本答案使用GPT-4完成，不保证正确率

一.选词填空

原文
Experts predict nine billion people will live on our planet by 2050. They say by that time 1 demandfor food will be two times what it is now. Officials are worried about that prediction because many people already 2 from a lack of food. More than 800 million people go to bed hungry.

A 3 to the problem may be as close as our forests. A new report says forests could help reduce hunger and improve 4 if they are properly managed. Healthy forests provide half of the fresh fruit we eat worldwide. They also produce 5 crops like coffee, avocados, cashews and other healthful seeds and nuts.

Bhaskar Vira is the director of the University of Cambridge Conservation Research Institute and an expert with the International Union of Forest Research Organizations, or IUFRO. It recently 6 a report at the United Nations about forest and jungle foods.

Mr. Vira says crops that grow on trees can help 7 people living in and around forests. “It’s like an 8 policy. Having access to those tree-based foods is 9 important when you can’t buy food from other sources or when you can’t produce food because your fields have failed.”

The growing of crops requires fields. Many fields are created by clearing, or 10, trees. But Mr. Vira says properly managed fields and forests can exist together. He says if you increase food production in the field, you can keep the forest and trees. He says they are important for the products and services they provide.
A .suffer
B.feed

C.capable
D.planting

E.demand
F.issue
G.hugely
H.solution
I.released
J.removing
K.located
L.appropriately
M.valuable
N.insurance
O.nutrition

答案一

1. E (demand)
2. A (suffer)
3. H (solution)
4. O (nutrition)
5. D (planting)
6. I (released)
7. B (feed)
8. N (insurance)
9. G (hugely)
10. J (removing)

二.段意匹配

原文

A) Almost every day, we hear about a new development in the world of driverless technology. But how will this technology change our lives when cars no longer need humans to drive them? Major automakers are now researching and testing driverless cars. Technology companies like Apple, Google and Uber are also working to bring driverless technology to market.

B) James Anderson is a senior behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation. He is also an expert on driverless transportation. He said the first stage of the technology is already here. The technology allows cars to change lanes, control speed and warn drivers of hazards. “The idea is that drivers first use these, and then become more confident to use the technology more,” he said. “But the risk of that is that research suggests people tend to over rely on the equipment, and may or may not be able to jump back in and take over on short notice.”

C) In May, a driver was killed while using the “Autopilot” feature on a Tesla car. It was the first known U.S. death involving a car operating in self-drive mode. Officials said the crash happened in Florida when a tractor-trailer (拖拉机拖车) turned in front of the Tesla Model S. Investigators said it appeared the car’s cameras failed to differentiate between the large white side of the tractor-trailer and the brightly lit sky. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it is investigating the accident, as well as the design and performance of Tesla’s Autopilot system.

D) The driver of the truck told the Associated Press the driver of the car was “playing Harry Potter on the TV screen” before the crash. The Florida Highway Patrol confirmed it found a portable DVD player in the car after the accident. But it could not confirm whether a movie was playing at the time of the crash.

E) Tesla’s founder, Elon Musk, expressed condolences (哀悼) for the accident. Tesla said it was the first known death in more than 200 million kilometers driven with its Autopilot system. Autopilot allows the car to steer itself in a lane, change lanes, and speed up or slow down based on nearby traffic. Tesla said the system is designed only to assist drivers, who must manually turn it on. The company tells drivers that even when using Autopilot, they need to keep both hands on the steering wheel at all times. “Autopilot is getting better all the time, but it is not perfect and still requires the driver to remain alert,” Tesla said.

F) Despite these dangers, autonomous cars are expected to greatly reduce accidents. Currently, about 90 percent of crashes are caused by human errors. James Anderson said the big automakers have pledged to add anti-crash devices on all vehicles within five years.

G) Driverless technology leads to disruption. Even though fewer accidents are good, Anderson said this would cause a lot of economic disruption. “There’s a whole crash economy that is dependent on the regular occurrence of automobile crashes.” He said job losses would come in the insurance industry and in hospitals where crash victims are treated. In addition, other driving-related jobs would be hurt. There are millions of truck drivers, delivery drivers, taxi drivers, and other driving-related jobs in the U.S. “A lot of those jobs are likely to disappear,” he said.

H) A California company already has plans to sell driverless kits for tractor-trailer trucks. The company, Otto, was started by former Google engineer Anthony Levandowski. Just the thought of an 18-wheel truck speeding down the highway fully loaded with cargo makes many drivers nervous. But Levandowski said the technology is very safe. He says the goal is to make trucks drive as much like humans as possible, but with the reliability of machines.

I) How will technology change our lives? Carlo Ratti heads the Senseable City Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The lab studies how digital technologies are changing cities and how this will change how people get around in the future. “The most exciting thing about a self-driving car is not really the fact that you don’t need to keep your hands on the steering wheel. For us, the most exciting thing is that it’s going to have a profound impact on mobility in our cities.” Ratti said cars are now only being used about 5 percent of the time. Most of the time they are parked and using up valuable city space.
J) In the future, a self-driving car could give you a ride to work in the morning. But then the same car could be used throughout the day to take other people around the city. This car-sharing model would blur the lines between private and public transportation, Ratti said. “We could potentially share cars and rides better. That means a city where you could theoretically make everybody’s destination in Washington or New York, or Singapore—a big city or a small city—with 20 percent of the cars we have today.” He said another major change could be the removal of traffic intersections. “At that point, you could think about autonomous intersections. Intersections where vehicles don’t need to stop at a junction, but they can keep going and simply avoid bumping into each other.”

K) Ratti said he believes driverless technology will lead to more efficient and sustainable transportation. But it will also leave questions about who will truly benefit. “When you think about building a shared infrastructure, the question is, who’s going to charge or bill other people? Who’s going to enact different transportation policies? So it really becomes much more about how we’re going to distribute the benefits of this new transportation system across society.”

L) Another big question is how ready the public is, or will be, to use driverless technology. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania are reporting positive results with self-driving vehicles. Lead researcher, Professor Raj Rajkumar, said it really does not take long for people to trust the car enough to let go of the wheel. “They begin to see that the vehicle is exact, very rational, drives safely, and then they begin to relax,” he said.
M) U.S.-based Local Motors has even used 3-D printing technology to produce self-driving vehicles. It recently introduced a new minibus called “Olli” that can carry up to 12 people. The vehicle allows passengers to call for rides with a mobile app similar to Uber. The company says about 75 percent of the entire vehicle can currently be 3-D printed, and it can be fully assembled in 11 hours.

11. Human errors are responsible for the vast majority of car accidents today. 11     

12. James Anderson is concerned about people’s over-reliance on driverless technology. 12     

13. The most impressive aspect of a self-driving car lies in its far-reaching influence on mobility in our cities. 13     

14. The 3-D printing technology has been introduced to make self-driving vehicles. 14     

15. The crash in Florida killed a driver who was the first known victim to a car in self-drive mode in the U.S. 15    

16. According to researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, people are quite optimistic about the use of self-driving vehicles in the near future. 16    

17. Both major automakers and technology companies are committed to the research of driverless technology. 17     

18. Driverless technology would bring heavy job losses while it involves few accidents. 18     

19. Tesla’s autopilot system is not designed to work automatically completely. 19     

20. Driverless technology would make car-sharing a feature of city transportation in the future. 20

答案二

11. F

12. B

13. I

14. M

15. C

16. L

17. A

18. G

19. E

20. J

三.阅读理解

原文一

Asking someone to help you out can be stressful. What if they feel like you’re bothering them? Or using them? What if they say no, or worse, don’t even bother responding? But according to psychologist Robert Cialdini, the author of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, there’s an easy way to get someone to give you what you need: Do something useful for them first.

He calls it the rule of reciprocity. “People will help if they owe you for something you did in the past to advance their goals,” he told The Harvard Business Review. For example, let’s say you want a coworker to proofread a project report before you submit it to management. A few days before, consider asking that coworker if you can pick up dinner for her when you’re both staying late at the office. The key part is reminding your coworker that she can return the favor. Instead of saying “no big deal” when she thanks you for grabbing an extra sandwich, Cialdini recommends saying something like, “Of course; it’s what partners do for each other.”

Cialdini says this strategy works because people across cultures learn the reciprocity norm from a young age. And it affects all kinds of interactions. In an interview with NPR, Cialdini cited a study that highlighted the role of reciprocity in tipping behavior. In one experiment, waiters gave customers a piece of candy and then spontaneously allowed them to select a second one before leaving the bill on the table. Tips increased 21%. The researchers say the reciprocity rule explains their findings—people felt obligated (有责任的) to return the act of generosity, even though they didn’t specifically request that the waiter bring them candy.

This strategy takes a lot of the pressure out of asking for favors. Presumably, once you help someone out, you’ll feel like you deserve their help and won’t worry so much about annoying them. Meanwhile, they’ll probably feel like they owe you one and won’t think twice about giving you what you need.

  1. When can you ask for others’ help without feeling much stress?
    A
    When they are kind and generous.
    B
    When they owe you something.
    C
    When you do them a favor first.
    D
    When you return the favor after that.

  2. What does the “rule of reciprocity” in the second paragraph suggest?
    A.We’ll feel obligated to return the favor after receiving kindness.
    B.We should repay that debt when owing something to others.
    C.We should show our gratitude to those who help us out.
    D.We'll feel stressful when asking others for help.

  3. In response to others’ thanks for what you have done for them, what is Cialdini’s advice?
    A.To sincerely tell them that they deserve your help.
    B.To politely tell them that they are welcome.
    C.To skillfully remind them to return the favor.
    D.To warmly show them that it’s no bother at all.

  4. Why did the tips increase in the experiment about tipping behavior?
    A.Customers spontaneously agreed to do so.
    B.It is the rule of reciprocity at work.
    C.It is a social norm for the customers.
    D.Customers were specifically requested to do so.

  5. What’s the purpose of the author in writing this passage?
    A.To stress the importance of doing someone a favor.
    B.To explain the way of getting someone to help you out.
    C.To recommend a book on persuasion to readers.
    D.To prove the effects of various kinds of interaction.

答案三-1

21. C. When you do them a favor first.
22. A. We’ll feel obligated to return the favor after receiving kindness.
23. C. To skillfully remind them to return the favor.
24. B. It is the rule of reciprocity at work.
25. B. To explain the way of getting someone to help you out.

原文二

As more and more young Chinese complete their exodus from major metropolises to less polluted small towns, their counterparts in the US are increasingly finding themselves stuck in big cities. 

For decades, young people in the US flocked to New York, Los Angeles to build their careers before taking their earnings into the suburbs to raise families. That pattern appears to be fading now, as more young workers are staying put. 

According to an analysis of census data, before the recession, about 50,000 adults aged 25 to 34 left both the New York and Los Angeles metro areas annually. The recession diminished this flow. Fewer than 23,000 young adults left New York annually between 2010 and 2013. Only about 12,000 left Los Angeles—a drop of nearly 80 percent.

Big cities offer highest-paying jobs for a generation that was starting their careers when the recession hit. But after a few years, they find it increasingly difficult to get an economic foothold that would allow them to leave. Earnings for full-time US workers aged 18 to 34 have fallen 10 percent since 2000, after adjusting for inflation. This drop means young people, many of whom are also shouldering big student loan debt, have had a hard time saving money and building the good credit needed to secure a mortgage and buy a house elsewhere. 

The mobility of young workers has been a tremendous asset to the US economy. In previous decades, cities like New York and Los Angeles attracted 20-somethings with educational or professional opportunities, and then those would migrate to places where they could settle down with a family. This geographic dispersal of highly-skilled workers meant the gains of states with stronger economies could be spread to those with weaker ones. 

But the new trend might have negative implications for the economy. If younger people move less, some could get stuck in jobs that aren’t good matches for them, reducing the economy’s productivity, making the labor force less flexible and less able to compete internationally in an era of rapid technological change and globalization, according to The Wall Street Journal.

26. The meaning of the underlined word “exodus” (Para. 1) is closest to ____.
A.ambition
B.resolution
C.vocation
D.departure

27. What does the author say about young Americans in previous decades?
A.They spent the whole life struggling in big cities.
B.They enjoyed life in major metropolises.
C.They would leave the big cities after retirement.
D.They would raise families in the suburbs.

28. How did the recession influence young people’s life?
A.It forced them to repay the bank loan as soon as possible.
B.It depressed people and made them feel less secure.
C.It provided them with more professional opportunities.
D.It made buying a house elsewhere impossible.

29. What contributes to the US economy according to the passage?
A.The real estate industry.
B.The high technology.
C.The geographic advantage.
D.The flow of young workers.

30. What does The Wall Street Journal say about the influence of the new trend?
A.The workforce would become less competitive in the world.
B.The populous metropolises may face serious housing problem.
C.Young people have to change their jobs frequently.
D.The technology will stop making progress.

答案三-2

26. D. departure
27. D. They would raise families in the suburbs.
28. D. It made buying a house elsewhere impossible.
29. D. The flow of young workers.
30. A. The workforce would become less competitive in the world.