Space tourism is fast becoming a reality, thanks to pioneers like Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson who have ventured to the edge of space, making it
A space hotel will have been opened
Guests will embark on their celestial journey, arriving at a central, zero-gravity docking hub (对接枢纽) before
As technology advances and transportation costs decrease, the dream of space tourism could soon become
2 . A few months back, I read a poem about winter created by AI (Artificial Intelligence). It was lovely and even moved me. What a strange thing it is, I thought, to be moved by something that in and of itself cannot be or feel moved. And then I felt a little sick, mainly because something had started snaking through my body quickly. Am I going to be out of a job? Is this writing thing going to be over?
As those questions arrived, I did what I always do — a walk. I busied myself with a pace fast enough to ignore the feeling, and then I released the hounds (猎犬) — the pack of tireless, 2-year-old, yellow dogs living in my head. I removed their leashes (皮带), setting them free on the problem; they went back and forth with a series of what- if tennis balls for 90 minutes. Finally, I arrived home physically and mentally exhausted with a clear answer and new career options to save me from this coming robbery.
When I recovered, I poured myself a cup of coffee and sat at my desk in front of a blank page, one that was staring back up at me, begging me for something. I dropped the panic, and I dropped the hounds. I dropped all the way into my body so as to fumble (探寻) around in the unknown of myself, searching for tiny seeds of beauty, and for a piece of soil rich enough to plant the seeds so I could feel an aliveness, any aliveness, growing, cracking, and rooting within me.
And in this case arose the question: Why do I write? What if I write to face my humanity and that of others? What if I write with the entirety of myself — my mental, emotional, and physical bodies? AI can’t touch me. I don’t know who or precisely what will hire me, but I’ll release the hounds on that one tomorrow. But, for now, I shall write.
1. What can we learn about the writer from the first paragraph?| A．He was panicked by the poem. | B．He thought highly of technology. |
| C．He had mixed feelings about AI. | D．He was sick of the job of writing. |
| A．He took a walk to avoid them. | B．He went hunting in the wild. |
| C．He played catch with his dogs. | D．He gave them deep thought. |
| A．It conveys no beauty. | B．It lacks soul. | C．It can’t process data. | D．It’s not creative. |
| A．Rescuing Writers from AI | B．Will AI Steal My Job? |
| C．Ready for AI Storms? | D．Writers vs AI Writing |
3 . The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in educational technology (EdTech) has brought incomparable convenience and efficiency to classrooms worldwide. However, despite these advancements, it is crucial to recognize the challenges these AI-driven tools pose to the autonomy and professional judgment of instructors.
One of its primary concerns is the depersonalization of instruction. These tools often rely on pre-packaged digital content and standardized solutions, leaving insufficient room for instructors to tailor their teaching methods. Each student possesses unique characteristics. Instructors, armed with their wealth of experience and knowledge, are best positioned to tailor their approaches to these individual needs. However, AI-driven tools restrict their ability to do so effectively, resulting in a one-size-fits-all approach that fails to inspire students to reach their maximum potential.
EdTech companies offer step-by-step solutions to textbook problems. These are intended to act as study aids. However, some students employ this feature as a means to merely copy solutions without comprehending concepts. Consequently, instances of cheating on assignments and exams become widespread. While these tools may offer convenience, students may use external resources or cooperate with others during quizzes, affecting the honesty of their learning outcomes.
The implications of this depersonalization and the increase in academic dishonesty are far-reaching. By decreasing the role of instructors as facilitators of meaningful educational interactions, we run the risk of preventing the growth of critical thinking and problem-solving skills among students. Education should not only focus on knowledge acquisition, but should also develop the ability to analyze, evaluate, and apply that knowledge in real-world contexts. It should help one’s mind grow, not simply memorize information. Through dynamic classroom discussions, cooperative projects, and hands-on activities, instructors play a crucial role in developing these essential skills.
While AI-driven EdTech tools undeniably have their virtues, we must not lose sight of the importance of preserving instructor autonomy and educational experience. Instead of relying only on pre-packaged content and standardized solutions, these tools should be designed to empower instructors to adapt and customize their approaches while taking full advantage of the benefits of technology.
1. What do the underlined words “the depersonalization of instruction” in paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Tailored methods for individuals. | B．Instructors’ dependence on Al. |
| C．Insufficient resources of Al-driven tools. | D．The one-size-fits-all approach. |
| A．A possible solution. |
| B．A further problem. |
| C．A well-meant intention. |
| D．A suggested application |
| A．Thinking skills. | B．Teamwork building. |
| C．Interest development. | D．Knowledge acquisition. |
| A．They should be used widely. |
| B．Their benefits deserve our attention. |
| C．Their resources need enriching. |
| D．They should support instructor autonomy. |
1. What do we know about this manned flight mission?
| A．It has the longest staying time. |
| B．It is the hardest to operate. |
| C．It travels at the fastest speed. |
| A．Play cards. | B．Play tennis. | C．Play instruments. |
| A．Women are less suitable in this mission. |
| B．Women are as excellent as men. |
| C．Women undertake more than men do. |
5 . Artificial intelligence-powered chatbot, ChatGPT, has been a hot topic of online discussions mainly for its “chatty” nature. The pre-trained, large-scale chatbot models, led by ChatGPT, could be one of the most important developments in the field of AI and play a key role in future AI products and applications.
As a pre-trained AI model, ChatGPT is based on the GPT-3 family of large language models and is fine-tuned to monitor and reinforce learning techniques. The GPT-3, or Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3, has already caused a sensation. It has gained wide popularity since its debut in November and revolutionized the AI field due to its advanced conversational capabilities. So we can say it is an optimized language model based on the development of AI technology.
Also, the fact that ChatGPT is good at multi-tasking is a breakthrough. This is beyond the imagination of many people, because in the past AI models could perform only a single task. For example, if you used an AI program to translate something, the program would just translate the piece. Now with ChatGPT, multi-tasking is easy to achieve.
As a pre-trained language model, ChatGPT is equipped with a massive volume of data, so it can accurately decide which word comes next in a sentence and thus stabilize its reliable performance, especially in the era of deep neural networks. That’s why many users are surprised at its ability to come up with human-like responses, creating the impression that it could replace humans in certain jobs one day.
Another feature of ChatGPT is that it has the ability to reinforce learning through feedback. It can recalculate figures or rewrite reports according to the user’s feedback on the answer. And this is one of the reasons why its performance is being optimized.
Yet it still has its shortcomings. For one thing, it could only be applied in a limited number of fields as it is a content-generating model. And the content it generates depends on what it has been pre-trained in. Therefore, despite writing articles, essays, jokes and even poetry, ChatGPT could be used only as reference, just like a search engine. It can never be a substitute for professional, in-depth knowledge and research.
Due to these limitations, investment in ChatGPT should focus on research and development, and investors should not expect quick returns on investment. Yet as a promising AI development, ChatGPT is likely to advance in the medium, if not the short term.
1. What does the underlined word in paragraph 2 mean?| A．panic | B．hit | C．happiness | D．awareness |
| A．It has a larger size. |
| B．It can calculate figures or write reports. |
| C．It is capable of handling several tasks at one time. |
| D．It can serve as a substitute for professional research. |
| A．ChatGPT could be applied to a large number of fields. |
| B．ChatGPT is only available to the scientists and engineers. |
| C．ChatGPT can give responses just as human beings do. |
| D．ChatGPT may take the place of humans in all jobs in the future. |
| A．To introduce a new AI model. | B．To persuade readers to invest ChatGPT. |
| C．To emphasize the importance of technology. | D．To predict the promising future of ChatGPT. |
6 . When you think about it, food is an important part of our lives. Family gatherings center around food and the celebration of major life events and milestones involves food in one way or another. The same holds true for us here on the Space Station. Food is important and ends up usually being a topic of discussion for almost every crew.
The food that we have here on ISS has to meet many different requirements. What about variety? How do you meet all of the peculiarities of the people that you come across, especially when they are from different cultures? What about the logistics(物流)of getting the right food here at the right time? So there are a couple of different questions you have to consider when you talk about food and long-duration space flight.
On the U.S. side we have gone to a standard menu, meaning that every 16 days you start over with the same menu. To compensate the crews, we are allowed to pick one“preference”container which consists of our pick of anything on the U. S. menu list. This allows us some variety in our menu, with the choices up to us. One of the desirable options for any crew is to make sure that enough tortillas(墨西哥玉米粉薄饼) get on board. You can do so much with a tortilla; it becomes the vehicle with which to eat almost anything.
Our food also comes packaged in many ways. But no matter what the form of the food though, you still have the same problem eating it- - you do not want it flying away from you and making a mess when you open it up. In this case a little bit of extra water is extremely helpful. It keeps the food kind of sticking together and to the package and to your spoon. Small things do escape from time to time, but we really try hard to minimize the random flying food problem. That is enough for now! Next time I will write about how to cook in space.
1. Where is the text most probably taken from?| A．A food magazine. | B．An astronaut’s journal. |
| C．A sci-fi handbook. | D．A space history website. |
| A．Ambitious targets. | B．Similar requests. |
| C．Unusual habits. | D．Harsh conditions. |
| A．To illustrate the preference container. | B．To give an example of standard menu. |
| C．To advocate tortillas to the readers. | D．To show the variety of food options. |
| A．Food packaging is optional. | B．Sufficient water helps transport food. |
| C．Flying food problem is unavoidable. | D．Eating in space is easier than most imagine. |
7 . Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools have become extremely powerful, surprising even their creators. Most people have probably read a book or seen a movie about an AI or robot that has become so smart that it can take over the world. The AI in stories like these is known as AGI or Artificial General Intelligence. True AGI would be intelligent in many different areas and would be able to learn on its own. Currently, there is no real AGI. Most experts believe it will be many years before an AGI could possibly be created.
Scientists have been working to improve AI models, mainly by training the models on larger and larger collections of information. Those efforts are paying off. The AI tool that has gotten the most attention recently is ChatGPT, created by the company Open AI. ChatGPT appears to be extremely intelligent, which answers quickly in perfect sentences, makes up stories and games, writes essays and much more. Another powerful model called GPT-4 is also developed by the same company. GPT-4 can create and explain jokes, and pass tests.
The rapid progress of recent A I models worries some people. Last week, many computer experts released a letter calling for a six-month pause in any work on AI tools stronger than GPT-4.
The letter claimed AI companies were in a race to create “powerful digital minds” that no one could “understand, predictor control”. The group behind the letter wants government s to develop laws to make sure A I tools are safe. Not all AI experts agree with the letter. Some say the letter makes today’s AI tools sound more intelligent than they really are. Others say it’s more important to worry about real problems in current AI tools rather than imaginary ones in the future.
ChatGPT has caused so much excitement that many companies are likely to keep developing powerful AI tools. But the letter has sent a strong warming that many people—including leaders—will be thinking about carefully.
1. Why are the book and movie mentioned in Paragraph 1?| A．To show the surprising power of AI. |
| B．To clarify AI will take over the world. |
| C．To state the threat of A I to its creators. |
| D．To indicate an AI or robot is smart enough. |
| A．It offers practical instructions on essay-writing skills. |
| B．It trains AI models on how to present information. |
| C．It has difficulty in understanding jokes. |
| D．It produces perfect language response. |
| A．In different. | B．Favorable. | C．Concerned. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．Why AI tools are beneficial to us. |
| B．Why AI tools are accessible to the public. |
| C．Whether AI tools are having a bright future. |
| D．Whether AI tools are becoming too powerful. |
8 . Ask the new artificial intelligence (AI) tool ChatGPT to write an essay about the cause of the American Civil War and you can watch it produce a persuasive term paper in a matter of seconds that has even be enable to pass school exams. That’s one reason why New York City school officials this week started blocking the impressive but controversial writing tool that can generate paragraphs of human-like text. The free tool has been around for just five weeks but is already raising tough questions about the future of AI in education, the tech industry and a host of professions.
ChatGPT was launched on Nov. 30 and is part of a new generation of AI systems that can chat, generate readable text on demand and even produce novel images and video based on what they’ve learned from a vast database of digital books, online writings and other media. But unlike previous models of so-called “large language models”, such as Open AI’s GPT-3, launched in 2020, the ChatGPT tool is available to anyone with an Internet connection for free and designed to be more user-friendly. It works like a written dialogue between the AI system and the person asking it questions.
Millions of people have played with it over the past month, using it to write silly poems or songs, trying to trick it into making mistakes, or for more practical purposes such as helping compose an email.
As with similar systems, ChatGPT can generate convincing prose, but that doesn't mean what it says is factual or logical. Its launch came with little guidance on how to use it, other than a promise that ChatGPT will admit when it's wrong.
Many school districts are still struggling to figure out how to set policies on whether and how it can be used. “While the tool may be able to provide quick and easy answers to questions, it does not build critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, which are essential for academic and lifelong success,” said a school’s spokesperson Jenna Lyle from NYC. But there's no stopping a student from accessing ChatGPT from a personal phone or computer at home.
1. What can we learn about the term paper from paragraph 1?| A．It is a result of the improvement of education. | B．It can be rated as passing by schoolteachers. |
| C．It has caught the attention of the public. | D．It acts as a model for students to follow. |
| A．ChatGPT can create text. | B．ChatGPT can edit digital books. |
| C．ChatGPT is free of charge to all. | D．ChatGPT can ask its users questions. |
| A．Favourable. | B．Tolerant. | C．Uncaring. | D．Disapproving. |
| A．How Are Schools Handling Chat GPT? |
| B．You Can Check When ChatGPT’s Telling the Truth |
| C．What Is ChatGPT and Why Are Schools Blocking It? |
| D．Students Are Using ChatGPT to Do Their Homework |
9 . Student from Taiwan played a key role in safeguarding his community in Beijing during pandemic outbreak and is working to establish closer ties between young people across the Straits.
Chen Wencheng from Taiwan, a postdoctoral student at Peking University, had been doing volunteer work in his neighborhood since Spring Festival. This was the first Lunar New Year holiday he didn’t celebrate in his hometown of Zhanghua, Taiwan, during his nine-year stay in Beijing.
Chen, 31, from the university’s department of philosophy and religious studies, chose to stay in Beijing’s Haidian District with his pregnant wife, who gave birth to their daughter last month. After the COVID- 19 outbreak hit Beijing in late January, he soon applied to be a community volunteer to help with pandemic prevention and control.
He started work on the day he signed as a volunteer on Feb4, with his duties including such tasks as checking passes and the temperature of people entering the community or delivering food and other necessities to his neighbors in self-quarantine.
The buildings in the community have five floors with no elevators. Chen sometimes had dozens of deliveries each day, including big rice bags and barrels of cooking oil, among other daily supplies.
“Those were heavy, and that’s why the community needed us younger people to help, ”Chen says.
“The volunteer job looks like petty work, but it matters as it enhances the safety of the more than 2, 000 residents in our community, ”Chen says. “The work also allowed me to get to know more of my neighbors, which makes the whole community feel like a big family. ”
1. What made Chen Wencheng play a key role in safeguarding his community?| A．His rich knowledge. | B．His wife’s request. |
| C．His selfless devotion. | D．His classmates’ invitation. |
| A．The deliveries | B．The big rice bags. |
| C．The barrels of cooking oil. | D．The daily supplies. |
| A．The volunteer job. | B．The brave helper. |
| C．The teacher. | D．His septuagenarian. |
| A．To praise students from Taiwan. |
| B．To carry forward the national spirit. |
| C．To introduce a true volunteering spirit. |
| D．To help with pandemic prevention and control. |
10 . The rise of the robots has raised the possibility of a future where there is simply less wok for humans to do. To tired office workers, a world where we all have a bit more leisure time sounds rather nice. Yet what really matters is how work will be distributed across the workforce.
The recent past shows there is no reason to believe it will be evenly (均衡地) spread. The length of the average working week in the UK has declined steadily from about 59 hours in the mid-19th century to 32 hours in 2009. But averages hide a lot.
While trends among women have been stable, there have been big shifts among men. Males in well-paid full-time employment are now working slightly longer hours on average than two decades ago. Meanwhile, men in full-time employment at the bottom of the wage ladder are working much less.
On top of that, the number of low-paid men who work part-time has increased sharply. Twenty years ago, one in 20 men with low hourly wages worked part-time; today it is one in five. Analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies shows this phenomenon is only happening among the low-paid. In better-paying jobs, part-time men are still fairly rare. Gender roles within families might tend to be similar too. Low-paid men may be choosing to shoulder more childcare responsibilities so their partners can return to work.
Yet it is clear that the distribution of work will matter to people. Britain has both overemployment and underemployment problems: official data show 3.4m people in Britain want to work more hours while 3.2m want to work few hours for less pay. The underemployed are likely to be waiters or cleaners. The overemployed are most likely to be doctors or chief executives. This indicates an economy where demand and supply of skills are out of sync.
Nobody knows for sure how the next wave of automation will shake up demand for different skills. Perhaps doctors will gain the free time they desire. Others might find themselves in greater demand. But short of us developing a much better system for training people quickly for the jobs economy needs, it seems likely that in the future—as now—there will be too much work for some, and too little for others.
1. What can be inferred from the first two paragraphs?| A．The development of robots will get rid of humans’ work. |
| B．Future leisure time will be allocated evenly across the workforce. |
| C．UK has taken some measures to stop the decline of working hours. |
| D．The averages may not be the accurate indicators of the steady decline of working hours. |
| A．Low-paid men are to blame for the low employment. |
| B．More well-paid men are choosing to work part-time. |
| C．Part-time men have increased only among the low-paid. |
| D．Part-time men rarely shoulder childcare responsibilities. |
| A．Important. | B．Imbalanced. | C．Undoubted. | D．Harmful. |
| A．The total amount of human labor will be decreased. |
| B．Better training systems will be built across the world. |
| C．Robots contribute to uneven distribution across the workforce. |
| D．The number of low-paid men who work part-time has increased. |
