1 . 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. |
| A．AI’s training costs. | B．ATs amazing abilities. |
| C．AI’s possible threats. | D．AI’s fast developments. |
| A．Think carefully about AI’s impact. | B．Welcome AI technology |
| C．Do use ChatGPT more carefully. | D．Upgrade ChatGPT in time. |
| A．A news report. | B．A guide book to a software. |
| C．A product review. | D．An introduction to a person. |
2 . “Beijing’s Forbidden City can be at risk of being flooded, but it’s not because modern technologies and repairs have deteriorated the drainage (排水) system,” Beijing News Radio reported.
The report is in response to a popular online view: The Forbidden City, the royal palace of Ming and Qing dynasties also known as the Palace Museum, has never been flooded throughout its history of more than 600 years.
Earlier, a video showed ankle-deep water near the Forbidden City’s Cining Palace, where the royal women used to live. Some netizens have questioned whether modern drainage repair works have made the system much weaker.
Di Yajing, an official in control of affairs relating to the site, told Beijing News Radio that the Forbidden City has a complex (复杂的) drainage system. “Rain coming down from roofs was guided to the basement and then to the drains,” she said, adding that rainwater would flow from the central of the palace to both sides, and from north to south, due to differences in heights.
“The drains were cleared once a year in springtime in ancient times and nowadays they are cleared three times a year except in winter,” the report said. “Although the number of clearing increased every year, it’s not modern technology that worsened the ability of the drainage system,” the report said. During the clearing process, workers found lots of modern objects such as plastic bottles and bags, even towels and clothing, and these things resulted in the blocking of the drainage system.
In addition, there are plenty of records that have recorded occasions in which the palace was flooded and some roofs or walls were damaged by floodwaters, according to the report. For example, a rain in 1885 led to floodwaters of about 1 meter deep. Every time people would have to find out the place of blockage, clear it and then the drainage system would work well right away.
1. What does the underlined word “deteriorated” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Fixed up. | B．Caused damage to. |
| C．Taken control of. | D．Checked on. |
| A．To clarify a popular view online. |
| B．To praise the Forbidden City’s drainage system. |
| C．To introduce the challenge faced by the Forbidden City. |
| D．To stress the effect of technology on protecting old buildings. |
| A．Poor management. | B．Buried bricks. |
| C．Pipe cracking. | D．Lots of rubbish. |
| A．The palace was once destroyed by floods. |
| B．Beijing has experienced many natural disasters. |
| C．The drainage system doesn’t always operate perfectly. |
| D．Ancient architecture suffered a lot to survive until today. |
1. How old might the speakers be?
| A．In their teens. | B．In their 30s. | C．In their 70s. |
| A．Play games inside. | B．Relax and live simply. | C．Go to school and work hard. |
| A．Playing cards. | B．Listening to music. | C．Surfing the Internet. |
Zi Bo, a city of Shandong, has fought its way out of the fierce competition among Chinese
The city has taken the Internet by storm．With
The success of Zibo has been
As the Zibo barbecues became
1. What is the woman mainly talking about?
| A．A foreigner. | B．A hobby. | C．A report. |
| A．Around 15%. | B．Around 21%. | C．Around 35%. |
6 . The Chinese people have developed the habit of ordering more dishes than they can eat when inviting guests for dinner in a restaurant, because if all the plates are empty at the end of the dinner, it would be considered a matter of shame to the host. Surveys show that as much as 35 million tons of food is wasted in China every year.
To solve this problem, the “Clean Your Plate” campaign was launched in 2013 and got a positive response from restaurant owners, the public, and governments at different levels. More and more waiters are now reminding diners to stop ordering more if they have ordered enough to make them full. Also, most restaurant owners nowadays provide free boxes with which the diners can carry the leftovers (剩菜) home.
The “Clean Your Plate” campaign has become popular along with the “save water” and “go green” activities. However, since it takes generations for people to change their bad habits, it’s too early to celebrate its success. Instead, more attention should be paid to preventing food waste at home.
Almost every Chinese family has a “waste bin”. Unfortunately, I happen to be the “waste bin” of my family. I used to enjoy eating leftovers until I heard an expert on TV saying that it causes cancer. Many doctors say the same thing. But later, I saw other experts doing experiments and concluding that food cooked hours ago or even a day ago shows no obvious increase in carcinogenic particles(致癌颗粒) if stored properly. Their disagreement has left me confused. I have no idea who is right, but I am clear that if all the leftovers are thrown away as suggested by some experts, it would be a big waste of food.
1. Why was the “Clean Your Plate” campaign launched?| A．To invite guests for dinner. | B．To save people’s face. |
| C．To reduce food waste. | D．To stop unbalanced diet. |
| A．Waiters are reminded to stop ordering more. |
| B．Free boxes are provided by most restaurant owners. |
| C．People are eager to change their bad habits earlier. |
| D．People pay more attention to preventing food waste at home. |
| A．Eating leftovers causes cancer. |
| B．Leftovers should be thrown into the waste bin. |
| C．Throwing all the leftovers would be a big waste of food. |
| D．Properly stored leftovers won’t cause damage to health. |
| A．An introduction to a campaign. | B．The ways to deal with leftovers. |
| C．An explanation of food waste. | D．The eating habits of Chinese. |
7 . New research from the University of Portsmouth has shown a marked increase in shipping in the North East Atlantic. Scientists now warn that more monitoring is required to help protect sea life.
Researchers at the University of Ponsmouth have discovered that rates (率) of shipping in the North East Atlantic area rose by 34 per cent in a five-year period. The research is the first detailed survey of shipping activity in the North East Atlantic. Researchers used data from over 530 million vessel (船) positions recorded by Automatic Identification System(AIS). They looked at the change in shipping between 2013 and 2017 across ten different vessel types. In total the study area covered 1.1 million km², including waters off Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany,Iceland, Ireland, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal. Spain, and the UK.
Lead author, James Robbins said: “This change is likely to put more pressure on the marine (海洋的) environment, and may influence the protection of at-risk species. Renewed monitoring effort is needed to make sure that protective measures are enough to save species under threat in a changing environment.”
Some of the greatest shipping increases were found in areas close to the Spanish coast. The Espacio Marino de la Costa da Morte saw a rise of 413 percent in vessel activity. It is an area used to protect seabirds.
Dr. Sarah Marley, Visiting Researcher at the University of Portsmouth, said: “Shipping is the most widespread human activity in our oceans, carrying a set of threats-from unnoticeable effects like underwater noise pollution to serious results when ships hit whales.”
Professor Alex Ford. from the University’s Institute of Marine Sciences, said: “Given the well-documented effects that shipping can have on the marine environment, it is necessary that this situation continues to be monitored-particularly in areas used to protect vulnerable (脆弱的) species which may already be under pressure.”
1. What can we say about the new research?| A．It started in 2013. | B．It is the first of its kind. |
| C．It was carried out by AIS. | D．It covers the whole Atlantic. |
| A．Rapid population growth. |
| B．Rising global temperatures. |
| C．The huge increase in shipping. |
| D．The disappearance of marine life. |
| A．Shipping plays an important role in the local economy. |
| B．Shipping can be a danger to the marine environment. |
| C．Noise pollution is closely related to human activity. |
| D．Marine areas should be monitored more carefully. |
| A．New waterways across the Atlantic |
| B．The shipping industry in the North East Atlantic |
| C．New research opens windows into life under the water |
| D．Sea life needs better protection from an increase in shipping |
8 . Movie stars might think their lives are private after leaving the acting location, but they ought to know that they have much power over their audience. The power gives them an ability to change people, events, even history, making them to have the responsibility of being good role models.
With time going on, movie stars become celebrities (名人) and in the process get a large number of fans. Some of them follow their deeds, dress, and act like them. In reality, they want to be like their favorite movie stars. If a movie star engages in acts that the society does not approve, those who look up to them, especially the teens, will do the same. Movie stars should be responsible for what they do and say as following the actions is now simpler because of social media. It is important to behave like a role model even when they think no one is watching.
Nobody is perfect, and movie stars also have had their down moments. They may not have been good role models at the time, but they can change the narrative by doing the right things. They can also turn the past shortcomings into positives by opening up about problems and how they overcame the challenges. And their audience can learn to discuss their problems and seek help.
People starring in movies are the target of companies to promote their products or services for a fee. Their celebrity status is a reason enough to think beyond the payment. A movie star should not recommend something that will influence the way teens live negatively. It would be wrong to promote something like sweetened drinks or foods without health benefits. Movie stars face problems like other people, but because of their influence, they have a responsibility to be role models in the public eye.
1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?| A．Fans often follow their stars’ dress and hobbies. |
| B．Celebrities’ actions spread fast on social media. |
| C．Movie stars should be responsible for their fans. |
| D．Movie stars’ acts have a great impact on their fans. |
| A．Lie to fans by making up a story. |
| B．Do the right things to overcome the problems. |
| C．Cover their problems with good movies. |
| D．Post their problems online to seek help. |
| A．Don’t tell problems to the public. |
| B．Don’t play roles that have a negative impact on teens. |
| C．Don’t ask for payment when promoting products. |
| D．Don’t recommend unhealthy drinks or foods. |
| A．To tell movie stars how to help people in need. |
| B．To stress movie stars’ impact on teens. |
| C．To call on movie stars to be good role models. |
| D．To advise movie stars to open up about their problems. |
9 . While screen time is known to affect sleep, new research suggests that interactive (互动的) activities, such as texting friends or playing video games, put off and reduce the time spent asleep to a greater degree than passive (被动的) screen time like watching television, especially for teens.
The team studied the daytime screen-based activities of 475 teenagers using daily surveys. They asked the teens how many hours they had spent that day communicating with friends through social media and how many hours they spent playing video games, surfing the internet and watching television or videos. Finally, the researchers asked if they had joined in any of these activities in the hour before bed.
Next, the team measured their sleep time for one week. The researchers found that the teens spent an average of two hours per day communicating with friends via social media, about 1.3 hours playing video games, less than an hour surfing the internet and about 1.7 hours watching television or videos. For every hour throughout the day that they used screens to communicate with friends, they fell asleep about 11 minutes later averagely. For every hour to play video games, they fell asleep about 9 minutes later. Those who talked, texted or played games in the hour before bed lost the most sleep: about 30 minutes later.
Interestingly, David, lead author of the study, said the team found no obvious relations between passive screen-based activities and sleep. “It could be that passive activities are less mentally exciting than interactive activities,” said Anne, co-author of the study. “It’s a tricky situation,” she said. “These screen tools are really important to everyone nowadays, so it’s hard to put a limit on them, but if you’re really looking out for a teenager’s health and well-being, you might consider limiting the more interactive activities, especially in the hour before bed.”
1. Which of the following belongs to interactive screen activities?| A．Seeing movies. | B．Watching videos. |
| C．Texting friends. | D．Surfing the internet. |
| A．Lucy who watched a three-hour movie before going to bed. |
| B．Jack who had a 30-minute video chat with his brother before bed. |
| C．Sam who played computer games for two hours throughout the day. |
| D．Amy who chatted with her friends on WeChat for one hour in the morning. |
| A．Frightening. | B．Awkward. | C．Hopeless. | D．Encouraging. |
| A．Screen time activities cut down our sleep hours |
| B．Interactive screen use reduces sleep time in teenagers |
| C．Passive screen use is better than interactive screen use |
| D．Parents should prevent children from using social media |
10 . Moving around Bogota can be a bit of a Jekyll-or-Hyde experience. On the one hand, the city is infamous (声名狼藉的)for having the world’s worst traffic. Yet, on the other, its cycling infrastructure is considered a good model of sustainable urban mobility, according to the Copenhagenize Index, which ranks bike-friendly cities. The Colombian capital generated a now-international movement in the 1970s called Ciclovia, which sees 1.5 million people cycle across 128km of car-free streets each Sunday morning.
So, when the pandemic reached its shores in mid-March, Bogota Mayor Claudia Lopez, an avid cyclist herself, introduced one of the world’s first plans to encourage bike travel, using traffic cones to create 76 km of temporary lanes.
“Everyone started using a bicycle, and they already knew how to get around on one because we have this bike culture thanks to the Ciclovia,” says Carlos Pardo, a local cycling advocate and senior advisor at the New Urban Mobility Alliance. Pardo got involved at the beginning of the pandemic by partnering with a local bikeshare company to provide 400 free e-bikes to health workers. Now, he’s busy persuading the public that the government’s new bike lanes should become permanent fixture (固定设施).
“Some drivers say, ‘you took away our lane’, but we’re saying, we took one car lane and made a two-lane bidirectional bike lane,” he explains. “So, you’re duplicating the effectiveness of the space, and moving more people per hour, per direction.”
Biking has enjoyed a renaissance (复兴) around the world as urban citizens avoid public transport for the relative safety of a two-wheeled commute. Now, many advocates like Pardo are working with local governments in the hope of turning these pandemic-response measures into lasting changes—ones that are more plausible now than ever after lockdowns provided an unprecedented (空前的)opportunities to fast-track infrastructure trials. The results of these urban planning experiments could not only radically shape the way we commute across global cities, but also make them more adaptable to future shocks.
1. What can best illustrate the underlined sentence?| A．Much knowledge that is of help in learning about a new place. |
| B．A mixed feeling that is too confusing to express themselves. |
| C．An understanding that everything has both advantages and disadvantages. |
| D．An idea that human beings are born somewhere between good and evil. |
| A．The outbreak of the pandemic in mid-March. |
| B．The worldwide bike culture dating back to the 1970s. |
| C．The government’s support for the temporary bike lanes. |
| D．The local bike company’s contribution to health workers. |
| A．The increasing number of cyclists. | B．Duplicated effectiveness of road use. |
| C．A well-rounded city expansion plan. | D．The growth of car ownership. |
| A．Urban life. | B．Politics. | C．Sports | D．Advice column. |
