上海市2024-2025学年高三上学期期中考试英语试卷(无答案)
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| 名称 | 上海市2024-2025学年高三上学期期中考试英语试卷(无答案) |  | |
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| 资源类型 | 教案 | ||
| 版本资源 | 人教版（2019） | ||
| 科目 | 英语 | ||
| 更新时间 | 2024-11-27 23:24:13 | ||
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2024学年第一学期
期中教学质量检测高三英语试卷
说明：（1）本场考试时间为105分钟，总分115分；
（2）请认真答卷，并规范书写。
I．Grammar and Vocabulary
Section A
Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.
Shifting women’s styles
Trends come and go as time flies. You may get some clues about the fashion of ancient times from the videos produced by Zhu Ruoxuan, who (1) ______ (vote) as one of Bilibili’s top 100 content creators in 2023.
Born in 1998, Zhu began sharing her life on Bilibili in 2019, (2) ______ (nickname) “Duoduo Hualin”, initially focusing on videos that show popular makeup in China. In 2021, she gained widespread attention, (3) ______ at first her productions didn’t grow in popularity, thanks to a video depicting the evolution of the ordinary Chinese woman’s appearance and mindset. In the video, she also imitated the facial expressions of women from different time periods, capturing the uncertainty in the 1920s in China and their confidence (4) ______ female workers in the 1950s.
Despite (5) ______ (lack) formal acting training, Zhu made full preparations for her videos. She studied women in old photos and movies (6) ______ (imitate) their expressions, striving for accuracy. Zhu has started paying more attention to current social phenomena (7) ______ (face) women since last year. At the end of a video, for instance, she depicted a character with pink hair who suffered cyber bullying due to her hairstyle. Zhu made clear that “I want everyone to see online violence could be fatal and (8) ______ it was a necessary growth both for myself and my creation”.
Zhu’s recent videos demonstrate a more compassionate approach toward women in historical periods. For instance, on Dec 13th, the annual National Memorial Day for Victims of the Nanjing Massacre, she released an anti-war video, (9) ______ the transformation of an ordinary Chinese woman before and after the Nanjing massacre was portrayed. This video, which took two months to create, drew inspiration from Iris Chang’s book The Rape of Nanking, in which women cut their hair short during the war to conceal (10) ______ among the refugees.
Section B
Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.
A．assume B．attained C．correspondingly D．demonstrations E．severely F．exposed G．justifications H．packed I．practice J．substantial K．vehicle
Could you learn physics in foreign languages
Learning both a language and a subject like physics simultaneously might seem overwhelming, but that’s the idea behind CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning), a methodology gaining popularity since its introduction in Europe in the 1990s. One of its main 11 was efficiency; if languages could be picked up through exposure in other subject lessons, pressure on 12 timetables would be reduced.
Of course, CLIL brings many challenges for teachers who are required to make 13 adjustments to the way they teach. For language teachers, there is a near-complete reversal of what they are accustomed to: while in a traditional language course, texts are constructed primarily as a 14 for the language points they want to teach, in CLIL the language emerges somewhat randomly from the subject content.
Conversely, subject teachers can no longer talk about their subjects to their students and 15 they will understand everything. They will almost certainly need to adapt by relying less on language and more on 16 or experiments to convey information. There is also a good deal of fear to overcome. Subject teachers may have 17 only low levels of language skills and therefore lack confidence in teaching in a foreign language, while a language teacher’s initial reaction to the idea of teaching maths will often be one of horror!
Solutions to these problems will vary according to the setting in which teachers work. Good CLIL teaching materials are increasingly available, while many schools 18 a cooperative approach, with language and subject teachers negotiating both the balance between language and content, and the ways in which their different teaching styles can be brought together in a successful lesson.
Does CLIL work Research suggests it does. Like the elite Roman children who were educated in Greek, students 19 to CLIL often achieve good results, even in mixed-ability classes. It could be that the concentration required to understand the language means that the subject information is 20 well absorbed.
II．Reading Comprehension
Section A
Directions: For each blank in the following passages there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with word or phrase that best fits the context.
It’s not easy being a customer-service agent—particularly when those customers are so angry with a product that they want to yell at you down the phone. Thus, Sonos applied a customer-service bot powered by generative artificial intelligence (AI). It was thought to be a 21 . Yet after digesting Sonos’s technical materials, it came up with its own solutions to one of the problems. In other words, the bot was beyond 22 .
Customer service is a big industry. In recent years, however, the industry has become infamous for driving customers mad with its use of technology. Its poor reputation is 23 . Because it’s expensive for firms to use humans to solve their customers’ problems, they make the process as 24 as possible by forcing you to press a confusing combination of numbers or chat with a bot that repeats mechanical responses. Once human agents are involved, it is in the financial interests of outsourcing firms (外包公司) to make the process as labour-intensive as possible, further raising costs and 25 everybody.
Now, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists are betting that generative AI can make the service less 26 . Unlike their rote-learning predecessors, generative-AI bots don’t repeat pre-set and 27 answers to narrow questions. Instead, they create their own responses informed by the firms’ training materials and previous customer-service interactions.
Providers are 28 on the role these bots should play. One approach is for humans to continue managing conversations with customers with an AI buddy in the background giving tips. But others think that generative-AI bots are now clever enough to handle most conversations themselves. A number of generative Al startups in the industry have adopted “ 29 -based pricing”, charging for their technology when a customer question is resolved, rather than per agent or minute of interaction, as is standard.
That raises two tricky questions. One is how customers feel about all this. Advocates say that customers will no longer have to wait endlessly for a person to 30 the phone, and bots will be fluent in many languages and have easier-to-understand accents than foreign call-center agents. 31 , customers, are yet to be convinced. They worry it will make it even more difficult to reach a human. What’s more, generative-AI bots have a tendency to project 32 in their responses even when they are wrong, which could cause huge damage. Earlier this year Air Canada was forced to 33 a customer who was incorrectly promised a discount by the airline’s AI chatbot.
A second question is what all this means for the jobs of call-center agents. Last year, it is predicted that generative AI would have led to a 20-30% reduction in customer-service jobs by2026. An expert says, “I would be putting my head in the sand if I said generative AI wouldn’t 34 people.” But previous waves of customer-service technology also fueled concerns about job losses, only for them to fail to materialise. Besides, human agents could be freed up to spend more time on 35 tasks, like using feedback to make products better—and less time listening to angry customers.
21．A．success B．disaster C．protest D．breakthrough
22．A．expectations B．endurance C．recognition D．description
23．A．underestimated B．deserved C．unexpected D．questioned
24．A．manageable B．scientific C．awkward D．rapid
25．A．satisfying B．calming C．dismissing D．frustrating
26．A．personalized B．direct C．voluntary D．awful
27．A．distinct B．flexible C．standardized D．sensible
28．A．hard B．divided C．keen D．decisive
29．A．outcome B．time C．value D．market
30．A．hang up B．set aside C．hand over D．pick up
31．A．However B．Furthermore C．After all D．For instance
32．A．shame B．uncertainty C．confidence D．depression
33．A．prosecute B．compensate C．charge D．condemn
34．A．assist B．replace C．train D．engage
35．A．heavy B．repetitive C．routine D．rewarding
Section B
Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read.
(A)
The fire raced through Lahaina last August so fast that it killed 100 people and destroyed more than 2,200 buildings. It left more than 7,000 people without their possessions and in need of shelter.
That afternoon, Kalyn Lepre, a 36-year-old nutritional therapist, grabbed her wallet and drove out of town. She lost everything else in her four-bedroom house: clothes, documents, jewelry and seven surfboards. Lepre surfed almost every day; surfing was a source of joy and a means to maintain her mental health. Seeing her surfboards reduced to a pile of fibers—especially her prized baby blue custom long board— was heart-wrenching. “I was so in love with that board,” she says.
Jud Lau understood. The 53-year-old Maui native has been riding the waves since he was a teenager, and he’s been building surfboards for the last 15 years. He knows the value of a good surfboard. “A surfboard is part of your whole being especially in Hawaii, where surfing originated,” he says. “Losing a board is like losing a part of your soul.”
So, wanting to help the victims in some way, he started thinking about all the surfers who had lost their boards. “And I thought, that’s my area of expertise,” he says. “Surfing is a healing thing for surfers-getting in the ocean, connecting to Mother Nature.”
He realized he could give that back to them. Lau started by connecting people who wanted to donate extra boards to those who had lost theirs, about 200 boards total. Friends in Oahu and California collected another 550 boards and shipped them to Maui for Lau to distribute.
But many surfers, like Lepre, use custom boards designed to accommodate their size or the type of waves they ride. So Lau turned to cash donations—raising about $20,000—to cover the cost of materials for shaping custom boards to give away. Donating his labor, he made more than40 boards that typically would have retailed for $ 600 to S1, 500 each. He also persuaded the other shapers on the island, about a dozen of them, to make at least one board each, providing around 20 more surfboards.
The recipients of Lau’s efforts include Lepre. She messaged him what she’d lost and he shaped her a high-performance, 9-foot, single-fin board with a sunset fading from yellow to orange and “Lahaina” in deep red letters in the middle. “I cried when I saw it.” Lepre says, “He created an art piece for me, and this tool would help me move forward.”
The new board allowed her to get back in the water and start healing.
36．According to the passage, what does surfing mean to Kalyn Lepre
A．It’s critical to her mental health. B．It’s optional in her everyday life.
C．It’s a casual form of exercise for her. D．It’s her vital means of making a living.
37．In the second paragraph, the underlined word “heart-wrenching” is closest in meaning to ______.
A．distracting B．frightening C．distressing D．puzzling
38．Lau employed multiple ways to help those who lost their surfboards, including ______.
①raising money to buy some new surfboards
②collecting and distributing the donated boards
③ donating his labor to make some surfboards
④ selling some of his handmade surfboards
⑤ persuading others to join him in shaping surfboards
A．①②④ B．②③⑤ C．①③⑤ D．②③④
39．The passage is mainly concerned with ______.
A．the destructive force of a fire in Lahaina
B．the significance of surfing for Hawaiian people
C．how Kalyn Lepre overcame the grief of losing a surfboard
D．how Jud Lau helped those who lost their surfboards in the fire
(B)
4 ways to save at the cinema
Avoid premium tickets The most expensive tickets are going to be at peak times, which will usually run from Friday night until Sunday evening. But if you have the flexibility to go mid-week or in the daytime then you’ll hopefully find lower prices. There might also be certain days where all tickets are reduced further—it’ll depend on which cinema you have near you. You’d also ask yourself whether you really need to pay extra for a premium seat or 3D screening. If you don’t think it’ll make much of a difference, just go for the cheaper option instead. Consider a membership Some cinema memberships offer free tickets and then discounts on future visits, so they’re worth looking at if you know you’ll make the money back. If you are going at least twice a month then the all-you-can-watch memberships at Cineworld and Odeon can be fantastic value. Curzon and Everyman also offer these but you’ll need to be going every week to cover the huge upfront fee. One downside though is that if you want to see a film at a different chain you’ll be paying again. Sometimes, there is also a free membership option which could save you a little bit on things such as online booking fees, or even give you access to lower saver prices— so it’s well worth signing up!
Look for special screenings Most cinemas run reduced screenings for retirees or families with young kids. They’re normally at the same time each week and might even come with an extra like a free cup of tea. Bring your own snacks Finally, armed with your cheap cinema tickets, don’t undo all your good work by picking popcorn and other snacks at the cinema. The mark-up on these is huge and can be easily avoided by hitting a supermarket before hand to buy cheaper ones. You won’t need to smuggle them in.
40．Which of the following statements is TRUE
A．You can buy a cheaper ticket on workday at your nearby cinema.
B．If you want to enjoy a 3D screening, you have to apply for a membership.
C．Booking tickets online regularly can help save a lot on your membership fee.
D．A membership at Curzon is well worth its fee if you visit there on a weekly basis.
41．Which of the following plans can help a movie lover save money
Plan A go the cinema every Monday evening watch a reduced screening version buy snacks in advance
Plan B go the cinema every Friday evening watch a reduced screening version buy snacks in advance
Plan C go the cinema every Saturday evening watch a 3D screening version shop around the cinema
Plan D go the cinema every Sunday evening watch a 3D screening version shop around the cinema
A．Plan A B．Plan B C．Plan C D．Plan D
42．______ would most be interested in reading this passage.
A．A documentary producer B．A retired movie lover
C．A membership card collector D．An amateur film critic
(C)
Like previous leaps in technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI) will make the economy more productive but will also probably hurt some workers whose skills have been devalued. But this time around, how quickly will these effects come about History may provide an answer.
Consider the effects of previous advances in computing. Gordon Moore was famous for his prediction that the number of transistors(晶体管) on a computer chip would double every two years. The consequences of Moore’s Law are most obvious in the powerful computers and smartphones that almost everyone carries around these days. However, for at least two decades after Moore’ s Law kicked in, America suffered from a productivity slowdown. The boom kicked in only during the 1990s.
Why did the advancement in computing power take so long to pay off for the economy In1990, the economic historian Paul David published “The Dynamo and the Computer.” It drew a parallel between the effects of information technology and those of an earlier tech revolution, the electrification of industry.
As David noted, electric motors became widely available in the 1890s. But to take full advantage of electrification, manufacturers had to rethink the design of factories. Pre-electric factories were multistory buildings with crowded working spaces, because that was necessary to make efficient use of a steam engine in the basement driving the machines in the production system. It took a long time to realize that having each machine driven by its own motor made it possible to have one-story factories with wide space allowing easy movement of materials. As a result, the big productivity gains from electrification didn’t materialize until after World War II.
Sure enough, as David, in effect, predicted, the economic payoff from information technology finally kicked in during the 1990s. But this history still presents a few puzzles. One is why the first productivity boom from information technology was so short-lived; basically it lasted only around a decade. And even while it lasted, productivity growth during the IT boom was no higher than it was during the generation-long boom after World War II, which didn’t seem to be driven by any new technology.
In 1969, Peter Drucker published “The Age of Discontinuity,” whose title implies that the previous period of extraordinary economic growth was actually an age of continuity. Or to put it another way, the great boom from the 1940s to around 1970 seems to have been largely based on the use of technologies that had been around for decades, which should make us less confident in trying to use recent technological developments to predict economic growth.
That’s not to say that artificial intelligence won’t have huge economic impacts. But history suggests that they won’t come quickly. ChaptGPT and whatever follows are probably an economic story for the 2030s, not for the next few years.
43．Why did the writer mention Gordon Moore and his famous prediction
A．To introduce one of the most accurate tech-related predictions.
B．To highlight the productivity slowdown that America once suffered from.
C．To describe a period in history that has greatly changed people’s perception.
D．To imply that it will take a long time for AI to make an impact on economy.
44．What can be inferred from Paul David’s account of the electrification of industry
A．The design of workspace depends on the number of workers involved.
B．Manufacturers are usually unwilling to put a technology into practice.
C．Having a technology doesn’t necessarily mean people know what to do with it.
D．History shows that people tend to reject a new technology when it first emerges.
45．According to the passage, the reason for the generation-boom after World War II was that ______.
A．it was based on old technologies B．it took place after a terrible war
C．it was driven by new technologies D．it took place during the age of discontinuity
46．Which of the following might be the best title of the passage
A．The Impact of AI, Great but Slow B．AI and Slow Economic Development
C．The Impact of AI: Great on Economy D．The Impact of AI: Lessons from Economists
Section C
Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in each blank with a proper sentence given below. Each sentence can be used only once. Note that there are two more sentences than you need.
A．I think it speaks to the power of women selling to women. B．What makes people go wild for these highly specific drink bottles C．Green, male and hot. That’s what Stanley has been, and we’re proud of that. D．These likes have translated into significant sales gains, doubling the company’s business two years in a row. E．They have a phenomenal pulse on the conversations on social media—what are people talking about F．Right now, besides some camping cookware, Stanley’s products are restricted to the beverage-and-container space.
The Stanley Cup Craze
For Christmas, Sarah Anderson decided to buy herself one of the most popular pieces of drinkware on the market: The 40-ounce Stanley H2.0FlowState Tumbler. Tumblers, water bottles, beverage containers or whatever else people want to call them have become even more popular over the last several years. 47 “A lot of us are into wellness, drinking your vitamins, this and that.” said Melina Vega, a lifestyle, beauty and fashion content creator. Plus, she said the influencers on TikTok, make these products popular by simply talking about them.
Countless content creators have been sharing “unboxing” videos and product reviews, gaining hundreds of thousands of likes. 48 In particular, Stanley Global President Terrence Reilly said, there was a 275% increase in Stanley H2.0 FlowState Tumbler sales last year.
Before the recent craze, cheerleaders and social media influencers didn’t always come to mind when thinking of Stanley. For over 100 years, Stanley has mostly marketed itself as a camping and outdoors brand. “ 49 ” Stanley Global President Terrence Reilly said. He described Stanley as an American legacy brand and pointed to the green Stanley thermos as the top choice for construction workers, teachers, nurses and others. But the idea of adjusting the target customers originated with the three women behind the popular e-commerce blog, The Buy Guide, who began linking the Stanley on their website in 2017 after falling in love with the product themselves. It sold out quickly each time they shared it. “ 50 We wanted to stay green, male and hot but also become more colorful, female and cold.” Reilly said. He explained that while Stanley planned to still advertise to the outdoorsman, it would also stylishly focus on this missed audience of women on the go, who need their cold drinks to last all day.
Ⅲ．Summary Writing
Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.
Is an “expedition” better than a holiday
Expeditions used to be the preserve of professionals: scientists, academics and explorers setting off for parts unknown with the goal of furthering the field of human knowledge. An emerging industry of expedition tourism, however, is laying open the thrill of discovery to the general public. Tours are increasingly being accompanied by experts in their respective fields, who lead visits to conservation areas, historical sites, or scientific institutions, offering in-depth explanations of what guests are experiencing.
There’s one key factor that’s driving people’s desire to travel: the spirit of scientific research. Kevin Currie, director of New Scientist Discovery Tours (NSDT), added that people no longer just want to sit on a beach and that there is now a greater desire for self-fulfillment. He explained his company had launched in June 2019, during a time when experiential tours were growing at twice the rate of normal tourism, and that this trend had resumed after the pandemic.
Many of the new breed of expedition tours extend the scope of the trip beyond mere tourism. Yet all of them raise the question: how valuable can a tourist truly be to scientific research
Currie is doubtful about the usefulness of citizen science activities being offered as part of an expedition tour, stating scientific research is a serious endeavor and should not be treated causally. Other experts have expressed concerns that some expedition tours may be causing more damage to the environment than they are able to help resolve. Some experts, however, are optimistic about the citizen science tourism. When done right, this tourism can not only gather useful data, but can empower participants to take further action, which positively impacts conservation going forward.
Ⅳ．Translation
Directions: Translate the following sentences into English, using the words given in the brackets.
52．在某些地方，缺水主要因为天热。（blame）
53．退休后，谁接手他的工作悬而未决。（it）
54．当面临两条完全不一样的路时，勇敢的选择一条人迹罕至的道路可能会对你的人生有深远的影响。（travel）
55．要牢记：我们看待一个问题的角度越多， 就越有可能找到解决问题的方法，拓宽对世界的理解。（Bear）
Ⅴ．Guided Writing
Directions: Write an English composition in about 150 words according to the instructions given below in Chinese.
56．假如你是明启中学的学生李明，你校准备以班级为单位，在校园周边老年社区开展“爱满社区”的社会实践活动，并在校园网公布了如下方案，征求师生意见。写一封邮件给活动组织者，内容须包括：
1）你认为方案中需要改进的地方；
2）你的修改建议及理由
活动方案
时间 重阳节（农历九月初九）周五
时长 半天
地点 社区图书馆
活动内容 ●组织老年人打太极 ●组织老年人做剪纸 ●学生才艺表演展示
期中教学质量检测高三英语试卷
说明：（1）本场考试时间为105分钟，总分115分；
（2）请认真答卷，并规范书写。
I．Grammar and Vocabulary
Section A
Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.
Shifting women’s styles
Trends come and go as time flies. You may get some clues about the fashion of ancient times from the videos produced by Zhu Ruoxuan, who (1) ______ (vote) as one of Bilibili’s top 100 content creators in 2023.
Born in 1998, Zhu began sharing her life on Bilibili in 2019, (2) ______ (nickname) “Duoduo Hualin”, initially focusing on videos that show popular makeup in China. In 2021, she gained widespread attention, (3) ______ at first her productions didn’t grow in popularity, thanks to a video depicting the evolution of the ordinary Chinese woman’s appearance and mindset. In the video, she also imitated the facial expressions of women from different time periods, capturing the uncertainty in the 1920s in China and their confidence (4) ______ female workers in the 1950s.
Despite (5) ______ (lack) formal acting training, Zhu made full preparations for her videos. She studied women in old photos and movies (6) ______ (imitate) their expressions, striving for accuracy. Zhu has started paying more attention to current social phenomena (7) ______ (face) women since last year. At the end of a video, for instance, she depicted a character with pink hair who suffered cyber bullying due to her hairstyle. Zhu made clear that “I want everyone to see online violence could be fatal and (8) ______ it was a necessary growth both for myself and my creation”.
Zhu’s recent videos demonstrate a more compassionate approach toward women in historical periods. For instance, on Dec 13th, the annual National Memorial Day for Victims of the Nanjing Massacre, she released an anti-war video, (9) ______ the transformation of an ordinary Chinese woman before and after the Nanjing massacre was portrayed. This video, which took two months to create, drew inspiration from Iris Chang’s book The Rape of Nanking, in which women cut their hair short during the war to conceal (10) ______ among the refugees.
Section B
Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.
A．assume B．attained C．correspondingly D．demonstrations E．severely F．exposed G．justifications H．packed I．practice J．substantial K．vehicle
Could you learn physics in foreign languages
Learning both a language and a subject like physics simultaneously might seem overwhelming, but that’s the idea behind CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning), a methodology gaining popularity since its introduction in Europe in the 1990s. One of its main 11 was efficiency; if languages could be picked up through exposure in other subject lessons, pressure on 12 timetables would be reduced.
Of course, CLIL brings many challenges for teachers who are required to make 13 adjustments to the way they teach. For language teachers, there is a near-complete reversal of what they are accustomed to: while in a traditional language course, texts are constructed primarily as a 14 for the language points they want to teach, in CLIL the language emerges somewhat randomly from the subject content.
Conversely, subject teachers can no longer talk about their subjects to their students and 15 they will understand everything. They will almost certainly need to adapt by relying less on language and more on 16 or experiments to convey information. There is also a good deal of fear to overcome. Subject teachers may have 17 only low levels of language skills and therefore lack confidence in teaching in a foreign language, while a language teacher’s initial reaction to the idea of teaching maths will often be one of horror!
Solutions to these problems will vary according to the setting in which teachers work. Good CLIL teaching materials are increasingly available, while many schools 18 a cooperative approach, with language and subject teachers negotiating both the balance between language and content, and the ways in which their different teaching styles can be brought together in a successful lesson.
Does CLIL work Research suggests it does. Like the elite Roman children who were educated in Greek, students 19 to CLIL often achieve good results, even in mixed-ability classes. It could be that the concentration required to understand the language means that the subject information is 20 well absorbed.
II．Reading Comprehension
Section A
Directions: For each blank in the following passages there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with word or phrase that best fits the context.
It’s not easy being a customer-service agent—particularly when those customers are so angry with a product that they want to yell at you down the phone. Thus, Sonos applied a customer-service bot powered by generative artificial intelligence (AI). It was thought to be a 21 . Yet after digesting Sonos’s technical materials, it came up with its own solutions to one of the problems. In other words, the bot was beyond 22 .
Customer service is a big industry. In recent years, however, the industry has become infamous for driving customers mad with its use of technology. Its poor reputation is 23 . Because it’s expensive for firms to use humans to solve their customers’ problems, they make the process as 24 as possible by forcing you to press a confusing combination of numbers or chat with a bot that repeats mechanical responses. Once human agents are involved, it is in the financial interests of outsourcing firms (外包公司) to make the process as labour-intensive as possible, further raising costs and 25 everybody.
Now, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists are betting that generative AI can make the service less 26 . Unlike their rote-learning predecessors, generative-AI bots don’t repeat pre-set and 27 answers to narrow questions. Instead, they create their own responses informed by the firms’ training materials and previous customer-service interactions.
Providers are 28 on the role these bots should play. One approach is for humans to continue managing conversations with customers with an AI buddy in the background giving tips. But others think that generative-AI bots are now clever enough to handle most conversations themselves. A number of generative Al startups in the industry have adopted “ 29 -based pricing”, charging for their technology when a customer question is resolved, rather than per agent or minute of interaction, as is standard.
That raises two tricky questions. One is how customers feel about all this. Advocates say that customers will no longer have to wait endlessly for a person to 30 the phone, and bots will be fluent in many languages and have easier-to-understand accents than foreign call-center agents. 31 , customers, are yet to be convinced. They worry it will make it even more difficult to reach a human. What’s more, generative-AI bots have a tendency to project 32 in their responses even when they are wrong, which could cause huge damage. Earlier this year Air Canada was forced to 33 a customer who was incorrectly promised a discount by the airline’s AI chatbot.
A second question is what all this means for the jobs of call-center agents. Last year, it is predicted that generative AI would have led to a 20-30% reduction in customer-service jobs by2026. An expert says, “I would be putting my head in the sand if I said generative AI wouldn’t 34 people.” But previous waves of customer-service technology also fueled concerns about job losses, only for them to fail to materialise. Besides, human agents could be freed up to spend more time on 35 tasks, like using feedback to make products better—and less time listening to angry customers.
21．A．success B．disaster C．protest D．breakthrough
22．A．expectations B．endurance C．recognition D．description
23．A．underestimated B．deserved C．unexpected D．questioned
24．A．manageable B．scientific C．awkward D．rapid
25．A．satisfying B．calming C．dismissing D．frustrating
26．A．personalized B．direct C．voluntary D．awful
27．A．distinct B．flexible C．standardized D．sensible
28．A．hard B．divided C．keen D．decisive
29．A．outcome B．time C．value D．market
30．A．hang up B．set aside C．hand over D．pick up
31．A．However B．Furthermore C．After all D．For instance
32．A．shame B．uncertainty C．confidence D．depression
33．A．prosecute B．compensate C．charge D．condemn
34．A．assist B．replace C．train D．engage
35．A．heavy B．repetitive C．routine D．rewarding
Section B
Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read.
(A)
The fire raced through Lahaina last August so fast that it killed 100 people and destroyed more than 2,200 buildings. It left more than 7,000 people without their possessions and in need of shelter.
That afternoon, Kalyn Lepre, a 36-year-old nutritional therapist, grabbed her wallet and drove out of town. She lost everything else in her four-bedroom house: clothes, documents, jewelry and seven surfboards. Lepre surfed almost every day; surfing was a source of joy and a means to maintain her mental health. Seeing her surfboards reduced to a pile of fibers—especially her prized baby blue custom long board— was heart-wrenching. “I was so in love with that board,” she says.
Jud Lau understood. The 53-year-old Maui native has been riding the waves since he was a teenager, and he’s been building surfboards for the last 15 years. He knows the value of a good surfboard. “A surfboard is part of your whole being especially in Hawaii, where surfing originated,” he says. “Losing a board is like losing a part of your soul.”
So, wanting to help the victims in some way, he started thinking about all the surfers who had lost their boards. “And I thought, that’s my area of expertise,” he says. “Surfing is a healing thing for surfers-getting in the ocean, connecting to Mother Nature.”
He realized he could give that back to them. Lau started by connecting people who wanted to donate extra boards to those who had lost theirs, about 200 boards total. Friends in Oahu and California collected another 550 boards and shipped them to Maui for Lau to distribute.
But many surfers, like Lepre, use custom boards designed to accommodate their size or the type of waves they ride. So Lau turned to cash donations—raising about $20,000—to cover the cost of materials for shaping custom boards to give away. Donating his labor, he made more than40 boards that typically would have retailed for $ 600 to S1, 500 each. He also persuaded the other shapers on the island, about a dozen of them, to make at least one board each, providing around 20 more surfboards.
The recipients of Lau’s efforts include Lepre. She messaged him what she’d lost and he shaped her a high-performance, 9-foot, single-fin board with a sunset fading from yellow to orange and “Lahaina” in deep red letters in the middle. “I cried when I saw it.” Lepre says, “He created an art piece for me, and this tool would help me move forward.”
The new board allowed her to get back in the water and start healing.
36．According to the passage, what does surfing mean to Kalyn Lepre
A．It’s critical to her mental health. B．It’s optional in her everyday life.
C．It’s a casual form of exercise for her. D．It’s her vital means of making a living.
37．In the second paragraph, the underlined word “heart-wrenching” is closest in meaning to ______.
A．distracting B．frightening C．distressing D．puzzling
38．Lau employed multiple ways to help those who lost their surfboards, including ______.
①raising money to buy some new surfboards
②collecting and distributing the donated boards
③ donating his labor to make some surfboards
④ selling some of his handmade surfboards
⑤ persuading others to join him in shaping surfboards
A．①②④ B．②③⑤ C．①③⑤ D．②③④
39．The passage is mainly concerned with ______.
A．the destructive force of a fire in Lahaina
B．the significance of surfing for Hawaiian people
C．how Kalyn Lepre overcame the grief of losing a surfboard
D．how Jud Lau helped those who lost their surfboards in the fire
(B)
4 ways to save at the cinema
Avoid premium tickets The most expensive tickets are going to be at peak times, which will usually run from Friday night until Sunday evening. But if you have the flexibility to go mid-week or in the daytime then you’ll hopefully find lower prices. There might also be certain days where all tickets are reduced further—it’ll depend on which cinema you have near you. You’d also ask yourself whether you really need to pay extra for a premium seat or 3D screening. If you don’t think it’ll make much of a difference, just go for the cheaper option instead. Consider a membership Some cinema memberships offer free tickets and then discounts on future visits, so they’re worth looking at if you know you’ll make the money back. If you are going at least twice a month then the all-you-can-watch memberships at Cineworld and Odeon can be fantastic value. Curzon and Everyman also offer these but you’ll need to be going every week to cover the huge upfront fee. One downside though is that if you want to see a film at a different chain you’ll be paying again. Sometimes, there is also a free membership option which could save you a little bit on things such as online booking fees, or even give you access to lower saver prices— so it’s well worth signing up!
Look for special screenings Most cinemas run reduced screenings for retirees or families with young kids. They’re normally at the same time each week and might even come with an extra like a free cup of tea. Bring your own snacks Finally, armed with your cheap cinema tickets, don’t undo all your good work by picking popcorn and other snacks at the cinema. The mark-up on these is huge and can be easily avoided by hitting a supermarket before hand to buy cheaper ones. You won’t need to smuggle them in.
40．Which of the following statements is TRUE
A．You can buy a cheaper ticket on workday at your nearby cinema.
B．If you want to enjoy a 3D screening, you have to apply for a membership.
C．Booking tickets online regularly can help save a lot on your membership fee.
D．A membership at Curzon is well worth its fee if you visit there on a weekly basis.
41．Which of the following plans can help a movie lover save money
Plan A go the cinema every Monday evening watch a reduced screening version buy snacks in advance
Plan B go the cinema every Friday evening watch a reduced screening version buy snacks in advance
Plan C go the cinema every Saturday evening watch a 3D screening version shop around the cinema
Plan D go the cinema every Sunday evening watch a 3D screening version shop around the cinema
A．Plan A B．Plan B C．Plan C D．Plan D
42．______ would most be interested in reading this passage.
A．A documentary producer B．A retired movie lover
C．A membership card collector D．An amateur film critic
(C)
Like previous leaps in technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI) will make the economy more productive but will also probably hurt some workers whose skills have been devalued. But this time around, how quickly will these effects come about History may provide an answer.
Consider the effects of previous advances in computing. Gordon Moore was famous for his prediction that the number of transistors(晶体管) on a computer chip would double every two years. The consequences of Moore’s Law are most obvious in the powerful computers and smartphones that almost everyone carries around these days. However, for at least two decades after Moore’ s Law kicked in, America suffered from a productivity slowdown. The boom kicked in only during the 1990s.
Why did the advancement in computing power take so long to pay off for the economy In1990, the economic historian Paul David published “The Dynamo and the Computer.” It drew a parallel between the effects of information technology and those of an earlier tech revolution, the electrification of industry.
As David noted, electric motors became widely available in the 1890s. But to take full advantage of electrification, manufacturers had to rethink the design of factories. Pre-electric factories were multistory buildings with crowded working spaces, because that was necessary to make efficient use of a steam engine in the basement driving the machines in the production system. It took a long time to realize that having each machine driven by its own motor made it possible to have one-story factories with wide space allowing easy movement of materials. As a result, the big productivity gains from electrification didn’t materialize until after World War II.
Sure enough, as David, in effect, predicted, the economic payoff from information technology finally kicked in during the 1990s. But this history still presents a few puzzles. One is why the first productivity boom from information technology was so short-lived; basically it lasted only around a decade. And even while it lasted, productivity growth during the IT boom was no higher than it was during the generation-long boom after World War II, which didn’t seem to be driven by any new technology.
In 1969, Peter Drucker published “The Age of Discontinuity,” whose title implies that the previous period of extraordinary economic growth was actually an age of continuity. Or to put it another way, the great boom from the 1940s to around 1970 seems to have been largely based on the use of technologies that had been around for decades, which should make us less confident in trying to use recent technological developments to predict economic growth.
That’s not to say that artificial intelligence won’t have huge economic impacts. But history suggests that they won’t come quickly. ChaptGPT and whatever follows are probably an economic story for the 2030s, not for the next few years.
43．Why did the writer mention Gordon Moore and his famous prediction
A．To introduce one of the most accurate tech-related predictions.
B．To highlight the productivity slowdown that America once suffered from.
C．To describe a period in history that has greatly changed people’s perception.
D．To imply that it will take a long time for AI to make an impact on economy.
44．What can be inferred from Paul David’s account of the electrification of industry
A．The design of workspace depends on the number of workers involved.
B．Manufacturers are usually unwilling to put a technology into practice.
C．Having a technology doesn’t necessarily mean people know what to do with it.
D．History shows that people tend to reject a new technology when it first emerges.
45．According to the passage, the reason for the generation-boom after World War II was that ______.
A．it was based on old technologies B．it took place after a terrible war
C．it was driven by new technologies D．it took place during the age of discontinuity
46．Which of the following might be the best title of the passage
A．The Impact of AI, Great but Slow B．AI and Slow Economic Development
C．The Impact of AI: Great on Economy D．The Impact of AI: Lessons from Economists
Section C
Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in each blank with a proper sentence given below. Each sentence can be used only once. Note that there are two more sentences than you need.
A．I think it speaks to the power of women selling to women. B．What makes people go wild for these highly specific drink bottles C．Green, male and hot. That’s what Stanley has been, and we’re proud of that. D．These likes have translated into significant sales gains, doubling the company’s business two years in a row. E．They have a phenomenal pulse on the conversations on social media—what are people talking about F．Right now, besides some camping cookware, Stanley’s products are restricted to the beverage-and-container space.
The Stanley Cup Craze
For Christmas, Sarah Anderson decided to buy herself one of the most popular pieces of drinkware on the market: The 40-ounce Stanley H2.0FlowState Tumbler. Tumblers, water bottles, beverage containers or whatever else people want to call them have become even more popular over the last several years. 47 “A lot of us are into wellness, drinking your vitamins, this and that.” said Melina Vega, a lifestyle, beauty and fashion content creator. Plus, she said the influencers on TikTok, make these products popular by simply talking about them.
Countless content creators have been sharing “unboxing” videos and product reviews, gaining hundreds of thousands of likes. 48 In particular, Stanley Global President Terrence Reilly said, there was a 275% increase in Stanley H2.0 FlowState Tumbler sales last year.
Before the recent craze, cheerleaders and social media influencers didn’t always come to mind when thinking of Stanley. For over 100 years, Stanley has mostly marketed itself as a camping and outdoors brand. “ 49 ” Stanley Global President Terrence Reilly said. He described Stanley as an American legacy brand and pointed to the green Stanley thermos as the top choice for construction workers, teachers, nurses and others. But the idea of adjusting the target customers originated with the three women behind the popular e-commerce blog, The Buy Guide, who began linking the Stanley on their website in 2017 after falling in love with the product themselves. It sold out quickly each time they shared it. “ 50 We wanted to stay green, male and hot but also become more colorful, female and cold.” Reilly said. He explained that while Stanley planned to still advertise to the outdoorsman, it would also stylishly focus on this missed audience of women on the go, who need their cold drinks to last all day.
Ⅲ．Summary Writing
Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.
Is an “expedition” better than a holiday
Expeditions used to be the preserve of professionals: scientists, academics and explorers setting off for parts unknown with the goal of furthering the field of human knowledge. An emerging industry of expedition tourism, however, is laying open the thrill of discovery to the general public. Tours are increasingly being accompanied by experts in their respective fields, who lead visits to conservation areas, historical sites, or scientific institutions, offering in-depth explanations of what guests are experiencing.
There’s one key factor that’s driving people’s desire to travel: the spirit of scientific research. Kevin Currie, director of New Scientist Discovery Tours (NSDT), added that people no longer just want to sit on a beach and that there is now a greater desire for self-fulfillment. He explained his company had launched in June 2019, during a time when experiential tours were growing at twice the rate of normal tourism, and that this trend had resumed after the pandemic.
Many of the new breed of expedition tours extend the scope of the trip beyond mere tourism. Yet all of them raise the question: how valuable can a tourist truly be to scientific research
Currie is doubtful about the usefulness of citizen science activities being offered as part of an expedition tour, stating scientific research is a serious endeavor and should not be treated causally. Other experts have expressed concerns that some expedition tours may be causing more damage to the environment than they are able to help resolve. Some experts, however, are optimistic about the citizen science tourism. When done right, this tourism can not only gather useful data, but can empower participants to take further action, which positively impacts conservation going forward.
Ⅳ．Translation
Directions: Translate the following sentences into English, using the words given in the brackets.
52．在某些地方，缺水主要因为天热。（blame）
53．退休后，谁接手他的工作悬而未决。（it）
54．当面临两条完全不一样的路时，勇敢的选择一条人迹罕至的道路可能会对你的人生有深远的影响。（travel）
55．要牢记：我们看待一个问题的角度越多， 就越有可能找到解决问题的方法，拓宽对世界的理解。（Bear）
Ⅴ．Guided Writing
Directions: Write an English composition in about 150 words according to the instructions given below in Chinese.
56．假如你是明启中学的学生李明，你校准备以班级为单位，在校园周边老年社区开展“爱满社区”的社会实践活动，并在校园网公布了如下方案，征求师生意见。写一封邮件给活动组织者，内容须包括：
1）你认为方案中需要改进的地方；
2）你的修改建议及理由
活动方案
时间 重阳节（农历九月初九）周五
时长 半天
地点 社区图书馆
活动内容 ●组织老年人打太极 ●组织老年人做剪纸 ●学生才艺表演展示