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1. 答题前，考生须在试题册指定位置上填写考生编号和考生姓名；在答题卡指定位置上填写报考单位、考生姓名和考生编号，并涂写考生编号信息点。
2. 考生须把试题册上的“试卷条形码”粘贴条取下，粘贴在答题卡的“试卷条形码粘贴位置”框中。不按规定粘贴条形码而影响评卷结果的，责任由考生自负。
3. 选择题的答案必须涂写在答题卡相应题号的选项上，非选择题的答案必须书写在答题卡指定位置的边框区域内。超出答题区域书写的答案无效；在草稿纸、试题册上答题无效。
4. 填（书）写部分必须使用黑色字迹签字笔书写，字迹工整、笔迹清楚；涂写部分必须使用2B铅笔填涂。
5. 考试结束，将答题卡和试题册按规定交回。
（以下信息考生必须认真填写）
Directions:
Read the following text. Choose the best word（s） for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on the ANSWER SHEET. （10 points）
There's nothing more welcoming than a door opening for you. 1 the need to be touched to open or close, automatic doors are essential in 2 disabled access to buildings and helping provide general 3 to commercial buildings.
Self-sliding doors began to emerge as a commercial product in 1960 after being invented six years 4 by Americans Dee Horton and Lew Hewitt. They 5 as a novelty feature, but as their use has grown, their 6 have extended within our technologically advanced world. Particularly 7 in busy locations or during times of emergency, the doors 8 crowd management by reducing the obstacles put in people's way.
9 making access both in and out of buildings easier for people, the difference in the way many of these doors open helps reduce the total area 10 by them. Automatic doors often open to the side, with the panels sliding across one another. Replacing swing doors, these 11 smaller buildings to maximise the usable space inside without having to 12 the way for a large, sticking-out door. There are many different types of automatic door, with each 13 specific signals to tell them when to open. 14 these methods differ, the main 15 remain the same.
Each automatic door system 16 the light, sound, weight or movement in their vicinity as a signal to open. Sensor types are chosen to 17 the different environments they are needed in. 18 , a busy street might not 19 a motion-sensored door, as it would constantly be opening for passers-by. A pressure-sensitive mat would be more 20 to limit the surveyed area.
1．[A] Through [B] Despite [C] Besides [D] Without
2．[A] revealing [B] demanding [C] improving [D] tracing
3．[A] experience [B] convenience [C] guidance [D] reference
4．[A] previously [B] temporarily [C] successively [D] eventually
5．[A] held on [B] started out [C] settled down [D] went by
6．[A] relations [B] volumes [C] benefits [D] sources
7．[A] useful [B] simple [C] flexible [D] stable
8．[A] call for [B] yield to [C] insist on [D] act as
9．[A] As well as [B] In terms of [C] Thanks to [D] Rather than
10．[A] connected [B] shared [C] represented [D] occupied
11．[A] allow [B] expect [C] require [D] direct
12．[A] adopt [B] lead [C] clear [D] change
13．[A] adapting to [B] deriving from [C] relying on [D] pointing at
14．[A] Once [B] Since [C] Unless [D] Although
15．[A] records [B] positions [C] principles [D] reasons
16．[A] controls [B] analyses [C] produces [D] mixes
17．[A] decorate [B] compare [C] protect [D] complement
18．[A] In conclusion [B] By contrast [C] For example [D] Above all
19．[A] identify [B] suit [C] secure [D] include
20．[A] appropriate [B] obvious [C] impressive [D] delicate
Directions:
Read the following four texts. Answer the questions after each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. （40 points）
Nearly 2,000 years ago, as the Romans began to pull out of Scotland, they left behind a curious treasure: 10 tons of nails, nearly a million of the things. The nail hoard was discovered in 1960 in a four-metre-deep pit covered by two metres of gravel.
Why had the Romans buried a million nails? The likely explanation is that the withdrawal was rushed, and they didn't want the local Caledonians getting their hands on 10 tons of weapon-grade iron. The Romans buried the nails so deep that they would not be discovered for almost two millennia.
Later civilisations would value the skilled blacksmith's labour in a nail even more than the raw material. As Roma Agrawal explains in her new delightful book Nuts and Bolts , early 17th-century Virginians would sometimes burn down their homes if they were planning to relocate. This was an attempt to recover the valuable nails, which could be reused after sifting the ashes. The idea that one might burn down an entire house just to reclaim the nails underlines how scarce, costly and valuable the simple-seeming technology was.
The price of nails fell by 90% between the late 1700s and mid-1900s, as economist Daniel Sichel points out in a research paper. According to Sichel, although the falling price of nails was driven partly by cheaper iron and cheaper energy, most of the credit goes to nail manufacturers who simply found more efficient ways to turn steel into nails.
Nails themselves have changed over the years, but Sichel studied them because they haven't changed much. Roman lamps and Roman chariots are very different from LED strips and sports cars, but Roman nails are still clearly nails. It would be absurd to try to track the changing price of sports cars since 1695, but to ask the same question of nails makes perfect sense.
I make no apology for being obsessed by a particular feature of everyday objects: their price. I am an economist, after all. After writing two books about the history of inventions, one thing I've learnt is that while it is the enchantingly sophisticated technologies that get all the hype, it's the cheap technologies that change the world.
The Gutenberg printing press transformed civilisation not by changing the nature of writing but by changing its cost—and it would have achieved little without a parallel collapse in the price of surfaces to write on, thanks to an often-overlooked technology called paper. Solar panels had a few niche uses until they became cheap; now they are transforming the global energy system.
21. The Romans buried the nails probably for the sake of __________.
[A] saving them for future use
[B] keeping them from rusting
[C] letting them grow in value
[D] hiding them from the locals
22. The example of early 17th-century Virginians is used to __________.
[A] highlight the thriftiness of early American colonists
[B] illustrate the high status of blacksmiths in that period
[C] contrast the attitudes of different civilisations towards nails
[D] show the preciousness of nail-making technology at that time
23. What played the major role in lowering the price of nails after the late 1700s?
[A] Increased productivity.
[B] Wider use of new energies.
[C] Fiercer market competition.
[D] Reduced cost of raw materials.
24. It can be learned from Paragraph 5 that nails __________.
[A] have undergone many technological improvements
[B] have remained basically the same since Roman times
[C] are less studied than other everyday products
[D] are one of the world's most significant inventions
25. Which of the following best summarises the last two paragraphs?
[A] Cheap technologies bring about revolutionary change.
[B] Technological innovation is integral to economic success.
[C] Technology defines people's understanding of the world.
[D] Sophisticated technologies develop from small inventions.
Parenting tips obtained from hunter-gatherers in Africa may be the key to bringing up more contented children, researchers have suggested. The idea is based on studies of communities such as the Kung of Botswana, where each child is cared for by many adults. Kung children as young as four will help to look after younger ones and “baby-wearing”, in which infants are carried in slings, is considered the norm.
According to Dr Nikhil Chaudhary, an evolutionary anthropologist at Cambridge University, these practices, known as alloparenting, could lead to less anxiety for children and parents.
Dr Annie Swanepoel, a child psychiatrist, believes that there are ways to incorporate them into western life. In Germany, one scheme has paired an old people's home with a nursery. The residents help to look after the children, an arrangement akin to alloparenting. Another measure could be encouraging friendships between children in different school years to mirror the unsupervised mixed-age playgroups in hunter-gatherer communities.
In a paper published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry , researchers said that the western nuclear family was a recent invention which broke with evolutionary history. This abrupt shift to an “intensive mothering narrative”, which suggests that mothers should manage childcare alone, was likely to have been harmful. “Such narratives can lead to maternal exhaustion and have dangerous consequences,” they wrote.
By contrast, in hunter-gatherer societies adults other than the parents can provide almost half of a child's care. One previous study looked at the Efé people of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It found that infants had an average of 14 alloparents a day by the time they were 18 weeks old and were passed between caregivers eight times an hour.
Chaudhary said that parents now had less childcare support from family and social networks than during most of humans' evolutionary history, but introducing additional caregivers could reduce stress and maternal depression, which could have a “knock-on” benefit to a child's wellbeing. An infant born to a hunter-gatherer society could have more than ten caregivers—this contrasts starkly to nursery settings in the UK where regulations call for a ratio of one carer to four children aged two to three.
While hunter-gatherer children learnt from observation and imitation in mixed-age playgroups, researchers said that western “instructive teaching”, where pupils are asked to sit still, may contribute to conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Chaudhary said that Britain should explore the possibility that older siblings helping their parents “might also enhance their own social development”.
26. According to the first two paragraphs, alloparenting refers to the practice of __________.
[A] sharing childcare among community members
[B] assigning babies to specific adult caregivers
[C] teaching parenting skills to older children
[D] carrying infants around by their parents
27. The scheme in Germany is mentioned to illustrate __________.
[A] an attempt to facilitate intergenerational communication
[B] an approach to integrating alloparenting into western society
[C] the conventional parenting style in western culture
[D] the differences between western and African ways of living
28. According to Paragraph 4, the “intensive mothering narrative” __________.
[A] alleviates parenting pressures
[B] consolidates family relationships
[C] results in the child-centred family
[D] departs from the course of evolution
29. What can be inferred about the nurseries in the UK?
[A] They tend to fall short of official requirements.
[B] They have difficulty finding enough caregivers.
[C] They ought to improve their carer-to-child ratio.
[D] They should try to prevent parental depression.
30. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
[A] Instructive teaching: a dilemma for anxious parents
[B] For a happier family, learn from the hunter-gatherers
[C] Mixed-age playgroup, a better choice for lonely children
[D] Tracing the history of parenting: from Africa to Europe
A Polish digital artist who uses classical painting styles to create dreamy fantasy landscapes, Greg Rutkowski has made illustrations for games such as Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering. And he's become a sudden hit in the new world of text-to-image AI generation.
His distinctive style is now one of the most commonly used prompts in the new open-source AI art generator Stable Diffusion. The tool, along with other popular image-generation AI models, allows anyone to create impressive images based on text prompts. For example, type in “Wizard with sword and a glowing orb of magic fire fights a fierce dragon Greg Rutkowski,” and the system will produce something that looks not a million miles away from works in Rutkowski's style.
But these open-source programs are built by scraping images from the Internet, often without permission and proper attribution to artists. As a result, they are raising tricky questions about ethics and copyright. And artists like Rutkowski have had enough.
According to the website Lexica, which tracks over 10 million Stable Diffusion images and prompts, Rutkowski's name has been used as a prompt around 93,000 times. Rutkowski was initially surprised but thought it might be a good way to reach new audiences. Then he tried searching for his name to see if a piece he had worked on had been published. The online search brought back work that had his name attached to it but wasn't his.
“It's been just a month. What about in a year? I probably won't be able to find my work out there because the Internet will be flooded with AI art,” Rutkowski said. “That's concerning.”
Other artists besides Rutkowski have been surprised by the apparent popularity of their work in text-to-image generators—and some are now fighting back.
Karla Ortiz, an illustrator based in San Francisco who found her work in Stable Diffusion's data set, has been raising awareness about the issues around AI art and copyright. Artists say they risk losing income as people start using AI-generated images based on copyrighted material for commercial purposes. But it's also a lot more personal, Ortiz says, arguing that because art is so closely linked to a person, it could raise data protection and privacy problems.
“There is a coalition growing within artist industries to figure out how to tackle or mitigate this,” says Ortiz. The group is in its early days of mobilization, which could involve pushing for new policies or regulation. One suggestion is that AI models could be trained on images in the public domain, and AI companies could forge partnerships with museums and artists, Ortiz says.
31. What can be learned about Rutkowski from the first two paragraphs?
[A] He is enthusiastic about using AI models.
[B] He is popular with users of an AI art generator.
[C] He attracts admiration from other illustrators.
[D] He specializes in classical painting digitalization.
32. The problem with open-source AI art generators is that they __________.
[A] lack flexibility in responding to prompts
[B] produce artworks in unpredictable styles
[C] make unauthorized use of online images
[D] collect user information without consent
33. After searching online, Rutkowski found __________.
[A] a unique way to reach audiences
[B] a new method to identify AI images
[C] AI-generated work bearing his name
[D] heated disputes regarding his copyright
34. According to Ortiz, AI companies are advised to __________.
[A] campaign for new policies or regulation
[B] offer their services to public institutions
[C] strengthen their relationships with AI users
[D] adopt a different strategy for AI model training
35. What is the text mainly about?
[A] Artists' responses to AI art generation.
[B] AI's expanded role in artistic creation.
[C] Privacy issues in the application of AI.
[D] Opposing views on AI development.
The miracle of the Chesapeake Bay lies not in its depths, but in the complexity of its natural construction, the interaction of fresh and saline waters, and the mix of land and water. The shallows provide homes for hundreds of species while storing floodwaters, filtering pollutants from water, and protecting nearby communities from potentially destructive storm surges.
All this was put at great risk late last month, when the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in an Idaho case that provides the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency （EPA） far less authority to regulate wetlands and waterways. Specifically, a 5-4 majority decided that wetlands protected by the EPA under its Clean Water Act authority must have a “continuous surface connection” to bodies of water. This narrowing of the regulatory scope was a victory for builders, mining operators and other commercial interests often at odds with environmental rules. And it carries “significant repercussions for water quality and flood control throughout the United States,” as Justice Brett Kavanaugh observed.
In Maryland, the good news is that there are many state laws in place that provide wetlands protections. But that's a very shortsighted view, particularly when it comes to the Chesapeake Bay. The reality is that water, and the pollutants that so often come with it, don't respect state boundaries. The Chesapeake draws from a 64,000-square-mile watershed that extends into Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia, the District of Columbia and Delaware. Will those jurisdictions extend the same protections now denied under Sackett v. EPA? Perhaps some, but all? That seems unlikely.
It is too easy, and misleading, to see such court rulings as merely standing up for the rights of land owners when the consequences can be so dire for their neighbors. And it's a reminder that the EPA's involvement in the Chesapeake Bay Program has long been crucial as the means to transcend the influence of deep-pocketed special interests in neighboring states. Pennsylvania farmers, to use one telling example, aren't thinking about next year's blue crab harvest in Maryland when they decide whether to spread animal waste on their fields, yet the runoff into nearby creeks can have enormous impact downstream.
And so we would call on state lawmakers from Richmond to Albany to consider reviewing their own wetlands protections and see for themselves the enormous stakes involved. We can offer them a visit to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Dorchester County where bald eagles fly over tidal marshes so shallow you could not paddle a boat across them but teaming with aquatic life. It's worth the scenic drive.
36. The Chesapeake Bay is described in Paragraph 1 as __________.
[A] a valuable natural environment
[B] a controversial conservation area
[C] a place with commercial potential
[D] a headache for nearby communities
37. The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in the Idaho case __________.
[A] reinforces water pollution control
[B] weakens the EPA's regulatory power
[C] will end conflicts among local residents
[D] may face opposition from mining operators
38. How does the author feel about the future of the Chesapeake Bay?
[A] Worried.
[B] Puzzled.
[C] Relieved.
[D] Encouraged.
39. What can be inferred about the EPA's involvement in the Chesapeake Bay Program?
[A] It has restored the balance among neighboring jurisdictions.
[B] It has triggered a radical reform in commercial fisheries.
[C] It has set a fine example of respecting state authorities.
[D] It has ensured the coordination of protection efforts.
40. The author holds that the state lawmakers should __________.
[A] be cautious about the influence of land owners
[B] attach due importance to wetlands protections
[C] recognize the need to expand wildlife refuges
[D] improve the wellbeing of endangered species
Directions:
Read the following comments on a report about American museums returning artifacts to their countries of origin and a list of statements summarizing the comments. Choose the best statement from the list A-G for each numbered name （41-45）. There are two extra choices which you do not need to use. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. （10 points）
（41） Hannah
Simply, there are people in Nigeria who cannot travel to the Smithsonian Institution to see that part of their history and culture represented by the Benin Bronzes. These should be available to them as part of their cultural heritage and history and as a source of national pride. There is no good reason that these artifacts should be beyond the ordinary reach of the educational objectives or inspiration of the generations to which they were left. They serve no purpose in a museum in the United States or elsewhere except as curious objects. They cannot be compared to works of art produced for sale which can be passed from hand to hand and place to place by purchase.
（42） Buck
We know very exact reproductions of artwork can be and are regularly produced. Perhaps museums and governments might explore some role for the use of nearly exact reproductions as a means of resolving issues relating to returning works of art and antiquities. The context of any exhibit is more important to me than whether the object being displayed is 2,000 years old or 2 months old. In many cases the experts have a hard time agreeing on what is the real object and what is a forgery. Again, the story an exhibit is trying to tell is what matters. The monetary value of the objects on display is a distant second place in importance.
（43） Sara
When visiting the Baltimore Museum of Art, I came across a magnificent 15th-century Chinese sculpture. It inspired me to learn more about the culture that it represented. Artifacts in museums have the power to inspire, and perhaps spark that need to learn and understand the nature of their creators. Having said that, I do feel that whatever artifacts find their way to public museums should, in fact, be sanctioned as having been obtained on loan, legally purchased, or obtained by treaty. Stealing artifacts from other peoples' cultures is obscene; it robs not only the physical objects, but the dignity and spirit of their creators.
（44） Victor
Ancient art that is displayed in foreign countries by all means should be returned to the original country. The foreign countries have no right to hold back returning the items. I would ask that the foreign nations and the original country discuss the terms of transfer. Yes, there is the risk that the original country will not have as good security as do the foreign countries. But look at what happened to Boston's Gardner Museum theft in 1990, including the loss of Rembrandt, Vermeer, Manet, and other masterpieces. Nothing is absolutely safe nowhere. And now Climate Change agitators are attacking publicly displayed works in European museums.
（45） Julia
To those of you in the comments section who are having strong feelings about artifacts being removed from cities in the U.S. and Britain and returned to their countries of origin, I would ask you to consider why do you think Americans have more of a right to easily access the Benin Bronzes than the people of Nigeria? Why are people who live within a day's drive of London entitled to go and see the Elgin Marbles whenever they want, but the people of Athens aren't? What intrinsic factors make the West a suitable home for these artifacts but preclude them from being preserved and displayed by their countries of origin? If your conclusion is that the West is better able to preserve these artifacts, think about why you're assuming that to be true.
[A] It is clear that the countries of origin have never been compensated for the stolen artifacts.
[B] It is a flawed line of reasoning to argue against returning artifacts to their countries of origin.
[C] Museum visitors can still learn as much from artifacts' copies after the originals are returned.
[D] Reproductions, even if perfectly made, cannot take the place of the authentic objects.
[E] The real value of artifacts can only be recognized in their countries of origin rather than anywhere else.
[F] Ways to get artifacts from other countries must be decent and lawful.
[G] Concern over security is no excuse for refusing to return artifacts to their countries of origin.
Directions:
Read the following text carefully and then translate the underlined segments into Chinese. Write your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. （10 points）
“Elephants never forget”—or so they say—and that piece of folklore seems to have some foundation.
The African savanna elephant, also known as the African bush elephant, is distributed across 37 African countries. They move between a variety of habitats, including forests, grasslands, woodlands, wetlands and agricultural land. （46） They sometimes travel more than sixty miles to find food or water, and are very good at working out where other elephants are—even when they are out of sight. Using tracking devices, researchers have shown that they have “remarkable spatial acuity.” When finding their way to waterholes, they headed off in exactly the right direction, on one occasion from a distance of roughly thirty miles. What is more, they almost always seem to choose the nearest waterhole. （47） The researchers are convinced that the elephants always know precisely where they are in relation to all the resources they need, and can therefore take shortcuts, as well as following familiar routes.
Although the cues used by African elephants for long-distance navigation are not yet understood, smell may well play a part.
Elephants are very choosy eaters, but until recently little was known about how they selected their food. （48） One possibility was that they merely used their eyes and tried out the plants they found, but that would probably result in a lot of wasted time and energy, not least because their eyesight is actually not very good.
（49） The volatile chemicals produced by plants can be carried a long way, and they are very characteristic: Each plant or tree has its own particular odor signature. What is more, they can be detected even when they are not actually visible. New research suggests that smell is a crucial factor in guiding elephants—and probably other herbivores—to the best food resources.
The researchers first established what kinds of plant the elephants preferred either to eat or avoid when foraging freely. They then set up a “food station” experiment, in which they gave the elephants a series of choices based only on smell. （50） The experiment showed that elephants may well use smell to identify patches of trees that are good to eat, and secondly to assess the quality of the trees within each patch. Free-ranging elephants presumably also use this information to locate their preferred food.
Their well-developed hippocampal structures may enable elephants, like rats and people, to construct cognitive maps.
Read the following email from an international student and write a reply.
Dear Li Ming,
I've got a class assignment to make an oral report on an ancient Chinese scientist, but I'm not sure how to prepare for it. Can you give me some advice? Thank you for your help.
Yours,
Paul
Write your answer in about 100 words on the ANSWER SHEET.
Do not use your own name in your email; use “Li Ming” instead. （10 points）
Write an essay based on the picture and the chart below. In your essay, you should
1） describe the picture and the chart briefly,
2） interpret the implied meaning, and
3） give your comments.
Write your answer in 160-200 words on the ANSWER SHEET. （20 points）
1. D 2. C 3. B 4. A 5. B 6. C 7. A 8. D 9. A 10. D 11. A 12. C 13. C 14. D 15. C 16. B 17. D 18. C 19. B 20. A
21. D 22. D 23. A 24. B 25. A 26. A 27. B 28. D 29. C 30. B 31. B 32. C 33. C 34. D 35. A 36. A 37. B 38. A 39. D 40. B
41. E 42. C 43. F 44. G 45. B
46. 它们有时会行走60余英里去觅食或饮水，而且非常善于找到其他大象所在的位置——即使其他大象在它们的视线之外。
47. 研究人员坚信，大象总能基于它们需要的所有资源来精确判断自己所处的位置，因此可以抄近路，也可以沿着熟悉的路线行进。
48. 一种可能是，它们仅仅用眼睛来找到植物，并尝试这些植物，但是这可能会浪费大量的时间和精力，尤其是因为它们的视力实际上并不是很好。
49. 植物产生的挥发性化学物质可以传播到很远的地方，而且具有非常典型的特征：每种植物或树木均有自己特有的标志性气味。
50. 实验表明，大象很有可能利用气味找到一片片适合食用的树林，随后对每一片树林中树木的品质进行评估。
（略）
试 卷 条 形 码
1. 答题前，考生须在试题册指定位置上填写考生编号和考生姓名；在答题卡指定位置上填写报考单位、考生姓名和考生编号，并涂写考生编号信息点。
2. 考生须把试题册上的“试卷条形码”粘贴条取下，粘贴在答题卡的“试卷条形码粘贴位置”框中。不按规定粘贴条形码而影响评卷结果的，责任由考生自负。
3. 选择题的答案必须涂写在答题卡相应题号的选项上，非选择题的答案必须书写在答题卡指定位置的边框区域内。超出答题区域书写的答案无效；在草稿纸、试题册上答题无效。
4. 填（书）写部分必须使用黑色字迹签字笔书写，字迹工整、笔迹清楚；涂写部分必须使用2B铅笔填涂。
5. 考试结束，将答题卡和试题册按规定交回。
（以下信息考生必须认真填写）
Directions:
Read the following text. Choose the best word（s） for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on the ANSWER SHEET. （10 points）
Caravanserais were roadside inns that were built along the Silk Road in areas including China, North Africa and the Middle East. They were typically 1 outside the walls of a city or village and were usually funded by local governments or 2 .
The word “caravanserai” is a 3 of the Persian words “kārvān”, which means a group of travellers or a caravan, and “sarāy”, a palace or enclosed building. The term caravan was used to 4 groups of people who travelled together across the ancient network for safety reasons, 5 merchants, travellers or pilgrims.
From the 10th century onwards, as merchant and travel routes became more developed, the 6 of caravanserais increased and they served as a safe place for people to rest at night. Travellers on the Silk Road 7 the possibility of being attacked by thieves or being 8 to extreme weather conditions. For this reason, caravanserais were strategically placed 9 they could be reached in a day's travel time.
Caravanserais served as an informal 10 point for the various people who travelled the Silk Road. 11 , these structures became important centres for cultural 12 and interaction, with travellers sharing their cultures, ideas and beliefs, 13 taking knowledge with them, greatly 14 the development of several civilisations.
Caravanserais were also an important marketplace for commodities and 15 in the trade of goods along the Silk Road. 16 , it was frequently the first stop for merchants looking to sell their wares and 17 supplies for their own journeys. It is 18 that around 12,000 to 15,000 caravanserais were built along the Silk Road, 19 only about 3,000 are known to remain today, many of which are in 20 .
1．[A] displayed [B] occupied [C] located [D] equipped
2．[A] privately [B] regularly [C] respectively [D] permanently
3．[A] definition [B] transition [C] substitution [D] combination
4．[A] classify [B] record [C] describe [D] connect
5．[A] apart from [B] instead of [C] such as [D] along with
6．[A] construction [B] restoration [C] impression [D] evaluation
7．[A] doubted [B] faced [C] accepted [D] reduced
8．[A] assigned [B] subjected [C] accustomed [D] opposed
9．[A] so that [B] even if [C] now that [D] in case
10．[A] talking [B] starting [C] breaking [D] meeting
11．[A] By the way [B] On occasion [C] In comparison [D] As a result
12．[A] heritage [B] revival [C] exchange [D] status
13．[A] with regard to [B] in spite of [C] as well as [D] in line with
14．[A] completing [B] influencing [C] resuming [D] pioneering
15．[A] aided [B] invested [C] failed [D] competed
16．[A] Rather [B] Indeed [C] Otherwise [D] However
17．[A] go in for [B] stand up for [C] close in on [D] stock up on
18．[A] believed [B] predicted [C] recalled [D] implied
19．[A] until [B] because [C] unless [D] although
20．[A] ruins [B] debt [C] fashion [D] series
Directions:
Read the following four texts. Answer the questions after each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. （40 points）
The weather in Texas may have cooled since the recent extreme heat, but the temperature will be high at the State Board of Education meeting in Austin this month as officials debate how climate change is taught in Texas schools.
Pat Hardy, who sympathises with the views of the energy sector, is resisting proposed changes to science standards for pre-teen pupils. “There are as many scientists working against all the panic of global climate change as there are those who are pushing it,” she claims. “Texas is an energy state and we need to recognise that. You need to remember where your bread is buttered.”
Most scientists and experts sharply dispute Hardy's views. Board members like her “casually dismiss the career work of scholars and scientists as just another misguided opinion,” says Dan Quinn, senior communications strategist at the Texas Freedom Network, a non-profit group that monitors public education.
Such debates reflect fierce discussions across the US, as researchers, policymakers, teachers and students step up demands for a greater focus on teaching about the facts of climate change in schools.
A study last year by the National Center for Science Education, a non-profit group of scientists and teachers, looking at how state public schools across the country address climate change in science classes, gave barely half of US states a grade B+ or higher. Among the 10 worst performers were some of the most populous states, including Texas, which was given the lowest grade （F） and has a disproportionate influence because its textbooks are widely sold elsewhere.
Glenn Branch, the centre's deputy director, cautions that setting state-level science standards is only one limited benchmark in a country that decentralises decisions to local school boards. Even if a state is considered a high performer in its science standards, “that does not mean it will be taught”, he says.
Another issue is that, while climate change is well integrated into some subjects and at some ages—such as earth and space sciences in high schools—it is not as well represented in curricula for younger children and in subjects that are more widely taught, such as biology and chemistry. It is also less prominent in many social studies courses.
Branch points out that, even if a growing number of official guidelines and textbooks reflect scientific consensus on climate change, unofficial educational materials that convey more biased perspectives are being distributed to teachers. They include materials sponsored by energy industry associations.
21. In Paragraph 1, the weather in Texas is mentioned to ________.
[A] forecast a policy shift in Texas schools
[B] stress the consequences of climate change
[C] indicate the atmosphere at the board meeting
[D] draw the public's attention to energy shortages
22. What does Quinn think of Hardy?
[A] She exaggerates the existing panic.
[B] She denies the value of scientific work.
[C] She shows no concern for pre-teens.
[D] She expresses self-contradictory views.
23. The study mentioned in Paragraph 5 shows that ________.
[A] climate education is insufficient at state public schools
[B] policymakers have little drive for science education
[C] Texas is reluctant to rewrite its science textbooks
[D] environmental teaching in some states lacks supervision
24. According to Branch, state-level science standards in the US ________.
[A] call for regular revision
[B] require urgent application
[C] have limited influence
[D] cater to local needs
25. It is implied in the last paragraph that climate change teaching in some schools ________.
[A] agrees to major public demands
[B] reflects teachers' personal biases
[C] may misrepresent the energy sector
[D] can be swayed by external forces
Communities throughout New England have been attempting to regulate short-term rentals since sites like Airbnb took off in the 2010s. Now, with record-high home prices and historically low inventory, there's an increased urgency in such regulation, particularly among those who worry that developers will come in and buy up swaths of housing to flip for a fortune on the short-term rental market.
In New Hampshire, where the rental vacancy rate has dropped below 1 percent, housing advocates fear unchecked short-term rentals will put further pressure on an already strained market. The state Legislature recently voted against a bill that would've made it illegal for towns to create legislation restricting short-term rentals.
“We are at a crisis level on the supply of rental housing,” said Nick Taylor, executive director of the Workforce Housing Coalition of the Greater Seacoast. Without enough affordable housing in southern New Hampshire towns, “employers are having a hard time attracting employees, and workers are having a hard time finding a place to live,” Taylor said.
However, short-term rentals also provide housing for tourists, pointed out Ryan Castle, CEO of a local association of realtors. “A lot of workers are servicing the tourist industry, and the tourism industry is serviced by those people coming in short term,” Castle said, “and so it's a cyclical effect.”
Short-term rentals themselves are not the crux of the issue, said Keren Horn, an expert on affordable housing policy. “I think individuals being able to rent out their second home is a good thing. If it's their vacation home anyway, and it's just empty, why can't you make money off it?” Horn said. Issues arise, however, when developers attempt to create large-scale short-term rental facilities—de facto hotels—to bypass taxes and regulations. “I think the question is, shouldn't a developer who's really building a hotel, but disguising it as not a hotel, be treated and taxed and regulated like a hotel?” Horn said.
At the end of 2018, Governor Charlie Baker of Massachusetts signed a bill to rein in those potential investor-buyers. The bill requires every rental host to register with the state, mandates they carry insurance, and opens the potential for local taxes on top of a new state levy. Boston took things even further, requiring renters to register with the city's Inspectional Services Department.
Horn said similar registration requirements could benefit struggling cities and towns, but “if we want to make a change in the housing market, the main one is we have to build a lot more.”
26. Which of the following is true of New England?
[A] Its housing supply is at a very low level.
[B] Its communities are in need of funding.
[C] Its rental vacancy rate is going up slowly.
[D] Its home prices are under strict control.
27. The bill mentioned in Paragraph 2 was intended to __________.
[A] curb short-term rental speculation
[B] ensure the supply of cheap housing
[C] punish illegal dealings in housing
[D] allow a free short-term rental market
28. Compared with Castle, Taylor is more likely to support __________.
[A] further investment in local tourism
[B] an increase in affordable housing
[C] strict management of real estate agents
[D] a favorable policy for short-term workers
29. What does Horn emphasize in Paragraph 5?
[A] The urgency to upgrade short-term rental facilities.
[B] The efficient operation of the local housing market.
[C] The necessity to stop developers from evading taxes.
[D] The proper procedures for renting out spare houses.
30. Horn holds that imposing registration requirements is __________.
[A] an irrational decision
[B] an unfeasible proposal
[C] an unnecessary measure
[D] an inadequate solution
If you're heading for your nearest branch of Waterstones, the biggest book retailer in the UK, in search of the Duchess of Sussex's new children's book The Bench , you might have to be prepared to hunt around a bit; the same may be true of The President's Daughter , the new thriller by Bill Clinton and James Patterson. Both of these books are published next week by Penguin Random House （PRH）, a company currently involved in a stand-off with Waterstones.
The problem began late last year, when PRH confirmed that it had introduced a credit limit with Waterstones “at a very significant level”. The trade magazine The Bookseller reported that Waterstones branch managers were being told to remove PRH books from prominent areas such as tables, display spaces and windows, and were “quietly retiring them to their relevant sections”.
PRH declined to comment on the issue, but a spokesperson for Waterstones told me: “Waterstones are currently operating with reduced credit terms from PRH, the only publisher in the UK to place any limitations on our ability to trade. We are not boycotting PRH titles but we are doing our utmost to ensure that availability for customers remains good despite the lower overall levels of stock. We are hopeful with our shops now open again that normality will return and that we will be allowed to buy appropriately. Certainly, our shops are exceptionally busy. The sales for our May Books of the Month surpassed any month since 2018.”
In the meantime, PRH authors have been the losers. Big-name PRH authors may suffer a bit, but it's those mid-list authors, who normally rely on Waterstones staff's passion for promoting books by lesser-known writers, who will be praying for an end to the dispute.
It comes at a time when authors are already worried about the consequences of the proposed merger between PRH and another big publisher, Simon & Schuster—the reduction in the number of unaligned UK publishers is likely to lead to fewer bidding wars, lower advances, and more conformity in terms of what is published.
“This is all part of a wider change towards concentration of power,” says literary agent Andrew Lownie. “The publishing industry talks about diversity in terms of authors and staff but it also needs a plurality of ways of delivering intellectual contact, choice and different voices. After all, many of the most interesting books in recent years have come from small publishers.”
We shall see whether that plurality is a casualty of the current need among publishers to be big enough to take on all-comers.
31. The author mentions two books in Paragraph 1 to present __________.
[A] an ongoing conflict
[B] an intellectual concept
[C] a prevailing sentiment
[D] a literary phenomenon
32. Why did Waterstones shops retire PRH books to their relevant sections?
[A] To make them easily noticeable.
[B] To comply with PRH's requirement.
[C] To respond to PRH's business move.
[D] To arrange them in a systematic way.
33. What message does the spokesperson for Waterstones seem to convey?
[A] Their customers remain loyal.
[B] The credit limit will be removed.
[C] Their stock is underestimated.
[D] The book market is rather slack.
34. What can be one consequence of the current dispute?
[A] Sales of books by mid-list PRH writers fall off considerably.
[B] Lesser-known PRH writers become the target of criticism.
[C] Waterstones staff hesitate to promote big-name authors' books.
[D] Waterstones branches suffer a severe reduction in revenue.
35. Which of the following statements best represents Lownie's view?
[A] Small publishers ought to stick together.
[B] Big publishers will lose their dominance.
[C] The publishing industry is having a hard time.
[D] The merger of publishers is a worrying trend.
Scientific papers are the recordkeepers of progress in research. Each year researchers publish millions of papers in more than 30,000 journals. The scientific community measures the quality of those papers in a number of ways, including the perceived quality of the journal （as reflected by the title's impact factor） and the number of citations a specific paper accumulates. The careers of scientists and the reputation of their institutions depend on the number and prestige of the papers they produce, but even more so on the citations attracted by these papers.
Citation cartels, where journals, authors, and institutions conspire to inflate citation numbers, have existed for a long time. In 2016, researchers developed an algorithm to recognize suspicious citation patterns, including groups of authors that disproportionately cite one another and groups of journals that cite each other frequently to increase the impact factors of their publications. Recently, another expression of this predatory behavior has emerged: so-called support service consultancies that provide language and other editorial support to individual authors and to journals sometimes advise contributors to add a number of citations to their articles.
The advent of electronic publishing and authors' need to find outlets for their papers resulted in thousands of new journals. The birth of predatory journals wasn't far behind. These journals can act as milk cows where every single article in an issue may cite a specific paper or a series of papers. In some instances, there is absolutely no relationship between the content of the article and the citations. The peculiar part is that the journal that the editor is supposedly working for is not profiting at all—it is just providing citations to other journals. Such practices can lead an article to accrue more than 150 citations in the same year that it was published.
How insidious is this type of citation manipulation? In one example, an individual—acting as author, editor, and consultant—was able to use at least 15 journals as citation providers to articles published by five scientists at three universities. The problem is rampant in Scopus, a citation database, which includes a high number of the new “international” journals. In fact, a listing in Scopus seems to be a criterion to be targeted in this type of citation manipulation.
Scopus itself has all the data necessary to detect this malpractice. Red flags include a large number of citations to an article within the first year. And for authors who wish to steer clear of citation cartel activities: when an editor, a reviewer, or a support service asks you to add inappropriate references, do not oblige and do report the request to the journal.
36. According to Paragraph 1, the careers of scientists can be determined by __________.
[A] how many citations their works contain
[B] how many times their papers are cited
[C] the prestige of the people they work with
[D] the status they have in scientific circles
37. The support service consultancies tend to __________.
[A] recommend journals to their clients
[B] list citation patterns for their clients
[C] ask authors to include extra citations
[D] advise contributors to cite each other
38. The function of the “milk cow” journals is to __________.
[A] boost citation counts for certain authors
[B] help scholars publish articles at low cost
[C] instruct first-time contributors in citation
[D] increase the readership of new journals
39. What can be learned about Scopus from the last two paragraphs?
[A] It fosters competition among citation providers.
[B] It has the capability to identify suspicious citations.
[C] It hinders the growth of “international” journals.
[D] It is established to prevent citation manipulation.
40. What should an author do to deal with citation manipulators?
[A] Take legal action.
[B] Demand an apology.
[C] Seek professional advice.
[D] Reveal their misconduct.
Directions:
The following paragraphs are given in a wrong order. For questions 41-45, you are required to reorganize these paragraphs into a coherent text by choosing from the list A-H and filling them into the numbered boxes.
Paragraphs A, E, and H
have been correctly placed. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. （10 points）
[A] Last year marked the 150th anniversary of a series of Yellowstone photographs by the renowned landscape photographer William Henry Jackson. Jackson snapped the first-ever shots of iconic landmarks such as the Tetons, Old Faithful and the Colorado Rockies on a late 19th-century expedition through the Yellowstone Basin, conducted by the head of the U.S. Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories, Ferdinand V. Hayden. The team included a meteorologist, a zoologist, a mineralogist, and an agricultural statistician.
[B] Two centuries ago, the idea of preserving nature, rather than exploiting it, was a novel one to many US settlers. One of the turning points in public support for land conservation efforts—and recognizing the magnificence of the Yellowstone region in particular—came in the form of vivid photographs.
[C] An effective Washington operator, Hayden sensed that he could capitalize on the expedition's stunning visuals. He asked Jackson to print out large copies and distributed them, along with reproductions of Moran's paintings, to each member of Congress. “The visualization, particularly those photographs, really hit home that this is something that has to be protected,” says Alicia Murphy, Yellowstone's park historian.
[D] Throughout the trip, Jackson juggled multiple cameras and plate sizes using the collodion process that involved coating the plates with a chemical mixture, exposing them and developing the resulting images with a portable darkroom. The crude technique required educated guesses on exposure times, and involved heavy, awkward equipment—several men had to assist in its transportation. Despite these challenges, Jackson captured dozens of striking photos, ranging from majestic images like his now-famous snapshot of Old Faithful, to casual portraits of expedition members at the camp. While veterans of previous expeditions had written at length about stunning sights, these vivid photographs were another thing entirely.
[E] The journey officially began in Ogden, Utah, on June 8, 1871. Over nearly four months, dozens of men made their way on horseback into Montana and traversed along the Yellowstone River and around Yellowstone Lake. That fall, they concluded the survey in Fort Bridger, Wyoming.
[F] Though Native Americans （and later miners and fur trappers） had long recognized the area's riches, most Americans did not. That's why Hayden's expedition aimed to produce a fuller understanding of the Yellowstone River region, from its hot springs and waterfalls to its variety of flora and fauna. In addition to the entourage of scientists, the team also included artists: Painter Thomas Moran and photographer Jackson were charged with capturing this astounding natural beauty and sharing it with the world.
[G] The bill proved largely popular and sailed through Congress with large majorities in favor. In quick succession, the Senate and House passed legislation protecting Yellowstone in early 1872. That March, President Ulysses S. Grant signed an act into law that established Yellowstone as the world's first national park. While some locals opposed the designation, the decision was largely accepted—and Jackson's photos played a key role in the fight to protect the area. “I don't believe that the legal protection would have happened in the timeframe that it did without those images,” says Heather Hansen, journalist and author of Prophets and Moguls, Rangers and Rogues, Bison and Bears: 100 Years of the National Park Service .
[H] Perhaps most importantly, these images provided documentary evidence that later made its way to government officials. Weeks after completing the expedition, Hayden collected his team's observations into an extensive report aimed at convincing senators and representatives, along with colleagues at government agencies like the Department of the Interior, that Yellowstone ought to be preserved.
Directions:
Read the following text carefully and then translate the underlined segments into Chinese. Write your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. （10 points）
There has been some exploration around the use of artificial intelligence （AI） in digital marketing. For example, AI can be used to analyse what type of advertising content or copy would be appropriate to “speak” to a specific target customer group by revealing information about trends and preferences through the analysis of big data. （46） AI can also be used to identify the lifestyle choices of customers regarding their hobbies, favourite celebrities, and fashions to provide unique content in marketing messages put out through social media. At the same time AI can also be used to generate content for social media posts and chat sites.
The main disadvantage of using AI to respond to customers is that there are concerns about trusting personal interactions to machines, which could lead not only to the subsequent loss of interpersonal connections, but also to a decrease in marketing personnel. （47） Some believe that AI is negatively impacting on the marketer's role by reducing creativity and removing jobs, but they are aware that it is a way of reducing costs and creating new information. By allowing AI to develop content some brand marketers may find that they are losing control over the brand narrative. （48） Algorithms used to simulate human interactions are creating many of these concerns, especially as no-one is quite sure what the outcomes of using AI to interact with customers will be.
For AI to be successful, data needs to be accessible, but the use of personal data is becoming more regulated and the automated sharing of data is becoming more difficult. （49） If customers are not willing to share data, AI will be starved of essential information and will not be able to function effectively or employ machine learning to improve its marketing content and communication. Therefore, unless customers are prepared to sign release agreements, the use of AI may become somewhat restricted in the future. Not only can AI help to create the marketing content, but it can also provide a non-intrusive way of delivering the content to the target customers. Data can be gathered on where the customer can be engaged, such as location, devices used, website interactions, and sites visited, to display marketing messages in appropriate forms, including emails, social media posts, pop-up advertisements, and banners at an appropriate frequency. （50） The non-intrusive delivery of the marketing messages in a way that is sensitive to the needs of the target customer is one of the critical challenges to the digital marketer.
Write a notice to recruit a student for Prof. Smith's research project on campus sports activities. Specify the duties and requirements of the job.
Write your answer in about 100 words on the ANSWER SHEET.
Do not use your own name in the notice; use “Li Ming” instead. （10 points）
Write an essay based on the picture below. In your essay, you should
1） describe the picture briefly,
2） interpret the implied meaning, and
3） give your comments.
Write your answer in 160-200 words on the ANSWER SHEET. （20 points）
1. C 2. A 3. D 4. C 5. C 6. A 7. B 8. B 9. A 10. D 11. D 12. C 13. C 14. B 15. A 16. B 17. D 18. A 19. D 20. A
21. C 22. B 23. A 24. C 25. D 26. A 27. D 28. B 29. C 30. D 31. A 32. C 33. B 34. A 35. D 36. B 37. C 38. A 39. B 40. D
41. B 42. F 43. D 44. C 45. G
46. 人工智能还可以用来识别客户选择的生活方式，包括他们的爱好、喜爱的名人和时尚，从而提供独特的营销信息，通过社交媒体进行发布。
47. 一些人认为，人工智能削弱创造力、削减工作岗位，正在对营销人员的角色产生负面影响，但他们也意识到，这是一种降低成本、创造新信息的途径。
48. 用于模拟人际互动行为的算法正引发很多这样的担忧，尤其在没有人能确信使用人工智能与客户互动会产生何种结果的情况下，就更是如此。
49. 如果客户不愿分享数据，人工智能将缺少必要的信息，也就无法有效运作，或无法利用机器学习优化其营销内容，促进传播。
50. 以敏锐把握目标客户需求的方式推送营销信息，又不侵扰客户，这是数字营销人员面临的极其重大的挑战之一。
（略）