In Japan, you are what your blood type is. A person’s blood type is popularly believed to decide his/her character and personality. Type-A people are generally considered sensitive perfectionists and good team players, but over-anxious. Type Os are curious and generous but stubborn. Type ABs are artistic but mysterious and unpredictable, and type Bs are cheerful but eccentric, individualistic, and selfish. Though lacking scientific evidence, this belief is widely seen in books, magazines, and television shows. Last year, four of Japan’s top 10 bestsellers were about how blood type determines personality, through which readers seemed to be able to discover the definition of their blood type or have their self-image confirmed.
The blood-type belief has been used in unusual ways. The women softball team that won gold for Japan at the Beijing Olympics is reported to have used blood-type theories to customize training for each player. Some kindergartens have adopted teaching methods along blood group lines, and even major companies reportedly make decisions about assignments based on an employee’s blood type. In 1990, Mitsubishi Electronics was reported to have announced the formation of a team composed entirely of AB workers, thanks to “their ability to make plans”.
The belief even affects politics. One former prime minister considered it important enough to reveal in his official profile that he was a type A, while his opposition rival was type B. In 2011, a minister, Ryu Matsumoto, was forced to resign after only a week in office, when a bad-tempered encounter with local officials was televised. In his resignation speech, he blamed his failings on the fact that he was blood type B.
The blood-type craze, considered simply harmless fun by some Japanese, may reveal itself as prejudice and discrimination. In fact, this seems so common that the Japanese now have a term for it: bura-hara, meaning blood-type harassment (骚扰). There are reports of discrimination leading to children being bullied, ending of happy relationships, and loss of job opportunities due to blood type.
1. What’s the main idea of paragraph 1?| A．The Japanese attach great importance to blood type. |
| B．The books about blood type are popular in Japan. |
| C．The Japanese confirm their personality totally through blood type. |
| D．The Japanese think blood type bestsellers are important to their self-image. |
| A．Type A. | B．Type B. |
| C．Type O. | D．Type AB. |
| A．he revealed his rival’s blood type |
| B．he was seen behaving rudely on TV |
| C．he blamed his failings on local officials |
| D．he was discriminated against because of blood type |
| A．Negative. | B．Defensive. |
| C．Objective. | D．Encouraging. |
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【推荐1】The American Thanksgiving holiday is on Thursday. Many people will get together with family members for a big meal. It is a time to celebrate family, friends and everything there is to be thankful for.
But some people do not look forward to spending a lot of time with their family. It can be stressful. Family members can start arguments with each other. Some people at the meal may have conflicting (冲突的) political beliefs. Conflict can even find its way into the kitchen, where all the cooking takes place. There is a saying called “too many cooks in the kitchen.” This means that sometimes, if many people are trying to do a project together, it does not turn out as well as it could have if only one person were in charge. That is why people are offering Thanksgiving survival ideas on Twitter.
Rick Irwin had one. “Say that you’re letting the dog out and use it as an excuse to disappear for several hours.” Tracy Brooks had a suggestion for limiting Thanksgiving dinner responsibilities. She wrote: “Be the last to arrive and the first to leave.”
Since there is so much food at the Thanksgiving meal, Christine Turner suggested forgetting about your diet and wearing loose clothing. But, one fitness expert said people do not have to give up on their diets during the big meal. They can prepare foods that have few calories (卡路里). For example, they could bake some foods instead of frying them in oil.
But other people are looking forward to the holiday. Sara Marie Brenner wondered why people need to “survive” Thanksgiving, at all. She wrote: “I enjoy the holiday.”
1. Why do some people dislike having Thanksgiving with their family?| A．Some disagreements may arise. |
| B．They live far away from each other. |
| C．They have distant family relationships. |
| D．The traditional cooking takes up too much time. |
| A．Many friends came to help but ruined my plan. |
| B．Nobody is willing to help me when I’m in trouble. |
| C．I don’t know who to choose from the many helpers. |
| D．Many cooks don’t know more about cooking than I. |
| A．Preparing low-calorie foods. | B．Limiting food intake. |
| C．Enjoying the food. | D．Baking foods. |
| A．Worried. | B．Positive. |
| C．Critical. | D．Uninterested. |
【推荐2】Christmas can easily become an expensive time of a year. From gifts to decorating, the money spent on the celebration adds up quickly. But there's no reason to completely break the bank.
Make a budget (预算). Set the amount you're willing to spend for the holiday, including gift giving, decorating and travel.
Start shopping for Christmas decorations early. Stores have sales for decorations between Halloween and Thanksgiving.
Shop for gifts all year round. Whenever you're out shopping, keep an eye out for great Christmas presents.
Scale down (缩减) your gift giving. Sometimes you just can't afford to get something for everyone. Remove the people from your list whom you rarely speak with.
| A．Send them simple cards instead. |
| B．This budget is perfect for many people. |
| C．Once you have a budget set, keep to it. |
| D．And it's after Thanksgiving that the prices begin to go up. |
| E．Christmas is known as the season of giving, sharing and receiving. |
| F．There are ways to celebrate well and spend wisely at the same time. |
| G．It doesn't matter when you get the gift, whether it's January or June. |
【推荐3】RED lanterns adorn(点缀) the aisles of a small supermarket. There are stacks of red envelopes on sale, for stuffing cash in and handing out as gifts. A sign offers seasonal discounts. Such festive trappings are quite common in China in the build-up to the lunar New Year, which this year starts on January 28th. But this is Yangon, the capital of Myanmar, where Han Chinese are a mere 2.5% of the country’s population. They are a sign that Chinese New Year is becoming a global holiday.
Several countries in Asia celebrate the lunar New Year in their own way. But dragon and lion dances in Chinatowns the world over have helped to make China’s the most famous. These days growing numbers of people who are not of Chinese descent are joining in. In Tokyo window cleaners dress up as the animals of the Chinese zodiac(十二生肖). Barcelona’s Chinese parade includes dracs (a Catalan species of dragon). America, Canada and New Zealand have issued commemorative stamps for the year of the chicken. Last year New York City made the lunar New Year a school holiday for the first time.
The spread of the spring festival, as China calls it, is partly due to recent emigration from China: 9.5 million Chinese people have moved abroad since 1978, many of them far richer than earlier waves of migrants. It also reflects the wealth and globe-trotting ambitions of China’s new middle class: festivities in other countries are partly aimed at the 6 million Chinese who are expected to spend their weeklong holiday abroad this year. International brands are trying to lure these big spenders with chicken-themed items.
Conscious of China’s growing economic and political clout, foreign leaders have taken to noting the occasion. Britain’s Prime Minister, Theresa May, has given a video address, a tradition started in 2014 by her predecessor, David Cameron. Last year the country’s royal family tweeted a picture of Queen Elizabeth dotting the eye of a Chinese lion-dancer’s costume. Also in 2016, Venezuela’s culture minister admitted that his country was celebrating Chinese new year for the first time—with six weeks of festivities—in a bid to improve economic ties with China. It is rumored that this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos was held a week earlier than usual to avoid clashing with Chinese New Year.
China also sponsors related events, such as a display this year of martial arts in Cyprus and a traditional Chinese temple—fair in Harare, Zimbabwe. It may give Chinese officials satisfaction to see foreigners enjoy such festivities. They lament the growing enthusiasm among Chinese for Western celebrations such as Christmas—in December cities across China are bedecked with Santas and snowflake decorations. Chinese New Year is a welcome chance to reverse the cultural flow.
1. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?| A．Many countries in Asia are similar to each other in celebrating the Chinese lunar New Year. |
| B．This year’s World Economic Forum in Davos was held a week earlier than usual to avoid clashing with Chinese New Year. |
| C．Venezuela is the first country in South America to celebrate the Chinese spring festival. |
| D．Partly owing to recent emigration from China, the Chinese spring festival could be spread worldwide. |
| A．analyzing reasons | B．giving examples |
| C．listing arguments | D．comparing facts |
| A．hook | B．attack |
| C．interfere | D．exclude |
| A．Two | B．Three |
| C．Four | D．Five |
| A．Because these activities are beneficial to improving economic ties with foreign countries. |
| B．Because these activities can bring about large amounts of money. |
| C．Because these activities offer a chance to promote Chinese culture. |
| D．Because these activities would bring forth peace and harmony of the world. |
【推荐1】Japan is aging faster than any other nation. By the end of this decade, there will be three retirees for every child under 15 and before long, one in six people will be over 80. Its population will soon be falling by nearly a million people every year and some people predict that, some time in the next century, the last Japanese person will die. Other countries are encouraging immigration to deal with their demographic woes. But not Japan, which is using different ways to reduce pressure put on health care and social services.
The Toto-made toilet, common in Japanese hotels, can push up to help the elderly. Now Toto is working with Daiwa House, Japan’s largest house builder, to equip toilets for retirees. These have medical sensors that measure blood sugar levels, the blood pressure and body fat of the user. The data is emailed to the local GP through a built-in internet device (装置). So make sure you eat your greens and stay regular, or the doctor will be in touch.
The over-75s account for more than a quarter of the deaths in car accidents on Japanese roads. Toyota is working with Professor Kawashima, who developed brain training games for Nintendo, to create intelligent cars that monitor brain activity in the elderly. Other technologies could also work to keep elderly drivers cautious.
Japan has twice as many pets as it has children. But real animals are difficult to look after as their owners age. Paro is a furry white baby seal robot which responds to petting by moving its tail and opening and closing its eyes. It shows emotions such as surprise, happiness and anger, and has sold well in nursing homes where it is reported to stimulate (刺激) responses among those with dementia (痴呆).
Japan’s Institute of Physical and Chemical Research has developed Riba, a nursing care robot that can lift the elderly out of bed.
1. What does the underlined phrase “demographic woes” refer to?| A．Retirement age. | B．Public finance. |
| C．Population problems. | D．Employment difficulties. |
| A．Giving them first aid. | B．Monitoring their health. |
| C．Helping them send emails. | D．Sending them off the toilet. |
| A．It is hard to look after. | B．It sells well in nurseries. |
| C．It only makes a positive response. | D．It is well received in nursing homes. |
| A．By advocating companies work together. |
| B．By switching to life-long training classes. |
| C．By developing hi-tech products and services. |
| D．By correcting medical personnel’s service attitudes. |
【推荐2】Coffee chains create a lot of waste, from disposable take-away cups to the used grounds that are sent to landfills. Starbucks has started to try recyclable alternatives to the disposable cups. But the used coffee is often unnoted.
The world drinks around 2 billion cups of coffee a day, producing 6 million tons of used grounds every year. When they go to landfills, the grounds release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming.
UK Bio-bean has found a way to turn that waste into a valuable resource. At Bio-bean, used coffee grounds are processed to remove paper cups or plastic bags, and then passed through a dryer and a further screening process. They are finally processed into the fuel. Coffee Log.
"Coffee is highly calorific and lends itself to being a really fantastic fuel," says May. director of Bio-bean. "They burn about 20% hotter and 20% longer than wood logs do."
While these fuels release greenhouse gases when burned, if they replace other carbon-based fuels. Bio-bean estimates that the recycling process reduces emissions （排放）by 80% compared with sending the grounds to landfills.
Founded in 2013 Bio-bean grew rapidly, launching coffee collection services across the UK and building the world's first coffee recycling factory only two years later. In 2016 they launched their first product, Coffee Log, and are now ready to launch their first natural flavouring ingredient into the food and drink industry.
“We've really managed to succeed with our innovation because we've managed to get to scale. What started as a good idea is today the UK's largest recycler of coffee grounds. We are turning 7,000 tons of those grounds per year into the fuel," says George May. "Despite being delayed by the COVID-19, we plan to expand our operation into northwestern Europe within the next five years."
1. What do the first two paragraphs suggest?| A．It’s necessary to limit coffee consumption. |
| B．Drinking coffee is popular around the world. |
| C．Measures should be taken to recycle coffee waste. |
| D．Coffee grounds are the main cause of global warming. |
| A．A solid fuel. | B．A natural food. |
| C．A cup of hot coffee. | D．A tree trunk. |
| A．It is a high-tech company with a long history. |
| B．It is a promising recycler of coffee grounds. |
| C．It is started to produce coffee and fuels. |
| D．It's developing faster than Starbucks. |
| A．Give accurate measurement. | B．Cover a wide range. |
| C．Do mass production. | D．Classify different grades. |
【推荐3】According to a study published this week, habitual napping (打盹) appears to be associated with a large brain volume in adults although experts stressed that further research was needed. It reduces the cost caused from the lost time and the fatigue-related errors. The work followed previous studies that suggested a brief doze could improve people’s ability to learn.
Arianna Huffington, a co-founder of Huff Post and the founder and chief executive of Thrive Global, said, “Given the latest science on the effectiveness of napping and the clear link between employees feeling well rested and their productivity, it’s long past time that businesses embrace short naps at work.”
Some businesses, including Thrive Global, have already introduced facilities for employees to take naps. Google introduced sleep pods as far back as 2014 and companies like Nike and Ben & Jerry’s introduced nap rooms. The practice has even been adopted by the NHS, with a growing number of hospitals introducing sleep pods for staff in an effort to help them get more rest. Employees, it seems, are enthusiastic. Sean Greenwood, of Ben & Jerry’s, said, “If a quick nap gets employees more involved and creative, we’re happy to provide that for our team members.”
Unfortunately, the practice of napping still suffers from our collective concept that sleep equals weakness and laziness. However, the performance-enhancing benefits of naps have been no secret to many leaders throughout history. It also gives the higher-ups the chance to acknowledge the 24/7 culture and come up with top-down solutions that encourage workers to take care of themselves in and out of work.
While sleep experts stressed that a daytime doze could be beneficial, they said it was crucial to get enough shut-eye at the end of a day. It is the late stage of sleep, sometimes missed by early risers, that strengthens the nerve circuits that make for learning and memory, allowing the brain to make and consolidate new neutral connections. Additionally, prioritizing sufficient sleep during the regular nightly sleep period is essential for overall well-being.
1. What is paragraph 1 mainly about?| A．Work stress. | B．Learning abilities. |
| C．A research finding. | D．The brain volume. |
| A．Dismissive. | B．Approving. |
| C．Unclear. | D．Critical. |
| A．To advocate enough rest. | B．To praise creative employees. |
| C．To compare the differences. | D．To present the current situation. |
| A．The approaches to shut-eye. | B．The importance of napping. |
| C．The secrets to well-being. | D．The benefits of memory. |
