1 . As cultural symbols go, the American car is quite young. The Model T Ford was built at the Piquette Plant in Michigan a century ago, with the first rolling off the assembly line (装配线) on September 27, 1908. Only eleven cars were produced the next month. But eventually Henry Ford would build fifteen million of them.
Modern America was born on the road, behind a wheel. The car shaped some of the most lasting aspects of American culture: the roadside diner, the billboard, the motel, even the hamburger. For most of the last century, the car represented what it meant to be American—going forward at high speed to find new worlds. The road novel, the road movie, these are the most typical American ideas, born of abundant petrol, cheap cars and a never-ending interstate highway system, the largest public works project in history.
In 1928 Herbert Hoover imagined an America with “a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage.” Since then, this society has moved onward, never looking back, as the car transformed America from a farm-based society into an industrial
The cars that drove the American Dream have helped to create a global ecological disaster. In America the demand for oil has grown by 22 percent since 1990.
The problems of excessive (过度的) energy consumption, climate change and population growth have been described in a book by the American writer Thomas L. Friedman. He fears the worst, but hopes for the best.
Friedman points out that the green economy (经济) is a chance to keep American strength. “The ability to design, build and export green technologies for producing clean water, clean air and healthy and abundant food is going to be the currency of power in the new century.”
What is Friedman’s attitude towards America’s future?A.Ambiguous. | B.Doubtful. | C.Hopeful. | D.Tolera |
2 . As cultural symbols go, the American car is quite young. The Model T Ford was built at the Piquette Plant in Michigan a century ago, with the first rolling off the assembly line(装配线) on September 27, 1908. Only eleven cars were produced the next month. But eventually Henry Ford would build fifteen million of them.
Modern America was born on the road, behind a wheel. The car shaped some of the most lasting aspects of American culture: the roadside diner, the billboard, the motel, even the hamburger. For most of the last century, the car represented what it meant to be American—going forward at high speed to find new worlds. The road novel, the road movie, these are the most typical American ideas, born of abundant petrol, cheap cars and a never-ending interstate highway system, the largest public works project in history.
In 1928 Herbert Hoover imagined an America with “a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage.” Since then, this society has moved onward, never looking back, as the car transformed America from a farm-based society into an industrial
The cars that drove the American Dream have helped to create a global ecological disaster. In America the demand for oil has grown by 22 percent since 1990.
The problems of excessive(过度的)energy consumption, climate change and population growth have been described in a book by the American writer Thomas L. Friedman. He fears the worst, but hopes for the best.
Friedman points out that the green economy(经济)is a chance to keep American strength. “The ability to design, build and export green technologies for producing clean water, clean air and healthy and abundant food is going to be the currency of power in the new century.”
Why is hamburger mentioned in paragraph 2?A.To explain Americans’ love for travelling by car. |
B.To show the influence of cars on American culture. |
C.To stress the popularity of fast food with Americans. |
D.To praise the effectiveness of America’s road system. |
3 . Research spanning several decades demonstrates that you are more likely to think the information that is repeated to be true than the information you hear only once. You usually assume that if people put in effort to repeat a statement, this reflects the truth of the statement. This tendency-also called the truth effect-is a bias (偏见) that can lead you to draw incorrect conclusions.
To what degree are people aware of the truth effect? This question was addressed in a paper in the journal Cognition early this year.
In the critical study in this paper, participants did two sessions. In one session, they read about a hypothetical (虚构的) study in which they were exposed to some statements and then were asked whether both statements they had heard before as well as these new statements were true. They were asked to predict the proportion (比例) of each statement that would be judged as true. They did this both as a prediction of other people’s performance as well as a prediction of how they would do in this study.
At another session a few days later, participants actually performed this study, reading a set of 20 statements in the hypothetical study again and then judging the truth of altogether 40 statements, half of which were from the hypothetical study and the other half of which were new.
This study did replicate the well known truth effect. People were more likely to judge statements they had seen before as true than statements that were new. Two interesting findings emerged from the prediction. First, participants tended to underestimate the size of the truth effect for everyone. T hat is, while they did expect some difference in judgments between the statements seen before and those that were new, they thought this difference would be smaller than it actually was. Second, participants more significantly underpredicted the truth effect for themselves compared to that for other people.
This study is particularly important in light of the amount of misinformation present in social media. Many people have the power to influence public opinion about important matters. Flooding social media feeds with misinformation will lead people to believe this information is true just because it is stated. Recognizing that we are all susceptible to this influence of repeated information should lead us to mistrust our intuition (直觉) about what is true and to look up important information prior to using it to make important judgments and decisions.
1. In the first paragraph, the author intends to ______.A.clarify a misconception | B.present a phenomenon |
C.challenge a statement | D.confirm a theory |
A.Impacts of the truth effect require further studies. |
B.Making predictions before judgments is significant. |
C.People have hardly any awareness of the truth effect. |
D.People tend to believe they can make wiser judgments. |
A.Critical. | B.Subject. | C.Opposed. | D.Adapted. |
4 . Evan Selinger, professor in RIT’s Department of Philosophy, has taken an interest in the ethics (伦理标准) of Al and the policy gaps that need to be filled in. Through a humanities viewpoint, Selinger asks the questions, “How can AI cause harm, and what can governments and companies creating Al programs do to address and manage it?” Answering them, he explained, requires an interdisciplinary approach.
“AI ethics go beyond technical fixes. Philosophers and other humanities experts are uniquely skilled to address the nuanced (微妙的) principles, value conflicts, and power dynamics. These skills aren’t just crucial for addressing current issues. We desperately need them to promote anticipatory (先行的) governance, ” said Selinger.
One example that illustrates how philosophy and humanities experts can help guide these new, rapidly growing technologies is Selinger’s work collaborating with a special AI project. “One of the skills I bring to the table is identifying core ethical issues in emerging technologies that haven’t been built or used by the public. We can take preventative steps to limit risk, including changing how the technology is designed, ”said Selinger.
Taking these preventative steps and regularly reassessing what risks need addressing is part of the ongoing journey in pursuit of creating responsible AI. Selinger explains that there isn’t a step-by-step approach for good governance. “AI ethics have core values and principles, but there’s endless disagreement about interpreting and applying them and creating meaningful accountability mechanisms, ” said Selinger. “Some people are rightly worried that AI can become integrated into ‘ethics washing’-weak checklists, flowery mission statements, and empty rhetoric that covers over abuses of power. Fortunately, I’ve had great conversations about this issue, including with some experts, on why it is important to consider a range of positions. ”
Some of Selinger’s recent research has focused on the back-end issues with developing AI, such as the human impact that comes with testing AI chatbots before they’re released to the public. Other issues focus on policy, such as what to do about the dangers posed by facial recognition and other automated surveillance(监视) approaches.
Selinger is making sure his students are informed about the ongoing industry conversations on AI ethics and responsible AI. “Students are going to be future tech leaders. Now is the time to help them think about what goals their companies should have and the costs of minimizing ethical concerns. Beyond social costs, downplaying ethics can negatively impact corporate culture and hiring, ” said Selinger. “To attract top talent, you need to consider whether your company matches their interests and hopes for the future. ”
1. Selinger advocates an interdisciplinary approach because ________.A.humanities experts possess skills essential for AI ethics |
B.it demonstrates the power of anticipatory governance |
C.AI ethics heavily depends on technological solutions |
D.it can avoid social conflicts and pressing issues |
A.adopt a systematic approach | B.apply innovative technologies |
C.anticipate ethical risks beforehand | D.establish accountability mechanisms |
A.More companies will use AI to attract top talent. |
B.Understanding AI ethics will help students in the future. |
C.Selinger favors companies that match his students’ values. |
D.Selinger is likely to focus on back-end issues such as policy. |
1. Where is the solar power plant?
A.In the corner of the park. | B.In the center of the park. | C.In the front of the park. |
A.Develop agriculture. | B.Provide enough jobs. | C.Help the poor people there. |
A.Travel companies. | B.Agricultural companies. | C.Industrial companies. |
A.234. | B.1,008. | C.2,000. |
A.A drunk driver. | B.A broken taxi. | C.A car accident. |
7 . To build a prosperous (繁荣的) society, a fundamental understanding of the modern economy as a driving force in today’s world is essential.
What kind of prosperity have we achieved so far? The widespread definition of prosperity focuses on economic power and growth as measures of success. Let’s take a look at history. The Second Industrial Revolution enabled mass production and created a sufficient supply of goods. This has greatly increased the importance of money in its role as “a store of value, ” and “a medium of exchange. ”As a result, we have pursued economic power as the only indicator of prosperity, such as GDP. Waves of globalization and technological evolution have promoted overall economic growth, but have allowed the few who are strong to achieve greater power while exploiting the many who are weak. Consequently, inequality has worsened, and disunity has intensified.
The path to a truly prosperous world requires a shift in focus towards the most suitable happiness for all, in addition to economic power. Defining happiness, however, is a complex task. What makes people happy? The degree to which the same thing creates happiness differs from person to person. Happiness is subjective and complicated. This is a world of “multiple values” where each of us determines worth as opposed to “one fixed price” based merely on an economic perspective. Individuals shouldn’t be defined by a single identity or role but by multidimensional nature as well as multiple roles making independent choices and taking actions for their happiness in different aspects.
Businesses must be pioneers in pursuing not only economic growth but also the happiness of all citizens of society. Companies can contribute through the pursuit of social value as well as economic profit. At the heart of this lies “purpose”. A company’s purpose defines the value it brings to society. The true worth of a company should be determined not just by the return s it creates for shareholders but by the value it creates for society as a whole.
1. What is the author’s attitude to the widely accepted standard of prosperity?A.Indifferent. | B.Critical. | C.Uncertain. | D.Approving. |
A.The slower economic growth speed. |
B.The sharp reduction of job opportunities. |
C.The enlarged gap between the rich and the poor. |
D.The increasing conflict between different nations. |
A.Happiness is changeable and beyond control. |
B.Happiness largely depends on economic power. |
C.The pursuit of profit determines a company’s true worth. |
D.A prosperous world should be measured by multiple values. |
A.Social psychologists. | B.Enterprise administrators. |
C.School educators. | D.Technological researchers. |
8 . A recent survey in the US found that Gen Z-ers and Millennials (千禧一代) visit libraries more often than their parents or grandparents. The young love libraries because they are secure, comfortable, free and — as my 11-year-old would say — “aesthetic”. This means they look good in the background of an Instagram post or TikTok video. It’s also a great place to meet people. If you’re both young and in a library, chances are you have similar interests.
And then, too, there are the books. Gen Z-ers are turning out to be big readers, especially of paper books. Even though, or perhaps because, they have in their pockets the most limitlessly distracting devices ever invented, many are deliberately choosing to pick up a piece of 15th-century technology instead. They like the fact that books are self-contained and require concentration.
There is, sometimes, a sense of nostalgic (怀旧的) cosplay in the way young people read. In New York, for example, the latest TikTok-fuelled craze is reading with strangers in bars. You have to buy a ticket in advance, and then you all gather and sit in silence for 30 minutes, reading whatever book you’ve brought along. Like an expensive version of going to the library, except that afterwards you all have a drink and talk about books.
The very thought of it makes me suffer, but that’s because I’m a child of the 1970s and 80s. To me, reading is a private pleasure, while screens — TV or cinema — are social. I did once, in a fit of ambitious parenting, introduce a “family reading hour”, during which my husband and children were pressed to join me at the fireside for some silent reading. It could not have felt more performative if we had dressed up in top hats and crinolines (旧时的衬裙). But still, I applaud these young readers — for knowing what is good for them, for seeking out human connection, for finding the beauty and pleasure in old institutions, and for bringing new life to the library.
1. Which of the following is a reason why the young love libraries?A.They enjoy the sense of safety and freedom. |
B.They are free to use social media in libraries. |
C.They consider e-reading a way to discover beauty. |
D.They expect to meet people with different interests. |
A.It’s a trend of reading with the family in bars. |
B.It’s a learning approach advocating silent reading. |
C.It’s a gathering attended by strangers free of charge. |
D.It’s a reading fashion integrating the old and the new. |
A.It is a delightful social experience. | B.It is a way of personal enjoyment. |
C.It is a significant parenting pattern. | D.It is a painful routine practice. |
A.A Gen Z Way to Refresh Libraries |
B.A Realistic Look of Library Reading |
C.A Broad View of Libraries and Social Media |
D.A New Way to See Human Connection with Libraries |
9 . Lima, the capital of Peru, is the world’s second largest desert city. The region is water-stressed. The annual rainfall is less than 4 cm. Access to water is an ongoing problem for the residents in and around the South American capital.
When industrial engineer Abel Cruz was a boy, his weekly work was to climb down a valley in the foothills of the Peruvian Andes to fetch the family’s water from a spring. “It was downhill from the house, far away and steep,” he says. Cruz began dreaming up better ways to collect water. Then he noticed that subtropical plants capture rain and mist with their wide leaves. Actually Lima doesn’t lack in humidity (湿度), averaging 83% year-round. Located in the foothills of the Andean mountains, it is close to the Pacific Ocean, which ensures that blankets of dense fog roll in for three-quarters of a year. Eventually, Abel Cruz struck upon the idea of a fog net.
Each upraised net is 20 square metres, where micro-droplets of water suspended in the foggy atmosphere condense (凝结) and drip down into collection tanks. Approximately 200 to 400 litres of water is collected daily from each net. Locals can fetch it in buckets for small-scale farming. Working in Lima with support from the Creating Water Foundation, Cruz has installed over 3, 600 nets on hillsides around the city to capture fog drifting in from the Pacific Ocean. Cruz raised funds for hundreds of nets in Peru with his revolutionary initiative Peruvians Without Water. He aims to set up even more fog harvesters, and to treat the water to make it drinkable.
“The planet has less and less fresh water,” Cruz points out, “because the glaciers that are natural reservoirs are disappearing. So we must find a way to accumulate and save water for times of drought.” The technology is life-changing for the poor households who normally have to rely on water tanks being delivered to them. His approach ends extreme poverty and brings rural development. Moreover, he is trying to bring healthy and clean water also to urban areas lacking water.
1. Why does the author mention Cruz’s childhood experience in paragraph 2?A.To illustrate the urgency of reducing poverty. |
B.To highlight his responsibility for the family. |
C.To trace the origin of Cruz’s great invention. |
D.To stress Lima’s terrible geographical conditions. |
A.It was inspired from subtropical plants. |
B.It used collection tanks to condense water. |
C.It lowered costs in building irrigation channels. |
D.It solved the drinking water issue with fog harvesters. |
A.Guaranteeing crop harvests in Peru. |
B.Promoting the recycle of water resources. |
C.Ending poverty by improving traditional farming. |
D.Improving the life quality for people in water-stressed areas. |
A.To describe the functions of an innovative fog-catcher. |
B.To call people’s attention to the worsening water crisis. |
C.To seek more support in raising funds for water collection. |
D.To introduce Abel Cruz’s invention and its great significance. |
10 . When I first moved to China in 1998, I thought I would impress my class by using some Chinese in my speech about American weddings (婚礼). I told them everyone brings a gift to the wedding for the couple. As soon as I said this, all of the students looked surprised. I knew I had said something wrong. I realized that instead of telling them that everybody brings gifts to the hun li for the couple, I had said people bring gifts for them at the li hun!
I get laughs from some of my students because I often make mistakes and my Chinese sounds strange at times. But I tell them that sometimes their English is really strange too.
One asks, “What are you like to do in your free time?” And the other answers, “I very like basketball.” I find that even good English speakers make such mistakes. The second is by far the most common mistake I have heard among Chinese English speakers. It is a result of first thinking in Chinese and then translating each word in the sentence into English. This, of course, makes some Chinese people’s English sound strange.
“We should get off the car here,” a student told me. My school had asked two students to show me around the city by taxi. In English countries, we “get off” a bike, bus, or train. However, when we leave a car, we say “get out of the car”. Perhaps the student had learned “get off” means xia in Chinese and he thought the phrase (短语) could be followed by any means of transportation. To avoid such mistakes, you should take collocations (搭配) seriously. Only learning vocabulary and grammar is not enough.
Some of my students sound more like a book or machine than a human. Perhaps they have gotten used to depending on books. You can also read English books out loud or use a CD, but you need the real thing. If you have a chance to hear a native speaker from an Englishspeaking country, practice repeating what you hear. They can teach you how to have a conversation.
1. Why did the students feel surprised?A.American weddings are difficult to organize. |
B.The author’s Chinese was as fluent as Chinese. |
C.The author used a completely wrong Chinese word. |
D.Everyone must bring a gift to an American wedding. |
A.Spelling mistakes. | B.Direct translation. |
C.Cultural difference. | D.Wrong pronunciations. |
A.He might be poor at vocabulary. |
B.He might mistake “car” for “taxi”. |
C.He might know very little about the city. |
D.He might pay little attention to collocations. |
A.Common mistakes made by Chinese English learners. |
B.Differences between Chinese and American culture. |
C.Suggestions on improving conversational skills. |
D.His experience of learning English. |