1 . Episode 4: The Invisible Pirate

Paper boy: Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
: Hero Pickles’s Story will be brought to the big screen! Victory bless the England!
Sonetto: The Hero Pickles... This is...
Rock Girl: Hey, coming through! Tommy, she’s not here again today? I’ll take this motorbike if she doesn’t show up!
Paper boy: Hush —! Don’t be such a bugger! Did you listen to the radio this morning? Her ship has been sunk!
Vertin: Are you talking about Regulus of the APPLe?
Paper boy: Whooo areee youuu ?!
Vertin: I’m her friend. She left something here.
Paper boy: Huhh — These are...!
: Be quiet. Don’t get caught ! Take chances around that cafe!
Vertin: Thank you very much for your assistance.
Paper boy: You are very serious. If you really wanna thank me, just take a copy of the Times.
: See, it’s all good news on the first two pages,only comes along every once in a thousand years , right?
Sonetto: P...Please give me a copy.(a sheepish nod)
(Sonetto hastily stowed the newspaper away and, with a studied composure, made her way to the café.)
(Scene transition)
Vertin: Do you like the world outside...Sonetto?
Sonetto: (gasp) Huh —!
: Nnnno, I am just...I am just curious. I will throw it away when I finish it. Please don’t take it to heart.
:Hum~hum~hum~hum~♪
(upon the deserted café table, a loaf of bread floated, diminishing gradually.)
Sonetto: Hum? That voice...Timekeeper, look at that table!
Regulus: Hum~hum~Yummy~So yummy~♪
: One more earl grey with brown sugar, please~♪
Sonetto: Oh! The optical arcana could to be invisible...... Now I understand.
(Sonetto swiftly retrieved her cane and gestured towards the teacup )
Regulus: Wow.....! ! W、w、w、what?!
: Who spilled my tea!
Sonetto: Regulus, will you cooperate or not? Please answer me.
Regulus: ......Ehhhooohhh — (sigh) Your foundation is just an authority working with government. If I register in , my location will be exposed anywhere anytime.... I’m not doing it ~★
(Sonetto let out a sigh, gazing into the distant sky.)
(This appears to be a ritual she follows before each battle.)
Sonetto: ......Made the peace be with us.
1. Where may the conversation accurately took place before Sonetto headed towards café?

A．the motorbike store

B．England

C．block

D．theatre

2. What can we infer from the conversation?

A．The conversation ended up with Sonetto’s successful cooperation.

B．Sonetto is a patriotic girl who actually familiarize something true.

C．Regulus faked her own death so as to conceal herself in case of being discovered.

D．The Hero Pickles’s ship had been sunk, which was definitely a tragedy.

3. What is the most likely genre of this excerpted article?

A．narrative

B．exposition

C．fiction

D．drama

2 . 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。

It was 40 years ago. One day, Emma came back to their apartment from work and realized that her husband, David, was extremely ill. He was throwing up and slurring (发音不清) his words. Immediately, Emma grabbed her purse and took him by taxi to the nearest hospital, on the Lower East Side of New York City. The minutes slowly passed as they waited to see a doctor.

They sat there for a couple of hours, and it was pretty clear that nobody was going to pay attention to David. So they rushed to a second hospital, where they were also ignored. Emma knew something was very wrong with David, so they went to a third hospital. As she told the receptionist what was happening, Emma sensed the person wasn’t going to treat their case with urgency.

Emma was on the edge of a breakdown. After three failed attempts to get help, she had reached her limit. She started to shout in the lobby (大厅). That’s when her unsung hero appeared.

That person was a young man with dark hair and a white physician’s coat. He came to Emma and said, “How can I help you? What’s going on here?” Emma explained what was happening to David, and that she was afraid it was serious.

The young man said, “You know, I just got done with my neurological residency (神经系统的实习期) up at Lenox Hill Hospital. I’ll take him in the back and look.” Within two or three minutes, the young man came out and said, “You are absolutely right. Something is very seriously wrong with your husband.”

The man told Emma to take her husband to Lenox Hill Hospital, and that he had called the doctor with whom he had done his residency.

“He’ll be waiting for you,” said the young man.

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

But Emma began to cry, realizing she had no way of getting there, because she didn’t have any more cash for a taxi.

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Soon Emma and her husband arrived at the hospital.

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1. From which is the text probably taken?

A．A magazine.	B．A web page.
C．A book guide.	D．A shopping list.

2. Who can get the promo codes for discounts on travel bookings?

A．Experienced authors.	B．Experts in group travel.
C．Reader’s Digest subscribers.	D．Publishers of Reader’s Digest.

3. How much can a couple save with promo codes for a holiday of 7 nights?

A．£60.

B．£100.

C．£120.

D．£200.

4 . It was a heartwarming turn of events on the special night. The Inner Finland Police Department successfully _______ a missing child with the help of their police dog, Kuha. According to Finland’s Police Dog Association, the _______ went missing at around 7:00 pm on December 23. The snow covered the tracks, so the family had to seek _______ from the authorities. A rescue team was quickly _______ , including a dog, which played a(n) _______ role in the rescue.

The search initially focused on the city center, but the _______ came near the child’s home. Kuha carefully _______ a snow pile (堆) where children had built snow caves. Despite the challenging conditions, Kuha’s keen (敏锐的) sense of smell and its devotion _______ .

At around 12:30 am that night, Kuha discovered a shoe _______ under three feet of snow. The child, who had been trapped in a collapsed snow cave, was ________ firstly but gradually recovered after receiving medical attention. The community breathed a collective sigh of ________ as the child was able to speak in the ambulance.

The success of this rescue mission was ________ to the extensive training of police dog Kuha. The dog handler’s knowledge that human ________ rises in the snow led to a second search of the pile, ________ leading to the child’s discovery. The Finnish Police Dog Association also ________ Kuha’s role in the successful rescue.

1.

A．entertained

B．located

C．educated

D．trained

2.

A．team

B．family

C．child

D．dog

3.

A．announcements

B．equipment

C．explanations

D．assistance

4.

A．established

B．reported

C．transformed

D．awarded

5.

A．unknown

B．crucial

C．alternative

D．strange

6.

A．passion

B．accident

C．breakthrough

D．challenge

7.

A．constructed

B．restored

C．guarded

D．inspected

8.

A．left behind

B．ran out

C．went back

D．paid off

9.

A．burned

B．buried

C．dried

D．ruined

10.

A．unresponsive

B．unbelievable

C．unapproachable

D．unchangeable

11.

A．relief

B．envy

C．regret

D．sympathy

12.

A．adjusted

B．credited

C．devoted

D．limited

13.

A．temperature

B．spirit

C．smell

D．energy

14.

A．completely

B．initially

C．similarly

D．ultimately

15.

A．designed

B．discussed

C．celebrated

D．played

5 . Researchers are training robots to perform an ever-growing number of tasks through trial-and-error reinforcement (强化) learning, which is often laborious and time-consuming. To help out, humans are now employing large language model (LLM) AI. A team at NVIDIA Research directed an AI protocol (协议) powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4 to teach a simulation (模拟) of a robotic hand nearly 30 complex tasks, including throwing a ball, pushing blocks, pressing switches, and some other seriously impressive abilities.

NVIDIA’s new “AI agent” Eureka uses GPT-4 by asking the large language model to write its own reward-based reinforcement learning software code. According to the company, Eureka doesn’t need complicated reminders or even pre-written patterns; instead, it simply begins experimenting with a program, and then follows any external human feedback.

In the company’s announcement, Linxi “Jim” Fan, a senior research scientist at NVIDIA, described Eureka as a unique combination of LLMs and simulation programming. “We believe that Eureka will enable robots to control items flexibly and provide a new way to produce physically realistic animations for artists,” Fan added. After testing its training protocol within an advanced simulation program, Eureka then analyzes its collected data and directs the LLM to further improve upon its design. The result is a protocol capable of successfully numbering a variety of robotic hand designs to operate scissors, turn pens and open cupboards within a physics-accurate simulated environment.

Eureka’s alternatives to human-written trial-and-error learning programs aren’t just effective—in most cases, they’re actually better than those authored by humans. In the team’s open-source research paper findings, Eureka-designed reward programs outperformed humans’ code in over 80 percent of the tasks—amounting to an average performance improvement of over 50 percent in the robotic simulations.

“Reinforcement learning has contributed to impressive wins over the last decade, yet many challenges still exist, such as reward design, which remains a trial-and-error process,” said Anima Anandkumar, an AI researcher. “Eureka is the first step toward developing new algorithms (算法) that integrate generative and reinforcement learning methods to solve hard tasks.”

1. Why is AI used for the training?

A．To simplify robots’ tasks.	B．To advertise OpenAI’s GPT-4.
C．To speed up the training process.	D．To recognize artists’ role in art creation.

2. What does Eureka need to do in the training?

A．Design reward programs.	B．Copy pre-written patterns.
C．Get complicated reminders.	D．Avoid human intervention.

3. How does Anima Anandkumar find Eureka?

A．It is still poor at the reward design.	B．It should learn from hard tasks.
C．It has few challenges to solve.	D．It is of pioneering significance.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．Trial-and-error learning programs are promising.

B．Robots can finish complex tasks through learning.

C．Reinforcement learning improves robotic simulations.

D．AI can better teach a simulated robotic hand to perform tasks.

6 . Learning often requires taking different risks, whether it’s the willingness to try something new or keep trying after a failed attempt. For children, it’s this process of learning how to take risks and becoming comfortable with failure that can help them grow and develop.     1     As research is showing, children’s willingness to take risks in learning can depend on their relationship with their parents.

According to the research, children who viewed their parents as being supportive and reliable were more willing to take risks while learning. “     2     When their parents support them and are trustworthy, the children get a sense of how things work,” said Seth Pollak, the lead researcher of the study.

Here is what you, as parents, should remember.

Creating a supportive learning environment for your children often includes identifying what they struggle with and what they need.     3     Your children can’t necessarily tell you what they need, but they are often showing you. For example, if your children are consistently having a meltdown (崩溃) after school, that could be a sign that they are overstimulated from the school day, and need some extra time to relieve pressure before starting their homework. Other behaviors could include refusing to do something, such as writing with a pencil or doing their math homework.

One way to create reliability is to develop routines with your children.     4     For example, it could be making the effort to give them 10 minutes of undivided attention when they come home from school, making it a habit to play LEGOs with them every Friday evening, or a predictable bedtime routine.     5    

A．That is what they expect from their children.

B．Those routines should be developed by children themselves.

C．That consistent and positive attention can make a big difference.

D．Children from more stable backgrounds perform better in learning.

E．One way to do that is to track certain behaviors over time, looking for patterns.

F．The routines are less about how big or time-consuming, and more about their predictability.

G．However, encouraging children to take these risks can be an extremely difficult task for parents.

7 . In 1972, Barbara Rieco penned a heartfelt children’s book that held her dream within its pages. Despite her best efforts, the manuscript (手稿) faced repeated rejection from publishers, leading her to eventually set aside her dream of becoming a published author.

Little did she know that, decades later, her grandson would turn the dream into reality. Chad Cooper, a production professional, decided to give his grandmother the ultimate Christmas gift — the publication of her treasured book. Visiting her in Baltimore for the holidays, he secretly took her original manuscript, along with the drawings for the book she had obtained from an artist years ago, and transformed them into a beautifully printed book.

On Christmas morning, as Barbara unwrapped the carefully crafted gift, she was overcome with emotion as she realized what the surprise was. The moment, captured and posted online by Chad, quickly resonated (产生共鸣) with viewers, and the video became a hit.

“This is probably the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me in my entire life,” Barbara said in the video, who also gave her grandson a big hug, with tears.

Chad’s thoughtful gesture didn’t just end with the surprise; he also included a link to the book on Amazon, making it available to the public. The response was nothing short of magic — within days, Barbara’s once-forgotten book skyrocketed to the top of Amazon’s bestseller list, earning the coveted spot as a best seller.

Chad filmed the reaction to that news and shared more updates. Barbara said she had been reading every single comment online and wanted to respond to them all but there were thousands of them.

“I’ve bought Barbara Rieco’s book even though I’m 21 and don’t even have kids. I’ve read it and I really like it,” said one viewer.

“My children enjoy reading the book and they recommend me to read it as well,” another viewer commented.

Barbara Rieco’s book, now accepted by a new generation of readers, continues to spread joy and inspiration.

1. What did Chad Cooper do for his grandmother?

A．He had her book published.	B．He drew for her new book.
C．He arranged an artist to meet her.	D．He helped finish her manuscript.

2. How did Barbara Rieco feel when receiving her grandson’s Christmas gift?

A．Calm and proud.	B．Lucky but regretful.
C．Delighted but worried.	D．Excited and grateful.

3. What does the underlined word “coveted” in paragraph 6 probably mean?

A．Dangerous.

B．Desired.

C．Empty.

D．Forgotten.

4. Why are the two viewers mentioned in the text?

A．To reveal Barbara’s gift for writing books.

B．To show the popularity of Barbara’s book.

C．To tell the influence of reading on the young.

D．To highlight the value of Chad’s Christmas gift.

8 . In which city did the woman and John stay the longest?

A．Paris.

B．Rome.

C．Vienna.

9 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. Who taught Heather to surf?

A．Her father.

B．Her coach.

C．Her friend.

2. Where did Heather live?

A．In New York.

B．In Los Angeles.

C．In San Diego.

3. What can we say about Heather?

A．She got a board for free.

B．She hurt herself on the beach.

C．She was in love with surfing.

4. How did Heather save herself from the shark?

A．By hitting it with her surfboard.

B．By shouting to others for help.

C．By swimming out of its way.

10 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题
1. Why does the man talk to the woman?

A．To book a ticket.

B．To call off a flight.

C．To change a reservation.

2. How much will the man pay?

A．$ 4,112.

B．$ 4,479.

C．$ 8,591.

3. What’s the advantage of Air Canada flights for passengers during their stay?

A．Staying a night in the hotel for free.

B．Access to nearby tourist attractions.

C．A chance for entertainment at any time.