1 . Even if you haven’t held a conversation with Siri or Alexa, you’ve likely encountered a chatbot online. They often appear in a chat window that pops up with a friendly greeting: Thank you for visiting our site.How can I help you today? Depending on the site, the chatbot is programmed to respond accordingly and even ask follow-up questions.

Chatbots are a form of conversational AI designed to simplify human interaction with computers. They are programmed to simulate human conversation and exhibit intelligent behavior that is equivalent to that of a human.

Chatbots communicate through speech or text. Both rely on artificial intelligence technologies like machine learning and natural language processing (NLP), which is a branch of artificial intelligence that teaches machines to read, analyze and interpret human language. This technology gives chatbots a baseline for understanding language structure and meaning. NLP, in essence, allows the computer to understand what you are asking and how to appropriately respond.

With developments in deep learning and reinforcement learning, chatbots can interpret more complexities in language and improve the dynamic nature of conversation between human and machine. Essentially, a chatbot tries to match what you’ve asked to an intent that it understands. The more a chatbot communicates with you, the more it understands and the more it learns to communicate like you and others with similar questions. Your positive responses reinforce its answers, and then it uses those answers again.

From customer service chatbots online to personal assistants in our homes,chatbots have started to enter our lives. In almost every industry, companies are using chatbots to help customers easily navigate their websites, answer simple questions and direct people to the relevant points of contact. Personal assistants like Siri and Alexa are designed to respond to a wide range of scenarios and queries, from current weather and news updates to personal calendars, music selections and random questions.

1. Why does the author mention Siri and Alexa in Paragraph 1?

A．To explain how a chatbot works.	B．To show where to find a chatbot.
C．To give examples of chatbots.	D．To compare different chatbots.

2. What is the basis of chatbots?

A．Language study.	B．Data transmission.
C．Social interaction.	D．Natural language processing.

3. What does the underlined word “reinforce” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Inspire.

B．Strengthen.

C．Organize.

D．Match.

4. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．The future trend of chatbots.	B．The author’s predictions.
C．The effects of chatbots.	D．The applications of chatbots.

2 . Traditionally, people have been forced to reduce complex choices to a small handful of options that don’t do justice to their true desires. For example, in a restaurant, the limitations of the kitchen, the way supplies have to be ordered and the realities of restaurant cooking make you get a menu of a few dozen standardized options, with the possibility of some modifications (修改) around the edges. We are so used to these bottlenecks that we don’t even notice them. And when we do, we tend to assume they are the unavoidable cost of scale (规模) and efficiency. And they are. Or, at least, they were.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to overcome this limitation. By storing rich representations of people’s preferences and histories on the demand side, along with equally rich representations of capabilities, costs and creative possibilities on the supply side, AI systems enable complex customization at large scale and low cost. Imagine walking into a restaurant and knowing that the kitchen has already started working on a meal optimized (优化) for your tastes, or being presented with a personalized list of choices.

There have been some early attempts at this. People have used ChatGPT to design meals based on dietary restrictions and what they have in the fridge. It’s still early days for these technologies, but once they get working, the possibilities are nearly endless.

Recommendation systems for digital media have reduced their reliance on traditional intermediaries. Radio stations are like menu items: Regardless of how nuanced (微妙) your taste in music is, you have to pick from a handful of options. Early digital platforms were only a little better: “This person likes jazz, so we’ll suggest more Jazz.” Today’s streaming platforms use listener histories and a broad set of characters describing each track to provide each user with personalized music recommendations.

A world without artificial bottlenecks comes with risks — loss of jobs in the bottlenecks, for example — but italso has the potential to free people from the straightjackets that have long limited large-scale human decision-’making. In some cases — restaurants, for example — the effect on most people might be minor. But in others, likepolitics and hiring, the effects could be great.

1. What does the underlined word “bottlenecks” in paragraph 1 refer to?

A．Facing too many choices.	B．Choosing from limited options.
C．Avoiding the cost of choosing.	D．Having too many desires to satisfy.

2. How can AI meet everyone’s needs?

A．By meeting both ends of supply and demand.

B．By decreasing representations on the supply side.

C．By disconnecting the sides of supply and demand.

D．By reducing people’s preferences on the demand side.

3. What’s the similarity between radio stations and menu items?

A．They are a necessary part in people’s life.	B．They offer limited choices.
C．They depend on digital platforms.	D．They provide reasonable suggestions.

4. What does the text mainly talk about?

A．The variety of human’s choices.	B．Standardized optrarts in daily life.
C．AI settlements to the option bottlenecks.	D．Recommendation systems for digital media.

3 . A new study reveals that pigeons (鸽子) can tackle some problems just like artificial intelligence, enabling them to solve difficult tasks that might challenge humans. Previous research has theorized that pigeons employ a problem-solving strategy, involving a trial-and- error approach, which is similar to the approach used in AI models but differs from humans’ reliance on selective attention and rule use. To examine it, Brandon Turner, a psychology professor at the Ohio State University, and his colleagues conducted the new study.

In the study, the pigeons were presented with various visual images, including lines of different widths and angles, and different types of rings. The pigeons had to peck (啄) a button on the right or left to indicate the category to which the image belonged. If they got it correct, they received food; if they were wrong, they received nothing. Results showed that, through trial and error, the pigeons improved their accuracy in categorization tasks, increasing their correct choices from about 55% to 95%.

Researchers believed pigeons used associative learning, which is linking two phenomena with each other. For example, it is easy to understand the link. between “water” and “wet”. “Associative learning is frequently assumed to be far too primitive to. explain complex visual categorization like what we saw the pigeons do,” Turner said. But that’s exactly what the researchers found.

The researchers’ AI model tackled the same tasks using just the two simple mechanisms that pigeons were assumed to use: associative learning and error correction. And, like the pigeons, the AI model learned to make the right predictions to significantly increase the number of correct answers. For humans, the challenge when given tasks like those given to pigeons is that they would try to come up with rules that could make the task easier. But in this case, there were no rules, which upsets humans.

What’s interesting, though, is that pigeons use this method of learning that is very similar to AI designed by humans, Turner said. “We celebrate how smart we are that we designed artificial intelligence: at the same time, we regard pigeons as not clever animals,” he said.

1. What is the purpose of the new study?

A．To test a theory.	B．To evaluate a model.
C．To employ a strategy.	D．To involve an approach.

2. What were the pigeons expected to do in the experiment?

A．Draw circles.

B．Correct errors.

C．Copy gestures.

D．Identify images.

3. What do pigeons and AI have in common according to the study?

A．They are of equal intelligence.

B．They are good at making rules.

C．They respond rapidly to orders from humans.

D．They employ simple ways to get things done.

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

A．Pigeons’ trial-and-error method is revealed

B．Pigeons outperform humans in tough tasks

C．“Not smart” pigeons may be as smart as AI

D．AI models after pigeons’ learning approach

4 . Reunions offer a chance to reflect on how much has changed. One happened in Hollywood when Here premiered (首映), bringing together the actors, director and writer behind Forrest Gump 40 years later for a new film. The stars were “de-aged” using new AI tools, making them more youthful in some scenes and enabling the filmmakers to see the transformation in real time while shooting.

With the use of generative AI in film making come things worth watching. The first is how AI will be used to tell new types of stories, as storytelling becomes more personalised and interactive. No one is quite sure how the nature of storytelling will change, but it is sure to. David Thomson, a film historian, compares generative AI to the advent of sound. When movies were no longer silent, it changed the way plot points were made and how deeply viewers could connect with characters. Cristóbal Valenzuela, who runs a company providing AI-enhanced software, says AI is like a “new kind of camera”, offering a fresh “opportunity to reimagine what stories are like”. Both are right.

Another big development to watch is how AI will be used as a time-saving tool. Generative AI will automate and simplify complex tasks like film-editing and special effects. For a glimpse of the future, watch Everything Everywhere All at Once, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2023. It featured a scene that used a “rotoscoping” tool to edit out the green-screen background and make a talking rock more believable. It shortened into hours what might have otherwise taken days of video-editing.

What is also noticeable is more dramatic conflicts between creators and those running AI platforms. This year is likely to bring floods of lawsuits (诉讼) from authors, musicians and actors about how their works have been used to train AI systems without permission or payment. Perhaps they can agree on some sort of licensing arrangement, in which AI companies start paying copyright-holders.

It will probably be a few years before a full-length film is produced entirely by AI, but it is just a matter of time.

1. What can we learn about the film Here?

A．It relates a story about youth.	B．The theme of the film is reunion.
C．AI tools are employed in the film.	D．It is adapted from Forrest Gump.

2. What does David think of AI’s application in film making?

A．Transformative.

B．Destructive.

C．Representative.

D．Irreplaceable.

3. Why does the author mention the film Everything Everywhere All at Once?

A．To show the high efficiency of AI tools.	B．To demonstrate the influence of the film.
C．To analyse a novel way of video-editing.	D．To praise the hard work behind the scenes.

4. What is the article mainly about?

A．Conflicts between man and machine.	B．AI’s huge effects on film production.
C．Drawbacks of dependence on AI tools.	D．Hot debate on the use of technology.

5 . Chinese scientists have built a chamber to simulate (模仿) the conditions on the surface of the moon to help make preparations for future lunar exploration.

The specially designed vacuum chamber is equipped with an electron gun to negatively charge dust, deuterium lights to produce ultraviolet (紫外的) rays to generate low-voltage positive electrical charge, and a vibrating screen (振动筛) designed to simulate flying dust. Scientists at the vacuum chamber have made similar dust particles (颗粒) with similar features to those on the moon. These elements together produce a chamber which can test materials and items in simulated lunar conditions.

The facility was developed by the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), based in the city of Harbin in Heilongjiang province in northeast China. “The comprehensive lunar surface simulator, which can simulate many environments which are very close to the real state on the moon, helps us understand the lunar dust formation process in such an environment and its effects on spacecraft, spacesuits and astronauts and prepare us for a crewed moon landing in the future,” said Li Liyi, dean (院长) of the HIT’s Institute of Space Environment and Material Science. “At the experiment chamber, we can simulate six major kinds of environmental factors. It is an experiment facility that can simulate the most environmental factors and has the comprehensive performance most similar to the real space environment in the world,” Li added.

A leading Chinese lunar scientist said that China is working to land astronauts on the moon before 2030.The country is actively working on the hardware needed for the mission, including a new launch vehicle, a new generation spacecraft for crew and a lunar lander.

A representative from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the country’s main space contractor, presented an animated film earlier this year giving an impression of what the future Chinese crewed lunar landing might look like.

1. Why do Chinese scientists design a vacuum chamber to simulate the conditions on the surface of the moon?

A．It can test ultraviolet rays on the moon.

B．The low-voltage electrical charge can be beneficial.

C．It can help prepare the country for future lunar exploration.

D．It is close to the real environment on the moon.

2. What can we infer from what Li Liyi said in the passage?

A．Lunar dust is a big challenge for crewed moon landing.

B．The new facility can simulate all environments on the moon.

C．The facility can generate the real space environment in the world.

D．The chamber can make the future lunar exploration successful.

3. What is the author’s purpose to write this passage?

A．To indicate the difficulties of crewed moon landing.

B．To introduce China's newly-built vacuum chamber.

C．To describe the real environment on the moon.

D．To introduce China's crewed moon landing project.

4. Which application of the lunar surface simulator is not mentioned below?

A．understand its impacts on spacecraft.

B．prepare us for a crewed moon landing.

C．help us have a better understanding of the dust formation process.

D．help us to design flying dust.

6 . Many of us already live with AI a series of unseen algorithms (算法) that controls our Internet-connected devices, from smartphones to security cameras and cars that heat the seats before you’ve even stepped out of the house on a freezing morning. But, while we’ve seen the AI sun, we have yet to see it truly shine.

Researchers compare the current state of the technology to cellphones of the1990s: useful but raw. They are working on applying the largest, most powerful machine-learning models to lightweight software that can run on “the edge,” meaning small devices such as kitchen appliances or wearable devices. Our lives will gradually witness AI is everywhere.

Our interactions with the technology will become increasingly personalized. Chat bots, for example, can be awkward and disappointing today, but they will eventually become truly conversational, learning our habits and personalities, and even develop personalities of their own.

But don’t worry, the fever dreams of super intelligent machines taking over, like HAL in “2001: A Space Odyssey”, will remain science fiction for a long time to come; self-awareness and free will in machines are far beyond the capabilities of science today.

The research institute Open AI has created Muse Net, which uses artificial intelligence to mix different styles of music to create new compositions. The institute also has Jukebox, which creates new songs when given a style, artist and lyrics, which in some cases are co-written by AI. These are early efforts, achieved by feeding millions of songs into networks of artificial neurons (人工神经元), made from strings of computer code, until they internalize patterns of tune and harmony, and can recreate the sound of instruments and voices.

There are seemingly endless ways in which Al is beginning to touch our lives. from discovering new materials to new drugs to picking the fruit we eat and sorting the garbage we throw away. Self-driving cars work—they’re just waiting for laws and regulations to catch up with them.

1. What do the researchers think of present AI technology?

A．It is still underdeveloped.	B．It disturbs people’s privacy.
C．It appears to be inefficient in devices.	D．It achieves a breakthrough in learning.

2. What will Chatbots be able to do in the future according to the author?

A．Produce some science fiction.	B．Think beyond humans’ control.
C．Talk with humans as friends do.	D．Help develop humans’ personalities.

3. How does the author introduce the music created by AI?

A．By stating arguments.	B．By giving statistical data.
C．By providing research results.	D．By explaining the methods.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．What is AI?	B．AI: here, there, everywhere
C．When can we bring in AI?	D．AI: yesterday, today, tomorrow

7 . This story is part of Nature’s 10, an annual list produced by the world’s leading science journal Nature, exploring individuals who contributed to the key developments in science. On the 2023 list published, the journal included a non-human entity — ChatGPT, for the first time.

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. Models trained in similar ways on scientific data could help to build AI systems that can guide research, perhaps by designing new molecules or simulating cell behaviour, Zitnik adds.

But why include a computer program in a list of people who have shaped science in 2023? ChatGPT is not a person. But actually, it and other generative artificial-intelligence (AI) programs are changing how scientists work. They have also rekindled debates about the limits of AI, the nature of human intelligence and how best to regulate the interaction between the two. That’s why this year’s Nature’s 10 has a non-human addition.

Interestingly, Nature’s list also includes one of its creators. Ilya Sutskever, the chief scientist and cofounder of OpenAI, the organization that created ChatGPT, is one of the minds at the forefront of generative artificial intelligence. He saw this company as an opportunity to develop general artificial intelligence that could outperform humans and develop its own consciousness.

Sutskever believes that artificial intelligence’s potential is too great for models to be available to anyone who wants to use them, and he was among the first to realize that the systems that scientists like his mentor, Geoffrey Hinton, had begun to develop would begin to show their actual capabilities as computing power increased. In recent months, he devoted his efforts toward creating a method to direct and control artificial intelligence systems that are more intelligent than humans.

1. Which of the following is true about Nature’s 10 according to the passage?

A．Nature’s 10 is celebrating the development of science technology.

B．Only human beings were elected as Nature’s 10 before.

C．Nature’s 10 was started in 2023 for the first time.

D．It was awarded by the local government yearly.

2. What is the second paragraph about?

A．Experts’ opinions on ChatGPT.

B．How ChatGPT functions.

C．The application of ChatGPT in science research.

D．The promotion of ChatGPT.

3. What does the underlined word rekindled in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Settled.

B．Restarted.

C．Participated.

D．Launched.

4. Which of the following can best describe Ilya Sutskever’s attitude towards ChatGPT?

A．Confident and cautious.	B．Proud and concerned.
C．Objective and doubtful.	D．Enthusiastic and warning.

8 . A recent landing on the moon has awakened or renewed people’s enthusiasm for the stars and space exploration. Here are four trip ideas to inspire those would-be astronauts and astronomers.

Kennedy Space Center, America

The NASA-operated Kennedy Space Center is a must for ambitious astronauts and space-lovers. Hands-on experiences range from live presentations delivered by astronauts to the new Astronaut Training Experience Center. Children aged 10 to 17 can experience spacewalking and exploring Mars.

North York Moors, England

As an International Dark Sky Reserve in the world, this lovely part of Yorkshire, England is host to the UK’s family-friendly National Parks Dark Skies festival. Well timed to the latter part of autumn half term in England, the festival includes bat-box making, evenings with winter birds and moonlit coastal walks.

Pic du Midi, France

There are few observatories where you can observe stars before retiring to a comfortable cabin and watch the sunrise. Getting to the Pic du Midi Observatory is also an adventure by itself, involving a ride on two cable-cars up to a 2,877-meter-high mountain. The guided astronomy sessions help kids discover Saturn (土星) and its rings via powerful telescopes.

Mount Teide, Spain

Home to the largest solar observatory in the world, it sits on Spain’s highest mountain. Ride the cable-car up for a scientist-led tour, which includes the chance to observe the Sun through hand-held solar telescopes. The special family tour includes an attractive 90-minute workshop exploring how observatory physicists carry out their research.

1. Which trip suits the teenagers expecting a face-to-face contact with astronauts?

A．Kennedy Space Center.	B．North York Moors.
C．Mount Teide.	D．Pic du Midi.

2. What can visitors do on a trip to Yorkshire?

A．Attend live presentations.	B．Observe the rings of Saturn.
C．Enjoy the sea view at night.	D．Learn about physicists’ work.

3. What do Pic du Midi and Mount Teide have in common?

A．They accommodate family tourists.

B．They include a tour led by scientists.

C．They offer free hand-held telescopes.

D．They are located on high mountains.

9 . 阅读下面材料, 在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

The Perseverance Rover on Mars continues to perform amazing feats of science. Most recently, an instrument on the Perseverance     1     (turn) carbon dioxide into oxygen, a process that could one day help astronauts breathe on the red planet.

96%of the Martian atmosphere is carbon dioxide, which doesn’t do much for humans who need oxygen     2     (breathe). Scientists say it is a critical first step in     3     (change) carbon dioxide into oxygen on Mars. The experimental instrument aboard Perseverance     4     (know)as MOXIE.

“MOXIE has more work to do. It is helping us move toward our goal of one day seeing humans on Mars, ”scientists say. “Oxygen serves a much     5     (great) purpose than just being the air we breathe. The rocket propellant (推进剂) depends     6     (heavy) on oxygen,     7     future explorers will depend on producing propellants on Mars to make the trip home. Whether for rockets     8     astronauts, oxygen is the key. ”

MOXIE works     9     separating oxygen atoms from carbon dioxide molecules, which are made up of one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms. A waste product, carbon monoxide, is emitted into the Martian atmosphere. Much larger and better     10     (version) of MOXIE could be used to turn huge quantities of carbon dioxide into oxygen.

10 . On Dec 4, 2022, Chinese astronauts Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

The astronauts were in orbit for 183 days, during which they oversaw the completion of China’s Tiangong space station and several life sciences experiments. They returned with the world’s first rice seeds produced in orbit, a feat that allows scientists to examine the effects of microgravity on rice growth so as to find a sustainable food source for long-term space explorations.

One such experiment involved reproducing the entire life cycle of rice for the first time in space. It began with selecting rice seeds carefully, which were then nurtured and monitored as they hatched into seedlings. The astronauts diligently tended to these delicate young plants, which grew into mature plants producing new seeds. It began on July 29, and after 120 days in orbit they successfully produced new space grains.

The new seeds, along with other bio-samples, have been delivered to the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. They will also be transferred to labs in Shanghai for further research. The institute said researchers would conduct microbiology and cellular analysis to better understand how microgravity affects these plants on a molecular (分子的) level. This would provide key insights on creating new crops that are more adaptive to the space environment.

Zheng Huiqiong, a researcher at the Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said seeds are crucial for growing new crops and supporting humanity’s long-term survival in space.

While more research is in the pipeline, Zheng said scientists have already noticed several interesting differences between rice grown on Earth and that grown in space. For instance, the flowering period for the space rice begins slightly earlier than rice planted on Earth. Flowering is a crucial stage for plant reproductive development. “The stems for the space rice are also looser, with the dwarf rice variety becoming shorter while the tall shoot rice variety experiencing no change in height,” she added.

1. Why were the rice experiments conducted in space?

A．To gain a thorough insight into space environment.

B．To find long-lasting food supply for space exploration.

C．To collect diverse space rice seeds for space research.

D．To explore the impact of microgravity on plants in space.

2. What is mainly discussed in Paragraph 3?

A．The experiment process.	B．The research procedures.
C．The current new findings.	D．The exploration duration.

3. How did the researchers handle the newly acquired seeds?

A．By preserving them in a secure facility.

B．By shipping them to labs for further analysis.

C．By studying their adaptability to microgravity.

D．By assessing their growth under controlled conditions.

4. What conclusion can be drawn from Zheng’s words?

A．More advanced research methods are in great demand.

B．Potential application of the research results is promising.

C．Space rice varieties commonly suffer decreases in height.

D．Distinctions between Earth rice and space rice are evident.