三、阅读理解
In ancient China, people called a man of great virtue (美德) a gentleman. The plum blossom (梅花), orchid (兰花), bamboo and chrysanthemum (菊花) are the “four gentlemen” in Chinese culture, because these plants’ natural qualities have something in common with human virtues.
The plum blossom often opens in the dead of winter. Its fine smell fills the air at one of the coldest times of the year. It stands for inner beauty and modesty (谦逊).
Usually growing in deep valleys (山谷), the orchid is famous for its light smell and elegant (优雅的) shape. It stands for elegance in Chinese people’s eyes.
The bamboo usually stands straight and upright. This quality reminds people of the word zhengzhi, which means “integrity” in Chinese. The bamboo was especially admired by many writers and artists in ancient times. For example, Su Shi once wrote in a poem, “Rather eat without meat than live without bamboo.”
The chrysanthemum blooms in late autumn when most other flowers have fallen. It symbolizes the virtue of staying strong and true to oneself even in tough conditions. So the chrysanthemum is a traditional flower widely loved by Chinese people.
() 1. The underlined phrase “in the dead of winter” in paragraph 2 probably means “in the of winter”.
A. beginning B. coldest part C. end D. warmest part
() 2. What human virtue does the orchid stand for?
A. Elegance. B. Modesty. C. Integrity. D. Inner beauty.
() 3. What does Su Shi’s line of poetry in paragraph 4 express?
A. His need for meat. B. His love for bamboo.
C. His interest in eating. D. His taste for houses.
() 4. What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?
A. To encourage readers to plant these four plants.
B. To compare the different smells of the four plants.
C. To tell interesting stories about ancient Chinese poets.
D. To tell readers about the cultural meanings of these plants.

四、信息还原
阅读短文，从方框中选出能填入空格处的最佳选项，有一个多余选项。
In 2022, an AI-generated (生成) artwork beat human artists and won first place in a US art competition. 1 The artwork was created with the help of an AI art tool—the artist used text prompts (提示词), selected from many results, and made further adjustments (调整). 2 Will this technology put artists out of work?
AI breaking into the creative world
For years, experts in Silicon Valley thought that AI and automation (自动化) would only threaten (威胁) blue-collar jobs (like truck drivers or cashiers). 3 But people in creative fields—like art, entertainment and media—were considered safe. Yet something unexpected has happened lately: AI has stepped into the creative world.
Type a few words, and get a stunning painting
In the past few years, AI image generators have made it possible for anyone to create unique, super-realistic images. Just type a few words into a text box, and the AI does the rest. 4
Too early to say if artists will lose jobs
It’s still too soon to tell if these AI tools will make artists lose their jobs. But it is clear that creative industries are already using these tools. Collin, a game designer in New York, has been using AI to make art for his business projects. “I typed ‘carrot parrot’, and it gave me a perfect picture of a parrot made of carrots,” he said. “5”
AI art is a helpful tool, not a replacement for artists. Human emotion and creativity make art unique—AI can’t completely copy that.
A. How will AI be used well in the art world?
B. This has sparked (引发) a lot of discussion.
C. These new tools have already become very popular.
D. That moment made me realize how powerful AI can be.
E. These days, more and more artists avoid using AI tools directly.
F. These jobs involve repeating manual (体力的) tasks, so robots could take over.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.