1 . Artificial intelligence (AI) software features can vary widely according to the application and the specific technology they use. Here are some general features and variations that you can expect.

Google Assistant

Google Assistant is a great tool for people who are looking for a convenient way to interact with their smart devices without necessarily having to use their hands. It can be particularly helpful for people with disabilities or limited mobility, as well as those who are busy and need to operate on tasks. It is free to use now.

Cortana

Cortana is a virtual assistant software for people who use Windows and Microsoft productivity tools, such as Outlook, OneNote, and Office 365. It was developed by Microsoft, primarily for the Windows operating system, and can be used on PCs, smart phones, and Xbox One. It offers a wide range of features, including voice-activated commands, reminders, and search capabilities. Cortana is free to use now.

Azure

Azure AI, which was developed by Microsoft, provides a whole series of services that help developers build intelligent applications quickly and easily. You can get a free account that provides over 25 services. If you want an upgrade then you will have to pay for their advanced features or go with their pay-as-you-go model.

IBM Watson

The software is primarily designed for professionals who want to process and analyze large volumes of unstructured data, using natural language processing and machine learning algorithms (算法). Some applications IBM Watson has been used in include healthcare, finance, and marketing among others. It has a pricing plan you can choose from. Plus plan starts at $140/month.

1. What do Google Assistant and Cortana have in common?

A．Both of them are free of charge at present.

B．Both of them are mainly designed for the disabled.

C．Both of them can be used on Xbox One.

D．Both of them are developed by the same company.

2. If you were an application developer, which would you be interested in?

A．Google Assistant.

B．Cortana.

C．Azure.

D．IBM Watson.

3. What is special about IBM Watson?

A．It offers customers free accounts.	B．It can be used on smart phones.
C．It helps experts deal with data.	D．It has the most powerful AI.

2 . If your work involves a lot of work in front of a computer screen, you’ll likely experience digital eyestrain(损伤).     1    , so here are some easy ways you can protect your eyes while using a screen.

Change your workstation slightly

Your overall workstation can cause eye strain in many ways. Make sure you’re always sitting at least an arm’s length away from the screen. And keep your screen four to five inches below eye level. What you’re sitting in is also extremely important for your position.     2    .

Adjust lighting

Your computer screen should be the brightest object in the room, so adjust your settings accordingly. You can look into softer lighting options and use blinds if the lighting in your office is too bright.     3    , as dust particles on it can reflect light and cause another source of bright and unpleasant light.

Follow the 20-20-20 rule

    4    . The 20-20-20 rule is an easy way to be fitted into your daily routine: every 20minutes, direct your eyes towards something at least 20 feet away from you, for 20 seconds. This forces your eyes to move from short-distance perception to long-distance perception. Thus it gives them a much-needed moment of rest.

    5    

Do whatever you can to make your screen easier to read-whether that’s increasing the text size, switching the contrast levels or changing the colour temperature(avoiding blue light tones as much as possible, which are linked to more eye strain problems). Play around with all the settings until you find what works best for you.

A．Adjust your settings

B．Be sure to clean your screen regularly

C．Switch the screen into eye protection mode

D．In fact, looking at a screen is unavoidable for most

E．So be certain the chair offers enough support for your lower back

F．Take steps immediately to help to ease the discomfort of your eyes

G．One simple way to reduce your eye strain is looking away from the screen

3 . Science Fiction Writing Competition

Are you an author who loves science fiction? Do you have an idea for a super short story that needs to be shared with the world? If your answer to both of those questions is yes, this competition is for you!

Rules

The competition can be for any age group, for anyone who loves science fiction in the world.

We will be accepting submissions from November 28th,2023 to April 1st, 2024. The winners will be informed by June 15th, 2024.

Entries must be under 500 words and include element s of science fiction. They must be submitted before the deadline and the entrant must have paid the fee of $10 before submission.

Entrants can submit as many entries as they like. All entries must be submitted using the given online form. If you need some help, please don’t hesitate to email or call Sadie. She can help you get your story submitted!

Prizes

There are 3 cash prizes: $500 for the champion, $ 150 for the runner-up, and $ 50 for others who are highly creative in writing.

Winning stories will be made available to the public through a magazine and be shared online.

Financial Assistance     

There are 10 places for those writers who have some ideas to share but can’t afford the fee. We will be responsible for it.

1. What is the requirement for the entry?

A．It needs to be handed to Sadie.	B．It should be 500 words in length.
C．It must be submitted after paying $ 10.	D．It is required to be finished online.

2. What will the champion get?

A．Return of the entry fee.	B．A cash prize of 50 dollars.
C．Access to sci-fi magazines.	D．A chance to publish his story.

3. What type of writing is the text?

A．A notice.

B．A report.

C．A guide.

D．A plan.

4 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单询的正确形式。

On September 7, a famous Chinese archaeologist Fan Jinshi was awarded by UNESCO for her outstanding contribution to the protection of the Dunhuang Mogao Caves.

Called the “daughter of Dunhuang”, Fan     1     (start) her story with the caves 60 years ago. “Seeing Dunhuang for the first time was     2     (absolute) breathtaking. But only when truly staying here did I realize that inside the caves is a world of divine (神圣的) beauty while outside is a land of blowing sand     3     endless yellow earth,” Fan told Gansu Daily.

Back in those days, the Mogao Caves were almost completely cut off from the world. Fan and her     4    (coworker) had to live in mud houses and drink salty water. They stayed inside the caves to do research, copy murals (壁面), and try whatever they could to protect and restore     5     (they).

As time passed, Fan found a serious problem. The increasing number of tourists visiting Dunhuang might harm the caves,     6     caused murals to blur and colors to fade.

In the late 1980s, Fan got to know computer technology     7     accident. She realized that this might be the chance     8       (preserve) the Mogao Caves forever. After over 30 years of exploration, the Dunhuang Academy built     9     digital database to protect the cultural relies there, allowing Dunhuang’s     10    (value) art to live forever and to step out of the caves to meet the world.

5 . “Just imagine it, chatting to a chimp in chimpanzee.” Whether portrayed by Rex Harrison, Eddie Murphy or Robert Downey, Jr.,Doctor Dolittle learned to talk to animals.But in reality, science has remained some distance from solving the long-standing question of how we humans learned to talk during our evolution.

Recently,a study by a team of researchers in Great Britain has demonstrated how the rapid succession of opening and closing mouth rhythms by chimpanzees—known as lip-smacking (砸吧嘴)—mimics the natural pace of human mouths talking.This phenomenon has been observed before in other ape species who performed lip-smacking movements at around 5 Hz, which falls within a range of mouth opens and closes characteristic of all spoken languages, namely between2 and 7 Hz.But it wasn’t until now that this lip-smacking timing connection had been made in our closest evolutionary relatives.The last years had seen accumulating evidence that these rhythms from deeper within our primate ancestry, recycled, so to speak,as a cornerstone for speech evolution.

“But the sense of evolutionary continuity towards speech still had a big gap to cross—the African apes.There was no evidence for speech like rhythm neither in gorillas, bonobos,nor chimpanzees”, says Adriano Lameira of the University of Warwick, who led the study. The study followed two domestic populations of chimpanzees, as well as two wild populations in Uganda. Researchers observed lip-smacking at an average of 4.15 Hz. They made all their observations whenever a chimpanzee was grooming(理毛；梳毛) another. Picture a hairdresser engaging in idle chatter with a customer at the beauty salon.

The confirmation of speech like rhythm of the mouth in chimpanzees does not reveal how language came about in our own ancestry, but it offers the final confirmation to scientists that we are looking at the right place, that we are on the right track to unlock this mystery and that great apes in enclosed areas and the wild still have to reveal all their secrets about human nature and human origins.

Lameira also notes that variation in lip-smacking times both between and within the chimp groups do not appear to be hard-wired. Rather, the lip-smacking variability likely reflects how individual differences and environmental factors, and even social conventions, affect how chimpanzees communicate with each other. Even Doctor Dolitle might well be amazed.

1. What does the new study reveal?

A．We humans can talk to chimpanzees.

B．Chimpanzees like imitating humans talking.

C．A new clue of speech evolution has been found.

D．All apes perform the same lip-smacking rhythms as we humans do.

2. What is the significance of this study?

A．Paving way for the following researches.

B．Proving the assumption of the scientists.

C．Confirming how language came into being.

D．Revealing the secrets about human evolution.

3. What does the underlined word “hard-wired” in the last paragraph mean?

A．Tough.

B．Cultivated.

C．Variable.

D．Inborn

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

A．Cornerstone for Human Origin.

B．Research Value of Ape Species.

C．Human Speech Evolution Getting Lip-Smacking Evidence.

D．Chimpanzees Performing Speech like Lip-Smacking Movements.

6 .

Liverpool MUSIC The Beatles Story The world-famous 1960s music group came from Liverpool. Find out about The Beatles at The Beatles Story. Open every day except Dec. 25 and Dec. 26 Adult: £15.95 Student: £12 Child: £7 Child under five: Free	Liverpool SPORT Liverpool FC This city loves football. Visit Anfield football stadium, home to Liverpool’s favourite football team, and take a tour. Closed on weekends. Adult: £15 Under 16 years old and students: £9 Child under five: Free
Liverpool MUSEUM Visit the Liverpool Museum Learn all about the history and culture of Liverpool. Open daily 10 a.m.—5 p.m. Free entry	Liverpool SHOPPING Liverpool ONE Find the best shopping in the centre of Liverpool at Liverpool ONE—Liverpool’s new shopping centre. Opened in 2008. More than 160 shops, restaurants and cinemas.

1. How much do they pay if a student and his parents visit Anfield football stadium?

A．£24.

B．£30.

C．£33.

D．£39.

2. How long does Liverpool Museum run daily?

A．Five hours.

B．Seven hours.

C．Nine hours.

D．Ten hours.

3. What is Liverpool ONE?

A．A cinema.

B．A restaurant.

C．A shopping centre.

D．A music hall.

7 . The scientific conference in China was over. And then our ______ that day was to have fun, which would be to see a bit of China as a ______ . The bus arived. An English-speaking tour guide ______ us and we were off. We left the busy suburb of Yiwu and ______ the mountains.

Hongfu Mountain Forest Park is remarkably beautiful with trees growing on the cliff, which leads to ______ shapes. The ______ are covered in plants that range from tropical to deciduous (落叶的) at higher altitude. The paths are well ______ in Chinese but there are very few signs in English. Some of the unique buildings have poetic names like “bamboo shoots”. I also studied the ______ and tried to match the shape with the ______ .

There were a large number of stone ______ leading up to the temple. We started to climb, and at one point we stopped for a group of ______ . I took the opportunity to sit, rest and ______ the view from the top.

It was late in the afternoon. The sun was sliding westward. We got into the ______ for the trip back to Yiwu. It had been a long and exciting day, which made me ______ . I had had another glimpse of China and taken a lot of pictures for memory. As I gradually fell asleep, I ______ my day’s adventure in my mind.

1.

A．work

B．study

C．schedule

D．care

2.

A．researcher

B．tourist

C．guide

D．scientist

3.

A．welcomed

B．encouraged

C．showed

D．rewarded

4.

A．headed for

B．stayed on

C．looked for

D．watched out

5.

A．original

B．beautiful

C．unique

D．complete

6.

A．parks

B．hills

C．rocks

D．paths

7.

A．impressed

B．surrounded

C．marked

D．decorated

8.

A．plants

B．signs

C．stones

D．buildings

9.

A．bamboo

B．name

C．poem

D．variety

10.

A．steps

B．houses

C．pieces

D．bridges

11.

A．videos

B．friends

C．games

D．photos

12.

A．paint

B．imagine

C．appreciate

D．talk

13.

A．plane

B．train

C．subway

D．bus

14.

A．satisfied

B．confident

C．special

D．creative

15.

A．forgot

B．shared

C．kept

D．recalled

8 . As a country with a long history, our historical and cultural heritage is a precious treasure that is irreplaceable.

Everyone of us should therefore actively take the responsibility of passing down China’s traditional culture.     1     However, I noticed that many of my peers were not as interested in it as I was.

    2     I started my mission by organizing events to introduce Chinese calligraphy, painting, and music to my classmates. I also invited some guest speakers to share their insights into traditional Chinese customs. As I continued to make efforts, I realized that there was a larger audience beyond my school who also needed to be exposed to China’s cultural treasures.     3    

The response was great. People from all walks of life gathered together to learn about Chinese culture and appreciate its beauty.     4     I also started to learn more about other cultures to promote cross-cultural understanding.

    5     It has not only allowed me to connect with my roots but also to share them with others and promote cultural diversity.

A．The positive feedback inspired me to continue my efforts.

B．To promote the continuation of traditional culture, I have made great efforts.

C．That’s why I decided to take actions and help promote Chinese traditional culture.

D．Growing up, I have always been fascinated by the rich history and heritage of China.

E．Everyone is motivated to explore new ways to develop the excellent cultural heritage.

F．So I partnered with local community to organize larger cultural events and performances.

G．Looking back, I am grateful for the opportunity to help promote Chinese traditional culture.

9 . Why do we find ugly-cute animals so attractive? And what makes odd-looking creatures so cute?

Evolution (进化) plays a role. According to Austrian zoologist Erin Fekete, human attraction to childish features, such as big eyes, large heads and soft bodies, is an evolutionary adaptation that helps ensure that adults care for the young, assuring the survival of their species. Odd-looking animals such as blobfish, pugs, aye-ayes and bulldogs all share these childish qualities that cause a loving response among humans and a nature to raise and protect. And these childish characteristics increase a person’s “protective behavior, attention and willingness” to care for the individual and reduce the “possibility of aggression towards a child”, says Cyril Drouet, a researcher.

Ugly-cute animals often have other value— some, like the blobfish, live in extreme environments that they have adapted to in remarkable ways. Scientists are keen to study these animals to understand whether their biology might provide fresh ideas that could lead to treatments for human health conditions such as cancer and heart disease.

But while many ugly creatures are strongly adapted to their life in the wild and can provide numerous benefits to the ecosystems they live in, they often still don’t get as much attention as more traditionally cute and beautiful animals, which leads to many of the ugly-cute species being ignored in terms of research.

There are other culture-led factors that also cause our attraction for ugly-cute animals. “The ugly-cute thing is very fashionable.” says Rowena Packer, a lecturer of animal behavior. “This is partly caused by social media, with many social media influencers showing off pet pugs and French bulldogs on Instagram.” she says.

But there are some serious worries around this trend. Veterinarians (兽医) are calling on people not to keep a flat-faced dog, because they suffer from serious health problems. Pugs and French bulldogs which have been selectively kept experience breathing difficulties, repeated skin problems and eye diseases. So while childish features such as big eyes may make us smile, we might want to reconsider our attraction for “ugly-cute” pets.

1. What does the underlined word “aggression” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Threatening behavior.

B．Strange behavior.

C．Friendly behavior.

D．Smart behavior.

2. Why are some ugly animals overlooked in terms of research?

A．They are of no interest to scientists.	B．They are less cute and attractive.
C．They do not have unique biological feature.	D．They are not well-adapted to their environments.

3. What can be inferred about the role of social media in promoting the popularity of ugly-cute animals?

A．Influencers have started a campaign to raise awareness about ugly animals.

B．People prefer to post pictures of ugly animals on social media rather than cute animals.

C．Social media didn’t make it easier to spread information about animals.

D．The ugly-cute animals shared on social media could raise people’s attraction for them.

4. How does the author feel about the current trend of keeping flat-faced dogs?

A．Encouraging.

B．Indifferent.

C．Concerned.

D．Excited.

10 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Whose speech did the woman listen to this morning?

A．John Miller’s.

B．David Thompson’s.

C．Alan Brown’s.

2. What is the workshop about?

A．Economy knowledge.

B．Risk assessment.

C．Employee motivation.

3. What does the woman think of her job?

A．Challenging.

B．Interesting.

C．Rewarding.

4. What do the speakers both want to do?

A．Find a new position.

B．Raise employees’ salaries.

C．Improve management skills.