1 . Nuclear energy is one of the cleanest power on earth. It is cleaner than any energy source except wind. But that doesn’t necessarily mean nuclear is the long-term solution for the world because nuclear material is perhaps the most poisonous matter on earth. In addition, uranium, the element most commonly used in nuclear reactors, is not in limitless supply. But the biggest problem is nuclear waste.

How can we deal with nuclear waste? The answer is simple—put them somewhere where they can stay, undisturbed, isolated, forever. Finland is building just that. This region is largely lacking in natural disasters. It really doesn’t encounter any natural phenomenon that could damage a nuclear waste storage site, especially if it’s 1, 500 feet underground. Beneath an island on the Finnish Baltic Sea coast, the country is digging. They’ re building the very first permanent nuclear waste storage facility in the world in the stable bedrock 1,500 feet below.

Currently they’ re just finishing their dig down, then very soon they’ll start filling the facility with nuclear waste. They’ll dig long tunnels with small holes in which they’ll place nuclear waste then backfill the tunnels with clay to be left forever.

With this system, there’s near zero risk of nuclear material leaking out into the groundwater and, once it’s filled in the year 2120, it can just be left, forever. Because the material will be so far down and so difficult to get to, no human management will be necessary once completed.

No security, no maintenance, nothing which means it should be truly secure, but before leaving it, Finland needs to fight against one thing—human nature. As curious beings, it’s hard to fight a person’s urge of discovery. If someone finds a mysterious structure from thousands of years ago, it’d just be natural to want to open it up, and that’s a problem for nuclear waste sites.

We essentially did just that with the pyramids in Egypt. These structures were built as the final, permanent resting places and we opened them up because we were curious. Opening the nuclear storage facilities would release radiation into a future civilization, so we have to tell them to leave the sites alone, but that’s easier said than done.

1. Why is Finland building a nuclear storage site deep underground?

A．The tunnels there are easy to dig.	B．The supply of uranium is limited.
C．Modern technology makes it possible.	D．No natural disaster can influence the site.

2. What human nature does the author worry about?

A．Being curious.	B．A desire for security.
C．Being adventurous.	D．A desire for control.

3. What is the author’s attitude toward Finland’s action?

A．Supportive.

B．Tolerant.

C．Doubtful.

D．Pessimistic.

4. Why are the pyramids in Egypt mentioned?

A．To arouse people’s curiosity.	B．To predict the site’s development.
C．To illustrate the author’s concern.	D．To stress the importance of the project.

2 . A March 2023 report from Goldman Sachs estimated that AI could do a quarter of all the work currently done by humans.     1     It would not just happen to individuals, but it could be pretty systemic.

    2     There are still things AI isn’t capable of. There are generally three categories that are probably going to be relatively secure in the foreseeable future.     3     That means you’re not doing formulaic work, but generating new ideas. For example, in science, medicine and law, where your job is coming up with a new legal strategy or business strategy, there’s going to continue to be a place for human beings.

The second category is jobs that require complicated interpersonal relationships like nurses, business consultants and investigative journalists. These are jobs where you need a very deep understanding of people.     4    

The third safe zone are jobs that really require lots of mobility and problem-solving ability in unpredictable environments. Electricians, plumbers, and the like all fall under this umbrella, where you’re dealing with a new situation all the time. They are probably the hardest of anything to automate.

It’s important to note that an advanced education is not a defence against AI takeover. In many cases, more educated workers are going to be more threatened than then even the least educated workers.     5     It’s really hard to automate that job.

In short, seeking roles in dynamic, shifting environments that include unpredictable tasks is good way to avoid job loss to AI.

A．And that could be terrible.

B．Thankfully, it’s not all bad news.

C．The robots really are coming for some jobs.

D．The first would be jobs that are genuinely creative.

E．Think of the person that works cleaning hotel rooms.

F．That doesn’t necessarily mean all jobs that are considered ”creative” are safe.

G．It’ll be a long time before AI has the ability to really build relationships and interact.

3 . Individuals tend to befriend others similar to them for a range of physical factors (e. g. age, gender).To test whether friendship is connected with increased similarity of real-time mental responding, researchers used fMRI (功能性磁共振成像) to scan subjects’ brains during free viewing of naturalistic movies.

Forty-two students participated in the study by Professor Carolyn Parkinson of the University of California, Los Angeles. During the fMRI study, each subject watched the same collection of video parts. The videos covered a variety of topics and genres (e.g. comedies, documentaries, and debates).

The current results suggest that nerve responses when viewing audiovisual (视听的) movies are exceptionally similar among friends, and they are quite alike to one another in terms of how they perceive, interpret, and react to the world around them. These data also demonstrate that it is possible to predict whether two individuals are friends based only on the similarity of temporary patterns in their nerve responses during free viewing of complex, real-world scenes.

A follow-up study analyzing the social relationships of 1,186 children in 49 classrooms showed that similarity of the social brain varied by friendship distance: shared friends showed greater similarity in social brain networks compared with friends-of-friends and even more remotely connected peers.

“Although the results of the current study suggest that friends have incredibly similar nerve responses to naturalistic stimulation, due to this study’s cross-sectional nature, we cannot figure out, based on these results alone, whether nerve response similarity is a cause or consequence of friendship,” Dr Anna Machin, an evolutionary anthropologist(人类学家)said. She described how two tightly bonded people mirror each other’s behavior. Best friends may have similar heart beats, body temperature and hormonal responses.“ It’s as if every part of your body is engaged in having a relationship with that person,” said Machin. “That for me sums up how important best friends are. We wouldn’t have developed this way if those relationships weren’t critical for survival.”

1. Why did the researchers carry out the fMRI study?

A．To find out the effects of fMRI.

B．To help the students analyze videos.

C．To test whether the students are true friends.

D．To check if friendship goes with nerve responses.

2. What does the underlined word “genres” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Subjects.

B．Types.

C．Results.

D．Responses.

3. What can be learned about the findings of the studies?

A．Friends have the same mental responses.

B．It is impossible to tell whether two are friends.

C．Friendship distance affects similarity of the social brain.

D．Stronger relationships bring about more similar appearance.

4. What can we infer from Machin’s words?

A．Friendship is of great significance in our life.

B．Nerve response similarity is a cause of friendship.

C．Naturalistic stimulation leads to friends’ similar responses.

D．We develop because relationships are unimportant for survival.

4 . Fast food chains have tried for years to appeal to customers who care about their health. They have added lighter food to their menus, such as salads and yogurt. Of course, the lighter food goes with the usual burgers, fried chicken and shakes.

Menus have changed over the past three decades. According to a recent study, fast food menus are less healthy than they were 30 years ago. The study suggests the problem is getting worse. The fat, salt content and size of fast food meals are the problem. They are often the reason for the rising obesity (肥胖) rate among adults in the United States. The researchers found that the average main dish weighed more in 2016 than in 1986. It also had more calories and more sodium (钠). One expert said, “The restaurants have not done enough. The big picture is that there have been some positive changes, but they are small. Overall, the changes have gotten worse.”

The average fast food dessert had more calories in 2016. It also weighed more than the average fast food dessert thirty years earlier. Restaurants are counting on bigger sundaes and cookies to increase the amount spent on each order. For example, McDonald’s recently introduced “donut sticks” dusted with sugar. Six sticks have 280 calories. But you can also order 12 sticks for less than the cost of two single orders.

The researchers found that, over the 30 years, there were more calories in items like chips, soup, and French fries. Sodium content rose even though portion(一份) size did not grow much. When consumed together as a single meal, the study found that the average main dish and side order account for nearly 40 percent of a 2000-calory daily diet.

1. Why do fast food chains provide lighter food?

A．To match the fast food.	B．To attract more customers.
C．To reduce the cost of each meal.	D．To improve the health of customers.

2. Why are more American adults getting fat?

A．They take in more calories from fast food.

B．They have little time to exercise regularly.

C．They eat much more dessert after every meal.

D．They eat fast food more frequently than before.

3. What is the example of “donut sticks” for in paragraph 3?

A．Showing the way of restaurants’ making cookies.

B．Presenting the popularity of restaurants’ new food.

C．Stressing the increase in restaurants’ food varieties.

D．Explaining the intention of restaurants’ adding dessert.

4. Which one could be the best title of the text?

A．Fast Food Is Still Killing Us	B．Don’t Eat Any Fast Food Now
C．Try to Eat More Lighter Food	D．People Are Becoming Fatter and Fatter

5 . Many people believe it is crucial to have gender equality in the workplace. But achieving equality means overturning centuries of social norms. Recent research by Oxford University suggests that sometimes it is women themselves who are limiting their career opportunities.

The study surveyed 3,698 students from 63 schools and colleges across the UK . It found out that female students tend to choose “worthwhile” jobs, while male students often go after jobs that offer big salaries. Researchers noticed that secondary school girls said they were more willing to accept low-income jobs like charity work or museum positions, while boys focused more on getting high-prestige careers, reported The Guardian.

“Compared with boys, girls are more concerned about each aspect of job application. They are more interested in careers that offer job security, in a cause they ‘feel good about’,” Jonathan Black, director of the Oxford University Careers Service, told The Telegraph.

China faces a similar gender gap. This month, a poll by Chongqing Morning Post indicates that female college graduates care more about their working environment. As for male graduates, career prospects are more important. “This has the knock-on effect that girls may be self-limiting their choice of careers, especially because the types of jobs they seek often have informal entry processes, like getting an internship or doing unpaid work,” Black said.

1. What kind of job do girl graduates tend to look for?

A．Well-paid.	B．Promising.
C．Challenging.	D．Safe and easy.

2. What’s the article mainly about?

A．Women’s self-limit in career.	B．Social gender discrimination.
C．Men’s attitude towards jobs.	D．Job application in the UK and China.

3. The author develops the article mainly ________

A．by comparison	B．by classification
C．by order of space	D．by order of time

4. Which of the following is TRUE?

A．Girls are fighting against restrictions in jobs.

B．There are not many jobs open to girls after graduation.

C．The gender gap in employment has narrowed recently in China.

D．Research in the UK shows that the gender gap exists in employment.

6 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

The tourism phenomenon     1    (cause) by Harbin, in Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, shows no sign of fading. Recently, the ice city     2    (lead) to fierce competition among tourism authorities in several cities. More     3    (interesting) , the video of the leaders of local tourism dancing with performers has entertained millions of netizens (网民) .

Diligent     4    (effort) that were made by Harbin     5    (attract) tourists to the city were heads of local tourist joined by netizens across the country, who discussed about the exceptional skills possessed by their own office, all to achieve similar success in their own cities.

Starting from January 9th     6     January 12th, the official account of the Department of Tourism of Henan Province has seen     7     increase in the number of videos being posted, with more than 30 clips released per day. So the tourism authorities in Shanxi and Shandong provinces find     8     a must to promote their tourism resources on social media. Winter, the     9    (tradition) tourism off-season, draws new tourism fever,     10     shows the fast tourism development in China.

7 . Most of us know what it’s like to get presents. Whether it’s for a birthday or other celebration, it’s hard to beat the excitement of opening a carefully wrapped box to find something that’s both unexpected and suits you perfectly. Now, imagine if you could get the same feeling when you go shopping for yourself. That’s the feeling that mystery boxes hope to reach.

Mystery boxes are not a new idea—they were a feature of department stores in Japan in the early 20th Century. They contain different products sold at a lower price than their combined value. The key thing is that customers don’t know what’s in the box before they buy. All kinds of mystery boxes are available: fashion boxes, food boxes, beauty boxes, even loot boxes, which are virtual items for video games.

The pleasant surprise is not the only attraction of mystery boxes. They also allow people to try things that they otherwise wouldn’t. Seasonal vegetable subscription(订购)boxes might lead people to learn to cook new meals. They can also potentially offer great savings—as the recommended selling price of the contents is often far higher than the purchase price. For sellers and suppliers, the benefits are clear- it allows them to sell unwanted things for a profit. British fashion mystery box businessman Mario Maher highlights how mystery boxes can help reduce the amount of waste in the fashion industry. People might discover product ranges that would otherwise be thrown away.

There is an obvious disadvantage to mystery boxes -when you buy them, you don’t know what you’ll get! It may be that the goods inside are not to your taste, but there is also the potential for cheats to use the unpredictability of mystery boxes to send items that have a much lower value than the price of the box.

So, are mystery boxes a fun way of reducing waste and making shopping more exciting, or more an opportunity for disappointment, or worse—tricks?

1. What do loot boxes probably contain in Paragraph 2?

A．Something unwanted.	B．Gifts received from friends.
C．Virtual prizes for game players.	D．Something best suitable for you.

2. What is the effect of mystery boxes according to Paragraph 3?

A．Helping throw away plenty of waste.	B．Bringing down the prices of products.
C．Encouraging people to try new things.	D．Leading people to gather unwanted things.

3. What is the author’s attitude toward mystery boxes?

A．Subjective.	B．Objective.
C．Concerned.	D．Indifferent.

4. What can we learn about mystery boxes?

A．They can be invaluable.	B．They are a modern trend.
C．They can change our lifestyle.	D．They are a double-edged sword.

8 . Children and teens in China do not get enough sleep, which can put their health at risk. Nearly 63 percent of Chinese youths at 6 to 17 sleep less than eight hours a day. Among 13- to 17-year-olds the figure is more than 81 percent, according to a survey covering nearly 70,000 children and teens across the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

The report found that the heavy school homework and the use of electronic devices (设备) were the two top causes for the lack of sleep. From Monday to Thursday, 8.4 percent of the group would still be busy with their homework after 11 pm. More than 41 percent of children and teenagers who sleep too little use electronic devices such as computers and mobile phones. Other than that, youths whose parents use smartphones in front of them are more likely to have less sleep. Other factors, such as noise and increasing light pollution, contributed to the problem, the report said.

The survey also suggests that good sleep results in higher efficiency (效率) in study. Students who sleep longer generally finish homework in two and three hours per day, while those who sleep less require four to six hours.

Gao Xuemei, vice-president of Chinese Sleep Research Society, said studies have shown that decreasing sleeping time for children and teenagers has been a global trend in the past 10 years, but the problem appears to be worse in East Asia, including China, largely due to a heavier load of school homework. Besides, the overuse of electronics devices in China is responsible for teenagers’ sleeping problems as well.

“Lack of sleep among children and teenagers needs more attention, because it can seriously affect their health and growth,” Gao said. She also suggested that local education officials take measures to help students get more sleep, including putting off the start of morning classes by half an hour.

1. Which factor leads to the sleep problem of Chinese youths?

A．Increasing Air pollution.	B．Low efficiency in study.
C．Too many school activities.	D．Overuse of smartphones.

2. What can be inferred from the text?

A．Those who study efficiently can sleep well.

B．Parents may affect children’s sleeping time.

C．Chinese kids’ sleeping problem is the worst.

D．Chinese students stay up on weekends to do homework.

3. How to help teenagers get more sleep according to Gao Xuemei?

A．By rescheduling the morning class.	B．By paying high attention to the problem.
C．By quitting the use of electronic devices.	D．By cutting down the amount of homework.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．Too much homework results in the lack of sleep.

B．Electronic devices lead to serious health problems.

C．Chinese kids are suffering from sleeping problems.

D．Measures should be taken to help teens get more sleep.

9 . 在西方许多国家，高中毕业后上大学之前有一年空出来让学生进行社会实践，这一年叫做休假学年(gap year)。请写一篇短文谈谈休假学年的好处和弊端。要点如下：
1.休假学年的好处；
2.休假学年的弊端；
3.假如你有休假学年，你打算做什么?
注意：1.词数80左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Since the outbreak of the COVID pandemic, home workouts     1     (grow) more and more popular in China, experts say. Recently, Liu Genghong, a singer and fitness coach from Taiwan, has     2     (surprising) become an online hit for livestreaming (网络直播) workouts from his living room. Liu’s workout sessions are so popular     3     they have broken Douyin’s livestreaming record for 2022 so far.

On video-sharing platform Douyin, Liu appears with his wife Wang Wanfei, even     4     Saturdays for a 90-minute workout. They exercise and dance to up-beat songs while     5     (explain) and showing their moves. One of his most-watched     6     (routine) is set to “Herbalist Manual”, a fast-paced tune of Jay Chou,     7     is Liu’s best friend and a popular singer among young people.

Simple moves, fast-paced rhythms and energetic coaching, some fans say Liu’s workouts are    8     (good) than other forms of exercise. Some young girl fans even call     9     (they) “Liu Genghong girls”. However, although Liu’s dance moves look simple, for some of his audience they are too strong     10     (follow). Therefore, experts also warn that warming up and stretching all muscles and ligaments (韧带) before exercising are necessary.