China recently shared exciting news about its space exploration efforts, and revealed the names of its manned lunar lander and a new crew spaceship. This development marks
The crew spaceship has been named Mengzhou, or Dream Vessel,
These names, Lanyue and Mengzhou, were selected
2 . Not much trash and almost no plastic actually gets recycled. About a third of U.S. garbage gets recycled, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s most recent estimate. The rest goes to landfills, which release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and pollute their surroundings.
To make recycling easier, many U.S. cities don’t ask Americans to separate paper, glass, metal and plastic. ‘They just ask people to put anything recyclable into one bin and let waste plants do the sorting. But waste plants don’t catch everything. AI is now an essential tool for the world’s waste management leaders. Greyparrot, a tech company has already installed more than l00 AI trash spotters in about 50 sorting facilities.
Greyparrot’s device is, basically, a set of visual and infrared (红外线的) cameras hooked up to a computer, which monitors trash as it passes by on a conveyor belt and labels it under 70 categories, from loose bottle caps to books to aluminum cans. Waste plants could connect these AI systems to sorting robots to help them separate trash from recyclables more accurately. They could also use the AI as a quality control system to measure how well they’re sorting trash from recyclables. That could help plant managers adjust their production lines to cover more recyclables, or cheek that a bundle of recyclables is free of pollutants, which would allow them to sell at a higher price.
In the next few years, some recycling companies plan to retrofit (改良) thousands of material- recovery facilities with Al trash - spotting tools. Of these companies, Bollegraaf has built thousands of these facilities, including 340 in North America, accounting for a majority of the recovery plants in the world.
The trash-spotting computers could one day help regulators punish companies that produce tsunamis of non - recyclable packaging because the AI systems are so accurate that they can identify the brands on individual items. Putting the AI tools in thousands of waste plants can raise recycling percentage. If the needle can be moved by even 5 to 10 percent, that would be a phenomenal outcome for greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impact.
1. What does the author want to show in paragraph 1?| A．People pay little attention to environmental protection. |
| B．Greenhouse gas is a major contributor to air pollution. |
| C．Americans show little enthusiasm for recycling. |
| D．All trash has not been recycled in the US. |
| A．By working with sorting robots. |
| B．By adjusting the production line. |
| C．By monitoring the conveyor belt. |
| D．By controlling cameras in a computer. |
| A．They are well received. |
| B．They are highly profitable. |
| C．They have unpredictable prospect. |
| D．They present a challenge for regulators. |
| A．The Use of the Useless |
| B．AI Assistants in Recycling |
| C．A Pressing Trash Issue in US |
| D．AI Tools with Great Potential |
3 . (CNN) —European Union lawmakers struck a deal Friday agreeing to one of the world’s first major comprehensive artificial intelligence laws.
The landmark legislation, called the AI Act, sets up a regulatory (监管) framework to promote the development of AI while addressing the risks associated with the rapidly developing technology. The legislation bans harmful AI practices “considered to be a clear threat to people’s safety, livelihoods and rights”.
In a news conference, Roberta Metsola, the president of the European Parliament, called the law “a balanced and human-centered approach” that will “no doubt be setting the global standard for years to come”.
The regulatory framework, which classifies AI uses by risk and increases regulation on higher risk levels, was first proposed in 2021. The riskiest uses for AI are banned. According to the law, those include systems that exploit specific disadvantaged groups, biometric identification systems for law enforcement purposes and artificial intelligence that arranges controllable “subconscious techniques”. Limited risk systems, such as chat-bots like Open AI’s ChatGPT, or technology that generates images, audio or video content, are subject to new transparency (透明) duties under the law.
“The AI Act is much more than a rulebook—it’s a launchpad for EU start-ups and researchers to lead the global AI race,” Thierry Breton, the EU Commissioner for Internal Market, wrote on social media, “The best is yet to come.”
Artificial intelligence broke into the mainstream with the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT chat-bot in November 2022. Seemingly overnight, generative AI technology exploded in popularity and spurred an AI arms race. But AI’s disturbance reaches far beyond the world of big tech: Educators have struggled with generative AI’s ability to complete schoolwork assignments; artists and musicians have fought with the potential for Al-fueled imitation (模仿) and even the media industry has seen its debate.
1. What is the text?| A．A short story. | B．An art review. | C．A news report. | D．A research paper. |
| A．AI risk regulation, | B．AI risk classification. |
| C．AI regulatory framework. | D．AI regulatory framework usage. |
| A．Positive. | B．Indifferent. | C．Disapproving. | D．Suspicious. |
| A．Ruined. | B．Caused. | C．Updated. | D．Interrupted. |
4 . The poster child for generative Ai software is a shocking human mimic. It represents a potential new era in research, but brings risks.
It co-wrote scientific papers-sometimes secretly. It drafted outlines for presentations, proposals and classes, churned out computer code, and served as a sounding board for research ideas. It also invented references, made up facts and repeated hate speech. Most of all, it caught people’s imaginations. ChatGPT took on whatever role its interlocutors desired—and some they didn’t.
ChatGPT’s only objective is to plausibly continue dialogues in the style of its training data. But in doing so, it and other generative artificial-intelligence(AI) programme are changing how scientists work. They have also reopened debates about the limits of AI, the nature of human intelligence and how best to adjust the interaction between the two.
For some researchers ChatGPT has become an invaluable lab assistant—helping to summarize or write manuscripts, polish applications and write codes. ChatGPT and related software can help to brainstorm ideas, enhance scientific search engines and identify research gaps in the literature, says Marinka Zitnik, who works on AI for medical research at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts.
But the technology is also dangerous. Automated conversational agents can aid cheats and plagiarists; left unchecked, they could damage the well of scientific knowledge. Undisclosed AI-made content has begun to spread through the Internet and some scientists have admitted using ChatGPT to generate articles without declaring it.
No one knows how much more there is to get from ChatGPT-like systems. Their capabilities might yet be limited by the availability of computing power or new training data. But the generative AI revolution has started. And there’s no turning back.
1. Which aspect of ChatGPT is Paragraph 2 about?| A．Its potential. | B．Its influence | C．Its application. | D．Its working theory. |
| A．Secretly. | B．Fairly. | C．Reasonably. | D．Immediately |
| A．Positive. | B．Critical. | C．Concerned. | D．Unclear. |
| A．More Users’ Welfare: ChatGPT | B．AI Revolution; No Turning Back |
| C．ChatGPT: More Functions Developed | D．ChatGPT and Science: for Good and Bad |
5 . A new study published in Frontiers in Immunology tracked how zero gravity and cosmic rays (宇宙射线) affected the astronauts’ health during their stays aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The study, written by Odette Laneuville, a biologist at the University of Ottawa, has found a sharp drop in the immune (免疫的) function of 14 astronauts within days of their arrival at ISS.
Laneuville didn’t begin her study with an interest in space exploration. Instead, she was curious about the loss of muscle strength which occurs after a long period of inactivity on Earth. But she was alarmed when she saw videos of Canada’s famous astronaut Chris Hadfield after he stayed at ISS for six months.
Although researchers had studied astronauts’ immune function at single points in time, she decided to see how the immune system adapted—or didn’t—over longer time. With permission from the Canadian Space Agency, she studied 14 astronauts who spent at least six months on ISS, collecting 10 blood samples from each individual beginning 90 days before departure and continuing throughout the year after they returned to Earth.
Within days of arrival at ISS, all participants showed a sharp decline in the activity of the immune system. At months two and four on ISS, some of these changes began to normalize. They didn’t return to baseline, however, until several months after the astronauts got home.
To find out why the immune function went down at ISS, Laneuville exposed mice to similar cosmic rays that the astronauts suffered at the space station. Her research has shown that the cosmic rays caused changes to the mice’s ability to repair DNA and use energy effectively. Even more worrying, the changes persisted for months after they were not exposed to cosmic rays.
1. What was Laneuville’s research interest before she watched the videos?| A．The immune function. | B．Cosmic rays. |
| C．The loss of muscle strength. | D．Zero gravity. |
| A．By focusing on single points in time. |
| B．By employing a piece of unique equipment. |
| C．By monitoring the astronauts over longer time. |
| D．By collecting more astronauts’ blood samples. |
| A．To increase cosmic rays at them. |
| B．To test whether they are harmful. |
| C．To invent more effective treatments. |
| D．To understand the immune system’s changes |
| A．Zero Gravity and Cosmic Rays Are Harmful to Astronauts |
| B．Scientists Are Worried About the Astronauts’ Health at ISS |
| C．Odette Laneuville Has Found Out a New Treatment for Astronauts |
| D．A Study Shows Why Cosmic Rays Lead to Decline in the Immune Function |
Chinese scientists have used the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) to discover a binary pulsar (脉冲双星) with an orbital period of only 53 minutes, the
By
The reviewer with the journal described this discovery
7 . In recent years, advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have brought both excitement and concerns to various fields. One area where AI is making a profound impact is the medical field, particularly in the domain of diagnostics.
Al-powered diagnostic systems leverage deep learning algorithms to analyze medical images, such as X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans. These algorithms can detect subtle patterns and anomalies that might be missed by human radiologists, potentially leading to earlier and more accurate diagnoses.
However, the integration of AI in medical diagnostics raises complex ethical questions. For instance, who should be held responsible if an AI system misdiagnoses a patient’s condition? Should AI algorithms be treated as medical professionals, with legal and liability implications? These questions become even more intricate when considering that AI systems learn from vast datasets of medical information, which might contain biases or inaccuracies.
Furthermore, the adoption of AI diagnostics could impact the role of healthcare professionals. Some argue that AI could enhance doctors’ capabilities by providing them with additional insights, while others fear that it might replace human expertise, leading to job losses and a potential decrease in the quality of patient care. Despite these challenges, proponents of AI diagnostics emphasize its potential to improve healthcare accessibility, especially in underserved regions where there is a shortage of skilled medical professionals. Al-powered diagnostics could provide preliminary assessments and recommendations, helping to bridge the gap between patients and healthcare providers.
1. What is the primary advantage of AI-powered diagnostic systems in the medical field?| A．They provide additional insights to doctors. |
| B．They replace the need for human radiologists. |
| C．They analyze medical images using deep learning algorithms. |
| D．They focus on detecting visible patterns in medical images. |
| A．The potential for AI algorithms to replace human doctors. |
| B．The reliability of AI algorithms in analyzing medical images. |
| C．The legal responsibility for misdiagnoses made by AI systems. |
| D．The biased data used for training AI algorithms. |
| A．AI could enhance doctors’ expertise and skills. |
| B．AI could lead to job losses in the medical field. |
| C．AI could decrease the quality of patient care. |
| D．AI could replace human doctors completely. |
| A．AI diagnostics could decrease the quality of patient care. |
| B．AI diagnostics could primarily serve regions with sufficient medical professionals. |
| C．AI diagnostics could bridge the gap in healthcare accessibility. |
| D．AI diagnostics could replace the need for skilled radiologists. |
8 . Katya Echazarreta recently made history as the first Mexican-born American woman and one of the youngest women ever to fly to space—a lifelong dream she was able to accomplish at only 26 years old.
On June 4, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket carried its fifth group of passengers to the edge of space and Katya got an opportunity to apply for one of the six seats through a nonprofit called Space for Humanity. The previous flights had been all filled to capacity.
The organization’s goal is to send passengers to space and allow them to experience the “overview effect”, a phenomenon astronauts have described after looking down at the Earth from the outside. “They recognize that, as humans, our commonalities far outweigh our differences,” Space for Humanity says on its website.
Katya, an electrical engineer originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, was selected for the trip from a pool of 7,000 applicants from more than 100 countries based on her outstanding achievements in the space industry, and this met their requirement—sending “exceptional leaders” to experience. After going through training, she and her five fellow passengers took off from Blue Origin’s launch facility in West Texas. The spacecraft took them 62 miles above the Earth’s surface, giving them a few minutes of weightlessness before a descent (下降) back to a parachute landing.
“The trip up was the most fascinating experience because a lot of us are used to traveling horizontally. But when you’ re in a rocket, you’ re going up vertically (垂直地) and that feels very strange,” Echazarreta said. “Seeing the Earth from the outside, I feel it really puts things into perspective. Everything that we’ve ever experienced—all of your problems, and all of your obstacles—and everything that feels like the end of the world to us sometimes, are all there. It feels so big to us, and yet it’s not, because I just left in a matter of minutes.”
1. What can we know about Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket?| A．It has made history in space exploration. | B．It only provides seats for the young. |
| C．It helps women to realize their dream. | D．It has flown about 30 passengers to space. |
| A．Promote the development of space industry. |
| B．Send technology pioneers to live in space. |
| C．Let the passengers feel the overview effect. |
| D．Describe the phenomenon astronauts experience. |
| A．Being wise. | B．Being young. |
| C．Being brave. | D．Being distinguished. |
| A．Katya’s insight into the space trip. | B．Katya’s trip that goes up vertically. |
| C．All the challenges facing Katya. | D．Katya’s explanation for her motivation. |
Today, environmental problems have been the greatest risk to life on Earth. Scientists are thinking of ways to
Dust storms are common throughout the year and cover the entire planet for weeks, blocking sunlight from reaching the surface. Perhaps more
To live on Mars, we should find permanent shelter that
For now, human settlement of Mars is decades away. Regardless, it seems that humans
10 . At the time of writing this, more than 600 people have gone to space. The first person to do it was the Soviet astronaut Yuri Gagarin, in 1961. Most of the people that have achieved the dream of flying to outer space have been astronauts that form part of space agencies such as NASA although a few have gone as part of space tourism trips.
But space exploration can be a risky profession. We have all heard about unfortunate accidents like that of the Apollo 1 training crew or the Space Shuttle Challenger. To date, there have been 188 accidents related to space flights. Fortunately, the number of accidents has greatly been reduced since the 1980s as space agencies have gotten better at conducting safety protocols (协议).
With all those incidents, it is natural to wonder if at some point any astronauts have been lost in space. Are there any dead bodies in space? The short answer is no. There are no dead bodies in space. Most of the spaceflight-related accidents have happened on land or before reaching the line that we consider space. This limit is called the Kármán line and is 100 kilometres (62 miles) above sea level.
There have been a few cases of spacecraft that have been “lost in space”. For example, the Apollo 10 released the descent (下降) module while they were orbiting the Moon. The module did not have any astronauts inside and was “lost” although it was released in such a way that it would go into orbit around the Sun. The module was located in 2019 using a telescope. As for other types of accidents, there have been, cases of satellites that have collided (碰撞) or been hit by something. But those are unmanned and they usually fall into Earth and are disintegrated from the heat as they enter the atmosphere.
In short, there are no human bodies lost in space. Most spaceflight-related accidents that involved people have happened while still on Earth.
1. What can we learn from the text?| A．Yuri Gagarin was a pioneer in space trips. |
| B．Most people flew to space mainly for travel. |
| C．Human exploration for space began in the 1980s. |
| D．About 30% astronauts suffered from space accidents. |
| A．More advanced technology. | B．Stronger safety measures. |
| C．Stricter limits to space flights. | D．More financial support. |
| A．To prove space exploration is becoming risky. | B．To add some background information for space. |
| C．To further explain no astronauts died in space. | D．To introduce more space flight-related accidents. |
| A．How Did Spaceflight-Related Accidents Happen in History? |
| B．Why Is Space Exploration a Dangerous Mission? |
| C．Are There Any Satellites Hit by Something in Space? |
| D．Have Any Astronauts Been Lost in Space Forever? |
