The relationship between humans and animals has always been complex. Some cultures have developed entire belief systems around favored animals. Even in cultures with less formal belief systems, connections between people and animals still lead to commonly accepted opinions about animals.
These belief systems usually develop around the animals that interact (互动) with humans most frequently. Therefore, it should not be surprising that so many stories surround the most common of animals: rats. Rats live side by side with humans all over the world and regularly interact with people. Human-rat coexistence may be common all around the world, but different cultures respond to that closeness in different ways.
In the United States and Europe, one typical attitude is that the rat is a pest. This could be due to the common belief that rats spread disease. Actually, they don’t, at least not directly, but many people don’t know that. The Pied Piper of Hamlin, a well-known children’s story, is one example of how rats have been described in Western literature: in that story, rats cause such a problem that a town has to hire a piper to call them all away.
In many Latin American countries, the rat is described in a very different way. The story of the tooth fairy (a fairy believed by children to leave money while they sleep in exchange for a tooth that has come out) is common all over the world, but in Latin America, the “fairy” is a rat! Rats do have very strong teeth, which could explain the association. Clearly, this shows another attitude toward rats that is much more positive.
Yet another attitude toward the rat can be seen in the Chinese Zodiac (生肖). The Rat is one of the animals of the Zodiac. Like the other zodiac animals, the Rat is neither entirely good nor entirely bad. It’s described as clever and friendly, but also tricky and not entirely honest. That may be the most accurate description of the rat so far. Whether you like rats or not, it’s hard to deny their reputation for cleverness.
As many people are discovering these days, rats can even make excellent pets, so long as you remember to close the cage carefully!What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．A trend of keeping rats as pets. |
| B．How different cultures look at rats. |
| C．How humans get along with animals. |
| D．Favored animals in different cultures. |
The rats in The Pied Piper of Hamlin appear______.
| A．unpleasant | B．honest | C．smart | D．unusual |
The tooth fairy in Latin America mentioned in Paragraph4 is to show______.
| A．the tooth fairy is lovely |
| B．rats look very frightening |
| C．rats are welcome in Latin American countries |
| D．the story of the tooth fairy is common all over the world |
According to the author, rats______.
| A．don’t spread disease |
| B．should be treated as pests |
| C．are fairly described in the Chinese Zodiac |
| D．are kept as pets by more and more people |
The passage is probably taken from a ______.
| A．travel guide | B．news report | C．nature magazine | D．history textbook |
The International Olympic Committee（IOC）Young Leaders programme empowers talents to make a positive difference in their communities through sport. Twenty﹣five Young Leaders are being selected every two years for a four﹣year period. They promote the Olympic values，spreading the message of sport for good.
To be an IOC Young Leader，you need to first complete the 4﹣Week Learning Sprint（冲刺）.
4﹣Week Learning Sprint
The 4﹣Week Learning Sprint，which will take place during November 2023，is a virtual learning programme. The sessions can be attended live or watched back after they are made available on the IOC channel. Each week，participants will be asked to complete a topic﹣specific reflection task.
The 4﹣Week Learning Sprint is open to anyone，with the target audience aged between 20 and 28.
After successfully completing the 4﹣Week Learning Sprint，you will need to submit a plan for a sport﹣based project，which you will work on if selected as an IOC Young Leader.
Requirements for the Applicants
•You have successfully completed the 4﹣Week Learning Sprint.
•You have completed your high school studies.
•You have at least one year of work experience.
•You have strong public speaking skills.
•You are self﹣motivated and committed.
•You are passionate about creating positive change in your community.
•You are open to being coached and advised by experts and peers（同伴）.
•You are able to work with people from different backgrounds.
（1）In the 4﹣Week Learning Sprint，participants will .
| A． |
create change in their community |
| B． |
attend a virtual learning programme |
| C． |
meet people from different backgrounds |
| D． |
promote the IOC Young Leaders project |
（2）If selected as an IOC Young Leader, one will need to .
| A． |
complete a reflection task each week |
| B． |
watch sports on the IOC channel |
| C． |
work on a sport﹣based project |
| D． |
coach and advise their peers |
（3）Which is a requirement for the applicants？
| A． |
Spreading the message of sport for good. |
| B． |
Having at least one﹣year work experience. |
| C． |
Showing great passion for project planning. |
| D． |
Committing themselves to becoming an expert. |
Most of us associate learning with younger people-kids in school and college or recent graduates early in their careers. But at Udemy, an open university offering online courses, Artist Anneke Camstra is engaged in the pursuit of lifelong learning and displays her potential for teaching. She loves the experience of gaining new knowledge and also loves sharing it with others. "I'm retired, but an artist never retires," Anneke said. "The last few years on the internet have been a great joy for me. I've taken so many Udemy courses, and ifs such a great feeling to get my brain working again. I find just as much satisfaction in teaching animation (动画制作) too."
She reaches countless people with her online courses and exposes them to what they can accomplish on their own using animation software, such as GoAnimate and PowToon. Her motivation for teaching on Udemy is "to get the tools to the people." "You can go such a long way to make things that look professional but still have your own voice," she explained.
Most of Anneke's students start out thinking they're not creative and can't draw. Anneke understands how fear can get in the way of so many things people dream of doing. With her five-day challenge courses, she helps them get over the fear. Anneke loves the impact she has on her students. What makes her more proud of them is that they have gone from their first animation to creating their own works.
She encourages people of all ages, especially older people, to cultivate their curiosity for life. Grandparents, for example, can learn to use GoAnimate and make animations together with their grandkids.
"Tm an older woman, teaching and having fun learning again," Anneke said, and she wants others later in their lives to catch up with her on this journey.
56. What does Anneke enjoy doing after her retirement? (no more than 10 words)
57. According to Para. 2, what does Anneke expect her students to do with animation software? (no more than 10 words)
58. What is the main idea of Para. 3? (no more than 15 words)
59. Please explain the meaning of the underlined word in Para. 4(1 word)
60. What do you suggest old people learn to do? Please give your reason(s). (no more than 20 words)
Art is everywhere. Any public space has been carefully designed by an artistic mind to be both functional and beautiful. Why, then, is art still so widely considered to be "the easy subject" at school, insignificant to wider society, a waste of time and effort?
Art can connect culture with commercial products in a way that not many other things can; art generates money and holds significant emotional and cultural value within communities. When people attend a concert, they are paying for music, sure, maybe even hotel rooms, meals, and transport, but they also gain an incredible experience, a unique atmosphere and a memory that will go through the rest of their lives. People don't just want material things anymore, they want to experience life -- the arts are a perfect crossover （交迭） between culture and commerce.
Furthermore, the arts can bring communities together, reducing loneliness and making people feel safer. Social bonds are created among individuals when they share their arts experiences through reflection and discussion, and their expression of common values through artworks in honour of events significant to a nation's experience.
The arts clearly have a pretty positive impact on physical and psychological health. It is found that people who frequent cultural places or participate in artistic events are more likely to gain good health compared to those who do not; more engagement with the arts is linked to a higher level of people's wellbeing. The Royal Society of Public Health discovered that music and art, when used in hospitals, help to improve the conditions of patients by reducing stress, anxiety and blood pressure.
Children who are involved with the arts make greater achievements in their education: those engaged with drama have greater literary ability while others taking part in musical practice exhibit greater skills in math and languages. Kids with preference for the arts have a greater chance of finding employment in the future. Participating in the arts is essential for child development; encouraging children to express themselves in constructive ways could help to form healthy emotional responses in later life.
Vital to human life, art is celebrated and used by nations across the world for various purposes. Life without art would be boring and dead still, for art is a part of what makes us human.
51. Art products differ from most other commercial products because .
| A． |
most people purchase them for collection |
| B． |
they are more expensive and less accessible |
| C． |
they have both commercial and cultural values |
| D． |
their prices may climb up as time passes |
52. By sharing their arts experiences, community members can .
| A． |
keep the community safe from illnesses |
| B． |
develop a stronger tie between them |
| C． |
learn to appreciate their own works of art |
| D． |
offer honourable solutions to their problems |
53. What can we learn about people who are involved in artistic activities?
| A． |
They enjoy better living conditions. |
| B． |
They like to compare themselves with others. |
| C． |
They are particularly good at both music and art. |
| D． |
They tend to be healthier physically and mentally. |
54. How does kids' engagement with the arts benefit them?
| A． |
It promotes their academic performance and emotional growth. |
| B． |
It gives them more confidence in exhibiting their learning skills. |
| C． |
It inspires their creativity in designing their future career. |
| D． |
It helps to make responsible people out of them. |
55. What is the best title for this passage?
| A． |
How Art Cures Our Hearts |
| B． |
Art: A Blessing to Humankind |
| C． |
How Art Benefits Communities |
| D． |
Art: A Bridge Between Cultures |
In the fictional worlds of film and TV, artificial intelligence （ Al ） has been described as so advanced that it is indistinguishable from humans. But what if we're actually getting closer to a world where Al is capable of thinking and feeling?
Tech company UneeQ is heading for its "digital humans", which appear life like on the screen not only in terms of language, but also because of facial movements: raised eyebrows, a smile, even a nod. They look close to a human, but not quite.
What lies beneath UneeQ9 s digital humans? Their 3D faces are modeled on actual human features. Speech recognition enables them to understand what a person is saying, and natural language processing is used to work out a response. Meanwhile, another Al company, Soul Machines, is taking a more biological approach, with a "digital brain", that imitates aspects of the human brain to adjust the emotions "felt" and "expressed" by its "digital people".
Shiwali Mohan, an Al scientist at the Palo Research Center, is skeptical of these digital beings. "They're humanlike in their looks and the way they sound, but that in itself is not being human," she says. "Human qualities also involve how you think, how you approach problems, and how you break them down; and that takes a lot of algorithmic ( 算 法) design. Designing for human-level intelligence is a different attempt than designing images that behave like humans." She then continues, "If something looks like a human, we have high expectations of them, but they might behave differently in ways that humans just instinctively ( 直觉地) know how other humans react.
Yet the demand is there, with UneeQ seeing high adoption of its digital employees across the financial, health care, and commercial sectors （行业） . "Unless these sectors make their business models much more efficient digitally, they might be left behind," says Chetan Dube, UneeQ9s CEO.
Some other companies are taking their digital beings a step further, enabling organizations and individuals to create digital humans themselves using free-access platforms they provide. "The biggest motivation for such platforms is to popularize Al," Dube says.
Mohan is cautious about this approach, yet she supports the purpose behind these digital beings and is optimistic about where they are headed. "As we develop more advanced Al technology, we would then have to use new ways of communicating with that technology, she says. "'Hopefully, all of that is designed to support humans in their goals."
46. According to Para. 2, in what respect （ s ） do UneeQ9s "digital humans" resemble human beings?
| A． |
In the way they move around. |
| B． |
In the way they act and react. |
| C． |
In observation and analysis. |
| D． |
In speech and facial expressions. |
47. Soul Machines' digital brain is a technological breakthrough because it .
| A． |
learns to make proper emotional responses |
| B． |
tends to imitate human beings' tone vividly |
| C． |
recognizes the speech sounds it receives |
| D． |
processes the natural language it hears |
48. In Mohan's opinion, what human quality is lacking in digital beings?
| A． |
Calculating brain. |
| B． |
B Language skills. |
| C． |
Instinctive judgements. |
| D． |
Problem-solving ability. |
49. What makes many sectors employ digital humans?
| A． |
The fear of falling behind in efficiency. |
| B． |
The urgency to promote e-commerce. |
| C． |
The wish to spread digital technology. |
| D． |
The need to upgrade the health care system. |
50. What does Mohan think of the future of digital beings?
| A． |
It's well planned. |
| B． |
It is promising. |
| C． |
It is uncertain. |
| D． |
It's quite hopeless. |
When people ask me how I started writing, I find myself describing an urgent need that I felt to work with language. Having said that, I did not know for a long time what I was looking for. It was not until I followed this feeling to its source that I discovered I had a passion for writing. With some encouragement from my colleagues, I had one of my poems published. This bit of success, however, was the point where my problem began.
Back in 1978, I had to travel between three different campuses in the morning, teaching freshman composition. Afternoons I spent taking my daughter to her ballet and horse-riding lessons. I composed my lectures on the way, and that was all the thinking time I had. When I returned home, there was not enough of me left for writing after a full working day.
As a way out, I decided to get up two hours before my usual time. My alarm was set for 5:00 A.M. The first day I shut it off because I had placed it within arm's reach. The second day I set two clocks, one on my night table, and one out in the hallway. I had to jump out of bed and run to silence it before my family was awoken. This was when my morning writing began.
Since that first morning in 1978, I have been following the habit to this day, not making or accepting many excuses for not writing. I wrote my poems in this manner for nearly ten years before my first book was published. When I decided to write a novel, I divided my two hours: the first for poetry, the second for fiction. Well or badly, I wrote at least two pages a day. This is how my novel, The Line of the Sun. was finished. If I had waited to have the time, I would still be waiting to write my novel.
What I got out of getting up in the dark to work is the feeling that I am in control. For many people, the initial sense of urgency to create easily dies away because it requires making the tough decision: taking the time to create, stealing it from yourself if ifs the only way.
41. What motivated the author to start her writing career?
| A． |
Her strong wish to share. |
| B． |
Her keen interest in writing. |
| C． |
Her urgent need to make a living. |
| D． |
Her passionate desire for fame. |
42. What problem did the author face when she decided to begin her writing?
| A． |
She was too exhausted to write after a busy day. |
| B． |
She had trouble in deciding on her writing style. |
| C． |
She had to take time to discipline her daughter. |
| D． |
She was unsure about her writing skills. |
43. Why did the author place an alarm clock in the hallway?
| A． |
In case the clock in her room broke down. |
| B． |
In case she failed to hear the ringing. |
| C． |
To force herself out of bed. |
| D． |
To wake up her family. |
44. How did the author manage to finish her novel?
| A． |
By sticking to writing every morning. |
| B． |
By writing when her mind was most active. |
| C． |
By drawing inspirations from classic novels. |
| D． |
By reducing her teaching hours at school. |
45. What can we learn from the author's success in her writing career?
| A． |
It is never too late to change your job. |
| B． |
Imaginative ideas die away if not taken in time. |
| C． |
A tight schedule is no excuse for lack of action. |
| D． |
Daily life provides ideas for creative writing. |