1 . Binge-watching (刷剧) is when a person watches more than one episode of a show in a row. With developments in the speed and connectivity of the Internet, increases in technology and the rise of on-demand entertainment companies, people can now have their favorite shows stream (流播) directly to their television at their convenience.

This behavior is nothing new. In fact, binge-watching has been officially listed in dictionaries since 2015. The entertainment companies recognize this behavior and many take steps to encourage it. Often, instead of releasing each episode on a week-by-week basis, an entire series will become available concurrently. Once the episode finishes, many platforms will display pop-ups with “you might like” suggestions, or will automatically play the next episode.

However, recent research suggests that out of the more than half of British adults who watch more than one episode of a show back-to-back (一集接一集地), almost a third have admitted missing sleep or becoming tired as a result; and 25% have neglected their household chores (家务活). Next we’ll be missing work!

Bingeing has other connections — binge eating, binge drinking and binge smoking. All of them are often associated with a lack of control and a possible route to addiction. Lindsey Fussell, consumer group director, said, “The days of waiting a week for the next episode are largely gone, with people finding it hard to resist (抗拒) watching multiple episodes around the house or on the move.” If people find binge-watching hard to resist, are we witnessing the birth of a new type of addiction?

The countless number of information and entertainment that television and online media can bring us is, many would say, a good thing. However, when the activity begins to bleed into other areas, causing us to stop functioning, then it becomes a problem. So, what’s the answer? Moderation! Neither a tiny amount, nor too much. After all, as the old proverb says, “A little of what you fancy does you good.”

1. How did the writer develop the first paragraph?

A．By giving a definition.	B．By telling a story.
C．By listing some examples.	D．By analyzing the cause and effect.

2. Which of the following can best replace the underlined word “concurrently” in Paragraph2?

A．For convenience.	B．At the same time.
C．In detail.	D．Free of charge.

3. What Lindsey said in Paragraph 4 implies that ______.

A．people can’t control their feelings	B．people can’t resist the temptation of Bingeing
C．people have no patience to do work	D．people are addicted to waiting for a new episode

4. What advice did the writer give at last?

A．To keep online media from stopping functioning.

B．To enjoy entertainment as much as possible.

C．To learn life lessons from the episodes.

D．To watch episodes in a moderate way.

2 . A recent study has found that using wood for construction instead of concrete and steel can reduce emissions. But Tim Searchinger at Princeton University says many of these studies are based on the false foundation that harvesting wood is carbon neutral (碳中和). “Only a small percentage of the wood gets into a timber (木料) product, and a part of that gets into a timber product that can replace concrete and steel in a building,” he says. Efficiencies vary in different countries, but large amounts of a harvested tree are left to be divided into parts, used in short-lived products like paper or burned for energy, all of which generate emissions.

In a report for the World Resources Institute, Searchinger and his colleagues have modelled how using more wood for construction would affect emissions between 2010 and 2050, accounting for the emissions from harvesting the wood. They considered various types of forests and parts of wood going towards construction. They also factored in the emissions savings from replacing concrete and steel.

Under some circumstances, the researchers found significant emissions reductions. But each case required what they considered an unrealistically high portion (一部分) of the wood going towards construction, as well as rapid growth only seen in warmer places, like Brazil. In general, they found a large increase in global demand for wood would probably lead to rising emissions for decades. Accounting for emissions in this way, the researchers reported in a related paper that increasing forest s between 2010 and 2050 would add emissions equal to roughly 10 percent of total annual emissions.

Ali Amiri at Aalto University in Finland says the report’s conclusions about emissions from rising demand are probably correct, but the story is different for wood we already harvest. “Boosting the efficiency of current harvests and using more wood for longer-lived purposes than paper would cut emissions,” he says. “We cannot just say we should stop using wood.”

1. What is wrong with previous researches according to Searchinger?

A．They got wrong statistics.	B．They were applied in limited countries.
C．They included too many factors.	D．They used an incorrect concept.

2. What does paragraph 2 mainly talk about?

A．The process of the new research.	B．The background of the new study.
C．The challenge of the new research.	D．The achievements of the new study.

3. When will the emissions drop off greatly according to the new study?

A．When the rising global demand for wood is completely met.

B．When the increasing forest harvests are widely restricted.

C．When a high portion of wood is used for global construction.

D．When wood is fully efficiently employed for lasting purpose.

4. What is Ali Amiri’s attitude toward the new result?

A．Favorable.

B．Doubtful.

C．Objective.

D．Critical.

3 . Are you happy with your appearance?     1    

“Almost all the girls with single-fold eyelids (单眼皮) in our class have had double eyelid operations,” Zeng, a Senior 2 student from Chengdu, told Xinhua. Zeng had the same surgery done this summer.     2    

From popular photo-editing apps to plastic surgery (整形手术), it seems that large eyes, pale skin and a skinny body are the only standard for beauty these days. But can following this standard really make us feel good about ourselves?

    3     . According to Huxiu News, over six in ten girls choose not to take part in certain daily activities, such as attending school, because they feel bad about their looks. As much as 31 percent of teenagers avoid speaking up in class because they worry that others will notice their looks.

“Many teenagers are upset about their appearance because they believe in unrealistic standards of beauty,” experts say.       4     Seeing all these things can make anyone believe that they’re too dark, too fat, too short, or too tall.

However, trying to live up to strict standards can make us feel anxious. What troubles us is not just our “imperfect” looks, but the fact that we criticize ourselves too much.

    5     Plus-size models are being featured in some fashion shows. All of us should be just as confident as they are.

A．Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes.

B．Body image anxiety is common among teenagers.

C．Guys care just as much as girls do about their body image.

D．Some teenagers might feel negative about their appearance.

E．It’s common for teenagers to feel confident about their appearance.

F．She and many of her classmates believe bigger eyes look more beautiful.

G．Perfect faces and bodies are everywhere in advertising, TV shows and social media.

4 . A huge number of exchange programs and summer school programs are offered to international students around foreign universities worldwide. Today we explain the top student exchange programs and summer programs offered to foreign students.

SUSI Student Leaders Program

Bachelor-level students in Pakistan who are interested in the topic of public, local, state and federal policy-making are invited to study in the USA through the short-term SUSI student program 2023. This is an exchange program for Pakistani students. All expenses and accommodation costs at the University of Massachusetts will be covered by SUSI. So the application period is very short.

Vienna Summer School

Vienna Summer School provides an incredible opportunity for 30 bachelor-level students to research side by side with world top researchers in the field of bioengineering. This paid summer program aims to attract international students and create an excellent research environment. This is a perfect opportunity for those students who are interested in the field of life science. The duration of Vienna Summer School is from Saturday, July 1 to August 28, 2023.

Hansen Leadership Exchange Program

The Hansen Summer Institute for Leadership is now open for the summer exchange program 2023. The Hansen summer program offers the opportunity to the USA and international students to build better leadership skills and a cultural understanding environment for the future. This 3-week summer exchange program is open for undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students with any academic background.

IWP Summer Exchange Program

IWP Summer Exchange Program 2023 is a two-week writing and culture exchange program for Pakistani and Indian students in Iowa City, USA. The applicant from 18 to 22 from these countries with a background in art humanities is welcome to apply. This program will focus on creativity and is free for the selected applicants. The selected candidates will work together on the creation of paintings and sculptures.

1. What can we learn from SUSI Student Leaders Program?

A．It is fully funded.	B．It is limited to postgraduates.
C．It is a long-term program.	D．It is supported by the government.

2. Which program suits students who like biology?

A．SUSI Student Leaders Program.	B．Hansen Leadership Exchange Program.
C．Vienna Summer School.	D．IWP Summer Exchange Program.

3. What will students in IWP Summer Exchange Program do?

A．Offer policy advice.	B．Create artworks.
C．Conduct scientific research.	D．Write academic papers.

6 . While scientists have many ideas, they are not certain why humans yawn(打哈欠). Still, there is one thing experts know—yawns seem to be contagious(传染)!

Have you ever caught a yawn from someone else? Most people have. In fact, a person is six times more likely to yawn after seeing someone else do so. Experts have done many studies into why yawns seem to pass from person to person. As a result, they have a few theories(理论) for the reason behind it.

One possible explanation has something to do with social mirroring, which is caused by mirror neurons(镜像神经元) in the brain. These mirror neurons help the brain notice useful behavior of others and then copy it. When one person sees another yawn, his mirror neurons observe the action and consider it to be beneficial. That may cause him to yawn, too.

Another popular theory is that yawns are contagious because of social relationships. Being social creatures, humans form friendships, families and live together in groups. That’s why many people mirror others, such as smiling when another person smiles. Yawning may be just another example of this. In fact, research has shown that one is most likely to catch yawns from another person if the two share a social relationship.

The answer could even be that yawns aren’t truly contagious at all. Instead, people yawn together simply because they’re in the same environment. Experts say many things may cause yawning, including temperature and time of day. Whatever the explanation is, experts do know that contagious yawns aren’t limited to humans. One study found that lions in South Africa also caught each other’s yawns.

1. What kind of behavior may be copied by mirror neurons?

A．Important and attractive.	B．Useful and beneficial.
C．Hard to understand.	D．Easy to copy.

2. Whose yawns are people most likely to catch according to Paragraph 4?

A．Those who yawn a lot.	B．Those who like smiling.
C．Those closely connected with them.	D．Those sharing the same interest with them.

3. What might the author continue talking about in the following paragraph?

A．Tips on how to avoid yawning in public.

B．A real explanation for contagious yawning.

C．Other examples of animals yawning together.

D．Things that may cause yawning among humans.

4. Which of the following serves as the best title?

A．Why yawns are contagious	B．What causes people to yawn
C．Who yawns more than others	D．Why humans yawn now and then

10 . “Woman reading book, under a night sky, dreamy atmosphere,” I type into Deep Dream Generator’s Text 2 Dream feature. In less than a minute, an image is returned to me showing what I’ve described.

Welcome to the world of AI image generation, where you can create what on the surface looks like top-rank artwork using just a few text prompts (提示). But closer examination shows oddities. The face of the woman in my image has very odd features, and appears to be holding multiple books. And, while there’s an initial thrill at seeing an image appear, there’s no creative satisfaction.

AI image generation could influence everything from film to graphic novels and more. Children’s illustrators were quick to raise concerns about the technology. They say AI-generated art is the exact opposite of what art is believed to be. Fundamentally, art is all about translating something that you feel internally into something that exists externally. Whatever form it takes, true art is about the creative process much more than it’s about the final piece. And simply pressing a button to generate an image is not a creative process.

Beyond creativity, there are deeper issues. To create images from prompts, AI generators rely on databases of already existing art and text. This could lead to the creation of images that are intentionally meant to imitate the style of other artists, without their agreement. There is an argument that AI generators work no differently to humans when it comes to being influenced by others’ work. However, a human artist is also adding emotion and nuance (细微差别) into the mix. AI doesn’t do the same — it can only copy.

The increasing use of AI will also lead to a devaluing (贬低) of the work of artists. There’s already a negative prejudice towards the creative industry. People will begin to think that their “work” is as excellent as that created by someone who has spent a career making art. It’s nonsense, of course. You can use your mobile phone to take a nice picture of your daughter, but you are no match for professionals.

1. What does the writer think of his image creation?

A．Exciting.	B．Appealing
C．Unsatisfying.	D．Shocking.

2. What do children’s illustrators value most about art?

A．The creating process.	B．The final work.
C．Personal feelings.	D．External forms.

3. What is Paragraph 4 of the text mainly about?

A．The styles of human artworks and AI ones.

B．Human artists’ influence on AI generators.

C．Different means used in human and AI art creation.

D．The drawbacks of drawing from existing art and text.

4. Which of the following best summarizes the last paragraph?

A．Art is the mirror of life.	B．Rome is not built in a day.
C．No man can do two things at once.	D．Don’t judge a book by its cover.