2026届最新高考英语模拟三轮冲刺之阅读理解15篇（议论文）（北京专用）

**基本信息** 聚焦议论文高频题型，通过15篇热点主题文本系统训练主旨归纳、逻辑推理等核心能力，强化思维品质与文化意识。 **专项设计** |模块|题量/典例|题型特征|知识逻辑| |----|-----------|----------|----------| |主旨题|15题（每篇1题）|考查标题/主旨归纳，如Passage 2最佳标题题|从文本结构（首尾段、高频词）到核心观点提炼，形成“现象-分析-结论”逻辑链| |细节题|20题|考查具体信息定位，如Passage 5数字技能缺口细节题|通过关键词定位原文，验证选项与文本信息一致性| |推理题|15题|考查观点态度/逻辑推断，如Passage 9作者对AI情感支持态度题|分析作者语气、例证关系，推导隐含意义| |词义猜测题|10题|考查语境词义理解，如Passage 7“neutral”词义题|结合上下文逻辑（因果、对比）推断生词含义|

2026届最新高考模拟三轮冲刺卷之（北京专用） 阅读理解15篇（议论文） Passage 1 Side-blotched lizards (侧斑蜥蜴) have a colorful set of mating strategies. Some males, with orange throats, are large and fight their way to a group of mates. Others, with blue throats, are a bit smaller and bond with just a single female. And then there is a third type. These lizards, which have yellow throats, look very similar to females. In a rock-paper-scissors-type mating strategy, the big orange ones can chase off the medium blue ones, who, in turn, can keep a close eye on their single mate. The yellow ones, however, sometimes sneak into (溜进) the big males’ group of mates. The lizards face a trade-off between abundance and the cost of confirmation. It is a trade-off that is increasingly of concern to humans, too. The cost of producing text, video or audio has declined; doing so now means just a few words on a chatbot rather than hours of effort. As a consequence, roughly half of articles published on the internet last year were AI-generated. How can internet users distinguish an article by a genuine but little-known news website from outright misinformation? Market participants often rely on “costly signals” to make such choices. An employer looking for a new hire, say, may seek applicants with a degree that took effort and a certain amount of skill, which indicates they might bring the same qualities to their work. The certificate allows employers to distinguish between good and bad applicants — creating what economists call a “separating equilibrium” and enabling transactions between willing participants. During an earlier information age, newspaper branding provided a costly signal. In what was, in game-theoretic terms, a “reputation game” newspapers would, issue by issue, reveal exactly how focused on the truth they were. Repeated interactions with a reader, when they were deciding which paper to purchase, constituted a separating equilibrium. Content farms, websites that copied reputable news pages but with made-up stories, however, can “sneak into” these brands like the yellow lizards. Thus the “separating equilibrium” is devolving into a “pooling equilibrium”, in which there is no way of telling between one type of creation and another. The problem with a “pooling equilibrium”, as George Akerlof put it in a Nobel-prizewinning paper, is that “Dishonest dealings tend to drive honest dealings out of the market.” Without a way to tell good from bad, buyers treat everything as bad. Among side-blotched lizards, the rock-paper-scissors nature of the lizards’ mating strategies means that if any of the colours becomes too common, one of the other types receives an advantage. Optimistically, then, an outpouring in the productivity of misinformation generators may provide a similar advantage to the journalistic equivalent of the blue-throated lizards — publications that jealously guard their reputation for truth-telling. 1．Why does the author mention the example of side-blotched lizards in Paragraph 1? A．To share a popular trend. B．To criticize a costly trade-off. C．To reveal a disturbing issue. D．To introduce a mating strategy. 2．According to the passage, which of the following is an example of separating equilibrium? A．Socially-responsible and profit-driven firms spend equally on charity. B．We tend to learn a common language regardless of native tongue. C．The expense of acquiring education is similar across ability types. D．Firms sustain high-input advertising campaigns to reflect quality. 3．Which of the following would the author agree with? A．Content farms spare no efforts to focus on the truth. B．Readers can tell facts from fiction through costly signals. C．Publications lose competitiveness in maintaining reputation. D．The cost of confirming information genuineness has dropped. 4．Which would be the best title for the passage? A．Will Publications Survive in the Flood of Misinformation? B．Costly Signals: Trade-off Between Real and Made-up C．Misinformation: Threat to Newspapers’ Reputation D．Has Internet Supercharged Misinformation? 【答案】1．C 2．D 3．B 4．B 【导语】本文以侧斑蜥蜴的博弈生存策略为引，阐释网络时代虚假信息泛滥，真假信息难以区分的社会问题。 1．推理判断题。根据第一段“In a rock-paper-scissors-type mating strategy, the big orange ones can chase off the medium blue ones, who, in turn, can keep a close eye on their single mate. The yellow ones, however, sometimes sneak into (溜进) the big males’ group of mates.(在一种石头剪刀布式的交配策略中，体型大的橙色喉部蜥蜴可以赶走中等体型的蓝色喉部蜥蜴，而蓝色喉部蜥蜴能够密切守护自己唯一的配偶。然而黄色喉部蜥蜴有时会溜进大型雄性蜥蜴的配偶群中)”以及第二段“The lizards face a trade-off between abundance and the cost of confirmation. It is a trade-off that is increasingly of concern to humans, too.(这些蜥蜴面临着数量与验证成本之间的权衡，这也是人类愈发关注的一种权衡)”可知，作者列举蜥蜴例子，是为了引出后文人类社会真假信息混杂的严峻问题。 2．推理判断题。根据第三段“Market participants often rely on “costly signals” to make such choices. ...The certificate allows employers to distinguish between good and bad applicants — creating what economists call a “separating equilibrium” and enabling transactions between willing participants.(市场参与者通常依靠“高成本信号”做出此类选择……证书让雇主区分优劣求职者，形成经济学家所说的“分离均衡”)”可知，分离均衡指“依靠高成本投入区分优劣、辨别真伪”。D选项“企业投入高成本广告彰显品质”符合该定义。 3．推理判断题。根据第三段中的“Market participants often rely on “costly signals” to make such choices. An employer looking for a new hire, say, may seek applicants with a degree that took effort and a certain amount of skill, which indicates they might bring the same qualities to their work. (市场参与者往往依靠高成本信号做出这类选择。例如，招聘员工的雇主会寻找付出努力、具备一定技能才获得学位的求职者，这表明他们会将同等品质带入工作中)”可知，作者认可读者能够借助高成本信号分辨事实与虚假内容。 4．主旨大意题。通读全文，并结合第二段中“The lizards face a trade-off between abundance and the cost of confirmation. It is a trade-off that is increasingly of concern to humans, too.(这些蜥蜴面临着数量与核验成本之间的权衡，这也是人类愈发关注的一种权衡)”以及第三段中“Market participants often rely on “costly signals” to make such choices.(市场参与者往往依靠高成本信号来做出这类判断)”可知，文章以蜥蜴生存策略作类比，围绕高成本信号展开，探讨真实信息与虚假信息之间的博弈权衡，B项“高成本信号：真实信息与虚假信息间的权衡”贴合全文核心主旨，适合作标题。故选 B。 Passage 2 The most dangerous myths are the ones we don’t see. Human exceptionalism — the belief that humans are fundamentally superior to the rest of nature — is one of those myths. This worldview is not hidden because it’s obscure — it’s hidden because it’s everywhere, taken for granted, and rarely questioned. But what struck me most is just how thoroughly this belief has infiltrated (渗透) science — an institution meant to challenge our biases, not reinforce them. Take research on self-awareness. For decades, we believed only humans and certain primate species could recognize themselves in mirrors, a supposed benchmark of self-awareness. But the mirror test is biased toward vision. Dogs experience the world primarily via scent. They pass the smell-based mirror test with ease — demonstrating self-awareness in their dominant sense. When we measure the world with a human-oriented ruler, other species inevitably come up short. Many treat human exceptionalism as a natural conclusion. But recent studies in developmental and cross-cultural psychology suggest otherwise. Beliefs in human exceptionalism aren’t an inevitably biological outcome — they instead reflect a cultural worldview. Across repeated studies, when presented with moral dilemmas — such as saving one human or multiple animals — adults overwhelmingly favored humans, even when the trade-off involved 100 dogs or pigs. Children, however, often chose to save multiple animals over one human, valuing human and nonhuman lives far more similarly. This suggests that the human-centred moral frameworks commonly held by adults are not the biological default, but emerge over time through cultural learning — particularly as children become increasingly exposed to the ways other forms of life are used and valued in our society. Research across human cultures also reveals that human exceptionalism is far from universal. Many Indigenous (土著的) and non-Western knowledge systems reject such natural hierarchies. They recognize other animals, plants, rivers, forests, and mountains as kin: sentient, agentive beings embedded in a shared moral and ecological world. Within these frameworks, the notion that humans are separate or superior simply doesn’t hold. While writing my last book, I was introduced to various alternative cosmologies (宇宙观) that reject the ideology of human exceptionalism. These worldviews model ways of living in greater balance with the rest of the natural world. Some today maintain that humans are the most evolutionarily “successful” species. Success, in this view, is measured by ecological dominance. But in reality, the most resilient ecosystems are built on interdependence. We’ve constructed our scientific models around struggle and individualism, even though life on earth is held together by relationships and co-evolution. The real insight comes from humility. Seeing ourselves clearly — not as rulers, but as participants in a larger web — is one of the most urgent scientific and moral challenges of our time. 1．The author mentions the mirror test to show that ________. A．good science requires repeated tests B．faulty scientific standards deepen bias C．human tests often favor visual senses D．cognitive tests are invalid for non-primates 2．What leads to the belief of human exceptionalism? A．Human nature. B．Knowledge system. C．Living area. D．Cultural exposure. 3．The author mainly suggests ________. A．reevaluating human-nature relationship B．exploring interdependence across species C．acknowledging the limitation of science D．rejecting the idea of evolutionary success 4．Which would be the best title for the passage? A．Are Humans a Successful Species? B．Putting Humans First Is Not Natural C．What Makes Humans Exceptional? D．Human Exceptionalism: A Global View 【答案】1．B 2．D 3．A 4．B 【导语】文章主要批判了“人类例外论”这一根深蒂固的观念，指出其并非生物本能而是文化习得，并呼吁人类应重新审视与自然的关系。 1．推理判断题。根据第二段中“For decades, we believed only humans and certain primate species could recognize themselves in mirrors, a supposed benchmark of self-awareness. But the mirror test is biased toward vision. Dogs experience the world primarily via scent. They pass the smell-based mirror test with ease — demonstrating self-awareness in their dominant sense. When we measure the world with a human-oriented ruler, other species inevitably come up short. (几十年来，我们认为只有人类和某些灵长类动物能在镜子中认出自己，这被认为是自我意识的基准。但镜子测试偏向于视觉。狗主要通过嗅觉体验世界。它们轻松通过了基于气味的镜子测试——在它们的主导感觉中展示了自我意识。当我们用人类导向的标尺来衡量世界时，其他物种不可避免地显得不足)”可知，作者提到镜子测试是为了说明有缺陷的科学标准加深了偏见。 2．细节理解题。根据第四段中“This suggests that the human-centred moral frameworks commonly held by adults are not the biological default, but emerge over time through cultural learning — particularly as children become increasingly exposed to the ways other forms of life are used and valued in our society. (这表明，成年人普遍持有的以人类为中心的道德框架并非生物学上的默认设置，而是随着时间的推移通过文化学习而出现的——特别是随着孩子们越来越多地接触到其他生命形式在我们社会中是如何被使用和评价的方式)”可知，人类例外论的信念源于文化接触。 3．推理判断题。通读全文，作者批判了“人类例外论”这一观念，指出其并非自然结论而是文化习得，并通过镜子测试、儿童道德实验、不同文化知识体系等例证说明人类并不比自然界的其他部分更优越。结合最后一段的呼吁“Seeing ourselves clearly — not as rulers, but as participants in a larger web (清楚地看待自己——不是作为统治者，而是作为更大网络中的参与者)”可知，作者主要建议重新评估人与自然的关系。 4．主旨大意题。通读全文，结合第一段“Human exceptionalism — the belief that humans are fundamentally superior to the rest of nature — is one of those myths. (人类例外论——认为人类从根本上优于自然界的其他部分——是这些神话之一)”以及第二段“When we measure the world with a human-oriented ruler, other species inevitably come up short. (当我们用人类导向的标尺来衡量世界时，其他物种不可避免地显得不足)”和第四段中“This suggests that the human-centred moral frameworks commonly held by adults are not the biological default, but emerge over time through cultural learning (这表明，成年人普遍持有的以人类为中心的道德框架并非生物学上的默认设置，而是随着时间的推移通过文化学习而出现的)”和第五段“Research across human cultures also reveals that human exceptionalism is far from universal. (跨越人类文化的研究也表明，人类例外论远非普遍现象)”可知，文章通过多个角度论证“人类优先”并非自然的、生物性的结论，而是文化习得的结果。因此“Putting Humans First Is Not Natural(人类优先并非自然)”能概括文章内容，适合作文章标题。 Passage 3 Artists enjoy calling their work “original”. For good reason too, as artists, we want to distinguish ourselves and convey a genuine message to the world. But there are hardly any truly original ideas in the art world. Everything has been invented, reinvented, and re-reinvented over again. Recently, I have been reflecting on how I get ideas for my work as a professional photographer. Some of my images can be traced back directly to what inspired them, while some others are more “unique”. Nevertheless, I cannot genuinely classify any piece of my output as truly original, since every image ultimately represents a synthesized fusion of previous visual influences, external conceptual inputs from others, and a diverse range of personal life experiences. This personal realization prompts a deeper and more universal inquiry into the nature of originality. If we go by the principle that all ideas are a hodgepodge of other ideas, a natural question arises. Is it possible to trace back and find the original ideas? The first original thought must have been by the first man. Ever since, it has all been one big fake. This definition will take us exactly nowhere, and the debate will end right here. So, let’s stop hunting for an original idea, whatever it may mean. Just think how some fashion brands manage to produce two new couture collections each year. Fashion has mastered the art of showing old as new, and new as old. The approach to originality that I suggest is that all ideas are a byproduct of other ideas, and what truly matters is the intention you hold behind those ideas. If you take inspiration from Rodin’s work and see people in a similarly monumental way, there is meaning in the work and you are creating something authentic, something that is authentic and true to you. But, if your intention is to copy Rodin’s work because it made him a famous sculptor, your work will have very little meaning and authenticity. The point I am trying to make about authenticity is that it doesn’t have to be authentic to anybody else but you. If we take out the obvious instances where one artist copied another artist to make money off the idea, we are left with a world of trillions of thoughts and ideas, each ready to inspire you to create something that is authentic to you, something that speaks to you. Even if you take pictures only because they “look beautiful”, they already mean something to you: they mean beauty. 1．What can be inferred about the writer’s photographing experience? A．He considers his works truly original. B．He insists on pursuing original creation. C．He traces all photos to direct sources. D．He admits combining various influences. 2．What does the underlined word “hodgepodge” in Paragraph 3 most probably mean? A．Mixture. B．Share. C．Revision. D．Repetition. 3．What might the author agree with? A．Authenticity stems from originality. B．There is no such thing as authenticity. C．Authenticity is defined by intentions. D．Originality rests on objective standards. 【答案】1．D 2．A 3．C 【导语】文章探讨艺术原创本质，主张创作真实源于内心初衷。 1．推理判断题。根据第二段中“Nevertheless, I cannot genuinely classify any piece of my output as truly original, since every image ultimately represents a synthesized fusion of previous visual influences, external conceptual inputs from others, and a diverse range of personal life experiences. (然而，我无法真正将我任何一件作品归类为真正的原创，因为每张图像最终都代表了先前视觉影响、他人外部概念输入以及各种个人生活经验的综合融合。)”可知，作者承认自己的作品融合了各类影响因素。 2．词句猜测题。根据第三段中“If we go by the principle that all ideas are a hodgepodge of other ideas, a natural question arises. (如果我们遵循所有想法都是其他想法的hodgepodge这一原则，一个自然的问题就出现了。)”，结合下文“The first original thought must have been by the first man. Ever since, it has all been one big fake. (第一个原创想法一定是第一个人的。自那以后，一切都成了一个大的仿制品。)”以及第四段中“The approach to originality that I suggest is that all ideas are a byproduct of other ideas, and what truly matters is the intention you hold behind those ideas. (我提出的关于原创性的方法是：所有想法都是其他想法的副产品，真正重要的是你在这些想法背后所持有的意图。)”可知，作者认为所有的想法都是其他想法的副产品，是其他想法的混合，“hodgepodge”意为“混合物、大杂烩”，与mixture同义。 3．推理判断题。根据第四段中“The approach to originality that I suggest is that all ideas are a byproduct of other ideas, and what truly matters is the intention you hold behind those ideas. (我提出的关于原创性的方法是：所有想法都是其他想法的副产品，真正重要的是你在这些想法背后所持有的意图。)”以及“But, if your intention is to copy Rodin’s work because it made him a famous sculptor, your work will have very little meaning and authenticity.( 但是，如果你的意图是复制罗丹的作品，因为那让他成为了著名的雕塑家，那么你的作品将几乎没有意义和真实性。)”可知，作者认为真实性是由意图决定的。 Passage 4 What time is it? It’s such a basic question and provokes me to take a look at time in the context of both humans and artificial intelligence. Simply put, AI operates inside the now, the perpetual present. Yet humans construct meaning across time. This “temporal divide” creates a key distinction, if not a conflict, that’s worthy of a deeper look. Typically, we evaluate artificial intelligence by capability, which includes things like speed, accuracy, fluency, and even scale. But my take is that this perspective misses something that is both critical and deeply human. Humans build meaning through continuity, and this includes memory, revision, anticipation, and the lived accumulation of experience. AI does not. For us, meaning is shaped across duration. We don’t form understanding from isolated frames. We learn from many moments that inform and reshape each other. The reliability of our beliefs depends on that slow integration. It’s how understanding matures into something stable, or perhaps better said, human. AI collapses time into immediacy. Each output stands alone without reference to what came before and without responsibility toward what may follow. This is why AI can be so persuasive, as it produces coherence (连贯性) without the weight of history behind it. A recent study that examined reasoning tasks illustrates this rather clearly. AI assistance led participants to perform slightly better, but to feel dramatically more improved than they actually were. This illusion emerges because instant coherence (tech) feels like internal mastery (human). Anyone who has used AI to summarise a concept has felt this. It happens when you read a smooth, confident explanation and suddenly believe you now “understand” it without any of the internal struggle that produces true understanding. The mind confuses the appearance of cognition with the acquisition of cognition. And the key distinction is that AI shortens the distance between exposure and confidence, not between exposure and wisdom. I think this matters because humans may begin adapting to the temporal logic of machines. If present-tense coherence becomes more rewarding than the slower accumulation of meaning, we could begin to trade our temporal cognition for the immediacy AI offers. The risk is not replacement, but more of a dissociation from the very structure of meaning-making that defines the human mind. The real question, as I have relentlessly asked, is not whether AI will think like we do. The question is whether we will continue to think like ourselves. To defend the narrative arc is far from a poetic gesture. It’s an essential cognitive practice. For me, it means tolerating slower understanding when speed is seductive. It means returning to the longer thread of experience when instant fluency tempts us. It means remembering that wisdom requires the friction of time. And that’s something we all should consider. Meaning is temporal. Story is temporal. Identity is temporal. AI does not live there. We do. 1．What does the “temporal divide” in paragraph 1 refer to? A．A distinction in evaluating AI’s competences. B．A gap between present living and past reflection. C．A difference in how humans and AI make meaning. D．A divide in time management between humans and AI. 2．As for the result of the study examining reasoning skills, the author feels _______. A．worried B．surprised C．doubtful D．sympathetic 3．How does the author mainly develop the passage? A．By raising questions and solving them one by one. B．By citing studies and evaluating their limitations. C．By presenting a study and drawing a conclusion. D．By introducing a concept and making contrasts. 4．What can we learn from the passage? A．Exposure+Confidence=Mastery B．Coherence+Immediacy=Logic C．Duration+Friction=Wisdom D．Speed+Fluency=Insight 【答案】1．C 2．A 3．D 4．C 【导语】文章对比人类与人工智能的时间认知差异，指出AI即时性特点的弊端，警示人类坚守自身时间性认知与智慧。 1．词句猜测题。根据第一段中的“Simply put, AI operates inside the now, the perpetual present. Yet humans construct meaning across time. This “temporal divide” creates a key distinction, if not a conflict, that’s worthy of a deeper look.(简单来说，人工智能运作于当下、永恒的此刻。而人类跨越时间构建意义。这种“temporal divide”形成了一种值得深入探究的关键区别，甚至可以说是冲突)”以及第二段“Humans build meaning through continuity... AI does not.(人类通过延续性构建意义……而人工智能不能)”可知，“temporal divide”指人类和人工智能构建意义的方式不同。 2．推理判断题。根据第六段“I think this matters because humans may begin adapting to the temporal logic of machines... we could begin to trade our temporal cognition for the immediacy AI offers. The risk is not replacement, but more of a dissociation from the very structure of meaning-making that defines the human mind.(我认为这很重要，因为人类可能会开始适应机器的时间逻辑……我们可能会用自身的时间认知换取人工智能提供的即时性。风险不在于被取代，而在于逐渐脱离定义人类思维的意义构建体系)”可知，作者对这项研究反映出的现象感到担忧。 3．推理判断题。根据第一段中的“Simply put, AI operates inside the now, the perpetual present. Yet humans construct meaning across time. This “temporal divide” creates a key distinction, if not a conflict, that’s worthy of a deeper look.(简单来说，人工智能运作于当下、永恒的此刻。而人类跨越时间构建意义。这种“时间差异”形成了一种值得深入探究的关键区别，甚至可以说是冲突)”以及后文多处对比人类依靠时间延续构建意义、人工智能将时间压缩为即时反应的不同模式可知，文章先引出时间差异这一概念，再通过对比人与人工智能的思维特点展开论述。 4．细节理解题。根据最后一段“It means tolerating slower understanding when speed is seductive. It means returning to the longer thread of experience when instant fluency tempts us. It means remembering that wisdom requires the friction of time.(这意味着在速度极具诱惑时，包容缓慢的理解；在即时流畅性诱惑我们时，回归更长的经验脉络；我们要记住，智慧需要时间的磨砺)”可知，时长积累与时间磨砺方能造就智慧，即Duration+Friction=Wisdom。 Passage 5 As we enter a period of profound economic uncertainty, presaged (预示) by recent high-profile layoffs and a culture of “quiet quitting”, thinking about the future of work might well seem a daunting (令人生畏的) prospect. Indeed, an ever-increasing digital skills gap threatens to stop businesses adopting the game-changing technologies that will help to power growth in the months and years ahead. For instance, with each exciting new technology comes a growing concern about whether we have a digitally savvy (精明的) workforce ready to take advantage of it. After all, keeping the workforce up to speed with the latest advances is a key element of the digital transformation process, which will prove essential if we hope to improve business productivity and efficiency alongside our efforts to achieve sustained growth. Likewise, at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, the cybersecurity skills gap was named as one particular area of concern. There’s good reason for this focus: if businesses can’t protect themselves against external threats, they risk going backwards. And that’s before they even start thinking about achieving growth. This is why we need to address the digital skills gap urgently. Well, we should start by changing the narrative to help us recruit and retain from a more diverse pool of talent, giving businesses a far better chance of finding the up-to-date digital skills they need. And, when it comes to engaging and empowering the current workforce, learning and development opportunities will be key, helping employees to improve their skills for the benefit of both themselves and their employers. To make this all happen, leaders and employers must demonstrate a commitment to teaching their workforces digital skills by setting clear expectations and providing all the resources required. One approach, for example, would be to focus on the potential in the existing talent pool by identifying those already skilled in digital capabilities and supporting them to upskill their colleagues. Creating a culture of learning, with an emphasis on personal growth, can be an impressive motivator in the workplace. Of course, it’s all well and good saying that digital skills are vital, but a workforce with purely hard skills will not future-proof a business. There’s a need for soft skills that support the broader goal, so as not to ignore the other competencies required in a digital transformation: communication, critical thinking, creative design skills, and leadership. To make full use of the technology, such qualities are equally important. Fundamentally, getting the interaction right between humans and technology will be paramount if businesses are to succeed. As a result, human skills must not be underestimated. Every business will need a range of people with a variety of skills — not only those well-versed in math, engineering, and science, but also those with creative minds and leadership qualities. 1．The writer’s main concern in the digital transformation process is ________. A．the threats from technology B．the challenge of upskilling workforces C．the culture of quiet quitting D．the shortage of experienced workers 2．It can be learned from Paragraph 4 and 5 that ________. A．replacing current workforces with digital talents is the key B．high requirements of recruitment ensure a sound workforce C．employers should develop a learning culture inside their workforces D．business leaders should focus on the training of the existing talent pool 3．What does the underlined word “paramount” in the last paragraph probably mean? A．Crucial. B．Beneficial. C．Challenging D．Inspiring 4．What might be the purpose of the passage? A．To advocate the necessity of improving digital skills. B．To warn humans of the potential problems with technology. C．To stress the importance of combining hard skills with soft skills. D．To draw people’s attention to the ever-increasing digital skills gap. 【答案】1．B 2．C 3．A 4．C 【导语】文章探讨了在当前经济不确定性背景下，数字技能缺口对企业采用新技术、推动增长的阻碍，强调提升员工数字技能对数字转型的重要性。 1．细节理解题。根据第二段中“After all, keeping the workforce up to speed with the latest advances is a key element of the digital transformation process, which will prove essential if we hope to improve business productivity and efficiency alongside our efforts to achieve sustained growth. (毕竟，让员工跟上最新进展是数字化转型过程的一个关键要素，如果我们希望在实现持续增长的努力中提高企业生产力和效率，这一点将被证明是至关重要的。)”以及第三段中“This is why we need to address the digital skills gap urgently. (这就是为什么我们需要紧急解决数字技能差距问题。)”可知，作者在数字化转型过程中主要关注的是提升员工技能的挑战。 2．推理判断题。根据第四段中“And, when it comes to engaging and empowering the current workforce, learning and development opportunities will be key, helping employees to improve their skills for the benefit of both themselves and their employers. (而且，在吸引和赋能现有员工方面，学习和发展机会将是关键，帮助员工提升技能，既有利于自己，也有利于雇主。)”以及第五段中“Creating a culture of learning, with an emphasis on personal growth, can be an impressive motivator in the workplace. (创造一种强调个人成长的学习文化，可以成为工作场所中令人印象深刻的激励因素。)”可知，雇主应该在员工中培养一种学习文化。 3．词句猜测题。根据最后一段中“Fundamentally, getting the interaction right between humans and technology will be paramount if businesses are to succeed. (从根本上说，如果企业要成功，正确处理人与技术之间的互动将是paramount。)”以及后文“As a result, human skills must not be underestimated. (因此，人的技能不能被低估。)”可知，正确处理人与技术之间的互动对企业成功至关重要，由此可推知，paramount意为“至关重要的”，与Crucial意思相近。 4．推理判断题。通读全文，尤其是根据第二段中“Indeed, an ever-increasing digital skills gap threatens to stop businesses adopting the game-changing technologies that will help to power growth in the months and years ahead. (事实上，日益扩大的数字技能差距有可能阻止企业采用改变游戏规则的技术，而这些技术将有助于在未来几个月和几年推动增长。)”以及第三段中“This is why we need to address the digital skills gap urgently. (这就是为什么我们需要紧急解决数字技能差距问题。)”以及最后一段中“Every business will need a range of people with a variety of skills — not only those well-versed in math, engineering, and science, but also those with creative minds and leadership qualities. (每个企业都需要一系列具有各种技能的人——不仅包括精通数学、工程和科学的人，还包括具有创造性思维和领导才能的人。)”可知，文章主要论述了数字技能差距对企业数字化转型的挑战，并强调了提升员工技能和培养学习文化的重要性，同时指出企业需要结合硬技能和软技能，才能成功应对未来的挑战。由此可推知，文章的写作目的是强调将硬技能与软技能相结合的重要性。 Passage 6 White Rabbit candy has not changed in 60 years. But some other things have changed. When a pop-up (快闪) shop in Shanghai began selling drinks flavored like White Rabbit candy, people queued for up to four hours for a cup priced at 20 yuan ($2.9). China’s nostalgia (怀旧) economy has reshaped how brands are marketed. However, the White Rabbit milk tea is itself a warning tale. Once customers reached the counter after four hours, many were disappointed. “It tastes just like any regular bubble tea (珍珠奶茶) out there,” one told reporters. Another posted: “It’s just exploiting the classic brand.” The comments point to the central weakness of the nostalgia economy. When heritage is used primarily as a good pricing reason, when nostalgic packaging is the product and what is inside is ordinary, consumers notice. The disappointment runs deeper than a normal commercial letdown, because something more personal has been involved. There are more risks. When nostalgic design becomes a recipe, the symbols stop carrying weight. And a nostalgia economy that speaks only to one generation’s memories is not building a shared culture. When the pop-up closes and the limited edition sells out, what remains? If the answer is nothing but the memory of a queue, the brand has wasted its heritage rather than grown it. The question facing China’s nostalgia economy is not whether there is a market for continuity but whether the industry will serve that market with depth or exploit it with shortcuts. Some of us grew up with White Rabbit candy. Others were born too late. But we are all looking for the same thing: a cultural identity with roots deep enough to hold, and a sense that what is being built today is worth remembering tomorrow. Nostalgia does not offer the past. It offers a reason to feel at home in the present. 1．Why does the author mention the customers’ comments about the drink? A．To imply the decline of the brand. B．To note the popularity of regular bubble tea. C．To criticize the high price of the drink. D．To show the trap of nostalgia-based selling. 2．What is the author’s suggestion for China’s nostalgia economy? A．Serving the market with shortcuts. B．Focusing on one generation’s memories. C．Using the past to root today’s culture. D．Copying the past exactly as it once was. 3．What is the best title for the text? A．Nostalgia marketing puts heritage at risk. B．White Rabbit candy remains unchanged. C．Nostalgia economy saves brand heritage. D．White Rabbit milk tea fails to satisfy fans. 【答案】1．D 2．C 3．A 【导语】文章主要讨论了中国的怀旧经济，以大白兔奶茶为例，指出怀旧营销存在的问题，并给出了相关建议。 1．推理判断题。根据第三段中的“The comments point to the central weakness of the nostalgia economy. When heritage is used primarily as a good pricing reason, when nostalgic packaging is the product and what is inside is ordinary, consumers notice.(这些评论指出了怀旧经济的核心弱点。当遗产主要被用作一个好的定价理由，当怀旧的包装就是产品，而里面是普通的东西时，消费者会注意到。)”可知，作者提到顾客对饮料的评论是为了展示基于怀旧的销售的陷阱。 2．细节理解题。根据最后一段中的“But we are all looking for the same thing: a cultural identity with roots deep enough to hold, and a sense that what is being built today is worth remembering tomorrow. Nostalgia does not offer the past. It offers a reason to feel at home in the present.(但我们都在寻找同样的东西：一种有足够深厚根基的文化认同，以及一种今天所建的东西值得明天铭记的感觉。怀旧并不能提供过去。它提供了一个让我们在现在感到自在的理由。)”可知，作者对中国怀旧经济的建议是用过去来扎根今天的文化。 3．主旨大意题。根据第一段“China’s nostalgia (怀旧) economy has reshaped how brands are marketed.(中国的怀旧经济重塑了品牌的营销方式。)”，第三段“The comments point to the central weakness of the nostalgia economy.(这些评论指出了怀旧经济的主要弱点。)”，第四段“There are more risks. When nostalgic design becomes a recipe, the symbols stop carrying weight. And a nostalgia economy that speaks only to one generation's memories is not building a shared culture.(还有更多的风险。当怀旧设计成为一种模式时，符号就不再具有分量。而只诉诸一代人记忆的怀旧经济并不能建立一种共享的文化。)”和最后一段“The question facing China's nostalgia economy is not whether there is a market for continuity but whether the industry will serve that market with depth or exploit it with shortcuts.(中国怀旧经济面临的问题不是是否存在连续性的市场，而是该行业是否会深度服务这个市场，还是利用捷径来剥削这个市场。)”可知，本文主要讨论了中国的怀旧经济，指出怀旧营销存在的问题，即怀旧营销使遗产面临风险。 Passage 7 In an age ruled by smartphones, social media feeds and endless notifications, we often pride ourselves on being “better connected” than any generation before. Yet a growing number of studies sound a warning: this constant connectivity is destroying our ability to focus deeply, think critically and enjoy meaningful moments without digital distraction. This crisis of attention is more than an inconvenience — it is reshaping how we learn, work and even experience happiness. The modern digital environment is designed intentionally to capture and hold our attention. Social media platforms, video apps and news websites use complex algorithms that serve up short, stimulating content, keeping our brains in a cycle of constant stimulation. Each like, comment or new video offers a small burst of pleasure, training our minds to prefer instant satisfaction over long-term, focused effort. As a result, deep work — periods of uninterrupted concentration on challenging tasks — has become a rare skill. Many people struggle to read a single page of a book without checking their phones or to finish a project without switching between tasks. Some argue that technology simply reflects human nature and that we alone are responsible for our self-control. While self-control plays a part, this view ignores the powerful design choices behind digital products. These tools are not neutral; they are engineered to be habit-forming, making it extremely difficult for people to step away even when they want to. To place the entire burden on individual willpower is unfair and unrealistic. Against this background, the idea of “digital minimalism” has risen in popularity. Coined by writer and professor Cal Newport, digital minimalism is not about completely abandoning technology. Instead, it is a philosophy of using only digital tools that directly support your values and goals, while removing those that waste your time and attention. It means setting clear boundaries: turning off unnecessary notifications, scheduling specific times for social media and creating tech-free zones in daily life. Practicing digital minimalism does not mean returning to a primitive lifestyle. Rather, it helps us regain control over our attention and use technology as a tool rather than letting it use us. When we free ourselves from endless scrolling, we create space for deep thinking, creative work and real human connection. Studies show that people who limit unplanned digital use report higher levels of well-being, better productivity and stronger relationships. The attention crisis will not solve itself. As technology becomes more advanced and more deeply integrated into life, the ability to manage our attention will become one of the most valuable skills we can possess. Choosing digital minimalism is not a rejection of progress; it is an act of self-respect and a defense of what makes us truly human — our ability to focus, create and connect deeply. 1．The underlined word “neutral” in Paragraph 3 probably means ________. A．without hidden purposes B．modern and convenient C．highly competitive D．simply designed 2．What can we learn about digital minimalism from the passage? A．It requires people to give up all digital devices. B．It helps people use technology in a targeted way. C．It was created to fight against modern technology. D．It has been widely accepted around the world. 3．It can be inferred from the passage that ________. A．deep work will become a basic skill in the near future B．willpower alone can solve the problem of digital distraction C．tech-free lifestyles are impossible in modern society D．overuse of digital products may harm people’s mental health 4．What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage? A．To introduce the history of digital technology. B．To criticize the disadvantages of social media. C．To advocate the value of digital minimalism. D．To explain the importance of self-control. 【答案】1．A 2．B 3．D 4．C 【导语】本文讨论了数字时代人类面临的专注力危机，分析了社交媒体等数字产品刻意抢夺注意力的设计逻辑，批判了单纯依赖个人意志力的观点，并倡导“数字极简主义”，呼吁人们主动掌控科技使用，重获深度专注与生活幸福感。 1．词句猜测题。根据第三段“These tools are not neutral; they are engineered to be habit-forming, making it extremely difficult for people to step away even when they want to.(这些工具并非neutral；它们被设计成容易让人形成习惯的形式，使得人们即使想要远离也极其困难。)”可知，这些数字工具带有明确的成瘾设计目的，并非无倾向的；因此“neutral”在此处意为“without hidden purposes”，表示“无隐藏目的的，中立的”。 2．细节理解题。根据第四段“Coined by writer and professor Cal Newport, digital minimalism is not about completely abandoning technology. Instead, it is a philosophy of using only digital tools that directly support your values and goals, while removing those that waste your time and attention.(由作家兼教授Cal Newport首创的，数字极简主义并非完全放弃科技。相反，它是一种理念，即只使用那些直接支持你的价值观和目标的数字工具，同时摒弃那些浪费你时间和注意力的工具。)”可知，数字极简主义倡导有针对性地使用科技，而非盲目使用。 3．推理判断题。根据第一段“Yet a growing number of studies sound a warning: this constant connectivity is destroying our ability to focus deeply, think critically and enjoy meaningful moments without digital distraction.(然而，越来越多的研究发出了警告：这种持续的连接正在摧毁我们深度专注、批判性思考以及在无数字干扰下享受有意义时刻的能力。)”和第五段“Studies show that people who limit unplanned digital use report higher levels of well-being, better productivity and stronger relationships.(研究表明，限制无计划数字使用的人报告了更高的幸福感、更好的生产力和更牢固的人际关系。)”可知，过度使用数字产品会损害专注力、降低幸福感，对人们的心理健康造成负面影响。 4．推理判断题。根据第六段“Choosing digital minimalism is not a rejection of progress; it is an act of self-respect and a defense of what makes us truly human — our ability to focus, create and connect deeply.(选择数字极简主义并非拒绝进步；它是一种自重的行为，也是对我们之所以为人的特质——专注、创造和深度连接的能力——的捍卫。)”可知，作者的核心目的是倡导数字极简主义的价值。 Passage 8 Camaraderie over Competence The importance of liking people is the subject of an article in the Harvard Business Review, which has carried out an experiment to find out who we’d rather work with. Hardly surprisingly, the people we want most as our workmates are both: brilliant at their jobs and delightful human beings. And the people we want least are both unpleasant and useless. More interestingly, the authors found that, given the choice between working with lovable fools and competent jerks (性情古怪的人), we irresistibly choose the former. Anyway, who likes those stupid men who annoy or hurt other people? We might insist that competence matters more, but our behavior shows we stay close to the people we like and sharing information with them. What companies should therefore do is get people to like each other more. The trick here is apparently to make sure staffs come across each other as often as possible during the day. They also should be sent on bonding courses and so on to encourage friendliness and break down displeasure. However, more outdoor-activity weekends and shared coffee machines inspire no confidence at all. The reality is that people either like each other or they don’t. You can’t force it. Possibly you can make offices friendlier by tolerating a lot of chat, but there is a productivity cost to that. In my experience, the question of lovable fool against competent jerk may not be the right one. The two are interrelated: we tend not to like our workmates when they are completely hopeless. I was once quite friendly with a woman whom I later worked with. I found her to be so outstandingly bad at her job that I lost respect for her and ended up not really liking her at all. Then is there anything that companies should be doing about it? By far the most effective strategy would be to hire people who are all pretty much the same, given that similarity is one of the main determinants of whether we like each other. I think this is a pretty good idea, but no one dares recommend this anymore without offending the diversity lobby group. There is only one acceptable view on this subject: teams of similar people are bad because they stop creativity. This may be true, though I have never seen any conclusive proof of it. Not only do we like similar people, we like people who like us. So if companies want to promote more liking, they should encourage a culture where we are all nice to each other. The trouble is that this needs to be done with some skill. 1．According to the research, which kind of colleagues would most people tend to choose? A．Nice but unintelligent. B．Creative but unattractive. C．Competent but unfriendly. D．Humorous but unambitious. 2．The author talks about her experience to show that ______. A．people respect outstanding leaders B．people tend to like optimistic workmates C．a workmate’s working ability is important D．talkative workmates makes offices friendlier 3．Some people think that similar people working together may ______. A．offend each other B．create fewer new ideas C．talk more and work less D．be likely to stick together 4．To encourage workmates to like each other, companies could ______. A．arrange the training course for workers to study together B．organize team-building activities outside the office C．encourage a diversity of opinions in workplace D．employ staff who have a lot in common 【答案】1．A 2．C 3．B 4．D 【导语】文章通过《哈佛商业评论》的研究和作者的个人经历，探讨了职场中“好感”与“能力”的权衡，指出人们倾向于选择讨喜但能力不足的同事，而非能干但讨厌的人，还强调相似性和相互欣赏对团队关系的影响。 1．细节理解题。根据第一段中“More interestingly, the authors found that, given the choice between working with lovable fools and competent jerks (性情古怪的人), we irresistibly choose the former. (更有趣的是，作者们发现，如果要在与可爱傻瓜合作和与能干但令人讨厌的人合作之间做出选择，我们总是情不自禁地选择前者。)”可知，根据研究，大多数人倾向于选择“友善但不聪明”的同事。 2．推理判断题。根据第三段中“I was once quite friendly with a woman whom I later worked with. I found her to be so outstandingly bad at her job that I lost respect for her and ended up not really liking her at all. (我曾经和一位女士关系很好，后来我们还一起工作过。我发现她工作能力实在很差，以至于我对她失去了尊重，最终对她完全没有好感了。)”可知，作者用亲身经历说明，即使最初关系友好，但若同事能力极差，也会导致尊重和好感的丧失，这表明同事的工作能力很重要。 3．细节理解题。根据第四段中“There is only one acceptable view on this subject: teams of similar people are bad because they stop creativity. (关于这个问题，只有一个被普遍认可的观点：由相似人员组成的团队是不好的，因为这会抑制创造力。)”可知，有些人认为相似的人一起工作可能产生更少的新想法。 4．细节理解题。根据第四段中“By far the most effective strategy would be to hire people who are all pretty much the same, given that similarity is one of the main determinants of whether we like each other. (迄今为止，最有效的策略应该是招聘那些彼此非常相似的人，因为相似性是决定我们是否相互喜欢的主要因素之一。)”可知，为了鼓励同事互相喜欢，公司可以雇佣有共同点的员工。 Passage 9 Before he goes to bed each night, Matthew Wang logs on to DeepSeek for‌ “therapy (治疗) sessions”. Ever since January 2025, when the breakout Chinese AI app launched, the 28-year-old has brought his dilemmas and sorrows, including the recent death of his grandfather, to the chatbot. Its responses have resonated (共鸣) so deeply that they have at times brought him to tears. ‌“DeepSeek has been such an amazing counsellor (咨询师). It has helped me look at things from different perspectives and does a better job than the paid counselling services I have tried,” says Matthew. DeepSeek is a generative AI tool trained on massive amounts of information to recognise patterns. This allows it to predict things like people’s shopping habits, create new content in text and images, and also carry on conversations like a person. The chatbot has struck a chord in China partly because it offers something unique: its AI model, R1, lets users see its‌ “thought process” before delivering a response. While the success of DeepSeek has inspired national pride, it also appears to have become a source of comfort for young Chinese like Matthew. Nan Jia, a business and management professor at the University of Southern California, who coauthored a paper on AI’s potential in offering emotional support, suggests that these chatbots can‌ “help people feel heard” in ways fellow humans may not.‌ “Friends and family may be quick to offer practical solutions or advice when people just want to feel heard and understood,” Nan says. A young woman, Holly, who lives in Hubei province, had asked DeepSeek if she was oversharing her experiences and emotions with family and friends. In reasoning through her question, DeepSeek suggested that her worry of being an over-sharer might come from a deep desire for love. The chatbot gives itself a mental note: ‌“Response should offer practical advice while being empathetic (同理心的).” This could include‌ “affirming the user’s sense of self-awareness”.‌ “When I read DeepSeek’s thought process, I felt so moved,” Holly wrote on RedNote. The demand for mental health services has grown across the world but they remain inaccessible in parts of Asia, experts say. Fang Kecheng, a communications professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong says there is a ‌“significant shortage” of professional psychological counselling services in China, and those available are often‌ “prohibitively expensive” for most individuals. Prof Nan stressed, however, that people with serious mental health conditions should not rely on these apps. ‌“Those who have medical needs, in particular, should be seeking help from trained professionals… Their use of AI will have to be checked very closely,” she says. 1．The author mentions Matthew Wang’s experience to _______. A．question an opinion B．challenge a career C．illustrate a phenomenon D．make a comparison 2．What do you think is probably DeepSeek’s answer to Holly’s question? A．‌“Before sharing, ask yourself: ‘Am I too emotional?’” B．‌“Feeling sad when disrespected is completely understandable.” C．‌“Your habit of sharing might be due to a sense of overconfidence.” D．‌“It’s thoughtful of you to reflect on how your sharing impacts others.” 3．What is Prof Nan’s attitude towards AI’s emotional support? A．Supportive. B．Objective. C．Indifferent. D．Doubtful. 【答案】1．C 2．D 3．B 【导语】本文介绍DeepSeek人工智能可为年轻人提供情感慰藉与心理疏导，弥补国内心理咨询短缺且昂贵的现状，同时专家提醒重症心理患者不可依赖AI。 1．推理判断题。根据第一段“Before he goes to bed each night, Matthew Wang logs on to DeepSeek for‌ “therapy (治疗) sessions”.(马修・王每晚睡前都会登录深度求索AI进行“心理疗愈对话”。)”以及第二段“DeepSeek has been such an amazing counsellor (咨询师). It has helped me look at things from different perspectives and does a better job than the paid counselling services I have tried,(深度求索就像一位出色的咨询师，帮我换角度看待问题，比我体验过的付费心理咨询还要好，)”可知，作者举马修的例子是为举例说明AI充当情感慰藉的社会现象。 2．推理判断题。根据第六段“In reasoning through her question, DeepSeek suggested that her worry of being an over-sharer might come from a deep desire for love. The chatbot gives itself a mental note: ‌“Response should offer practical advice while being empathetic (同理心的).” This could include‌ “affirming the user’s sense of self-awareness”.‌ (在思考她的问题时，DeepSeek指出，她担心自己过度分享，或许源于内心对爱的深切渴望。这款聊天机器人给自己留下了一条心理提示：“回应既要提供实用建议，也要富有同理心。”这可以包括“肯定用户的自我觉察意识”。)”并结合选项可知，D 项“你能反思自己的倾诉是否影响他人，心思很细腻”既共情又肯定她的自省，符合AI的回复逻辑。 3．推理判断题。根据第五段“Nan Jia, a business and management professor at the University of Southern California, who coauthored a paper on AI’s potential in offering emotional support, suggests that these chatbots can‌ “help people feel heard” in ways fellow humans may not.‌ (南加州大学商学与管理学教授Nan Jia曾与人合著一篇关于人工智能在情感支持方面潜力的论文。她表示，这类聊天机器人能够以人类同伴未必能做到的方式，让人们感到自己被倾听。)”以及最后一段“Prof Nan stressed, however, that people with serious mental health conditions should not rely on these apps. ‌“Those who have medical needs, in particular, should be seeking help from trained professionals… Their use of AI will have to be checked very closely,” she says.(然而，Nan教授强调，有严重心理健康问题的人不应依赖这些应用程序。“尤其是那些有医疗需求的人，应当向受过专业训练的人士寻求帮助……他们使用人工智能的情况必须受到非常严格的监控。”她说。)”可知，Nan教授既认可AI情感陪伴的价值，又提醒不可过度依赖，态度客观理性。 Passage 10 Try Hard, but Not That Hard. So many of us were raised with the belief of hard work and max effort, taught that what we put in was what we got out. Now, some coaches and corporate leaders have a new message. Trying to run at top speed will actually lead to slower running times. Lifting heavy weights until you absolutely can’t any more won’t spark more muscle gain than stopping a little sooner. The trick — be it in exercise, or anything — is to try for 85%. Aiming for perfection often makes us feel awful, burns us out and backfires (事与愿违). Instead, count the fact that you hit eight out of ten of your targets this quarter as a win. “I already messed it up,” Sherri Phillips would regret after missing one of her daily personal goals. Last year, the COO of a Manhattan photography business began tracking metrics (指标) like her sleep quality and exercise time. It was only after she switched to aiming for 85% success over a week that she stuck with her efforts, instead of giving up when she missed a mark. Dialing in on the sweet spot of 85% can help us grow. In a 2019 paper, researchers used machine learning to try to find the ideal difficulty level to learn new things. The neural network they created, meant to mimic (模仿) the human brain, learned best when it was faced with queries (疑问) set to 85% difficulty, meaning it got questions right 85% of the time. If a task is too hard, humans get demotivated, says Bob Wilson, an author of the study. “If you never make any errors, you’re 100% accurate, well, you can’t learn from the mistakes.” Ron Shaich, a founder and former CEO of restaurant chain Panera, is skeptical of people who hit 100% on sales targets. He wonders if the goals are too low. They should be ambitious enough that you won’t always get there, he says. Now an investor, board member and author of a coming business book that stresses 80% equals success, Shaich is convinced most companies don’t even hit that number. Years ago, as a consultant, Grace Ueng learned the “80-20 rule.” The idea was to stop once you were 80% complete on a project, she says. Ueng recently took up piano. She practiced for long hours and still grimaced (面露痛苦) when she performed for her music group. Then she started tackling small chunks of a piece instead of running through the whole thing again and again. Before a recent performance, she read a book and went to church instead of putting in extra hours at the piano. When it was time to perform, she played well — and actually enjoyed it. “You have to have the wisdom,”she says, “to know when to stop.” 1．What does the underlined phrase “sweet spot” in Paragraph 4 probably mean? A．The most appropriate degree for progress B．The toughest level for challenging ourselves C．The lowest standard to avoid making errors D．The strictest principle to keep working hard 2．According to Ron Shaich, what does consistently hitting 100% targets suggest? A．Exceptional performance. B．Perfect strategic planning. C．High levels of employee motivation. D．Goals not ambitious enough. 3．What can be inferred from the passage? A．Sherri Phillips would not regret any more after tracking 85% metrics. B．Bob Wilson thinks 100% accuracy gets people full of motivation. C．Grace Ueng felt optimistic after she played the piano for a long time. D．Researchers believe the ideal learning way is to face difficult queries. 4．What is the main message of the passage? A．Maximum effort is key to success. B．Proper aims and effort enhance performance. C．Striving for perfection leads to burnout. D．Consistent hard work guarantees success. 【答案】1．A 2．D 3．A 4．B 【导语】主要介绍凡事不必追求极致努力与完美目标，百分之八十五的适度付出更利于成长、学习与长期发展。 1．词句猜测题。根据第四段中的“Dialing in on the sweet spot of 85% can help us grow. In a 2019 paper, researchers used machine learning to try to find the ideal difficulty level to learn new things. The neural network they created, meant to mimic (模仿) the human brain, learned best when it was faced with queries (疑问) set to 85% difficulty, meaning it got questions right 85% of the time. (聚焦百分之八十五的sweet spot，有助于我们成长。在2019年的一篇论文中，研究人员借助机器学习，试图找出学习新知识的理想难度水平。他们搭建的神经网络旨在模仿人脑，在面对难度设定为百分之八十五的问题时学习效果最佳，即答题正确率达到百分之八十五。)”可知，85%的努力程度与难度是适合进步、利于提升的理想状态，因此，画线短语“sweet spot”暗示“利于进步的最合适尺度”符合语境。 2．细节理解题。根据第五段中的“Ron Shaich, a founder and former CEO of restaurant chain Panera, is skeptical of people who hit 100% on sales targets. He wonders if the goals are too low. They should be ambitious enough that you won’t always get there, he says.(连锁餐厅Panera的创始人和前首席执行官Ron Shaich对那些100%完成销售目标的人持怀疑态度。他怀疑目标是否太低了。他说，他们应该有足够的雄心壮志，这样你就不会总能达到目标。)”可知，在他看来，总能完全达成目标，意味着目标不够远大。 3．推理判断题。根据第三段““I already messed it up,” Sherri Phillips would regret after missing one of her daily personal goals. Last year, the COO of a Manhattan photography business began tracking metrics (指标) like her sleep quality and exercise time. It was only after she switched to aiming for 85% success over a week that she stuck with her efforts, instead of giving up when she missed a mark. (“我已经把事情搞砸了，”Sherri Phillips在错过一个日常个人目标后会后悔。去年，曼哈顿一家摄影公司的首席运营官开始跟踪自己的睡眠质量和锻炼时间等指标。直到她将目标改为在一周内达到85%的成功率后，她才坚持自己的努力，而不是在未达到某个目标时就放弃。)”可知，Sherri Phillips在调整到追求一周内85%的成功率后，能坚持努力而不是因未达成目标而放弃，她不再后悔，A选项正确。 4．主旨大意题。通读全文，尤其是第二段中的“The trick — be it in exercise, or anything — is to try for 85%. Aiming for perfection often makes us feel awful, burns us out and backfires (事与愿违). (无论是运动还是各类事务，做事的诀窍是付出百分之八十五的努力。一味追求完美会让人身心疲惫，最终适得其反。)”可知，文章围绕适度努力、合理设定目标展开论述，说明恰当的目标与适量的付出，能够有效提升综合表现。 Passage 11 Evan Selinger, professor in RIT’s Department of Philosophy, has taken an interest in the ethics (伦理标准) of AI and the policy gaps that need to be filled in. Through a humanities viewpoint, Selinger asks the questions, “How can AI cause harm, and what can governments and companies creating AI programs do to address and manage it?” Answering them, he explained, requires an interdisciplinary approach. “AI ethics go beyond technical fixes. Philosophers and other humanities experts are uniquely skilled to address the nuanced (微妙的) principles, value conflicts, and power dynamics. These skills aren’t just crucial for addressing current issues. We desperately need them to promote anticipatory (先行的) governance,” said Selinger. One example that illustrates how philosophy and humanities experts can help guide these new, rapidly growing technologies is Selinger’s work collaborating with a special AI project. “One of the skills I bring to the table is identifying core ethical issues in emerging technologies that haven’t been built or used by the public. We can take preventative steps to limit risk, including changing how the technology is designed.” said Selinger. Taking these preventative steps and regularly reassessing what risks need addressing is part of the ongoing journey in pursuit of creating responsible AI. Selinger explains that there isn’t a step-by-step approach for good governance. “AI ethics have core values and principles, but there’s endless disagreement about interpreting and applying them and creating meaningful accountability mechanisms,” said Selinger. “Some people are rightly worried that AI can become integrated into ‘ethics washing’ — weak checklists, flowery mission statements, and empty rhetoric that covers over abuses of power. Fortunately, I’ve had great conversations about this issue, including with some experts, on why it is important to consider a range of positions.” Some of Selinger’s recent research has focused on the back-end issues with developing AI, such as the human impact that comes with testing AI chatbots before they’re released to the public. Other issues focus on policy, such as what to do about the dangers posed by facial recognition and other automated surveillance (监视) approaches. Selinger is making sure his students are informed about the ongoing industry conversations on AI ethics and responsible AI. “Students are going to be future tech leaders. Now is the time to help them think about what goals their companies should have and the costs of minimizing ethical concerns. Beyond social costs, downplaying ethics can negatively impact corporate culture and hiring,” said Selinger. “To attract top talent, you need to consider whether your company matches their interests and hopes for the future.” 1．Selinger advocates an interdisciplinary approach because . A．it can avoid social conflicts and pressing issues B．AI ethics heavily depends on technological solutions C．it demonstrates the power of anticipatory governance D．humanities experts possess skills essential for AI ethics 2．To promote responsible AI, Selinger believes we should . A．adopt a systematic approach B．apply innovative technologies C．anticipate ethical risks beforehand D．establish accountability mechanisms 3．What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs? A．More companies will use AI to attract top talent. B．Understanding AI ethics will help students in the future. C．Selinger favors companies that match his students’ values. D．Selinger is likely to focus on back-end issues such as policy. 【答案】1．D 2．C 3．B 【导语】文章主要说明了RIT哲学系教授Evan Selinger对于对人工智能的伦理的一些看法和建议。 1．细节理解题。根据第三段中Selinger的话“AI ethics go beyond technical fixes. Philosophers and other humanities experts are uniquely skilled to address the nuanced (微妙的) principles, value conflicts, and power dynamics. These skills aren’t just crucial for addressing current issues. We desperately need them to promote anticipatory (先行的) governance (人工智能伦理问题并非仅靠技术手段就能解决。哲学家及其他人文学科专家拥有独特的技能，能够处理微妙的准则、价值冲突和权力动态。这些技能不仅对于解决当前问题至关重要，我们更迫切地需要它们来推动前瞻性治理)”可知，Selinger倡导跨学科方法是因为哲学家和其他人文学科专家拥有处理AI伦理问题所必需的独特技能。 2．细节理解题。根据第四段中Selinger的话“One of the skills I bring to the table is identifying core ethical issues in emerging technologies that haven’t been built or used by the public. We can take preventative steps to limit risk, including changing how the technology is designed. (我能提供的一项技能是识别新兴技术中尚未被公众构建或使用的核心伦理问题。我们可以采取预防措施来限制风险，包括改变技术的设计方式)”以及第五段中“Taking these preventative steps and regularly reassessing what risks need addressing is part of the ongoing journey in pursuit of creating responsible AI. (采取这些预防措施并定期重新评估需要应对的风险，是追求创造负责任的AI的持续过程的一部分)”可知，为了促进负责任的AI，Selinger认为我们应该预先预测伦理风险。 3．推理判断题。根据最后一段““Students are going to be future tech leaders. Now is the time to help them think about what goals their companies should have and the costs of minimizing ethical concerns. Beyond social costs, downplaying ethics can negatively impact corporate culture and hiring,” said Selinger. “To attract top talent, you need to consider whether your company matches their interests and hopes for the future.”(Selinger说道：“学生们将成为未来的科技领袖。现在是时候帮助他们思考他们的公司应该有什么样的目标，以及最小化道德问题的成本。除了社会成本之外，轻视道德还会对企业文化和招聘产生负面影响。为了吸引顶尖人才，你需要考虑你的公司是否符合他们的兴趣和对未来的希望。”)”可推知，理解人工智能伦理对学生未来有帮助。 Passage 12 Due to shifts in media consumption and cultural habits, the relevance of poetry in our modern-day society remains the subject of debate. Critics argue that poetry has become outdated. However, poetry is, as the 18th century English poet John Keats put it, as follows:“A thing of beauty is a joy forever: Its loveliness increases; it will never Pass into nothingness; but still will keep A bower quiet for us, and a sleep Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.” I believe that poetry is still relevant today as it holds great benefit in our complex and fast-paced world. Often, we hear comments that it is difficult to understand poems. Indeed, the deep meanings, metaphors and ambiguity (模糊不清) sometimes make it difficult for common people to enjoy them. To put it simply, it must be an acquired taste to find difficult language attractive. Against the background of a fast-paced world, the puzzling language of poetry might not appeal to most people. Yet poetry, for all its complexities, allows individuals to express complex emotions and experiences in a way that standard language is unable to. Life is complex and often rejects a straightforward interpretation of its difficulties, so it makes sense that poetry does the same. Poet Dylan Thomas wrote, “Poetry is what in a poem makes you laugh, cry, prickles (有刺痛感), be silent, makes your toe nails twinkle, makes you want to do this or nothing, or that or nothing, makes you know that you are alone in the unknown world, that your bliss and suffering is forever shared and forever all your own.” Poetry also plays a critical role in helping young people reflect on important issues. The rise in the consumption of short form content has conditioned the brain to seek instant gratification (满足), weakening the ability for deep thinking. On the other hand, reading complicated poetry can force readers to appreciate language rather than mindlessly snack on information, which might lead to an improvement in critical thinking skills. In an age of speed, poems can help people slow down and think about life. Poetry, as an art form, also encourages creativity by offering an outlet for imaginative thinking and personal expression. In a world that is facing many complex problems, creativity fuels the development of new approaches that solve real-world problems. Poetry is a powerful tool for enhancing creativity as it allows individuals to break free from traditional forms of expression and experiment with language, rhythm, structure and sound. Besides language, poetry invites writers to dig deeply into emotions and ideas, allowing new insights to be uncovered. Poetry might not be as popular now as it was in the past, but its benefits cannot be overlooked. Our modern world provides many reasons for why poetry is still relevant. It might not be possible to encourage everyday readers to enjoy poems such as The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot, but they certainly can learn to enjoy a poem that both challenges and entertains. 1．Why does the author mention John Keats’ poem? A．To explain what poetry is. B．To argue poetry is relevant. C．To give an example of good poems. D．To draw people’s attention to the topic. 2．What might be a reason for the decline of poetry? A．Poets refuse to experiment with new structures and sounds. B．Its complex language and deep meanings are hard to appreciate. C．The modern world is gradually losing complex experiences. D．Common people lack the basic education to read metaphors. 3．What can we learn from the passage? A．People read poetry to improve critical skills. B．Poetry erases the effects of short-form content. C．Reading poetry makes one feel connected. D．Imagination in poems breaks traditional boundaries. 4．Which would be the best title for the passage? A．Poetry Connects Past and Present B．Poetry Loses Its Charm to New Media C．Poetry Still Matters in Modern Times D．Poetry Fuels Thinking and Imagination 【答案】1．B 2．B 3．C 4．C 【导语】主要围绕诗歌在现代社会是否还有价值展开论述，从情感表达、思维提升、激发创造力等方面证明诗歌仍有现实意义。 1．推理判断题。根据第一段中的“However, poetry is, as the 18th century English poet John Keats put it, as follows: “A thing of beauty is a joy forever: Its loveliness increases; it will never Pass into nothingness; but still will keep A bower quiet for us, and a sleep Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.”(然而，正如18世纪英国诗人约翰·济慈所说，诗歌如下：“美好的事物永远是一种欢乐：它的可爱之处会不断增加；它永远不会化为虚无；但它仍会为我们保留一个宁静的凉亭，一场充满甜蜜梦想、健康和宁静呼吸的睡眠。”)”以及第二段中的“I believe that poetry is still relevant today as it holds great benefit in our complex and fast-paced world.(我认为诗歌在当今依旧有存在价值，因为它在我们这个复杂且快节奏的世界中具有巨大的益处。)”可知，作者引用济慈的诗句，是为了佐证自己的观点，论证诗歌在现代社会依旧有价值、有现实意义。 2．细节理解题。根据第三段中的“Indeed, the deep meanings, metaphors and ambiguity (模糊不清) sometimes make it difficult for common people to enjoy them. To put it simply, it must be an acquired taste to find difficult language attractive. Against the background of a fast-paced world, the puzzling language of poetry might not appeal to most people.(事实上，诗歌深层的含义、隐喻和模糊不清有时会让普通人难以欣赏它们。简单来说，要觉得晦涩的语言有吸引力，必须是一种后天培养的品味。在快节奏世界的背景下，诗歌令人费解的语言可能无法吸引大多数人。)”可知，诗歌衰落的原因是其复杂的语言、深层的含义、隐喻和晦涩感难以被大众理解和欣赏。 3．推理判断题。根据第四段中的“Poet Dylan Thomas wrote, “Poetry is what in a poem makes you laugh, cry, prickles (有刺痛感), be silent, makes your toe nails twinkle, makes you want to do this or nothing, or that or nothing, makes you know that you are alone in the unknown world, that your bliss and suffering is forever shared and forever all your own.”(诗人狄兰·托马斯写道：“诗歌就是诗中能让你笑、让你哭、让你感到刺痛、让你沉默、让你的脚趾甲闪闪发亮、让你想做这件事或什么都不做、做那件事或什么都不做的东西，让你知道你在未知的世界里是孤独的，你的喜悦和痛苦永远是共享的，永远是你自己的。”)”可知，诗歌能让人感受到自己的悲欢既与他人相通共享，又专属自我，能让人产生情感共鸣，感受到与他人的联结，因此我们能从文章中得知，读诗歌会让人感到彼此相连。 4．主旨大意题。通读全文，尤其是首段中的“Due to shifts in media consumption and cultural habits, the relevance of poetry in our modern-day society remains the subject of debate. Critics argue that poetry has become outdated.(由于媒体消费和文化习惯的转变，诗歌在我们现代社会的意义仍然是争论的话题。批评者认为诗歌已经过时了。)”以及最后一段中的“Poetry might not be as popular now as it was in the past, but its benefits cannot be overlooked. Our modern world provides many reasons for why poetry is still relevant. It might not be possible to encourage everyday readers to enjoy poems such as The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot, but they certainly can learn to enjoy a poem that both challenges and entertains.(诗歌现在可能不像过去那么受欢迎了，但它的益处不容忽视。我们的现代世界为诗歌仍然具有意义提供了许多理由。或许无法鼓励普通读者欣赏T.S.艾略特的《荒原》这样的诗歌，但他们肯定可以学会欣赏一首既具有挑战性又能带来乐趣的诗歌。)”可知，文章围绕诗歌在现代社会是否还有意义展开，从诗歌能表达复杂情感、帮助年轻人反思重要问题、激发创造力等方面，论证了诗歌在现代社会依旧重要、仍有现实价值，所以“Poetry Still Matters in Modern Times(诗歌在现代依旧重要)”最能概括全文核心，适合作为最佳标题。 Passage 13 In an era when artificial intelligence can generate images in seconds, why would anyone spend months learning to embroider (刺绣) by hand? These questions challenge young people considering careers in traditional crafts. Yet paradoxically, as technology advances, handmade creations may become more valuable, not less. Consider Zhang, a 21-year-old digital media major who recently won a prize for designing cultural products inspired by the Palace Museum. She used AI as an exploratory tool during her creative process. The software helped her generate stylistic variations quickly. But she didn’t stop there. She then spent weeks refining designs manually, ensuring cultural accuracy and emotional depth that algorithms (算法) alone could not achieve. “When I studied elements of the Palace Museum, I deepened my understanding of why they existed and how to express their meaning through modern design,” Zhang explains. The AI provided possibilities; human judgment selected among them. This collaboration between human and machine represents a growing agreement among experts: technology should not replace creativity but expand its possibilities. Gao Yang, a competition judge, notes, “AI can quickly generate stylistic variations, but designers must focus on emotional tone and cultural logic.” The key lies in applying humanistic thinking to guide digital tools. Crafts carry something machines cannot copy: human story. When Padruk Tendhar, a 25-year-old Tibetan designer, restores classical costumes, he is not just reproducing patterns. He is recovering meaning — the dignity conveyed by a wider waistline, the elegance surrounding the face in traditional silhouettes (轮廓). His designs emerge from years of studying art archaeology and understanding why ancestors created things the way they did. Some worry that as younger generations embrace tradition, authenticity might be lost. When traditional patterns appear on thermal cups, are they being respected or commercialized? Yet defenders of innovation argue that traditions have always evolved. The embroideries admired in museums today were once contemporary designs. What matters is not preserving forms unchanged but maintaining connections — between past and present, between maker and material. This perspective explains why young people turn to traditional crafts even as technology advances. In university clubs across China, students gather to learn papercutting, woodcarving, and folk music. Their motivation isn’t practical — few will become professional artisans. Instead, they seek something technology cannot provide: tangible connection to human continuity. As one participant put it after learning from a master woodcarver, “When I hold the tool he held for sixty years, I feel time differently. The wood speaks of patience, of hands that came before.” In an age of instant everything, that may be tradition’s most precious gift. 1．What role did AI play in Zhang’s creative process? A．It served as a tool to explore stylistic possibilities. B．It autonomously produced the designs that won the competition. C．It was used primarily to test consumer preferences before production. D．It removed Zhang’s need to study the Palace Museum’s cultural elements. 2．Why does the author mention Padruk Tendhar’s work? A．To show that young Tibetans prefer modern fashion over tradition. B．To prove that Tibetan designs have become popular only recently. C．To explain that traditional crafts carry cultural meaning beyond patterns. D．To suggest that restoring classical costumes requires hard work and knowledge. 3．The underlined word “tangible” most probably means something that ______. A．exists in digital form B．can be touched or felt physically C．can be understood by the mind D．continues through generations 4．What is the author’s main argument in the passage? A．AI’s assistance in design is the key to preserving traditional crafts. B．Young people are embracing crafts with the help of digital tools. C．Human cultural understanding remains essential in design in the era of AI. D．AI is superior to humans in generating creative designs for cultural products. 【答案】1．A 2．C 3．B 4．C 【导语】本文主要介绍AI时代传统工艺因承载人类故事和文化意义，年轻人通过结合数字工具与人文思考，重视其不可替代的价值。 1．细节理解题。根据第二段“She used AI as an exploratory tool during her creative process. The software helped her generate stylistic variations quickly. (她在创作过程中使用AI作为探索工具。该软件帮助她快速生成风格变化。)”可知，AI在张的创作中是探索风格可能性的工具。 2．推理判断题。根据第四段“Crafts carry something machines cannot copy: human story. When Padruk Tendhar, a 25-year-old Tibetan designer, restores classical costumes, he is not just reproducing patterns. He is recovering meaning — the dignity conveyed by a wider waistline, the elegance surrounding the face in traditional silhouettes (轮廓). (工艺品承载着机器无法复制的东西：人类故事。25岁的西藏设计师帕德鲁克·滕达尔在修复传统服饰时，不仅仅是复制图案。他在恢复意义——更宽的腰线所传达的尊严，传统轮廓中面部周围的优雅。)”可知，作者提及他的工作是为了说明传统工艺承载超越图案的文化意义。 3．词句猜测题。根据第六段“Instead, they seek something technology cannot provide: tangible connection to human continuity. As one participant put it after learning from a master woodcarver, “When I hold the tool he held for sixty years, I feel time differently. The wood speaks of patience, of hands that came before.”(相反，他们寻求技术无法提供的东西：与人类延续的tangible联系。一位参与者在向一位木雕大师学习后说道：“当我握住他拿了六十年的工具时，我对时间的感受不同了。”)”可知，他们追寻与人文传承之间真切实在的联结，并结合作者手握老工具、触碰木料的实体体验可判断，tangible表示“可触摸的”。 4．主旨大意题。根据第三段“AI can quickly generate stylistic variations, but designers must focus on emotional tone and cultural logic. (AI可以快速生成风格变化，但设计师必须关注情感基调和文化逻辑。)”及第四段“Crafts carry something machines cannot copy: human story. (工艺品承载着机器无法复制的东西：人类故事)”可知，作者主要论证AI时代人类文化理解在设计中仍不可或缺。 Passage 14 The idea that we have brains hardwired with a mental module for learning grammar — famously supported by Noam Chomsky of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — has dominated linguistics (语言学) for almost half a century. Recently, though, evidence has overtaken Chomsky’s “universal grammar” theory. In Chomsky’s first version of his theory put forward in the mid-20th century, the languages people use to communicate in everyday life behaved like mathematically-based languages of the newly emerging field of computer science. A computer-like program could produce sentences real people thought were grammatical. As Chomsky was developing his computational theories, he was also proposing that they were rooted in human biology. His universal grammar was put forward as an inborn component of the human mind — and it promised to reveal the deep biological foundations of the world’s 6,000-plus human languages. So this theory held immediate appeal. Yet much research now suggests that language acquisition does not take place as Chomsky’s theory explains. Learning of a child’s first language does not rely on an inborn grammar module. Instead the new research shows that young children use various types of thinking that may not be specific to language at all — such as the ability to classify the world into categories (people or objects, for instance) and to understand the relations among things. These capabilities, coupled with a unique human ability to grasp what others intend to communicate, allow language to happen. For instance, English-speaking children understand “The cat ate the rabbit,” and through analogy they also understand “The lion tickled the goat.” They generalize from hearing one example to another. After enough examples of this kind, they might even be able to guess who did what to whom in the sentence “The gazzer mibbed the toma,” even though some of the words are literally meaningless. Chomsky has allowed us to see new things, but also blinded us to other aspects of language. In linguistics fields, many researchers are becoming ever more dissatisfied with a totally formal language approach such as universal grammar. Moreover, many modern researchers are also unhappy with armchair theoretical analyses, when there are large collections of linguistic data — many now available online — that can be analyzed to test a theory. There are exciting new discoveries to be made by investigating the details of the world’s different languages, how they are similar to and different from one another, how they change historically, and how young children acquire competence in one or more of them. Universal grammar appears to have been inching toward a death for years. It is dying so slowly because, as physicist Max Planck once noted, older scholars tend to hang on to the old ways: “Science progresses one funeral at a time.” 1．What can we learn about Chomsky’s theory from the passage? A．Categorizing ability is rooted in the human mind. B．Humans are programmed with a grammar module. C．Communication intention makes language emerge. D．Computer science contributes to language learning. 2．Why does the author mention the example in Paragraph 4? A．To highlight the right aspect of Chomsky’s theory. B．To present kids’ difficulty in learning English language. C．To prove kids learn language without an inborn module. D．To uncover the inner mechanism in language acquisition. 3．How does the author think of Chomsky’s “universal grammar” theory? A．Faulty. B．Stable. C．Worthless. D．Appealing. 4．Which would be the best title for this passage? A．Should Linguistic Data Be Used to Test a Theory? B．Can Children Acquire Language in an Easier Way? C．Will Chomsky’s Universal Grammar Be Replaced? D．Does Chomsky’s Theory Help Language Acquisition? 【答案】1．B 2．C 3．A 4．C 【导语】主要介绍麻省理工学院的诺姆·乔姆斯基提出的 “普遍语法” 理论在近半个世纪主导语言学，但近来有证据表明该理论存在缺陷，许多研究者对此不满，探讨该理论是否会被取代。 1．细节理解题。根据第一段“The idea that we have brains hardwired with a mental module for learning grammar — famously supported by Noam Chomsky of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology(我们的大脑天生就有一个学习语法的心理模块，这一观点得到了麻省理工学院诺姆·乔姆斯基的大力支持）以及第二段“His universal grammar was put forward as an inborn component of the human mind(他的普遍语法被提出作为人类思维的一种先天组成部分)”可知，乔姆斯基的理论认为人类天生就被设置了一个语法模块。 2．推理判断题。根据第三段“Learning of a child’s first language does not rely on an inborn grammar module.(儿童学习第一语言并不依赖于先天的语法模块)”以及第四段举例说讲英语的孩子通过类比理解句子，即使有些词没有实际意义也能猜测句子意思，这是为了证明孩子学习语言并非依靠先天的语法模块。 3．推理判断题。根据第五段“Chomsky has allowed us to see new things, but also blinded us to other aspects of language. In linguistics fields, many researchers are becoming ever more dissatisfied with a totally formal language approach such as universal grammar.(乔姆斯基让我们看到了新的东西，但也让我们对语言的其他方面视而不见。在语言学领域，许多研究者对像普遍语法这样完全形式化的语言方法越来越不满)”可知，作者认为乔姆斯基的“普遍语法”理论存在缺陷。 4．主旨大意题。文章开篇介绍乔姆斯基的“普遍语法”理论曾主导语言学，接着阐述许多研究表明该理论存在问题，很多研究者对其不满，最后提到“Universal grammar appears to have been inching toward a death for years.(多年来，普遍语法似乎一直在慢慢走向消亡)”，所以“乔姆斯基的普遍语法会被取代吗？”最适合作文章标题。 Passage 15 We humanists have been defending humanities (人文学科) for many decades now, but the crisis of the humanities only grows. In the face of declining student interest and mounting political scrutiny (审查), universities and colleges are increasingly cutting funding for humanities departments. As a humanist, someone who reads, teaches and researches mainly philosophy and literature, I am prepared to admit that I do not know what the value of the humanities is. I don’t know whether the study of humanities promotes democracy (民主) or improves your moral character or enriches your leisure time or improves your critical thinking skills or increases your empathy. I once asked the best teacher I ever had why she no longer taught her favorite novel, and she said that she stopped teaching a book when she found she was no longer curious about it. The humanistic spirit is, fundamentally, an inquisitive (好奇的) one. In contrast, defenses of the humanities are not and cannot be conducted in an inquisitive spirit, because a defensive spirit is inimical to an inquisitive one. Defensiveness is, it must be admitted, an understandable response when the chopping block (砧板) is brought out and you need to explain why you shouldn’t be on it. It may be that humanists need to spend time joining political battles, which requires their participants to pretend to know things that they do not actually know. Nonetheless, an atmosphere of urgency and calls for immediate action are unfavorable to fields of study like literature and philosophy that require a reflective mood, and pretending to know what one doesn’t actually know is unfavorable to forms of inquiry that demand an open mind. A defensive mindset also encourages politicization. If the study of literature or philosophy helps to fight racism or to promote democracy and everyone agrees that racism is bad, and democracy is good — then you have your answer as to why we shouldn’t cut funding for the study of literature or philosophy. Politicization is a way of arming the humanities for its political battles, but it comes at an intellectual cost. Why is racism so bad? Why is democracy so good? Politicization silences these and other questions, whereas the function of the humanities is to raise them. Humanists are not alone in their ignorance about the purpose of their disciplines. But scientists are under a lot less pressure to explain why they exist because the society at large believes itself to already have the answer to that question. I may not know why it’s important to read Homer and Plato, but I do have a deep love for reading, teaching and pondering the texts. The love is what I want to share with others, as well as the surprise and delight of finding resonance (共鸣). The task of humanists is to invite, to welcome, to excite, to engage. And when we let ourselves be ourselves, when we allow the humanistic spirit to flow out not only into our classrooms but also in our public-self presentation, we find we don’t need to defend or prove anything: We are irresistible. 1．What troubles the humanists most regarding the crisis in humanities? A．Students’ lack of interest in studying humanities courses. B．People’s little knowledge regarding the purpose of humanities. C．The mounting political scrutiny faced by humanities departments. D．The pressure on humanists to argue for the value of their disciplines. 2．What does the word “inimical” underlined in Paragraph 3 most probably mean? A．Sensitive. B．Contrary. C．Immune. D．Relevant. 3．What can be inferred about a defensive mindset? A．It weakens human’s intellectual capacity. B．It is the worst action to take in the face of the crisis. C．It requires a reflective mood on the study of humanities. D．It brings about a lower chance of survival for humanities. 4．Which of the following might the author most probably agree? A．Humanities may not need any defense. B．Science is more useful than humanities. C．The future of humanities remains cloudy. D．The battle of humanities is a hard one to fight. 【答案】1．D 2．B 3．A 4．A 【导语】文章围绕人文学科危机展开论述。作者指出人文学科长期面临经费削减的困境，人文主义者被迫为学科价值辩护，而防御性心态违背人文好奇探究的本质、导致学科政治化、损耗思想深度；最终提出人文主义者应回归本真精神，无需刻意辩护与证明。 1．细节理解题。根据第二段“As a humanist, someone who reads, teaches and researches mainly philosophy and literature, I am prepared to admit that I do not know what the value of the humanities is.(作为一名人文主义者，我主要从事哲学和文学方面的阅读、教学和研究工作。因此，我准备承认，我并不清楚人文科学的价值究竟为何)”及第三段“Defensiveness is, it must be admitted, an understandable response when the chopping block (砧板) is brought out and you need to explain why you shouldn’t be on it.(必须承认，当砧板被搬出来，而你需要解释为什么你不该被放在上面时，防御心态是一种可以理解的反应)”可知，令人文学者最为困扰的并非危机的某一表面现象，而是他们不得不为自己学科的价值进行辩护的巨大压力。 2．词句猜测题。根据划线词所在句“In contrast, defenses of the humanities are not and cannot be conducted in an inquisitive spirit, because a defensive spirit is inimical to an inquisitive one. (相比之下，对人文科学的辩护绝不能以探究的态度来进行，因为一种防御性的态度与探究性的态度是inimical的)”可知，防御精神与探究精神无法共存，二者相互对立、彼此抵触。因此，inimical与contrary词义最为接近，意为“相反的、敌对的”。 3．推理判断题。根据第五段“A defensive mindset also encourages politicization.(防御心态也会鼓励政治化)”及“Politicization is a way of arming the humanities for its political battles, but it comes at an intellectual cost.(政治化是一种武装人文学科进行政治斗争的方式，但它要付出智力代价)”和“Politicization silences these and other questions, whereas the function of the humanities is to raise them.(政治化使得这些以及其他问题被掩盖了起来，而人文科学的作用恰恰是去揭示这些问题)”可推知，防御心态导致政治化，使人文学科压制本应提出的疑问，从而削弱其智力探究能力。 4．推理判断题。根据最后一段“And when we let ourselves be ourselves, when we allow the humanistic spirit to flow out not only into our classrooms but also in our public-self presentation, we find we don’t need to defend or prove anything: We are irresistible.(而当我们能够做真实的自己，当我们让人文精神不仅融入我们的课堂，还体现在我们的公众形象展示中时，我们会发现我们无需去辩解或证明任何事情：我们是不可抗拒的)”可推知，作者认为当人文学者真正回归人文精神时，人文学科本身便具有不可抗拒的魅力，或许根本不需要任何辩护。 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $ 2026届最新高考模拟三轮冲刺卷之（北京专用） 阅读理解15篇（议论文） Passage 1 Side-blotched lizards (侧斑蜥蜴) have a colorful set of mating strategies. Some males, with orange throats, are large and fight their way to a group of mates. Others, with blue throats, are a bit smaller and bond with just a single female. And then there is a third type. These lizards, which have yellow throats, look very similar to females. In a rock-paper-scissors-type mating strategy, the big orange ones can chase off the medium blue ones, who, in turn, can keep a close eye on their single mate. The yellow ones, however, sometimes sneak into (溜进) the big males’ group of mates. The lizards face a trade-off between abundance and the cost of confirmation. It is a trade-off that is increasingly of concern to humans, too. The cost of producing text, video or audio has declined; doing so now means just a few words on a chatbot rather than hours of effort. As a consequence, roughly half of articles published on the internet last year were AI-generated. How can internet users distinguish an article by a genuine but little-known news website from outright misinformation? Market participants often rely on “costly signals” to make such choices. An employer looking for a new hire, say, may seek applicants with a degree that took effort and a certain amount of skill, which indicates they might bring the same qualities to their work. The certificate allows employers to distinguish between good and bad applicants — creating what economists call a “separating equilibrium” and enabling transactions between willing participants. During an earlier information age, newspaper branding provided a costly signal. In what was, in game-theoretic terms, a “reputation game” newspapers would, issue by issue, reveal exactly how focused on the truth they were. Repeated interactions with a reader, when they were deciding which paper to purchase, constituted a separating equilibrium. Content farms, websites that copied reputable news pages but with made-up stories, however, can “sneak into” these brands like the yellow lizards. Thus the “separating equilibrium” is devolving into a “pooling equilibrium”, in which there is no way of telling between one type of creation and another. The problem with a “pooling equilibrium”, as George Akerlof put it in a Nobel-prizewinning paper, is that “Dishonest dealings tend to drive honest dealings out of the market.” Without a way to tell good from bad, buyers treat everything as bad. Among side-blotched lizards, the rock-paper-scissors nature of the lizards’ mating strategies means that if any of the colours becomes too common, one of the other types receives an advantage. Optimistically, then, an outpouring in the productivity of misinformation generators may provide a similar advantage to the journalistic equivalent of the blue-throated lizards — publications that jealously guard their reputation for truth-telling. 1．Why does the author mention the example of side-blotched lizards in Paragraph 1? A．To share a popular trend. B．To criticize a costly trade-off. C．To reveal a disturbing issue. D．To introduce a mating strategy. 2．According to the passage, which of the following is an example of separating equilibrium? A．Socially-responsible and profit-driven firms spend equally on charity. B．We tend to learn a common language regardless of native tongue. C．The expense of acquiring education is similar across ability types. D．Firms sustain high-input advertising campaigns to reflect quality. 3．Which of the following would the author agree with? A．Content farms spare no efforts to focus on the truth. B．Readers can tell facts from fiction through costly signals. C．Publications lose competitiveness in maintaining reputation. D．The cost of confirming information genuineness has dropped. 4．Which would be the best title for the passage? A．Will Publications Survive in the Flood of Misinformation? B．Costly Signals: Trade-off Between Real and Made-up C．Misinformation: Threat to Newspapers’ Reputation D．Has Internet Supercharged Misinformation? Passage 2 The most dangerous myths are the ones we don’t see. Human exceptionalism — the belief that humans are fundamentally superior to the rest of nature — is one of those myths. This worldview is not hidden because it’s obscure — it’s hidden because it’s everywhere, taken for granted, and rarely questioned. But what struck me most is just how thoroughly this belief has infiltrated (渗透) science — an institution meant to challenge our biases, not reinforce them. Take research on self-awareness. For decades, we believed only humans and certain primate species could recognize themselves in mirrors, a supposed benchmark of self-awareness. But the mirror test is biased toward vision. Dogs experience the world primarily via scent. They pass the smell-based mirror test with ease — demonstrating self-awareness in their dominant sense. When we measure the world with a human-oriented ruler, other species inevitably come up short. Many treat human exceptionalism as a natural conclusion. But recent studies in developmental and cross-cultural psychology suggest otherwise. Beliefs in human exceptionalism aren’t an inevitably biological outcome — they instead reflect a cultural worldview. Across repeated studies, when presented with moral dilemmas — such as saving one human or multiple animals — adults overwhelmingly favored humans, even when the trade-off involved 100 dogs or pigs. Children, however, often chose to save multiple animals over one human, valuing human and nonhuman lives far more similarly. This suggests that the human-centred moral frameworks commonly held by adults are not the biological default, but emerge over time through cultural learning — particularly as children become increasingly exposed to the ways other forms of life are used and valued in our society. Research across human cultures also reveals that human exceptionalism is far from universal. Many Indigenous (土著的) and non-Western knowledge systems reject such natural hierarchies. They recognize other animals, plants, rivers, forests, and mountains as kin: sentient, agentive beings embedded in a shared moral and ecological world. Within these frameworks, the notion that humans are separate or superior simply doesn’t hold. While writing my last book, I was introduced to various alternative cosmologies (宇宙观) that reject the ideology of human exceptionalism. These worldviews model ways of living in greater balance with the rest of the natural world. Some today maintain that humans are the most evolutionarily “successful” species. Success, in this view, is measured by ecological dominance. But in reality, the most resilient ecosystems are built on interdependence. We’ve constructed our scientific models around struggle and individualism, even though life on earth is held together by relationships and co-evolution. The real insight comes from humility. Seeing ourselves clearly — not as rulers, but as participants in a larger web — is one of the most urgent scientific and moral challenges of our time. 1．The author mentions the mirror test to show that ________. A．good science requires repeated tests B．faulty scientific standards deepen bias C．human tests often favor visual senses D．cognitive tests are invalid for non-primates 2．What leads to the belief of human exceptionalism? A．Human nature. B．Knowledge system. C．Living area. D．Cultural exposure. 3．The author mainly suggests ________. A．reevaluating human-nature relationship B．exploring interdependence across species C．acknowledging the limitation of science D．rejecting the idea of evolutionary success 4．Which would be the best title for the passage? A．Are Humans a Successful Species? B．Putting Humans First Is Not Natural C．What Makes Humans Exceptional? D．Human Exceptionalism: A Global View Passage 3 Artists enjoy calling their work “original”. For good reason too, as artists, we want to distinguish ourselves and convey a genuine message to the world. But there are hardly any truly original ideas in the art world. Everything has been invented, reinvented, and re-reinvented over again. Recently, I have been reflecting on how I get ideas for my work as a professional photographer. Some of my images can be traced back directly to what inspired them, while some others are more “unique”. Nevertheless, I cannot genuinely classify any piece of my output as truly original, since every image ultimately represents a synthesized fusion of previous visual influences, external conceptual inputs from others, and a diverse range of personal life experiences. This personal realization prompts a deeper and more universal inquiry into the nature of originality. If we go by the principle that all ideas are a hodgepodge of other ideas, a natural question arises. Is it possible to trace back and find the original ideas? The first original thought must have been by the first man. Ever since, it has all been one big fake. This definition will take us exactly nowhere, and the debate will end right here. So, let’s stop hunting for an original idea, whatever it may mean. Just think how some fashion brands manage to produce two new couture collections each year. Fashion has mastered the art of showing old as new, and new as old. The approach to originality that I suggest is that all ideas are a byproduct of other ideas, and what truly matters is the intention you hold behind those ideas. If you take inspiration from Rodin’s work and see people in a similarly monumental way, there is meaning in the work and you are creating something authentic, something that is authentic and true to you. But, if your intention is to copy Rodin’s work because it made him a famous sculptor, your work will have very little meaning and authenticity. The point I am trying to make about authenticity is that it doesn’t have to be authentic to anybody else but you. If we take out the obvious instances where one artist copied another artist to make money off the idea, we are left with a world of trillions of thoughts and ideas, each ready to inspire you to create something that is authentic to you, something that speaks to you. Even if you take pictures only because they “look beautiful”, they already mean something to you: they mean beauty. 1．What can be inferred about the writer’s photographing experience? A．He considers his works truly original. B．He insists on pursuing original creation. C．He traces all photos to direct sources. D．He admits combining various influences. 2．What does the underlined word “hodgepodge” in Paragraph 3 most probably mean? A．Mixture. B．Share. C．Revision. D．Repetition. 3．What might the author agree with? A．Authenticity stems from originality. B．There is no such thing as authenticity. C．Authenticity is defined by intentions. D．Originality rests on objective standards. Passage 4 What time is it? It’s such a basic question and provokes me to take a look at time in the context of both humans and artificial intelligence. Simply put, AI operates inside the now, the perpetual present. Yet humans construct meaning across time. This “temporal divide” creates a key distinction, if not a conflict, that’s worthy of a deeper look. Typically, we evaluate artificial intelligence by capability, which includes things like speed, accuracy, fluency, and even scale. But my take is that this perspective misses something that is both critical and deeply human. Humans build meaning through continuity, and this includes memory, revision, anticipation, and the lived accumulation of experience. AI does not. For us, meaning is shaped across duration. We don’t form understanding from isolated frames. We learn from many moments that inform and reshape each other. The reliability of our beliefs depends on that slow integration. It’s how understanding matures into something stable, or perhaps better said, human. AI collapses time into immediacy. Each output stands alone without reference to what came before and without responsibility toward what may follow. This is why AI can be so persuasive, as it produces coherence (连贯性) without the weight of history behind it. A recent study that examined reasoning tasks illustrates this rather clearly. AI assistance led participants to perform slightly better, but to feel dramatically more improved than they actually were. This illusion emerges because instant coherence (tech) feels like internal mastery (human). Anyone who has used AI to summarise a concept has felt this. It happens when you read a smooth, confident explanation and suddenly believe you now “understand” it without any of the internal struggle that produces true understanding. The mind confuses the appearance of cognition with the acquisition of cognition. And the key distinction is that AI shortens the distance between exposure and confidence, not between exposure and wisdom. I think this matters because humans may begin adapting to the temporal logic of machines. If present-tense coherence becomes more rewarding than the slower accumulation of meaning, we could begin to trade our temporal cognition for the immediacy AI offers. The risk is not replacement, but more of a dissociation from the very structure of meaning-making that defines the human mind. The real question, as I have relentlessly asked, is not whether AI will think like we do. The question is whether we will continue to think like ourselves. To defend the narrative arc is far from a poetic gesture. It’s an essential cognitive practice. For me, it means tolerating slower understanding when speed is seductive. It means returning to the longer thread of experience when instant fluency tempts us. It means remembering that wisdom requires the friction of time. And that’s something we all should consider. Meaning is temporal. Story is temporal. Identity is temporal. AI does not live there. We do. 1．What does the “temporal divide” in paragraph 1 refer to? A．A distinction in evaluating AI’s competences. B．A gap between present living and past reflection. C．A difference in how humans and AI make meaning. D．A divide in time management between humans and AI. 2．As for the result of the study examining reasoning skills, the author feels _______. A．worried B．surprised C．doubtful D．sympathetic 3．How does the author mainly develop the passage? A．By raising questions and solving them one by one. B．By citing studies and evaluating their limitations. C．By presenting a study and drawing a conclusion. D．By introducing a concept and making contrasts. 4．What can we learn from the passage? A．Exposure+Confidence=Mastery B．Coherence+Immediacy=Logic C．Duration+Friction=Wisdom D．Speed+Fluency=Insight Passage 5 As we enter a period of profound economic uncertainty, presaged (预示) by recent high-profile layoffs and a culture of “quiet quitting”, thinking about the future of work might well seem a daunting (令人生畏的) prospect. Indeed, an ever-increasing digital skills gap threatens to stop businesses adopting the game-changing technologies that will help to power growth in the months and years ahead. For instance, with each exciting new technology comes a growing concern about whether we have a digitally savvy (精明的) workforce ready to take advantage of it. After all, keeping the workforce up to speed with the latest advances is a key element of the digital transformation process, which will prove essential if we hope to improve business productivity and efficiency alongside our efforts to achieve sustained growth. Likewise, at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, the cybersecurity skills gap was named as one particular area of concern. There’s good reason for this focus: if businesses can’t protect themselves against external threats, they risk going backwards. And that’s before they even start thinking about achieving growth. This is why we need to address the digital skills gap urgently. Well, we should start by changing the narrative to help us recruit and retain from a more diverse pool of talent, giving businesses a far better chance of finding the up-to-date digital skills they need. And, when it comes to engaging and empowering the current workforce, learning and development opportunities will be key, helping employees to improve their skills for the benefit of both themselves and their employers. To make this all happen, leaders and employers must demonstrate a commitment to teaching their workforces digital skills by setting clear expectations and providing all the resources required. One approach, for example, would be to focus on the potential in the existing talent pool by identifying those already skilled in digital capabilities and supporting them to upskill their colleagues. Creating a culture of learning, with an emphasis on personal growth, can be an impressive motivator in the workplace. Of course, it’s all well and good saying that digital skills are vital, but a workforce with purely hard skills will not future-proof a business. There’s a need for soft skills that support the broader goal, so as not to ignore the other competencies required in a digital transformation: communication, critical thinking, creative design skills, and leadership. To make full use of the technology, such qualities are equally important. Fundamentally, getting the interaction right between humans and technology will be paramount if businesses are to succeed. As a result, human skills must not be underestimated. Every business will need a range of people with a variety of skills — not only those well-versed in math, engineering, and science, but also those with creative minds and leadership qualities. 1．The writer’s main concern in the digital transformation process is ________. A．the threats from technology B．the challenge of upskilling workforces C．the culture of quiet quitting D．the shortage of experienced workers 2．It can be learned from Paragraph 4 and 5 that ________. A．replacing current workforces with digital talents is the key B．high requirements of recruitment ensure a sound workforce C．employers should develop a learning culture inside their workforces D．business leaders should focus on the training of the existing talent pool 3．What does the underlined word “paramount” in the last paragraph probably mean? A．Crucial. B．Beneficial. C．Challenging D．Inspiring 4．What might be the purpose of the passage? A．To advocate the necessity of improving digital skills. B．To warn humans of the potential problems with technology. C．To stress the importance of combining hard skills with soft skills. D．To draw people’s attention to the ever-increasing digital skills gap. Passage 6 White Rabbit candy has not changed in 60 years. But some other things have changed. When a pop-up (快闪) shop in Shanghai began selling drinks flavored like White Rabbit candy, people queued for up to four hours for a cup priced at 20 yuan ($2.9). China’s nostalgia (怀旧) economy has reshaped how brands are marketed. However, the White Rabbit milk tea is itself a warning tale. Once customers reached the counter after four hours, many were disappointed. “It tastes just like any regular bubble tea (珍珠奶茶) out there,” one told reporters. Another posted: “It’s just exploiting the classic brand.” The comments point to the central weakness of the nostalgia economy. When heritage is used primarily as a good pricing reason, when nostalgic packaging is the product and what is inside is ordinary, consumers notice. The disappointment runs deeper than a normal commercial letdown, because something more personal has been involved. There are more risks. When nostalgic design becomes a recipe, the symbols stop carrying weight. And a nostalgia economy that speaks only to one generation’s memories is not building a shared culture. When the pop-up closes and the limited edition sells out, what remains? If the answer is nothing but the memory of a queue, the brand has wasted its heritage rather than grown it. The question facing China’s nostalgia economy is not whether there is a market for continuity but whether the industry will serve that market with depth or exploit it with shortcuts. Some of us grew up with White Rabbit candy. Others were born too late. But we are all looking for the same thing: a cultural identity with roots deep enough to hold, and a sense that what is being built today is worth remembering tomorrow. Nostalgia does not offer the past. It offers a reason to feel at home in the present. 1．Why does the author mention the customers’ comments about the drink? A．To imply the decline of the brand. B．To note the popularity of regular bubble tea. C．To criticize the high price of the drink. D．To show the trap of nostalgia-based selling. 2．What is the author’s suggestion for China’s nostalgia economy? A．Serving the market with shortcuts. B．Focusing on one generation’s memories. C．Using the past to root today’s culture. D．Copying the past exactly as it once was. 3．What is the best title for the text? A．Nostalgia marketing puts heritage at risk. B．White Rabbit candy remains unchanged. C．Nostalgia economy saves brand heritage. D．White Rabbit milk tea fails to satisfy fans. Passage 7 In an age ruled by smartphones, social media feeds and endless notifications, we often pride ourselves on being “better connected” than any generation before. Yet a growing number of studies sound a warning: this constant connectivity is destroying our ability to focus deeply, think critically and enjoy meaningful moments without digital distraction. This crisis of attention is more than an inconvenience — it is reshaping how we learn, work and even experience happiness. The modern digital environment is designed intentionally to capture and hold our attention. Social media platforms, video apps and news websites use complex algorithms that serve up short, stimulating content, keeping our brains in a cycle of constant stimulation. Each like, comment or new video offers a small burst of pleasure, training our minds to prefer instant satisfaction over long-term, focused effort. As a result, deep work — periods of uninterrupted concentration on challenging tasks — has become a rare skill. Many people struggle to read a single page of a book without checking their phones or to finish a project without switching between tasks. Some argue that technology simply reflects human nature and that we alone are responsible for our self-control. While self-control plays a part, this view ignores the powerful design choices behind digital products. These tools are not neutral; they are engineered to be habit-forming, making it extremely difficult for people to step away even when they want to. To place the entire burden on individual willpower is unfair and unrealistic. Against this background, the idea of “digital minimalism” has risen in popularity. Coined by writer and professor Cal Newport, digital minimalism is not about completely abandoning technology. Instead, it is a philosophy of using only digital tools that directly support your values and goals, while removing those that waste your time and attention. It means setting clear boundaries: turning off unnecessary notifications, scheduling specific times for social media and creating tech-free zones in daily life. Practicing digital minimalism does not mean returning to a primitive lifestyle. Rather, it helps us regain control over our attention and use technology as a tool rather than letting it use us. When we free ourselves from endless scrolling, we create space for deep thinking, creative work and real human connection. Studies show that people who limit unplanned digital use report higher levels of well-being, better productivity and stronger relationships. The attention crisis will not solve itself. As technology becomes more advanced and more deeply integrated into life, the ability to manage our attention will become one of the most valuable skills we can possess. Choosing digital minimalism is not a rejection of progress; it is an act of self-respect and a defense of what makes us truly human — our ability to focus, create and connect deeply. 1．The underlined word “neutral” in Paragraph 3 probably means ________. A．without hidden purposes B．modern and convenient C．highly competitive D．simply designed 2．What can we learn about digital minimalism from the passage? A．It requires people to give up all digital devices. B．It helps people use technology in a targeted way. C．It was created to fight against modern technology. D．It has been widely accepted around the world. 3．It can be inferred from the passage that ________. A．deep work will become a basic skill in the near future B．willpower alone can solve the problem of digital distraction C．tech-free lifestyles are impossible in modern society D．overuse of digital products may harm people’s mental health 4．What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage? A．To introduce the history of digital technology. B．To criticize the disadvantages of social media. C．To advocate the value of digital minimalism. D．To explain the importance of self-control. Passage 8 Camaraderie over Competence The importance of liking people is the subject of an article in the Harvard Business Review, which has carried out an experiment to find out who we’d rather work with. Hardly surprisingly, the people we want most as our workmates are both: brilliant at their jobs and delightful human beings. And the people we want least are both unpleasant and useless. More interestingly, the authors found that, given the choice between working with lovable fools and competent jerks (性情古怪的人), we irresistibly choose the former. Anyway, who likes those stupid men who annoy or hurt other people? We might insist that competence matters more, but our behavior shows we stay close to the people we like and sharing information with them. What companies should therefore do is get people to like each other more. The trick here is apparently to make sure staffs come across each other as often as possible during the day. They also should be sent on bonding courses and so on to encourage friendliness and break down displeasure. However, more outdoor-activity weekends and shared coffee machines inspire no confidence at all. The reality is that people either like each other or they don’t. You can’t force it. Possibly you can make offices friendlier by tolerating a lot of chat, but there is a productivity cost to that. In my experience, the question of lovable fool against competent jerk may not be the right one. The two are interrelated: we tend not to like our workmates when they are completely hopeless. I was once quite friendly with a woman whom I later worked with. I found her to be so outstandingly bad at her job that I lost respect for her and ended up not really liking her at all. Then is there anything that companies should be doing about it? By far the most effective strategy would be to hire people who are all pretty much the same, given that similarity is one of the main determinants of whether we like each other. I think this is a pretty good idea, but no one dares recommend this anymore without offending the diversity lobby group. There is only one acceptable view on this subject: teams of similar people are bad because they stop creativity. This may be true, though I have never seen any conclusive proof of it. Not only do we like similar people, we like people who like us. So if companies want to promote more liking, they should encourage a culture where we are all nice to each other. The trouble is that this needs to be done with some skill. 1．According to the research, which kind of colleagues would most people tend to choose? A．Nice but unintelligent. B．Creative but unattractive. C．Competent but unfriendly. D．Humorous but unambitious. 2．The author talks about her experience to show that ______. A．people respect outstanding leaders B．people tend to like optimistic workmates C．a workmate’s working ability is important D．talkative workmates makes offices friendlier 3．Some people think that similar people working together may ______. A．offend each other B．create fewer new ideas C．talk more and work less D．be likely to stick together 4．To encourage workmates to like each other, companies could ______. A．arrange the training course for workers to study together B．organize team-building activities outside the office C．encourage a diversity of opinions in workplace D．employ staff who have a lot in common Passage 9 Before he goes to bed each night, Matthew Wang logs on to DeepSeek for‌ “therapy (治疗) sessions”. Ever since January 2025, when the breakout Chinese AI app launched, the 28-year-old has brought his dilemmas and sorrows, including the recent death of his grandfather, to the chatbot. Its responses have resonated (共鸣) so deeply that they have at times brought him to tears. ‌“DeepSeek has been such an amazing counsellor (咨询师). It has helped me look at things from different perspectives and does a better job than the paid counselling services I have tried,” says Matthew. DeepSeek is a generative AI tool trained on massive amounts of information to recognise patterns. This allows it to predict things like people’s shopping habits, create new content in text and images, and also carry on conversations like a person. The chatbot has struck a chord in China partly because it offers something unique: its AI model, R1, lets users see its‌ “thought process” before delivering a response. While the success of DeepSeek has inspired national pride, it also appears to have become a source of comfort for young Chinese like Matthew. Nan Jia, a business and management professor at the University of Southern California, who coauthored a paper on AI’s potential in offering emotional support, suggests that these chatbots can‌ “help people feel heard” in ways fellow humans may not.‌ “Friends and family may be quick to offer practical solutions or advice when people just want to feel heard and understood,” Nan says. A young woman, Holly, who lives in Hubei province, had asked DeepSeek if she was oversharing her experiences and emotions with family and friends. In reasoning through her question, DeepSeek suggested that her worry of being an over-sharer might come from a deep desire for love. The chatbot gives itself a mental note: ‌“Response should offer practical advice while being empathetic (同理心的).” This could include‌ “affirming the user’s sense of self-awareness”.‌ “When I read DeepSeek’s thought process, I felt so moved,” Holly wrote on RedNote. The demand for mental health services has grown across the world but they remain inaccessible in parts of Asia, experts say. Fang Kecheng, a communications professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong says there is a ‌“significant shortage” of professional psychological counselling services in China, and those available are often‌ “prohibitively expensive” for most individuals. Prof Nan stressed, however, that people with serious mental health conditions should not rely on these apps. ‌“Those who have medical needs, in particular, should be seeking help from trained professionals… Their use of AI will have to be checked very closely,” she says. 1．The author mentions Matthew Wang’s experience to _______. A．question an opinion B．challenge a career C．illustrate a phenomenon D．make a comparison 2．What do you think is probably DeepSeek’s answer to Holly’s question? A．‌“Before sharing, ask yourself: ‘Am I too emotional?’” B．‌“Feeling sad when disrespected is completely understandable.” C．‌“Your habit of sharing might be due to a sense of overconfidence.” D．‌“It’s thoughtful of you to reflect on how your sharing impacts others.” 3．What is Prof Nan’s attitude towards AI’s emotional support? A．Supportive. B．Objective. C．Indifferent. D．Doubtful. Passage 10 Try Hard, but Not That Hard. So many of us were raised with the belief of hard work and max effort, taught that what we put in was what we got out. Now, some coaches and corporate leaders have a new message. Trying to run at top speed will actually lead to slower running times. Lifting heavy weights until you absolutely can’t any more won’t spark more muscle gain than stopping a little sooner. The trick — be it in exercise, or anything — is to try for 85%. Aiming for perfection often makes us feel awful, burns us out and backfires (事与愿违). Instead, count the fact that you hit eight out of ten of your targets this quarter as a win. “I already messed it up,” Sherri Phillips would regret after missing one of her daily personal goals. Last year, the COO of a Manhattan photography business began tracking metrics (指标) like her sleep quality and exercise time. It was only after she switched to aiming for 85% success over a week that she stuck with her efforts, instead of giving up when she missed a mark. Dialing in on the sweet spot of 85% can help us grow. In a 2019 paper, researchers used machine learning to try to find the ideal difficulty level to learn new things. The neural network they created, meant to mimic (模仿) the human brain, learned best when it was faced with queries (疑问) set to 85% difficulty, meaning it got questions right 85% of the time. If a task is too hard, humans get demotivated, says Bob Wilson, an author of the study. “If you never make any errors, you’re 100% accurate, well, you can’t learn from the mistakes.” Ron Shaich, a founder and former CEO of restaurant chain Panera, is skeptical of people who hit 100% on sales targets. He wonders if the goals are too low. They should be ambitious enough that you won’t always get there, he says. Now an investor, board member and author of a coming business book that stresses 80% equals success, Shaich is convinced most companies don’t even hit that number. Years ago, as a consultant, Grace Ueng learned the “80-20 rule.” The idea was to stop once you were 80% complete on a project, she says. Ueng recently took up piano. She practiced for long hours and still grimaced (面露痛苦) when she performed for her music group. Then she started tackling small chunks of a piece instead of running through the whole thing again and again. Before a recent performance, she read a book and went to church instead of putting in extra hours at the piano. When it was time to perform, she played well — and actually enjoyed it. “You have to have the wisdom,”she says, “to know when to stop.” 1．What does the underlined phrase “sweet spot” in Paragraph 4 probably mean? A．The most appropriate degree for progress B．The toughest level for challenging ourselves C．The lowest standard to avoid making errors D．The strictest principle to keep working hard 2．According to Ron Shaich, what does consistently hitting 100% targets suggest? A．Exceptional performance. B．Perfect strategic planning. C．High levels of employee motivation. D．Goals not ambitious enough. 3．What can be inferred from the passage? A．Sherri Phillips would not regret any more after tracking 85% metrics. B．Bob Wilson thinks 100% accuracy gets people full of motivation. C．Grace Ueng felt optimistic after she played the piano for a long time. D．Researchers believe the ideal learning way is to face difficult queries. 4．What is the main message of the passage? A．Maximum effort is key to success. B．Proper aims and effort enhance performance. C．Striving for perfection leads to burnout. D．Consistent hard work guarantees success. Passage 11 Evan Selinger, professor in RIT’s Department of Philosophy, has taken an interest in the ethics (伦理标准) of AI and the policy gaps that need to be filled in. Through a humanities viewpoint, Selinger asks the questions, “How can AI cause harm, and what can governments and companies creating AI programs do to address and manage it?” Answering them, he explained, requires an interdisciplinary approach. “AI ethics go beyond technical fixes. Philosophers and other humanities experts are uniquely skilled to address the nuanced (微妙的) principles, value conflicts, and power dynamics. These skills aren’t just crucial for addressing current issues. We desperately need them to promote anticipatory (先行的) governance,” said Selinger. One example that illustrates how philosophy and humanities experts can help guide these new, rapidly growing technologies is Selinger’s work collaborating with a special AI project. “One of the skills I bring to the table is identifying core ethical issues in emerging technologies that haven’t been built or used by the public. We can take preventative steps to limit risk, including changing how the technology is designed.” said Selinger. Taking these preventative steps and regularly reassessing what risks need addressing is part of the ongoing journey in pursuit of creating responsible AI. Selinger explains that there isn’t a step-by-step approach for good governance. “AI ethics have core values and principles, but there’s endless disagreement about interpreting and applying them and creating meaningful accountability mechanisms,” said Selinger. “Some people are rightly worried that AI can become integrated into ‘ethics washing’ — weak checklists, flowery mission statements, and empty rhetoric that covers over abuses of power. Fortunately, I’ve had great conversations about this issue, including with some experts, on why it is important to consider a range of positions.” Some of Selinger’s recent research has focused on the back-end issues with developing AI, such as the human impact that comes with testing AI chatbots before they’re released to the public. Other issues focus on policy, such as what to do about the dangers posed by facial recognition and other automated surveillance (监视) approaches. Selinger is making sure his students are informed about the ongoing industry conversations on AI ethics and responsible AI. “Students are going to be future tech leaders. Now is the time to help them think about what goals their companies should have and the costs of minimizing ethical concerns. Beyond social costs, downplaying ethics can negatively impact corporate culture and hiring,” said Selinger. “To attract top talent, you need to consider whether your company matches their interests and hopes for the future.” 1．Selinger advocates an interdisciplinary approach because . A．it can avoid social conflicts and pressing issues B．AI ethics heavily depends on technological solutions C．it demonstrates the power of anticipatory governance D．humanities experts possess skills essential for AI ethics 2．To promote responsible AI, Selinger believes we should . A．adopt a systematic approach B．apply innovative technologies C．anticipate ethical risks beforehand D．establish accountability mechanisms 3．What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs? A．More companies will use AI to attract top talent. B．Understanding AI ethics will help students in the future. C．Selinger favors companies that match his students’ values. D．Selinger is likely to focus on back-end issues such as policy. Passage 12 Due to shifts in media consumption and cultural habits, the relevance of poetry in our modern-day society remains the subject of debate. Critics argue that poetry has become outdated. However, poetry is, as the 18th century English poet John Keats put it, as follows:“A thing of beauty is a joy forever: Its loveliness increases; it will never Pass into nothingness; but still will keep A bower quiet for us, and a sleep Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.” I believe that poetry is still relevant today as it holds great benefit in our complex and fast-paced world. Often, we hear comments that it is difficult to understand poems. Indeed, the deep meanings, metaphors and ambiguity (模糊不清) sometimes make it difficult for common people to enjoy them. To put it simply, it must be an acquired taste to find difficult language attractive. Against the background of a fast-paced world, the puzzling language of poetry might not appeal to most people. Yet poetry, for all its complexities, allows individuals to express complex emotions and experiences in a way that standard language is unable to. Life is complex and often rejects a straightforward interpretation of its difficulties, so it makes sense that poetry does the same. Poet Dylan Thomas wrote, “Poetry is what in a poem makes you laugh, cry, prickles (有刺痛感), be silent, makes your toe nails twinkle, makes you want to do this or nothing, or that or nothing, makes you know that you are alone in the unknown world, that your bliss and suffering is forever shared and forever all your own.” Poetry also plays a critical role in helping young people reflect on important issues. The rise in the consumption of short form content has conditioned the brain to seek instant gratification (满足), weakening the ability for deep thinking. On the other hand, reading complicated poetry can force readers to appreciate language rather than mindlessly snack on information, which might lead to an improvement in critical thinking skills. In an age of speed, poems can help people slow down and think about life. Poetry, as an art form, also encourages creativity by offering an outlet for imaginative thinking and personal expression. In a world that is facing many complex problems, creativity fuels the development of new approaches that solve real-world problems. Poetry is a powerful tool for enhancing creativity as it allows individuals to break free from traditional forms of expression and experiment with language, rhythm, structure and sound. Besides language, poetry invites writers to dig deeply into emotions and ideas, allowing new insights to be uncovered. Poetry might not be as popular now as it was in the past, but its benefits cannot be overlooked. Our modern world provides many reasons for why poetry is still relevant. It might not be possible to encourage everyday readers to enjoy poems such as The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot, but they certainly can learn to enjoy a poem that both challenges and entertains. 1．Why does the author mention John Keats’ poem? A．To explain what poetry is. B．To argue poetry is relevant. C．To give an example of good poems. D．To draw people’s attention to the topic. 2．What might be a reason for the decline of poetry? A．Poets refuse to experiment with new structures and sounds. B．Its complex language and deep meanings are hard to appreciate. C．The modern world is gradually losing complex experiences. D．Common people lack the basic education to read metaphors. 3．What can we learn from the passage? A．People read poetry to improve critical skills. B．Poetry erases the effects of short-form content. C．Reading poetry makes one feel connected. D．Imagination in poems breaks traditional boundaries. 4．Which would be the best title for the passage? A．Poetry Connects Past and Present B．Poetry Loses Its Charm to New Media C．Poetry Still Matters in Modern Times D．Poetry Fuels Thinking and Imagination Passage 13 In an era when artificial intelligence can generate images in seconds, why would anyone spend months learning to embroider (刺绣) by hand? These questions challenge young people considering careers in traditional crafts. Yet paradoxically, as technology advances, handmade creations may become more valuable, not less. Consider Zhang, a 21-year-old digital media major who recently won a prize for designing cultural products inspired by the Palace Museum. She used AI as an exploratory tool during her creative process. The software helped her generate stylistic variations quickly. But she didn’t stop there. She then spent weeks refining designs manually, ensuring cultural accuracy and emotional depth that algorithms (算法) alone could not achieve. “When I studied elements of the Palace Museum, I deepened my understanding of why they existed and how to express their meaning through modern design,” Zhang explains. The AI provided possibilities; human judgment selected among them. This collaboration between human and machine represents a growing agreement among experts: technology should not replace creativity but expand its possibilities. Gao Yang, a competition judge, notes, “AI can quickly generate stylistic variations, but designers must focus on emotional tone and cultural logic.” The key lies in applying humanistic thinking to guide digital tools. Crafts carry something machines cannot copy: human story. When Padruk Tendhar, a 25-year-old Tibetan designer, restores classical costumes, he is not just reproducing patterns. He is recovering meaning — the dignity conveyed by a wider waistline, the elegance surrounding the face in traditional silhouettes (轮廓). His designs emerge from years of studying art archaeology and understanding why ancestors created things the way they did. Some worry that as younger generations embrace tradition, authenticity might be lost. When traditional patterns appear on thermal cups, are they being respected or commercialized? Yet defenders of innovation argue that traditions have always evolved. The embroideries admired in museums today were once contemporary designs. What matters is not preserving forms unchanged but maintaining connections — between past and present, between maker and material. This perspective explains why young people turn to traditional crafts even as technology advances. In university clubs across China, students gather to learn papercutting, woodcarving, and folk music. Their motivation isn’t practical — few will become professional artisans. Instead, they seek something technology cannot provide: tangible connection to human continuity. As one participant put it after learning from a master woodcarver, “When I hold the tool he held for sixty years, I feel time differently. The wood speaks of patience, of hands that came before.” In an age of instant everything, that may be tradition’s most precious gift. 1．What role did AI play in Zhang’s creative process? A．It served as a tool to explore stylistic possibilities. B．It autonomously produced the designs that won the competition. C．It was used primarily to test consumer preferences before production. D．It removed Zhang’s need to study the Palace Museum’s cultural elements. 2．Why does the author mention Padruk Tendhar’s work? A．To show that young Tibetans prefer modern fashion over tradition. B．To prove that Tibetan designs have become popular only recently. C．To explain that traditional crafts carry cultural meaning beyond patterns. D．To suggest that restoring classical costumes requires hard work and knowledge. 3．The underlined word “tangible” most probably means something that ______. A．exists in digital form B．can be touched or felt physically C．can be understood by the mind D．continues through generations 4．What is the author’s main argument in the passage? A．AI’s assistance in design is the key to preserving traditional crafts. B．Young people are embracing crafts with the help of digital tools. C．Human cultural understanding remains essential in design in the era of AI. D．AI is superior to humans in generating creative designs for cultural products. Passage 14 The idea that we have brains hardwired with a mental module for learning grammar — famously supported by Noam Chomsky of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — has dominated linguistics (语言学) for almost half a century. Recently, though, evidence has overtaken Chomsky’s “universal grammar” theory. In Chomsky’s first version of his theory put forward in the mid-20th century, the languages people use to communicate in everyday life behaved like mathematically-based languages of the newly emerging field of computer science. A computer-like program could produce sentences real people thought were grammatical. As Chomsky was developing his computational theories, he was also proposing that they were rooted in human biology. His universal grammar was put forward as an inborn component of the human mind — and it promised to reveal the deep biological foundations of the world’s 6,000-plus human languages. So this theory held immediate appeal. Yet much research now suggests that language acquisition does not take place as Chomsky’s theory explains. Learning of a child’s first language does not rely on an inborn grammar module. Instead the new research shows that young children use various types of thinking that may not be specific to language at all — such as the ability to classify the world into categories (people or objects, for instance) and to understand the relations among things. These capabilities, coupled with a unique human ability to grasp what others intend to communicate, allow language to happen. For instance, English-speaking children understand “The cat ate the rabbit,” and through analogy they also understand “The lion tickled the goat.” They generalize from hearing one example to another. After enough examples of this kind, they might even be able to guess who did what to whom in the sentence “The gazzer mibbed the toma,” even though some of the words are literally meaningless. Chomsky has allowed us to see new things, but also blinded us to other aspects of language. In linguistics fields, many researchers are becoming ever more dissatisfied with a totally formal language approach such as universal grammar. Moreover, many modern researchers are also unhappy with armchair theoretical analyses, when there are large collections of linguistic data — many now available online — that can be analyzed to test a theory. There are exciting new discoveries to be made by investigating the details of the world’s different languages, how they are similar to and different from one another, how they change historically, and how young children acquire competence in one or more of them. Universal grammar appears to have been inching toward a death for years. It is dying so slowly because, as physicist Max Planck once noted, older scholars tend to hang on to the old ways: “Science progresses one funeral at a time.” 1．What can we learn about Chomsky’s theory from the passage? A．Categorizing ability is rooted in the human mind. B．Humans are programmed with a grammar module. C．Communication intention makes language emerge. D．Computer science contributes to language learning. 2．Why does the author mention the example in Paragraph 4? A．To highlight the right aspect of Chomsky’s theory. B．To present kids’ difficulty in learning English language. C．To prove kids learn language without an inborn module. D．To uncover the inner mechanism in language acquisition. 3．How does the author think of Chomsky’s “universal grammar” theory? A．Faulty. B．Stable. C．Worthless. D．Appealing. 4．Which would be the best title for this passage? A．Should Linguistic Data Be Used to Test a Theory? B．Can Children Acquire Language in an Easier Way? C．Will Chomsky’s Universal Grammar Be Replaced? D．Does Chomsky’s Theory Help Language Acquisition? Passage 15 We humanists have been defending humanities (人文学科) for many decades now, but the crisis of the humanities only grows. In the face of declining student interest and mounting political scrutiny (审查), universities and colleges are increasingly cutting funding for humanities departments. As a humanist, someone who reads, teaches and researches mainly philosophy and literature, I am prepared to admit that I do not know what the value of the humanities is. I don’t know whether the study of humanities promotes democracy (民主) or improves your moral character or enriches your leisure time or improves your critical thinking skills or increases your empathy. I once asked the best teacher I ever had why she no longer taught her favorite novel, and she said that she stopped teaching a book when she found she was no longer curious about it. The humanistic spirit is, fundamentally, an inquisitive (好奇的) one. In contrast, defenses of the humanities are not and cannot be conducted in an inquisitive spirit, because a defensive spirit is inimical to an inquisitive one. Defensiveness is, it must be admitted, an understandable response when the chopping block (砧板) is brought out and you need to explain why you shouldn’t be on it. It may be that humanists need to spend time joining political battles, which requires their participants to pretend to know things that they do not actually know. Nonetheless, an atmosphere of urgency and calls for immediate action are unfavorable to fields of study like literature and philosophy that require a reflective mood, and pretending to know what one doesn’t actually know is unfavorable to forms of inquiry that demand an open mind. A defensive mindset also encourages politicization. If the study of literature or philosophy helps to fight racism or to promote democracy and everyone agrees that racism is bad, and democracy is good — then you have your answer as to why we shouldn’t cut funding for the study of literature or philosophy. Politicization is a way of arming the humanities for its political battles, but it comes at an intellectual cost. Why is racism so bad? Why is democracy so good? Politicization silences these and other questions, whereas the function of the humanities is to raise them. Humanists are not alone in their ignorance about the purpose of their disciplines. But scientists are under a lot less pressure to explain why they exist because the society at large believes itself to already have the answer to that question. I may not know why it’s important to read Homer and Plato, but I do have a deep love for reading, teaching and pondering the texts. The love is what I want to share with others, as well as the surprise and delight of finding resonance (共鸣). The task of humanists is to invite, to welcome, to excite, to engage. And when we let ourselves be ourselves, when we allow the humanistic spirit to flow out not only into our classrooms but also in our public-self presentation, we find we don’t need to defend or prove anything: We are irresistible. 1．What troubles the humanists most regarding the crisis in humanities? A．Students’ lack of interest in studying humanities courses. B．People’s little knowledge regarding the purpose of humanities. C．The mounting political scrutiny faced by humanities departments. D．The pressure on humanists to argue for the value of their disciplines. 2．What does the word “inimical” underlined in Paragraph 3 most probably mean? A．Sensitive. B．Contrary. C．Immune. D．Relevant. 3．What can be inferred about a defensive mindset? A．It weakens human’s intellectual capacity. B．It is the worst action to take in the face of the crisis. C．It requires a reflective mood on the study of humanities. D．It brings about a lower chance of survival for humanities. 4．Which of the following might the author most probably agree? A．Humanities may not need any defense. B．Science is more useful than humanities. C．The future of humanities remains cloudy. D．The battle of humanities is a hard one to fight. 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $