1 . Being healthy is important. Often, we’re crazy about articles in health magazines talking about the latest popular diets, or advertisements that offer cures (疗法) for fatness that are often too good to be true. One of the latest crazy phenomena (现象) is intermittent fasting (间歇性禁食).     1    

There are different ways of intermittent fasting.     2     Another common way is choosing a diet that sees people only eating during a limited part of the day, for example, over eight hours.

    3     A study suggests intermittent fasting may help control blood sugar and reduce the possibility of suffering related disease. Other studies have shown intermittent fasting may help slow the ageing process, support brain function, lose weight, etc.

Some people try intermittent fasting for weight management, and others use the method to deal with some conditions such as high cholesterol or arthritis.     4     Fasting might not suit those who are underweight or with a long-term medical condition. Fasting may cause some people to experience symptoms (症状) such as headaches or make them easily suffer from overeating after a reduced calorie intake (热量摄入) day.

As with many diets, it’s always wise to speak to your doctor or weight-loss professional before changing your eating habits. And, at the end of the day, it could just come down to what lifestyle choice suits you.     5     If not, your health may suffer.

A．But what is intermittent fasting?

B．However, this diet isn’t for everyone.

C．Intermittent fasting has two main origins.

D．Let’s look at some of the possible benefits.

E．The idea of this is to reduce calories over a period.

F．In a word, you should avoid turning to intermittent fasting blindly.

G．You can eat normally on five days of a week and reduce calorie intake on the other two.

2 . Artificial intelligence (AI) tools designed to operate at human levels have greatly expanded in popularity over the past year. These include OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Bard and Microsoft’s AI-powered search engine Bing. Such tools, also known as chatbots or generative AI, are computer-powered systems. They are designed to interact smoothly with humans and perform high-level writing and creative work.

In recent months, these tools have demonstrated an ability to produce high-quality work. This has led some technology experts to warn that generative AI systems could end up replacing workers in many industries.

This year, researchers at Harvard Business School and other organizations carried out an experiment. It aimed to test how well AI tools could help workers perform their usual duties or tasks. It involved more than 700 business advisors, called consultants, from Massachusetts-based Boston Consulting Group.

Harvard Business School recently published the results from the experiment in a working paper. The main findings suggest that AI tools like ChatGPT can greatly improve worker performance. For example, researchers found that, on average, workers who used OpenAI’s latest ChatGPT 4 tool completed 12 percent more tasks than non-ChatGPT users. Tasks carried out with help from the AI technology were completed 25 percent faster. And the team found the quality of work performed by consultants using ChatGPT 4 increased by about 40 percent.

However, the paper also noted areas where the performance of consultants using ChatGPT 4 dropped. The researchers said this was especially true with tasks the AI tool was not good at completing. “Of tasks the AI was good at, the experiment showed it significantly improved human performance,” the paper said. “But for tasks ChatGPT 4 was not right for, humans relied too much on the AI and were more likely to make mistakes.”

The team suggests one of the biggest barriers to companies effectively using AI is not knowing which tasks can be completed best with the technology. Finding this out will require businesses to carry out thoughtful research and training efforts in order to find the right mix of AI and human-level work.

1. What is a purpose of designing AI tools according to the text?

A．To perform low-level writing.	B．To replace technology experts.
C．To finish high-quality work.	D．To improve interpersonal communication.

2. Why does the author mention ChatGPT 4 in paragraph 4?

A．To explain the disadvantages of AI tools.

B．To show how well AI tools could help workers.

C．To forecast changes in the future working environment.

D．To compare the work performance between humans and AI tools.

3. What can be learned from the last paragraph?

A．Companies need to balance the work of AI and humans.

B．It is useless to train so many workers to learn to use AI.

C．It is easy to find the right mix of AI and human-level work.

D．Research on using AI effectively has been made by businesses.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．ChatGPT Can See, Hear and Speak Now

B．Ways to Improve Your Performance at Work

C．The Fast Development of Artificial Intelligence

D．AI Tools Help but also Harm Worker Performance

3 . Cyberbullying (网络霸凌) has become quite severe across the United States. But what exactly is cyber-bullying? It’s when someone repeatedly and intentionally harasses (侵扰), humiliates (羞辱), mistreats, makes fun of, or threatens another person online or while using cell phones or other electronic devices.

According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, 59% of U. S. teens have experienced at least one of six identified types of abusive online behaviors. Those behaviors include name-calling (42%), having false rumors spread about them on the internet (32%), receiving explicit images that they didn’t ask for (25%), or being the target of physical threats (16%).

The peers of some teens have even posted humiliating web pages or videos, or created embarrassing images on social media platforms. Others have taken unauthorized (未授权的) photos or videos in a bedroom, bathroom, or another location considered private, and posted them online for the world to view, rate, share, and discuss.

There are many reasons to monitor your son or daughter’s online behavior and pay close attention to the warning signs. Among the most worrisome, students who experienced bullying or cyberbullying are significantly more likely to attempt to take their own life.

“If your child suddenly has no interest in their electronic devices, appears jumpy or nervous while using their phone, or appears angry, frustrated, or depressed after going online or gaming, then they may be experiencing cyberbullying,” says Sameer Hinduja, Ph. D., co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center and professor of Criminology at Florida Atlantic University. Also, if your child avoids conversations about what they’re doing online, becomes unusually secretive when it comes to their phone or electronic devices, or makes excuses to stay home from school, they may be the target of online bullying.

1. What is the purpose of citing the numbers in the second paragraph?

A．To show the emphasis from the society.

B．To display how cyberbullying works on children.

C．To show the severeness of cyberbullying on children.

D．To show how researchers conduct their survey.

2. Which of the following doesn’t belong to cyberbullying?

A．Name-calling teens on the Internet.

B．Spreading false rumors of teens online.

C．Posting pictures online for the world to view.

D．Posting humiliating web pages or videos of teens.

3. What can we conclude from Sameer Hinduja’s words?

A．Students will lose interest in their electronic after surfing online.

B．Students will get angry easily after they surf on the Internet.

C．Parents must closely monitor their teenagers’ online behavior.

D．There are signs whether teenagers are experiencing cyberbullying.

4. Who is the article most probably targeting at?

A．Parents.

B．Teenagers.

C．Teachers.

D．Experts.

4 . Pupils are receiving laughter therapy (疗法) to fight against post-COVID gloom (疫后忧郁). The £15,000-a-year Brighton Girls school hopes that the hour-long classes will ease anxiety and other effects of lockdown son children.

A report from the Royal College of Psychiatrists has said that almost 200, 000 young people have been referred to mental (精神的) health services in the past three months, almost double the level before the pandemic(大流行病). The government is to give £517 million to strengthen mental health support to help pupils.

Emma Jennings, a laughter therapist, who runs the classes, said: “Children have been separated and no amount of online contact makes up for that.” Her lessons begin with children talking about feeling any nerves or anxiety before they are instructed to laugh “in the style of a James Bond villain (剧中反面人物)”.

Jennings then leads the girls through deep breathing exercises before “playful and silly games” where they are told to point at themselves and laugh while making eye contact. “Eye contact is really important as it has some effect on the brain so you smile because others are smiling and you laugh because others are,” Jennings said. “That is why tiny babies are able to smile at you when you smile at them.” She added: “We end the class by laughing for no reason while sitting in a circle. You just-listen to the sounds of other people’s laughter, which brings more laughter.”

Rosie McColl, the head teacher of Brighton Girls, said: “We thought it would be great to introduce a fun class, which young girls can walk away from having physically felt a drop in stress levels. Children laugh on average 400 times a day while adults manage just 15, which explains why adults are a lot more stressed generally.”

“I’d like to make sure our pupils are laughing as much as possible. We are also introducing the classes for our teachers and parents too.”

1. What problem did the report find?

A．More youth can’t afford their education.

B．More youth laugh for no reason in class.

C．More youth have felt down since the pandemic.

D．More youth haven’t received a health check this year.

2. What does Jennings ask students to do at the start of class?

A．Have an online contact.	B．Talk about their worries.
C．Tell an interesting story.	D．See a James Bond movie.

3. Why does Jennings mention tiny babies?

A．To show the effects of eye contact.

B．To call on pupils to learn from them.

C．To explain the role of smiling in their growth.

D．To stress the importance of smiling to the brain.

4. What can we learn from McColl’s words?

A．She arranges fun classes each week.

B．She thinks adults really need laughter.

C．She encourages girls to take the class.

D．She suggests more schools try the class.

5 . Life expectancy (寿命) in Africa rose by nearly 10 years in the first two decades of this century, according to the World Health Organization. “This rise is greater than in any other region of the world during the same period,” the WHO said.

In the year 2019, the average African could expect to live to be 56. However, that is still well below the global average of 64 years. WHO official Lindiwe Makubalo warned the life expectancy gains could easily be lost unless countries strengthen and make greater investments in the development of health care systems.

Makubalo said Africa has made a good start over the past two decades. On average, she said, access to essential services like basic health care improved to 46% in 2019 compared with 24% in 2000. “Other factors include improvements in reproductive, newborn and child health care, as well as advances in fighting infectious (传染的) diseases, such as TB, malaria and HIV.”

While progress has been made in preventing and treating infectious diseases, the report found health services for non-infectious diseases are lagging. It says the great rise in diabetes, cancer and other non-infectious diseases could jeopardize (危害) health gains if those conditions continue to be ignored.

The report says the COVID-19 outbreak has brought about greater damages to essential health services in Africa compared to other regions of the world, which might affect healthy life expectancy.

“It is important that significant improvements are made in health services, and governments ensure quality, equal and accessible services for all,” Makubalo said.

According to the report, some progress has been made in achieving universal health coverage, but it is far from enough. Health officials say one of the key measures to improve access to health services is for governments to increase their public health budgets. That, they say, would reduce the huge out-of-pocket expenses by families that are pushing millions of people into poverty.

1. What was the average life expectancy of people in Africa in 2000?

A．46.

B．54.

C．56.

D．64.

2. Which contributed to Africans’ life expectancy rise according to the text?

A．Plenty of food supplies.

B．Improvement in basic health services.

C．Easier access to clean drinking water.

D．Progress in fighting against non-infectious diseases.

3. What does the underlined word “lagging” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Unique.

B．Independent.

C．Informal.

D．Underdeveloped.

4. What’s WHO’s attitude towards Africa’s present situation?

A．Positive.

B．Uncertain.

C．Concerned.

D．Pessimistic.

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。

2020 Singles’ Day (Nov 11), the     1    (large) onlineshopping spree (狂欢) in China, saw a new high of about 675 millionpackages delivered. Yet the huge amounts of packaging waste    2    (produce) by the delivery services have raised concerns over environmental effect.

It’s estimated (估计) that more than 9 million tons of paper waste    3    about 1.8 million tons of plastic waste are produced bythe delivery sector every year.

According     4    a new survey which rates the performanceof China’s nine major delivery companies in green delivery packaging, nearly 70 percent of people     5    are involved in the survey said they had never used or received reusable packaging.

Using reusable packaging     6    (be) an important way to cut packaging waste from the source, but only four out of the nine companies surveyed have taken     7    (act) to put recyclable boxes into use.

In terms of the types of packaging recycled, the delivery companies    8    (main) recycle paper boxes but plastic packaging hasnot been included in their recycling programs.

In June, the State Post Bureau released a guideline     9    (manage) green packaging. The guideline calls for     10    (use) reusable and lighter materials. It also urges companies to set uprecycling bins at delivery stations for wrapping.

7 . Overweight people produce more greenhouse gases, researchers say. Therefore, watching your weight does more than protect your health. It also may help fight climate change.

Researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine say that because food production is a major source of greenhouse gases, a population with normal weight, such as in Vietnam, consumes about 20 percent less food and produces fewer greenhouse gases than a population in which 40 percent of people are too heavy and fat, a rate close to that of the United States.

Also, less energy is required to transport slim people. say Phil Edwards and Ian Roberts, the lead researchers of the study.

They found that a physically fit population of a billion people would give off 1,000 million tons less transportation­related wastes a year than an overweight population would give off. “When it comes to food consumption (消耗), moving about in a heavy body is like driving around in a car that burns a lot of gas,” the researchers said. “The heavier our bodies become, the harder and more unpleasant it is to move about in them, and the more dependent we become on our cars. Staying slim is good for health and for the environment.”

“We need to do a lot more to stop the global trend toward fatness and recognize it as a key factor in the battle to reduce greenhouse gases and control climate change, ” they said.

However, they noted that the trend is in the opposite direction. The number of overweight people is increasing in nearly every country. The male who were overweight in England, for example, increased from 20 percent to 27.3 percent between 1999 and 2009, while the female increased from 25.8 percent to 29.6 percent.

1. According to Phil Edwards, slim people________.

A．produce no transportation­related wastes

B．care more about environment protection

C．contribute to green transportation

D．use green transportation

2. The researchers believe that people without weight problems ________.

A．seldom depend on cars

B．often drive around in energy­-saving cars

C．exercise more

D．realize the importance of reducing greenhouse gases

3. It can be inferred from the passage that________.

A．more greenhouse gases are being produced by overweight people

B．the global trend toward fatness has been effectively controlled

C．the overweight population in England increases fastest

D．women are more likely to get overweight than men

4. What would be the best title of the passage?

A．Controlling population growth is good for climate change.

B．Staying slim is good for public transportation.

C．Staying slim helps reduce food consumption.

D．Staying slim is good for the environment.

9 . It was a cold Saturday night in February. Some 200 New Yorkers carefully made their way to the reservoir (水库) in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the magical snowy owl, who had touched down in the park the week before in what was reported as the first visit there by the species in more than 130 years.

Except for a few excited screams from children, people were quiet — patiently awaiting the owl’s arrival at the reservoir’s north gatehouse. The snowy owl did not disappoint. She flew down from the darkness and surveyed the water and the people holding phones and cameras before taking off into the night to the applause of her many fans. They simply wanted to see this lovely creature whose improbable appearance seemed to signify hope after the lockdown.

New Yorkers who had long taken Central Park for granted felt a renewed love for this rectangle of green in the heart of the big city and, of course, its amazing wildlife. That the park is a beautiful and essential refuge is something that humans have only come to fully appreciate during these recent times of uncertainty.

Central Park was originally planned and constructed during another difficult time in the nation’s history — in the years before and during the American Civil War. Unlike many European parks that had originally been built for the aristocracy (贵族), Central Park was designed as a public space. In its chief architect Frederick Law Olmsted’s words, the poor and rich alike could “easily go there after their day’s work is done” and “stroll for an hour, seeing, hearing, and feeling nothing of the noise of the streets.”

As spring turns into summer, we see people sitting on the grass or benches — catching some sun, having family picnics, or tapping away on their laptops and iPads. Just being in proximity to other people in Central Park gave us a sense of community — the sense that we would somehow persevere.

1. What did people do in Central Park on that Saturday night?

A．They cheered for each other.	B．They paid their first visit.
C．They came for a rare sight.	D．They appreciated a water event.

2. What does the author mainly intend to do in Paragraph 4?

A．Give some examples.	B．Make a comparison.
C．Introduce a new opinion.	D．Add background information.

3. What do the underlined words “in proximity to” in Paragraph 5 mean?

A．close to	B．free from
C．at a distance from	D．in comparison with

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．Find Refuge in Central Park

B．Take Your Breath by Snow Owl

C．Trace Central Park to difficult times

D．Meet an improbable “visitor” in person

10 . The coming Thanksgiving festival in the United States will be the most expensive in years because of high food prices, which are also hurting many of the country's food banks, on which tens of millions of people in the US rely.

Nearly every component of the Thanksgiving feast, from the turkey to the disposable roasting pan, after-dinner coffee and pumpkin pie will cost more this year. Labor shortages, higher transportation costs, supply chain disruptions and extreme weather are factors. In addition, Americans are spending more time cooking and eating at home, increasing the demand for foodstuffs.

Last month the US consumer price index for food rose 5.3 percent from a year ago, the most since January 2009, the Labor Department reported on Wednesday.

“More people are seeking help from food banks, said Brian Greene, president of the Houston Food Bank, the largest Feeding America food bank in the country. Because most of the food in the Houston Food Bank is surplus food from donations, rising food prices have not influenced the agency's food supply greatly,” he said. “The foods that would normally go to the supermarkets are decreasing, but on the other hand, for the foods that are going to the restaurants, we have a huge increase there.”

“We are seeing price increase from our vendors of between 2 percent to 10 percent for some items,” said Paule Pachter, chief executive of Long Island Cares-The Harry Chapin Food Bank. “The agency provides food and support services for a network of more than 374 community-based member agencie. The increase in food prices is causing more people to seek help from food pantries, but food donations are decreasing,” Pachter said. Food banks are seeing increasing “donor fatigue”, and more donors are willing to volunteer rather than make continuous donations of food. “We are experiencing a significant decrease in the total amount of food donations being made to the regional food bank. As of Sept 30 food donated through food drives is down by 20 percent compared with the same time in 2020. We are seeing a decrease in both in-person and virtual food drives being hosted this year.”

As food prices rose, the administration of US President Joe Biden announced an increase to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in August.

1. What is the main idea of the second paragraph?

A．What factors have a big influence on Americans' life.

B．What causes the Thanksgiving feast to be more expensive.

C．What component of the Thanksgiving feast will cost more.

D．What leads to Americans' spending more time cooking at home.

2. What does the underlined word "surplus" in para. 4 mean?

A．More than what is saved.	B．More than what is sold.
C．More than what is needed.	D．More than what is wasted.

3. What can we infer from Para. 5?

A．Donors are less willing to volunteer at Food banks.

B．People are less willing to make continuous donations of food.

C．A decrease in in-person drives is greater than that in virtual drives.

D．The increase in food prices is causing fewer people to seek help.

4. What can be the best title for the news report?

A．Rising prices dampen Thanksgiving mood

B．US consumer price index for food rises 5.3 percent

C．Tens of millions of people in US rely on food banks

D．Some Americans are to suffer during coming Thanksgiving