Benjamin West,the father of American painting, showed his talent for art when he was only six years of age. But he did not know about brushes before a visitor told him he needed one. In those days ,a brush was made from camel's hair. There were no camels nearby. Benjamin decided that cat hair would work instead. He cut some fur from the family cat to make a brush.
The brush did nott last long. Soon Benjamin needed more fur. Before long, the catbegan to look ragged （蓬乱）. His father said that the cat must be sick. Benjamin was forced to admit what he had been doing.
The cat ' s lot was about to improve.That year, one of Benjamin's cousins, Mr.Pennington, came to visit. He was impressed with Benjamin's drawings. When he went home, he sent Benjamin a box of paint and some brushes. He also sent six engravings （版画）by an artist. These were the forst pictures and first real paint and brushes Benjamin had ever seen.In 1747，when Benjamin was nine years old，Mr.Pennington retured for another visit .He was amazed at what Benjamin had done with his gift.He asked Benjamin's parents if he might take the boy to Philadelphia for a visit.
In the city, Mr.Pennington gave Benjamin materials for creating oil paintings.The boy began a landscape (风景) painting.Wiliams ,a well-known painter,came to see him work . Wiliams was impressed with Benjamin and gave him two classic books on painting to take home .The books were long and dull. Benjamin could read only a little,having been a poor student.But he later said,"Those two books were my companions by day,and under my pillow at night."While it is likely that he understood very little of the books,they were his introduction to classical paintings.The nine-year-old boy decided then that he would be an artist.
21. What is the text mainly about?
| A． |
Benjamin's visit to Philadelphia. |
| B． |
Williams' influence on Benjamin. |
| C． |
The beginning of Benjamin's life as an artist. |
| D． |
The friendship between Benjamin and Pennington. |
22. What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 3 suggest?
| A． |
The cat would be closely watched. |
| B． |
The cat would get some medical care. |
| C． |
Benjamin would leave his home shortly. |
| D． |
Benjamin would have real brushes soon. |
23. What did Pennington do to help Benjamin develop his talent?
| A． |
He took him to see painting exhibitions. |
| B． |
He provided him with painting materials. |
| C． |
He sent him to a school in Philadelphia. |
| D． |
He taught him how to make engravings. |
24. Williams' two books helped Benjamin to ________.
| A． |
master the use of paints |
| B． |
appreciate landscape paintings |
| C． |
get to know other painters |
| D． |
make up his mind to be a painter |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
Join us for TransForm, the interactive summer camp that helps you teens find your passion by participating in various activities and connecting with others.
Experience TransForm
TransForm allows you to get to focus on your chosen track through subject matter talks, hands-on workshops, and off-site experiences. However, if you are unsure what track you want, you still get to explore any workshop you want as part of our Explore Workshops. Besides, your parents will also be able to participate in workshops selected just for them to learn about cutting-edge science.
Schedule of Programming
Programming Tracks
·Agricultural Science: Introducing you to areas such as biology, urban farming, and environmental science so that you can explore the field of agriculture
·Community Booster: Guiding you to develop innovative solutions for real-world challenges and create transformative progress to benefit all communities
·Healthy Living: Empowering you to make healthy decisions in such areas as nutrition and emotional well-being, and lead healthy lifestyles
·Science Lab: Leading you to explore the skills you need to succeed in life in key areas like computer science, robotics, and physics
（1）TransForm allows the teens to____________.
| A． |
select workshops for their parents |
B． |
prepare track topics for the camp |
| C． |
design programme activities |
D． |
attend hands-on sessions |
（2）According to the schedule, which activity can the teens participate in?
| A． |
Keynote Speech on 17 July. |
B． |
Youth Panel on 18 July. |
| C． |
Celebration on 19 July. |
D． |
Programme Showcase on 20 July. |
（3）What can the teens do in the Programming Tracks?
| A． |
Build urban communities. |
B． |
Serve as guides on a farm. |
| C． |
Learn about healthy living. |
D． |
Volunteer in a science lab. |
阅读下面短文, 从短文后的选项中选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Overtourism Is For Real: How Can You Help?
Travel promotes understanding, expands our minds, makes us better people, and boosts local economies and communities, but the rapid growth of travel has led to overtourism in certain regions and destinations. （1） Certainly not. The loss of what travel offers would be unacceptable in today’s world. Here are some tips on making wise decisions to minimize pressure on the places we visit and improve our experience.
●Choose mindfully. Overvisited destinations are that way for a reason: they’re special. With so many online posts featuring the same places, it’s easy to feel like you’re missing out. Go somewhere only when the landscape, culture or food deeply draws you. （2）
●Get creative. The best way to ease pressure on over-touristed destinations is to go somewhere else. Though overtourism is described as a problem affecting the entire world, it’s actually concentrated to a small number of extremely popular spots. That means you have tons of less-visited options to choose from. （3） Why not try a regional alternative or check out a popular destination’s lesser-known sights?
● （4） Minimize impact and maximize experience by skipping major holidays or rush hour. You’ll compete with fewer tourists, save money, experience a different side of a popular place, and boost the economy when tourism is traditionally slower.
Visiting a place that others call home is a privilege（荣幸）. Do your part to preserve what makes a destination special in the first place. （5） You may be amazed how much closer you’ll feel to the people there.
|
A. Visit during off-peak times. B. So, should we stop traveling? C. Travel for you and no one else. D. Can overtourism be avoided then? E. You can still find relatively undiscovered places. F. You’ll find yourself virtually alone, or close to it. G. Consider giving back to the communities you’re visiting. |
阅读下列短文, 从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项。
Given the astonishing potential of AI to transform our lives, we all need to take action to deal with our AI-powered future, and this is where AI by Design: A Plan for Living with Artificial Intelligence comes in. This absorbing new book by Catriona Campbell is a practical roadmap addressing the challenges posed by the forthcoming AI revolution（变革）.
In the wrong hands, such a book could prove as complicated to process as the computer code（代码）that powers AI but, thankfully, Campbell has more than two decades’ professional experience translating the heady into the understandable. She writes from the practical angle of a business person rather than as an academic, making for a guide which is highly accessible and informative and which, by the close, will make you feel almost as smart as AI.
As we soon come to learn from AI by Design, AI is already super-smart and will become more capable, moving from the current generation of “narrow-AI” to Artificial General Intelligence. From there, Campbell says, will come Artificial Dominant Intelligence. This is why Campbell has set out to raise awareness of AI and its future now-several decades before these developments are expected to take place. She says it is essential that we keep control of artificial intelligence, or risk being sidelined and perhaps even worse.
Campbell’s point is to wake up those responsible for AI-the technology companies and world leaders-so they are on the same page as all the experts currently developing it. She explains we are at a “tipping point” in history and must act now to prevent an extinction-level event for humanity. We need to consider how we want our future with AI to pan out. Such structured thinking, followed by global regulation, will enable us to achieve greatness rather than our downfall.
AI will affect us all, and if you only read one book on the subject, this is it.
（1）What does the phrase “In the wrong hands” in paragraph 2 probably mean?
| A． |
If read by someone poorly educated. |
B． |
If reviewed by someone ill-intentioned. |
| C． |
If written by someone less competent. |
D． |
If translated by someone unacademic. |
（2）What is a feature of AI by Design according to the text?
| A． |
It is packed with complex codes. |
B． |
It adopts a down-to-earth writing style. |
| C． |
It provides step-by-step instructions. |
D． |
It is intended for AI professionals. |
（3）What does Campbell urge people to do regarding AI development?
| A． |
Observe existing regulations on it. |
| B． |
Reconsider expert opinions about it. |
| C． |
Make joint efforts to keep it under control. |
| D． |
Learn from prior experience to slow it down. |
（4）What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?
| A． |
To recommend a book on . |
B． |
To give a brief account of AI history. |
| C． |
To clarify the definition of . |
D． |
To honor an outstanding AI expert. |
阅读下列短文, 从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项。
We all know fresh is best when it comes to food. However, most produce at the store went through weeks of travel and covered hundreds of miles before reaching the table. While farmer’s markets are a solid choice to reduce the journey, Babylon Micro-Farm（BMF）shortens it even more.
BMF is an indoor garden system. It can be set up for a family. Additionally, it could serve a larger audience such as a hospital, restaurant or school. The innovative design requires little effort to achieve a reliable weekly supply of fresh greens.
Specifically, it’s a farm that relies on new technology. By connecting through the Cloud, BMF is remotely monitored. Also, there is a convenient app that provides growing data in real time. Because the system is automated, it significantly reduces the amount of water needed to grow plants. Rather than watering rows of soil, the system provides just the right amount to each plant. After harvest, users simply replace the plants with a new pre-seeded pod（容器）to get the next growth cycle started.
Moreover, having a system in the same building where it’s eaten means zero emissions（排放）from transporting plants from soil to salad. In addition, there’s no need for pesticides and other chemicals that pollute traditional farms and the surrounding environment.
BMF employees live out sustainability in their everyday lives. About half of them walk or bike to work. Inside the office, they encourage recycling and waste reduction by limiting garbage cans and avoiding single-use plastic. “We are passionate about reducing waste, carbon and chemicals in our environment,” said a BMF employee.
（1）What can be learned about BMF from paragraph 1?
| A． |
It guarantees the variety of food. |
B． |
It requires day-to-day care. |
| C． |
It cuts the farm-to-table distance. |
D． |
It relies on farmer’s markets. |
（2）What information does the convenient app offer?
| A． |
Real-time weather changes. |
B． |
Current condition of the plants. |
| C． |
Chemical pollutants in the soil. |
D． |
Availability of pre-seeded pods. |
（3）What can be concluded about BMF employees?
| A． |
They have a great passion for sports. |
| B． |
They are devoted to community service. |
| C． |
They are fond of sharing daily experiences. |
| D． |
They have a strong environmental awareness. |
（4）What does the text mainly talk about?
| A． |
BMF’s major strengths. |
B． |
BMF’s general management. |
| C． |
BMF’s global influence. |
D． |
BMF’s technical standards. |
阅读下列短文, 从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项。
Do you ever get to the train station and realize you forgot to bring something to read? Yes, we all have our phones, but many of us still like to go old school and read something printed.
Well, there’s a kiosk（小亭）for that. In the San Francisco Bay Area, at least.
“You enter the fare gates（检票口）and you’ll see a kiosk that is lit up and it tells you can get a one-minute, a three-minute, or a five-minute story,” says Alicia Trost, the chief communications officer for the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit — known as BART. “You choose which length you want and it gives you a receipt-like short story.”
It’s that simple. Riders have printed nearly 20,000 short stories and poems since the program was launched last March. Some are classic short stories, and some are new original works.
Trost also wants to introduce local writers to local riders. “We wanted to do something where we do a call to artists in the Bay Area to submit stories for a contest,” Trost says. “And as of right now, we’ve received about 120 submissions. The winning stories would go into our kiosk and then you would be a published artist.”
Ridership on transit（交通）systems across the country has been down the past half century, so could short stories save transit?
Trost thinks so.
“At the end of the day all transit agencies right now are doing everything they can to improve the rider experience. So I absolutely think we will get more riders just because of short stories,” she says.
And you’ll never be without something to read.
（1）Why did BART start the kiosk program?
| A． |
To promote the local culture. |
B． |
To discourage phone use. |
| C． |
To meet passengers’ needs. |
D． |
To reduce its running costs. |
（2）How are the stories categorized in the kiosk?
| A． |
By popularity. |
B． |
By length. |
| C． |
By theme. |
D． |
By language. |
（3）What has Trost been doing recently?
| A． |
Organizing a story contest. |
B． |
Doing a survey of customers. |
| C． |
Choosing a print publisher. |
D． |
Conducting interviews with artists. |
（4）What is Trost’s opinion about BART’s future?
| A． |
It will close down. |
B． |
Its profits will decline. |
| C． |
It will expand nationwide. |
D． |
Its ridership will increase. |