Chinese colleges have come up with an unusual way to help freshmen settle in. They turn their gyms into campsites for moms and dads, some of whom have traveled thousands of miles across the country, to say goodbye.
For the past five years, Tianjin University in northern China has provided free accommodation for parents in what it calls "tents of love". Other schools let parents sleep on mats in school gymnasiums.
"Going to college is a life moment and my parents didn’t want to miss that," said Zhang Jinqi, a freshman at Tianjin University majoring in applied chemistry. His parents traveled with him on the 19-hour train journey from Jiangxi Province in southern China.
Images of school gyms packed with parents have been widely shared on Chinese social media prompting a debate on whether China’s only children are too coddled.
Some have voiced criticism of Tianjin University, saying that they think both the parents and the children should be more independent.
Xiong Bingqi, the deputy director of think-tank 21st Century Education Research Institute，thinks the problem is overstated. "It has always been a problem in China that at the start of every school year, colleges are packed with parents who come along to drop off their children and stay with them," he said. "For some families, it’s their way to celebrate the first-ever family member who’s able to go to college," Xiong added. "There’s nothing wrong with sharing the happiness."
Zhang’s father said the decision to escort their son was a no-brainer. He and his wife are among the many "campers" who sleep in the 550 temporary tents set up in the Tianjin University gym.
"My child has lots of luggage and we also want to go traveling," said his father Zhang Yonghui. "The hotels nearby are fully booked so I have to sleep in the tents."
Their son also shrugged off the criticism although he said he was looking forward to living on his own for the first time. "Being accompanied by my parents doesn’t mean I’m spoiled."
1. Zhang Jinqi thought his parents accompanied him to his university mainly because _____.| A．they wanted to help him with his luggage |
| B．they wanted to go to travel in Tianjin |
| C．they doubted his independence |
| D．they wanted to witness his important life moment |
| A．is a chance for freshmen to travel with their parents |
| B．is not such a serious problem as people think |
| C．is a long-lasting problem to be solved |
| D．is not good for the freshmen to build up their independence |
| A．was in favor of | B．was ashamed of |
| C．thought nothing of | D．was concerned about |
| A．“Tents of love” is widely criticized. |
| B．Chinese only children are too spoiled. |
| C．Chinese college education is faced with a big challenge. |
| D．There are different opinions on “tents of love”. |
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I managed to get into my wool snow pants. But I struggled with my jacket because it didn’t fit well. It was a hand-me-down from my brother, and it made me wonder why I had to wear his ugly clothes. At least my hat and matching scarf(围巾) were mine, and they were quite pretty. Finally it was time to have Miss Finlayson help me with my boots(靴子). In her calm, motherly voice she said, "By the end of winter, you will be able to put on your own boots.” I didn’t realize at the time that this was more a statement of hope than of confidence.
I handed her my boots and stuck out my foot. Like most children, I expected the adult to do all the work. After much wiggling and pushing, she managed to get first one into place and then, with a sigh, worked the second one on too.
I announced，“They’re on the wrong feet.” With the grace that only experience can bring，she struggled to get the boots off and went through the joyless task of putting them on again. Then I said，“These aren’t my boots, you know.” As she pulled the offending boots from my feet, she still managed to look both helpful and interested. Once they were off, I said，“They are my brother’s boots. My mother makes me wear them, and I hate them!” Somehow, from long years of practice, she managed to act as though I wasn’t an annoying(烦人的) little girl．She pushed and shoved, less gently this time, and the boots were returned to their proper place on my feet. With a great sigh of relief, seeing the end of her struggle with me, she asked, “Now, where are your gloves?’’
I looked into her eyes and said, “I didn’t want to lose them, so I put them into the toes of my boots.”
1. According to the passage, the little girl got_______from her brother.
| A．the wool snow pants and the jacket |
| B．the jacket and the boots |
| C．the jacket and the hat |
| D．the boots and the gloves |
| A．Because the little girl played a trick on her. |
| B．Because it was the most exciting day of the winter. |
| C．Because the little girl was in her brother’s clothes. |
| D．Because the little girl wore a pretty scarf. |
| A．was losing confidence in the little girl |
| B．gradually lost patience with the little girl |
| C．because disappointed with the little girl |
| D．was getting bored with the little girl |
| A．once | B．twice | C．three times | D．four times |
【推荐2】New technologies are typically thought of as improving productivity, however, which is not always the case. When technology is multipurpose, such as cellphones, it can be both distracting and destructive.
The influence of banning phones for these students is equal to an additional hour a week in school, or to increasing the school year by five days. Banning cellphones caused a significant growth in student achievement in classrooms, with student test scores improving by 6.41 percent points. This made them 2 percentage points more likely to pass the required exams at the end of high school.
Low-achieving students benefited most from the ban, with test scores increasing by 14.23 percent points. Likewise, the ban greatly benefitted special-education-needs students and those qualified for free school meals, improving exam scores 10 and 12 percent points respectively.
However, strict cellphone policies had little effect on both high-achieving students and 14-year-olds, suggesting that high achievers are less distracted by mobile phones and younger teens own and use phones less often.
This means allowing phones into schools would be the most damaging to low-achieving and low-income students — those qualified for free school meals, worsening any existing learning inequalities.
However, these findings do not ignore the possibility that mobile phones could be a useful learning tool in school if their use is properly structured.
1. What makes students more likely to pass the required exams?| A．More time in study. | B．More tests for students. |
| C．A ban on cellphone selling. | D．Cleverness of students. |
| A．Special educators for students. | B．Free school meal providers. |
| C．Low-income students. | D．High-achieving students. |
| A．Because they use phones less often. |
| B．Because they have already mastered the course. |
| C．Because they have set higher goals for themselves. |
| D．Because they get less distraction from cellphones. |
| A．Approving. | B．Critical. | C．Anxious. | D．Objective. |
I will never forget the people I shared my primary years with. It was a time in my life when I didn’t have to worry about others’ opinions of me. There were no friendship groups within the class; the class was just one big friendship group. However, things changed when I entered the secondary school.
Being an only child from a single-parent family, I was shy, which made it hard for me to fit in at the new school. I became a victim of childhood bullying (霸凌). It started with someone making animal noises at me every time I walked past them. Apparently I ran like a goose, thus the goose noises. At first, I didn’t think anything of it; I laughed it off. But then it kept happening. Before I knew it, everyone was making goose noises at me. People would actively come and find me, just so they could make these noises at me and annoy me. Even in lessons people would make the odd goose noises at me, or on the bus to and from school. There really was no escape.
Then I was often punched or kicked for no reason but for someone to look like the ‘big man’ in front of their mates. My lunch was often knocked out of my hand, or I was threatened to give it away…
One day, when I just took out my lunchbox at a corner of the school gym, Mr Cox, my PE teacher, came and sat beside me. “Ben, you can’t just hide,” he said softly.1. 根据文本内容从方框中选择恰当的词并用其正确形式填入文本图示中，每词限用一次，有两词为多余选项。
hide use annoyed fun safe harmony threatened attend physically ignore forgive keep | ||
| In primary school, my classmates and I were in perfect |
| I felt |
|
| |
| After 1 |
| I |
|
| |
| Then, I was often bullied |
| Ifelt so |
根据文本内容回答下列问题。
2. What problem did Ben face and how did he deal with it?
3. Who will help Ben and what will he/she do?
4. What will happen to Ben later?
【推荐1】A new study shows that fat people in the United States suffer direct economic and social effects because of their size. The findings are from an 8-year study of about 100,000 people. The people studied were between the ages of 16 and 24 when the research began.
The researchers who carried out the study say they consider the people fat if they are in the top of 5% of the measurement. In this measurement, weight is connected with height. For example, fat women in the study were about 160 centimetres tall and weighed about 90 kilograms. Fat men in the study were about 175 centimetres tall and weighed 100 kilograms. The researchers say that more than 1, 000,000 Americans are that big. The researchers found that fat young women were more likely to lose social and economic power even if they were from wealthy families. The fat women were also 20% less likely to get married and they earned an average of about S 6,700 a year less than other women. The study showed less severe effect on fat men. They earned an average of about $ 3,000 a year less than other men. Fat men were also 11% less likely to get married.
1. From this passage we know fat people in America were ______.| A．admired | B．respected | C．unhealthy | D．unpopular |
| A．The reason why fat people suffered. |
| B．The cause that caused people to be fat. |
| C．The standard of fat people. |
| D．The number of fat people. |
| A．economic | B．social | C．serious | D．favorable |
| A．brain, human rights and payment |
| B．income, marriage and human rights |
| C．brain, education and marriage |
| D．marriage, getting jobs and income |
【推荐2】Stepping into the period of aging life means a new chapter in the life. It brings great problems and challenges to both the elder people and their family members.
You can become an advocate for seniors by helping them individually where they live. Volunteering in a nursing home to help with daily life is one of the common ways to offer help. Speaking and spending time with the elderly will increase your awareness of their daily concerns and challenges.
Helping get seniors online is another way to win them more resources for self-help. One major daily challenge faced by seniors is that they fail to locate certain necessary services because they lack vital computer knowledge. Work with seniors to get wired and train them in basic computer skills.
It’s essential for you to learn some basic healthcare practices.
| A．You can also arouse awareness in your community. |
| B．You can organize a community speech on eldercare, too. |
| C．There are many ways you are able to help professionally for the elderly. |
| D．Healthcare is a major part of senior care, and it helps improve the lives of the seniors. |
| E．These facts may include common health problems, nutritional needs and social isolation. |
| F．Ask the seniors, “What are your goals when you go online?” so that you provide specific guidance. |
| G．Elder abuse, lack of access to healthcare, and transportation challenges are a few difficulties. |
【推荐3】Happiness is not a warm phone, according to a new study exploring the link between young life satisfaction and screen time. The study was led by professor of psychology Jean M. Twenge at San Diego State University (SDSU).
To research this link, Twenge, along with colleagues Gabrielle Martin at SDSU and W. Keith Campbell at the University of Georgia, dealt with data from the Monitoring the Future (MtF) study, a nationally representative survey of more than a million U. S. 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-graders. The survey asked students questions about how often they spent time on their Phones, tablets and computers, as well as questions about their face-to-face social interactions and their overall happiness.
On average found that teens who spent more time in front of screen devices — playing computer games, using social media, texting and video chatting — were less happy than those who invested more time in non-screen activities like sports, reading newspapers and magazines, and face-to-face social interactions.
"The key to digital media use and happiness is limited use," Twenge said. "Aim to spend no more than two hours a day on digital media, and try to increase the amount of time you spend seeing friends face-to-face and exercising — two activities reliably linked to greater happiness."
Looking at historical trends from the same age groups since the 1990s, it's easy to find that the increase of screen devices over time happened at the same time as a general drop-off in reported happiness in U. S. teens. Specifically, young peopled life satisfaction and happiness declined sharply after 2012. That's the year when the percentage of Americans who owned a smartphone rose above 50 percent. By far the largest change in teens' lives between 2012 and 2016 was the increase in the amount of time they spent on digital media, and the following decline in in-person social activities and sleep.
1. Which method did Twenge's team use for the study?| A．Calculating students' happiness. |
| B．Asking students certain questions. |
| C．Analyzing data from a survey. |
| D．Doing experiments on screen time. |
| A．By making a comparison. |
| B．By giving an example. |
| C．By making an argument. |
| D．By introducing a concept. |
| A．To draw a conclusion from the study. |
| B．To offer some advice to the readers. |
| C．To prove social activities' importance. |
| D．To support the researchers' finding. |
| A．Quitting Phones Equals Happiness |
| B．Screen Time Should Be Banned |
| C．Teens' Lives Have Changed Sharply |
| D．Screen-addicted Teens Are Unhappier |
【推荐1】Smart carts (购物车) are shopping carts equipped with tablet computers and similar de-vices that help shoppers manage shopping lists, pay for items, and find products in the store. Manufacturers of smart cart technology produce accessory fittings (配件), and stores can use them to remake existing carts. It’s also possible to purchase new shopping carts with the smart technology installed.
The level of function available with a smart cart can vary. Some can be combined with cellphones or software programs to allow shoppers to create shopping lists and upload them to a cart. Internet-enabled smart carts may provide suggestions or tips for shoppers. Some can communicate with the systems to guide themselves around the store. Shoppers can ask the cart where to find items, or have it organize a grocery list to make shopping easier. As a shop-per moves along the snack selling areas, for instance, the smart cart could flash a reminder that the customer often likes to buy a particular brand of potato chips.
In-store communication to allow customers to order items from different counters may al-so be available. On the contrary, a department can page a customer with the use of smart carts, The counters can send a message when the order is ready, which reduces time spent in line.
Smart cart technology can also enable the price checks and allows customers to pay for items through the cart, without having to go through a checkout line. As they add items to the cart, it updates the total, and the shopper can close out the visit at the end by telling the cart to automatically pay from a stored bank account or credit card. This application for smart carts can be important in busy stores where customers get impatient waiting in line to pay.
1. Why does the author think the introduced cart is a smart cart?| A．It is made to encourage shopping. |
| B．It is equipped with technology to manage shopping lists. |
| C．It is equipped with translation function. |
| D．It is designed to take the place of clerks. |
| A．It is smarter than humans. |
| B．It is helpful but rather expensive. |
| C．It only has a few simple skills. |
| D．It can help save much time. |
| A．Technology. | B．Fashion. |
| C．Food. | D．Advertisement. |
| A．The design of smart carts |
| B．The influences of smart carts |
| C．The introduction to smart carts |
| D．The market demands for smart carts |
【推荐2】If you find yourself checking your phone first thing in the morning, if you find you're text-messaging while walking, checking your phone instead of working on an important assignment—you are addicted.
Don't worry. The new NoPhone might be just the thing you need, It looks and feels exactly like a smart phone, but it does nothing. It's just a piece of plastic that you can carry around in your hand to fool yourself.
Nophone is currently a prototype (手机模型) that will cost only $12 once it hits the market. Its makers are trying to raise $30,000 in order to cover the production and marketing costs.
Dutch designer Ingmar Larsen, who helped create the NoPhone, said that he had the idea as a joke along with his friends Van Gould and Ben Langveld. To their great surprise, the idea received a lot of attention online and people from all over the world started placing requests for NoPhone of their own, so that's when the three friends decided to raise money for mass production.
David H said, “I used to sleep with my phone in my hand, but my night terrors would cause me to throw it across the room in an unconscious panic. With the NoPhone, I can still enjoy the comfort of holding a phone in my sleep, without waking up to a broken screen. Thanks, NoPhone.”
If you're interested in NoPhone, but concerned about not being able to take selfies anymore, don't worry. The makers do have an update at no extra charge—the mirror sticker. That way, they say, you can enjoy “Yreal-time” selfies with your friends when they're standing right behind you.
1. From the third paragraph we can infer that ________.| A．the users can stay away from the real world |
| B．NoPhone is a device made of high technology |
| C．NoPhone has not been on the market at present |
| D．the makers are raising money to improve their technology |
| A．people worldwide were interested in NoPhone |
| B．many people thought of the idea as a joke at first |
| C．people worldwide began to fund mass production |
| D．people in Dutch began to make NoPhone of their own |
| A．By updating at an extra charge. | B．By standing with your friends. |
| C．By taking a photo of yourself with an APP. | D．By catching sight of yourself in a pasted mirror. |
【推荐3】The possibility of self-driving robot cars has often seemed like a futurist’s dream. Well, the future is apparently now. The California Department of Motor Vehicles began giving permits in April for companies to test truly self-driving cars on public roads. The state also cleared the way for companies to sell or rent out self-driving cars. It’s hard to predict when driverless cars will be everywhere on our roads. But however long it takes, the technology has the potential to change our transportation systems for better or for worse, depending on how the transformation is regulated.
While much of the debate so far has been focused on the safety of driverless cars, policymakers also should be talking about how self-driving vehicles can help reduce traffic jams, cut emissions and offer more convenient, affordable mobility options. The arrival of driverless vehicles is a chance to make sure that those vehicles are environmentally friendly and more shared.
Do we want to copy — or even worsen — the traffic of today with driverless cars? Imagine a future where most adults own individual self-driving vehicles. Instead of walking a few blocks to pick up a child or the dry cleaning, they send the self-driving minibus. The convenience even leads fewer people to take public transport — an unwelcome side effect researchers have already found in ride-hailing (叫车) services.
A study from the University of California suggested that replacing petrol-powered private cars worldwide with electric, self-driving and shared systems could significantly reduce carbon emissions and cut the cost of transportation by 2050, which sound pretty appealing. The first commercially available driverless cars will almost certainly be fielded by ride-hailing services, considering the cost of self-driving technology as well as responsibility and maintenance issues. But driverless car ownership could increase as more people become comfortable with the technology.
Policymakers should start thinking now about how to make sure the appearance of driverless vehicles doesn’t extend the worst aspects of the car-controlled transportation system we have today. The coming technological advancement presents a chance for cities and states to develop transportation systems designed to move more people, and more affordably. The car of the future is coming. We just have to plan for it.
1. As for driverless cars, what is the author’s major concern?| A．Safety. | B．Side effects. | C．Affordability. | D．Management. |
| A．help deal with transportation-related problems | B．provide better services to customers |
| C．cause damage to our environment | D．make some people lose jobs |
| A．Shared. | B．Replaced. | C．Employed. | D．Reduced. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Positive. | C．Disapproving. | D．Sympathetic. |
【推荐1】For two centuries, the famous University of Cambridge debating society has hosted many prominent figures, from world leaders to scientists to comedians.
On Nov 21, the Cambridge Union hosted its first-ever non-human guest. Designed by IBM, Project Debater is a machine that uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to form a spoken argument. It can even listen and answer to opposing statements, much like a real person.
Speaking with a voice similar to Siri, Project Debater uses AI to search journals, newspapers and other information sources. It then filters out(过滤) useless information, picks the strongest arguments, and arranges them into a persuasive argument.
“In the Cambridge test debate, it argued the topic: AI will ultimately do more harm than good. According to IBM, it is the first machine that can debate complicated topics with humans.
Before the debate, more than 1,100 arguments for the positives and negatives of AI were submitted to the IBM website. The machine then analyzed these sources and formed the basis of its arguments in minutes. Project Debater then showed off its AI by arguing for both sides of the debate.
Over a four-minute speech, it argued first that, “AI can only make decisions that it has been programmed to solve, while humans can be programmed for all plots, possible events.”
In support of AI, it then argued that AI would create new jobs and “bring a lot more efficiency” to the workplace.
This isn’t the first test for Project Debater. In June 2018, the machine went back-and-forth for 20 minutes against champion debater Harish Natarajan.
According to New Scientist, on both occasions, Project Debater repeated points and didn’t always sufficiently support them.
Speaking to Cambridge Independent, Noam Slonim, the project’s lead engineer, said, “The AI is not perfect, but it’s going in the right direction.” The team hopes to improve the AI by researching why humans find certain arguments more persuasive than others.
1. In which way does Project Debater behave like a real person?| A．It can listen and answer to opposing statements. |
| B．It can speak with a voice similar to Siri. |
| C．It can create various useful sources. |
| D．It can deal with any situation. |
| A．Analyzed sources. |
| B．Useless messages. |
| C．Materials for arguments. |
| D．Items about human debaters. |
| A．AI did better than humans in arguments |
| B．the machine had rich ideas to support its points |
| C．the machine beat Harish Natarajan in the first test |
| D．AI needs more persuasive arguments in debates |
| A．Supportive. | B．Unconfident. |
| C．Negative. | D．Indifferent. |
【推荐2】Happiness is an abstract concept. When one thinks of a typical happy person, smiling, laughing and cheering are what usually comes to mind. However, if people stop smiling or laughing, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are unhappy. Happiness has many different levels, and it is difficult to place the word in one concrete category.
Many people believe as people grow older, they will feel more happiness. However, I just find they are not always so. When asking my twelve-year-old sister what made her happy, she initially told me that sleeping made her happy, and then she looked at me for a reaction. When I had none, she changed her answer to food, then to fashion, and then finally to family. Each time she glanced at me, looking for affirmation (肯定) that she had given a "right" answer.
My younger cousin, who is even younger than my sister, gave me an answer that surprised me. It wasn’t eating candy or watching TV that made her happy. It was love. Considering the clear differences between my sister and cousin in their answers, I came to see that age doesn't always largely contribute to happiness.
Asking my grandmother what brings her happiness, she immediately answered "her family" without hesitation. This is something I expected, as my grandma is always a family-centered person. This also aligns with her culture, being from Italy and growing up during the 50s, where family values were at its highest point in society.
Asking myself this question, I think carefully about my answers. Sure, my family, friends and pets make me happy, but so do reading, writing and watching movies. This is why I have come to the conclusion that I have no answer to my own question.
There is no one single thing that makes me the happiest, because, like everybody, my mood depends on many factors. Happiness depends on external factors, as well as one’s personality and age. This is why I have come to the conclusion that the journey of happiness cannot truly be defined, and that there isn’t one thing above all that makes everyone the happiest.
1. What do we know about happiness from Paragraph 1?| A．It is pursued by nearly all people. |
| B．It’s difficult to describe it with words. |
| C．Its highest level is often expressed with laughing. |
| D．It may have nothing to do with one’s expressions. |
| A．happiness comes from very small things |
| B．age won’t always bring people happiness |
| C．little kids can sometimes give us inspiration |
| D．some abstract things can make people happier |
| A．Is consistent with. | B．Is beneficial to. |
| C．Breaks away from. | D．Gets out of. |
| A．Happiness is hard to achieve. |
| B．Happiness is determined by many factors. |
| C．The happiest people are often open-minded. |
| D．One's family gives him the most happiness. |
【推荐3】Japanese businessman Katsuo Inoue chose Italy for his summer vacation this year. He enjoyed the views of Florence and Rome—without ever leaving Tokyo.
Inoue and his wife “flew” to Italy on First Airlines, a company known for entertainment, not transportation. The Tokyo-based company entered the growing virtual reality (虚拟现实) market, as people face travel restrictions (限制) because of COVID-19.
“I often go overseas on business, but I haven’t been to Italy,” Inoue told the Reuters News. “My impression was rather good because I got a sense of actually seeing things there.”
The “passengers” on First Airlines sit in the first or business-class areas of an “airplane”. They are even given a life vest and oxygen mask. Workers serve meals and drinks as large screens show passing clouds and other views outside the airplane. The “travelers” then receive virtual reality eyewear that provides true-to-life tours of places like Paris, New York, Hawaii and Rome and other Italian cities.
Japan has recorded over 50,000 infections (感染) and just over 1,000 deaths. A second wave of infections starting in July has stopped most travel in and out the country. The country’s biggest airline, ANA Holdings, said the numbers of passengers flying to foreign countries fell by 96 percent in June. And the International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicted last month that it would take until the year 2024 for international travel to recover.
But Hiroaki Abe, president of First Airlines says, “Our business has increased by 50 percent since the start of the travel restrictions. We get some customers who normally travel to Hawaii every year and they can experience some of that here.”
1. What do we know about Inoue’s trip to Italy?| A．It was a trip on business. | B．It was a virtual visit. |
| C．It was his first trip by plane. | D．It was against the travel restrictions. |
| A．Customers’ comments on the trip. |
| B．Safety rules to follow during the trip. |
| C．Business advantages of virtual vacations. |
| D．The company’s services to make the trip real. |
| A．It may disappear by 2024. |
| B．Its customers are hard to please. |
| C．Its market will surely become bigger. |
| D．It meets customers’ need in the special time. |
| A．A news report. | B．A blog post. |
| C．A travel brochure. | D．A business advertisement. |
