. The younger generation tends to have strong confidence in their traditional culture.
To win more young customers, these domestic names are making products with high quality by strengthening research and marketing efforts. An often-cited (引证) case is Li-Ning, China’s homegrown sportswear brand named after a famous athlete. The company almost broke up after a failed rebranding in 2011 when it went through three years of losses after losing older customers while failing to attract younger buyers. It was not until the 2018 New York Fashion Week that the brand gained success. Its trendy look, bold (大胆的) use of color and traditional Chinese culture elements were shown on the stage so that it immediately attracted attention’ at home and abroad.
The trend to welcome domestic brands has spread rapidly to different industries and various products, from food and drinks to clothing and electronic vehicles. While many Chinese brands have been gaining significant market share at home in recent years, others are posting an increasingly stronger global presence.
In 2020, China’s tech giant Xiaomi reported its most profitable year based on expanded sales and global market share. Sales from Haier Smart-Home’s overseas business last year also marked an all time high, ranking top list in global market share for major home appliance (家用电器). Although some brands still face many challenges ahead to meet the customers’ different needs in overseas markets, most domestic products are quite competitive in the international market.
1. What does “guochao” refer to?| A．Domestic brands’ rapid increase. | B．Chinese brands’ growing popularity. |
| C．Young generations’ craze about fashion. | D．Chinese traditional culture’s revival. |
| A．They are affected by foreign fashion trend. |
| B．They are influenced by older generations. |
| C．They believe western products are out of date. |
| D．They are influenced by their growing background. |
| A．To introduce a new topic. | B．To advertise a domestic brand. |
| C．To present a convincing example. | D．To explain a complicated concept. |
| A．Chinese brands are gaining popularity both at home and abroad. |
| B．Sales of Haier Smart Home have topped the domestic market. |
| C．The future of the domestic brands in overseas market is unclear. |
| D．All Chinese brands fail to meet the standard of overseas market. |
9 . Expecting to travel abroad but lacking a loose budget? Interested in meaningful volunteering programs but worried about issues like your security or working conditions? Here comes a right place for you — Kindred Spirit Elephant Sanctuary (保护区).
Highlights●Volunteering with elephants and bringing them back into their natural habitat
●Making a difference in the conservation efforts to save elephants living under awful conditions
●Helping teach English to the communities and raising awareness about the captive (圈养的) elephant situation
●Wandering the forests and observe elephants’ natural behaviors in their home environment
Our Sanctuary
Our sanctuary has rescued 5 elephants from the tourism industry and we have now brought them home to live out their lives in the forest, in semi-wild conditions. We need volunteers to help us keep these elephants happy and healthy in their natural habitat. With volunteer support, we hope to return more elephants to the forest soon.
Your Tasks●Performing research on the natural elephant behaviors and the surrounding forest
●Taking part in community projects such as teaching English at the school and to other locals
●Carrying out litter pick-ups with the kids to educate on waste management
Your Rough Schedule
Day 1: Pickup from Chiang Mai at 9 am. Travel through a national park and stunning mountain s until you arrive in our unique village. Meet your homestay family and the other volunteers, and immerse yourself in hill tribe culture.
Day 2: Wake up early to hike in the forest and find our elephants. Spend the morning recording and learning about these amazing animals and their natural behaviors. Return to the village in the late afternoon and take part in our community & camp & teaching projects.
Day 3: Another early start to hike to observe our elephants one last time. Return to Chiang Mai in the afternoon.
1. Which of the following is a feature of volunteer work at the sanctuary?| A．Looking after captive elephants with the locals. |
| B．Finding and Feeding elephants in natural forests. |
| C．Teaching people to conserve elephants’ natural habitat. |
| D．Helping rescue elephants living in the poor environment. |
| A．Have the great ability to go hiking for days. |
| B．Participate in anti-poverty projects. |
| C．Undertake research into wild elephants independently. |
| D．Master local languages and know about tribe culture. |
| A．A travel journal. | B．A holiday brochure. |
| C．A geographical essay. | D．An educational website. |
10 . More than one-third of the world‘s food is wasted or thrown away, most of which ends up in landfills, producing very large amounts of planet-warming greenhouse gases. Now, many studies show that it is becoming harder to grow enough food to feed an increasing population due to climate change and soil degradation.
But one of the most promising and simplest solutions lies in the problem itself: this wasted food — if composted (制堆肥) — could slow climate change and improve soil quality. Higher-quality soil also continues to absorb more carbon from the atmosphere, helping to improve plants and contributing further to fighting climate change. Returning one ton of organic matter to each hectare of soil would increase the production of cereal crops each year in Africa, Asia and South America by millions of tons.
While it is true that people can compost in their yards, community gardens, or even on their kitchen counters, larger-scale efforts, including infrastructure (基础设施) and incentives (激励) for consumers, would take it to the next level. Imagine if consumers could just leave unwanted food in a roadside bin for pickup, or drop it off at a local store, earning a few cents a bucket, just like what has been offered for recycling bottles or newspapers.
Moreover, in the case of composting, the payment incentive system would be great because the end-product of compost can be sold to farmers, making it an economically workable model, something that is often lacking in recycling, especially for certain materials, like many types of plastics.
Eventually, more widespread composting of food would pave the way for solutions to additional waste challenges, such as the disposal of packaging and clothing. This will have other positive effects as well; if more consumers compost, companies will be more inspired to make and use compostable packaging, clothing, and other products. While more compostable items are starting to emerge today, additional composting will further drive demand and innovation, and offer a game-changing solution for the planet.
1. What can be concluded from paragraph 1?| A．The great impact of climate change on food. |
| B．The burden of population growth on the planet. |
| C．The uneven distribution of food around the world. |
| D．The urgency of properly dealing with wasted food. |
| A．It is only workable on a small scale. |
| B．It would take a long term to have an effect. |
| C．It may raise people’s awareness of reducing food waste. |
| D．It requires comprehensive efforts to achieve a better effect. |
| A．It is highly profitable. | B．It is easy to carry out. |
| C．It is a sustainable economic cycle pattern. | D．It is more effective than other recycling systems. |
| A．How Wasted Food Could Be Reduced | B．How Wasted Food Could Impact Humans |
| C．How Wasted Food Could Save the Planet | D．How Wasted Food Could Become a Business |
