1 . AI is just now starting to go mainstream, but these classic films about AI have been exploring the future of artificial intelligence for decades.
Ex Machina
In Ex Machina, a computer programmer is selected by the genius CEO of the company he works for to take part in an experiment involving the Turing test (图灵测试)with an impressive AI robot named Ava, convincingly played by a real actress.
A. I. Artificial Intelligence
No list on films featuring AI would be complete without A. I. Artificial Intelligence where a young AI boy with human-like feelings is left out by his human mother. As is so often the way, the questions posed by the story make the film way ahead of its time. What responsibility would humanity hold for an artificial intelligence that is advanced enough to actually experience feelings and emotional turmoil (混乱)？
I, Robot
As humans and robots struggle to survive together, and sometimes against each other, on Earth and in space, the future of both hangs in the balance. Here human men and women confront robots gone mad, telepathic robots, robot politicians, and vast robotic intelligence that may already secretly control the world. And both are asking the same questions: What is human? And is humanity out of date?
Brian and Charles
When an inventor in a Welsh village develops an AI being that looks like a mature professor who acts nothing like it, the result is quite possibly the funniest film of the decade so far. This is a film that is the perfect antidote to the apocalyptic threats surrounding modern life in the 21st century.
1. Who took the Turing test in the film Ex Machina?| A．A CEO. | B．An AI boy. |
| C．An inventor. | D．A programmer. |
| A．He is played by Ava. |
| B．He is experiencing emotional turmoil. |
| C．He is a life-like robot turning bad. |
| D．He is an orphan in real world. |
| A．I, Robot. | B．Ex Machina. |
| C．Brian and Charles. | D．A. I. Artificial Intelligence. |
2 . As the COVID-19 appeared, many people’s life changed.
At the beginning of March 2020, Boylan, a professor of Medicine Jon Bae, went from working onsite to being another role as a health economic analyst(分析家) of Duke University Health System. And a month into the pandemic(流行病), his daughter, Elora, was born. The past two years drew Boylan closer to his wife, Katie, “During the time of the pandemic, I am not one of those people who have time to learn how to bake bread or anything,” Boylan said. “I think, in terms of personal growth, I have learned much about how to live a happy life.”
By October of 2020, the pandemic had lasted for several months, and Melanie Thomas was feeling down. “How do I have a rich and full life during this special time and keep a positive attitude?” Thomas asked herself. She decided that she needed a goal that she could work out until the world opened up. For the next several months, Thomas began running, working out at a socially distant gym, and walked as much as she could every day. While the trip to Nepal was the goal, the exercise to prepare for it became a central piece of herself-care routine.
A few weeks ago, Mary Atkinson began spending the remaining daylight after work setting up a garden in the yard of her Greensboro home. She as well as her two-year-olds on, West, often played there with the sand and his toy truck. “This is something that never happened before the pandemic, and it gives much happiness to us,” said Atkinson.
During the pandemic, John Carbuccia, instead of eating lunch out or grabbing meals in the university canteen, found himself eating homemade breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Scrambled eggs with vegetables or simply prepared salmon fillets are some of his current favorites. And without having to rush to the company, he walks and runs around his neighborhood before and after work at home.
1. How was Boylan affected by the pandemic?| A．He became a cooking master. |
| B．His income turned to be uncertain. |
| C．He lost his job. |
| D．He had a better understanding of living happily. |
| A．She visited Nepal. | B．She lost weight. |
| C．She did exercise. | D．She learned online. |
| A．It saved much space for storing sand. | B．It provided comfortable office space. |
| C．It offered a good environment for sports， | D．It improved the parent-child relationship. |
| A．The features of working from home. |
| B．Tips on how to fight against the pandemic. |
| C．The change of people’s life during the pandemic. |
| D．An experiment in studying the meaning of life. |
3 . When Shanghai introduced a new garbage-sorting policy (垃圾类政策) in July last year, the city’s residents (居民) took some time to get used to it. They joked that every time they took out their garbage, the staff (工作人员) standing by the bins would ask, “What kind of garbage are you?”
Starting on May 1, Beijing joined many Chinese cities by introducing a new garbage-sorting policy, People’s Daily reported. Residents should sort their garbage into four groups: kitchen, recyclable, hazardous (有害的) and other waste.
These groups are represented (代表) by four different colors of trash bins—green, blue, red and gray. Those who fail to sort their trash correctly may be fined up to 200 yuan, Xinhua reported.
Some cities like Shanghai and Qingdao sort their trash differently. These cities use four different groups: wet, recyclable, harmful and dry. Although their names are different, the groups are actually the same. In fact, wet garbage in Shanghai is kitchen garbage in Beijing. And dry garbage is the same as other waste, China Youth Daily reported.
To help residents sort their trash correctly, the Beijing government is offering online guidelines (指导). If people don’t know how to throw away garbage, they can search for it on the WeChat account Guanchenglishi (管城理市) to find out. By searching a keyword or taking a photo, people can immediately find out which group their waste belongs to.
1. If people don’t follow the garbage-sorting policy, __________.| A．they will have to stand by the bins | B．they won’t be allowed to throw trash away |
| C．they won’t be noticed | D．they may face fines |
| A．Beijing and Shanghai. | B．Beijing and Qingdao. |
| C．Shanghai and Qingdao. | D．Qingdao and Wuhan. |
| A．wet garbage | B．dry garbage |
| C．recyclable garbage | D．harmful garbage |
| A．Beijing uses four different groups: kitchen, recyclable, hazardous and dry. |
| B．Garbage-sorting is being carried out all over China. |
| C．Guanchenglishi can help residents in Beijing with the garbage-sorting. |
| D．Residents in Beijing are troubled by garbage-sorting. |
4 . Saisri Akondi was visiting a friend in Manipal just before the lockdown. Trapped by the travel ban, the researcher found herself frustrated at not being able to help during a national emergency. Back home, her colleagues at the National Chemical Laboratory worked on innovative methods to deal with the pandemic (流行病). She wanted to contribute in her own way. Soon, she spotted the opportunity.
On the evening of 11 May, she came across 50 migrants being questioned by the police. Akondi learned that they were railway construction workers, abandoned by their employer after the lockdown and were making their way to Mahabubabad, 680 kilometres away. “I instantly thought of helping them, noticing there were 10 children and a pregnant lady among them,” recalled Akondi.
Her first task was to register the group on a government portal (入口) to help them get movement passes within the state. Then, she arranged for food and convinced the railway authorities to let the migrants stay at the Udupi station until their transport was arranged. Akondi next turned her attention to the women, arranging for vitamins for her. She continued to make frequent posts to the social media handles of the Telangana chief minister’s office, seeking attention and help. There was no response for days, but she did not give up.
Her relentless efforts paid off, The Telangana government paid for the migrants’ travel back. On 19 May, the happy migrants were saying a tearful goodbye to Akondi and on 20 May, they reached their homes.
Akondi continued to help other stranded migrants reach their homes. Even as the world came to a standstill, this large-hearted woman became the ant that moved mountains.
1. What were the 50 migrants doing when Akondi first met them?| A．Buying tickets. | B．Doing construction work. |
| C．Staying at a train station. | D．Being questioned by the police. |
| A．Kind and creative. | B．Helpful and considerate. |
| C．Generous and wise. | D．Brave and knowledgeable. |
| A．Lost. | B．Trapped. | C．Arrested. | D．Fined. |
| A．Akondi was not allowed to work for the travel ban. |
| B．Construction workers suffered a lot during the lockdown. |
| C．Akondi contributed in a different way during the lockdown. |
| D．Some construction workers were abandoned by their employer. |
5 . The COVID-19 has led to a great demand for bikes and biking. Bikes stores are struggling hard to keep up with the demand. In the United States, bike sales have seen their jump since the 1970s. Sales of adult bikes in April of 2020 were three times as high as last year. The situation is similar in Asia and Europe. Around 90% of the bikes sold in the US are made in China. But because of the COVID-19, even the normal supply of bicycles wasn’t being created. That demand began to go up in mid-March, as people began looking for ways of getting around that didn’t involve crowded public transportation. Because biking happens in the open air, and the chance of catching the disease while riding is very low.
Biking has also grown more popular because it is one of the few forms of exercise allowed in many lockdowns. With gyms and fitness shut down, biking fills a need for many active people. Families appreciate biking, too. With school closed and kids unable to hang out with their friends, biking is a welcome activity. Bikes are also practical. Many cities are seeing this as an opportunity to make their streets safer and greener. Cities around the world are adding mils and miles of bike lanes to their streets to encourage biking. New York says it will close off up to 160 kilometers of roads so they can be used by bikers and walkers. Paris has set up over 650 kilometers of new bike lanes. The United Kingdom plans to double its number of bike lanes. In Milan, Italy, 35 kilometers of roads have been metamorphosed.
Though many of these bike lane additions are temporary, and some people assume these additions seem to destroy the overall beauty of cities, if changes in biking habits become permanent because of additions, they could seriously cut down car traffic and help make cities a lot greener.
1. What can we conclude about the present bike situation?| A．It is more expensive. | B．It is safer than a car. |
| C．It is in short supply. | D．It is all made in China. |
| A．Repaired. | B．Changed. | C．Protected. | D．Designed. |
| A．Negative. | B．Doubtful. | C．Indifferent. | D．Positive. |
| A．Increasing Interest in Biking | B．Ride Bikes, Clean the Earth |
| C．More Bikes, Fewer Traffic Jam | D．A Great drop for Bike Exercise |
6 . Your Internet experience is terrible when the net speed is too slow—it takes so long to open a web page and the film you’re watching stops every few minutes. That can be very annoying. But it could be a thing of the past. In the near future, major telecom carriers will start to provide 5G services.
What is 5G? What difference will it really make to our lives? The “G” in “5G” refers to the generations of mobile network technologies.
1G let us talk to each other, 2G let us send messages, 3G gave us mobile data and the Internet, and 4G made all of these things faster. Now 5G promises much faster data download and upload speeds, and more stable connections. This means that you will be able to download an entire HD movie in seconds and only experience a short delay between sending and receiving data. For example, when you have a video chat with your friend, there is generally a 200 milliseconds delay with 4G, but 5G will reduce the delay to 1 millisecond, which is almost real time.
5G will be able to improve many advanced technologies, such as driverless cars, wearable devices and entertainment. With a 5G network, the short delay in information exchange will allow driverless cars to run more safely, as they will be able to communicate in real time and avoid dangers. Meanwhile, 5G-enabled wearable devices will keep doctors updated on the health status of their patients, so doctors can give patients advice immediately if there’s something wrong. Besides, VR games will become more popular with 5G.The short delay of 5G will make the games feel even more real.
Though 5G will make our lives more convenient, it will not be perfect. For one thing, 5G will not “travel” far. On 4G networks, you can be 10 kilometres away from the nearest transmission base and barely lose signals. But 5G will only cover about 300 metres, meaning that we will need more transmitters so that we can get signals. And in order to use 5G, we will have to buy new products specifically designed for 5G that are currently expensive.
1. What does the “G” in “5G” refer to?| A．Games. | B．Groups. | C．Grades. | D．Generations. |
| A．How much does 5G cost in real time. | B．Why will 5G reduce the delay. |
| C．How will 5G improve the driverless cars. | D．What changes will 5G bring us? |
| A．3G gave us mobile data and the Internet. |
| B．5G will allow driverless cars to run more safely. |
| C．5G will cover about 300 metres to 1,000 metres. |
| D．5G will make the VR games feel even more real. |
| A．A diary. | B．A magazine. | C．A storybook. | D．A novel. |
When do you chat on QQ? What do you talk about?
Lin yuhan, Xi’an: On weekends. We talk about homework and chat with each other.
Tang Xuting, Shanghai: At weekends and when I don’t have much homework. We exchange test answers and chat.
Yang yuhang, Dalian: Our class goes online together at 4:00----6:00pm on weekends. We complain about homework, chat and talk about computer games.
What do you put on your QQ blog(博客)？
Lin: I put good articles I have found online on my blog. I also write articles myself. They are about funny things that have happened in my class.
Tang: I put picture on my blog. Not my own photos, but pictures from my favorite Japanese cartoons(动画片)like Tennis Prince Conan.
Yang: I put DV films on my blog. I shoot(拍摄)them during sports meetings and school parties. The most popular one is about a dancing teacher, he is so funny that everyone watches it.
How do you like QQ?
Lin: It’s a good space for us to make a record of our lives of both good times and sad times.
Tang: My friends and I may not have time to chat at school. But we can do it on QQ. It’s very helpful to our friendships.
Yang: If you chat with friends on the telephone, your parents sometimes listen to your conversation. There’s no such problem with QQ. You can relax and talk freely.
1. What does Yang yuhang talk about on QQ on weekends?
①homework ②chat ③test answers ④computer games
| A．①② | B．②③ | C．①②④ | D．②③④ |
| A．Some pictures. | B．Good articles. | C．DV films | D．Japanese cartoons |
| A．Lin says QQ is very helpful to their friendships. |
| B．Yang says he can chat freely with many friends and relax on QQ. |
| C．Tang says QQ is a good space for them to make a record of their lives. |
| D．Tang says he chats on QQ on weekends though he has lots of homework. |
8 . Playing basketball isn’t ladylike. That’s what Jewell Chapman’s high school headmaster told her in 1961 when he was against the girls’ basketball program.
“We were very discouraged, ” said Chapman, a forward（前锋）for her high school team of Des Moines.
Nearly 50 years later, Chapman is back on the playground. She’s 62 and plays for “Hot Pink Grannies”, joining about 10 other women on a team whose uniforms are black trousers and hot pink socks. They play in the Iowa Granny Basketball League.
It’s one of dozens of basketball leagues for women over 50 that have arisen across the country. For some, it’s a chance to exercise and meet people; for others it’s a once – refused chance to make up.
“You see more and more elderly women’s teams taking part in state and national competitions,” said Michael Rogers, a professor in sports studies at Wichita State University. “In the future it will be something common to have leagues like this.”
Yearly surveys by the National Sporting Goods Association show the number of women aged 55 and older who play basketball at least 50 times a year has grown from 16,000 in 1995 to nearly 131,000 ten years later.
The women on the Hot Pink Grannies are good – natured but competitive when game time comes.
“I think I’m tough” says Colleen Pulliam, 69, showing off her strong arms at her challengers in a game against “Strutters”, known for their bright yellow socks.
Granny Basketball Leagues and similar groups spread quickly through much of the country, including California, Louisiana, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.
1. Which is right about Chapman?| A．She thinks playing basketball isn’t ladylike. |
| B．She is now 62 years old and feels discouraged. |
| C．She plays basketball again about 50 years later. |
| D．She is a forward in the Hot Pink Grannies. |
| A．it is chance to realize their old dream |
| B．it is chance to take part in sports |
| C．it is chance to earn a reputation |
| D．it is chance to compete for medals |
| A．Des Moines. | B．Colleen Pulliam. | C．Michael Rogers. | D．Strutters. |
| A．Some elderly women play basketball with the purpose of getting wealthy. |
| B．Granny Basketball Leagues have spread all over the USA. |
| C．The women on the Hot Pink Grannies are good – natured and less competitive. |
| D．The number of women aged 55 and older who play basketball has greatly increased. |
| A．in the 1960s, playing basketball wasn’t considered as a girls’ sport |
| B．the color of the socks is of great importance to granny players |
| C．more and more granny players are confident about getting higher scores |
| D．Jewell Chapman’s high school headmaster has already changed his attitude |
9 . Only three local students won Chinese Blog (博客) Competition. And 15 of the 18 awards went to students from China.
170 students’ task: to get a fully-designed blog up and running, complete with many postings based on a theme of choice-all written in Chinese.
Themes ranged from local opinions—such as the usage of Singlish, education and whether Singapore can be a cultural centre-to food blogs.
The entries were judged on language proficiency (熟练程度) and the quality of writing, as well as the design and level of exchanging ideas with readers.
Academics from the National University of Singapore and the SIM University IT experts, and a journalist from Chinese newspaper Lianhe Zaobao in Singapore made up the judges.
In the end, only three Singaporean students made it to the award list—the rest of the awards were swept up by students from China.
“No surprise,” said Mr. Chow Yaw Long, 37, teachers in charge from Innova Junior College, which organized the event. “Although the topics were local subjects, the foreign students were generally better in terms of the content of the posts and their grasp of the Chinese language.”
One of the three local students winning the first prize in the Best Language Award was blogger Christina Gao, 19, from the Saint Andrew’s Junior College, who spared no effort in researching for and writing her blog. Each entry took her between five and seven days to produce, complete with pictures and even podcasts (播客).
Her advice for bloggers is: Be responsible.
“Some bloggers out there only seek to blame the authorities and other bloggers.” Said Miss Gao. “I think they lack responsibilities and there is no value to their posts.”
1. The competition was organized by .| A．the National University of Singapore |
| B．Chinese newspaper Lianhe Zaobao |
| C．the Saint Andrew’s Junior College |
| A．all the themes were about local subjects |
| B．Chinese students won most of the awards |
| C．the blogs should be written in Chinese |
| D．the judges were from universities in Singapore and China |
| A．she likes to blame the authorities |
| B．she thinks highly of the others’ blogs |
| C．she has a sense of responsibility |
| D．she loves to read valuable posts |
| A．how Chinese students won the awards in the competition |
| B．why bloggers should take responsibility for their blogs |
| C．what the result of the Chinese Blog Competition was |
| D．how Miss Gao won the first prize in the competition |
The study, published in the Archives of Dermatology, shows that smoking affects the skin all over the body -- even skin protected from the sun.
"We examined non-facial skin that was protected from the sun, and found that the total number of packs of cigarettes smoked per day and the total years a person has smoked were linked with the amount of skin damage a person experienced," Dr. Yolanda Helfrich of the University of Michigan, who led the study, said in a statement.
"In participants older than 65 years, smokers had significantly more fine wrinkling than nonsmokers. Similar findings were seen in participants aged 45 to 65 years," Helfrich's team added in their report.
The researchers tested 82 people, smokers and nonsmokers, taking pictures of the inner right arms. They ranged in age from 22 to 91 and half were smokers. Independent judges decided how wrinkled each person's skin was.
When skin is exposed to sunlight, notably（尤其）the face, it becomes coarse, wrinkled and discolored with a pale yellow tint, Helfrich's team wrote.
Several previous studies have found that cigarette smoking contributes to premature（过早的）skin aging as measured by facial wrinkles, the study said, but little has been done to measure the aging of skin not exposed to light.
The report did not discuss the mechanism involved but previous research has found that cigarette smoke, among other things, causes blood vessels（血管）beneath the skin to constrict（紧缩）, reducing blood supply to the skin.
Smoking can also damage the connective tissue (组织)that supports both the skin and the internal organs.
1. The best title for this passage would be_______.
| A．The danger of smoking | B．Smoking causes skin aging |
| C．Quit smoking for health | D．A survey of smokers |
| A．smoking won’t make skin protected from the sun |
| B．smoking will do damage to skin rather than other organs |
| C．smokers over 65 usually won’t worry about their skin |
| D．the age of smokers is not connected with the result of the test |
| A．it will lower blood supply to skin | B．it can make you feel tired |
| C．it can make skin come off | D．it can make blood run faster |
| A．inform people about the result of the study |
| B．advise people how to protect skin |
| C．warn people not to smoke again |
| D．introduce a new way of avoiding skin aging |
