1 . Generative AI must seem like a superweapon to people who aim to cause disagreement and argument online. Deep-fake videos imitate public figures. Crowds of conversational chatbots worsen conflict, and efforts to detect and relieve such campaigns remain in their early period.

But can Generative AI also negotiate confict? Chris Bail, a leading expert on artificial intelligence and human behavior, and his colleagues have conducted research indicating that Large Language Models such as ChatGPT can make online conversations more productive, reduce incivility, and increase willingness to have difficult conversations across social disagreements. What’s more, they’re already seeing practical applications. Inspired by such research, Nextdoor, a community-based social-media platform that has struggled to boycott online poison, recently launched a successful, large-scale (大规模的) effort to reduce incivility.

In a study recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Chris Bail and his team examined whether Large Language Models can teach people conflict-negotiation techniques on a large scale. They enlisted a large group of people with different opinions about gun control and paired them to discuss this topic with someone who does not share their view on an online chat platform the team built.

After exchanging several messages on their platform, half of the research participants began to receive pop-up messages suggesting alternative phrasings for the messages they were about to send to their chat partner. These pop-ups employed GPT-3 to rephrase each post using conflict negotiation principles — without changing the opinion expressed within them. Participants had the option to send these rephrased versions of their message or ignore them.

The researchers found that GPT-3 is surprisingly good at processing difficult conversations. People whose partner used the AI-generated re-phrasings described the conversations as more productive, less stressful, and expressed greater willingness to consider alternative viewpoints.

1. What can we infer from the first two paragraphs?

A．GenAI can be used in wars.

B．GenAI can stop online incivility.

C．GenAI can be used to deal with conflict online.

D．GenAI can make conversations more difficult.

2. What did Chris Bail’s team aim to do in a recent study?

A．To build their online chat platform.

B．To share ideas on their own platform.

C．To collect different ideas about gun control.

D．To test the function of Large Language Models.

3. How does GPT-3 help process difficult conversations?

A．By ignoring rephrased messages.

B．By making choices for the participants.

C．By changing the opinions of participants.

D．By expressing the messages in a different way.

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

A．People Share Ideas on Gun Control

B．A New Study About Practical Applications

C．GenAI Cause Disagreement And Argument Online

D．GenAI Could Make Online Conversations More Civil

2 . Rewards at West Exe School

West Exe School is a fully inclusive comprehensive secondary school. Listed below are the ways the school celebrate success with students, parents and staff during the academic year.

Merit Badges

Merit badges are awarded in line with the student qualities. E.g., when a student reaches 200 merits in a semester for being kind, they receive their kind merit badge. The West Exe shield is awarded to students who have achieved all six merit badges.

The Golden Ticket

Every two weeks, all members of staff have a ‘Golden Ticket’ which they can award to any student who has displayed what the student qualities stand for. There will be a bi-weekly focus on one of the student qualities as positive reinforcement. The golden tickets awarded are then placed in a prize draw, for prizes suggested by the student body.

Punctuality Award

Students who are on time for every lesson across the week will be entered into a prize draw. This is to promote the importance of punctuality in school and in life.

Headteacher Reward

Headteacher’s Reward is given to students who have been nominated (提名) by staff members every month for demonstrating the qualities, behaviors and values of what it means to be an exceptional West Exe Student. They are also awarded to students who have shown exceptional achievement, either in school or as part of an extracurricular activity. This includes a certificate and pen, with a letter going home to parents to share news of the young person’s achievement.

1. Which of the following rewards is given most frequently?

A．Merit Badges.	B．The Golden Ticket.
C．Punctuality Award.	D．Headteacher Reward.

2. What do we know about Headteacher Reward?

A．All staff members can be nominated for the award.

B．Students rewarded will receive a certificate and a letter.

C．Parents of the students awarded will be honored with a letter.

D．Only students making outstanding achievements in school can be awarded.

3. Where is the text probably taken from?

A．A school website.	B．A news report.
C．A travel leaflet.	D．A book review.

3 . How to keep your heart young

Clearly, it is important to take control of your heart health no matter your age. Regular exercise and a proper diet can help make your heart healthy and strong.     1    

Manage stress and anxiety.

Stress plays a role in 77 percent of all health concerns, including digestive trouble, an inability to lose weight, and heart disease.     2     Try taking a deep breath, taking a walk, or simply spacing out for a few minutes.

Open the windows in your house.

There are dozens of possible sources, including hair spray, candles, or smoke from a woodstove or fireplace.     3     But the chemical mixtures they create when mixed together can cause infection, raise blood pressure, and harden arteries (动脉). Open windows and use a fan to circulate the air and reduce indoor pollution levels.

    4    

A sound sleep is good for your heart, but as you age, your brain and neurons begin to change and your “sleep architecture” suffers. Shorter sleep duration and poorer quality of sleep seem to be associated with increased heart diseases. A few classic tips for a better night’s sleep: Avoid afternoon naps and caffeine within six hours of your bedtime.

Be active and be kind.

    5     Meanwhile, a study found that those who spent money on other people had lower blood pressure than those who spent money on themselves. Do something physically active on behalf of someone else. While you’re out removing snow, clear your neighbor’s walkway too.

A．Give priority to sleep.

B．Stress relief can come in many forms.

C．However, we have more ways to keep slim.

D．Any of these might be harmless in small amounts.

E．People who always sit tend to develop some heart problems.

F．But these tips from heart specialists offer surprisingly helpful additions to you.

G．Try to embrace nature to enjoy and play instead of staying at home doing nothing.

4 . Rich variety exists in primates (灵长目动物). Monkeys roll on snowy Japanese mountains, gorillas chew fruit on Sumatra, lemurs jump between trees in Madagascar, and the naked apes—humans—walk proudly on two legs worldwide. Scientists can now study the DNA differences beyond that diversity, thanks to a databank of genomes (基因组) from 233 species.

To understand the good and bad of human evolution—both our extraordinary adaptations and disease-causing changes—scientists must compare the genomes of Homo sapiens (智人) to our closest evolutionary relatives, the primates. But researchers investigating diverse topics, from contemporary genetic diseases to human origins, have long faced a roadblock when pursuing this approach: While genomic data exists from millions of people, most of the 500-plus primate species never had their genomes read. So, in 2019, Tomàs Marquès-Bonet at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology, in Barcelona, Spain, and other biologists teamed up with disease researchers at the company Illumina, determined to obtain as many primate genomes as possible.

Navigating wilderness and local permitting laws, the international researchers obtained hundreds of blood samples from wild and caged animals in South America, Africa, and Asia. Arranging DNA from these samples and adding data from previous studies, the team built a bank of 809 genomes from individual baboons, gorillas, gibbons, and more, representing nearly half the known primate species.

The data revealed insights about human origins and health, as well as primate conservation, published by more than 100 scientists across 10 papers in Science and Science Advances in June 2023. One study trained artificial intelligence to search human genomes for DNA differences likely to cause disease, based on whether nonhuman primates can live with those variants. According to Marquès-Bonet, “We now have a really good list of the foundations of our species” and a “good idea of the kind of variations that are tolerated in any primate”—including humans.

1. What can we learn from paragraph 1?

A．Primates vary mainly in habitats.

B．Scientists focus on the diversity of primates.

C．There are 233 species of primates in the world.

D．Primate genomes are important for studying the DNA differences.

2. Why did the scientists build the databank of genomes?

A．To cure human’s various genetic diseases.

B．To help human adapt to the environment.

C．To investigate the process of human evolution.

D．To understand the strength and drawback of human evolution.

3. What is paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．The reasons for building the databank.

B．The process of building the databank.

C．The impacts of building the databank.

D．The difficulties in building the databank.

4. What does Marquès-Bonet think of the databank?

A．It still needs to be improved.

B．It is of great value to future research.

C．It is of little help to future research.

D．It is unclear whether it’s of help to future research.

5 . As the seasons are starting to change around the world, the animal kingdom is on the move. Animal migration is one of nature's great wonders, but how do animals know when it is time to set off on their journey, or where they need to go? Once they've worked out their destination, how do they know how to get there?     1     .

Migration is a behavioral pattern where animals travel from one habitat to another in search of something. It happens seasonally, and usually involves a return journey. These journeys can be by land, sea or air.     2     . Animals like gazelles, wildebeests and zebras migrate in huge herds during dry seasons to look for fresh grass to eat and water to drink.

Animals also migrate because of the weather. Around 50 bird species leave the UK each winter to avoid the cold.     3     . They're either searching for a mate, looking for somewhere to lay their eggs or finding the best place to raise their young. For example, humpback whales travel to warmer waters each winter to raise their calves.

    4     , but how do they know when it is time to head off? For those who migrate to look for something to eat, scientists think shortages of food could be a sign that it's time to begin their journey. Others might be able to recognize when winter is coming because they can see that the days are getting shorter.

So how do they know where to go? Some use the stars and the sun to help them navigate while others rely on landmarks like rivers and mountains to show them where they are.     5     . Wildebeests are thought to follow the smell of rain.

A．Below are some ways they get there

B．Animals have their reasons for migrating

C．Scientists have been puzzled by these questions for many years

D．It's also possible for animals to sniff their way to their destination

E．Some birds travel to the UK to escape extreme cold further north

F．One of the main reasons behind animal migration is the search for food

G．For some animals, it's the need to reproduce that sends them on their journey

6 . Arieh Smith, an American YouTuber with millions of subscribers recently visited the Cree nation in Canada with a big surprise —he speaks their language.

Patrick Mitsuing, a Cree cultural leader, found Smith's channel and saw that he can speak 50 languages to varying degrees of fluency including some indigenous(本土的) ones and invited him to take the Cree course and follow it up with a visit to the nation.

The superpower for Smith's work on YouTube is something he's also used for humanitarian purposes—learning indigenous languages and traveling to where they’re spoken in order to strengthen awareness that some of these timeless tongues, with all their hidden knowledge and poetry, are disappearing.

Cree is extraordinarily difficult even among indigenous North American languages, but in the 23-minute video of his trip to the Cree lands, Smith amazes multiple passers-by with some Cree chit-chat he learned from the course.

“The elders at first were kind of like ‘who is this weirdo(怪人) with the camera?’…”Smith recounted to CBC News. “And then when I started speaking Cree, they were kind of like ‘Oh, OK, that’s pretty cool.’” At the end of the visit, Smith gave a speech to some elders of the Cree race. Just like the strangers on the street, some of the elders thought it was cool and funny, while others were deeply moved.

“From the comments that I’ve seen from his videos, I see a lot of the young indigenous, not just young but even older crowds saying ‘man, if he could learn, I could learn; man, if he’s doing it, I could do it.”Mitsuing added.

Technology is a way that indigenous languages can live on. Most people will choose to learn languages online today, and courses taught through the social media business are a way that not only allows the younger generation to carry on the torch(火炬), but preserves the language, its writing, and its instruction in case of darker days.

1. What can we learn about Smith?

A．He is a native of Cree.	B．He longs to be a leader.
C．He has a strong capacity for speech.	D．He invited Mitsuing to take Cree courses.

2. What is the main purpose of Smith's work on YouTube?

A．To show his incredible talent for languages.

B．To document his trips to different countries.

C．To compose poems to discover hidden knowledge.

D．To make people realize the disappearance of some languages.

3. How did the elders of the Cree race feel when they first saw Smith?

A．Surprised.

B．Moved.

C．Excited.

D．Impressed.

4. What role does social media play?

A．It motivates people to light the torch.	B．It inspires people to run media business.
C．It allows for the preservation of languages.	D．It enables people to travel around the world.

7 . When creative architectural minds are given free reign over their creations, some truly unique buildings are born.

Habitat 67(Montreal, Canada)

Habitat 67's unique architecture was designed by a young Canadian-Israeli immigrant named Moshe Safdie for Montreal's 1967 Universal Exposition (博览会). The building was designed to integrate the advantages of suburban living — namely privacy, gardens and multiple floors — in an urban environment.

Sagrada Familia(Barcelona, Spain)

When modernist architect Antoni Gaudi took the reins in 1883, a year after the construction began, he turned just another church into his masterpiece. Its complex designs and themes make the Sagrada Familia among the most unique architecture in the world. When it's finally finished in 2026, its iconic design will have long since been established as one of the great achievements of architecture.

Longaberger Basket Building(Newark, America)

There are plenty of buildings out there that reflect their purpose, like the Kansas City library that looks like a row of books. The Longaberger Basket Building is one of this kind. Head office of the Longaberger Company produces baskets which can be found around the world. The Longaberger founder's son wanted all the other Longaberger buildings to look like its products too.

Atomium(Brussels, Belgium)

Another example of an offbeat construction for a World's Fair, the Atomium was built for the 1958 edition of the Universal Exposition held in Brussels, Belgium by André Waterkeyn. Unlike Habitat 67, it wasn't meant to be a residential building. Instead it contains exhibition rooms and public halls. The building itself is designed to be a copy of the structure of iron crystal.

1. Which of the following building hasn't been completed by now?

A．Habitat 67.	B．Sagrada Familia.
C．Longaberger Basket Building.	D．Atomium.

2. What does Longaberger Basket Building look like?

A．A basket.

B．A garden.

C．A row of books.

D．An iron crystal.

3. What do Habitat 67 and Atomium have in common?

A．They are residential buildings.	B．They were built for World's Fairs.
C．They were designed by Moshe Safdie.	D．They contain exhibition rooms and public halls.

8 . Do you have an uncle believing vaccines cause autism (自闭症) but refusing to do further research? What about a friend avoiding information about factory animal farming so he can eat cheap meat guilt-free?

Each is an example of willful ignorance—the intentional act of avoiding information that reveals the negative consequences of one's actions. To find out why people engage in it, a team of researchers performed an analysis on the evidence of willful ignorance, comparing the results of 22 studies with over 6,000 participants.

Participants were randomly assigned the role of decision-makers or recipients (接受者). The decision-makers were given a choice: They could take a $ 5 or $ 6 payout. If they took $ 5, the recipient would also receive $ 5. If they took $ 6, the recipient would receive $ 1. Most decision-makers acted altruistically. They made a slight sacrifice to give the recipient more money. On average, only about a quarter of decision-makers acted selfishly.

In another study, the decision-makers could still choose between the $5 or $6 payouts, but they were not told what the recipient would receive. There was a 50-50 chance the recipient would receive $ 5 or $1. Importantly, the decision-makers could ask the researchers what payout the recipient would receive, and they could do so at no cost to themselves. 44% of decision-makers chose to remain willfully ignorant and took the selfish option.

The researchers assumed two potential motivations for willful ignorance. First, they thought willful ignorance may offer an excuse for not acting generously. If a person doesn't know the consequences of his actions, then he still can consider himself a morally honest individual even if he decides to act selfishly. Willful ignorance serves to protect his self-image.

The second potential motivation is “cognitive inattentiveness.” That is, people dislike thinking more than they have to. It may result from laziness, not paying attention, or not wanting to take the time to learn more. Whatever the case, they favor the quick-and-easy decision.

The researchers conclude “taken together, the evidence suggests ignorance is indeed in part ‘willful’ and driven by excuse-seeking and self-image maintenance motives.” Thanks to them, we are all a little less ignorant about ignorance.

1. Which of the following is most probably considered as willful ignorance?

A．Refusing to purchase a fur coat out of ethical concerns.

B．Stopping smoking in the knowledge of its harm to health.

C．Cheating in the exam for a good grade regardless of its negativity.

D．Engaging in environmental protection activities in the face of global warming.

2. What does the underlined word “altruistically” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Indifferently.

B．Selflessly.

C．Tolerantly.

D．Proudly.

3. What is the author's tone when researchers' work is commented on?

A．Serious.

B．Ironic.

C．Humorous.

D．Critical.

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

A．What are altruistic behaviors like?	B．How do we avoid willful ignorance?
C．What are effects of willful ignorance?	D．Why do people choose to be ignorant?

9 . It's no secret that mountain climbing comes with various risks, but some are looking toward an unconventional means of reducing the dangers associated with the sport: jetpacks. A company called Gravity Industries designs what they call “Jet Suits”, a wearable technology that allows its users to fly through the air with a pack on their back and arm-based thrusters (助推器).

A recently conducted test flight involved a pilot demonstrating how quickly the jet suit can be used to climb up to a peak. The pilot covered 1.2 miles with 2,200 feet of vertical gain in just 3 minutes, 30 seconds. That's basically equal to the 0.9 mile, 2,000-foot-gain Manitou Incline climb in Colorado, plus a little more.

Though the recreational use of the jet suit to climb popular mountains would surely be met with outrage (愤怒) from the local hiking community, there's one application that might be considered quite a bit more acceptable, even praised: using the suit to speed up search and rescue operations.

While the technology is still relatively new and access is quite limited, a video of a mountainside test flight, showing the device pushing its pilot up steep terrain (地势) at a height of about 20 feet off the ground, might provide a glimpse at what the future of search and rescue operations in remote areas could look like. Not only could these suits be used to land rescuers in places that might be unsafe for a helicopter, but they could also allow for rapid search of large areas.

All of that sounds great, though the price may still be a bit restrictive for widespread use among Colorado’s search and rescue teams at the moment. While there’s not much information on the Gravity Industries website about the price of a unit, one 2021 article put it at $ 440, 000.

For now, it's extremely unlikely that a jet suit will be spotted rushing to someone's time aid the next time you're out on the trail. But the creation of jet suits seems to reflect another step toward a real-world and life-saving application of what was once thought to be nothing more than a science-fiction device: the jetpack.

1. How did the author clarify the speed of the pilot in the test flight?

A．By giving examples.	B．By making a comparison.
C．By explaining a concept.	D．By analyzing causes and effects.

2. What is the main idea of paragraph 4?

A．The result of a test flight.	B．The danger of a helicopter.
C．The limitation of the jetpack.	D．The potential application of the jetpack.

3. What can we know about the jetpack?

A．It might be unaffordable for a majority of people.

B．It is unsafe to wear the suit to carry out rescue tasks.

C．It could help predict the development of all the rescue jobs.

D．It can push pilots up steep terrain 20 meters off the ground.

4. What is the author's attitude to the future of the jetpack?

A．Doubtful.

B．Unclear.

C．Dismissive.

D．Hopeful.

10 . Be honest: how often does your social media scrolling lead to shopping? And how many of those things that TikTok made you buy did you actually need? Enter de-influencing, the TikTok trend flipping (颠覆) influencing on its head — and aiming to save our bank balances in the process.

De-influencing is the TikTok trend with hundreds of millions of views that’s challenging the hype (炒作) around so-called popular products by telling you what you shouldn’t buy, instead of what you should. It’s a response to a few different things, including a general feeling of overconsumption (you don’t need more stuff just because TikTok says you do) and the cost of living crisis.

It sounds progressive, but once you scratch the surface, there isn’t a huge difference between influencing and de-influencing. “De-influencing is a bit of a false product,” says Kendall. “It’s still influence but it’s telling people what not to buy.”While TikTokers may be warning consumers away from expensive or well-known products, some continue to influence by telling consumers what they should buy instead. For example, buying a heated roller set on Amazon over the Dyson Airwrap — this is still suggesting products with sweeping promises.

Ironically speaking, de-influencing is a good strategy for influencers and brands. Rising living costs mean consumers are less likely to spend a huge amount of money on big-ticket items, which means the influencers promoting them are less likely to generate income. Turning to promoting cheaper products plays into the so-called “Lipstick Effect,” where people treat themselves to little luxuries, instead of addictions, during times of economic uncertainty.

What is different about de-influencing is encouraging consumers to take a moment to think about whether they need a product and whether it’s right for them versus whether they’re simply being influenced because it’s new, popular, or exciting. This is part of a bigger movement in beauty. “There is also the reduction of regimens, the ingredient diet, the skin minimalism, and the stripping back of excess linked to sustainability and over-consumption,” says Kendall. “This is a positive approach to marketing.”

1. Why does the author use the questions at the beginning of Paragraph 1?

A．To introduce the topic.	B．To highlight an opinion.
C．To illustrate an argument.	D．To predict the ending.

2. As for de-influencing, which would the author agree with?

A．It’s telling people what to buy to challenge the hype.

B．It is a bit of a true product influencing people.

C．It responds to a general feeling of overconsumption.

D．It’s an unwise strategy for influencers and brands.

3. What does de-influencing encourage consumers to do?

A．Get what is popular.	B．Purchase a novel product.
C．Increase consumption in beauty.	D．Buy only what is needed.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．De-influencing: The Trend Killing Influencer Marketing

B．Brands are all Scared of the De-influencing Trend

C．De-influencing Pushes the Shift to Overconsumption

D．De-influencing: The Trend Putting Truthfulness First