1 . It’s no secret that reading good news feels a lot better than reading bad news. Like, would you rather bite into a lemon, or sip on a fresh glass of lemonade?
In fact, good news, known as solutions journalism, is becoming more popular, as publishers and news stations discover the benefits of sharing positive stories. Good Good Good is one of them.
“If it bleeds, it leads.” has long been a saying used in the media to describe how news stories about violence, death and destruction draw readers’ attention.
| A．Share good news with people around you. |
| B．It’s just that we don’t hear as much about them. |
| C．But the “bad news” has its place in the world. |
| D．It provides a more balanced view of the world. |
| E．And so, negative news stories are everywhere on news media. |
| F．Heartwarming stories make you cry and feel good. |
| G．The news media company is devoted to providing good news intentionally. |
2 . Is forgiveness against our human nature? To answer our question, we need to ask a further question: What is the essence of our humanity? For the sake of simplicity, people consider two distinctly different views of humanity. The first view involves dominance and power. In an early paper on the psychology of forgiveness, Droll (1984) made the interesting claim that humans’ essential nature is more aggressive than forgiving allows. Those who forgive are against their basic nature, much to their harm. In his opinion, forgivers are compromising their well-being as they offer mercy to others, who might then take advantage of them.
The second view involves the theme of cooperation, mutual respect, and even love as the basis of who we are as humans. Researchers find that to fully grow as human beings, we need both to receive love from and offer love to others. Without love, our connections with a wide range of individuals in our lives can fall apart. Even common sense strongly suggests that the will to power over others does not make for harmonious interactions. For example, how well has slavery worked as a mode of social harmony?
From this second viewpoint of who we are as humans, forgiveness plays a key role in the biological and psychological integrity of both individuals and communities because one of the outcomes of forgiveness, shown through scientific studies, is the decreasing of hatred and the restoration of harmony. Forgiveness can break the cycle of anger. At least to the extent the people from whom you are estranged accept your love and forgiveness and are prepared to make the required adjustments. Forgiveness can heal relationships and reconnect people.
As an important note, when we take a Classical philosophical perspective, that of Aristotle, we see the distinction between potentiality and actuality. We are not necessarily born with the capacity to forgive, but instead with the potential to learn about it and to grow in our ability to forgive. The actuality of forgiving, its actual appropriation in conflict situations, develops with practice.
1. What is Droll’s idea about forgiveness?| A．People should offer mercy to others. |
| B．Aggressive people should learn to forgive. |
| C．Forgiveness depends on the nature of humanity. |
| D．People who forgive can have their own welfare affected. |
| A．To forgive is to love. | B．To dominate is to harm. |
| C．To fight is to grow. | D．To give is to receive. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Reserved. | C．Objective. | D．Skeptical. |
| A．Forgiveness is in our nature. | B．Forgiveness grows with time. |
| C．It takes practice to forgive. | D．Actuality is based on potentiality. |
3 . In today’s digital age, where a vast ocean of information is just a click away, the question arises: can one learn too much? Given that no individual can grasp the entirety of human knowledge. However, there exists a phenomenon where excessive learning can lead to inaction, a state of being overwhelmed by too much information.
Consider a situation where you’re eager to achieve a particular goal. You begin by conducting extensive research, diving deep into the subject. As you absorb more information, it paradoxically (矛盾地) feels like your understanding weakens. Each new concept or strategy reveals further layers, making the goal seem more complex and out of reach.
This situation is a common trap: the endless pursuit of more information. Although gaining comprehensive knowledge is valuable, that is to say there’s nothing wrong with learning a lot, issues arise when this pursuit obstructs practical application. If learning continuously prevents you from starting, you’ll find yourself stuck, unable to achieve your desired outcomes.
An alternative and more effective approach to achieving goals is to strike a balance between learning and doing. Gather essential information, then transition into action swiftly, even if you feel somewhat unprepared. This is often the best way to learn, as hands-on experience provides insights that theoretical knowledge alone cannot.
The comparison with a baby learning to walk is a good example here. A baby doesn’t learn to walk by sitting and analyzing the process. Instead, it learns by attempting to walk, falling, and then understanding from each fall what works and what doesn’t. Through repeated effort, walking is eventually mastered. This method is applicable to goal achievement too. By engaging in action, learning from the outcomes, and adjusting accordingly, you gradually move closer to your goals.
In summary, while the pursuit of knowledge is valuable, it’s crucial not to let it become a barrier to action. Learning should be a stepping stone to doing, not an end in itself. It’s through the interplay of gathering knowledge and applying it that we can truly progress towards our ambitions.
1. What stops people from achieving the goal?| A．The distraction caused by unrelated tasks. |
| B．The inability to find relevant information. |
| C．The confusion caused by the information. |
| D．The desire to learn basic concept or strategy. |
| A．Sticking to continuous learning | B．Taking practical action without delay. |
| C．Gaining as much knowledge as possible. | D．Prioritizing theoretical knowledge in study. |
| A．To compare different learning styles. |
| B．To show the importance of making mistakes. |
| C．To emphasize the need for parental guidance. |
| D．To illustrate learning through action and experience. |
| A．The Harmony of Learning and Doing. | B．The Process of Accessing Information. |
| C．The Pursuit of Advanced Knowledge. | D．The significance of Hands-on Experience. |
4 . Many of you may have used Siri, a voice assistant of US tech company Apple. You only have to say “hey Siri” and it will answer to your command. However, we may be sacrificing our privacy to enjoy this convenience.
According to a recent report by the Guardian, Siri can be accidentally triggered and start recording private conversations, such as discussions between doctors and patients Some of these recordings are then given to workers outside the company to review. Apple claimed the data was used to help Siri improve, but users were not informed of this measure in the first place. Apple’s Siri is not the only voice assistant to come under fire. In 2018, Alexa, a voice assistant developed by US tech company Amazon, recorded a private conversation between a couple and sent it to a stranger without their permission.
These issues deepened concerns that tech companies are infringing (侵犯) users’ rights of privacy. Many people have long feared that tech companies are listening and collecting data from private conversations, reported Forbes. Using this data, third party companies could then paint an accurate picture of users’ habits and preferences in order to serve them more targeted advertisements, or even worse, sell this private data.
Despite this risk, the popularity of voice assistant seems to be unstoppable. In the near future, everything from your lighting to your air-conditioning to your refrigerator, your coffee maker, and even your toilet could be wired to a system controlled by voice, commented The Atlantic.
Colin Horgan wrote on the blog site Medium that he believed people’s daily lives will soon become a source of data. “ The sounds of our homes, the symphony of life laughing, crying, talking, shouting, sitting in silence-will no longer be considered memories, but data, ” he wrote. To deal with the issue, Blake Morgan, reporter for The Atlantic, believed that the answer is transparency. “All companies need to have messaging ready to explain to customers what they do with private data,” she wrote on The Atlantic.
1. What can be inferred from Paragraph 2?| A．There are some fire-proof voice assistants. |
| B．Many voice assistants are. being developed. |
| C．Some voice assistants are also being criticized besides Siri. |
| D．Data collected by Siri is used for better user experience. |
| A．Serving them targeted advertisements. | B．Sending their message. |
| C．Invading their privacy. | D．Making no improvements. |
| A．Stop collecting data through voice assistant. | B．Explain their use of the data to customers. |
| C．Make their data more transparent. | D．Collect data to better keep memories. |
| A．To show visions of a data world in the future. |
| B．To criticize companies’ invading customers’ privacy. |
| C．To inform people of what tech companies are really up to. |
| D．To draw attention to the privacy issue concerning voice assistants. |
The buzzwords (时髦术语) “brittle college students” have gone viral on the Internet recently among mounting concerns over
Such comments have caused heated discussions over the declining physical
“These young people were mainly diagnosed (诊断) with trauma, abdominal pain, chest tightness, hyperventilation, acute alcoholism, and cholecystitis. Most cases were caused by
A report pointed out that unhealthy lifestyle is common
6 . It is natural to compare ourselves to others and to get caught in a mental comparison loop, and yet this seldom is beneficial. You may have heard the expression, “
Comparison not only robs us of delight, but it also fuels self-criticism and a lack of self-acceptance.
We often tell ourselves we are acceptable only if we meet certain standards, and we evaluate how we measure up by looking at others. The tendency is to conclude that we are not measuring up, particularly if we have a low sense of self-worth.
To stop comparing ourselves to others, we have to recognize that the comparison game is unwinnable and stop playing.
| A．No comparison, no life. |
| B．Comparison is the thief of joy. |
| C．Comparison can even be misleading. |
| D．We are focused on others and not on what is meaningful to us. |
| E．Typically, comparison will lead to feeling inadequate or inferior. |
| F．Shift from being guided by comparison to being guided by values. |
| G．And we fear that we are going to be judged by our perceived failures. |
The term “Erbin”, a, nickname of Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, known for its ice and snow festival,
The essence of this “fancy rat-race” lies in
First, they need to build better roads to scenic spots and tourist service platforms,
Tourism authorities should, therefore, focus on promoting local cuisine, natural resources and personalities.
8 . Users of Google Gemini, the tech giant’s artificial intelligence model, recently noticed that asking it to create images of Vikings, or German soldiers from 1943 produced surprising results: hardly any of the people were white. Other image-generation tools have been criticized because they tend to show white men when asked for images of entrepreneurs or doctors. Google wanted Gemini to avoid this trap; instead, it fell into another one, depicting George Washington as black. Now attention has moved on to the chatbot’s text responses, which turned out to be just as surprising.
Gemini declined to write a job ad for a fossil fuel lobby group (游说团体), because fossil fuels are bad and lobby groups prioritize “the interests of corporations over public well-being”. Asked if Hamas is a terrorist organization, it replied that the conflict in Gaza is “complex”; asked if Elon Musk’s tweeting of memes had done more harm than Hitler, it said it was “difficult to say”. You do not have to be a critic to perceive its progressive bias.
Inadequate testing may be partly to blame Google lags behind OpenAI, maker of the better-known ChatGPT. As it races to catch up, Google may have taken short cuts. Other chatbots have also had controversial launches Releasing chatbots and letting users uncover their faults, which can be swiftly addressed, lets firms move faster, if they are prepared to endure the potential risks and bad publicity, observes Ethan Mollick, a professor at Wharton Business School.
But Gemini has clearly been deliberately adjusted to produce these responses. This raises questions about Google’s culture. Is the firm so financially secure, with vast profits from Internet advertising, that it feels free to try its hand at social engineering? Do some employees think it has not just an opportunity, but a responsibility, to use its reach and power to promote a particular agenda? All eyes are now on Google’s boss. Sundar Pichai. He says Gemini is being fixed. But does Google need fixing too?
1. What was the problem of Google Gemini in the first paragraph?| A．Having a racial prejudice. | B．Responding to wrong texts. |
| C．Criticizing political figures. | D．Going against historical facts. |
| A．Gemini’s bias in text responses. |
| B．Gemini’s refusal to make progress. |
| C．Gemini’s failure to give definite answers. |
| D．Gemini’s avoidance of political conflicts. |
| A．Creative. | B．Promising. |
| C．Illegal. | D．Controversial. |
| A．Its security is doubted. | B．It lacks financial support. |
| C．It needs further improvement. | D．Its employees are irresponsible. |
9 . 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
10 . Are you happy with your appearance?
“Almost all the girls with single-fold eyelids (单眼皮) in our class have had double eyelid operations,” Zeng, a Senior 2 student from Chengdu, told Xinhua. Zeng had the same surgery done this summer.
From popular photo-editing apps to plastic surgery (整形手术), it seems that large eyes, pale skin and a skinny body are the only standard for beauty these days. But can following this standard really make us feel good about ourselves?
“Many teenagers are upset about their appearance because they believe in unrealistic standards of beauty,” experts say.
However, trying to live up to strict standards can make us feel anxious. What troubles us is not just our “imperfect” looks, but the fact that we criticize ourselves too much.
| A．Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. |
| B．Body image anxiety is common among teenagers. |
| C．Guys care just as much as girls do about their body image. |
| D．Some teenagers might feel negative about their appearance. |
| E．It’s common for teenagers to feel confident about their appearance. |
| F．She and many of her classmates believe bigger eyes look more beautiful. |
| G．Perfect faces and bodies are everywhere in advertising, TV shows and social media. |
