Passage 1
Divers might soon be able to communicate over long distances underwater by sending radio messages along the water's surface. Regular radio frequencies can't travel far through water. Underwater communication systems like sonar can transmit over long distances underwater, but they can't carry large amounts of information and are relatively slow. They can also disturb marine wildlife.
Now, a co - founder of communication firm SonarWave, Alex Wilkins, and his colleagues from California have found a way to use radio waves for underwater communication. They exploit how electromagnetic radiation travels along the water's surface. Two divers, completely submerged in the water, can use their "walkie - talkies" to communicate suddenly. This makes sense according to the theory put forward by Pierre de Fermat in the 17th century, which states that electromagnetic radiation always takes the quickest possible path to its destination.
The longer it takes to reach net zero, the greater the risk that global warming will continue for decades or millennia even after we have stopped emitting greenhouse gases, says an assessment by the National Centre for Meteorological Research. This means we may have to emit even less carbon dioxide than we thought if we want to limit warming to, say, 2℃, making carbon budgets even smaller than current estimates. "The timing at which we reach net zero is also key," says Roland Séférian at the centre. Climate modellers once assumed that CO levels would drop fairly quickly when the world is 2℃ warmer than pre - industrial times. However, standard climate models don't include all feedbacks. Newer, more comprehensive "Earth system" models suggest that if we reach net zero when the world is 2℃ warmer, there is a 33 - per - cent chance that the planet would continue ocean warming, meaning surface warming halts within a few years.
Not all climate models are the same. Additional warming doesn't mean unstoppable warming. Reaching net zero becomes even more important as a milestone. But in a comment, Michael Mann at the University of Pennsylvania points out that we should also consider the possibility of negative emissions to really limit warming.
What is the problem with traditional underwater communication systems like sonar
A. They are too expensive to use.
B. They can't transmit over long distances.
C. They can't carry much information and are slow.
D. They are difficult to operate.
How do the new underwater "walkie - talkies" work
A. They use sonar technology to send messages.
B. They send radio messages along the water's surface.
C. They rely on satellite signals to communicate.
D. They directly transmit radio waves through water.
What does the assessment by the National Centre for Meteorological Research suggest
A. We don't need to worry about global warming after reaching net zero.
B. Reaching net zero quickly is important to limit global warming.
C. Carbon budgets should be larger than current estimates.
D. CO levels will drop quickly when the world is 2℃ warmer.
What can we infer from the passage
A. The new underwater communication method will completely replace sonar.
B. All climate models agree on the future of global warming after reaching net zero.
C. Negative emissions might play a role in limiting global warming.
D. Surface warming will stop immediately after reaching net zero.
答案：C
解析：根据文章第一部分 “Underwater communication systems like sonar can transmit over long distances underwater, but they can't carry large amounts of information and are relatively slow.” 可知，传统水下通信系统如声纳的问题是不能携带大量信息且速度相对较慢，选 C。
答案：B
解析：从文章第一部分 “Divers might soon be able to communicate over long distances underwater by sending radio messages along the water's surface.” 以及后续内容可知，新的水下 “对讲机” 是通过沿水面发送无线电信息来工作的，选 B。
答案：B
解析：由文章第二部分 “The longer it takes to reach net zero, the greater the risk that global warming will continue for decades or millennia even after we have stopped emitting greenhouse gases” 以及 “The timing at which we reach net zero is also key” 可知，国家气象研究中心的评估表明快速达到净零排放对于限制全球变暖很重要，选 B。
答案：C
解析：根据文章最后一段 “Michael Mann at the University of Pennsylvania points out that we should also consider the possibility of negative emissions to really limit warming.” 可推断出，负排放可能在限制全球变暖中发挥作用，选 C。
Passage 2
Artificial intelligence can predict the weather ten days ahead more accurately than traditional methods, as shown by Google DeepMind's simulations. However, ditching current forecasting methods and just relying on AI - spotted patterns in data could raise serious issues.
Most current weather forecasts are based on mathematical models, which use physics and supercomputers to predict deterministically what will happen. Google DeepMind's AI, on the other hand, finds patterns in data that even Google DeepMind itself may not fully understand. Like many machine - learning AI models, it's not always clear how the model works.
To make a forecast, it uses real meteorological readings, taken from more than a million points around the planet at two - given times. It then analyses the data, predicts the weather 6 hours ahead, and those predictions are used as the inputs for another round, forecasting a further 6 hours ahead.
Researchers at Google DeepMind ran this process with data from the European Centre for Medium - Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) to create 10 - day forecasts. They say it beat the European Centre's own high - resolution forecasts (HRES) by giving more accurate predictions on more than 90 per cent of tested data points. At some altitudes, the accuracy rose as high as 99.7 per cent.
But meteorologist Ian Renfrew at the University of East Anglia, UK, says GraphCast can't just replace current forecasting methods. For a forecast, like the ECMWF's own tools, it needs starting states placed into the simulation, a step that typically relies on physics - based models. Also, understanding how the computing time in forecasting is affected is not clear with machine - learning AI models. Renfrew also has concerns about ditching deterministic models. He says, "If you set out an order to evacuate 30 miles off the coastline in Florida and then nothing happens, then you've broken decades of trust that has been built up."
What is the advantage of Google DeepMind's AI in weather forecasting
A. It can clearly show how the model works.
B. It can predict the weather further ahead than traditional methods.
C. It can provide more accurate 10 - day forecasts than some traditional methods.
D. It doesn't need real meteorological readings.
What is the problem with relying only on AI - spotted patterns in weather forecasting
A. The computing time is too long.
B. It's not clear how the AI model works sometimes.
C. It can't predict the weather 10 days ahead.
D. It needs too many data points.
What does Ian Renfrew think of Google DeepMind's GraphCast
A. It can completely replace current forecasting methods.
B. It has no potential in improving weather forecasts.
C. It still needs physics - based models for some steps.
D. It has already built up decades of trust.
What can we infer from the passage
A. Machine - learning AI models will not be used in weather forecasting in the future.
B. Deterministic models are no longer useful in weather forecasting.
C. Combining AI and traditional methods may be a better way for weather forecasting.
D. Google DeepMind's AI has solved all the problems in weather forecasting.
答案：C
解析：根据文章第四段 “Researchers at Google DeepMind ran this process with data from the European Centre for Medium - Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) to create 10 - day forecasts. They say it beat the European Centre's own high - resolution forecasts (HRES) by giving more accurate predictions on more than 90 per cent of tested data points. At some altitudes, the accuracy rose as high as 99.7 per cent.” 可知，Google DeepMind 的 AI 在 10 天天气预报方面比一些传统方法更准确，选 C。
答案：B
解析：从文章第二段 “Google DeepMind's AI, on the other hand, finds patterns in data that even Google DeepMind itself may not fully understand. Like many machine - learning AI models, it's not always clear how the model works.” 可知，仅依靠 AI 发现的数据模式进行天气预报的问题是有时不清楚 AI 模型是如何工作的，选 B。
答案：C
解析：依据文章最后一段 “But meteorologist Ian Renfrew at the University of East Anglia, UK, says GraphCast can't just replace current forecasting methods. For a forecast, like the ECMWF's own tools, it needs starting states placed into the simulation, a step that typically relies on physics - based models.” 可知，Ian Renfrew 认为 GraphCast 在一些步骤上仍然需要基于物理的模型，选 C。
答案：C
解析：综合全文，尤其是最后一段提到 AI 模型在天气预报中有优势但也有不足，仍需结合传统方法的步骤，可推断出将 AI 和传统方法相结合可能是天气预报更好的方式，选 C。
Passage 3
In a world - first, surgeons at NYU Langone Health in New York have performed a human eyeball transplant. It was once thought impossible due to the complexity of the organ. The recipient, Aaron James, a power - line worker from Arkansas, was injured in June 2021 when his face touched a live wire, sending 7200 volts through his body. He lost most of the left side of his face, including his left arm, as well as much of his left eye.
On 27 May, Eduardo Rodriguez and a team of more than 140 others performed the eye transplant alongside a partial face transplant. Up to date, fewer than 50 face transplants have been performed and none included an eye. Whole - eye transplants have been deemed nearly impossible.
James thanked the donor and the donor's family at a press conference on 9 November. He said, "Before the transplant, I was a little down. My confidence level was a little low. But since the transplant, I tell people I can walk past the mirror without looking at it. It has made me stand up taller."
Doctors have never successfully reconnected a severed optic nerve. In this procedure, the team tried to preserve as much of the optic nerve's length as possible, with the goal of maximising the chances of the nerve fibres regenerating and establishing a connection with James's brain. They also took stem cells from the donor's bone marrow and injected them where the donor optic nerve and James's optic nerve met, to further stimulate nerve growth. The entire procedure lasted about 21 hours.
More than five months after the surgical procedure, the eyeball seems healthy. It has maintained normal intraocular fluid pressure and can produce tears. Some of the nerve cells critical for sight are also alive, although James is unable to see using the eye and might never do so. "That's an achievement, just keeping the globe viable, alive and healthy," says Damon Cooney at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, who wasn't involved in the surgery. "But we need to be careful about raising people's expectation or hopes in excess of what's technically feasible."
What happened to Aaron James
A. He had a car accident and lost his left eye.
B. He was electrocuted and suffered serious injuries on the left - side of his face.
C. He fell off a power line and damaged his left arm.
D. He got into a fight and lost part of his face.
Why were whole - eye transplants considered nearly impossible
A. Because there were not enough donors.
B. Because the optic nerve is too difficult to reconnect.
C. Because the surgical technology was not advanced enough.
D. Because the recipients were hard to find.
What did the medical team do to increase the success rate of the transplant
A. They used the latest surgical tools.
B. They invited more experienced surgeons.
C. They preserved the length of the optic nerve and used stem cells.
D. They reduced the time of the operation.
What can we infer from Damon Cooney's words
A. The eyeball transplant is a complete success.
B. James will be able to see with the new eye soon.
C. People should have more confidence in the medical team.
D. We should be realistic about the results of the transplant.
答案：B
解析：根据文章第二段 “The recipient, Aaron James, a power - line worker from Arkansas, was injured in June 2021 when his face touched a live wire, sending 7200 volts through his body. He lost most of the left side of his face, including his left arm, as well as much of his left eye.” 可知，Aaron James 被电击，脸部左侧受重伤，选 B。
答案：B
解析：从文章第四段 “Doctors have never successfully reconnected a severed optic nerve.” 以及第一段提到的眼球移植曾被认为不可能，可知是因为视神经很难重新连接，所以全眼移植几乎不可能，选 B。
答案：C
解析：依据文章第四段 “In this procedure, the team tried to preserve as much of the optic nerve's length as possible, with the goal of maximising the chances of the nerve fibres regenerating and establishing a connection with James's brain. They also took stem cells from the donor's bone marrow and injected them where the donor optic nerve and James's optic nerve met, to further stimulate nerve growth.” 可知，医疗团队保留视神经长度并使用干细胞来提高移植成功率，选 C。
答案：D
解析：根据最后一段 Damon Cooney 所说的 “But we need to be careful about raising people's expectation or hopes in excess of what's technically feasible.” 可推断出，我们应该对移植结果持现实态度，选 D。Passage 1
Divers might soon be able to communicate over long distances underwater by sending radio messages along the water's surface. Regular radio frequencies can't travel far through water. Underwater communication systems like sonar can transmit over long distances underwater, but they can't carry large amounts of information and are relatively slow. They can also disturb marine wildlife.
Now, a co - founder of communication firm SonarWave, Alex Wilkins, and his colleagues from California have found a way to use radio waves for underwater communication. They exploit how electromagnetic radiation travels along the water's surface. Two divers, completely submerged in the water, can use their "walkie - talkies" to communicate suddenly. This makes sense according to the theory put forward by Pierre de Fermat in the 17th century, which states that electromagnetic radiation always takes the quickest possible path to its destination.
The longer it takes to reach net zero, the greater the risk that global warming will continue for decades or millennia even after we have stopped emitting greenhouse gases, says an assessment by the National Centre for Meteorological Research. This means we may have to emit even less carbon dioxide than we thought if we want to limit warming to, say, 2℃, making carbon budgets even smaller than current estimates. "The timing at which we reach net zero is also key," says Roland Séférian at the centre. Climate modellers once assumed that CO levels would drop fairly quickly when the world is 2℃ warmer than pre - industrial times. However, standard climate models don't include all feedbacks. Newer, more comprehensive "Earth system" models suggest that if we reach net zero when the world is 2℃ warmer, there is a 33 - per - cent chance that the planet would continue ocean warming, meaning surface warming halts within a few years.
Not all climate models are the same. Additional warming doesn't mean unstoppable warming. Reaching net zero becomes even more important as a milestone. But in a comment, Michael Mann at the University of Pennsylvania points out that we should also consider the possibility of negative emissions to really limit warming.
What is the problem with traditional underwater communication systems like sonar
A. They are too expensive to use.
B. They can't transmit over long distances.
C. They can't carry much information and are slow.
D. They are difficult to operate.
How do the new underwater "walkie - talkies" work
A. They use sonar technology to send messages.
B. They send radio messages along the water's surface.
C. They rely on satellite signals to communicate.
D. They directly transmit radio waves through water.
What does the assessment by the National Centre for Meteorological Research suggest
A. We don't need to worry about global warming after reaching net zero.
B. Reaching net zero quickly is important to limit global warming.
C. Carbon budgets should be larger than current estimates.
D. CO levels will drop quickly when the world is 2℃ warmer.
What can we infer from the passage
A. The new underwater communication method will completely replace sonar.
B. All climate models agree on the future of global warming after reaching net zero.
C. Negative emissions might play a role in limiting global warming.
D. Surface warming will stop immediately after reaching net zero.
Passage 2
Artificial intelligence can predict the weather ten days ahead more accurately than traditional methods, as shown by Google DeepMind's simulations. However, ditching current forecasting methods and just relying on AI - spotted patterns in data could raise serious issues.
Most current weather forecasts are based on mathematical models, which use physics and supercomputers to predict deterministically what will happen. Google DeepMind's AI, on the other hand, finds patterns in data that even Google DeepMind itself may not fully understand. Like many machine - learning AI models, it's not always clear how the model works.
To make a forecast, it uses real meteorological readings, taken from more than a million points around the planet at two - given times. It then analyses the data, predicts the weather 6 hours ahead, and those predictions are used as the inputs for another round, forecasting a further 6 hours ahead.
Researchers at Google DeepMind ran this process with data from the European Centre for Medium - Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) to create 10 - day forecasts. They say it beat the European Centre's own high - resolution forecasts (HRES) by giving more accurate predictions on more than 90 per cent of tested data points. At some altitudes, the accuracy rose as high as 99.7 per cent.
But meteorologist Ian Renfrew at the University of East Anglia, UK, says GraphCast can't just replace current forecasting methods. For a forecast, like the ECMWF's own tools, it needs starting states placed into the simulation, a step that typically relies on physics - based models. Also, understanding how the computing time in forecasting is affected is not clear with machine - learning AI models. Renfrew also has concerns about ditching deterministic models. He says, "If you set out an order to evacuate 30 miles off the coastline in Florida and then nothing happens, then you've broken decades of trust that has been built up."
What is the advantage of Google DeepMind's AI in weather forecasting
A. It can clearly show how the model works.
B. It can predict the weather further ahead than traditional methods.
C. It can provide more accurate 10 - day forecasts than some traditional methods.
D. It doesn't need real meteorological readings.
What is the problem with relying only on AI - spotted patterns in weather forecasting
A. The computing time is too long.
B. It's not clear how the AI model works sometimes.
C. It can't predict the weather 10 days ahead.
D. It needs too many data points.
What does Ian Renfrew think of Google DeepMind's GraphCast
A. It can completely replace current forecasting methods.
B. It has no potential in improving weather forecasts.
C. It still needs physics - based models for some steps.
D. It has already built up decades of trust.
What can we infer from the passage
A. Machine - learning AI models will not be used in weather forecasting in the future.
B. Deterministic models are no longer useful in weather forecasting.
C. Combining AI and traditional methods may be a better way for weather forecasting.
D. Google DeepMind's AI has solved all the problems in weather forecasting.
Passage 3
In a world - first, surgeons at NYU Langone Health in New York have performed a human eyeball transplant. It was once thought impossible due to the complexity of the organ. The recipient, Aaron James, a power - line worker from Arkansas, was injured in June 2021 when his face touched a live wire, sending 7200 volts through his body. He lost most of the left side of his face, including his left arm, as well as much of his left eye.
On 27 May, Eduardo Rodriguez and a team of more than 140 others performed the eye transplant alongside a partial face transplant. Up to date, fewer than 50 face transplants have been performed and none included an eye. Whole - eye transplants have been deemed nearly impossible.
James thanked the donor and the donor's family at a press conference on 9 November. He said, "Before the transplant, I was a little down. My confidence level was a little low. But since the transplant, I tell people I can walk past the mirror without looking at it. It has made me stand up taller."
Doctors have never successfully reconnected a severed optic nerve. In this procedure, the team tried to preserve as much of the optic nerve's length as possible, with the goal of maximising the chances of the nerve fibres regenerating and establishing a connection with James's brain. They also took stem cells from the donor's bone marrow and injected them where the donor optic nerve and James's optic nerve met, to further stimulate nerve growth. The entire procedure lasted about 21 hours.
More than five months after the surgical procedure, the eyeball seems healthy. It has maintained normal intraocular fluid pressure and can produce tears. Some of the nerve cells critical for sight are also alive, although James is unable to see using the eye and might never do so. "That's an achievement, just keeping the globe viable, alive and healthy," says Damon Cooney at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, who wasn't involved in the surgery. "But we need to be careful about raising people's expectation or hopes in excess of what's technically feasible."
What happened to Aaron James
A. He had a car accident and lost his left eye.
B. He was electrocuted and suffered serious injuries on the left - side of his face.
C. He fell off a power line and damaged his left arm.
D. He got into a fight and lost part of his face.
Why were whole - eye transplants considered nearly impossible
A. Because there were not enough donors.
B. Because the optic nerve is too difficult to reconnect.
C. Because the surgical technology was not advanced enough.
D. Because the recipients were hard to find.
What did the medical team do to increase the success rate of the transplant
A. They used the latest surgical tools.
B. They invited more experienced surgeons.
C. They preserved the length of the optic nerve and used stem cells.
D. They reduced the time of the operation.
What can we infer from Damon Cooney's words
A. The eyeball transplant is a complete success.
B. James will be able to see with the new eye soon.
C. People should have more confidence in the medical team.
D. We should be realistic about the results of the transplant.
