相关试卷

Doing things against facts is a dangerous game, but you can picture a world in which, having chosen to start dealing with climate change properly in the 1990s, we would be just wrapping up the gentle path to net-zero emissions in time for a rapid AI increase fuelled by green power. Instead, we find ourselves at risk of running a 21st-century technology on a 20th-century energy supply.

If you live in the US, every time you use an AI model, around 20 per cent of the electricity required will be produced by burning coal. The explosive growth of AI makes this an even more pressing concern. According to one analysis, if Google chose to shift to an entirely AI-powered search business, its electricity consumption could match that of some countries.

Such estimates may be magnified, but evidence of rising power consumption from AI is all around. Microsoft is placing bets on nuclear plants to power its data centers, while the English government has promised to boost its national computing capacity by 50 per cent by 2025, which would help it keep pace with rapid AI developments in the world.

Thankfully, we may soon reach a turning point. As is reported, this year the global power department came close to reaching peak greenhouse gas emissions, as the switch from fossil (化石) fuels to clean and renewable sources is well underway. The question now is whether we can quicken the pace of decarbonisation(脱碳) to match the coming growth in energy consumption as AI becomes increasingly embedded in our society. Silicon Valley's intelligent machines may grab the headlines and the imagination, but the people really inventing the future are working on the energy sector.

She had no idea that, within days, millions of people would see her video, and her father's book would rise to the top of Amazon's Best Seller list.

Lloyd Richards first published Stone Maidens in 2012. It's a thriller about an FBI agent following a killer in Indiana and, by his daughter's account, it's quite attractive. However, his original release (出版) failed to drum up excitement.

It's a different world now, with social media making somebody and something rise to fame overnight. Richards, the daughter, decided to try her luck. "I saw how much time and effort and passion my dad put into his book. I know what a lovely storyteller he is," she told CNN. "He never stopped writing, and he always stayed positive."

Whether it was the interesting thriller, or the efforts of a proud daughter, the story of Lloyd Richards and Stone Maidens struck a chord.

Marguerite Richards posted the first TikTok about Stone Maidens about two weeks ago. It has since received 48 million views and numerous positive responses. After that, Richards posted more videos of her father, delighting in his unexpected success.

"My dad wasn't really sure what TikTok is, but he has been so pleased and grateful," Richards says. The experience has breathed new life into a labor of love. Now, Lloyd Richards has more than 360,000 TikTok followers and a brand-new story to tell. He has plans for the future, too.

◆Internet Archive

It is a non-profit digital library created in 1996 by Brewster Kahle. In addition to millions of books available to the general public, it also hosts a large number of video (movies), audio (music) and software files, etc. It is not necessary to register to access the information, so any user can easily view and download it, although those who decide to register obtain other benefits such as access to more than 1.3 million copyrighted e-books.

◆InfoBooks

Read, Learn, Grow… is the slogan of the digital library. It is divided into three sections to facilitate the search for content, and the first called "Best books to read" focuses on a special collection of various topics classified by famous authors. The second is "Free books and texts", where you will find public domain literature that you can download, and the third section contains resources to improve your reading.

◆Project Gutenberg

Project Gutenberg is a site that has available sixty thousand "free" books that are free of copyright so to speak, since the rights according to certain laws have expired in this case. That is why they can be downloaded with total peace of mind. The Project Gutenberg also has an Open Audio book Collection, almost 5,000 titles from 2023, via a Project Gutenberg collaboration with Microsoft and MIT. These use neural text-to-speech technology for more natural-sounding computer-generated audio books. These audio books are also available on major music/podcast platforms.

In a world where time was the most valuable currency, a man named Henry lived a life of monotonous (单调乏味的) routine. Every day was a mirror image of the last, filled with the tick-tock of the clock that dictated his every move. Henry was a skilled watchmaker, and his creations were admired for their precision and beauty. However, the irony (讽刺) of his profession was not lost on him; despite his ability to control the measure of time, he felt as if time was controlling him.

To make matters worse, there harbored a deep regret in his heart — his son Richard, who worked in another city, seldom contacted him. They were literally strangers living far apart.

One day, an elderly woman visited Henry's shop, seeking a watch with a peculiar request. She wanted a timepiece that did not tell the exact time but rather reminded the wearer of the fleeting and temporary nature of life. "This watch is also for my son, who once did something associated with the concept of time, but he…" she suddenly paused, and obviously there was a slump in her throat. But she quickly composed herself and told Henry she would come for the watch one month later.

Intrigued (感觉着迷的), Henry accepted the challenge, pouring his soul into the creation of a unique watch. He designed it with no numbers, only two hands — one moving rapidly and the other so slowly it was almost still.

As he completed the watch, he found himself fascinated by its unconventional design. The hands seemed to dance around the face, a visual metaphor for the passage of time. The more he observed it, the more it made him reflect on his own life. He realized that in his pursuit of perfection and order, he had forgotten to live and appreciate the present moment.

注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；

2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

One month later, the elderly woman returned to collect her watch.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As the woman left, Henry felt a profound sense of change.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In the digital age, (take) advantage of new technologies to create new cultural and tourism is a trend. In Langfang, Hebei Province, digital technologies have been combined with traditional Chinese culture. theme park has been built based on the Qing Dynasty novel Dream of Red Mansion, reflects aspects of ancient China, such as its social life and customs.

During the trip, a digital travel platform, Xiaowa, acts a travel planner and provides real-time insights and personalized recommendations. Once the schedule (confirm), visitors can compare it with the current conditions, including information about lines for various performances, which is (continuous) updated. The application enables visitors (experience) traditional Chinese culture at the park and (help) to draw in many tourists since it is launched.

Tang Jinnan, Peking University's School of Journalism and Communication's Party secretary, claim that AI's full (capability) are yet to be fully unlocked. Whether it's drawing by hand in the past, using a computer nowintegrating artificial intelligence, the essence of inheriting cultural heritage remains unchanged.

A decade or so later, however, I was3 to see the advertiser on TV, holding up his new4. James Patterson had5 into a best-selling author. "Maybe I was delusional (痴心妄想), but I6 thought of myself as an advertising person," he told me when asked how he'd done it. "I always7 to be a writer. It was always in my head."

Mr. Patterson's ability to see himself as a writer8 a concept known as "possible selves". It describes how people9 their futures: what they may become, or want to become, or even fear becoming.

The term,10 in 1986 by the social psychologists Hazel Markus and Paula Nurius, grew out of some11 on self-concept and self-perception. A possible self can take you12 daydreams, which are often fleeting and not necessarily grounded in13. It can come to fruition (实现) "if you build a14 from your ‘now' self to the possible self," Dr. Markus said.

If you want a change, imagine your possible self and15.

Halvorsen Fine Art Gallery

Established in Houston Historic Art District, at Sawyer Yards, Halvorsen Fine Art Gallery with 2,000 square feet features amazing paintings of landscapes and seascapes by impressionistic artists. In addition to hosting artist exhibitions, it provides art consultation services for collectors, designers and art enthusiasts.

Art of the World Gallery

The gallery provides a contemporary, complex and rich cultural experience for art enthusiasts and collectors from all around the world. Directly representing some of the most important living artists from Asia, Europe, and Latin America, Art of the World Gallery is one of the most famous galleries in the state, located in Houston's finest hotspot for locals and tourists.

Zatista Contemporary and Fine Art

With over 4,000 works from the most talented emerging and established artists, Zatista provides access to the types of works previously only available to seasoned collectors. Buying online with Zatista is easy with their free art consultation, certificates of authenticity (真实性), and a buyer guarantee that allows you to try art in your home with free returns.

John Palmer Fine Art

It's located in the avenue in the Historic Heights. The combination of a saved 1930's bungalow (平房) with museum-quality new construction is the perfect atmosphere to showcase the great works of artist John Ross Palmer. John Palmer Fine Art is open by appointment only. You can set an appointment by calling 713-861-6726. We look forward to showing you the beautiful world of John Palmer Fine Art!

My daughter Gina was in Mrs. Melton's fourth-grade class. After only a month in school, she began to come home on a regular basis asking for pencils, crayons, paper, etc. At first I just provided whatever she needed, never questioning her.

After ongoing requests for objects that should have easily lasted a mere six weeks of fourth grade, I became worried and asked her, "Gina, what are you doing with your school items?" She would always reply with an answer that satisfied me. One day, after offering the same thing only a week earlier, I became angry with her asking for more. Knowing her excuses would no longer work, she lowered her head and began to cry. I lifted her tiny chin (下巴) and looked into those big brown eyes, filled now with tears. I waited for what seemed like a year for her to answer. "Mom," she began, "there is a boy in my class; he doesn't have any of the items he needs to do his work. The other kids make fun of him because his papers are in a mess and he only has two crayons to color with. I have been putting the new items you bought me in his desk before the others come in, so he doesn't know it's me. Please don't get mad at me, Mom. I didn't mean to tell you a lie, but I didn't want anyone to know it was me."

My heart sank as I stood there in disbelief. She had taken on the role of an adult and tried to hide it like a child. I knelt down and hugged her to me, not wanting her to see my own tears. When I pulled myself together, I stood up and said, "Gina, I would never get mad at you for wanting to help someone, but why didn't you just come and tell me?"

The next day I visited Mrs. Melton and told her what Gina had said. I then learned that John's family had just moved here. John was the eldest of four boys and their parents were struggling to make ends meet.

注意：

（1）续写词数应为150左右；

（2）请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

With Christmas drawing near, I became increasingly concerned about John and his family.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The next morning, we set out for John's home.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1. 活动的时间、地点；

2. 活动的具体内容（如观看书法演示、亲自尝试书写等）；

3. 表达期待。

注意：

1. 词数 80 左右；

2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；

3. 邮件的开头和结尾已给出，但不计入总词数。

Dear Lucy,

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours,

Lihua

Have you ever eaten a "painting"? Here it is, the (tradition) Chinese folk art—sugar painting. Spoon as pen, liquid sugar as ink, everything in the world can be drawn quickly.

As is said, Chen Zi'ang, a great poet in the seventh century (Tang Dynasty), liked to eat brown sugar. But he ate it in unique way. He melted the sugar on a clean and smooth table,(make) it into (variety) of shapes of small animals. After cooling down, it could be held in the hand, eaten and enjoyed. Later, Chen went to the capital city, he brought this art. Since then, sugar painting has become a lasting craft. In the 17th century (Qing Dynasty), sugar painting became (increase) popular, and the production skills (be) more advanced. The objects include flowers and birds, fortune symbols and the 12 zodiac signs and other designs. The art of sugar painting combines food, culture and handicraft. The painting is done in one go without any draft.

The sugar painting (create) today shows greater creativity in forms — Cartoon sugar painting, 3D sugar painting, bringing new life conventional ones. The culture of China, and the spirit of sugar painting, (pass) down through the sugar spoons of generations of craftsmen.

At dinner on a Tuesday, it came to me. In the coming springtime, I announced, we would have a family roller disco party in the house. My children looked up, their5 hanging open like caught fish — they were6. I knew I was supposed to provide more7. I said, "When Mike recovers, we will order roller skates and rainbow strobe lights to decorate our doorways, push the furniture to the side and have a roller disco party."

Later that day, my youngest son wore his roller skates and8 the news when he joined a Zoom call with his third-grade class. Unfortunately,9 he could finish announcing the news, he slipped and fell, breaking our computer. He was all right but we10 bought a new computer.

11, the accident didn't affect us much, for the party gave us something to look forward to and kept us entertained. It may not have happened yet, but the12 and joy that we experienced while13 for it have been worth it. That was the14. Over the course of all the planning and excitement, the broken leg and computer, I knew that even in the15 of times, there is always something to look forward to.