1 . There are few places on Earth that humans haven’t messed up. Now even Antarctica, the only continent with no permanent human inhabitants, is being altered by us. A study found that the increasing human presence in Antarctica is causing more snow melt-bad news for a frozen world already battling the effects of human-caused global warming.

Black carbon, the dark, dusty pollution that comes from burning fossil fuels has settled in locations where tourists and researchers spend a lot of time, scientists found. Even the smallest amount of the dark pollutant can have a significant impact on melting because of its very low reflectiveness: things that are light in color, like snow, reflect the sun's energy and stay cool; things that are dark, like black carbon, absorb the sun's energy and warm up.

“The snow albedo (反射率) effect is one of the largest uncertainties in regional and global climate modeling right now,” Alia Khan, a snow and ice scientist at Western Washington University, told CNN. “That’s one of the motivations for the study, to quantify the impact of black carbon on regional snowmelt, which is important for quantifying the role of black carbon in the global loss of snow and ice.”

“Antarctica is sitting there pretty much silently all year. But, if it weren’t there, in the state that it is meant to be, the balance that we have in the climate system will no longer be,” Marilyn Raphael, a geography professor said. “Antarctica’s sea ice is also important to maintain a balance in atmospheric circulation,” he added. As waters get warmer, some Antarctic creatures are finding their homes more and more unlivable.

“Everything we do has consequences,” Raphael said. “We need to educate ourselves about those consequences, especially in systems that we know relatively little about. We have to be careful that we don’t upset the climate balance.”

1. Why can the smallest amount of black carbon have huge impact on melting?

A．It is highly reflective.	B．Its dark colour absorbs heat.
C．It produces vast energy.	D．It causes much pollution.

2. According to Alia, which of the following is one reason for conducting the study?

A．To measure the impact of black carbon on melting.

B．To quantify the cost of battling against climate change.

C．To remove the uncertainties of global warming effects.

D．To urge people to pay more attention to melting problem.

3. What is the fourth paragraph mainly about?

A．The change caused by Antarctic melting.	B．The methods to stop Antarctic ice melting.
C．The significance of Antarctic being in its state.	D．The sufferings Antarctic creatures are experiencing.

4. What does Raphael advise people to do?

A．Reduce tourist numbers.	B．Face the consequences.
C．Acquire professional education.	D．Stop disturbing the climate.

2 . A worrying rise in social media posts, suggesting that people leave their Halloween pumpkins in the woods to feed wildlife after October 31, has made wildlife experts concerned. Thousands of pumpkins are discarded in woods across Britain. While well-meaning pumpkin carvers might think they are doing the local animals groups a kindness, leaving your leftover jack-o’-lantern in the woodland is actually doing more harm than good.

“A myth seems to have built up that leaving pumpkins in woods helps wildlife, but behind it are many hidden issues.” said Paul Bunton, engagement and communication officer at The Woodland Trust, according to The Telegraph.

One of the main issues is that the leftover of the Halloween pumpkins are often eaten by already struggling hedgehogs(刺猬). In early November, hedgehogs are looking to gain as much weight as possible to survive their winter hibernation. However, eating pumpkin is harmful to their little hedgehog stomachs, leading to diarrhea and dehydration. This means they may struggle to put on weight, and in some cases can even be fatal.

Moreover, leftover Halloween pumpkins can contain candles and plastic decorations which can also be fatal to wildlife if mistakenly eaten. The rotting leftover can also attract less popular wildlife, such as rats, to an area. According to The Woodland Trust, the additional nutrients in the pumpkins can negatively affect the soil balance as well. “Pumpkin flesh can have a really harmful effect on woodland soils,plants, and fungi(真菌),” Bunton pointed out.

So what should you do with your beautifully carved pumpkin creation after October 31? Most experts recommend composting (堆肥) it yourself at home if you can, or asking if a local farm will accept it as a donation. You could even try some scientific experiments to produce more energy from the throw-away wasted. Either way, the hedgehogs will thank vou.

1. What does the underlined word “discarded” mean in paragraph 1?

A．Processed.

B．Recycled.

C．Deserted.

D．Preserved.

2. Why do hedgehogs try to eat so many pumpkins in early November?

A．To enjoy the sweet food.	B．To fill their stomachs.
C．To prepare for the winter.	D．To improve their health.

3. What is paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．The additional nutrients in the leftover pumpkins.

B．The damages of candles and plastic in the pumpkins.

C．The attraction of the rotting leftovers to some wildlife.

D．Further explanation of the effect of leftover pumpkins.

4. What are people advised to do with the leftover pumpkins after Halloween?.

A．Stop leaving your pumpkins in the woods.

B．Keep your beautiful pumpkin creations at home.

C．Feed the hedgehogs with the leftover pumpkins.

D．Bury the pumpkins leftover deep under the ground.

3 . California has been using recycled wastewater for many years. A team has used it to make ice surfaces for the game of hockey(冰球运动). It has been used to make snow for the sport of skiing. And farmers use it to water their crops. But it has not been used directly for drinking water.

Recently, California officials approved new rules to let water agencies recycle wastewater and put it right back into the pipes that carry drinking water to homes, schools, and businesses. It is a big step for California.

California’s new rules would let—but not require—water agencies to take wastewater, treat it, and then put it right back into the drinking water system. That means proving to people that recycled water is not only safe to drink but also not dirty. California would be just the second US state to permit this, following Colorado. It has taken officials more than 10 years to develop these rules, a process that included several studies by independent groups of scientists.

A project in San Diego is aiming to produce nearly half of the city’s water through recycling wastewater by 2035. And the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California aims to produce up to nearly 570 million liters(升)a day for its 19 million people. Adel Hagekhalil is with Metropolitan Water. He said the new rules will permit new projects that have not yet been considered.

California’s new rules require the wastewater be treated for all bacteria and viruses, even if they are not present in the wastewater. In fact, the treatment is so intense that it removes all of the minerals that make fresh drinking water taste good. That means the minerals need to be added back at the end of the process. Polhemus is a director of the drinking water group for the California Water Resources Control Board. “It’s at the same drinking water quality, and probably better in many instances,” he said, adding that it takes time and money to build these treatment centers. So, they will only be available for bigger cities at first.

1. What does paragraph 1 mainly tell us about the recycled wastewater?

A．Its qualities.	B．Its functions.
C．Its target users.	D．Its disadvantages.

2. What do California and Colorado have in common?

A．They made some new rules on pollution.

B．They spent ten years recycling wastewater.

C．They tried to make wastewater safe to drink.

D．They requested water agencies to speed up treating water.

3. What is Polhemus’s attitude to turning recycled wastewater to drinking water?

A．Doubtful.

B．Favorable.

C．Pessimistic.

D．Indifferent.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．The Process of Recycling Wastewater Is Complicated

B．California Tries to Reduce the Wastewater Generation

C．California Permits Turning Wastewater to Drinking Water

D．New Wastewater Treatment Projects Have Been Approved

4 . 你校英文报正在开展以 Students’ Time Spent on Physical Exercise Weekly为题的讨论。请使用图表中的调查结果写一篇短文投稿, 内容包括：
1. 描述调查结果;
2. 分析其原因并给出建议。

注意：
1. 写作词数应为80左右;
2. 短文的题目和首句已为你写好。

Students’ Time Spent on Physical Exercise Weekly

Nowadays, many students are aware of the significance of physical exercise, although the time they spend on it varies.

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5 . You see a shopper trip over in a busy street. Someone else can help. That’s what you tell yourself. This is the bystander effect in action — the dilution (淡化) of responsibility in the presence of others — and it has been demonstrated in many past studies.

But life is complicated and psychologists have seen exceptional circumstances. Two experiments were conducted by Marco van Bommel and his team using an online chat room for people with extreme emotional problems. Eighty-six students were logged into the forum (论坛) and shown five messages from troubled users. They were told to write a reply if they wanted, but it was entirely up to them.

Basically, participants could see their names on the screen alongside others’ names. A counter also told them if the forum was quiet, with just one other person logged in, or busy, with 30 others online. This arrangement reproduced the classic Bystander Effect-participants were less likely to post replies with more people logged in. However, when the researchers cued (提示) self-awareness by highlighting participants’ names in red on the screen, they posted more replies on a busy forum.

A second study was built on these findings, but this time self-awareness was raised by the presence, or not, of a computer web-camera. Over 100 participants took part. Although told the camera wouldn’t be used until later, those with cameras were asked to check the camera’s indicator-light during the study. The Bystander Effect was reproduced when web-cameras were absent-on busy forums participants posted fewer replies to needy users. By contrast, those cued to be self-aware by the web-cam actually wrote more replies.

Nearly any online community can benefit from the research. The ability to turn hesitant bystanders into eager helpers is a recipe for engagement and collective benefit. As in the research, simple design cues could be integrated to help online users remember they are visible to the community. For example, the size of profile images and specific on-site reminders can be used to highlight how users see themselves within the community.

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

A．The hidden danger of a busy street.

B．The bystander effect in action.

C．The dilution of responsibility.

D．The presence of other people.

2. In the first study, the participants posted more replies to the troubled when

A．there were more emotional problems

B．the counter indicated the forum was quiet

C．their presence was reminded on the screen

D．more individuals were logged in the forum

3. Why is the web-camera used in the second study?

A．To encourage more replies.

B．To reproduce the bystander effect.

C．To further test participants’ mindset.

D．To better record participants’ actions.

4. What strategy can online communities learn from the research?

A．Working together to attract more users.

B．Combining designs to boost users’ memory.

C．Building more platforms for public promotion.

D．Exploring ways to change bystanders into upstanders.

6 . The next time you’re at an airport or hotel, you might notice a traveling group that consists of young kids, parents, and grandparents vacationing together.     1    But more and more families tend to bring multiple generations with them.

    2    In larger groups, for example, child-care responsibilities can be shared across family members, allowing parents to take a break. But the real value of these trips might be how they give relatives an opportunity to freshen their perception of the people they’ve known for perhaps their entire life. Travel can take us out of our familiar contexts and offer people a chance to see one another differently.

The shift toward multi-generational travel has a few explanations. For one, grandparents today stay healthy later in life, allowing them more energy for travel.     3    Plus, the average U.S. household has become more multi-generational. Americans are not just traveling with grandparents in order to spend time with them, they are traveling with them because they are more likely to live with them in the first place.     4    Americans are taking fewer vacation days than they did in the 1970s. They might want to make the most of that time by including as many people as possible.

Whatever the reason for its popularity, a multi-generational trip can be a rare time when younger and older generations can glimpse the complex people they have each become. Away from the family home, older generations get to see their adult children as responsible parents. Kids get to see their grandparents encounter a new environment.     5    

A．Another explanation is time pressure.

B．The benefits of multi-generational trips are numerous.

C．Decades ago, only wealthy families vacationed together.

D．A scene like this would have been rare a few decades ago.

E．Multi generational family travel tops the list of travel trends.

F．Everyone gets to break out of their family roles and figure out how to be together.

G．Also, big-group accommodation has become more affordable through online platforms.

7 . We’re frequently told that our attention problem-being easily distracted-result from modern technology. If we truly want to focus, according to the popular belief, we need to turn off all our digital devices and quit social media.

Here’s my opinion about that idea. This era(时代)is no different than any other-there has always been a “crisis of attention”. Think about life long ago: people in ancient India or Europe didn’t have smartphones and social media, but they were faced with the same problem.

A crisis of attention can happen anytime you don’t allow yourself a break-when you don’t allow your mind to daydream, which may inspire your creativity. We are always engaged in something. With these digital tools at our fingertips, we have constant access to all these forms of communication, content, and interaction, and we don’t let our thoughts wander(漫游)freely. When was the last time you stood in line at a store and just…looked around? Thought about whatever came to your mind? Or did you pull out your phone, check your texts, read your email during that time?

We all do it. We catch ourselves all the time going from one type of mental engagement to the next. Like surfing online (clicking from link to link), we go from one task to the next and the next. We are “all task and no downtime”. Even something you might think of as relaxing is more engagement. Checking your phone messages may seem “fun”, but it’s just another task for your attention. Your attention is focused on task after task after task, without a moment for the mind to wander freely.

It’s not always realistic to unplug. We can’t just turn off our phones and pause our email. We can’t create a distraction-free world. The problem is not the existence(存在)of modern technology; rather, it’s how we’re using it.

1. Why does the author mention people in ancient India?

A．To argue against the popular belief.

B．To discuss the benefits of technology.

C．To suggest a solution to the attention problem.

D．To show the seriousness of the attention problem.

2. Which is an example of “downtime” according to the author?

A．Chatting with friends.	B．Reading a newspaper.
C．Sitting back doing nothing.	D．Checking phone messages.

3. What does the underlined word “unplug” mean in the last paragraph?

A．Work long hours.	B．Improve technology.
C．Stop using digital devices.	D．Balance work and leisure.

4. Which section of a website is the text most likely from?

A．Culture.	B．Fashion.
C．History.	D．Opinion.

8 . Imagine climbing a mountain and getting half way up and saying to yourself, “You know what, I’m going to climb back down and finish this later.”

    1     We have projects that sit waiting to be completed. Some people start college but never graduate. We have books that we never finish reading.     2     Many people are great at beginning things but can’t seem to finish strong.

Not finishing what we started has been a repeated problem for us. We have to face it.     3     Whenever we delay, or put to the side, the things that will help us accomplish our goals, we stop developing our potential.

Not finishing not only causes us to stop making progress but also we find it harder whenever we do decide to start again. Consider this: every time I begin a new exercise program my muscles are sore (疼) for a few days. After a few weeks of routine, the muscles get accustomed to the program and grow stronger. Thus, no more sore muscles. Well, when I take some time off I fear starting again.     4    

Strong finishers are able to focus on getting the best result from anything that they start. So how do we know that we are a strong finisher? Along with the huge feeling of accomplishment, other people will begin to notice the change.     5     They will have no choice but to recognize our strong finishing ability. We will be rewarded with more trust from them.

A．The list goes on and on.

B．We should have the confidence.

C．Why don’t we have the interest any more?

D．Sounds silly, but that is what we do all of the time.

E．I know that my muscles are going to be sore again.

F．They will see we are able to climb and conquer the mountain.

G．Not being a strong finisher can limit our ability to conquer our goals.

9 . The first wave of concerns over artificial intelligence(AI)in 2023 appeared soon after New Year’s Day when classrooms reopened and schools from Seattle to Paris started blocking ChatGPT, a powerful software based on AI large language models, because teenagers were using it to do their homework.

The AI large language models behind such products as ChatGPT work by repeatedly guessing the next word in a sentence after having “learned” the rules from a huge amount of/human-written works. Although they often get facts wrong, their answers appear so natural that Keven, their inventors begin to worry about their possible use for spreading false information.

People became more worried when various AI products started to create not just texts but novel images, music and human voices, which threatened the livelihoods of anyone who writes, draws or sings for a living. It led to strikes by Hollywood writers and actors and legal challenges from artists and bestselling authors. Some of the most respected scientists even warned that the technology’s unchecked progress was possibly threatening human existence. “In the longer term, they might manage our attention,” pioneering AI scientist Fei Fei Lisaid. “They would tell us which video to watch, which book to read or whose communication to respond as AI technology’s abilities improve rapidly. They could be a very good assistant, but also with really big risks.”

Li hoped that 2023 is going to be a year for people to think about what Al is, how to use it and what the effects are — all the good, the bad and the ugly.

“It’s easy to forget that they are not the first wave of AI products. Computer vision techniques developed by Li and other scientists have helped sort through a huge database of photos to recognize objects and individual faces and guide self-driving cars. Speech recognition advances have made voice assistants like Siri and Alexa a normal thing in many people’s lives,” said Tom Gruber, co-founder of Siri Inc.

1. Why did schools try to stop their students from using ChatGPT?

A．ChatGPT often got facts wrong in the class.

B．Students spent too much time on the software.

C．ChatGPT helped students spread false information.

D．Students used the software to cheat at their homework.

2. What are the second and third paragraphs mainly about?

A．AI’s training costs.	B．ATs amazing abilities.
C．AI’s possible threats.	D．AI’s fast developments.

3. What would Tom Gruber most probably suggest people do?

A．Think carefully about AI’s impact.	B．Welcome AI technology
C．Do use ChatGPT more carefully.	D．Upgrade ChatGPT in time.

4. Where is the text most probably taken from?

A．A news report.	B．A guide book to a software.
C．A product review.	D．An introduction to a person.

10 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

It was the 9th of January, a day I will remember for a long time. It was a normal Sunday morning around 8:30 am, right on time for Sammy’s morning walk. I didn’t walk because of my lameness, so I rode in my power wheelchair. We got out the door and made our way toward a property near my apartment complex. We got to the gate and out of the complex, and we went left onto the extra wide sidewalk. It was about a mile’s walk one way , passing a firehouse on the right side of the road, before we turned around and started back.

Along the path we took was a large plate over the sidewalk. I passed over it the first time without any problems. My wheelchair could reach up to 8 miles per hour, but we went a little slower on our walks, around 2 miles per hour,   so Sammy could keep up. Even so, this speed was pretty fast for a 15-year-old dog.

As we turned around and made our way back, I went over the sidewalk plate again except that this time it was moved without me realizing it, putting my wheelchair in the grass on the embankment (路堤). The next thing I knew, my wheelchair started to tip over, throwing me out of the chair and rolling down the embankment into the muddy water below.

My right leg was hurt, and I was unable to pull myself upright. I was too weak to gather my strength to call for help. The muddy water was cold and I felt it hard to breathe with my body folded and twisted in a strange position. Meanwhile, Sammy was sitting up on the sidewalk with his leash (牵狗皮带) caught under the tipped over wheelchair. I heard him barking louder than ever heard. He knew I was hurt and was in danger.

By the way my wheelchair tipped over, a passerby on the street would not be able to see it from the road. All anyone could see was a dog barking on the sidewalk almost night across the street from the firehouse.

注意：1．续写词数应为150左右;
2．请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

I could tell Sammy was trying to help me.

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Three firemen came to my dog’s aid finally.

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