专题05 阅读理解（说明文+议论文）（期末真题汇编，北京专用）高二英语上学期

专题05 阅读理解（说明文+议论文） 主题01 人与社会——历史、社会与文化 Passage 1 （23-24学年高二上·北京市大兴区·期末） In the modern age, social media platforms have emerged as powerful tools for communication, networking, and self-expression. With billions of active users worldwide, these platforms have profoundly influenced the human interaction. Recent psychological studies have delved into understanding the influence of prolonged (长期的) social media usage on individual self-esteem (自尊) and identity formation. Context and Prevalence (流行) Social media platforms, including Weibo, WeChat Moments, Douyin, and Little Red Book, offer ways for individuals to project curated versions of their lives. While this can serve as a medium of affirmation, it also compares one’s daily life against the specially edited highlights of others, which could potentially lead to feelings of failure and dissatisfaction. Research Findings on Self-Esteem A study conducted among adolescents aged 13-19 showed that extreme social media use correlates with lower self-esteem scores. Participants who spent over five hours daily on these platforms demonstrated significant tendencies towards self-devaluation (自我贬低) and negative self-perception (自体感受). The study believed that the constant exposure of idealized images and lives leads to an involuntary (不自主的) comparison, often placing the individual on the lesser end of the spectrum. Implications for Identity Formation For adolescents, a critical time of identity formation happens during the teenage years. Social media can often blur the lines (模糊界限) between personal identity and digital persona (面貌，形象). A study tracked teenagers for five years and found that heavy social media users often experienced identity confusion. Their digital avatars, formed under societal pressures, sometimes overshadowed their real personalities, leading to internal conflicts and confusion about real selfhood. Possible Solutions and Future Research While the negative influence of social media on mental well-being is evident, it’s also essential to highlight its potential benefits. Platforms can help to add a sense of belonging, provide informational support, and serve as outlets for creative expression. Future research could explore potential interventions (介入，干涉) to reduce the negative effects. In conclusion, while social media offers a huge number of opportunities and ways for expression, it’s important that teenagers approach it with awareness. The psychological landscape it shapes is hard to understand, and understanding its depths requires continued research, empathy (共鸣), and active measures. 1．What do we know about the study involving adolescents aged 13-19? A．It took five hours for participants to take part in the study B．It suggested that we should not compare our lives with others C．It caused self-devaluation and negative self-perception to participants. D．It showed that too much social media use resulted in low self-esteem. 2．What does the term “digital avatars” refer to in paragraph 4? A．Social media algorithms (算法). B．Digital marketing tools. C．Online versions of individuals. D．Digital assistants. 3．Why are social media especially bad for adolescents? A．They cause identity crises (危机) to them. B．They lead to feelings of dissatisfaction. C．They project version of their lives. D．They overshadow their personalities. 4．How does the author feel about the effect of social media on users? A．Entirely negative. B．Quite positive. C．Mixed with caution. D．Indifferent and neutral. Passage 2 （23-24学年高二上·北京市丰台区·期末） The need for clarity extends beyond how we communicate science to how we evaluate it. Who can really define stock phrases such as ‘a significant contribution to research’? Or understand what ‘high impact’ or ‘world-class’ means? Scientists demand that institutions should be clear about their criteria and consider all scholarly outputs—preprints, code, data, peer review, teaching, mentoring and so on. My view about the practices in research assessment is that most assessment guidelines permit sliding standards: instead of clearly defined terms, they give us feel-good slogans that lack any fixed meaning. Facing the problem will get us much of the way towards a solution. Broad language increases room for misunderstanding. ‘High impact’ can be code for where research is published. Or it can mean the effect that research has had on its field, or on society locally or globally—often very different things. Yet confusion is the least of the problems. Words such as ‘world-class’ and ‘excellent’ allow assessors to vary comparisons depending on whose work they are assessing. Academia(学术界) cannot be a fair and reasonable system if standards change depending on whom we are evaluating. Unconscious bias(偏见) associated with factors such as a researcher’s gender, ethnic origin and social background helps the academic injustice continue. It was only with double-blind review of research proposals that women finally got fair access to the Hubble Space Telescope. Many strategies exist to improve fairness in academia, but conceptual clarity is paramount. Being clear about how specific qualities are valued leads assessors to think critically about whether those qualities are truly being considered. Achieving that conceptual clarity requires discussion with faculties, staff and students: hours and hours of it. The University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands, for example, held a series of conversations, each involving 20-60 researchers, and then spent another year revising its research assessment policies to recognize social impacts. Frank conversations about what is valued in a particular context, or at a specific institution, are an essential first step in developing concrete recommendations. Although ambiguous(模棱两可的) terms, for instance ‘world-class’ and ‘significant’, are a barrier when performing assessments, university administrators have said that they rely on flexible language to make room to reward a variety of contributions. So it makes sense that more specific language in review and promotion must be able to accommodate varied outputs, outcomes and impacts of scholarly work. Setting specific standards will be tough. It will be inviting to fall back on the misleading standards such as impact factors, or on ambiguous terms that can be agreed to by everyone but applied wisely by no one. It is too early to know what those standards will be or how much they will vary, but the right discussions are starting to happen. They must continue. 1．Regarding the current practices in research assessment, the author is ________. A．supportive B．puzzled C．unconcerned D．disapproving 2．What can we learn from this passage? A．Bias on assessors can cause inequality. B．Frank conversations harm scholarly work. C．Specific qualities need to be clearly stated. D．Broad language ensures academic fairness. 3．What does the word “paramount” underlined in Para. 4 most probably mean? A．primary. B．recognized. C．optional. D．accomplished. 4．Which would be the best title for the passage? A．Fix research assessment. Change slogans for clear standards. B．Fix research assessment. Change evaluations for conversations. C．Define research assessment. Change simplicity for specification. D．Define research assessment. Change broad language for flexible one. Passage 3 （23-24学年高二上·北京市丰台区·期末） For some it is the sound of a bouncing basketball. For others the clearing of a throat. For Dr. Jane Gregory the list includes pigeons, ticking clocks and the sound of popcorn being eaten. “I cried on the plane the other day because I couldn’t figure out the volume on my new headphones and so I couldn’t block out the sound of a guy sniffing,” she says. Gregory is among those who experience misophonia, a phenomenon in which particular sounds can prove unbearable, triggering(引起)emotions from anxiety and panic to shame and anger. Now in her book, Sounds Like Misophonia, the academic is on a mission to explore what’s behind it, and to help those affected cope. Gregory, a clinical psychologist at the University of Oxford, suggests misophonia is far from being a simple sensitivity to sound. It can be fed by a complex interplay of factors, including a lower ability to filter out certain noises, the association of negative meanings with particular sounds, and the burden of feelings associated with an emotional response to them. Yet, the phenomenon was largely unknown until the 2010s. In one study, researchers asked people with high and low traits of misophonia to listen out for a “trigger” sound in the presence of a masking sound. Both groups detected the trigger just as easily. “The person with misophonia had a more intense reaction, but only after they identified what the sound was,” adds Gregory. Those results, she says, suggest that people with misophonia are not inherently better at detecting particular sounds, such as a sniff or a rustle—rather they might be listening out for them more, or not be as good as others at tuning them out. This is a trait, Gregory speculates, that might have offered our ancestors an evolutionary advantage, such as helping them to detect hiding predators. Another implication of the research, Gregory says, is that it is not just the auditory features of the sounds that cause negative reactions but the meaning attached to them. An example would be a reaction to the jingling of a dog’s collar after being frightened by an aggressive dog. Gregory hopes her book will support those too often told to ignore sounds. She says: “The emotional reaction is much more complex than just being annoyed... They feel trapped and helpless when they encounter these sounds. If you think it’s nothing, then you’re not experiencing what this person is experiencing.” 1．Misophonia is a phenomenon where ________. A．people fail to recognize particular sounds B．specific sounds cause negative emotions C．different feelings are mixed up together D．people lose control of their emotions 2．Which of the following might be the cause of misophonia? A．Trigger sounds of similar origins. B．Disability to ignore certain sounds. C．Understanding of particular sounds. D．Inborn ability to tell certain sounds. 3．What can we learn from the passage? A．To detect certain sounds is a solution to misophonia. B．People with misophonia are well understood by others. C．People can benefit from misophonia in some situations. D．Objects related to sounds may trigger negative reactions. 主题02 人与社会——文学、艺术与体育 Passage 1 （24-25学年高二上·北京市大兴区·期末） Sledding in the Forest Preserves One of the benefits of winter in Cook County is zooming down the gently sloping hills in the forest. Another benefit? Four locations have lights on the hill, so you can keep the sledding fun going despite the early sunsets. The four forest hills are open until 7:30 or 8:30 p.m. and, of course, if there's enough snow. Please note you cannot bring your own sled. Sledding rentals are $15 for a half day, $25 for the full day. There is no additional charge for use of the sloping hills. Check site for contact numbers and snow conditions. fpdcc. com/things-to-do/sledding Bobby Hull Community Ice Rink The area near West Community has one of the biggest wintertime draws for families who want to hit the ice. Cicero's outdoor rink offers a range of frozen fun, including skating lessons, open skates and the chance to practice skills. Visit the rink's Facebook page for schedule details. Bobby Hull Community Ice Rink, 3400S. 53rd Ave, Cicero. $12 for open skates, $3 skate rental; cash only. http://facebook. com/bobbyhullcommunityicerink Mount Hoy Snow Tubing The trip down Mount Hoy is a lively one: 800 feet from top to bottom. And as long as it's covered in three or more inches of snow, you're welcome to rent a tube and zoom down. The hill is open 10 a.m. till 4 p.m. weekends and holidays through Feb. 23; tube rentals end at 3:30 p.m. At Blackwell Forest Preserve, Butterfield Road between Winfield Road and Route 59, Warrenville. Admission is free, but personal tubes are not allowed. $ 10 rental per tube. https://tinvurl.com/y9nox4et Winter Wonderland and Ice Rink Haven't gotten your fill of the brisk cold hitting your face as you practice your double salchows and triple lutzes on the ice? Don't worry! The Village of Orland Park's rink is open seven days a week, starting at 4 p.m. on weekdays and noon on weekends. The rink offers free helmet rentals, plus a warming house for those who prefer to cheer from the sidelines. Winter Wonderland Ice Rink, 15600 West Avenue and Fun Drive, Orland Park. Admission: $20 Adult, $15 Student 5-17; $3 for skate rental. http://orlandpark. org/services/parks/ice-rink 1．If you want to take ice skating lessons, visit _____________________ for more information. A．https://tinyurl.com/y9nox4et B．http://fpdcc.com things to-do/sledding C．http://orlandpark. org/services/parks/ice –rink D．http://facebook.com/bobbyhullcommunityicerink 2．If you had $10, you could choose_____________________. A．Mount Hoy Snow Tubing B．Sledding in the Forest Preserves C．Bobby Hull Community Ice Rink D．Winter Wonderland and Ice Rink 3．Which of the following statements is True? A．The opening hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day till Feb.23 at Mount Hoy. B．Bobby Hull Community Ice Rink is an attraction near West Community. C．No warming house is available at the Village of Orland Park's rink. D．There is always enough snow for sledding in the forest preserves. 主题03 人与自我——生活与学习 Passage 1 （23-24学年高二上·北京市房山区·期末） About five weeks ago, I noticed the skin of our pet lizard (蜥蜴) was growing dusty. It worried me. I reported the strange surface on the skin of the lizard to my husband and children the next morning. Seconds later, our lizard emerged from its tank with its old skin flowing behind it. I didn’t think about it much until a morning last week when I knocked my favorite teapot off the table. It burst into hundreds of pieces. As I swept up the mess, I wondered why we had been breaking so many things over the months. The damage started three months ago. It was my husband’s birthday. He had just lost his job. The uncertainty was starting to wear on us, so I wanted to do something special. “Let’s make a cake for Dad!” I cried. My kids screamed with joy. We baked, iced and sprinkled for most of the day. Candles on the cake! Balloons on the walls! Flowers on the table! Two hours before my husband came back home from another job interview, my daughter climbed up to grab a glass vase from a high shelf. It fell and crashed beside the cake. Tiny pieces of glass were everywhere. She sobbed loudly as I threw the cake away. My husband had banana pudding for his birthday. Three days ago, the light in our living room suddenly went out. After several frustrating hours of unsuccessful attempts to fix it, my husband suggested watching the Michael Jordan documentary (纪录片) series The Last Dance. The poignancy (酸楚) of Jordan retiring from his beloved basketball to play baseball and what had pushed him to make such a tough decision took me by surprise. As I watched him take off his basketball uniform and replace it with a baseball uniform, I saw him leaving behind what no longer served him, just as our lizard had. Neither of them chose the moment that had transformed them. But they had to live with who they were after everything was different. Just like us. I realized that we have to learn to leave the past behind. Humans do not shed skin as easily as other animals. The beginning of change is upsetting. The process is tiring. Damage changes us before we are ready. I see our lizard, raw and nearly new. Jordan said that no matter how it ends, it starts with hope. With our tender, hopeful skin, that is where we begin. 1．What can we learn about the pet lizard from Paragraph 1? A．It went missing. B．Its tank grew dirty. C．It got a skin disease. D．Its old skin came off. 2．Why did the author’s husband have banana pudding for his birthday? A．The birthday cake fell from the shelf. B．The birthday cake was damaged. C．The author made good puddings. D．Pudding was his favorite dessert. 3．The underlined part “leaving behind what no longer served him” in Paragraph 8 most probably means ________. A．falling behind the top players B．looking back on the past C．giving up a bad habit D．putting the past behind 4．What does the author most likely want to tell us? A．Love of family helps us survive great hardships. B．It’s not the end of the world if we break things. C．We should move on no matter what happens. D．Past experiences should be treasured. Passage 2 （23-24学年高二上·北京市朝阳区·期末） “Find your passion!” is an appeal well-intended and meant to inspire. But is it good advice? “Finding” a passion implies that it already exists and is simply waiting to be discovered. Unfortunately, this idea doesn’t square with what science tells us. Instead, passions are developed. They often begin with a spark (火花) of curiosity caused by something in one’s environment, such as a fascinating physics lecture. Through a process involving repeated engagement and-positive experiences, people can come to personally value that content or activity and internalize it. What was at first interesting becomes an interest. If these qualities continue to intensify, a passion can emerge. Actually, assuming passion as inborn tend to cause people to be less open, less courageous in the face of challenges and less creative in pursuit of new interests. Thus, encouraging people to “find” their passion may cause them to eventually believe that interests and passions are unchangeable. People who think this have a fixed mindset of interest. By contrast, some people, whom we refer to as having a growth mindset of interest, view their interests and passions as developed. People with a fixed mindset of interest, for example, may fall into the trap of thinking, “If I have already found my passion, why keep exploring?” In recent studies, after engaging in a new science task, arts students with a fixed mindset expressed less interest in a scientific topic than arts students with a growth mindset. Meanwhile, science students with a fixed mindset responded similarly to an art-related task. For those with a growth mindset, having a strong pre-existing interest in the arts or sciences did not get in the way of them viewing a new area as interesting. Worse still, people with a fixed mindset of interest tend to expect their passions to provide limitless motivation, such that their favorite topics should never feel too difficult or demanding. Such a mindset can also limit creativity and innovation. If people believe they are restricted to only a few inborn interests and, in consequence, do not explore other areas, they may miss seeing important connections across different fields. That loss is especially unfortunate considering how leaders at innovative companies have long prized problem-solving that draw ideas from diverse disciplines. Of course, not every activity will become a burning passion. But a growth mindset of interest will help you remain open and curious. The old saying “find something you love to do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life” needs to be updated. 1．The author uses the sentence underlined in Paragraph 1 to ________. A．set a target for criticism B．point out the fact C．confirm people’s finding D．voice his opinion 2．What can we learn from the passage? A．Any interesting activity can spark a passion. B．Companies prefer those who specialize in one field. C．People with a fixed mindset of interest are hard to be motivated. D．A growth mindset of interest promotes creativity and innovation. 3．Which will the author probably agree with? A．One should count on luck to excite a burning passion. B．Reinforced positive experiences contribute to passion. C．Those already interested in a field find new areas boring. D．We’d better cherish the existing passion and look for more. 主题04 人与自然——自然生态 Passage 1 （24-25学年高二上·北京市房山区·期末） Humans have names, of course, and dogs and cats may react when their names are called. Some ocean animals, including the dolphins, invent their own names when they are very young. And the birds called parrots may also use names. Each of these naming animals also has the ability to learn and say individual new sounds throughout their lives, as does the African elephant, the research shows. African elephants are among the largest animals that live on land. They call each other by and answer to individual names, a new study finds. Such communication is rare in the animal world. The names are one part of the low sounds, or rumbles, elephants make. They can hear these sounds over long distances where they live in the savannah — large grassy areas of land mixed with woodlands. Scientists believe that animals with complex social structures may be more likely to use individual names. Stuart Pimm of Duke University is an ecologist who was not involved with the study. He said: “If you’re looking after a large family, you’ve got to be able to say, Hey, Virginia, get over here!” The study was released in the publication Nature Ecology and Evolution. In the study, biologists used machine learning to find the use of names in recordings of savanna elephant sounds. The sounds were recorded at Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve and Amboseli National Park. The researchers followed the elephants as they traveled to observe which one called out and which one appeared to answer. By examining only the audio data, the computer model predicted which elephant was being called 28 percent of the time, likely due to the inclusion of its name. When fed meaningless data, the model only correctly predicted eight percent of calls. Researchers tested their results by playing recordings to individual elephants. The elephants reacted more energetically, moving their ears and lifting their trunks, to recordings that contained their names. Sometimes elephants did not react in any way to the sounds of elephant names other than their own. Ecologist George Wittemyer, who helped write the study, said, “Elephants are incredibly social, always talking and touching each other — this naming is probably one of the things that underpins their ability to communicate to individuals.” 1．The author mentions many animals in Paragraph 1 to ______. A．question the result B．introduce the topic C．illustrate an argument D．present an assumption 2．From the passage, we can know that ______. A．communication between animals is rare in the animal world B．African elephants can’t hear low sounds over long distances C．African elephants use individual names when communicating D．animals with simple social structures tend to use individual names 3．What did the researchers do in the study? A．They used the computer model to analyze the audio data. B．They followed the elephants to record their daily routine. C．They used machine learning to communicate with elephants. D．They tested the results by playing recordings to a group of elephants. Passage 2 （24-25学年高二上·北京市通州区·期末） The deep and dark night sky is filled with wonder. Looking up at the bright stars, mysterious planets and ancient constellations brings a timeless feeling. Today, populated areas around the globe are enveloped in a type of fog that disconnects people from that amazing night sky, but reducing light pollution can help to restore the wonder. After the sun sets, cities and suburbs across the globe are lit up with artificial lights. They glow along roads and highways and flood fields in sports stadiums. They also shine light on skyscrapers, malls, and flashing electronic signs. However, these lights negatively impact wildlife. Artificial lighting has caused the firefly population to completely disappear in some areas, while lighthouse beams negatively impact marine species. In fact, in the US and Canada, 18 species of firefly are now classified as being threatened with a high risk of extinction in the next ten years. Just leaving that light on affects the behavior of nocturnal pollinators (传粉者) like moths, causing them to fly towards the light and not the flowers. This, in turn, negatively affects plants’ abilities to bear fruit and reproduce. Many people are aware of many types of pollution including air, water, and land, but few realize that strong artificial lighting is harmful to all mammals, including humans. In order to make people aware of the importance of darkness, researchers wrote a world atlas of artificial night sky brightness, which is published in Science Advances. Their findings reveal that 80 percent of the world population live under a sky glow, with more than 99 percent of Americans and Europeans living under light-polluted skies. Although individuals cannot control the highway and city lights, they can start to do small things at home. And if everyone “turns off the switch”, it can help bring back natural darkness in some areas. Light areas where light is needed and aim the light beams downwards. Try to use low-level lighting and be aware that some surfaces reflect more light into the sky. 1．What does the author mainly want to say in Paragraph 2? A．Light pollution is actually widespread. B．Artificial lights bring people convenience. C．The use of artificial lights should be cut down. D．The night sky is beautifully lit up with those lights. 2．Why do some plants fail to bear fruit? A．The light has been too strong. B．The pollinators destroy them. C．They are not pollinated in time. D．They don’t receive enough light. 3．Why was a world atlas of artificial night sky brightness published? A．To popularize artificial lighting. B．To call off environmental protection. C．To stress the civilizations of human beings. D．To bring awareness to the meaning of darkness. 主题01 人与社会——历史、社会与文化 Passage 1 （24-25学年高二上·北京市西城区·期末） In the 1970s, a nation confronted a crisis of traffic deaths. Protesters took to the streets to fight a rooted culture of drivers who considered roads theirs alone. But this wasn’t the US - it was the Netherlands. In 1975, the rate of traffic deaths there was 20% higher than in the US, but by the mid-2000s it had fallen to 60% lower than in the US. Thanks to a Dutch movement, traffic deaths fell and streets were restored for people, not for cars. Today the country is a haven for cyclists and pedestrians (行人). The US has the highest number of traffic deaths among wealthy countries. And the death rate is more than double the average rate in other wealthy countries. Many US cities have abundant space for parking and wide, multilane (多车道的) “stroads”, a mix between a street (where cars move slowly and people can walk safely) and a road (where cars move fast). Stroads are optimized for moving many vehicles through an area at high speed. Yet widening or expanding the number of streets only incentivizes more people to drive, which results in more traffic. At the same time, cars have gotten bigger and deadlier - SUVs and trucks now represent more than 80% of car sales in the US. If we want to give more space to pedestrians and cyclists, we need to separate them from high-speed vehicles by building more well-maintained sidewalks and protected bike lanes, and by implementing traffic-calming measures such as speed bumps and narrower streets. We can redesign streets to make people drive more slowly or to discourage driving altogether. And we can invest in better public transit to make it an inviting alternative to cars. Buses need reliable schedules and dedicated lanes so they don’t get stuck in the traffic we’re trying to reduce. However, efforts to reduce car dependence are often met with fierce opposition by people who dismiss them as a “war on cars”. But drivers also benefit from many of these changes, which would reduce traffic and make driving safer. Others argue that these changes will harm disabled people, yet the opposite may be true - reduced car dependence, if paired with disability-centered infrastructure (基础设施), could make cities more accessible. And emergency vehicles aren’t much help to anyone if they’re stuck in traffic. Coming up with better road designs and public transit will require significant up-front investment, and the effects may not be seen for years. But we could subsidize (补贴) the cost, get rid of free parking, and add more bike lanes. Of course, the same solutions won’t work everywhere, and change won’t happen all at once. Each city has its own unique considerations and challenges. And such an ambitious project will require rethinking many of our assumptions about our car culture. But the benefits could make everyone safer. 1．Why does the author mention the Netherlands in Paragraph 1? A．To make a contrast. B．To clarify a concept. C．To justify an argument. D．To present an assumption. 2．What does the underlined word “incentivize” in Paragraph 3 probably mean? A．Order. B．Remind. C．Challenge. D．Encourage. 3．Which of the following practices may the author support? A．Widening streets. B．Establishing free parking areas. C．Constructing bus-only lanes. D．Producing large and secure cars. 4．What can we learn from the passage? A．More stroads result in fewer traffic deaths. B．Decreased reliance on cars contributes to road safety. C．Improving public transportation will bring an instant impact. D．Other wealthy countries should copy the Netherlands’ example. Passage 2 （24-25学年高二上·北京市石景山区·期末） Every morning, Jessica is awakened by her Artificial intelligence assistant, which efficiently presents her day’s schedule and any important reminders. As she prepares for her day, her smart home system optimises (优化) the room temperature and makes her favourite coffee, providing a sense of comfort and ease. These conveniences reflect a shift from past routines, where families would gather around to discuss their plans, share stories, and pass down traditional knowledge, such as the secrets of making the perfect cup of coffee. AI is undeniably transforming our daily routines and cultural practices by automating routine tasks and reshaping societal interactions. In many homes, AI-driven devices control various functions, from climate control to meal planning and house cleaning. These technologies enhance convenience, streamline housework, and reduce the reliance on manual (手工的) tasks. Experts note that while these advancements simplify life, they also decrease traditional skills, such as cooking and home maintenance that were once passed down through generations. In the field of education, AI tools are increasingly customizing learning experiences, potentially transforming traditional classroom dynamics. While AI allows for personalized assignments and feedback tailored to each student’s learning pace and style, it also reduces face-to-face interactions between students and teachers. This shift can block students’ understanding of complex concepts due to the lack of direct feedback and communication, potentially weakening teachers’ ability to detect and address learning difficulties in real time. Research indicates that when AI systems automate tasks like grading homework and tests, the direct communication between students and teachers significantly decreases. This reduction in personal interaction can affect students’ problem-solving abilities in environments without technological support, highlighting a critical downside to the growing reliance on AI in education. Dr. Michael Evans, a cultural studies expert, discusses the broader cultural implications of AI. He points out that technological advancements are replacing many activities that once required human interaction, which could potentially weaken community bonds and reduce opportunities for social engagement. Cultural heritage (遗产) expert Dr. Linda Choi further expands on the integration of AI into various aspects of life, stating, “As artificial intelligence continues to spread throughout every aspect of our existence, it stimulates a broader reflection on its implications for cultural heritage and social relationships. The challenge lies in employing technology to enhance productivity while preserving valuable cultural norms and practices.” At the end of the day, as Jessica’s AI assistant suggests a new recipe for dinner, she considers reconnecting with her grandmother, realizing that it’s not just about the food, but also about the family bonds. 1．The author mentions Jessica’s routine in Paragraph 1 mainly to ________. A．contrast old and new family customs B．emphasize the simplicity of housework C．demonstrate the influence of AI on daily life D．suggest a more efficient way to manage family 2．According to passage, which of the following can be inferred about AI in education? A．It makes classroom methods more effective. B．It decreases the need for human teachers in classrooms. C．It helps students understand complex topics with personalized feedback. D．It reduces students’ problem-solving abilities in real time without AI support. 3．What can be concluded from the passage? A．AI becomes a key tool in preserving cultural norms. B．AI should be avoided in daily life to protect cultural heritage. C．AI strengthens cultural bonds by simplifying traditional practices. D．AI poses a challenge to cultural heritage by replacing human engagement. 4．Which would be the best title for the passage? A．How Is AI Shaping Daily Life? B．Is AI Replacing Traditional Skills? C．Will AI Transform Education Forever? D．How Is AI Impacting Cultural Heritage? Passage 3 （24-25学年高二上·北京市朝阳区·期末） We are constantly taught that acting early rather than procrastinating is the key to success, because “he who hesitates is lost.” When we have a meaningful task, we’re advised to get it done well ahead of schedule. When we have an original idea to invent a product or start a company, we’re encouraged to be the first mover. Recently, an unusually creative doctoral student named Jihae Shin approached me with an opposite idea: procrastination might be favorable to originality. I challenged her to test it. Shin asked college students to write proposals for a business on a university campus to fill a lot where there used to be a convenience store. When they started the task immediately, they tended to propose conventional ideas — like another convenience store. When Shin randomly assigned some of the participants to procrastinate, putting off the task to play games, they produced more novel business ideas, like a lecture center and a storage facility. Independent raters evaluated the final proposals, without knowing who procrastinated and who started immediately. The proposals from the procrastinators were 28 percent more creative. Although we were excited by these results, we were concerned that procrastination wasn’t the real cause of creativity. Perhaps it was playing games that provided mental stimulation, or that simply gave them a break away from the task to think. But the experiment showed that neither playing games nor taking a break enhanced creativity. When people played games first, before learning about the task, they didn’t submit more novel proposals. To do that, they needed to actually be procrastinating while playing games, keeping the business proposal task in the back of their minds. And when they started the task immediately and then took a break before returning to it, they had already made too much progress to start over afresh. In a classic study, marketing researchers Peter Golder and Gerard Tellis compared the success of companies that were either pioneers or settlers. The pioneers were first movers. The settlers were slower to launch. When Golder and Tellis analysed hundreds of brands in three dozen different product categories, they found a surprising difference in failure rates: 47 percent for pioneers, compared with just 8 percent for settlers. Even when the pioneers did survive, they only captured an average of 10 percent of the market, compared with 28 percent for settlers. Settlers are often branded as copycats, but this fixed impression of them misses the mark. Instead of following the existing demand, they wait for the right time until they’re ready to introduce something new. It’s true that the early bird gets the worm, but we can’t forget that the early worm gets caught. 1．According to the passage, Shin’s theory suggests that ________. A．being the first mover makes success more likely B．balancing working and having a break is important C．delaying a task can offer us time to think before acting D．people are less creative due to mental stimulation of games 2．What can we learn from the classic study? A．Pioneers set a perfect standard for settlers. B．Pioneers always win competitive advantages. C．Settlers’ success is the result of strategic timing. D．Settlers turned out to be incapable of innovating. 3．What is the main purpose of the passage? A．To emphasise the importance of acting early in success. B．To demonstrate procrastination can be a resource for creativity. C．To prove the effectiveness of our traditional belief in procrastinating. D．To compare the procrastinators’ creativity between recent and classic studies. Passage 4 （24-25学年高二上·北京市海淀区·期末） Ghosting is a term that refers to the practice of one person ending all forms of communication with another, without any warning or reason. Messages are left on “read”, calls are ignored, and social media ties may be severed. Before the internet, many relationships were formed within inter-connected circles, typically through friends or at work. It would have been much harder to completely sever contact with someone without the awkwardness of bumping into them or facing negative social implications within the community. Now with so many relationships initiated online with fewer connections in common, there are fewer consequences to deal with if we decide to disconnect from someone in a less-than-ethical way. Ghosting can be seen as an effortless solution for avoiding the emotional messiness of having to explain to somebody why you no longer want to continue engaging with them. Deliberately avoiding conflicts can be a form of self-protection to safeguard the ghoster from anxiety or stress, especially if they have had negative experiences dealing with conflict in the past. Ghosting culture can also be interpreted as resulting from the unlimited choices that we now have at our fingertips when it comes to finding a new partner, job or social circle to join. With the huge array of possibilities out there for us to pick from, it has become far too easy to view others as commodities, ready to trade in at the click of a button for something bigger and better. Decision fatigue (疲惫) plays a factor too, especially when we are trying to balance numerous options all in one go. Ghosting provides a practical strategy for weeding out less desirable candidates and saving our energy and time from having to explain why they didn’t make the cut. Ghosting might be becoming increasingly frequent these days, but that doesn’t mean it has become any easier to deal with. The ghostee might then endlessly re-examine every last interaction to pinpoint a cause for the termination of the relationship. This usually leads to negative conclusions and self-blame. However, it’s not only the recipient who suffers from the consequences of ghosting. If ghosting and avoidance become a common occurrence in the ghoster’s social interactions with others, they risk missing out on healthy long-term relationships that require effective communication skills, problem-solving and trust in order to thrive. Disconnection is an unavoidable aspect of life but how we choose to end relationships is fully within our control. It may seem cliché but adopting old-fashioned principles, such as treating others the way we would like to be treated, will prevent us from becoming a society haunted by undesirable behaviour. 1．What does the underlined word “severed” in Para. 1 mean? A．Built up. B．Cut off. C．Given away. D．Relied on. 2．Which of the following situations is an example of ghosting? A．A guide cancels the travel plan at the last minute. B．A child hangs out with friends without telling parents. C．A friend stops having any forms of interactions with you. D．A student refuses to hand in homework without explanation. 3．How might ghosting affect the ghostee? A．Self-defense in the face of criticism. B．Effective management of relationship. C．Self-doubt due to unexpected breakups. D．Long-term relief from intense conflicts. 4．What is the author’s attitude towards ghosting? A．Supportive. B．Disapproving. C．Uncertain. D．Objective. 主题02 人与自然——自然生态 Passage 1 （23-24学年高二上·北京市东城区·期末） As you leave the Bandhavgarh National Park in India, there is a notice which shows a huge tiger. The notice says, “You may not have seen me, but I have seen you.” There are more than a billion people in India and Indian tigers probably see humans every single day. Tigers can and do kill almost anything they meet in the jungle. However, it is a little strange that attacks on humans are not that frequent. Some people might argue that these attacks were in fact common in the past. But there were far more tigers around in those days. So, to some extent, attacks appear to have been as rare then as they are today. People think it is because of fears, but what exactly are tigers afraid of? Can they really know that we may be even better armed than they are? Surely not. Has the species programmed the experiences of all tigers with humans into its genes to be inherited as instinct? Perhaps. But I think the explanation may be simpler and, in a way, more interesting. I suspect that a tiger’s fear of humans lies in the way he actually observes us visually. Imagine a tiger sees a man who is 1.8 meters tall. A tiger is less than 1 meter tall but he may be up to 3 meters long from head to tail. So when a tiger sees the man face on, it might not be unreasonable for him to assume that the man is 6 meters long. If he met a deer of this size, he might attack the animal by leaping on its back, but when he looks behind the man, he can’t see a back. From the front the man is huge, but looked at from the side he all but disappears. This must be very disturbing. A hunter has to be confident that it can kill its prey, and no one is confident when they are disconcerted. The opposite is true of a squatting human. A squatting human is half the size and presents twice the spread of back, and appears like a medium-sized deer. Many incidents of attacks on people involve villagers bending over to cut grass. The fact that humans stand upright may not just distinguish them from other species, but also help them to survive in an unpredictable environment. 1．As for some people’s opinion on tiger attacks, the author is ________. A．objective B．unconcerned C．supportive D．disapproving 2．Why does the author raise three questions in Paragraph 3? A．To present assumptions. B．To evaluate arguments. C．To question findings. D．To confirm opinions. 3．What does the underlined word “disconcerted” in Paragraph 4 probably mean? A．Confused. B．Annoyed. C．Depressed. D．Surprised. 4．What can we learn from the last two paragraphs? A．It is the genes that cause the tiger’s fear of humans. B．It is hard for a tiger to make out the shape of humans. C．Tigers sense the danger the moment they spot humans. D．Tigers are less confident when facing squatting humans. Passage 2 （23-24学年高二上·北京市朝阳区·期末） If the great dinosaurs hadn’t gone extinct, would they have dominated Earth today? There has been a debate about this possibility for decades. Recently two analyses have put the surprising cognitive (认知) abilities of dinosaurs — and their potential limitations — in a new light. In one study, Suzana Herculano-Houzel at Vanderbilt University calculated the likely number of neurons (神经细胞) in dinosaurs’ pallium, a brain structure that is responsible for advanced cognitive functions. Research suggests that it is the number of neurons in these areas, rather than the brain size, that indicates an animal’s cognitive potential. For example, despite having a very small head, birds have more densely packed brain cells than many mammals (哺乳动物) and so can possess roughly as many neurons as monkeys. The result is that some birds show great cognitive abilities, comparable to the smartest non-human mammals. And it is precisely birds, being the only surviving lineage (宗系) of dinosaurs, that are Herculano-Houzel’s foundation. By comparing the relationship between brain size, number of neurons and body size in numerous existing birds and available fossils of dinosaurs, Herculano-Houzel concludes that a large dinosaur such as T. rex could have housed two billion to three billion neurons in its pallium. If so, dinosaurs could have had the capacity for tool use and planning for the future. But neurons’ number may not be enough. For intelligence, brain architecture also matters. And this could be the weakness of dinosaurs, argues Anton Reiner from the University of Tennessee. Over 350 million years of separate evolution, mammals and dinosaurs found two rather different ways to organize cognitive functions. The mammalian neurons are organized in a relatively thin layer formed by compact columns. In each column, different parts can communicate with one another over short distances. In contrast, in the dinosaurs that survive today, namely birds, the organization is less compact. According to Reiner, expanding brain capabilities beyond a certain point could make the structure far more complex and less efficient than it is in humans. If this were the case, an increase in brain size would correspond to a greater distance between different parts of the brain, slowing down their communication. The issue remains open to debate. Herculano-Houzel and Reiner each published a paper with rejections to the other’s argument. Meanwhile, other scientists have entered the fight. For example, neurobiologist Giorgio Vallortigara assumes that speed in transmitting information between networks of neurons is probably one of dinosaurs’ strengths. Whatever the truth is, understanding how and if brain architecture imposes limits on the development of cognition could reveal much about the evolution of abilities and behaviors of various animals. Also, this debate may tell us more about our own species than about dinosaurs. 1．Why do Herculano-Houzel and Reiner study birds? A．Because birds are more intelligent than dinosaurs. B．Because birds’ brain structures are the same as dinosaurs’. C．Because birds are the only survivors of the dinosaur family. D．Because birds have the same cognitive abilities as dinosaurs. 2．What does the word “compact” underlined in Paragraph 3 most probably mean? A．Tight. B．Light. C．Large. D．Wide. 3．What can be inferred from the passage? A．Dinosaurs’ ability for tool use owes to bigger brains. B．The number of neurons has little to do with brain architecture. C．Greater inter-brain distance causes higher cognitive efficiency. D．The factors behind dinosaur intelligence remain to be identified. 4．Which would be the best title for the passage? A．Are Dinosaurs Comparable to Humans in Intelligence? B．Are Dinosaurs with Bigger Brains the Ultimate Geniuses? C．How Smart Were Dinosaurs? New Studies Fuel the Debate D．Can Dinosaurs Outsmart Birds? Researches Cast a New Light Passage 3 （24-25学年高二上·北京市西城区·期末） A pair of papers, published in the scientific journal Nature, touts (标榜) the potential of new AI weather forecasting approaches — systems that could produce faster and more accurate results than traditional models. They are part of a new wave of AI models sweeping the meteorology (气象学) community worldwide. Conventional forecasts rely on a system known as numerical weather prediction. It’s a kind of mathematical model that uses complex equations (方程式) to predict the way weather systems change over time and space. These equations describe the actual physics behind the movement of air and water in the atmosphere and the oceans. Because there’s so much math and physics involved, numerical weather models require extremely high levels of computational power. That makes them expensive and time-consuming to run. It also limits the fine-scale processes that these models can accurately capture. Scientists have come up with various ways to get around these difficulties in traditional models. One strategy is a method known as parameterization — that’s when scientists replace the actual physical equations in a model with a simplified program that generally captures the process without forcing the model to represent the actual physics. But artificial intelligence could replace these workarounds, enthusiasts argue, with potentially faster and more accurate results. AI models don’t have to represent actual physics in the form of mathematical equations. Instead, they take in large amounts of historical weather data and learn to recognize patterns. They then use these patterns to make predictions when presented with new data on present-day weather conditions. In principle, the much faster computational speed could provide immense benefits. But some experts note that the changing climate may pose a unique challenge for developing AI weather models. AI systems rely on historical weather data to teach them how to produce accurate forecasts. But certain kinds of weather events, such as heat waves and hurricanes, are growing more intense as the planet warms — and in some cases, they’re becoming so extreme that there are few examples at all in the historical record. That could make it difficult for AI weather models to accurately simulate (模拟) events that are record-breaking or have never been seen before. Accurately forecasting extreme weather events is one of the most crucial functions for weather models, enabling decision-makers to issue public safety announcements or facilitate evacuations (疏散) with enough time to protect high-risk populations. But if AI models are presented with weather conditions that are entirely foreign to them, it may be hard to predict how they’ll react. The authors of the 2021 Royal Society paper point out that when it comes to capturing extremes with limited data, AI systems have produced mixed results — some have performed well while others not that satisfactorily. Hybrid models that include both AI components and numerical model components may run into fewer difficulties with record-breaking events, Russ Schumacher, Colorado’s state climatologist, suggested. He noted that numerical models and AI models may end up with different strengths, and human experience will remain valuable for communicating information about the weather. 1．What does the underlined expression “these workarounds” in Paragraph 4 refer to? A．High costs. B．Various methods. C．Weather systems. D．Inaccurate results. 2．What is Paragraph 5 mainly about? A．The advantages of artificial intelligence. B．The application of mathematical equations. C．The fast collection of historical weather data. D．The working principles of AI weather models. 3．What can we learn from the passage? A．Decision-makers find AI forecasts more reliable. B．AI models will eventually replace numerical ones. C．Lack of relevant weather data challenges AI systems. D．AI weather models help to prevent extreme climate events. 4．What’s the main purpose of the passage? A．To raise global climate change awareness. B．To stress the importance of the historical record. C．To compare the strengths of weather prediction methods. D．To suggest a way to improve weather prediction accuracy. Passage 4 （24-25学年高二上·北京市海淀区·期末） Ask most scientists if we’re animals and you’ll get a funny look. Of course, we’re humans! But very commonly, humans are set apart from animals using random division. In 2018, a pair of long-tailed macaques were cloned to be used in biomedical research. A few years earlier, the United Nations stated that cloning people goes against human dignity. That may be a good ruling. But what exactly is dignity, and why do humans have it while intelligent, aware primates(灵长目动物) such as macaques do not? A macaque may not think or talk about dignity, but does that mean it doesn’t possess it? The fact is, biology won’t leap to our assistance here because dignity is a human invention. “Dignity” originates in Enlightenment dualist (二元论者) ideas separating cognition from physicality and instinct, and later a new binary emerged: the human mind and our physical bodies. In this worldview, the impulses and feelings of animal bodies (including our own) are viewed as less important than our mental experiences. Many of our laws and guidelines today create hard borders between humans and other animals on the basis of our supposedly superior mental properties. To maintain a strict boundary between our experiences and those of all other animals, we find ourselves prioritizing what we consider mind-based phenomena when making policies. So we demote experiences of fear and promote the idea that knowing fear — recognizing it, naming it — is what matters morally. We brush under the carpet the fact that these cognitive capacities, if present at all, change throughout our lives without altering our moral status. For example, babies experience fear but can’t conceptualize it. This doesn’t alter our belief in their moral subjecthood. I look at the history of science and psychology research to understand how our discomfort with some aspects of being animals — from moral confusion to mortality — can spur us to tell ourselves that we’re not really animals. I conclude that it’s time for a much-needed change in belief that no longer splits the world into unhelpful and unscientific binaries. The overwhelming bulk of scientific data from the past few decades points to how essential our animal, physical life is to our actions, feeling and thoughts. A research into child development has shown that significant, measurable advantages in acquiring language and mathematics follow the use of physical movement and gesture. We urgently need to get a handle on what it means to be an animal and move beyond old-fashioned dualism. It’s not just that we’re animals: embodied, physical experiences are richer and more meaningful than we’ve recognized. If that means we need to rethink our relationship to other animals, so be it. 1．What can we know about “dignity” in the passage? A．It is a term which separates humans from animals. B．It is a cognitive standard shared by all primates. C．It is an idea combining human body and mind. D．It is an emotional feature of human being. 2．Why does the author mention the example of babies in Para. 3? A．To prove cognitive ability is needed for moral subjecthood. B．To show the change of cognitive ability in moral development. C．To highlight the importance of cognitive ability in policy making. D．To stress the existence of moral status regardless of level of cognition. 3．What is the writer trying to propose? A．A shift away from dualistic thinking. B．A new method for scientific research. C．Less emphasis on physical experiences. D．More attention to cognitive development. 4．Which is the best title of the article? A．But We Are Animals, Aren’t We? B．Thus We Claim Dignity, Don’t We? C．But We Are Truly Different, Aren’t We? D．So We Prefer Our Animal Nature, Don’t We? 主题03 人与社会——科学与技术 Passage 1 （24-25学年高二上·北京市大兴区·期末） Research sometimes proves, with data, what we more or less already know. Exercise is good for you, and polluted air isn’t. Still, sometimes our intuitions are incorrect, and scientific findings surprised researchers, along with the rest of us. A recent example is the phenomenon of vanishing lakes in the Arctic region. You might think these lakes would be expanding, not vanishing. As climate change warms the Arctic region, melting surface snow and ice and thawing (解冻) permafrost (冻土), there should be more surface water. Existing lakes should be growing. Recently, however, scientists have observed not just shrinking lakes, that is, lakes are becoming smaller, but lakes that have completely disappeared. A paper published this year in Nature Climate Change, based on satellite imagery, found widespread lake loss across the Arctic over the past 20 years. Many scientists shared the commonsense expectation that as permafrost thawed, lakes would at first expand because of the increased meltwater flowing into them. Eventually, researchers projected, progressive warming during the 21st and 22nd centuries would dry out the Arctic enough that lakes would begin to shrink. But now it looks as if Arctic lakes are disappearing a century or more sooner than they were predicted to. What is causing this to happen? Basically, the ground is becoming more permeable (可渗透的). We talk about “solid ground,” but its particles of rock, mineral and organic matter actually have spaces between them. In permafrost, the spaces are filled with solid ice, so liquid water cannot readily pass through them. But when the permafrost thaws, water can flow downward. Why did scientists miss this? One reason is that most climate models assume that permafrost thaw is driven only by warming air. New evidence suggests that rainfall is now contributing greatly to permafrost loss. The rainfall carries heat into the ground. Yet none of the models incorporated such processes. This is a good example of why — no matter how advanced our models are—we will still need to continue making direct observations of the natural world. The Arctic lakes provide crucial freshwater for critical habitats for a wide range of plants and animal life. The loss of wet areas that accompany these lakes can also lead to an increase in wildfires, which only serves to melt more permafrost. The permafrost thaw will lead to the release of some greenhouse gases, which will accelerate global warming. There is, of course, a clear path to saving Arctic lakes: stop the carbon pollution that is driving global climate change. 1．What does the underlined word “vanishing” in Paragraph 1 probably mean? A．Disappearing. B．Existing. C．Growing. D．Flowing. 2．What is causing the lake loss to occur sooner than predicted in the Arctic? A．The permafrost thaw as a result of the progressive warming. B．The rapid evaporation of lake water due to the warming air. C．The release of greenhouse gases as a result of the permafrost thaw. D．The downward flow of surface water in lakes resulting from permafrost thaw. 3．Scientists failed to make the correct prediction about the Arctic lakes because ______ A．they didn’t employ advanced enough models B．they didn’t anticipate the effect of the rainfall C．they didn’t make use of the climate models properly D．they didn’t make their predictions based on sufficient data 4．What would be the best title for this passage? A．The Effects of the Lake Loss B．The Measures against the Lake Loss C．The Puzzle of the Disappearing Lakes D．The Phenomenon of Permafrost Thaw Passage 2 （24-25学年高二上·北京市房山区·期末） When it was announced in 2018 that the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai had created the world’s first cloned monkeys, Zhongzhong and Huahua, heated discussions followed online. In fact, cloning has always been with us. It is a way of making an exact copy of another animal or plant. It happens in plants when gardeners take cuttings from growing plants to make new ones. It also happens in animals when identical twins are produced from the same egg. These are both examples of natural clones. Cloning has two major uses. First, gardeners use it to produce large quantities of plants for sale. Second, it is valuable for research on new plant species and for medical research on animals. Cloning plants is fairly straightforward, while cloning animals is much more complicated and difficult. Over the years, many scientists failed in their attempts to clone animals, but their determination and patience paid off in 1996 with a breakthrough—the cloning of Dolly the sheep. With the advances of scientific research, cloning will have several major uses, in the future. For one thing, it could be used to breed animal species which are endangered, or even bring back species which are now extinct. For another, it could be used to grow human organs or tissue in animals, which could be used for human organ transplants or medical treatments. Finally, cloning could be used to breed animals that will provide us with higher quality meat, milk, or eggs. While there are technical issues that need to be worked through to make widespread cloning possible, the biggest concerns are moral. For example, if scientists brought an extinct animal back into existence, it would probably end up fiving in a zoo. That is not very good for the animal. Even worse for the animal is using it as a source of organ transplants—because it will be injured or even die. In addition, many people worry that eating animal products that result from cloning might be harmful to our health over time. The possibility of using cloning to produce human beings is an even bigger concern. What would happen if such knowledge ended up in the wrong hands? When it comes to cloning, we wonder, ultimately, whether cloning will help or harm the world. No doubt, we will be talking about this question for a long time to come. 1．What can we learn about cloning? A．Cloned animals first appeared in 2018. B．Cloned plants are mainly used for medical research. C．Cloning technology can be used in the study of new plant species. D．Cloning plants is more complicated and difficult than cloning animals. 2．What is the main idea of Paragraph 3? A．Future uses of cloning. B．Scientific researches of cloning. C．The products provided by cloning. D．The medical treatments brought about by cloning, 3．What does the underlined word “moral” in Paragraph 4 refer to? A．Physical health. B．Technical development. C．Principle and belief. D．Knowledge and experience. 4．What’s the author’s attitude towards cloning? A．Supportive. B．Objective. C．Disapproving. D．Unconcerned. Passage 3 （24-25学年高二上·北京市石景山区·期末） In recent years, new research has led scientists to question the accuracy of the widely accepted “Out of Africa” theory, which suggests that all modern humans originated from a single group that left Africa around 60,000 years ago. While this theory has been supported by numerous genetic and fossil (化石) studies, alternative ideas suggest that human development may have been far more complex, involving multiple regions rather than a single migration (迁徙) wave from Africa. One alternative view is the “Multi-regional Hypothesis (假说).” This hypothesis suggests that early human populations in Africa, Asia, and Europe developed relatively independently but experienced substantial gene flow between regions. According to this idea, Homo sapiens (智人) did not emerge only in Africa but instead formed gradually across regions through the exchange of genetic material. This concept is backed by fossil evidence from Asia, such as skulls and bones found in China and Indonesia, which differ from African remains but are anatomically (结构上) similar to modern humans. These fossils are over 100,000 years old — much older than what would be expected if humans only spread from Africa around 60,000years ago. Furthermore, recent DNA studies have found genetic material in modern non-African populations does not match any known African lineages, suggesting that ancient humans mated with other groups in Eurasia, such as Neanderthals and Denisovans. For example, Neanderthal DNA is discovered in both European and Asian populations but devoid in most sub-Saharan African populations, challenging the timeline proposed by the “Out of Africa” theory. Additionally, research indicates that Denisovan DNA appears only in Melanesian and some Southeast Asian populations, suggesting these regional exchanges were not part of a single, linear migration. Adding to the debate is the discovery of ancient tools and artifacts in Asia and Europe that predate the supposed migration from Africa. These findings imply that early humans may have left Africa in multiple waves or even developed advanced cultural practices independently outside Africa. Some scientists now believe that humanity’s origins involve multiple migrations, with groups moving in and out of Africa at different times, contributing to the genetic díversity we see today. Although the “Out of Africa” theory remains influential, these findings invite us to rethink human evolution (进化). It is increasingly likely that modern humans arose not from a single migration but from interconnected populations across several continents, reflecting a far richer and more complex evolutionary history. 1．Why does the author mention fossil evidence from Asia? A．To argue that modern humans developed in Africa. B．To provide proof for the Multi-regional Hypothesis. C．To question the existence of gene flow between regions. D．To highlight the age of fossils compared to African remains. 2．What does the underlined word “devoid” in Paragraph 3 probably mean? A．Present. B．Obtained. C．Absent. D．Ignored. 3．What does the author aim to express in the last paragraph? A．Modern human evolution was a linear process. B．The “Out of Africa” theory has been disproven. C．Human origins are more complex than once thought. D．The genetic diversity of modern humans originated in Africa. Passage 4 （24-25学年高二上·北京市通州区·期末） Smart speakers now already help play music, get the news and control appliances at home, and are expected within the decade to be able to spot oncoming colds and chronic health conditions before they appear by listening to a user’s breathing, voice and heart rate. That is the prediction of a report from Vodafone into what consumer technology will look like by 2030. The report says that consumers will expect technology to be a key way they can monitor their health. It predicts that smart assistants will be able to spot early signs of diseases such as Parkinson’s (帕金森病) from voice analysis alone, in a similar way to how temperature is an indicator of fever. In 2018 it was revealed that Google had filed a patent for a smart speaker that could determine a speaker’s mood through the “volume of the user’s voice, detected breathing rate, crying and so forth”, and if they have a medical condition “based on detected coughing, sneezing and so forth”. In January, at the Consumer Electronics Show, start-ups were offering light bulbs that could monitor a person’s body temperature and floorboards that could analyse a user’s changing weight. Martin Raymond, co-founder of the Future Laboratory, said that tech companies were working on smart mirrors that could detect changes in a user’s skin colour and send alerts to an accompanying app if it detected that the person should consult a doctor. Such devices are also likely to connect with other WiFi-enabled appliances around the house as well as phones or smartwatches to build up a picture of somebody’s health, before sending health recommendations if needed. The report says that by the end of the decade, using our voice to control devices will be “usurped” by mind reading devices, embedded in technology such as smartwatches and headphones. These will detect the brain signals made when people say words in their head and give commands without people having to speak. In December 2021, a 62-year-old man with motor neurone (运动神经元) disease was the first person in the world to send a tweet via his thoughts, using a brain implant (植入的装置) designed by the American-Australian company Synchron. The report adds that as we reach 2030, “nature itself will become connected” with sensors on trees to analyse the environment and send the data to conservationists. 1．What are smart speakers expected to do within ten years? A．To detect whether people are ill. B．To help control home appliances. C．To play music and broadcast news. D．To make a plan for physical exercise. 2．What can we learn from the passage? A．Doctors will receive alerts from a smart mirror of their patients. B．A smart floorboard has a changing weight restriction for its users. C．Voice analysis will be used to indicate the presence of Parkinson’ s. D．Google has claimed its right for the invention of all smart speakers. 3．What does the underlined word “usurped” mean in Paragraph 7? A．Operated. B．Replaced. C．Applied. D．Developed. 4．What is the best title for this text? A．Consumer Electronics Show. B．Smart Devices in the Next Decade. C．New Application of Smart Speaker. D．Connection between Sensors and Nature. Passage 5 （24-25学年高二上·北京市丰台区·期末） Beethoven’s notebooks show that he spent countless hours developing and revising the musical ideas. It was a painful and all-consuming process. Beethoven was also the most gifted improviser (即兴演奏者) of his time. He would sit at the piano and create, on demand, beautiful and imposing compositions. Beethoven illustrates two modes of creativity. Most people are familiar with the first type — the creative struggle — from personal experience. But the latter kind — the flow state — is more elusive. Researchers knew little about its inner mechanisms, and this lack of understanding hindered the development of techniques for training flow to boost one’s creative production. In a study at Drexel University’s Creativity Research Lab, we addressed this gap by posing a basic question about the nature of creative flow: Does it involve intense concentration and hyperfocused attention, or does it involve the release of attention and “letting go”? Our study examined flow in the context of jazz improvisation. We recruited 32 jazz guitarists for the study. Some were relative novices, whereas others were highly experienced. We directed them to improvise solos while listening to recorded jazz accompaniments. Notably, the most experienced musicians reported, on average, greater intensity and frequency of flow states. This finding makes sense because it is hard to imagine feeling effortless attention while performing an unfamiliar task. Also unsurprising was that, on average, the judges rated the experts’ improvisations as more creative than the novices’ improvisations. Next, to identify brain regions associated with the flow state, we compared brain activity during high-flow performances with that during low-flow performances. One striking finding was that high-flow performance were associated with reduced activity in the brain’s frontal lobes (大脑前额叶), which are associated with executive function and cognitive control. Then we compared the most experienced musicians with the least experienced ones. The most experienced participants showed activity in a network of brain areas associated with hearing and vision during a flow state — sensory regions that were not activated in the low-experience musicians. So it seems that creative flow can occur when two conditions are met. First, one has to gain expertise by practicing the task enough to develop a specialized brain network for performing that task. Second, one must release conscious control so the specialized network can take over and produce ideas on autopilot, without the performer overthinking what they are doing. The end result might not be like a Beethoven sonata (奏鸣曲). But if you can create it during a flow state, it will be your best work, and you will enjoy the process. 1．What does the word “elusive” underlined in Paragraph 2 probably mean? A．Worthy of practice. B．Attractive to figure out. C．Accessible to achieve. D．Challenging to comprehend. 2．What is Paragraph 4 mainly about? A．The subjects of the study. B．A stage of the study. C．An assumption of the study. D．The objective of the study. 3．What can we learn from the study? A．Flow is a state of low cognitive control rather than hyperfocus. B．Flow state helps an inexperienced musician to concentrate easily. C．The brain’s frontal lobes are less active during low-flow performance. D．Hearing and vision networks are activated in less experienced musicians. 4．What is the main purpose of the passage? A．To explain two modes of creativity. B．To present the findings of a study of flow state. C．To illustrate how to enter a state of effortless attention. D．To stress how important it is to create music during a flow state. Passage 6 （23-24学年高二上·北京市西城区·期末） Frozen in time, a 125-million-year-old mammal attacking a dinosaur. A 39-million-year-old whale, the heaviest animal that ever lived. The oldest known jellyfish, from 505 million years ago. Paleontology (古生物学) produces newsworthy discoveries. Fossils (化石), moreover, provide direct evidence for the long history of life, allowing paleontologists to test hypotheses (假设) about evolution with data only they provide. They allow investigation of present and past life on Earth. Flows of biological diversity, appearances of new life forms and the extinctions of long existing ones, would go undiscovered without these efforts. But the headlines over exciting new fossils greatly underestimate the true importance of paleontology. Its real significance lies in how such discoveries brighten the grand history of life on Earth. From its beginnings, more than three billion years ago, to the present day, fossils record how life adapted or disappeared in the face of major environmental challenges. Paleontologists provide us with a unique vantage on modern climate change. They play an essential role in interpreting ancient environments, in reconstructing ancient oceans, continents and climates. Fossils provide key limitation on the climate models that are essential for predicting future climate change. And the fossil record gives important insights into how life will respond to predicted future climate conditions, because these have occurred before in Earth’s history. In addition, paleontology has provided a fundamental contribution to human thought: the reality of species extinction and thus of a world that has dramatically changed over time. In documenting the history of life, paleontologists recognized that many extinction episodes could occur suddenly, such as the event 66 million years ago that ended the dinosaurs. The search for the causes of past mass extinctions started pioneering studies from across the scientific spectrum (科学界), focusing on potential future threats to humanity. Not only do paleontologists know what happens to life when things go bad, they also know how long it takes for ecosystems and biodiversity to recover from these disasters, which can take far longer than modern humans have existed. Paleontologists thus provide a unique perspective on the nature and future long-term ecological impact of the current human-produced biodiversity crisis, the so-called Sixth Extinction, and therefore the importance of protecting modern biodiversity. The very concept of a Sixth Extinction would not exist without paleontologists documenting the first five. Paleontologists know that understanding life’s past is critical to anticipating and adapting to life’s and humanity’s future. Paleontology is important because it brings its unique and critical perspective to current challenges in climate change, biodiversity loss and the environment. Paleontologists can predict the future because they know the past. 1．The first two paragraphs are written to _______. A．describe an event B．raise a question C．present an opinion D．make a comparison 2．What does the underlined word “vantage” in Paragraph 3 mean? A．A positive effect. B．A valuable suggestion. C．A quick decision. D．A comprehensive view. 3．Which of the following would the author agree with? A．Ecological recovery takes shorter than imagined. B．Past lessons can help to predict the future threats. C．Paleontologists can handle the biodiversity crisis. D．Fossil studies focus on the causes of mass extinctions. 4．What’s the best title for the passage? A．Paleontology: A Pioneering Study B．Paleontology: A History Recorder C．Paleontology Tells More About Nature Than Humans D．Paleontology Is Far More Than New Fossil Discoveries Passage 7 （24-25学年高二上·北京市朝阳区·期末） Let’s start with the end. If you know anything about the state of artificial intelligence, it’s that many of the people advancing the technology are seriously worried about the technology they’ re advancing. Two statements stand out. The first followed the release of the company Open AI’s ChatGPT-4, calling for a six-month pause on any AI system going beyond GPT’s capabilities. The signatories (签署者) asked: “Should we develop nonhuman minds that might eventually outnumber, outsmart, and replace us?” The second statement, issued in May, 2023, signed by nearly all the major AI company CEOs and most of the top AI research scientists, was just 22 words long: “Mitigating (减轻) the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks like pandemics and nuclear war.” So, who’s excited for AI? I am? Maybe? AI tools are helping the speechless speak and reducing energy consumption largely. There are brilliant people who say this is kid stuff. Soon everyone will have a customized knowledge assistant. The removal of loneliness is coming. Other equally brilliant people go straight to the other direction. Their imagination covers everything from an AI-manufactured extinction-level virus to societal destruction as jobs disappear and inequality becomes permanent. OpenAI’s product launch made jaws drop. The tech is moving fast, but its impact will arrive in waves. We’ve already seen slight decrease in ChatGPT usage. That hardly means chatbots are doomed (注定失败的) or AI is a craze. Only that it’s early. It will take time to understand how people adapt to these new tools. That time should not be wasted. The processors will keep processing — and we need to get ready. Because however far-fetched the idea of an artificial general intelligence — meaning an autonomous system that one day goes beyond human abilities — it’s not impossible. We can also look out for the many ways AI tools can help us fix the hard problems humanity simply hasn’t been able to solve. That’s the goal here, in this space, to examine AI in a slightly less anxiety-stricken way. The story so far has been told by geniuses with mixed motives and terrible emotional intelligence. It’s really no surprise that they’re also lousy storytéllers. Who starts with extinction? Let’s begin again, this time with creation. All of the software we’ve ever used was engineered to work backward from an outcome. Its creators wanted to help you find a webpage or play a game. Perhaps you’ve noticed that the major AI chatbots arrived with almost no user documentation or instructions. That’s what makes this moment unique. We humans have created a tool for potentially infinite tasks. Its imperfections are ours to solve — and its powers still ours to shape. 1．What can we learn from the two statements? A．The potential of AI is cause for concern. B．AI advancement deserves a global priority. C．The risk AI brings is impossible to control. D．AI is a common interest of whoever develops it. 2．As for AI, which would the author agree with? A．It is unlikely to go beyond human abilities. B．It may be applied to handle climate change. C．It is misused by geniuses with bad motives. D．It will gradually move towards imperfection. 3．What does the underlined word “lousy” in Paragraph 4 probably mean? A．Awful. B．Gifted. C．Unexpected. D．Experienced. 4．Which would be the best title for the passage? A．AI Is Humans’ Doomed Enemy B．AI Is on the Road to Destruction C．Are We Aware of the Risks from AI? D．Do We Hate AI for All the Right Reasons? Passage 8 （24-25学年高二上·北京市东城区·期末） It’s true that there’s something pleasant and trustworthy about a smile — but this can be misleading. Dig a little deeper and you will find that the smile is actually one of the biggest fakes going. We all put on a smile now and again to comfort our fellow humans and avoid unnecessary conflict. We all suppose, however, that a genuine (真诚的) smile of true enjoyment is something very different. In fact, it has been given a name: the Duchenne smile. This smile uses the muscles around the eyes to lift the cheeks, producing wrinkles around the eyes, and has long been held as an inimitable(不可仿效的) sign of true human emotion. Or at least it was until 2013, when researchers from Boston destroyed that saying. In their study, one group of volunteers were asked to reproduce smiles shown in photographs, and another group to evaluate whether the first group’s smiles were genuine Some of the photographs showed mouth-only smiles, but others showed smiles using both mouth and eye-muscles. Two-thirds of individuals turned out to be able to fake a supposedly genuine smile, and they were also able to do this well in their everyday lives. These findings indicate that even the supposedly genuine Duchenne smile can be convincingly simulated. So much for smiling being an inimitable sign of true human emotion. But why are some people so good at this kind of simulation? The answer isn’t necessarily evil or harmful. In fact, more researches have demonstrated that you can actually smile yourself into a better mood. Fake or not, putting on a Duchenne smile may be just the medicine to fight against physical and mental difficulties. The smile, then, can be a false friend. People smile — or not — for all kinds of reasons beyond simply how happy they are feeling. But, as the saying goes, if you can’t beat them, join them. Next time you’re having your photograph taken, don’t say “cheese”; say “cheeks”. Saying “cheeks” will not only shape your mouth nicely, but will also remind you to squeeze your cheeks upwards into a visually satisfying, genuine-looking Duchenne smile. 1．The Boston researchers’ study proves that ________. A．smiles don’t help with communication B．not all genuine-looking smiles show true enjoyment C．the Duchenne smile can’t be replaced by other expressions D．the volunteers with true smiles won’t get upset easily in daily life 2．What does the underlined word “simulated” in Paragraph 4 mean? A．Adjusted. B．Spread. C．Pretended. D．Tested. 3．What is the author’s attitude toward false smiles? A．Reserved. B．Hesitant. C．Accepting. D．Negative. Passage 9 （23-24学年高二上·北京市西城区·期末） An AI model can be used to detect stress in office workers based on how they use their mouse and keyboard. A new study suggests that a machine-learning model using these two elements was more accurate at detecting stress in people than a model that tracked their heart-rate data. “We saw that the models that just used the mouse and keyboard data performed better than the models that had the heart-rate data in it,” says Mart Naegelin. a Ph. D．student at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, and one of the study’s authors. Naegelin and her fellow researchers used machine-learning models to analyze data on keyboard-typing activity, mouse movements and heart-rate data. They also studied the data of a combination of two or all three of these elements to determine which performed best in terms of measuring stress. They found that the model trained on mouse and keyboard data performed better than the model that used mouse, keyboard and heart rates. Of the single-modality (形态) models, the heart-rate data performed the worst. “The test was conducted in an environment that simulated an office environment, so the results still need to be confirmed in real-life scenarios (情况),” Naegelin says. In the experiment, participants were divided into three groups. A control group carried out assigned tasks, such as planning meetings and collecting data, with no additional work. A second group at times answered questions from managers in person in a mock interview scenario while completing other assigned tasks. And members of a third group were, at certain points, interrupted with additional questions sent through an online chat on top of tasks assigned to other groups. At regular intervals during the experiment, participants were asked to rate their stress levels through a computer questionnaire. Researchers learned that workers made longer, less accurate movements with their mouse, as well as more typing errors, when they were stressed. Shorter, more direct movements with the mouse were tied to lower stress levels. The study didn’t focus on why increased levels of stress are thought to affect muscle activity. The researchers say they believe a stress-detection system that logs keyboard and mouse movements might be beneficial as a self-help tool for employees alongside other initiatives to improve workplace mental health. But employee participation would need to be optional and based on informed consent (同意), and companies would need to commit to protecting user privacy. It remains to be seen how this technology will evolve and be adopted in practice, but the potential for AI to contribute positively to employee well-being is an appealing avenue for future exploration. 1．What do we know from Naegelin’s study? A．Heart-rate data has little connection with stress. B．Mouse and keyboard data proves effective in stress detection. C．Mouse data performs worst in measuring stress among all models. D．Using more elements in a model increases accuracy in stress detection. 2．What is Paragragh 5 mainly about? A．The research process. B．The research findings. C．The research purpose. D．The research background. 3．What can we learn from the passage? A．AI models based on mouse and keyboard data have been widely applied. B．Naegelin’s study explains why muscle activity can affect stress levels. C．Employers need to respect employees’ privacy while detecting stress. D．A stress-detection system improves physical health at the workplace. 4．What is the author’s purpose of writing the passage? A．To introduce a new model to detect stress. B．To compare different models in stress detection. C．To show the disadvantages of being overstressed. D．To state the importance of a stress-detection system. / 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $ 专题05 阅读理解（说明文+议论文） 主题01 人与社会——历史、社会与文化 Passage 1 （23-24学年高二上·北京市大兴区·期末） In the modern age, social media platforms have emerged as powerful tools for communication, networking, and self-expression. With billions of active users worldwide, these platforms have profoundly influenced the human interaction. Recent psychological studies have delved into understanding the influence of prolonged (长期的) social media usage on individual self-esteem (自尊) and identity formation. Context and Prevalence (流行) Social media platforms, including Weibo, WeChat Moments, Douyin, and Little Red Book, offer ways for individuals to project curated versions of their lives. While this can serve as a medium of affirmation, it also compares one’s daily life against the specially edited highlights of others, which could potentially lead to feelings of failure and dissatisfaction. Research Findings on Self-Esteem A study conducted among adolescents aged 13-19 showed that extreme social media use correlates with lower self-esteem scores. Participants who spent over five hours daily on these platforms demonstrated significant tendencies towards self-devaluation (自我贬低) and negative self-perception (自体感受). The study believed that the constant exposure of idealized images and lives leads to an involuntary (不自主的) comparison, often placing the individual on the lesser end of the spectrum. Implications for Identity Formation For adolescents, a critical time of identity formation happens during the teenage years. Social media can often blur the lines (模糊界限) between personal identity and digital persona (面貌，形象). A study tracked teenagers for five years and found that heavy social media users often experienced identity confusion. Their digital avatars, formed under societal pressures, sometimes overshadowed their real personalities, leading to internal conflicts and confusion about real selfhood. Possible Solutions and Future Research While the negative influence of social media on mental well-being is evident, it’s also essential to highlight its potential benefits. Platforms can help to add a sense of belonging, provide informational support, and serve as outlets for creative expression. Future research could explore potential interventions (介入，干涉) to reduce the negative effects. In conclusion, while social media offers a huge number of opportunities and ways for expression, it’s important that teenagers approach it with awareness. The psychological landscape it shapes is hard to understand, and understanding its depths requires continued research, empathy (共鸣), and active measures. 1．What do we know about the study involving adolescents aged 13-19? A．It took five hours for participants to take part in the study B．It suggested that we should not compare our lives with others C．It caused self-devaluation and negative self-perception to participants. D．It showed that too much social media use resulted in low self-esteem. 2．What does the term “digital avatars” refer to in paragraph 4? A．Social media algorithms (算法). B．Digital marketing tools. C．Online versions of individuals. D．Digital assistants. 3．Why are social media especially bad for adolescents? A．They cause identity crises (危机) to them. B．They lead to feelings of dissatisfaction. C．They project version of their lives. D．They overshadow their personalities. 4．How does the author feel about the effect of social media on users? A．Entirely negative. B．Quite positive. C．Mixed with caution. D．Indifferent and neutral. 【答案】1．D 2．C 3．A 4．C 【导语】这是一篇说明文。文章主要讲述了研究发现，长期使用社交媒体会对个人自尊和身份认同产生影响。 1．细节理解题。根据文章第三段“A study conducted among adolescents aged 13-19 showed that extreme social media use correlates with lower self-esteem scores.(一项针对13-19岁青少年的研究表明，过度使用社交媒体与较低的自尊得分相关。)”可知，我们从这项涉及13-19岁青少年的研究中了解到过度使用社交媒体会导致自尊心低下。故选D。 2．词句猜测题。根据文章第四段“For adolescents, a critical time of identity formation happens during the teenage years. Social media can often blur the lines (模糊界限) between personal identity and digital persona (面貌，形象). A study tracked teenagers for five years and found that heavy social media users often experienced identity confusion.(对于青少年来说，身份形成的关键时期发生在青少年时期。社交媒体常常会模糊个人身份和数字形象之间的界限。一项追踪青少年五年的研究发现，重度社交媒体用户经常经历身份困惑。)”可知，他们在社会压力下形成的数字形象有时会掩盖他们的真实个性，导致内部冲突和对真实自我的困惑。由此可知，digital avatars意为“数字形象”，与C项：Online versions of individuals.(个人的在线版本。)意思接近。故选C。 3．细节理解题。根据文章第四段“For adolescents, a critical time of identity formation happens during the teenage years. Social media can often blur the lines (模糊界限) between personal identity and digital persona (面貌，形象). A study tracked teenagers for five years and found that heavy social media users often experienced identity confusion.(对于青少年来说，身份形成的关键时期发生在青少年时期。社交媒体常常会模糊个人身份和数字形象之间的界限。一项追踪青少年五年的研究发现，重度社交媒体用户经常经历身份困惑。)”可知，对于青少年爱说，身份形成的关键时期发生在青少年时期。社交媒体容易让青少年出现身份混淆的危机。故选A。 4．推理判断题。根据文章最后一段“In conclusion, while social media offers a huge number of opportunities and ways for expression, it’s important that teenagers approach it with awareness. The psychological landscape it shapes is hard to understand, and understanding its depths requires continued research, empathy (共鸣), and active measures.(总之，虽然社交媒体提供了大量的表达机会和方式，但重要的是青少年要有意识地接近它。它塑造的心理景观很难理解，理解它的深度需要持续的研究、共鸣和积极的措施。)”可知，作者对社交媒体对用户的影响的看法是谨慎的。故选C。 Passage 2 （23-24学年高二上·北京市丰台区·期末） The need for clarity extends beyond how we communicate science to how we evaluate it. Who can really define stock phrases such as ‘a significant contribution to research’? Or understand what ‘high impact’ or ‘world-class’ means? Scientists demand that institutions should be clear about their criteria and consider all scholarly outputs—preprints, code, data, peer review, teaching, mentoring and so on. My view about the practices in research assessment is that most assessment guidelines permit sliding standards: instead of clearly defined terms, they give us feel-good slogans that lack any fixed meaning. Facing the problem will get us much of the way towards a solution. Broad language increases room for misunderstanding. ‘High impact’ can be code for where research is published. Or it can mean the effect that research has had on its field, or on society locally or globally—often very different things. Yet confusion is the least of the problems. Words such as ‘world-class’ and ‘excellent’ allow assessors to vary comparisons depending on whose work they are assessing. Academia(学术界) cannot be a fair and reasonable system if standards change depending on whom we are evaluating. Unconscious bias(偏见) associated with factors such as a researcher’s gender, ethnic origin and social background helps the academic injustice continue. It was only with double-blind review of research proposals that women finally got fair access to the Hubble Space Telescope. Many strategies exist to improve fairness in academia, but conceptual clarity is paramount. Being clear about how specific qualities are valued leads assessors to think critically about whether those qualities are truly being considered. Achieving that conceptual clarity requires discussion with faculties, staff and students: hours and hours of it. The University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands, for example, held a series of conversations, each involving 20-60 researchers, and then spent another year revising its research assessment policies to recognize social impacts. Frank conversations about what is valued in a particular context, or at a specific institution, are an essential first step in developing concrete recommendations. Although ambiguous(模棱两可的) terms, for instance ‘world-class’ and ‘significant’, are a barrier when performing assessments, university administrators have said that they rely on flexible language to make room to reward a variety of contributions. So it makes sense that more specific language in review and promotion must be able to accommodate varied outputs, outcomes and impacts of scholarly work. Setting specific standards will be tough. It will be inviting to fall back on the misleading standards such as impact factors, or on ambiguous terms that can be agreed to by everyone but applied wisely by no one. It is too early to know what those standards will be or how much they will vary, but the right discussions are starting to happen. They must continue. 1．Regarding the current practices in research assessment, the author is ________. A．supportive B．puzzled C．unconcerned D．disapproving 2．What can we learn from this passage? A．Bias on assessors can cause inequality. B．Frank conversations harm scholarly work. C．Specific qualities need to be clearly stated. D．Broad language ensures academic fairness. 3．What does the word “paramount” underlined in Para. 4 most probably mean? A．primary. B．recognized. C．optional. D．accomplished. 4．Which would be the best title for the passage? A．Fix research assessment. Change slogans for clear standards. B．Fix research assessment. Change evaluations for conversations. C．Define research assessment. Change simplicity for specification. D．Define research assessment. Change broad language for flexible one. 【答案】1．D 2．C 3．A 4．A 【导语】这是一篇议论文。这篇文章讨论了科研评估中存在的概念不清的问题，并提出了需要明确标准和提高公正性的观点。作者认为目前的评估准则通常允许标准滑动，使用模棱两可的口号代替明确的术语。广泛的语言增加了误解的空间，并导致评估中的主观因素和偏见。为了改善学术界的公正性，需要进行概念上的明确，并与教职员工和学生进行广泛的讨论。文章强调了制定具体标准的困难，但认为必须继续进行正确的讨论。 1．推理判断题。根据第二段“My view about the practices in research assessment is that most assessment guidelines permit sliding standards: instead of clearly defined terms, they give us feel-good slogans that lack any fixed meaning. Facing the problem will get us much of the way towards a solution.”（我对研究评估实践的看法是，大多数评估指南允许滑动标准：它们给我们的是缺乏任何固定含义的自我感觉良好的口号，而不是明确定义的术语。面对这个问题会让我们在很大程度上找到解决办法。）可推知，对于目前的研究评估实践，作者是不赞成的。故选D项。 2．细节理解题。根据第四段中“Many strategies exist to improve fairness in academia, but conceptual clarity is paramount. Being clear about how specific qualities are valued leads assessors to think critically about whether those qualities are truly being considered.”（有许多策略可以提高学术界的公平性，但概念的清晰是最重要的。明确具体的品质是如何被评估的，会让评估者批判性地思考这些品质是否真的被考虑在内。）可知，需要明确说明具体的品质。故选C项。 3．词句猜测题。根据第四段中“Being clear about how specific qualities are valued leads assessors to think critically about whether those qualities are truly being considered. Achieving that conceptual clarity requires discussion with faculties, staff and students: hours and hours of it.”（明确具体的品质是如何被评估的，会让评估者批判性地思考这些品质是否真的被考虑在内。要实现概念上的清晰，需要与教师、教职员工和学生们进行长时间的讨论。）由此可知，此处为有许多策略可以提高学术界的公平性，但概念的清晰是最重要的。故可猜测划线单词paramount为“主要的”意思，结合选项A项primary“主要的”，意思一致。故选A项。 4．主旨大意题。根据文章大意以及第二段“My view about the practices in research assessment is that most assessment guidelines permit sliding standards: instead of clearly defined terms, they give us feel-good slogans that lack any fixed meaning. Facing the problem will get us much of the way towards a solution.”（我对研究评估实践的看法是，大多数评估指南允许滑动标准：它们给我们的是缺乏任何固定含义的自我感觉良好的口号，而不是明确定义的术语。面对这个问题会让我们在很大程度上找到解决办法。）和最后一段中“It is too early to know what those standards will be or how much they will vary, but the right discussions are starting to happen. They must continue.”（现在要知道这些标准将是什么，或者它们会有多大的变化还为时过早，但正确的讨论正在开始进行。它们必须继续下去。）可知，文章主要讨论了科研评估中存在的概念不清的问题，并提出了需要明确标准和提高公正性的观点。作者认为目前的评估准则通常允许标准滑动，使用模棱两可的口号代替明确的术语。广泛的语言增加了误解的空间，并导致评估中的主观因素和偏见。为了改善学术界的公正性，需要进行概念上的明确，并与教职员工和学生进行广泛的讨论。文章强调了制定具体标准的困难，但认为必须继续进行正确的讨论。故文章最好的标题是“修正研究评估。为明确的标准改变口号”。故选A项。 Passage 3 （23-24学年高二上·北京市丰台区·期末） For some it is the sound of a bouncing basketball. For others the clearing of a throat. For Dr. Jane Gregory the list includes pigeons, ticking clocks and the sound of popcorn being eaten. “I cried on the plane the other day because I couldn’t figure out the volume on my new headphones and so I couldn’t block out the sound of a guy sniffing,” she says. Gregory is among those who experience misophonia, a phenomenon in which particular sounds can prove unbearable, triggering(引起)emotions from anxiety and panic to shame and anger. Now in her book, Sounds Like Misophonia, the academic is on a mission to explore what’s behind it, and to help those affected cope. Gregory, a clinical psychologist at the University of Oxford, suggests misophonia is far from being a simple sensitivity to sound. It can be fed by a complex interplay of factors, including a lower ability to filter out certain noises, the association of negative meanings with particular sounds, and the burden of feelings associated with an emotional response to them. Yet, the phenomenon was largely unknown until the 2010s. In one study, researchers asked people with high and low traits of misophonia to listen out for a “trigger” sound in the presence of a masking sound. Both groups detected the trigger just as easily. “The person with misophonia had a more intense reaction, but only after they identified what the sound was,” adds Gregory. Those results, she says, suggest that people with misophonia are not inherently better at detecting particular sounds, such as a sniff or a rustle—rather they might be listening out for them more, or not be as good as others at tuning them out. This is a trait, Gregory speculates, that might have offered our ancestors an evolutionary advantage, such as helping them to detect hiding predators. Another implication of the research, Gregory says, is that it is not just the auditory features of the sounds that cause negative reactions but the meaning attached to them. An example would be a reaction to the jingling of a dog’s collar after being frightened by an aggressive dog. Gregory hopes her book will support those too often told to ignore sounds. She says: “The emotional reaction is much more complex than just being annoyed... They feel trapped and helpless when they encounter these sounds. If you think it’s nothing, then you’re not experiencing what this person is experiencing.” 1．Misophonia is a phenomenon where ________. A．people fail to recognize particular sounds B．specific sounds cause negative emotions C．different feelings are mixed up together D．people lose control of their emotions 2．Which of the following might be the cause of misophonia? A．Trigger sounds of similar origins. B．Disability to ignore certain sounds. C．Understanding of particular sounds. D．Inborn ability to tell certain sounds. 3．What can we learn from the passage? A．To detect certain sounds is a solution to misophonia. B．People with misophonia are well understood by others. C．People can benefit from misophonia in some situations. D．Objects related to sounds may trigger negative reactions. 【答案】1．B 2．B 3．D 【导语】这是一篇说明文。主要介绍了恐音症患者以及探索这一现象背后的原因。 1．细节理解题。根据第一段中“Gregory is among those who experience misophonia, a phenomenon in which particular sounds can prove unbearable, triggering(引起)emotions from anxiety and panic to shame and anger.”（格雷戈里就是恐音症患者之一。恐音症患者无法忍受特定的声音，从而引发焦虑、恐慌、羞愧和愤怒等情绪。）可知，恐音症是一种特定的声音会引起负面情绪的现象。故选B项。 2．细节理解题。根据第三段中“Those results, she says, suggest that people with misophonia are not inherently better at detecting particular sounds, such as a sniff or a rustle—rather they might be listening out for them more, or not be as good as others at tuning them out.”（她说，这些结果表明，患有恐音症的人并不是天生就更擅长探测特定的声音，比如嗅嗅声或沙沙声——相反，他们可能会更多地倾听这些声音，或者不像其他人那样善于忽略这些声音。）可知，无法忽略某些声音能是恐音症的原因。故选B项。 3．推理判断题。根据倒数第二段中“Another implication of the research, Gregory says, is that it is not just the auditory features of the sounds that cause negative reactions but the meaning attached to them. An example would be a reaction to the jingling of a dog’s collar after being frightened by an aggressive dog.”（格雷戈里说，这项研究的另一个含义是，引起负面反应的不仅仅是声音的听觉特征，还有附加在这些声音上的含义。一个例子是，在被一只好斗的狗吓到后，人们对狗项圈发出的丁当声做出反应。）可推知，我们能从文章中了解到与声音有关的物体可能会引发负面反应。故选D项。 主题02 人与社会——文学、艺术与体育 Passage 1 （24-25学年高二上·北京市大兴区·期末） Sledding in the Forest Preserves One of the benefits of winter in Cook County is zooming down the gently sloping hills in the forest. Another benefit? Four locations have lights on the hill, so you can keep the sledding fun going despite the early sunsets. The four forest hills are open until 7:30 or 8:30 p.m. and, of course, if there's enough snow. Please note you cannot bring your own sled. Sledding rentals are $15 for a half day, $25 for the full day. There is no additional charge for use of the sloping hills. Check site for contact numbers and snow conditions. fpdcc. com/things-to-do/sledding Bobby Hull Community Ice Rink The area near West Community has one of the biggest wintertime draws for families who want to hit the ice. Cicero's outdoor rink offers a range of frozen fun, including skating lessons, open skates and the chance to practice skills. Visit the rink's Facebook page for schedule details. Bobby Hull Community Ice Rink, 3400S. 53rd Ave, Cicero. $12 for open skates, $3 skate rental; cash only. http://facebook. com/bobbyhullcommunityicerink Mount Hoy Snow Tubing The trip down Mount Hoy is a lively one: 800 feet from top to bottom. And as long as it's covered in three or more inches of snow, you're welcome to rent a tube and zoom down. The hill is open 10 a.m. till 4 p.m. weekends and holidays through Feb. 23; tube rentals end at 3:30 p.m. At Blackwell Forest Preserve, Butterfield Road between Winfield Road and Route 59, Warrenville. Admission is free, but personal tubes are not allowed. $ 10 rental per tube. https://tinvurl.com/y9nox4et Winter Wonderland and Ice Rink Haven't gotten your fill of the brisk cold hitting your face as you practice your double salchows and triple lutzes on the ice? Don't worry! The Village of Orland Park's rink is open seven days a week, starting at 4 p.m. on weekdays and noon on weekends. The rink offers free helmet rentals, plus a warming house for those who prefer to cheer from the sidelines. Winter Wonderland Ice Rink, 15600 West Avenue and Fun Drive, Orland Park. Admission: $20 Adult, $15 Student 5-17; $3 for skate rental. http://orlandpark. org/services/parks/ice-rink 1．If you want to take ice skating lessons, visit _____________________ for more information. A．https://tinyurl.com/y9nox4et B．http://fpdcc.com things to-do/sledding C．http://orlandpark. org/services/parks/ice –rink D．http://facebook.com/bobbyhullcommunityicerink 2．If you had $10, you could choose_____________________. A．Mount Hoy Snow Tubing B．Sledding in the Forest Preserves C．Bobby Hull Community Ice Rink D．Winter Wonderland and Ice Rink 3．Which of the following statements is True? A．The opening hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day till Feb.23 at Mount Hoy. B．Bobby Hull Community Ice Rink is an attraction near West Community. C．No warming house is available at the Village of Orland Park's rink. D．There is always enough snow for sledding in the forest preserves. 【答案】1．D 2．A 3．B 【分析】本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了四个适合冬季旅游的景点。 1．细节理解题。根据文章第二段“Cicero's outdoor rink offers a range of frozen fun, including skating lessons, open skates and the chance to practice skills.（西塞罗的户外溜冰场提供了一系列的冰冻乐趣，包括滑冰课程、开放式冰鞋和练习技巧的机会。）”可知，鲍比赫尔社区溜冰场提供滑冰课程，再结合文段最后网址“http://facebook. com/bobbyhullcommunityicerink”。故选D项。 2．推理判断题。根据文章第三段“Admission is free, but personal tubes are not allowed. $ 10 rental per tube.（门票是免费的，但私人滑雪管是不允许的。每个滑雪管租金10美元。）”可知，有10美元可以选择去Mount Hoy Snow Tubing活动。故选A项。 3．细节理解题。根据文章第二段“The area near West Community has one of the biggest wintertime draws for families who want to hit the ice.（西社区附近的地区是冬季吸引想要去冰上玩的家庭最多的地方之一。）”及标题“Bobby Hull Community Ice Rink”可知，Bobby Hul社区溜冰场是西区附近的一个景点。故选B项。 主题03 人与自我——生活与学习 Passage 1 （23-24学年高二上·北京市房山区·期末） About five weeks ago, I noticed the skin of our pet lizard (蜥蜴) was growing dusty. It worried me. I reported the strange surface on the skin of the lizard to my husband and children the next morning. Seconds later, our lizard emerged from its tank with its old skin flowing behind it. I didn’t think about it much until a morning last week when I knocked my favorite teapot off the table. It burst into hundreds of pieces. As I swept up the mess, I wondered why we had been breaking so many things over the months. The damage started three months ago. It was my husband’s birthday. He had just lost his job. The uncertainty was starting to wear on us, so I wanted to do something special. “Let’s make a cake for Dad!” I cried. My kids screamed with joy. We baked, iced and sprinkled for most of the day. Candles on the cake! Balloons on the walls! Flowers on the table! Two hours before my husband came back home from another job interview, my daughter climbed up to grab a glass vase from a high shelf. It fell and crashed beside the cake. Tiny pieces of glass were everywhere. She sobbed loudly as I threw the cake away. My husband had banana pudding for his birthday. Three days ago, the light in our living room suddenly went out. After several frustrating hours of unsuccessful attempts to fix it, my husband suggested watching the Michael Jordan documentary (纪录片) series The Last Dance. The poignancy (酸楚) of Jordan retiring from his beloved basketball to play baseball and what had pushed him to make such a tough decision took me by surprise. As I watched him take off his basketball uniform and replace it with a baseball uniform, I saw him leaving behind what no longer served him, just as our lizard had. Neither of them chose the moment that had transformed them. But they had to live with who they were after everything was different. Just like us. I realized that we have to learn to leave the past behind. Humans do not shed skin as easily as other animals. The beginning of change is upsetting. The process is tiring. Damage changes us before we are ready. I see our lizard, raw and nearly new. Jordan said that no matter how it ends, it starts with hope. With our tender, hopeful skin, that is where we begin. 1．What can we learn about the pet lizard from Paragraph 1? A．It went missing. B．Its tank grew dirty. C．It got a skin disease. D．Its old skin came off. 2．Why did the author’s husband have banana pudding for his birthday? A．The birthday cake fell from the shelf. B．The birthday cake was damaged. C．The author made good puddings. D．Pudding was his favorite dessert. 3．The underlined part “leaving behind what no longer served him” in Paragraph 8 most probably means ________. A．falling behind the top players B．looking back on the past C．giving up a bad habit D．putting the past behind 4．What does the author most likely want to tell us? A．Love of family helps us survive great hardships. B．It’s not the end of the world if we break things. C．We should move on no matter what happens. D．Past experiences should be treasured. 【答案】1．D 2．B 3．D 4．C 【导语】本文是一篇夹叙夹议文。文章作者通过身边的一些事，以及观看乔丹纪录片《最后一舞》，终于意识到我们应该学会放下过去，从希望开始继续前行。 1．细节理解题。根据文章第一段“About five weeks ago, I noticed the skin of our pet lizard (蜥蜴) was growing dusty. It worried me. I reported the strange surface on the skin of the lizard to my husband and children the next morning. Seconds later, our lizard emerged from its tank with its old skin flowing behind it.(大约五周前，我注意到我们宠物蜥蜴的皮肤上积满了灰尘。这让我很担心。第二天早上，我向丈夫和孩子们报告了蜥蜴皮肤上的奇怪表面。几秒钟后，我们的蜥蜴从它的水箱里出来，它的旧皮肤在后面流动。)”可知，作者观察到宠物蜥蜴皮肤不对劲，后来才发现它蜕皮了。故选D。 2．细节理解题。根据文章第六段“Two hours before my husband came back home from another job interview, my daughter climbed up to grab a glass vase from a high shelf. It fell and crashed beside the cake. Tiny pieces of glass were everywhere. She sobbed loudly as I threw the cake away. My husband had banana pudding for his birthday.(在我丈夫参加完另一个工作面试回家的前两个小时，我女儿爬到高高的架子上拿了一个玻璃花瓶。它掉了下来，摔在蛋糕旁边。玻璃碎片到处都是。我把蛋糕扔掉时，她大声抽泣起来。我丈夫过生日时吃了香蕉布丁。)”可知，作者的丈夫在生日的时候吃香蕉布丁是因为生日蛋糕被毁了。故选B。 3．词句猜测题。根据划线单词下文“Neither of them chose the moment that had transformed them. But they had to live with who they were after everything was different. Just like us. I realized that we have to learn to leave the past behind.(他们两人都没有选择改变他们的那个时刻。但在一切都变了之后，他们不得不接受原来的自己。就像我们一样。我意识到我们必须学会把过去抛在脑后。)”可知，划线词组指的是将过去抛在脑后。故选D。 4．推理判断题。根据文章第八段“I realized that we have to learn to leave the past behind.(我意识到我们必须学会把过去抛在脑后。)”、倒数第二段“Humans do not shed skin as easily as other animals. The beginning of change is upsetting. The process is tiring. (人类不像其他动物那样容易蜕皮。改变的开始令人不安。这个过程很累人。伤害在我们准备好之前就改变了我们。)”以及最后一段“Jordan said that no matter how it ends, it starts with hope. With our tender, hopeful skin, that is where we begin.(乔丹说，无论结局如何，都要从希望开始。我们的皮肤柔嫩而充满希望，这就是我们开始的地方。)”可知，文章作者意识我们必须学会放下过去，继续前进，也就是是无论发生什么事情，我们都应该带着希望继续前进。故选C。 Passage 2 （23-24学年高二上·北京市朝阳区·期末） “Find your passion!” is an appeal well-intended and meant to inspire. But is it good advice? “Finding” a passion implies that it already exists and is simply waiting to be discovered. Unfortunately, this idea doesn’t square with what science tells us. Instead, passions are developed. They often begin with a spark (火花) of curiosity caused by something in one’s environment, such as a fascinating physics lecture. Through a process involving repeated engagement and-positive experiences, people can come to personally value that content or activity and internalize it. What was at first interesting becomes an interest. If these qualities continue to intensify, a passion can emerge. Actually, assuming passion as inborn tend to cause people to be less open, less courageous in the face of challenges and less creative in pursuit of new interests. Thus, encouraging people to “find” their passion may cause them to eventually believe that interests and passions are unchangeable. People who think this have a fixed mindset of interest. By contrast, some people, whom we refer to as having a growth mindset of interest, view their interests and passions as developed. People with a fixed mindset of interest, for example, may fall into the trap of thinking, “If I have already found my passion, why keep exploring?” In recent studies, after engaging in a new science task, arts students with a fixed mindset expressed less interest in a scientific topic than arts students with a growth mindset. Meanwhile, science students with a fixed mindset responded similarly to an art-related task. For those with a growth mindset, having a strong pre-existing interest in the arts or sciences did not get in the way of them viewing a new area as interesting. Worse still, people with a fixed mindset of interest tend to expect their passions to provide limitless motivation, such that their favorite topics should never feel too difficult or demanding. Such a mindset can also limit creativity and innovation. If people believe they are restricted to only a few inborn interests and, in consequence, do not explore other areas, they may miss seeing important connections across different fields. That loss is especially unfortunate considering how leaders at innovative companies have long prized problem-solving that draw ideas from diverse disciplines. Of course, not every activity will become a burning passion. But a growth mindset of interest will help you remain open and curious. The old saying “find something you love to do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life” needs to be updated. 1．The author uses the sentence underlined in Paragraph 1 to ________. A．set a target for criticism B．point out the fact C．confirm people’s finding D．voice his opinion 2．What can we learn from the passage? A．Any interesting activity can spark a passion. B．Companies prefer those who specialize in one field. C．People with a fixed mindset of interest are hard to be motivated. D．A growth mindset of interest promotes creativity and innovation. 3．Which will the author probably agree with? A．One should count on luck to excite a burning passion. B．Reinforced positive experiences contribute to passion. C．Those already interested in a field find new areas boring. D．We’d better cherish the existing passion and look for more. 【答案】1．A 2．D 3．B 【导语】这是一篇说明文。文章批判了“找到你的激情”这个观点，认为激情是培养出来的，要秉持兴趣成长型心态，这会帮助你保持开放和好奇，有助于培养激情。 1．推理判断题。根据第二段中“‘Finding’ a passion implies that it already exists and is simply waiting to be discovered. Unfortunately, this idea doesn’t square with what science tells us.(‘找到’激情意味着它已经存在，只是在等待被发现。不幸的是，这种想法与科学告诉我们的并不相符)”可知，下文指出“Find your passion!”与科学不相符，故第一段使用该句是为了设定一个批判的目标，故选A。 2．推理判断题。根据第四段中“For those with a growth mindset, having a strong pre-existing interest in the arts or sciences did not get in the way of them viewing a new area as interesting.(对于那些具有成长型心态的人来说，对艺术或科学有强烈的兴趣并不妨碍他们将新领域视为有趣的)”和第五段中“Such a mindset can also limit creativity and innovation.(这样的心态也会限制创造力和创新)”可知，有固定兴趣心态的人会限制创造力和创新，与之相反，兴趣成长型心态的人乐于探索新领域。由此推知，兴趣成长型心态促进创造力和创新。故选D。 3．推理判断题。根据第二段中“Instead, passions are developed. They often begin with a spark (火花) of curiosity caused by something in one’s environment, such as a fascinating physics lecture. Through a process involving repeated engagement and-positive experiences, people can come to personally value that content or activity and internalize it. What was at first interesting becomes an interest. If these qualities continue to intensify, a passion can emerge.(相反，激情是培养起来的。它们通常是由周围环境中的事物引起的好奇心火花开始的，比如一场迷人的物理讲座。通过一个包含重复参与和积极体验的过程，人们可以个人地重视内容或活动，并将其内化。起初有趣的事情变成了一种兴趣。如果这些品质持续增强，激情就会浮现)”可知，重复参与和积极体验的过程会使人们对某事感兴趣，如果兴趣持续增强，就会激发激情。由此推知，强化积极的经历有助于激发激情。故选B。 主题04 人与自然——自然生态 Passage 1 （24-25学年高二上·北京市房山区·期末） Humans have names, of course, and dogs and cats may react when their names are called. Some ocean animals, including the dolphins, invent their own names when they are very young. And the birds called parrots may also use names. Each of these naming animals also has the ability to learn and say individual new sounds throughout their lives, as does the African elephant, the research shows. African elephants are among the largest animals that live on land. They call each other by and answer to individual names, a new study finds. Such communication is rare in the animal world. The names are one part of the low sounds, or rumbles, elephants make. They can hear these sounds over long distances where they live in the savannah — large grassy areas of land mixed with woodlands. Scientists believe that animals with complex social structures may be more likely to use individual names. Stuart Pimm of Duke University is an ecologist who was not involved with the study. He said: “If you’re looking after a large family, you’ve got to be able to say, Hey, Virginia, get over here!” The study was released in the publication Nature Ecology and Evolution. In the study, biologists used machine learning to find the use of names in recordings of savanna elephant sounds. The sounds were recorded at Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve and Amboseli National Park. The researchers followed the elephants as they traveled to observe which one called out and which one appeared to answer. By examining only the audio data, the computer model predicted which elephant was being called 28 percent of the time, likely due to the inclusion of its name. When fed meaningless data, the model only correctly predicted eight percent of calls. Researchers tested their results by playing recordings to individual elephants. The elephants reacted more energetically, moving their ears and lifting their trunks, to recordings that contained their names. Sometimes elephants did not react in any way to the sounds of elephant names other than their own. Ecologist George Wittemyer, who helped write the study, said, “Elephants are incredibly social, always talking and touching each other — this naming is probably one of the things that underpins their ability to communicate to individuals.” 1．The author mentions many animals in Paragraph 1 to ______. A．question the result B．introduce the topic C．illustrate an argument D．present an assumption 2．From the passage, we can know that ______. A．communication between animals is rare in the animal world B．African elephants can’t hear low sounds over long distances C．African elephants use individual names when communicating D．animals with simple social structures tend to use individual names 3．What did the researchers do in the study? A．They used the computer model to analyze the audio data. B．They followed the elephants to record their daily routine. C．They used machine learning to communicate with elephants. D．They tested the results by playing recordings to a group of elephants. 【答案】1．B 2．C 3．A 【导语】这是一篇说明文。主要介绍了研究指出部分动物对名字有反应或会使用 “名字”，且它们和非洲象都具备终生学习与发出新声音的能力。 1．推理判断题。根据第一段“Humans have names, of course, and dogs and cats may react when their names are called. Some ocean animals, including the dolphins, invent their own names when they are very young. And the birds called parrots may also use names. Each of these naming animals also have the ability to learn and say individual new sounds throughout their lives, as does the African elephant, the research shows.( 当然，人是有名字的，狗和猫在被叫名字的时候也会有反应。一些海洋动物，包括海豚，在很小的时候就发明了自己的名字。被称为鹦鹉的鸟也有自己的名字。研究表明，这些命名动物中的每一种都有能力在一生中学习和说出单独的新声音，就像非洲象一样。)”可知，文章第一段提到人类有名字，狗和猫对它们的名字有反应，海豚、鹦鹉等动物也有类似 “名字” 的情况，还提到非洲象也有相关能力。而后面的段落主要围绕非洲象使用个体名字进行交流展开详细论述。所以第一段提到多种动物是为了引出关于动物使用个体名字这一话题。故选B项。 2．细节理解题。根据第二段中“African elephants are among the largest animals that live on land. They call each other by and answer to individual names, a new study finds.( 非洲象是陆地上最大的动物之一。一项新的研究发现，它们互相称呼对方，并对对方的名字做出回应。这种交流在动物世界中是罕见的。)” 可知，一项新的研究发现，非洲象在交流时会使用个体名字互相称呼并回应。故选C项。 3．细节理解题。根据第四段中“In the study, biologists used machine learning to find the use of names in recordings of savanna elephant sounds. The sounds were recorded at Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve and Amboseli National Park. The researchers followed the elephants as they traveled to observe which one called out and which one appeared to answer. By examining only the audio data, the computer model predicted which elephant was being called 28 percent of the time, likely due to the inclusion of its name. When fed meaningless data, the model only correctly predicted eight percent of calls.( 在这项研究中，生物学家使用机器学习来查找热带草原大象声音录音中名字的使用情况。这些声音是在肯尼亚的桑布鲁国家保护区和安博塞利国家公园录制的。研究人员在大象行进时跟踪它们，观察哪只大象在喊，哪只大象似乎在回答。通过仅检查音频数据，计算机模型预测了28%的时间是哪头大象被喊，可能是因为包含了它的名字。当输入无意义的数据时，该模型只能正确预测8%的呼叫。) 可知，研究人员使用机器学习在记录的草原象声音中寻找名字的使用情况，通过计算机模型分析音频数据来预测被呼叫的大象。故选A项。 Passage 2 （24-25学年高二上·北京市通州区·期末） The deep and dark night sky is filled with wonder. Looking up at the bright stars, mysterious planets and ancient constellations brings a timeless feeling. Today, populated areas around the globe are enveloped in a type of fog that disconnects people from that amazing night sky, but reducing light pollution can help to restore the wonder. After the sun sets, cities and suburbs across the globe are lit up with artificial lights. They glow along roads and highways and flood fields in sports stadiums. They also shine light on skyscrapers, malls, and flashing electronic signs. However, these lights negatively impact wildlife. Artificial lighting has caused the firefly population to completely disappear in some areas, while lighthouse beams negatively impact marine species. In fact, in the US and Canada, 18 species of firefly are now classified as being threatened with a high risk of extinction in the next ten years. Just leaving that light on affects the behavior of nocturnal pollinators (传粉者) like moths, causing them to fly towards the light and not the flowers. This, in turn, negatively affects plants’ abilities to bear fruit and reproduce. Many people are aware of many types of pollution including air, water, and land, but few realize that strong artificial lighting is harmful to all mammals, including humans. In order to make people aware of the importance of darkness, researchers wrote a world atlas of artificial night sky brightness, which is published in Science Advances. Their findings reveal that 80 percent of the world population live under a sky glow, with more than 99 percent of Americans and Europeans living under light-polluted skies. Although individuals cannot control the highway and city lights, they can start to do small things at home. And if everyone “turns off the switch”, it can help bring back natural darkness in some areas. Light areas where light is needed and aim the light beams downwards. Try to use low-level lighting and be aware that some surfaces reflect more light into the sky. 1．What does the author mainly want to say in Paragraph 2? A．Light pollution is actually widespread. B．Artificial lights bring people convenience. C．The use of artificial lights should be cut down. D．The night sky is beautifully lit up with those lights. 2．Why do some plants fail to bear fruit? A．The light has been too strong. B．The pollinators destroy them. C．They are not pollinated in time. D．They don’t receive enough light. 3．Why was a world atlas of artificial night sky brightness published? A．To popularize artificial lighting. B．To call off environmental protection. C．To stress the civilizations of human beings. D．To bring awareness to the meaning of darkness. 【答案】1．A 2．C 3．D 【导语】本文是一篇说明文。文章指出光污染使人们与奇妙夜空隔绝，对野生动物、植物及包括人类在内的哺乳动物有害，同时呼吁个人从家中小事做起减少光污染。 1．推理判断题。根据第二段中“After the sun sets, cities and suburbs across the globe are lit up with artificial lights. They glow along roads and highways and flood fields in sports stadiums. They also shine light on skyscrapers, malls, and flashing electronic signs. (日落之后，全球各地的城市和郊区都被人工灯光照亮。灯光沿着道路和高速公路延伸，照亮了体育场馆的场地。灯光还照耀着摩天大楼、购物中心和闪烁的电子招牌)”可知，这里描述了全球城市和郊区在日落后被人工灯光照亮的情况，表明人工灯光的使用非常普遍。由此可知，作者是想表达光污染实际上是广泛存在的。故选A项。 2．细节理解题。根据第四段“Just leaving that light on affects the behavior of nocturnal pollinators (传粉者) like moths, causing them to fly towards the light and not the flowers. This, in turn, negatively affects plants’ abilities to bear fruit and reproduce. (仅仅是让灯亮着就会影响飞蛾等夜间传粉者的行为，导致它们朝光而不是花飞去。这反过来又会对植物的结果和繁殖能力产生负面影响)”可知，一些植物未能结果是因为它们没有及时得到传粉。故选C项。 3．细节理解题。根据第五段中“In order to make people aware of the importance of darkness, researchers wrote a world atlas of artificial night sky brightness, which is published in Science Advances. (为了让人们意识到黑暗的重要性，研究人员编写了一份人造夜空亮度的世界地图集，发表在《科学进展》杂志上)”可知，出版这本世界地图集是为了提高人们对黑暗的意义的认识。故选D项。 主题01 人与社会——历史、社会与文化 Passage 1 （24-25学年高二上·北京市西城区·期末） In the 1970s, a nation confronted a crisis of traffic deaths. Protesters took to the streets to fight a rooted culture of drivers who considered roads theirs alone. But this wasn’t the US - it was the Netherlands. In 1975, the rate of traffic deaths there was 20% higher than in the US, but by the mid-2000s it had fallen to 60% lower than in the US. Thanks to a Dutch movement, traffic deaths fell and streets were restored for people, not for cars. Today the country is a haven for cyclists and pedestrians (行人). The US has the highest number of traffic deaths among wealthy countries. And the death rate is more than double the average rate in other wealthy countries. Many US cities have abundant space for parking and wide, multilane (多车道的) “stroads”, a mix between a street (where cars move slowly and people can walk safely) and a road (where cars move fast). Stroads are optimized for moving many vehicles through an area at high speed. Yet widening or expanding the number of streets only incentivizes more people to drive, which results in more traffic. At the same time, cars have gotten bigger and deadlier - SUVs and trucks now represent more than 80% of car sales in the US. If we want to give more space to pedestrians and cyclists, we need to separate them from high-speed vehicles by building more well-maintained sidewalks and protected bike lanes, and by implementing traffic-calming measures such as speed bumps and narrower streets. We can redesign streets to make people drive more slowly or to discourage driving altogether. And we can invest in better public transit to make it an inviting alternative to cars. Buses need reliable schedules and dedicated lanes so they don’t get stuck in the traffic we’re trying to reduce. However, efforts to reduce car dependence are often met with fierce opposition by people who dismiss them as a “war on cars”. But drivers also benefit from many of these changes, which would reduce traffic and make driving safer. Others argue that these changes will harm disabled people, yet the opposite may be true - reduced car dependence, if paired with disability-centered infrastructure (基础设施), could make cities more accessible. And emergency vehicles aren’t much help to anyone if they’re stuck in traffic. Coming up with better road designs and public transit will require significant up-front investment, and the effects may not be seen for years. But we could subsidize (补贴) the cost, get rid of free parking, and add more bike lanes. Of course, the same solutions won’t work everywhere, and change won’t happen all at once. Each city has its own unique considerations and challenges. And such an ambitious project will require rethinking many of our assumptions about our car culture. But the benefits could make everyone safer. 1．Why does the author mention the Netherlands in Paragraph 1? A．To make a contrast. B．To clarify a concept. C．To justify an argument. D．To present an assumption. 2．What does the underlined word “incentivize” in Paragraph 3 probably mean? A．Order. B．Remind. C．Challenge. D．Encourage. 3．Which of the following practices may the author support? A．Widening streets. B．Establishing free parking areas. C．Constructing bus-only lanes. D．Producing large and secure cars. 4．What can we learn from the passage? A．More stroads result in fewer traffic deaths. B．Decreased reliance on cars contributes to road safety. C．Improving public transportation will bring an instant impact. D．Other wealthy countries should copy the Netherlands’ example. 【答案】1．A 2．D 3．C 4．B 【导语】本文是一篇说明文。美国交通死亡率在富裕国家中最高，而荷兰通过相关运动改善了交通状况。文章主要围绕美国交通存在的问题，以及为减少交通事故而采取的措施。 1．推理判断题。根据第一段中“In the 1970s, a nation confronted a crisis of traffic deaths. Protesters took to the streets to fight a rooted culture of drivers who considered roads theirs alone. But this wasn’t the US - it was the Netherlands. In 1975, the rate of traffic deaths there was 20% higher than in the US, but by the mid-2000s it had fallen to 60% lower than in the US. (20 世纪 70 年代，一个国家面临交通死亡危机。抗议者走上街头，反对司机认为道路只属于自己的根深蒂固的文化。但这不是美国——而是荷兰。 1975年，那里的交通死亡率比美国高20%，但到2000年代中期，已经比美国低60%。)”可推知，作者在第 1 段中提到荷兰是为了拿美国和荷兰进行对比。故选A。 2．词句猜测题。根据前文“Yet widening or expanding the number of streets only...” (然而，仅仅拓宽或增加街道数量……)以及后文提到的“more people to drive” (更多人开车)，可推知拓宽或增加街道数量只会促使更多人开车，所以“incentivize”意思是“鼓励”，与“Encourage”意思相符。故选D。 3．细节理解题。根据第四段中“Buses need reliable schedules and dedicated lanes so they don’t get stuck in the traffic we’re trying to reduce. (公交车需要可靠的时刻表和专用车道，这样它们就不会陷入我们试图减少的交通拥堵中。)”可知，作者会支持建设公交专用道。故选C。 4．细节理解题。根据倒数第三段中“However, efforts to reduce car dependence are often met with fierce opposition by people who dismiss them as a “war on cars”. But drivers also benefit from many of these changes, which would reduce traffic and make driving safer. ” (然而，减少汽车依赖的努力常常遭到人们的强烈反对，他们将其视为“汽车战争”。但司机也能从其中的许多变化中受益，这将减少交通量并使驾驶更安全。)可知，减少对汽车的依赖有助于道路安全。故选B。 Passage 2 （24-25学年高二上·北京市石景山区·期末） Every morning, Jessica is awakened by her Artificial intelligence assistant, which efficiently presents her day’s schedule and any important reminders. As she prepares for her day, her smart home system optimises (优化) the room temperature and makes her favourite coffee, providing a sense of comfort and ease. These conveniences reflect a shift from past routines, where families would gather around to discuss their plans, share stories, and pass down traditional knowledge, such as the secrets of making the perfect cup of coffee. AI is undeniably transforming our daily routines and cultural practices by automating routine tasks and reshaping societal interactions. In many homes, AI-driven devices control various functions, from climate control to meal planning and house cleaning. These technologies enhance convenience, streamline housework, and reduce the reliance on manual (手工的) tasks. Experts note that while these advancements simplify life, they also decrease traditional skills, such as cooking and home maintenance that were once passed down through generations. In the field of education, AI tools are increasingly customizing learning experiences, potentially transforming traditional classroom dynamics. While AI allows for personalized assignments and feedback tailored to each student’s learning pace and style, it also reduces face-to-face interactions between students and teachers. This shift can block students’ understanding of complex concepts due to the lack of direct feedback and communication, potentially weakening teachers’ ability to detect and address learning difficulties in real time. Research indicates that when AI systems automate tasks like grading homework and tests, the direct communication between students and teachers significantly decreases. This reduction in personal interaction can affect students’ problem-solving abilities in environments without technological support, highlighting a critical downside to the growing reliance on AI in education. Dr. Michael Evans, a cultural studies expert, discusses the broader cultural implications of AI. He points out that technological advancements are replacing many activities that once required human interaction, which could potentially weaken community bonds and reduce opportunities for social engagement. Cultural heritage (遗产) expert Dr. Linda Choi further expands on the integration of AI into various aspects of life, stating, “As artificial intelligence continues to spread throughout every aspect of our existence, it stimulates a broader reflection on its implications for cultural heritage and social relationships. The challenge lies in employing technology to enhance productivity while preserving valuable cultural norms and practices.” At the end of the day, as Jessica’s AI assistant suggests a new recipe for dinner, she considers reconnecting with her grandmother, realizing that it’s not just about the food, but also about the family bonds. 1．The author mentions Jessica’s routine in Paragraph 1 mainly to ________. A．contrast old and new family customs B．emphasize the simplicity of housework C．demonstrate the influence of AI on daily life D．suggest a more efficient way to manage family 2．According to passage, which of the following can be inferred about AI in education? A．It makes classroom methods more effective. B．It decreases the need for human teachers in classrooms. C．It helps students understand complex topics with personalized feedback. D．It reduces students’ problem-solving abilities in real time without AI support. 3．What can be concluded from the passage? A．AI becomes a key tool in preserving cultural norms. B．AI should be avoided in daily life to protect cultural heritage. C．AI strengthens cultural bonds by simplifying traditional practices. D．AI poses a challenge to cultural heritage by replacing human engagement. 4．Which would be the best title for the passage? A．How Is AI Shaping Daily Life? B．Is AI Replacing Traditional Skills? C．Will AI Transform Education Forever? D．How Is AI Impacting Cultural Heritage? 【答案】1．C 2．D 3．D 4．B 【导语】本文是一篇议论文。文章通过Jessica的日常生活引入，讨论了人工智能对日常生活、文化传统及教育领域的影响，既提及了AI的便利，也指出了其可能带来的问题，如传统技能丧失、师生交流减少等。最后强调了在使用AI的同时要保护和传承文化规范的重要性。 1．推理判断题。根据第一段“Every morning, Jessica is awakened by her Artificial intelligence assistant, which efficiently presents her day’s schedule and any important reminders. As she prepares for her day, her smart home system optimises (优化) the room temperature and makes her favourite coffee, providing a sense of comfort and ease. These conveniences reflect a shift from past routines, where families would gather around to discuss their plans, share stories, and pass down traditional knowledge, such as the secrets of making the perfect cup of coffee.(每天早上，杰西卡都会被她的人工智能助手叫醒，它会高效地呈现出她一天的日程安排和任何重要的提醒。当她为一天做准备时，她的智能家居系统会优化房间温度，煮出她最喜欢的咖啡，给人一种舒适和轻松的感觉。这些便利反映了过去的日常生活的转变，在过去，家人会聚在一起讨论他们的计划，分享故事，并传承传统知识，比如制作一杯完美咖啡的秘诀)”可知，作者在第一段中提到Jessica的日常生活，主要是为了展示AI对日常生活的影响。故选C项。 2．推理判断题。根据第四段“This reduction in personal interaction can affect students’ problem-solving abilities in environments without technological support, highlighting a critical downside to the growing reliance on AI in education.(这种人际互动的减少可能会影响学生在没有技术支持的环境中解决问题的能力，这凸显了教育中越来越依赖人工智能的一个关键缺点)”可知，它降低了学生在没有人工智能支持的情况下实时解决问题的能力。故选D项。 3．推理判断题。根据倒数第二段“Cultural heritage (遗产) expert Dr. Linda Choi further expands on the integration of AI into various aspects of life, stating, “As artificial intelligence continues to spread throughout every aspect of our existence, it stimulates a broader reflection on its implications for cultural heritage and social relationships. The challenge lies in employing technology to enhance productivity while preserving valuable cultural norms and practices.”(文化遗产专家Linda Choi博士进一步阐述了人工智能与生活各个方面的融合，她说：“随着人工智能继续渗透到我们生活的方方面面，它激发了人们对其对文化遗产和社会关系的影响的更广泛思考。挑战在于利用技术来提高生产力，同时保留有价值的文化规范和做法。”)”可知，从文章中可以推知人工智能取代人类参与，会对文化遗产构成挑战。故选D项。 4．主旨大意题。根据第二段“AI is undeniably transforming our daily routines and cultural practices by automating routine tasks and reshaping societal interactions. In many homes, AI-driven devices control various functions, from climate control to meal planning and house cleaning. These technologies enhance convenience, streamline housework, and reduce the reliance on manual (手工的) tasks. Experts note that while these advancements simplify life, they also decrease traditional skills, such as cooking and home maintenance that were once passed down through generations.(不可否认，人工智能通过自动化日常任务和重塑社会互动，正在改变我们的日常生活和文化习俗。在许多家庭中，人工智能驱动的设备控制着各种功能，从气候控制到膳食计划和房屋清洁。这些技术提高了便利性，简化了家务，减少了对手工工作的依赖。专家指出，虽然这些进步简化了生活，但它们也削弱了传统技能，比如烹饪和家庭维护，这些传统技能曾经是代代相传的)”以及纵观全文可知，本文主要讲述了人工智能可能带来的问题，如传统技能丧失、师生交流减少，以及在使用AI的同时要保护和传承文化规范的重要性，所以B项“Is AI Replacing Traditional Skills?(人工智能正在取代传统技能吗？)”是本文最好的标题。故选B项。 Passage 3 （24-25学年高二上·北京市朝阳区·期末） We are constantly taught that acting early rather than procrastinating is the key to success, because “he who hesitates is lost.” When we have a meaningful task, we’re advised to get it done well ahead of schedule. When we have an original idea to invent a product or start a company, we’re encouraged to be the first mover. Recently, an unusually creative doctoral student named Jihae Shin approached me with an opposite idea: procrastination might be favorable to originality. I challenged her to test it. Shin asked college students to write proposals for a business on a university campus to fill a lot where there used to be a convenience store. When they started the task immediately, they tended to propose conventional ideas — like another convenience store. When Shin randomly assigned some of the participants to procrastinate, putting off the task to play games, they produced more novel business ideas, like a lecture center and a storage facility. Independent raters evaluated the final proposals, without knowing who procrastinated and who started immediately. The proposals from the procrastinators were 28 percent more creative. Although we were excited by these results, we were concerned that procrastination wasn’t the real cause of creativity. Perhaps it was playing games that provided mental stimulation, or that simply gave them a break away from the task to think. But the experiment showed that neither playing games nor taking a break enhanced creativity. When people played games first, before learning about the task, they didn’t submit more novel proposals. To do that, they needed to actually be procrastinating while playing games, keeping the business proposal task in the back of their minds. And when they started the task immediately and then took a break before returning to it, they had already made too much progress to start over afresh. In a classic study, marketing researchers Peter Golder and Gerard Tellis compared the success of companies that were either pioneers or settlers. The pioneers were first movers. The settlers were slower to launch. When Golder and Tellis analysed hundreds of brands in three dozen different product categories, they found a surprising difference in failure rates: 47 percent for pioneers, compared with just 8 percent for settlers. Even when the pioneers did survive, they only captured an average of 10 percent of the market, compared with 28 percent for settlers. Settlers are often branded as copycats, but this fixed impression of them misses the mark. Instead of following the existing demand, they wait for the right time until they’re ready to introduce something new. It’s true that the early bird gets the worm, but we can’t forget that the early worm gets caught. 1．According to the passage, Shin’s theory suggests that ________. A．being the first mover makes success more likely B．balancing working and having a break is important C．delaying a task can offer us time to think before acting D．people are less creative due to mental stimulation of games 2．What can we learn from the classic study? A．Pioneers set a perfect standard for settlers. B．Pioneers always win competitive advantages. C．Settlers’ success is the result of strategic timing. D．Settlers turned out to be incapable of innovating. 3．What is the main purpose of the passage? A．To emphasise the importance of acting early in success. B．To demonstrate procrastination can be a resource for creativity. C．To prove the effectiveness of our traditional belief in procrastinating. D．To compare the procrastinators’ creativity between recent and classic studies. 【答案】1．C 2．C 3．B 【导语】本文是一篇议论文。文章探讨了拖延对创造力的潜在积极影响，以及在商业领域中“先发者”与“定居者”之间的成功差异。 1．细节理解题。根据第二段“When Shin randomly assigned some of the participants to procrastinate, putting off the task to play games, they produced more novel business ideas, like a lecture center and a storage facility. Independent raters evaluated the final proposals, without knowing who procrastinated and who started immediately. The proposals from the procrastinators were 28 percent more creative. (当Shin随机分配一些参与者去拖延，推迟任务去玩游戏时，他们产生了更多新颖的商业想法，比如一个讲座中心和一个存储设施。独立评审员评估了最终的提案，而不知道谁拖延了谁立即开始。拖延者的提案比立即开始者的提案更具创造性28%)”可知，Jihae Shin的理论认为拖延可能对原创性有利，因为拖延者在进行任务时，能够有更多时间思考，从而产生更具创造性的想法。故选C项。 2．细节理解题。根据最后一段“Settlers are often branded as copycats, but this fixed impression of them misses the mark. Instead of following the existing demand, they wait for the right time until they’re ready to introduce something new. (定居者经常被贴上模仿者的标签，但这种固定印象是错误的。他们不是简单地跟随现有需求，而是等待合适的时机，直到准备好推出新事物)”可知，经典研究表明，定居者(即较晚进入市场的企业)的成功在于他们能够等待合适的时机，然后推出新产品。故选C项。 3．主旨大意题。根据第一段“Recently, an unusually creative doctoral student named Jihae Shin approached me with an opposite idea: procrastination might be favorable to originality. (最近，一位名叫Jihae Shin的极具创造力的博士生向我提出了一个相反的观点：拖延可能对原创性有利)”及全文可知，整篇文章主要讨论了拖延对创造力的积极作用，并通过实验和经典研究来支持这一观点。故选B项。 Passage 4 （24-25学年高二上·北京市海淀区·期末） Ghosting is a term that refers to the practice of one person ending all forms of communication with another, without any warning or reason. Messages are left on “read”, calls are ignored, and social media ties may be severed. Before the internet, many relationships were formed within inter-connected circles, typically through friends or at work. It would have been much harder to completely sever contact with someone without the awkwardness of bumping into them or facing negative social implications within the community. Now with so many relationships initiated online with fewer connections in common, there are fewer consequences to deal with if we decide to disconnect from someone in a less-than-ethical way. Ghosting can be seen as an effortless solution for avoiding the emotional messiness of having to explain to somebody why you no longer want to continue engaging with them. Deliberately avoiding conflicts can be a form of self-protection to safeguard the ghoster from anxiety or stress, especially if they have had negative experiences dealing with conflict in the past. Ghosting culture can also be interpreted as resulting from the unlimited choices that we now have at our fingertips when it comes to finding a new partner, job or social circle to join. With the huge array of possibilities out there for us to pick from, it has become far too easy to view others as commodities, ready to trade in at the click of a button for something bigger and better. Decision fatigue (疲惫) plays a factor too, especially when we are trying to balance numerous options all in one go. Ghosting provides a practical strategy for weeding out less desirable candidates and saving our energy and time from having to explain why they didn’t make the cut. Ghosting might be becoming increasingly frequent these days, but that doesn’t mean it has become any easier to deal with. The ghostee might then endlessly re-examine every last interaction to pinpoint a cause for the termination of the relationship. This usually leads to negative conclusions and self-blame. However, it’s not only the recipient who suffers from the consequences of ghosting. If ghosting and avoidance become a common occurrence in the ghoster’s social interactions with others, they risk missing out on healthy long-term relationships that require effective communication skills, problem-solving and trust in order to thrive. Disconnection is an unavoidable aspect of life but how we choose to end relationships is fully within our control. It may seem cliché but adopting old-fashioned principles, such as treating others the way we would like to be treated, will prevent us from becoming a society haunted by undesirable behaviour. 1．What does the underlined word “severed” in Para. 1 mean? A．Built up. B．Cut off. C．Given away. D．Relied on. 2．Which of the following situations is an example of ghosting? A．A guide cancels the travel plan at the last minute. B．A child hangs out with friends without telling parents. C．A friend stops having any forms of interactions with you. D．A student refuses to hand in homework without explanation. 3．How might ghosting affect the ghostee? A．Self-defense in the face of criticism. B．Effective management of relationship. C．Self-doubt due to unexpected breakups. D．Long-term relief from intense conflicts. 4．What is the author’s attitude towards ghosting? A．Supportive. B．Disapproving. C．Uncertain. D．Objective. 【答案】1．B 2．C 3．C 4．B 【导语】这是一篇说明文。主要介绍了“幽灵”行为，以及这种行为对人们的影响。 1．词义猜测题。根据第一段中“Ghosting is a term that refers to the practice of one person ending all forms of communication with another, without any warning or reason. Messages are left on “read”, calls are ignored, and social media ties may be…(“幽灵”是一个术语，指的是一个人在没有任何警告或理由的情况下结束与另一个人的所有形式的交流。信息处于“已读”状态，电话被忽略，社交媒体联系可能被……)”可知，“幽灵”指的是一个人毫无预兆或理由地结束与另一个人的所有形式的交流，信息被“已读不回”，电话被忽略，那么社交媒体联系也应该是被“切断”。B选项Cut off“切断”符合该语境。故选B项。 2．推理判断题。根据第一段“Ghosting is a term that refers to the practice of one person ending all forms of communication with another, without any warning or reason.( “幽灵”是一个术语，指的是一个人在没有任何警告或理由的情况下结束与另一个人的所有形式的交流。)”可推知，“幽灵”是指一个人毫无预兆或理由地结束与另一个人的所有形式的交流。A选项 “A guide cancels the travel plan at the last minute.”(一个导游在最后一刻取消了旅行计划)，这不是人与人之间结束所有交流，A 错误；B 选项“A child hangs out with friends without telling parents.”(一个孩子没告诉父母就和朋友出去玩了)，不是结束与他人的交流，B错误；C选项“A friend stops having any forms of interactions with you.”(一个朋友停止了与你进行任何形式的互动)，符合“幽灵”的定义，C正确；D选项“A student refuses to hand in homework without explanation.”(一个学生没有解释就拒绝交作业)，这不是人与人之间结束交流的行为，D错误。故选C项。 3．细节理解题。根据第五段中“The ghostee might then endlessly re-examine every last interaction to pinpoint a cause for the termination of the relationship. This usually leads to negative conclusions and self-blame.( 然后，幽灵可能会无休止地重新审视每一次互动，以找出关系终止的原因。这通常会导致消极的结论和自责。)” 可知，被“幽灵”的人可能会无休止地重新审视每一次互动，试图找出关系终止的原因，这通常会导致负面的结论和自责，也就是会因为意外的关系破裂而产生自我怀疑。故选C项。 4．推理判断题。根据最后一段“Disconnection is an unavoidable aspect of life but how we choose to end relationships is fully within our control. It may seem cliché but adopting old-fashioned principles, such as treating others the way we would like to be treated, will prevent us from becoming a society haunted by undesirable behaviour.( 断绝关系是生活中不可避免的一个方面，但我们如何选择结束关系完全在我们的控制之中。这似乎是陈词滥调，但采用一些过时的原则，比如我们希望别人怎样对待我们，我们就怎样对待别人，将防止我们成为一个被不良行为困扰的社会。)”可知，作者认为虽然断联是生活中不可避免的一部分，但我们选择结束关系的方式是可以控制的，并且应该采用像“己所不欲，勿施于人”这样的传统原则，以防止我们的社会被不良行为所困扰，说明作者不赞成“幽灵”这种行为。故选B项。 主题02 人与自然——自然生态 Passage 1 （23-24学年高二上·北京市东城区·期末） As you leave the Bandhavgarh National Park in India, there is a notice which shows a huge tiger. The notice says, “You may not have seen me, but I have seen you.” There are more than a billion people in India and Indian tigers probably see humans every single day. Tigers can and do kill almost anything they meet in the jungle. However, it is a little strange that attacks on humans are not that frequent. Some people might argue that these attacks were in fact common in the past. But there were far more tigers around in those days. So, to some extent, attacks appear to have been as rare then as they are today. People think it is because of fears, but what exactly are tigers afraid of? Can they really know that we may be even better armed than they are? Surely not. Has the species programmed the experiences of all tigers with humans into its genes to be inherited as instinct? Perhaps. But I think the explanation may be simpler and, in a way, more interesting. I suspect that a tiger’s fear of humans lies in the way he actually observes us visually. Imagine a tiger sees a man who is 1.8 meters tall. A tiger is less than 1 meter tall but he may be up to 3 meters long from head to tail. So when a tiger sees the man face on, it might not be unreasonable for him to assume that the man is 6 meters long. If he met a deer of this size, he might attack the animal by leaping on its back, but when he looks behind the man, he can’t see a back. From the front the man is huge, but looked at from the side he all but disappears. This must be very disturbing. A hunter has to be confident that it can kill its prey, and no one is confident when they are disconcerted. The opposite is true of a squatting human. A squatting human is half the size and presents twice the spread of back, and appears like a medium-sized deer. Many incidents of attacks on people involve villagers bending over to cut grass. The fact that humans stand upright may not just distinguish them from other species, but also help them to survive in an unpredictable environment. 1．As for some people’s opinion on tiger attacks, the author is ________. A．objective B．unconcerned C．supportive D．disapproving 2．Why does the author raise three questions in Paragraph 3? A．To present assumptions. B．To evaluate arguments. C．To question findings. D．To confirm opinions. 3．What does the underlined word “disconcerted” in Paragraph 4 probably mean? A．Confused. B．Annoyed. C．Depressed. D．Surprised. 4．What can we learn from the last two paragraphs? A．It is the genes that cause the tiger’s fear of humans. B．It is hard for a tiger to make out the shape of humans. C．Tigers sense the danger the moment they spot humans. D．Tigers are less confident when facing squatting humans. 【答案】1．D 2．A 3．A 4．B 【导语】这是一篇议论文。文章主要就老虎袭击人的原因展开讨论，作者认为老虎攻击人是因为很难辨认出人的形状。 1．细节理解题。根据第二段“Some people might argue that these attacks were in fact common in the past. But there were far more tigers around in those days. So, to some extent, attacks appear to have been as rare then as they are today. (有些人可能会争辩说，这些攻击实际上在过去很常见。但那时候老虎的数量要多得多。因此，从某种程度上说，袭击事件在当时和今天一样罕见)”可知，对于一些人对老虎袭击的看法，作者不赞成。故选D。 2．推理判断题。根据第三段“People think it is because of fears, but what exactly are tigers afraid of? Can they really know that we may be even better armed than they are? Surely not. Has the species programmed the experiences of all tigers with humans into its genes to be inherited as instinct? Perhaps. But I think the explanation may be simpler and, in a way, more interesting.(人们认为这是因为恐惧，但老虎到底害怕什么？他们真的知道我们的武器装备比他们更好吗？当然不是。这个物种是否将所有老虎与人类相处的经历编入了自己的基因，并作为本能遗传了下来？也许。但我认为解释可能更简单，在某种程度上也更有趣)”可推知，作者在第3段提出了三个问题是为了提出假设。故选A。 3．词句猜测题。根据划线词上文“A hunter has to be confident that it can kill its prey, and no one is confident when they are”可知，猎人必须对自己能杀死猎物充满信心，而没有人在对猎物感到困惑时是自信的。故划线词意思是“困惑的”。故选A。 4．细节理解题。根据倒数第二段“I suspect that a tiger’s fear of humans lies in the way he actually observes us visually. Imagine a tiger sees a man who is 1.8 meters tall. A tiger is less than 1 meter tall but he may be up to 3 meters long from head to tail. So when a tiger sees the man face on, it might not be unreasonable for him to assume that the man is 6 meters long. If he met a deer of this size, he might attack the animal by leaping on its back, but when he looks behind the man, he can’t see a back.(我怀疑老虎对人类的恐惧来自于它观察人类的视觉方式。想象一只老虎看到一个1.8米高的人。老虎不到1米高，但从头到尾可达3米长。因此，当老虎看到这个人的脸时，它可能会认为这个人有6米长。如果他遇到这么大的鹿，他可能会跳到它的背上攻击它，但当他看那个人的背后时，他看不到背影)”以及最后一段“The opposite is true of a squatting human. A squatting human is half the size and presents twice the spread of back, and appears like a medium-sized deer.(而蹲着的人则相反。一个蹲着的人只有一半的大小，两倍的背部伸展，看起来像一只中等大小的鹿)”可知，老虎很难辨认出人的形状。故选B。 Passage 2 （23-24学年高二上·北京市朝阳区·期末） If the great dinosaurs hadn’t gone extinct, would they have dominated Earth today? There has been a debate about this possibility for decades. Recently two analyses have put the surprising cognitive (认知) abilities of dinosaurs — and their potential limitations — in a new light. In one study, Suzana Herculano-Houzel at Vanderbilt University calculated the likely number of neurons (神经细胞) in dinosaurs’ pallium, a brain structure that is responsible for advanced cognitive functions. Research suggests that it is the number of neurons in these areas, rather than the brain size, that indicates an animal’s cognitive potential. For example, despite having a very small head, birds have more densely packed brain cells than many mammals (哺乳动物) and so can possess roughly as many neurons as monkeys. The result is that some birds show great cognitive abilities, comparable to the smartest non-human mammals. And it is precisely birds, being the only surviving lineage (宗系) of dinosaurs, that are Herculano-Houzel’s foundation. By comparing the relationship between brain size, number of neurons and body size in numerous existing birds and available fossils of dinosaurs, Herculano-Houzel concludes that a large dinosaur such as T. rex could have housed two billion to three billion neurons in its pallium. If so, dinosaurs could have had the capacity for tool use and planning for the future. But neurons’ number may not be enough. For intelligence, brain architecture also matters. And this could be the weakness of dinosaurs, argues Anton Reiner from the University of Tennessee. Over 350 million years of separate evolution, mammals and dinosaurs found two rather different ways to organize cognitive functions. The mammalian neurons are organized in a relatively thin layer formed by compact columns. In each column, different parts can communicate with one another over short distances. In contrast, in the dinosaurs that survive today, namely birds, the organization is less compact. According to Reiner, expanding brain capabilities beyond a certain point could make the structure far more complex and less efficient than it is in humans. If this were the case, an increase in brain size would correspond to a greater distance between different parts of the brain, slowing down their communication. The issue remains open to debate. Herculano-Houzel and Reiner each published a paper with rejections to the other’s argument. Meanwhile, other scientists have entered the fight. For example, neurobiologist Giorgio Vallortigara assumes that speed in transmitting information between networks of neurons is probably one of dinosaurs’ strengths. Whatever the truth is, understanding how and if brain architecture imposes limits on the development of cognition could reveal much about the evolution of abilities and behaviors of various animals. Also, this debate may tell us more about our own species than about dinosaurs. 1．Why do Herculano-Houzel and Reiner study birds? A．Because birds are more intelligent than dinosaurs. B．Because birds’ brain structures are the same as dinosaurs’. C．Because birds are the only survivors of the dinosaur family. D．Because birds have the same cognitive abilities as dinosaurs. 2．What does the word “compact” underlined in Paragraph 3 most probably mean? A．Tight. B．Light. C．Large. D．Wide. 3．What can be inferred from the passage? A．Dinosaurs’ ability for tool use owes to bigger brains. B．The number of neurons has little to do with brain architecture. C．Greater inter-brain distance causes higher cognitive efficiency. D．The factors behind dinosaur intelligence remain to be identified. 4．Which would be the best title for the passage? A．Are Dinosaurs Comparable to Humans in Intelligence? B．Are Dinosaurs with Bigger Brains the Ultimate Geniuses? C．How Smart Were Dinosaurs? New Studies Fuel the Debate D．Can Dinosaurs Outsmart Birds? Researches Cast a New Light 【答案】1．C 2．A 3．D 4．C 【导语】这是一篇说明文，文章主要介绍了关于恐龙智力的最近的两项研究，新的研究加剧了争论。 1．细节理解题。根据第二段中“And it is precisely birds, being the only surviving lineage (宗系) of dinosaurs, that are Herculano-Houzel’s foundation.(正是鸟类，作为唯一幸存的恐龙宗系，是Herculano-Houzel的基础)”和第三段中“In contrast, in the dinosaurs that survive today, namely birds, the organization is less compact.(相比之下，在今天幸存下来的恐龙中，也就是鸟类，这个组织就没有那么紧凑了)”可知，Herculano-Houzel和Reiner研究鸟类是因为鸟类是恐龙宗系中唯一的幸存者，故选C。 2．词句猜测题。根据划线词下一句“In each column, different parts can communicate with one another over short distances.(在每一柱中，不同的部分可以在短距离内相互通信)”可知，不同的部分可以在短距离内相互通信，说明柱状结构应是很紧凑，由此推知划线词所在句意为“哺乳动物的神经元组织在一个由紧凑的柱状结构组成的相对较薄的层中”，compact意为“紧凑的”，故选A。 3．推理判断题。根据第四段中“The issue remains open to debate. Herculano-Houzel and Reiner each published a paper with rejections to the other’s argument. Meanwhile, other scientists have entered the fight.(这个问题仍有待讨论。Herculano-Houzel和Reiner各自发表了一篇论文，反驳了对方的观点。与此同时，其他科学家也加入了这场斗争)”可知，科学家对于影响恐龙智力的因素观点不一，该问题仍有待讨论，故恐龙智力背后的因素仍有待确定。故选D。 4．主旨大意题。根据全文内容，结合第一段“If the great dinosaurs hadn’t gone extinct, would they have dominated Earth today? There has been a debate about this possibility for decades. Recently two analyses have put the surprising cognitive (认知) abilities of dinosaurs — and their potential limitations — in a new light.(如果大恐龙没有灭绝，它们今天会已经统治了地球吗？关于这种可能性的争论已经持续了几十年。最近有两项分析对恐龙惊人的认知能力及其潜在的局限性有了新的认识)”可知，对于恐龙智力的争论已经持续了几十年，文章主要介绍了关于恐龙智力的最近的两项研究，C项“恐龙有多聪明？新的研究加剧了争论”为最佳标题，故选C。 Passage 3 （24-25学年高二上·北京市西城区·期末） A pair of papers, published in the scientific journal Nature, touts (标榜) the potential of new AI weather forecasting approaches — systems that could produce faster and more accurate results than traditional models. They are part of a new wave of AI models sweeping the meteorology (气象学) community worldwide. Conventional forecasts rely on a system known as numerical weather prediction. It’s a kind of mathematical model that uses complex equations (方程式) to predict the way weather systems change over time and space. These equations describe the actual physics behind the movement of air and water in the atmosphere and the oceans. Because there’s so much math and physics involved, numerical weather models require extremely high levels of computational power. That makes them expensive and time-consuming to run. It also limits the fine-scale processes that these models can accurately capture. Scientists have come up with various ways to get around these difficulties in traditional models. One strategy is a method known as parameterization — that’s when scientists replace the actual physical equations in a model with a simplified program that generally captures the process without forcing the model to represent the actual physics. But artificial intelligence could replace these workarounds, enthusiasts argue, with potentially faster and more accurate results. AI models don’t have to represent actual physics in the form of mathematical equations. Instead, they take in large amounts of historical weather data and learn to recognize patterns. They then use these patterns to make predictions when presented with new data on present-day weather conditions. In principle, the much faster computational speed could provide immense benefits. But some experts note that the changing climate may pose a unique challenge for developing AI weather models. AI systems rely on historical weather data to teach them how to produce accurate forecasts. But certain kinds of weather events, such as heat waves and hurricanes, are growing more intense as the planet warms — and in some cases, they’re becoming so extreme that there are few examples at all in the historical record. That could make it difficult for AI weather models to accurately simulate (模拟) events that are record-breaking or have never been seen before. Accurately forecasting extreme weather events is one of the most crucial functions for weather models, enabling decision-makers to issue public safety announcements or facilitate evacuations (疏散) with enough time to protect high-risk populations. But if AI models are presented with weather conditions that are entirely foreign to them, it may be hard to predict how they’ll react. The authors of the 2021 Royal Society paper point out that when it comes to capturing extremes with limited data, AI systems have produced mixed results — some have performed well while others not that satisfactorily. Hybrid models that include both AI components and numerical model components may run into fewer difficulties with record-breaking events, Russ Schumacher, Colorado’s state climatologist, suggested. He noted that numerical models and AI models may end up with different strengths, and human experience will remain valuable for communicating information about the weather. 1．What does the underlined expression “these workarounds” in Paragraph 4 refer to? A．High costs. B．Various methods. C．Weather systems. D．Inaccurate results. 2．What is Paragraph 5 mainly about? A．The advantages of artificial intelligence. B．The application of mathematical equations. C．The fast collection of historical weather data. D．The working principles of AI weather models. 3．What can we learn from the passage? A．Decision-makers find AI forecasts more reliable. B．AI models will eventually replace numerical ones. C．Lack of relevant weather data challenges AI systems. D．AI weather models help to prevent extreme climate events. 4．What’s the main purpose of the passage? A．To raise global climate change awareness. B．To stress the importance of the historical record. C．To compare the strengths of weather prediction methods. D．To suggest a way to improve weather prediction accuracy. 【答案】1．B 2．D 3．C 4．D 【导语】本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了一种新的人工智能天气预报方法，这种方法可能比传统模型产生更快、更准确的结果。 1．词句猜测题。根据文章第三段“Scientists have come up with various ways to get around these difficulties in traditional models.(科学家们想出了各种方法来克服传统模型中的这些困难。)”可知，划线词所在的句子意思是：但人工智能可以取代这些变通方法，爱好者们认为，这可能带来更快、更准确的结果，由此可知，“these workarounds”所指代的内容就是上文中的“various ways”。故选B。 2．主旨大意题。根据文章第五段“AI models don’t have to represent actual physics in the form of mathematical equations. Instead, they take in large amounts of historical weather data and learn to recognize patterns. They then use these patterns to make predictions when presented with new data on present-day weather conditions.(人工智能模型无需以数学方程的形式来表征实际的物理过程。相反，它们通过输入大量的历史天气数据，学习识别其中的模式。然后，当接收到关于当前天气条件的新数据时，它们会利用这些模式来进行预测。)”可知，第五段主要讲的是人工智能天气模型的工作原理。故选D。 3．推理判断题。根据文章倒数第三段“AI systems rely on historical weather data to teach them how to produce accurate forecasts. But certain kinds of weather events, such as heat waves and hurricanes, are growing more intense as the planet warms — and in some cases, they’re becoming so extreme that there are few examples at all in the historical record. That could make it difficult for AI weather models to accurately simulate (模拟) events that are record-breaking or have never been seen before.(人工智能系统依靠历史天气数据来教会它们如何做出准确的预测。但是，随着地球变暖，某些类型的天气事件，如热浪和飓风，正在变得越来越强烈——在某些情况下，它们变得如此极端，以至于在历史记录中几乎没有例子。这可能会使人工智能天气模型难以准确模拟破纪录或前所未有的事件。)”可知，人工智能系统依靠历史天气数据做出准确的预测，由此可推知，缺乏相关天气数据会对人工智能系统构成挑战。故选C。 4．推理判断题。根据文章第一段“A pair of papers, published in the scientific journal Nature, touts (标榜) the potential of new AI weather forecasting approaches — systems that could produce faster and more accurate results than traditional models.(发表在科学杂志《自然》上的两篇论文宣扬了新的人工智能天气预报方法的潜力——这种方法可能比传统模型产生更快、更准确的结果。)”可知，文章的主要目的是建议一种提高天气预报准确性的方法。故选D。 Passage 4 （24-25学年高二上·北京市海淀区·期末） Ask most scientists if we’re animals and you’ll get a funny look. Of course, we’re humans! But very commonly, humans are set apart from animals using random division. In 2018, a pair of long-tailed macaques were cloned to be used in biomedical research. A few years earlier, the United Nations stated that cloning people goes against human dignity. That may be a good ruling. But what exactly is dignity, and why do humans have it while intelligent, aware primates(灵长目动物) such as macaques do not? A macaque may not think or talk about dignity, but does that mean it doesn’t possess it? The fact is, biology won’t leap to our assistance here because dignity is a human invention. “Dignity” originates in Enlightenment dualist (二元论者) ideas separating cognition from physicality and instinct, and later a new binary emerged: the human mind and our physical bodies. In this worldview, the impulses and feelings of animal bodies (including our own) are viewed as less important than our mental experiences. Many of our laws and guidelines today create hard borders between humans and other animals on the basis of our supposedly superior mental properties. To maintain a strict boundary between our experiences and those of all other animals, we find ourselves prioritizing what we consider mind-based phenomena when making policies. So we demote experiences of fear and promote the idea that knowing fear — recognizing it, naming it — is what matters morally. We brush under the carpet the fact that these cognitive capacities, if present at all, change throughout our lives without altering our moral status. For example, babies experience fear but can’t conceptualize it. This doesn’t alter our belief in their moral subjecthood. I look at the history of science and psychology research to understand how our discomfort with some aspects of being animals — from moral confusion to mortality — can spur us to tell ourselves that we’re not really animals. I conclude that it’s time for a much-needed change in belief that no longer splits the world into unhelpful and unscientific binaries. The overwhelming bulk of scientific data from the past few decades points to how essential our animal, physical life is to our actions, feeling and thoughts. A research into child development has shown that significant, measurable advantages in acquiring language and mathematics follow the use of physical movement and gesture. We urgently need to get a handle on what it means to be an animal and move beyond old-fashioned dualism. It’s not just that we’re animals: embodied, physical experiences are richer and more meaningful than we’ve recognized. If that means we need to rethink our relationship to other animals, so be it. 1．What can we know about “dignity” in the passage? A．It is a term which separates humans from animals. B．It is a cognitive standard shared by all primates. C．It is an idea combining human body and mind. D．It is an emotional feature of human being. 2．Why does the author mention the example of babies in Para. 3? A．To prove cognitive ability is needed for moral subjecthood. B．To show the change of cognitive ability in moral development. C．To highlight the importance of cognitive ability in policy making. D．To stress the existence of moral status regardless of level of cognition. 3．What is the writer trying to propose? A．A shift away from dualistic thinking. B．A new method for scientific research. C．Less emphasis on physical experiences. D．More attention to cognitive development. 4．Which is the best title of the article? A．But We Are Animals, Aren’t We? B．Thus We Claim Dignity, Don’t We? C．But We Are Truly Different, Aren’t We? D．So We Prefer Our Animal Nature, Don’t We? 【答案】1．A 2．D 3．A 4．A 【导语】这是一篇议论文。本文探讨了人类与动物之间的界限，特别是尊严的概念。文章指出，尊严是人类发明的，将人类与动物区分开来。作者认为，我们需要重新思考与动物的关系，并认识到身体体验比我们想象的更有意义。 1．细节理解题。根据第一段中“Ask most scientists if we’re animals and you’ll get a funny look. Of course, we’re humans! But very commonly, humans are set apart from animals using random division. In 2018, a pair of long-tailed macaques were cloned to be used in biomedical research. A few years earlier, the United Nations stated that cloning people goes against human dignity. That may be a good ruling. But what exactly is dignity, and why do humans have it while intelligent, aware primates(灵长目动物) such as macaques do not?( 如果你问大多数科学家我们是否是动物，你会得到一个有趣的表情。当然，我们是人类！但通常情况下，人类和动物是通过随机划分来区分的。2018年，一对长尾猕猴被克隆用于生物医学研究。几年前，联合国声明克隆人类违背了人类的尊严。这可能是一个很好的裁决。但尊严到底是什么，为什么人类有尊严，而像猕猴这样聪明、有意识的灵长类动物却没有？)”以及第二段中““Dignity” originates in Enlightenment dualist (二元论者) ideas separating cognition from physicality and instinct, and later a new binary emerged: the human mind and our physical bodies.(‘尊严’起源于启蒙运动的二元论思想，将认知与肉体和本能分开，后来出现了一种新的二元观念：人类的心灵和我们的肉体。)”可知，“尊严”这个概念常常被用来区分人类和动物，它源于二元论思想，将人类和动物区分开来。故选A项。 2．推理判断题。根据第三段中“So we demote experiences of fear and promote the idea that knowing fear — recognizing it, naming it — is what matters morally. We brush under the carpet the fact that these cognitive capacities, if present at all, change throughout our lives without altering our moral status. For example, babies experience fear but can’t conceptualize it. This doesn’t alter our belief in their moral subjecthood.( 因此，我们贬低了恐惧的体验，并提倡这样一种观念，即了解恐惧——识别恐惧、指出恐惧——在道德上才是重要的。我们忽略了这样一个事实，即这些认知能力，如果存在的话，会在我们的一生中发生变化，而不会改变我们的道德地位。例如，婴儿会经历恐惧，但无法将其概念化。这并没有改变我们对他们道德主体性的信念。)”可知，作者提到婴儿的例子是为了说明，尽管婴儿能体验到恐惧但不能概念化恐惧，即认知能力有限，但这并不改变我们对他们道德主体性的认知，也就是强调无论认知水平如何，道德地位都是存在的。故选D项。 3．推理判断题。根据第四段中“I conclude that it’s time for a much-needed change in belief that no longer splits the world into unhelpful and unscientific binaries.( 我的结论是，现在是时候改变信念了，不再把世界分成无意义和不科学的二元论。)”以及最后一段中“We urgently need to get a handle on what it means to be an animal and move beyond old-fashioned dualism.( 我们迫切需要弄清楚作为动物意味着什么，并超越老式的二元论。)”可推知，作者认为我们需要改变观念，摆脱那种将世界划分为无意义且不科学的二元论的思维方式。故选A项。 4．主旨大意题。根据文章大意以及第一段中“Ask most scientists if we’re animals and you’ll get a funny look. Of course, we’re humans! But very commonly, humans are set apart from animals using random division. In 2018, a pair of long-tailed macaques were cloned to be used in biomedical research. A few years earlier, the United Nations stated that cloning people goes against human dignity.( 如果你问大多数科学家我们是否是动物，你会得到一个有趣的表情。当然，我们是人类！但通常情况下，人类和动物是通过随机划分来区分的。2018年，一对长尾猕猴被克隆用于生物医学研究。几年前，联合国声明克隆人类违背了人类的尊严。)”可知，文章开篇提出人类常将自己与动物区分开，以“尊严”为例说明这种区分的不合理性，接着阐述了二元论的观念以及其带来的问题，最后呼吁人们摆脱二元论，认识到人类也是动物，身体体验的重要性。A 选项“But We Are Animals, Aren’t We?”（但我们是动物，不是吗？）符合文章主旨，强调我们应该认识到自己也是动物这一事实，适合作为文章的最佳标题。故选A项。 主题03 人与社会——科学与技术 Passage 1 （24-25学年高二上·北京市大兴区·期末） Research sometimes proves, with data, what we more or less already know. Exercise is good for you, and polluted air isn’t. Still, sometimes our intuitions are incorrect, and scientific findings surprised researchers, along with the rest of us. A recent example is the phenomenon of vanishing lakes in the Arctic region. You might think these lakes would be expanding, not vanishing. As climate change warms the Arctic region, melting surface snow and ice and thawing (解冻) permafrost (冻土), there should be more surface water. Existing lakes should be growing. Recently, however, scientists have observed not just shrinking lakes, that is, lakes are becoming smaller, but lakes that have completely disappeared. A paper published this year in Nature Climate Change, based on satellite imagery, found widespread lake loss across the Arctic over the past 20 years. Many scientists shared the commonsense expectation that as permafrost thawed, lakes would at first expand because of the increased meltwater flowing into them. Eventually, researchers projected, progressive warming during the 21st and 22nd centuries would dry out the Arctic enough that lakes would begin to shrink. But now it looks as if Arctic lakes are disappearing a century or more sooner than they were predicted to. What is causing this to happen? Basically, the ground is becoming more permeable (可渗透的). We talk about “solid ground,” but its particles of rock, mineral and organic matter actually have spaces between them. In permafrost, the spaces are filled with solid ice, so liquid water cannot readily pass through them. But when the permafrost thaws, water can flow downward. Why did scientists miss this? One reason is that most climate models assume that permafrost thaw is driven only by warming air. New evidence suggests that rainfall is now contributing greatly to permafrost loss. The rainfall carries heat into the ground. Yet none of the models incorporated such processes. This is a good example of why — no matter how advanced our models are—we will still need to continue making direct observations of the natural world. The Arctic lakes provide crucial freshwater for critical habitats for a wide range of plants and animal life. The loss of wet areas that accompany these lakes can also lead to an increase in wildfires, which only serves to melt more permafrost. The permafrost thaw will lead to the release of some greenhouse gases, which will accelerate global warming. There is, of course, a clear path to saving Arctic lakes: stop the carbon pollution that is driving global climate change. 1．What does the underlined word “vanishing” in Paragraph 1 probably mean? A．Disappearing. B．Existing. C．Growing. D．Flowing. 2．What is causing the lake loss to occur sooner than predicted in the Arctic? A．The permafrost thaw as a result of the progressive warming. B．The rapid evaporation of lake water due to the warming air. C．The release of greenhouse gases as a result of the permafrost thaw. D．The downward flow of surface water in lakes resulting from permafrost thaw. 3．Scientists failed to make the correct prediction about the Arctic lakes because ______ A．they didn’t employ advanced enough models B．they didn’t anticipate the effect of the rainfall C．they didn’t make use of the climate models properly D．they didn’t make their predictions based on sufficient data 4．What would be the best title for this passage? A．The Effects of the Lake Loss B．The Measures against the Lake Loss C．The Puzzle of the Disappearing Lakes D．The Phenomenon of Permafrost Thaw 【答案】1．A 2．D 3．B 4．C 【导语】这是一篇说明文。文章首先指出研究有时会证实我们或多或少已经知道的事情，但有时我们的直觉是错误的，科学发现会让我们惊讶。接着以北极地区湖泊消失为例，详细介绍了该现象、发生原因、科学家预测失误的原因以及该现象的影响，最后提出了解决之道。 1．词句猜测题。根据第二段“You might think these lakes would be expanding, not vanishing.(你可能会认为这些湖泊会扩大，而不是……)”可知，前后语境相反，说明认为这些湖泊会扩大，而不是消失，故划线词意思是“消失”，与disappearing意思相近。故选A。 2．细节理解题。根据第四段“Basically, the ground is becoming more permeable (可渗透的). We talk about “solid ground,” but its particles of rock, mineral and organic matter actually have spaces between them. In permafrost, the spaces are filled with solid ice, so liquid water cannot readily pass through them. But when the permafrost thaws, water can flow downward.(基本上，地面变得更具渗透性。我们谈论的是“固体地面”，但它的岩石、矿物和有机物颗粒之间实际上是有空间的。在永久冻土中，这些空间充满了固体冰，所以液态水不能轻易通过。但当永久冻土融化时，水可以向下流动)”可知，永久冻土融化导致的湖泊地表水向下流动导致北极地区的湖泊流失比预测的要早。故选D。 3．细节理解题。根据倒数第三段“Why did scientists miss this? One reason is that most climate models assume that permafrost thaw is driven only by warming air. New evidence suggests that rainfall is now contributing greatly to permafrost loss.(为什么科学家们忽略了这一点？其中一个原因是，大多数气候模型都假定永久冻土融化仅仅是由变暖的空气驱动的。新的证据表明，现在降雨对永久冻土的损失起着很大的作用)”可知，科学家们未能对北极湖泊做出正确的预测，因为他们没有预料到降雨的影响。故选B。 4．主旨大意题。根据第一段“Research sometimes proves, with data, what we more or less already know. Exercise is good for you, and polluted air isn’t. Still, sometimes our intuitions are incorrect, and scientific findings surprised researchers, along with the rest of us. A recent example is the phenomenon of vanishing lakes in the Arctic region.(研究有时会用数据证明我们或多或少已经知道的东西。运动对你有好处，而污染的空气对你没有好处。尽管如此，有时我们的直觉是不正确的，科学发现让研究人员和我们其他人都感到惊讶。最近的一个例子是北极地区湖泊消失的现象)”结合文章首先指出研究有时会证实我们或多或少已经知道的事情，但有时我们的直觉是错误的，科学发现会让我们惊讶。接着以北极地区湖泊消失为例，详细介绍了该现象、发生原因、科学家预测失误的原因以及该现象的影响，最后提出了解决之道。可知，C选项“消失的湖泊之谜”最符合文章标题。故选C。 Passage 2 （24-25学年高二上·北京市房山区·期末） When it was announced in 2018 that the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai had created the world’s first cloned monkeys, Zhongzhong and Huahua, heated discussions followed online. In fact, cloning has always been with us. It is a way of making an exact copy of another animal or plant. It happens in plants when gardeners take cuttings from growing plants to make new ones. It also happens in animals when identical twins are produced from the same egg. These are both examples of natural clones. Cloning has two major uses. First, gardeners use it to produce large quantities of plants for sale. Second, it is valuable for research on new plant species and for medical research on animals. Cloning plants is fairly straightforward, while cloning animals is much more complicated and difficult. Over the years, many scientists failed in their attempts to clone animals, but their determination and patience paid off in 1996 with a breakthrough—the cloning of Dolly the sheep. With the advances of scientific research, cloning will have several major uses, in the future. For one thing, it could be used to breed animal species which are endangered, or even bring back species which are now extinct. For another, it could be used to grow human organs or tissue in animals, which could be used for human organ transplants or medical treatments. Finally, cloning could be used to breed animals that will provide us with higher quality meat, milk, or eggs. While there are technical issues that need to be worked through to make widespread cloning possible, the biggest concerns are moral. For example, if scientists brought an extinct animal back into existence, it would probably end up fiving in a zoo. That is not very good for the animal. Even worse for the animal is using it as a source of organ transplants—because it will be injured or even die. In addition, many people worry that eating animal products that result from cloning might be harmful to our health over time. The possibility of using cloning to produce human beings is an even bigger concern. What would happen if such knowledge ended up in the wrong hands? When it comes to cloning, we wonder, ultimately, whether cloning will help or harm the world. No doubt, we will be talking about this question for a long time to come. 1．What can we learn about cloning? A．Cloned animals first appeared in 2018. B．Cloned plants are mainly used for medical research. C．Cloning technology can be used in the study of new plant species. D．Cloning plants is more complicated and difficult than cloning animals. 2．What is the main idea of Paragraph 3? A．Future uses of cloning. B．Scientific researches of cloning. C．The products provided by cloning. D．The medical treatments brought about by cloning, 3．What does the underlined word “moral” in Paragraph 4 refer to? A．Physical health. B．Technical development. C．Principle and belief. D．Knowledge and experience. 4．What’s the author’s attitude towards cloning? A．Supportive. B．Objective. C．Disapproving. D．Unconcerned. 【答案】1．C 2．A 3．C 4．B 【导语】这是一篇说明文。主要介绍了克隆的主要用途和存在的问题。 1．细节理解题。根据第二段中“Second, it is valuable for research on new plant species and for medical research on animals.( 其次，它对植物新物种的研究和动物医学研究都很有价值。)”可知，克隆技术对新植物物种的研究和动物的医学研究有价值，也就是克隆技术可用于新植物物种的研究。故选C项。 2．主旨大意题。根据第三段“With the advances of scientific research, cloning will have several major uses, in the future. For one thing, it could be used to breed animal species which are endangered, or even bring back species which are now extinct. For another, it could be used to grow human organs or tissue in animals, which could be used for human organ transplants or medical treatments. Finally, cloning could be used to breed animals that will provide us with higher quality meat, milk, or eggs.( 随着科学研究的进步，克隆将有几个主要用途，在未来。一方面，它可以用来繁殖濒临灭绝的动物物种，甚至可以复活现在已经灭绝的物种。另一方面，它可以用来在动物身上培养人体器官或组织，这可以用于人体器官移植或医学治疗。最后，克隆可以用来繁殖动物，为我们提供更高质量的肉、奶或蛋。)”可知，主要讲述了随着科学研究的进步，克隆在未来的几种主要用途，如繁殖濒危动物、培育人体器官用于移植、繁殖提供更高质量产品的动物等，所以第三段的主要内容是克隆的未来用途。故选A项。 3．词义猜测题。根据第四段中“For example, if scientists brought an extinct animal back into existence, it would probably end up fiving in a zoo. That is not very good for the animal. Even worse for the animal is using it as a source of organ transplants—because it will be injured or even die. In addition, many people worry that eating animal products that result from cloning might be harmful to our health over time. The possibility of using cloning to produce human beings is an even bigger concern. What would happen if such knowledge ended up in the wrong hands?( 例如，如果科学家让一种灭绝的动物复活，它可能最终会生活在动物园里。这对动物来说不是很好。对动物来说，更糟糕的是将其用作器官移植的来源，因为它会受伤甚至死亡。此外，许多人担心，随着时间的推移，吃克隆动物产品可能对我们的健康有害。利用克隆技术生产人类的可能性是一个更大的问题。如果这些知识落入坏人之手，会发生什么？)”可知，根据第四段所举的例子，如克隆已灭绝的动物可能使其生活在动物园对动物不好，把动物作为器官移植的来源会伤害甚至杀死动物，很多人担心食用克隆动物产品可能对健康有害，以及克隆人类的可能性会带来的问题等，这些都是从道德、原则和信仰层面的担忧，所以“moral”指的是 “Principle and belief”（原则和信仰），C 选项正确。故选C项。 4．推理判断题。根据文章大意以及最后一段“When it comes to cloning, we wonder, ultimately, whether cloning will help or harm the world. No doubt, we will be talking about this question for a long time to come.( 当谈到克隆，我们想知道，最终，克隆是否会帮助或伤害世界。毫无疑问，我们将在今后很长一段时间内讨论这个问题。)”可知，文章既介绍了克隆的用途，如在植物繁殖、新物种研究、医学研究、繁殖濒危动物、培育人体器官等方面的作用，又阐述了克隆存在的问题，如道德方面的担忧等，没有偏向支持或反对克隆，所以作者对克隆的态度是客观的。故选B项。 Passage 3 （24-25学年高二上·北京市石景山区·期末） In recent years, new research has led scientists to question the accuracy of the widely accepted “Out of Africa” theory, which suggests that all modern humans originated from a single group that left Africa around 60,000 years ago. While this theory has been supported by numerous genetic and fossil (化石) studies, alternative ideas suggest that human development may have been far more complex, involving multiple regions rather than a single migration (迁徙) wave from Africa. One alternative view is the “Multi-regional Hypothesis (假说).” This hypothesis suggests that early human populations in Africa, Asia, and Europe developed relatively independently but experienced substantial gene flow between regions. According to this idea, Homo sapiens (智人) did not emerge only in Africa but instead formed gradually across regions through the exchange of genetic material. This concept is backed by fossil evidence from Asia, such as skulls and bones found in China and Indonesia, which differ from African remains but are anatomically (结构上) similar to modern humans. These fossils are over 100,000 years old — much older than what would be expected if humans only spread from Africa around 60,000years ago. Furthermore, recent DNA studies have found genetic material in modern non-African populations does not match any known African lineages, suggesting that ancient humans mated with other groups in Eurasia, such as Neanderthals and Denisovans. For example, Neanderthal DNA is discovered in both European and Asian populations but devoid in most sub-Saharan African populations, challenging the timeline proposed by the “Out of Africa” theory. Additionally, research indicates that Denisovan DNA appears only in Melanesian and some Southeast Asian populations, suggesting these regional exchanges were not part of a single, linear migration. Adding to the debate is the discovery of ancient tools and artifacts in Asia and Europe that predate the supposed migration from Africa. These findings imply that early humans may have left Africa in multiple waves or even developed advanced cultural practices independently outside Africa. Some scientists now believe that humanity’s origins involve multiple migrations, with groups moving in and out of Africa at different times, contributing to the genetic díversity we see today. Although the “Out of Africa” theory remains influential, these findings invite us to rethink human evolution (进化). It is increasingly likely that modern humans arose not from a single migration but from interconnected populations across several continents, reflecting a far richer and more complex evolutionary history. 1．Why does the author mention fossil evidence from Asia? A．To argue that modern humans developed in Africa. B．To provide proof for the Multi-regional Hypothesis. C．To question the existence of gene flow between regions. D．To highlight the age of fossils compared to African remains. 2．What does the underlined word “devoid” in Paragraph 3 probably mean? A．Present. B．Obtained. C．Absent. D．Ignored. 3．What does the author aim to express in the last paragraph? A．Modern human evolution was a linear process. B．The “Out of Africa” theory has been disproven. C．Human origins are more complex than once thought. D．The genetic diversity of modern humans originated in Africa. 【答案】1．B 2．C 3．C 【导语】本文是说明文。文章围绕人类起源的“走出非洲”理论及其替代观点“多地区假说”进行了深入的探讨和论述。 1．推理判断题。根据第二段“One alternative view is the “Multi-regional Hypothesis (假说).” This hypothesis suggests that early human populations in Africa, Asia, and Europe developed relatively independently but experienced substantial gene flow between regions. According to this idea, Homo sapiens (智人) did not emerge only in Africa but instead formed gradually across regions through the exchange of genetic material. This concept is backed by fossil evidence from Asia, such as skulls and bones found in China and Indonesia, which differ from African remains but are anatomically (结构上) similar to modern humans. These fossils are over 100,000 years old — much older than what would be expected if humans only spread from Africa around 60,000years ago.(另一种观点是“多区域假说”，该假说认为，非洲、亚洲和欧洲的早期人类相对独立地发展，但在地区之间经历了大量的基因流动。根据这一观点，智人不仅出现在非洲，而是通过遗传物质的交换逐渐形成的。这一概念得到了来自亚洲的化石证据的支持，比如在中国和印度尼西亚发现的头骨和骨头，它们与非洲的遗骸不同，但在解剖学上与现代人相似。这些化石有超过10万年的历史——如果人类只在6万年前从非洲传播开来，那么这些化石的历史要早得多)”可知，作者提到来自亚洲的化石证据，是为了为“多区域假说”提供证据。故选B项。 2．词句猜测题。根据划线词上文“Neanderthal DNA is discovered in both European and Asian populations(在欧洲和亚洲人群中都发现了尼安德特人的DNA)”、转折词“but”以及后文“ challenging the timeline proposed by the “Out of Africa” theory(这对‘走出非洲’理论提出的时间线提出了挑战，可知，在大多数撒哈拉以南非洲人口中没有发现尼安德特人的DNA，划线词所在句表达的意思是：在欧洲和亚洲人群中都发现尼安德特人的DNA，但是在大多数撒哈拉以南非洲人口中却没有，这对“走出非洲”理论提出的时间线提出了挑战；划线词devoid意为“不存在，没有”，与absent意思相近。故选C项。 3．推理判断题。根据最后一段“Although the “Out of Africa” theory remains influential, these findings invite us to rethink human evolution (进化). It is increasingly likely that modern humans arose not from a single migration but from interconnected populations across several continents, reflecting a far richer and more complex evolutionary history.(尽管‘走出非洲’理论仍然具有影响力，但这些发现促使我们重新思考人类的进化。越来越有可能的是，现代人不是从一次迁徙中产生的，而是从几个大陆上相互联系的人群中产生的，这反映了一个更丰富、更复杂的进化史)”可知，作者在本段主要想表达人类的起源比以前认为的要复杂得多。故选C项。 Passage 4 （24-25学年高二上·北京市通州区·期末） Smart speakers now already help play music, get the news and control appliances at home, and are expected within the decade to be able to spot oncoming colds and chronic health conditions before they appear by listening to a user’s breathing, voice and heart rate. That is the prediction of a report from Vodafone into what consumer technology will look like by 2030. The report says that consumers will expect technology to be a key way they can monitor their health. It predicts that smart assistants will be able to spot early signs of diseases such as Parkinson’s (帕金森病) from voice analysis alone, in a similar way to how temperature is an indicator of fever. In 2018 it was revealed that Google had filed a patent for a smart speaker that could determine a speaker’s mood through the “volume of the user’s voice, detected breathing rate, crying and so forth”, and if they have a medical condition “based on detected coughing, sneezing and so forth”. In January, at the Consumer Electronics Show, start-ups were offering light bulbs that could monitor a person’s body temperature and floorboards that could analyse a user’s changing weight. Martin Raymond, co-founder of the Future Laboratory, said that tech companies were working on smart mirrors that could detect changes in a user’s skin colour and send alerts to an accompanying app if it detected that the person should consult a doctor. Such devices are also likely to connect with other WiFi-enabled appliances around the house as well as phones or smartwatches to build up a picture of somebody’s health, before sending health recommendations if needed. The report says that by the end of the decade, using our voice to control devices will be “usurped” by mind readi$