1 . If you look around your city, you might spot girls wearing hanfu in subways or people wearing, T-shirts with Chinese characters on the streets. A new trend is taking hold in China-guochao or “China-chic”.

According to a recently published report, searches related to guochao on Dianping, a lifestyle information platform, have risen by 170 percent from the same period last year, and reviews have risen by nearly 40 percent. China-chic is happening, but what is it?

The term characterizes the rise of China’s native fashion trends. It has expanded the concept of “Made in China”, which has been recognized as the representation of Chinese culture and aesthetics (审美) offered by homegrown Chinese brands, according to CGTN.

China-chic came into the spotlight in 2018. Before that, big-name foreign companies dominated the world market. To win market share, many Chinese brands followed in the footsteps of these Western brands. But that year, Chinese sportswear brand Li-Ning changed things up. During the 2018 New York Fashion Week, Li-Ning introduced its Taoism-inspired Wu Dao collection. The collection not only had a trendy look, but also included elements of traditional Chinese culture. It immediately grabbed attention at home and abroad. As a result, the company recorded 20 percent revenue growth in 2018, marking the first time the brand’s revenue had hit the 10-billion-yuan mark since its founding.

The trend to embrace (欣然) domestic brands has since spread rapidly to various sectors (领域) and products, from food and drinks to clothing, mobile phones and electric vehicles. For example, White Rabbit, whose sweet candy brings back childhood memories for many, launched its perfume (香水) and lip balm (唇膏). “We want White Rabbit to be a brand that young people want to share,” Shen Qinfeng, the company’s marketing manager, told People’s Daily.

Now, the guochao trend is “moving to the next stage”, where its success will rely, first and foremost on gaining cultural confidence rather than Western validation (认可), according to Kerra Zhou, founder or brand strategy consultancy Kerrisma.

This March, several Western brands boycotted Xinjiang cotton over “forced labor” allegations (指控). To show national pride and cultural confidence, the “I support Xinjiang cotton” campaign spread across the country. Many Chinese boycotted these Western brands and turned to Chinese domestic brands support Xinjiang cotton, like Li-Ning and Anta.

“No matter how the guochao trend evolves, there’s one thing that won’t change: Behind the craze is people’s positive attitude toward the country’s development and their recognition of and growing confidence in national culture,” said Yao Linqing, a professor in the School of Economics and Management at Communication University of China.

1. What is China-Chic according to the text?

A．Interest in Chinese features in fashion.

B．Young Chinese peoples preference for ancient culture.

C．The international popularity of products made in China.

D．The growing role of Chinese native brands in promoting aesthetics.

2. Why did Li-Ning, get so much attention during the 2018 New York Fashion Week?

A．It took the lead in the similar brands.

B．It adopted Western design in its sportswear.

C．Its revenue hit the 10-billion-yuan mark that year.

D．Its products followed the trend and reflected Chinese elements.

3. What did White Rabbit do to win over young buyers?

A．It upgraded its packaging.

B．It expanded its domestic market.

C．It increased the variety of its products.

D．It brought their childhood memories back.

4. What does the example of the “I support Xinjiang cotton” campaign try to show?

A．Chinese products are better than Western ones.

B．Chinese native brands are facing false allegations.

C．Cheap and high quality native materials are more popular.

D．Chinese people’s cultural confidence drives the guochao trend.

2 . Recently I’ve had two good roles on television. But when I was just getting started in theater work 17 years ago, I never thought I’d make it. Back then I was recovering from surgery and had been off work for six months. Even worse, as a single mother with three youngsters, I had no place to live in. I felt hopeless.

One Sunday morning I saw actor Robert Young on the television talking about his faith: Believe yourself! If we confidently take that first step, well take the next, until we reach our goal.

The first step was scary. After I went working part-time, I looked for an apartment. The ones I saw were either too expensive, or I couldn’t raise my children in them. I knew a house, not an apartment, was more suitable for me. However, after seeing several houses, my confidence was shaken. I found two seemed right, but when I was about to make an offer, someone else had ordered.

I remembered a saying, “When one door closes, a better one opens.” I wouldn’t just sit staring at the closed one but got up and struggled on. In a real estate (房地产) agent, I found a small house with proper price. To buy it, I had to borrow $ 3,000 for a down payment and get a mortgage (按揭). Common sense argued that a mortgage for a single mother working part-time was impossible. But I had enough self-confidence without following common sense.

After getting the house, my new self-confidence grew. Later , when I began filling small parts in television productions, that self-confidence showed. I'd always played the role as the director wanted. Now I find myself freer to interpret (演绎) it.

Self-confidence has made it through life. Trouble can be scary at first, but each time I take that step, I believe I will win the next.

1. How did the author feel when entering television industry at first?

A．Hopeful.

B．Embarrassed.

C．Pessimistic.

D．Aggressive.

2. Why does the author mention her experience of finding a house?

A．To show the value of self-confidence.

B．To share her different life experiences.

C．To introduce her toughest part of life.

D．To tell us her ways to get over difficulty.

3. What mainly helped the author perform well in her later acting?

A．Her sense of confidence.	B．The difficulty in her life.
C．The director’s good direction.	D．Her success in her first attempt.

4. What may be the best title for the text?

A．Appear on the Stage	B．Struggle with Life
C．Stick to Your Plan	D．Believe in Yourself

3 . When I was 24, I moved into an apartment and the couple next door were loud all the time. After putting up with it for a couple of weeks, I decided to ___________ them and politely ask them to be ___________ after noon, as I had to work at midnight, so I ___________ went to bed around noon.

I went next door and knocked on the door and an old woman answered. I ___________ myself and she asked if I came over to complain about the ___________, and I said yes. She ___________ both she and her husband were going ___________ and that they needed to speak loudly to hear each other. She ___________ me in and offered me a coffee and we started talking. ___________, we heard a loud bang in the kitchen. Then we found her husband had fallen onto the ground. Immediately, we rushed him to the ________________.

When I came home from work the next day, there was a ________________ on the door from the lady asking me to come over. When I reached her ________________, she asked if I'd drive her, to the hospital, to which I said no ________________. When we got to the hospital, I ________________ her to his room, where he thanked me. Soon I ended up being friends with this couple ________________ they moved away a year later.

One day after ten years, I got a ________________ from a lawyer. I was ________________ what was going on, so I went down and when I arrived at his office, the lawyer asked me if i knew a ________________by their names and I said yes. He told me that the couple had died and he was ________________ by their children to find me. They wanted to thank me personally. I________________ the family and then we became friends!

You can never know when, where or how you are next going to make new friends. Life is full of surprises. Whatever happens, try to treat others exactly as you would like to be treated.

1.

A．challenge

B．treat

C．face

D．punish

2.

A．quieter

B．calmer

C．kinder

D．slower

3.

A．seldom

B．already

C．always

D．still

4.

A．expressed

B．examined

C．improved

D．introduced

5.

A．stress

B．noise

C．sound

D．pain

6.

A．guessed

B．described

C．explained

D．believed

7.

A．disabled

B．blind

C．deaf

D．weak

8.

A．brought

B．invited

C．forced

D．begged

9.

A．Suddenly

B．Unfortunately

C．Naturally

D．Secretly

10.

A．kitchen

B．bed

C．company

D．hospital

11.

A．report

B．notice

C．note

D．bill

12.

A．door

B．car

C．office

D．home

13.

A．doubt

B．way

C．matter

D．problem

14.

A．carried

B．followed

C．sent

D．guided

15.

A．since

B．before

C．until

D．while

16.

A．warning

B．visit

C．call

D．question

17.

A．wondering

B．imagining

C．describing

D．recording

18.

A．team

B．patient

C．couple

D．doctor

19.

A．encouraged

B．ordered

C．forced

D．employed

20.

A．missed

B．met

C．praised

D．welcomed

4 . Fuerteventura, Spain

Fuerteventura is a great place awaiting your discovery. Here are some reasons.

La Concha beach

Located in northeastern Fuerteventura are a number of family-friendly beaches. One of the most popular is La Concha, which is dressed in white sand and beautified with calm water. The beach is close to the town and at sunset, most tourists rush to see the skies turn beautiful colours in just a few short moments. At low tide (潮汐), small pools of water form, and these are great for the little members of the family to take a dive in. There are enough parking lots and plenty of restaurants to choose from.

Corralejo Natural Park

If you are looking to experience the desert nature of Fuerteventura, Corralejo Natural Park is the place to be. It is a coin with two sides. One is characterized by volcanic scenery, and the other is white sand that has been cleansed by the blue water of the Atlantic Ocean. Getting to the park can be easily done by road, but exploring it demands that you put on your hiking shoes and take a walk through the natural wonderland.

Costa Calma Beach

Costa Calma Beach is characterized by blue waters and white sand. The beach is not packed, so you will get a chance to be just with your thoughts as you sunbathe on the sand. When the winds are swift, Costa Calma turns into a hot spot for surfers, ideal for those looking to get a surfing course. The road leading to the beach is fenced by green plants meaning the magic starts even before you get there.

Cofete Beach

It’s hard to find a fitting description for this wild beach. Its shoreline is great for its golden sand and wild water. Getting to Cofete Beach is not easy: perhaps that’s why this place is still in its original state. The road has difficult spots that require expert driving skills. But, if you can tolerate it, you will be treated with some amazing views.

1. Which place is recommended for a family with kids?

A．Cofete Beach.	B．Corralejo Natural Park.
C．Costa Calma Beach.	D．La Concha Beach.

2. What can people do at Corralejo Natural Park?

A．Learn how to surf.

B．Sunbathe on the golden sand.

C．Enjoy changeable sky colours.

D．Experience Fuerteventura’s desert nature.

3. What makes Cofete Beach different from the other two?

A．Cars are forbidden.

B．It has amazing white sand.

C．It has stayed untouched.

D．Approaching it is much easier.

5 . In 2012, an iPhone fell into my hands. This smart technology seemed like the entrance to only fun and positive things like chatting with friends and blogging.

However, seven years later, I had become horribly limited to it. Recent reports show that I’m not alone. According to a study, the average American spends five hours a day on smart devices (装置) and about 2.5 of those hours are spent on social, messaging, media and entertainment apps.

It’s hard to explain when the love and joy I felt for my iPhone turned into a dependency. I fell asleep to my phone every night and woke to it each morning. I checked the weather app every morning before I chose how to dress for the day. I used it to help me find my way through a city I should know well enough on my own. I updated my email box every time I picked my phone up.

Just like with any addiction, my phone dependency began to influence my life. While spending time with family, I’d stare into a small screen on my lap instead of being involved in communicating with my loved ones. At work, my productivity levels dropped. And then, my four-year relationship came to an end. Eventually, I was left with years of memories and a mobile phone that couldn’t provide enjoyable company across a dinner table, share in the joys of experiencing a concert or kiss me goodnight before bed.

Now, I move through life with more purpose and intention. I’ve cut back on carelessly giving away my limited time and attention to my phone. Instead, I focus my efforts on being as present as possible. Truly training the mind to stay present is a long and challenging road, but it’s important to start somewhere.

I hope you’ll take a deep look at your own phone habits and reevaluate how important a role you are letting it play in your life. Whether or not you’ve reached a place in your life where your screen time feels problematic, there’s no harm in mindfully giving your current practices some thought.

1. What does the author mean by saying “I’m not alone” underlined in Paragraph 2?

A．He takes his iPhone for company.

B．He has many friends around him.

C．There’re many Americans like him.

D．Blogging brings him great pleasure.

2. According to Paragraph 3, the author _________.

A．was quite confused about some apps

B．became hopelessly addicted to his iPhone

C．was afraid of spending more time on his iPhone

D．never dressed himself by checking the weather app

3. What does Paragraph 4 mainly focus on?

A．Why the author’s productivity levels dropped.

B．Why the author finally had phone dependency.

C．How the author bravely corrected his mistakes.

D．How the author’s life was negatively affected.

4. What does the author intend to do in the last paragraph?

A．Persuade people to live a no-phone life.

B．Advise people to use their phones reasonably.

C．Inspire people to consider their roles in life again.

D．Urge people to devote their spare time to screens.

6 . In a national survey, just 1 in 3 students thought that smoking on some days, but not others, can cause a lot of harm. This smoking pattern is common. It is also dangerous. In fact, its health risks are about the same as smoking heavily, report Stephen Amrock and Michael Weitzman. Their new study’s findings show that most kids do not see risks in smoking the occasional (偶尔的) cigarette.

For their study, Amrock and Weitzman analyzed data from the 2012 National Youth Tobacco Survey. It had probed (探究) tobacco-related knowledge, attitudes and behaviors in 24,658 students. All were in grades 6 through 12 and lived throughout the 50 U. S. states and the district of Columbia.

Most teens knew that heavy smoking can be harmful. About 2 in every 3 students recognized that smoking even just a few cigarettes each day can be harmful (有危害的). Only 1 in3 students, however, recognized that occasional—non-daily—smoking is harmful. Among teens who smoke this way—intermittently—just 1 out of every 7 understood their habit was dangerous.

Occasional smoking is not safe, so “we really need to have a conversation” with whoever thinks otherwise, notes Dave Dobbins. He heads research and public education at Legacy, a group based in Washington, D. C. It encourages teens to reject tobacco. “Intermittent smoking carries lots of risks,” Dobbins explains. These include the chance that light use will progress to heavier smoking. “We explain to kids that light smoking is smoking,” says Dobbins, who was not connected with the study. And, he adds, his group points out that “the dangers begin right away”.

Adults who are light or intermittent smokers are those most willing and able to quit. Amrock and Weitzman note. Most smokers start by age 18. That’s why the NYU School of Medicine researchers suggest anti-smoking efforts should target youth who today are light or occasional smokers.

1. What’s the text mainly about?

A．Occasional smoking.	B．Health and smoking.
C．The number of smokers.	D．Anti-smoking efforts.

2. Where can you find the data showing students’ views on different smoking patterns?

A．In Paragraph 1.	B．In Paragraph 3.
C．In Paragraph 2.	D．In Paragraph 4.

3. What’s the meaning of the underlined “intermittently” in Paragraph 3?

A．Heavily.	B．Continuously.
C．Occasionally.	D．Purposefully.

4. Dave Dobbins agrees that ________.

A．dangers of kids’ light smoking appear in no time

B．light smoking is sure to result in heavy smoking

C．most teens have realized the risks of light smoking

D．light smokers are likely to quit smoking naturally