1 . The Asch Conformity Experiments, conducted by psychologist Solomon Asch in the 1950s, demonstrated the power of conformity. (从众) in groups and showed that even simple objective facts cannot resist the pressure of group influence.

In the experiments, groups of university students were asked to participate in a perception test. In reality, all but one of the participants were “confederates”, cooperators with the experimenter who only pretended to be participants. The study was about how the remaining student would react to the behavior of the other “participants”.

The participants of the experiment were presented with a card with a simple vertical (垂直) black line on it. Then, they were given a second card with three lines of varying length labeled A. B, and C. One line on the second card was the same length as that on the first, and the other two lines were obviously longer and shorter.

Participants were asked to state out loud in front of each other which line, A, B, or C, matched the length of the line on the first card. In each experimental case, the confederates answered first, and the real participant was seated so that he would answer last. In some cases, the confederates answered correctly, while in others, they answered incorrectly.

Asch intended to see if the real participant would be pressured to answer incorrectly in the instances when the confederates did so, or whether their belief in their own perception and correctness would outweigh the social pressure provided by the responses of the other group members.

Asch found that one-third of real participants gave the same wrong answers as the confederates at least half the time. Forty percent gave some wrong answers, and only one-fourth gave correct answers in defiance of the pressure to conform to the wrong answers provided by the group.

In interviews following the trials, Asch found that for those who answered incorrectly, in conformance with the group, some believed that the answers given by the confederates were correct, some thought that they were suffering a lapse(失误) in perception when they originally had the answer different from the group, and others admitted that they knew that they had the correct answer, but conformed to the incorrect answer because they didn’t want to break from the majority.

1. What are the participants asked to do in the experiment?

A．Label the cards with different letters.	B．Pick out two lines of the same length.
C．State the reason for matching the cards.	D．Identify the longest vertical black line.

2. What’s paragraph 5 mainly about?

A．The result of the experiment.	B．The design of the experiment.
C．The purpose of the experiment.	D．The procedure of the experiment.

3. What does the underlined part “in defiance of” in paragraph 6 mean?

A．In spite of.

B．For fear of.

C．In response to.

D．On account of.

4. Why did the real participants give a wrong answer?

A．They misunderstood the question.	B．They believed their own judgment.
C．They failed to resist group influence.	D．They wanted to be different from others.

2 . Overcoming learning disabilities has long been a challenge for educators and students alike. However, recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) technology have shown promise in revolutionizing the way we approach education for students with learning disabilities.

One of the most significant ways AI can assist is through the use of adaptive learning systems. These systems use algorithms (算法) to analyze a student’s performance and adjust the learning content and pace accordingly. This personalized approach allows them to progress at their own pace, without feeling overwhelmed or left behind. Furthermore, adaptive learning systems can identify areas where a student may be struggling and provide targeted support.

Another way AI can support them is through natural language processing (NLP) technology. NLP enables computers to understand and interpret human language, allowing AI-powered tools to provide real-time feedback on a student’s written work. This can be particularly beneficial for students with dyslexia, who often struggle with spelling, grammar, and sentence structure. By providing immediate feedback, students can identify and correct their mistakes, leading to improved writing skills and increased confidence.

AI can also play a role in developing their social and emotional skills. Many students with learning disabilities experience social isolation. AI-powered social robots can recognize and respond to human emotions, allowing students to engage in interactive conversations and activities that help develop their social and emotional intelligence.

While the potential benefits of AI in education are clear, it is essential to recognize AI isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Educators must carefully consider the moral implications of using AI in the classroom and ensure these tools are used responsibly and with the best interests of the students in mind. Moreover, it is crucial to remember AI shouldn’t replace human educators but rather serve as a tool to enhance and support their efforts. Teachers play a vital role by providing empathy, understanding, and guidance that cannot be reproduced by a machine. By combining the power of AI with the skills and compassion of human educators, we can create a more inclusive and effective educational environment for all students.

1. How can adaptive systems help students with learning disabilities?

A．By adjusting their learning methods.	B．By analyzing their learning abilities.
C．By satisfying their curiosity in learning.	D．By offering personalized learning assistance.

2. What does the underlined word “dyslexia” in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．A mental illness affecting human intelligence.

B．A brain disease leading to lack of confidence in study.

C．A language-related skill applied in the learning process.

D．A learning disorder involving difficulty in reading and writing.

3. What is the value of AI-powered social robots?

A．Engaging students in learning activities.	B．Narrowing the social distance between people.
C．Assisting learners to overcome social isolation.	D．Helping learners adopt effective reading strategies.

4. What does the author say about AI in the last paragraph?

A．It can’t provide understanding like human educators.

B．It can’t create an inclusive learning environment.

C．It can meet a wide range of learning needs.

D．It can guarantee learners’ data security.

3 . Almost every day I’ve been having an alarming number of “what planet am I on?” moments. This is particularly true when it comes to the topic of artificial intelligence.

Witness this headline from the New York Times: “The Godfather of A.I. Warns of Danger Ahead.” Here’s another one, from the New York Post: “Ex-Google Exec Mo Gawdat Warns AI Could Create ‘Killing Machines.’” But don’t worry! Here’s more, from CNBC: “An Annual Meeting Attended by the World’s Elite (精英) Has A.I. Top of the Agenda.” These unaccountable, largely unelected rich people are apparently ready to solve the problems of this mad world. The assumption, it appears, is that this “honored” group has it all under control, which is funny given that the crazed AI cat is already miles out of its torn bag. I’ll say it again: What planet am I on?

But my friends, who decided all this, anyway? Who made AI king? The answer is nobody, and also everybody, I guess. No one’s really in charge, and if we’re honest with each other, there is not a thing anyone can do. As to me, I do try. I don’t upload my photos to the cloud. I don’t engage with ChatGPT, and I never use facial recognition on my phone—but my husband does both. “You’re feeding the beast!” I tell him. “Who cares?” he usually replies, “It’s happening with or without us.”

Maybe AI will make it a lot easier to re-book airline tickets with flight credits that you unwillingly earned when the airline canceled your flight home from your ski vacation. Just kidding—of course it won’t. But in all seriousness, I’m sure AI will make the government completely efficient. Ha! Got you again! Sometimes I like to think back to the 90’s, when sizeable numbers of smart people were all complaining about the “end of history” and the general assumption was that things in the future would get ever more sensible. It all seems kind of funny now, doesn’t it?

Here’s the good news: I just made my husband read this column, and he finally agreed to disable facial recognition on his phone. The bad news: I think it requires facial recognition to get it done.

1. The underlined sentence in paragraph 2 implies that __________.

A．we should dismiss AI warnings from experts

B．AI technology has made significant advancements

C．negative impacts of AI have become uncontrollable

D．the world is amazed by the rapid development of AI

2. By mentioning her husband in paragraph 3, the author intends to __________.

A．criticize him for misusing AI

B．urge readers to resist the use of AI

C．demonstrate the possibility of being slave to AI

D．present a common perspective people have on AI

3. According to the passage, what is the author most likely to agree with?

A．AI makes the world more sensible.

B．AI doesn’t live up to our expectations.

C．AI makes the government less efficient.

D．AI can solve the complex problems humans are facing.

4. What is the author’s tone in the text?

A．Confident.

B．Ironic.

C．Proud.

D．Dismissive.

4 . 读后续写

Erie raised his daughter Riley alone. One day, Eric noticed a young teenage boy standing in front of a drugstore. He approached him, and found out that the boy wanted to buy medicine for his sick mother, but had no money. The boy cried out, “if I don’t bring home medicine, my mom will die. But I won’t be able to handle it.”

Upon hearing this, Erie didn’t hesitate to pay for the medicine. “I’ll pay for the medicine on his behalf,” he said, handing the pharmacist (药剂师) a couple of bills from his pocket. The boy looked at Erie with grateful eyes, and cried, “Thank you so much. You are heaven-sent.”

“There will always be people willing to help you, son,” Eric told him before handing him two portions of food. “Here, take this to your mom and have a hot meal with her,” he said before letting the boy go.

His daughter Riley saw the whole scene and said, “Dad, we have barely enough money. Why did you pay for the medicine?” “Riley, the good you put out into the world will eventually find its way back to you. Just keep doing good,” Eric told his daughter.

When Riley turned thirty, she needed an operation urgently after being told there was something wrong with her heart. With difficulty breathing, Eric rushed Riley to the hospital in an ambulance. “You’ll be alright, Riley.” he cried. “Don’t worry, Daddy is here. We’ll get through this together,” he promised her.

Eric did try his best to find the money for bis daughter’s operation. He asked all of his friends, but it was still not enough. Therefore, Eric decided to sell their house. It was enough to pay for her operation, but they would be left with nothing, “it’s okay,” he told himself. I will be able to earn money again, but if I lose my daughter, nothing will ever bring her back.”

By the time Erie made it back to the hospital, Riley was in her hospital room, weak and pale. He sat beside her bed and held her hand. “You’ll be okay, my sweet daughter. We’ll soon have the money for the operation,” he promised her.

注意:
1. 续写词数应为: 150 左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Para 1: Eric suddenly noticed an envelope on the bed.

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Para2: He ran to the doctor’s office and hugged him.

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5 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

Waters may be flowing on the surface of an enormous planet that lies about 120 light-years from Earth, according to new evidence     1     (uncover) by the James Webb Space Telescope.

The investigation with the space-based observatory, one of the most advanced astronomy instruments in operation,     2     (reveal) that the exoplanet (外星球) K2-18b may have some key features of a planet     3     could support bodies of water — and life. Closely orbiting the cool dwarf star K2-18, the exoplanet lies within the star’s habitable, or Goldilocks, zone and is 8.6 times     4     big as Earth. An     5     (analyse) of Webb’s observations found the planet has huge quantities of methane (甲烷) and carbon dioxide in its atmosphere.

The Webb telescope, which can detect infrared (红外) light invisible to the human eye, searched for exactly     6     elements are featured in the planet’s atmosphere. And     7     latest observations of the planet also hint that a very special substance, called dimethyl sulfide (二甲基亚砜), could be     8     (presence) on K2-18b. On Earth, dimethyl sulfide “is only produced by life,” according to NASA. Researchers are not directly suggesting that K2-18b is crawling with alien life. Further research is needed     9     (confirm) the presence of dimethyl sulfide.

And even if scientists confirm the chemical compound’s presence, that doesn’t guarantee life-forms exist there. But this new evidence does expand scientists’ understanding of exoplanets similar     10     K2-18b.

6 . Ancient builders across the world created structures that are still standing today, thousands of years later. Roman builders built thick concrete sea barriers against waves. Mayan builders created great sculptures, and Chinese builders constructed walls against foreign enemies.

A growing number of scientists have been studying materials since a long time ago. They are breaking apart pieces of buildings and reading historical texts hoping to learn how they have stood for thousands of years. The research has turned up a surprising list of materials that were mixed into old buildings. They include tree bark, volcanic ash, rice and beer. These unexpected materials can have the ability to get stronger over time. Figuring out how to copy these features can have real impacts today. While some of our modern concrete has the strength to hold up very tall buildings and heavy structures, it cannot compete with the durability of these ancient materials.

Many scientists have turned to the Romans. Starting around 200 BC, the Roman Empire was building concrete structures that have stood the test of time. Even in places where seawater has been hitting structures for ages, you will find concrete basically the way it was when it was poured 2,000 years ago. They think they have found an important reason why some Roman concrete has held up structures for thousands of years. That the ancient materials have an unusual power to restore themselves and “cure” cracks (裂缝) when they form is the most shocking for them. Exactly how is not yet clear, but scientists are starting to find the reasons.

Today’s builders cannot just copy the ancient processes. Even though Roman concrete lasted a long time, it couldn’t hold up heavy buildings. Instead, researchers are trying to take some of the ancient materials and add them into modern mixes. People don’t need to make things last quite as long as the Romans did. If we add 50 or 100 years to concrete’s lifespan, we’ll surely require less pulling down, less maintenance and less material in the long run.

1. What were the mentioned Roman and Chinese buildings both used for?

A．Travel.

B．Defence.

C．Soldier training.

D．Seawater control.

2. Which word can best describe the ancient buildings?

A．Long-lasting.

B．Energy-efficient.

C．Delicate.

D．Flexible.

3. What surprises the scientists most about the ancient building materials?

A．Their large cracks.	B．Their clear concrete.
C．Their internal structures.	D．Their self-repairing ability.

4. What is the author’s attitude to the future concrete?

A．Tolerant.

B．Expectant.

C．Suspicious.

D．Indifferent.

7 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

No one is born a winner. People make themselves into winners by their own efforts. I learned this lesson from an experience many years ago. I took the head coaching job at a school in Baxley, Georgia. It was a small school with a weak football program. The school took part in the league matches every year. However, it never ended well. We were more of the audience, watching and cheering instead of sweating out in the fields.

Fortunately, the school held the tradition that the school’s old team was to play against the new team at the end of spring practice. For lack of resources, the old team bad no coach, and they didn’t even practice to prepare for the game.

I was assigned (指派) as the coach of the new team, which was why I was excited. I believed that we were going to win, but to my disappointment, we were defeated. I couldn’t believe I had got into such a situation. Thinking hard about it, I tried to figure out the reason and what I should do next.

It didn’t take long before I came to realize that my team was depending on me. Without proper guidance or previous experience, my team was at a loss what to do. I had to change my attitude so that I could bring out the best in them about their ability and potential.

I would let my action do the talking. First, I started doing anything I could to help them build a little pride. I could see their spirits lifted, with their head held high in great confidence. Most importantly, I began to treat them like winners. Only when they regarded themselves as winners could they willingly invest time and energy.

This summer, the other teams enjoyed their vacations.

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Six months later, football season started.

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8 . By the time Joy Ryan, a US grandma, turned 85, she had never seen the ocean or mountains. For Joy, trips to the local fishing area with her husband were about the farthest place she had ever gone, even if she loved watching the Travel Channel.

But one day Joy’s grandson, Brad Ryan, discovered that he and his grandma had a common interest in their love for traveling, when they began to visit the American great outdoors together.

Brad said, “When I learned my grandma had never seen the great wildernesses of America—deserts, mountains and oceans, I thought there was something I needed to do.” It was after taking his grandma out of Ohio on a visit to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park that he came up with the idea of visiting all the 63 US national parks with her to create inspiring memories.

Going to all the 63 US National Parks is a huge achievement even for a much younger adventurer (冒险家). Brad said his grandmother’s physical strength (体力) grew with their trips. For example, his grandma went water rafting (漂流) at 91, with class three rapids and when walking at the New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia, she broke the record by almost a decade!

It wasn’t always like this, however. Joy was so wobbly (不稳的) on her first trip, challenged by her balance. A group of college students clapped their hands when she reached the top of a path they were following.

Joy broke her age limitation (限制) and at the age of 93, she made history as the oldest living person to visit every US National Park. Joy believes it’s the mix of hopefulness, willpower, and the good health that gives her strength.

1. With whom did Joy Ryan visit all the 63 US national parks?

A．Her grandson.	B．Her husband.
C．Her daughter.	D．Her student.

2. What does Brad want to show by mentioning Joy Ryan’s water rafting at 91?

A．She had a love for traveling.

B．Water rafting is dangerous for the old.

C．There is no age limitation for water rafting.

D．She had developed a strong body from traveling.

3. What is Joy Ryan’s challenge on her first trip?

A．Her memory.	B．Her balance.
C．Her physical strength.	D．Her sense of direction.

4. Which of the following can best describe Joy Ryan?

A．Brave and hopeful.	B．Humorous and outgoing.
C．Hard-working and helpful.	D．Thoughtful and self-confident.

9 . 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。

China’s newest online sensation is a pink fox called LinaBell from Shanghai Disneyland. After     1     (make) her debut (初次登台) on September 29, the life-size figure has taken the Chinese social media. Unlike other Disney     2     (character), LinaBell has never been on the big or small screen. All we know is that she met Duffy, Mickey Mouse’s teddy bear gifted to him by his sweetheart Minnie, in the forest and     3     (help) him find his way home, according to Disney’s introduction video of the character. Since her first debut, the fluffy (毛茸茸的) character     4     (win) the hearts of many visitors that were attracted by her unique personality and     5     (adore) appearance.

Footage of meet-and-greets with the pink fox are all over the Internet and LinaBell can be seen communicating     6     every visitor through expressive body language. She corrects those visitors     7     mispronounce her name, shows love for those queuing up for hours to meet her and hands out free candy.

Visitors to Shanghai Disneyland were the first people     8     (meet) LinaBell as she made her global debut from the Chinese city. As a “     9     (local) born” character, LinaBell can understand different Chinese dialects beyond that of Shanghai, and can interact with visitors from different parts of China.

Disney’s localization efforts, including the company’s IP products have resulted in its popularity in China. Shanghai Disneyland has been     10     considerable financial success compared to Paris and Hong Kong.

10 . National Parks in Utah

Zion National Park

It’s perfect for scenic drives and outdoor adventures. One of the park highlights is the Zion Canyons, which offers different hiking (远足) opportunities. Late spring or early fall is the best time to visit Zion National Park, since most facilities are open during this time. However, if you don’t mind cold weather, visit during the late fall and winter.

Bryce Canyon National Park

It’s home to the greatest number of hoodoos (石林) on earth, which are one of the natural wonders of the world. You can see most of Bryce Canyon’s highlights in one day by taking the scenic drive and making stops at various views. Most people visit the park between May and September since the weather is warmer.

Canyonlands National Park

Although it’s the 23rd largest National Park in the US, Canyonlands is the largest out of the four national parks in Utah. The best time of the year to visit is when the weather is pleasant in the spring and fall. The park has four main parts: The Maze, Island in the Sky, The Needles, and Horseshoe Canyon. If you plan to visit every part, you can go on a boat tour to explore it.

Arches National Park

Known as a red-rock wonderland, Arches National Park is popular for its stone arches (石拱).The park has over 2,000 stone arches, with Landscape Arch the largest. The park is busiest from March through October. However, the spring and fall temperatures are the most comfortable. So, the best time to visit is April, May, September and October.

1. When is the best time to visit Zion National Park?

A．Late spring.

B．Early summer.

C．Late fall.

D．Early winter.

2. What is special about Canyonlands National Park?

A．It features hike programs.	B．It is known for stone arches.
C．It is the largest one in Utah.	D．It requires advance bookings.

3. What can you do in Arches National Park?

A．Take a journey down a river.	B．Explore the Zion Canyons.
C．Tour Island in the Sky.	D．Admire the red rock.