【推荐1】Many economists predict 2024 will be the time shoppers tighten their belts. That doesn’t mean people will stop spending, say retail (零售) analysts. But it will change what they choose to buy. With a slowing job market, global consumers are likely to move away from more high-priced purchases and focus instead on smaller, less expensive treats.     

The economic uncertainty means that consumers are becoming more discriminating about their purchases, says Ethan Chermofsky, senior vice president of marketing at intelligence platform Placer. ai. “There are the things we decide are necessary, and then there’s another category of things that aren’t necessary but that we consider affordable luxuries, he says. This desire for these “affordable luxuries” is common in difficult economic times. Some economists refer to the phenomenon as the “lipstick index”: a small economic increase led by budget-minded consumers seeking out relatively affordable splurges (挥霍), like small cosmetics (化妆品).

Analysts at Deloitte say consumers will spend on little luxuries like specialty coffees and snacks as well. Additionally, stressed-out shoppers are prioritizing small splurge purchases for wellness and personal care.

As retailers see shoppers turning to little luxuries, they’re offering more and more of them. Target, for example, has staked a flag in what they refer to as “affordable joy”, which includes a selection of self-care and cosmetic products, along with wellness-centric beauty products. Beyond diversifying their offerings, stores are also bringing in luxury-feeling products at lower price points to appeal to more consumers.

Ethan says not every shopper will shift their spending to little luxuries-but even those who are still longing for the “must-haves” of social media will also look to get a deal. They want the feeling of purchasing lower-priced affordable treats. To get these goods, shoppers are likely to tap into the re-sale market for designer items at a more reasonable price. They want things that make them feel good about themselves-they just want to do it without breaking the bank.

1. What can affordable luxuries be?

A．Inexpensive daily necessities.	B．High-end products.
C．Reasonably-priced designer items.	D．High-priced purchases.

2. What is paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．The strategies retailers use.	B．The joy businesses offer.
C．The competition stores face.	D．The products consumers buy.

3. What do most shoppers seek according to Ethan?

A．Social-media deals.	B．World-famous brands.
C．Second-hand bargains.	D．Budget-friendly pleasures.

4. Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A．Lipstick Index: Where Does It Lead Us?	B．Must-have Treats: A Future Spending Trend
C．Affordable Joy: Will We Fall Into The Trap?	D．Little Luxuries: A Driving Force Behind Consumption

【推荐2】阅读下面的短文，并根据短文内容回答后面的问题。

The Weight of White Lies

A man taking his mother to a surprise party tells her they’re going to the mall. A woman fibs that the store was out of her overweight boyfriend’s favorite junk food. A tutor assures his student that her spotty resumé looks fine.

Even benevolent forms of deception come in shades of acceptability, and people who learn that they have been misled don’t always see it the way deceivers do. A lie that’s meant to inflate   someone’s confidence or discourage a bad habit, for example, often involves making a judgment about what’s best for that person. That presumption can backfire.

In recent experiments, participants playing an economic game on a computer received a tip that led them to one of two possible payoffs. Some learned that the sender of the tip had lied to them to secure them a particular option. If the best option had been debatable rather than obvious—such as receiving $10 right away rather than $30 after three months—participants judged that person as less moral for lying and were less satisfied with the outcome, on average, even if it was the one they had previously said they preferred. “People seem to feel they have a right to the truth, and that by taking that away, you diminish their ability to act freely,” says study co-author Matthew Lupoli, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, San Diego.

Making up falsehoods isn’t the only way to kindly deceive, though: You might also simply leave out unpleasant facts. Recent studies by University of Chicago researcher Emma Levine and colleagues examined both types of lie in hypothetical patient-doctor talks and other contexts.

People in the role of deceiver tended to view the omission of potentially harmful details (such as a poor prognosis) as comparable to or more acceptable than offering a comforting fiction (that a patient’s outlook was favorable). But those in the role of the deceived often considered false-but-supportive statements more tolerable than lies of omission. For deceivers, actively committing a lie feels more intentional and might provoke more guilt than omission, Levine says. But the targets of deception “aren’t likely to be sensitive to these differences because they just experience the consequences.”

In general, honesty is probably still the best policy. A lie that provides some emotional benefits and has little downside could be the closest second.

1. What is the presumption people make when telling a white lie (a lie that’s meant to be good)?
________________
2. What are the ways to kindly deceive others?
________________
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
Those in the role of the deceived often considered lies of omission more tolerable than false-but-supportive statements.
________________
4. Do you prefer to be honest or tell a white lie when informing your friend of something unpleasant? Why? (In about 40 words)
________________

【推荐2】Household chores might seem a drag, but researchers have suggested tasks like dusting, scrubbing floors and washing the windows might help adults to stay healthy into old age.

Writing in the journal BMJ Open, a Singapore-based team of researchers said regular physical activity “improves physical and mental health, mitigates the risks and effects of chronic diseases, and reduces falls, immobility, dependency and mortality (死亡率) among older adults”. The team randomly recruited (征召) adults from the town of Yishun in Singapore, and asked them to complete cognitive function tests as well as activities to assess their physical capabilities, such as standing up from a chair as quickly as they could. Participants were also quizzed on their levels of physical activity, including the amount of light housework (such as dusting) and heavy housework (such as floor-scrubbing) they did, and were assessed for their risk of having a fall based on measures such as knee extension strength.

The study involved 249 participants aged 21-64 and 240 participants aged 65-90. Most of those who reported doing high levels of heavy or light housework were women. After taking into account factors including age and sex, the team found cognitive scores and attention scores were 8% and 14% higher respectively for older adults doing high amounts of heavy housework—on average 131 minutes a week compared with low levels, which appeared to amount to none at all.

Sit-to-stand times were lower for older adults reporting high amounts of heavy housework compared with low amounts, while they were also assessed asbeing at lower risk of having a fall. The team also found cognitive scores were 5% higher for older adults who reported high levels of light housework — on average doing 902 minutes a week — and memory scores were also higher, comparedwiththoseundertakinglowlevelsofsuchtasks,averaging89minutesaweek.

Gill Livingston, professor of psychiatry of older people at University College London, who was not involved in the work, said the study was interesting but had little meaning as people who are not so well may be expected to do less housework. “I think the advice would be that housework can be good exercise, which is good for your heart and brain. We cannot draw any conclusions from this study that it is specifically protective,” she said.

Charlie Foster, professor of physical activity and public health at the University of Bristol, also urged caution, noting the study relied on self-reported levels of household chores, which may be inaccurate, and did not fully take into account other factors which may influence the results.

1. What is the purpose of the passage?

A．To tell people the more housework the better.

B．To stress the importance of health.

C．To propose a way to reduce mortality among older people.

D．To show us the benefits of doing housework for the old.

2. What can we infer from the third paragraph?

A．Women are more diligent than men.

B．Cognitive and attention scores were 8％and 14% higher for old adults doing more heavy housework.

C．The study is reasonable to some extent.

D．No other factors influence the result of the research.

3. What can we know from the passage?

A．The study was carried out among old people.

B．Olderadultsreportinghighamountsofheavyhouseworkareathigherriskofhavingafall.

C．Housework is good exercise specifically protective for older adults.

D．Levels of high housework have an influence on cognitive and memory scores.

4. What is Gill Livingston’s attitude to the result of the study?

A．Indifferent.

B．Supportive.

C．Objective.

D．Favourable.

【推荐3】Gen Z, Americans born during the late 1990s and early 2000s, is experiencing higher rates of reported mental health problems than any other generation before them, which is likely to create a higher demand in the mental health industry for years to come.

According to a new report from data management firm Harmony Healthcare IT, a massive 61 percent of Gen Z have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. The generation that is now being labeled America’s most anxious is more likely to seek therapy than any other generation before them. Gen Z is 37 percent more likely to go to therapy or receive mental health treatment compared to a slightly lower amount of 35 percent of Millennials, 26percent of Gen X, 22 percent of Baby Boomers and 15 percent of the Silent Generation, according to the American Psychiatric Association. The rise in therapy seeking is giving an overall boost to the mental health industry as a whole. After all, the number of Americans seeking mental health treatment increased almost twofold over the past decade.

Part of the increase in treatment seeking is owing to the coronavirus pandemic, as young adults reported roughly a 5 percent increase in mental health treatment from 2019 to 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Depression and anxiety were at all time highs during this time, but it might not fully explain why Gen Z has been more likely to seek out help. As the pandemic changed the mode that therapy could be available to patients, it’s possible teletherapy made mental health treatment more accessible to those struggling whereas they wouldn’t have sought out help in the past.

Gen Z might also be at the edge of the shift in mental health services because they are less likely to shy away from seeking help. Sharing experiences about therapy via social media has been relatively normalized, which is something previous generations didn’t grow up with.

Gen Z also experienced increasing rates of gun violence and anxiety over climate change while they were young. Key events during this time of their lives could also push a larger amount to seek help related to anxiety or depression, experts say.

1. According to paragraph 2, which of the following statements is correct?

A．61 percent of Americans suffer from an anxiety disorder.

B．Compared with previous generations, Gen Z is most likely to seek therapy.

C．Baby Boomers is the least likely to receive health treatment.

D．The development of the mental health industry boosts therapy seeking.

2. Why did coronavirus pandemic contribute to an increase in therapy seeking?

A．The young adults seeking mental health treatment increased by 5 percent.

B．Therapy was not available to patients before the pandemic.

C．Patients found it easier to receive mental health treatment.

D．Pandemic changed patients’ mode of communication.

3. What can we infer about Gen Z from the last 2 paragraphs?

A．They feel ashamed to seek help.	B．They tend to share their therapy experience online.
C．They are more violent with greater anxiety.	D．They show little concern for the key events.

4. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Gen Z boosts mental health industry.	B．Gen Z suffers from more mental health problems.
C．More Americans receive therapy nowadays.	D．The mental health industry has been booming.