1 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. present        B. features        C. concerned        D. reportedly        E. commercial             F. stretches       G. overwhelming H. exceptionally        I. routinely        J. spared             K. broadcasts

Modern media is awash in advertising clutter(杂乱), and who’s to blame? Modern audiences that hate conventional full-length and full-size ads.

Today’s consumers don’t like to pay for content, which ought to create a rich environment for advertisers. Yet these same consumers are prone to click or turn away when a conventional ad appears. The result is ad clutter.

YouTube     1    a combination of full-length ads, skippable ads, lower-screen banners and display ads on the page alongside each video. Newspapers that once considered the front page important now     2    run ads there.

Advertisers integrate plugs(推销) into content to frustrate digital video recorders, which allow viewers to watch programs on a delay and skip regular commercials. If you watch regional telecasts of baseball games, the commercial clutter is so     3    . Ads are visible on the stadium wall behind the home-plate umpire(裁判). On-screen graphics include sponsor logos. And everything is a paid plug--“This call to the coach’s zone is brought to you by Verizon.”

According to the showbiz paper Variety, several streaming services are about to introduce a new twist: commercials that start running whenever a viewer pauses a program. Hulu intends to launch such ads this year. AT&T’s DirecTV and U-verse units will     4    use similar technology to trigger full-motion commercials whenever a viewer tries to take a break.

There’s a lot at stake. According to Variety, National Football League(NFL) TV broadcasts generate an estimated $4.35 billion in ad revenue during the 17-week regular season. NFL     5    are now loaded with mini commercials that pop up when there is a brief pause in the action, often in “double boxes” that show a view of the field in one frame and a(n)    6    in the other.

Interestingly, with no “screen” to work with, radio is one medium that has tried for some time to buck the trend. Many commercial stations trade clutter for clusters--that is, a solid block of commercials running five minutes or more, followed by lengthy commercial-free     7    of time.

But wherever a screen is involved, or a printed page, ad clutter is     8    everywhere. Programmers and advertisers can’t really be expected to limit this; it’s a fact of business. Consumers, on the other hand, can opt for commercial-free content--if they’re willing to pay for it.

But getting limitless content without paying while also being     9    heavy advertising intrusions is impossible. As media environment is permanently cluttered, audiences should be     10    with what they wish for.

2 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

In an age of rapidly growing urbanization, rooftop farming has emerged as a sustainable response     1     the challenge of creating green space in cities. This innovative practice transforms rooftops into mini farms, where vegetables, fruits, and even flowers     2     (plant), providing local residents with fresh produce and adding a touch of nature to urban environments.

Rooftop farming, also     3     (refer) to as vertical agriculture, is more than just a trend; it’s a step towards environmental conservation. Green roofs with vegetation help to absorb sunlight and release moisture, cooling the air and reducing the demand for air conditioning,     4     in turn lessens energy     5     (consume) and carbon emission. Meanwhile, rooftop farms serve as educational platforms,     6     (teach) city dwellers about sustainable agriculture practices and the importance of locally     7     (source) food.

As urban populations continue to grow, rooftop farming fosters community engagement     8     promotes healthier lifestyles by providing access to fresh and organic produce. When we look towards     9     future where environmental consciousness and sustainable practices become increasingly vital, rooftop farming stands as a testament to our ability to cultivate more than just food—we cultivate hope for a     10     (green) and more resilient world.

3 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. stem     B. dot     C. attributable     D. exceeded     E. overlook     F. exposed G. drainage     H. emerging     I. sinking     J. access     K. established

The Mega-City Environment

Mega-cities suffer from a catalog of environmental ills. A World Health Organization(WHO)/United Nations Environment Program(UNEP)study found that seven of the cities-Mexico City, Beijing, Cairo, Jakarta, Los Angeles, Sao Paulo and Moscow-had three or more pollutants that    1     the WHO health protection guidelines. All 20 of the cities studied by WHO/UNEP had at least one major pollutant that went beyond    2     health limits.

According to the World Resources Institute, “Millions of children living in the world’s largest cities, particularly in developing countries, are    3     to life-threatening air pollution two to eight times above the maximum based on WHO guidelines. Indeed, more than 80 percent of all deaths in developing countries    4     to air pollution-induced lung infections are among children under five.” In the big Asian mega-cities such as New Delhi, Beijing and Jakarta, approximately 20 to 30 percent of all respiratory diseases    5     from air pollution.

Almost all of the mega-cities face major fresh water challenges. Johannesburg, South Africa, is forced to draw water from highlands 370 miles away. In Bangkok, saltwater is invading aquifers(地下蓄水层). Mexico City has a serious    6     problem because of excessive groundwater withdrawal.

More than a billion people, 20 percent of the world’s population, live without regular    7     to clean running water. While poor people are forced to pay high fees for private water, many cities squander their resources through leakages and illegal    8    . “With the population of cities expected to increase to five billion by 2025,” says Klaus Toepfer, executive director of the UNEP, “the urban demand for water is set to increase rapidly. This means that any solution to the water crisis is closely linked to the governance of cities.“

Mega-city residents, crowded into unsanitary slums, are also subject to serious disease outbreaks. Lima, Peru(with population estimated at 9.4 million by 2015)suffered a cholera outbreak in the late 1990s partly because, as the New York Times reported, ”rural people new to Lima...live in houses without running water and use the outhouses(屋外厕所)that    9     the hillsides above.“

It’s worth looking at some of these    10     mega-cities in detail, because daily life there is likely to be the pattern for a majority of the world’s population. Most are already experiencing severe environmental problems that will only be worsened by rapid population increases.

4 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in each blank with a proper word given in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. steadily B. predicts C. biology D. temporary E. dramatic F. recovers G. permanent H. grounded I. expansion J. formed K. kindly

Teens Are Still Developing Empathy Skills

The teen years are often full of door-slamming, eye-rolling and seeming insensitivity, even by kids who behaved     1     before. Some parents worry that they are doing something wrong or that their children will never think of anyone but themselves. A six-year study published in Developmental Psychology shows that     2     is partly to blame.

In adolescence, critical social skills that are needed for one to feel concern for other people and to understand how they think are undergoing major changes. Adolescence has long been known as prime time for developing cognitive skills for self-regulation and executive function.

“Cognitive empathy,” or the mental ability to take others’ perspective, begins to rise     3     in girls at the age of 13, according to the study co-authored by Jolien van der Graaff at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. By comparison, boys do not begin until the age of 15 to show increases in perspective-taking, which helps in problem-solving and avoiding conflict.

Adolescent boys actually show a     4     decline, between the ages of 13 and 16, in a related skill—“affective empathy,” or the ability to recognize and respond to others’ feelings. This may be the result, at least in part, of a     5     rise in the primary male sex hormone, during adolescence, which sparks a desire for dominance and power. Fortunately, the boys’ sensitivity     6     in their late teens. Girls’ affective empathy remains relatively high and stable throughout adolescence.

This doesn’t mean, however, that we can do nothing but just wait for teenagers to develop a feeling of empathy. In fact, parents can help instill(灌输) affective empathy into their children. Affective empathy is     7     in marginal region of the brain, which regulates emotions. This capacity begins to develop in infancy. Children learn to practice empathy by watching their parents and by experiencing it themselves—being well treated by adults who sensitively respond to their emotions. While cognitive empathy arises from a different part of the brain, the two abilities are linked. Children’s affective empathy     8     their level of cognitive empathy as teens.

The findings reflect a major     9     in researchers’ understanding of cognitive growth during adolescence. They used to believe that both forms of empathy were fully     10     in childhood. Now, it is clear that “the brain regions that support social cognition, which helps us successfully understand and interact with others, continue to change dramatically” in our teens, says Jennifer Pfeifer at the University of Oregon. Research in her lab also suggests that cognitive empathy rises in teens. The discoveries serve as a new lens for exploring such teen behavior as bullying and drug abuse.

5 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. characteristic B.blame C. slave D. accepting E. oriented F. remaining G. properly H. behaviors I. surprise J. resist K. consistently

An American researcher who studied 600 millionaires found how rich you can get comes down to 6 “wealth factors“. She found that six behaviors are related to net worth potential, regardless of age or income. These were thriftiness, confidence, responsibility, planning, focus and social indifference.

Being thrifty comes as no great    1    .“Spending above your means, spending instead of saving for retirement, spending in anticipation of becoming wealthy makes you a    2     to the paycheck, even with an astronomical level of income,”she wrote. To properly build wealth, experts recommend saving 20% your income and living off the    3     80%.

Having confidence is another key    4    , as it helps people to be thrifty. It takes confidence to live within your means. It also takes confidence to invest    5    . Instead of making investing decisions with your emotions, financial planners advise that you should leave your investments alone and focus on a long-term investment plan.

But people can’t invest--or manage their own money--without    6     responsibility for the outcomes. Many millionaires take on personal responsibility--and most also happen to be self-made, meaning they didn’t acquire their wealth through luck. Millionaires don’t count on anyone else to make them rich, and they don’t    7     anyone else if they fall short. They focus on things they can control and align their daily habits to the goals they have set for themselves. They tend to be goal-    8     and hard workers, which enables them to plan financially and focus on seeing those plans through. 92% of the millionaires surveyed developed a long-term plan for their money, and 97% almost always achieved the goals they set for themselves.

And it is these    9     that make it easy for them to be socially indifferent. They    10     lifestyle creep, the tendency to spend more whenever one earns more. Essentially, they don’t yield to pressure to buy the latest thing or to keep up with others or what they have acquired. Instead of being focused on what might make them happy today, they’re focused on their long-term wealth-building plan.

7 . Direction: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. addressing       B. adoption       C. attend       D. budgeting       E. cautions F. correspond       G. extended       H. hesitancy       I. packages       J. regardless K. rigid

Top work-life balance benefits for 2023

“Flexibility is the gold standard of work-life balance benefits,” says Jonathan Pas, health care leader at consulting firm Mercer.

It’s no surprise then that two years after the pandemic forced most office workers to perform their jobs remotely. 78% of employers say they’ll allow employees to continue doing so regularly in 2023, according to a Mercer survey. But there’s still some     1    : only 9% say they will allow employees to work remotely daily.

    2    , flexibility around when employees work is just as important as where. In the survey, 66% of employers said they would offer flexible work schedules over the course of a typical work day, such as specific times during the week to     3     to personal matters and four-day work weeks. Employees no longer want to organize their personal life around a(n)     4     work schedule but instead want the two interwoven, so they can decide what to prioritize and when.

Pas     5     against making hollow promises about a company’s commitment to work-life balance. “If employees feel a disconnection between programs that are rolled out and what senior leaders really expect, credibility is questioned, and the goodwill created through the program is denied.” He cites paid time off to volunteer, which almost half (45%) of companies say they will add to their benefits     6     next year.

Other benefits requiring a broader organizational buy-in are sabbaticals(公休假) and unlimited vacation days. Both benefits encourage employees to pursue interests outside of work with     7     periods off. Still, if they feel a dishonour associated with taking advantage of them, they’ll be hesitant to do so. The relatively low     8     rates for 2023, though—only 12% for sabbaticals and 15% for unlimited vacation—indicate that employers are still against paying employees not to work.

Instead, they prefer to find new ways to give employees more money, with the rise of employer-funded lifestyle accounts, which are often reserved for big-ticket items that might otherwise require some     9    . Nevertheless, only 12% of employers said they would add lifestyle accounts in 2023, and 70% said they are considering them, which could indicate a trend on the horizon.

But perhaps the most telling statistic about the importance of     10     work-life balance is the number of companies that said they don’t plan to offer any additional benefits to support work-life balance: a mere 5%.

8 . 选用适当的单词或短语补全短文。

A. untouched	B. preparation	C. disproportionately	D. outlook	E. committed	F. shake
G. redirect	H. target	I. reduced	J. expose	K. typically

Over the past few weeks, many people around the world joined me in celebrating my career firsts — from winning my first Golden Globe to earning my first Oscar. While I am grateful for this unforgettable moment in my professional life, I want to     1    that global spotlight to an issue that is personal to me and that calls for the world’s attention.

My life changed eight years ago when one moment shook my     2    on the world.

It was April 25, 2015, and I was visiting local organizations. Suddenly, a deadly earthquake hit the country. I have never felt the type of fear and panic I felt that day, when the ground beneath shook so powerfully that I was not able to stand on my own feet.

I was fortunate to make through that day uninjured, but not     3    . As we made our way straight to the airport, I saw the ruins and destruction all around me. I couldn’t     4    the thought of how unfair it was that I have a home to go to, unlike the thousands of families whose entire lives were suddenly     5     to rubble (瓦砾).

Crises are not just moments of disaster: They     6     deep existing inequalities. Those living in poverty, especially women and girls, bear the brunt (首当其冲). In the immediately aftermath of a disaster, lack of sanitation (卫生系统), and health facilities     7     affects women. In my time as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Development Program, I have seen up close how women and girls are often the last to go back to school and to get basic services such as clean water and vaccines. They are also     8    the last to get jobs and loans.

To fully recover from a disaster and be prepared for the next one, the specific needs of women and girls must be factored into the humanitarian response.

This year we are halfway toward the 2030     9     to achieve what the United Nations calls Sustainable Development Goals, a blueprint for a shared global vision of a world without poverty and inequality. What I have learned through my work is that realizing these global goals will only be possible if we achieve true gender equality, everywhere, and in all aspects of life — especially in times of crises — and in     10    for next disaster.

9 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. academic B. previously C. submit D. assessed E. classifier F. controversy G. subscribed H. detect I. typically J. access   K. labelled

OpenAI releases “not fully reliable” tool to detect AI generated content

ChatGPT has been creating waves across the internet with its writing ability and responses to requests. The use of ChatGPT has been full of     1     . There have been concerns that students can use this tool to     2     AI-generated work and claim it as their own.

OpenAI, the research laboratory behind ChatGPT, has released a tool designed to     3     whether text has been written by artificial intelligence, but warns it’s not completely reliable – yet. In a blog post on Tuesday, OpenAI linked to a new     4     tool that has been trained to distinguish between text written by a human and that written by a variety of AI, not just ChatGPT.

The tool could be useful in cases where AI was used for “    5     dishonesty” and when AI chatbots were positioned as humans, they said. But they admitted the tool “is not fully reliable” and only correctly identified 26% of AI-written English texts. It also incorrectly     6     human-written texts as probably written by AI tools 9% of the time.

“Our classifier’s reliability     7     improves as the length of the input text increases. Compared to our     8     released classifier, this new classifier is significantly more reliable on text from more recent AI systems.”

Since ChatGPT was opened up to public    9    , it has given rise to a wave of concern among educational institutions across the world that it could lead to cheating in exams or assessments. Lecturers in the UK are being urged to review the way in which their courses were     10    , while some universities have banned the technology entirely and returned to pen-and-paper exams to stop students using AI.

10 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. acquiring             B. popularity             C. frequently             D. contribute             E. unrelated F. slightly                 G. valuable               H. explore                 I. majors                    J. further K. volunteering

Gap year in your style

What exactly is a gap year? Well, people don’t entirely agree. Most commonly, it’s a year off between high school and college. But it could also be spending a year doing something    1    to education or one’s future career.

Like    2     schooling, a gap year usually means leaving one’s hometown. Many who take a gap year go to a far-off country. In most cases, the time is spent working or    3    . Whatever one is engaged in, this year gives young adults a chance to    4    the world. They meet new people and try things they wouldn’t normally get to do.

Recently, many young people have chosen to take a “working holiday,” which is    5     different from a gap year. After graduating from university, some people make up their minds to live abroad for a year, working in a foreign language environment. Depending on the country and the job, some graduates might live off their earnings and even save money. But often, the cost of living and travel makes saving difficult for people working abroad. Yet the idea continues to grow in    6    . Perhaps it isn’t about earning money, but getting a taste of freedom.

For those thinking about their future job or career, a gap year could mean idling a year away. But for those who aren’t sure what they want to do, a gap year offers many benefits.

If you want to put more emphasis on your career development, you need to think thoroughly about how a gap year can    7     to your résumé(履历). Find an experience that can strengthen your practical skills. That could mean working as an intern(实习生)or    8    a new language.

For those who haven’t designed a career plan, a gap year makes a lot of sense. Almost 80% of American university students change    9    at least once, so a gap year before, during, or even after university could be a good way to help you get future plans in focus. If you can find your calling by taking time off, it will prove to be a very    10    experience.