【推荐1】Peng Jiahui likes to go to the supermarket as a way to relax after work. The nearly expired (临期的) goods section is a spot that she frequents. Discounts that can go as low as 90 percent give her joy.

According to iiMedia Research, a data — mining and analysis company, about 48 percent of the nearly expired food consumers are aged 26 to 35, and most consumers buy such food mainly out of compulsion. “When standing in front of the section, I can’t help thinking if I don’t take them, it will be my loss. But as I always go home with a full bag, sometimes I have to overeat so as to finish them in time,” Peng, 29, said.

Besides appealing prices, some people buy nearly expired food partly because they want to contribute their share in the nationwide Empty Your Plate campaign launched in 2013. “If I buy nearly expired food, then there will be less that goes in the garbage,” Peng said. Zhang Xuefeng, an industry observer, told Global Times that limited wages and high living costs such as rent also force young people to seek inexpensive quality goods.

Chain shops selling food nearing the expiry date are catching the eyes of both customers and investors. Shihuibang, a startup established in March, has already attracted tens of millions of yuan in angel financing. HotMaxx, a chain store that opened last year in major Chinese cities, has expanded to more than 200 outlets across the country.

However, the market supervision department should step up inspections on nearly expired goods, according to Zhang Ziping, an expert with China Meat Association. “More checks should be conducted at the storage places and physical stores,” he said, adding the standards for businesses to handle such food need improvement.

1. What does the underlined word “compulsion” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Charity.

B．Desire.

C．Habit.

D．Gratitude.

2. What can we know about the youth according to Zhang Xuefeng?

A．They lack financial freedom.

B．They are busy renting houses.

C．They feel distaste for wastage.

D．They value quality over prices.

3. Why does the author mention “Shihuibang” and “HotMaxx” in paragraph 4?

A．To demonstrate a point.	B．To share a prediction.
C．To choose a theory.	D．To offer a topic.

4. What is the authors attitude to buying nearly expired goods?

A．Cautious.

B．Favorable.

C．Objective.

D．Doubtful.

【推荐3】It was meant to connect us, make us smarter and our lives easier. And it has. But there’s at least one comer of life where the Internet has made things so much more difficult: gift giving.

Once upon a time, if you were struggling to find a present for a loved one, there were easy options to fall back on-DVDs, CDs, video games and other physical media. This wasn’t even that long ago, but now it’s been snatched from our grasp by the Internet offering us the chance, at a relatively low cost, to watch, listen to or read whatever we want, whenever we want. With everything already watched, listened to, or read, buying a present has become near impossible.

Therefore, we all have to work at becoming perfect gift givers, taking all factors into consideration and searching high and low to seek out the ideal present. If we go the extra mile, there’s less chance that the person we have in mind has already bought what we’re considering online.

But as I now consider this exact plan of action, I’m thinking perhaps it’s not all that bad. Maybe the Internet is delivering us a lesson, firm but fair: the era of half-baked present purchasing is over and it’s time to go hard or go home.

In this era of immediate satisfaction, if you want to give someone a useful present, you do have to actually go to the effort of sourcing something nice for them. Perhaps that’s making for a more rewarding gift experience for all involved. And perhaps it also means fewer gifts that are given as an excuse and end up being unused.

1. How is the topic of gift giving introduced in Paragraph 1?

A．By demonstrating the prospect of the Internet.

B．By showing the difficulty in using the Internet.

C．By pointing out the shortcoming of the Internet.

D．By arguing about the possible benefits of the Internet.

2. What might be a reason for gift giving being difficult according to Paragraph 2?

A．Numerous gift options.	B．Relative high cost for presents.
C．Limited offer from digital giants.	D．Easy access to the Internet versions.

3. What does the author suggest readers do?

A．Purchase satisfactory gifts.	B．Try to select a present.
C．Buy fewer gifts as an excuse.	D．Make more valuable presents.

4. What might be the author’s attitude towards nowadays gift giving?

A．Confused.

B．Critical.

C．Neutral.

D．Acceptable.

【推荐1】As a first lady, every workday is desirably different. However, there is one expectation that follows me, and others like me, wherever I go: that I play the role of a sidekick(助手)

This past summer, for instance, European Council President Donald Tusk shared a video online from the G7 meeting. The video was of spouses of U. S. President Donald Trump, President Emmanuel Macron of France, Mr. Tusk and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan. The title: “The Light Side of the Force.”

The video made me feel uncomfortable. It is regrettable to see intelligent women reduced to props(道具)who exist to support their husbands’ political agendas - to see them celebrated first and foremost for their gentle demeanors(风度). In 2019, can we not do better than assume the spouses of our leaders have nothing more worthwhile to do than wander after their other halves to watch traditional performances and take in the view while their made counterparts take care of “serious business”?

It also made me think: On the occasions when I travel with my husband, am I contributing to the myth that female spouses are the “light” side of their powerful husbands?

Since becoming first lady of Iceland in 2016, I have had the chance to wrestle with the contradictions that come with this under-fined role. On the one hand, to serve my country in this way is an honor for which I am very grateful. It is also an opportunity: When choosing activities in which I wish to take part, I am guided by the assumptions of my role as spouse and how I wish to modernize them. On state visits, for example, one of my aims is to destroy the often-gendered expectations of what “the wife” should do - I participate in discussions about sustainable tourism, entre-preneurship and innovation, and yes, gender equality.

Yet I still hate the occasions when my presence is assumed rather than requested. I am not my husband’s handbag, to be seized as he runs out the door and displayed silently by his side during public appearances. It’s uncomfortable to be told I look much nicer with my hair longer or that I should not wear green again because it’s not my color. On almost every solo trip I make as first lady, I am asked who is looking after our four young children as if their father had no parental obligations. If I am ever asked about my professional background, it is always in the past tense, although I still continue much of my paid work. (Why should I get a new job because my husband was elected to one?)

When I share these opinion of being able to help shape debate surrounding gender equality because of something my husband has achieved. I am proud of my husband and his achievements - but no one wants to be judged as her partner’s decoration.

The author, Elisa Jean Reid, is the first lady of Iceland

1. What probably led the author to write this article?

A．Her husband’s expectation of her to play the role of a sidekick.

B．A video posted online by Europeans Council President Donald Tusk.

C．The universal expectations of what first ladies should do.

D．The contradictions that had bothered her since she became first lady.

2. According to the author, most people assume a first lady’s duties include ________.
① travelling with her husband
② taking care of political issues.
③ participating in discussions about gender equality
④ exchanging opinions with first ladies of other nations

A．only ①

B．① and ②

C．only ④

D．① and ④

3. We can learn from the article that ________.

A．the author is not on friendly terms with Donald Tusk

B．being first lady of Iceland is not the author’s formal job

C．the author is unsatisfied with her current position - first lady of Iceland

D．the author has found that she can hardly modernize people’s expectation of first ladies

4. By writing this article, the author mainly wanted to ________.

A．encourage other first ladies to voice their complains

B．complain that her husband rarely looks after their four young children

C．argue against the general assumption of first ladies

D．express her gratitude for being given the opportunity to shape debate surrounding gender equality.

【推荐2】Time spent alone during the pandemicled to positive effects on well-being across all ages, new research has found.

The study of more than 2,000 teenagers and adults found that most people experienced benefits from solitude during the early days of the global Covid-19 pandemic. All age groups experienced positive as well as negative effects of being alone. However, the researchers found that descriptions of solitude included more positive effects than negative. On average, well-being scores when participants were alone were 5 out of 7 across all ages, including adolescents aged 13—16.

Some study participants talked about worsening mood or well-being, but most described their experiences of solitude in terms of feeling skilled and feeling self-reliant. 43% of all respondents mentioned that solitude involved activities and experiences of spending time on skills-building and activities, and that was consistent across all ages. Meanwhile, self-connection and reliance on self was a major feature particularly for adults, who mentioned it twice as often as teenage participants.

Dr Netta Weinstein, Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Reading said, “The conventional wisdom is that adolescents on the whole found that the pandemic was a negative experience, but we see in our study how components of solitude can be positive. Over those first few months of the pandemic here in the UK, we see that working adults were actually the most likely to mention aspects of worsening well-being and mood, but even those are not as commonly mentioned as more positive experiences of solitude.”

The researchers noted that the findings were taken from one phase of the Covid-19 pandemic during the summer of 2020, and recommended that follow-up data looks at experiences of solitude during challenging periods such as this one, and also more commonplace periods where daily solitude may look and feel different.

1. What did participants think of solitude?

A．It was time consuming.	B．It involved too much activities.
C．It mostly decreased well-being.	D．It made them more independent.

2. What information is mainly conveyed in paragraph 4?

A．Solitude is still beneficial to life despite some negative aspects.

B．The pandemic led to negative experiences on the whole.

C．The working adults complained of the decreasing well-being.

D．Adolescents in the study always disliked staying alone.

3. What do the researchers expect of the following-up study?

A．It’ll be different.	B．It’ll be challenging.
C．It’ll get more periods involved.	D．It’ll focus on data on the pandemic.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．The Joys of Solitude	B．More Solitude, Better Welling-being
C．Welling-being across All Ages	D．More Staying Alone, Less Enjoyment