3 . Those of us who shop online may scan customer reviews to get a better sense of products we can't judge for ourselves at a physical store. We may check out online testimonials before booking a haircut or visiting a new restaurant. But what happens if some of those reviews can't be trusted?

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently announced that it was proposing new measures to crack down on fake reviews and other practices used to mislead consumers. The commission published a proposed rule that would prohibit companies from writing or selling fake reviews, buying positive reviews, suppressing negative reviews and more.

“Our proposed rule on fake reviews shows that we're using all available means to attack deceptive advertising in the digital age,” Samuel Levine, director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement.

Research shows people overwhelmingly consult online reviews, but humans are also bad at telling which consumer reviews hold water and which are nonsense.

That's potentially worrisome given that nearly one in every three reviews is fake, according to one estimate.

             In arguing for the proposal, the FTC cited enforcement actions it had taken against companies that manipulated reviews of their products.

In 2022, for example, the commission forced the online retailer Fashion Nova to pay $4.2 million to settle allegations (指控) that it blocked negative reviews from being posted on its website — the first FTC action involving a company's effort to hide negative reviews. For its part, Fashion Nova said in a statement to The New York Times that the FTC's allegations were “inaccurate” and that it only settled the charges to avoid “the distraction and legal fees”.

Comments on the proposed rule have to be received within 60 days of its publication in the Federal Register, after which the FTC will decide whether to issue a revised final version.

1. What is the main purpose of the FTC's proposed rule?

A．To improve the quality of products and services.

B．To protect the interests of physical stores.

C．To ban negative reviews from online platforms.

D．To ensure true reviews are presented to customers.

2. What does the underlined phrase “hold water” in Paragraph 4 most probably mean?

A．Be credible.

B．Be prejudiced.

C．Be official.

D．Be misleading.

3. Why was Fashion Nova forced to pay $ 4.2 million in a settlement in 2022?

A．To delete negative reviews of its products.

B．To post customer reviews on its website.

C．To resolve allegations of deceptive advertising.

D．To prevent it from facing further criticism and legal fees.

4. What can be inferred about the proposed rule?

A．It is well-received.	B．It is still under review.
C．It has proven to be effective.	D．It has encountered opposition.

4 . Japan said Tuesday that it would start pouring treated radioactive water (放射性废水) from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean within two years. Officials in Tokyo said the water would be filtered and diluted (稀释) to safe levels first, but most locals remain firmly opposed to the plan. Protesters gathered outside Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s residence in downtown Tokyo to criticize the government’s decision.

More than a million tons of radioactive water is currently being stored at the Fukushima power plant in a massive tank farm big enough to fill 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The wastewater comes from water pumped in to cool the plant’s damaged reactors (反应堆). The government says it has simply run out of room to store all the water. The plan to dump the water into the ocean first came to light in the autumn of last year, when Japanese news reported anonymous (匿名的) officials said the decision had been taken.

On Tuesday, Suga said that after years of study, his scientific advisors had concluded that ocean discharge was the most possible way to cope with the wastewater. But the decision to pour Fukushima wastewater into the ocean has drawn fire from neighboring Asian countries and local fishermen along Japan’s coast.

China called the decision “extremely irresponsible,” and South Korea summoned (召唤) the Japanese ambassador in Seoul over the matter. “They told us that they wouldn’t release the water into the sea without the support of fishermen,” Kanji Tachiya, who leads a local cooperative of fisheries in Fukushima, told national broadcaster NHK ahead of the announcement on Tuesday. “We can’t support this move to break that promise and release the water into the sea unilaterally (单方面地).”

The actual release of water from the Fukushima plant will take decades to complete. Critics have called on Japan’s government to at least ensure that independent monitoring is in place to check the level of radiation in the poured water is safe for the environment.

1. How do most of the local people react to the plan?

A．Indifferent.

B．Uncertain.

C．Supportive.

D．Disapproving.

2. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The wastewater is being stored in 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

B．It was last year that the plan was exposed to the public.

C．Ocean discharge is the only way to deal with the wastewater.

D．The plan has aroused anger in all the Asian countries.

3. What does Kanji Tachiya probably agree with?

A．The plan is to pull the whole world into the disaster.

B．It’s imperative that the plan should be carried out immediately.

C．It’s safe and easy to pour the wastewater into the ocean.

D．It’s unacceptable to pour the water into the ocean without fishermen’s permission.

4. What can we infer from the passage?

A．The Japanese government has checked the level of radiation in the poured water.

B．Neigboring Asian countries agreed the decision to pour Fukushima wastewater into the ocean..

C．It will actually take the Fukushima plant long to release treated radioactive water.

D．Independent monitoring of the water from the Fukushima plant aren’t necessary.

6 . It happened on a rainy Saturday morning last month. My wife Catherine and I were driving along what some people called moose (麋鹿) alley. It was so ______ that there were few cars on the road. ______, something happened. A moose jumped out across our path. I had been driving for years and was good at driving. In order to ______ knocking into the moose, I made a quick turn to the other lane. If I had not done that, the moose might have been killed, and my wife and I might have got ______, too. A few seconds later, when I ______ and looked back in my rear view mirror, the moose was getting up and then ran into the bush. Shaken but ______, we both looked at each other with a surprised expression.

From then on, I often thought about the relationship between humans and ______ . We know that animal species have appeared and disappeared ______ since life began on the Earth. This is a(n) ______ phenomenon. However, animal species have been ______ at a much faster rate for about a century now ______ human factors such as pollution.

Certain philosophers and scientists keep repeating that if we don’t save animals, how we will be able to save ourselves. A better ______ of animals gives us a better understanding of our own species. The ______ to protect animals and nature in general ______ the value of a society. And all animals play roles in nature and have a right to ______. Therefore, I think we should try our best to save endangered animals, because humans cannot live on the Earth alone.

1.

A．cool

B．early

C．wide

D．quiet

2.

A．Unexpectedly

B．Suddenly

C．Fortunately

D．Obviously

3.

A．delay

B．keep

C．avoid

D．excuse

4.

A．shocked

B．lost

C．disappointed

D．injured

5.

A．stopped

B．thought

C．understood

D．tried

6.

A．worried

B．scared

C．sad

D．fine

7.

A．lands

B．wildlife

C．plants

D．roads

8.

A．exactly

B．silently

C．continually

D．mysteriously

9.

A．strange

B．recent

C．unusual

D．natural

10.

A．appearing

B．developing

C．decreasing

D．changing

11.

A．according to

B．instead of

C．because of

D．along with

12.

A．treatment

B．performance

C．world

D．knowledge

13.

A．way

B．law

C．will

D．hope

14.

A．shows

B．includes

C．predicts

D．protects

15.

A．escape

B．survive

C．refuse

D．select

7 . A year back I received a full scholarship to attend the University of San Francisco. All of my hard work had paid off. My mom had spent a lot in my attending a private high school, so I made sure to push myself: I volunteered, joined different clubs, and graduated with honors.

I was so excited to start a new life. I had totally packed two weeks and wanted to go to college at once before it was time to leave.

Soon enough, the big day came, but it wasn’t like what I had thought. The first two weeks were the most difficult days of my entire life. Every night I would cry myself to sleep.

I was so homesick (想家) and I didn’t know how to deal with my broken heart. To distract myself, I threw myself into my studies and I applied for a lot of jobs. In any remaining free time, I started forcing myself to the gym. I wanted to keep every part of my day busy so I wouldn’t think how lonely I felt.

Soon after, I began to limit food, and then I became worse. Finally, I went to see a doctor. When the doctor weighed me, I was crazy about the number of my weight. So I continued to lower my goal, and convinced that controlling this number was the solution to my homesickness. But when I was told that I had no choice but to spend time on my studies. I quickly started recovery in my mind.

How could I do? I told myself that school was what I was best at. I decided to get rid of my homesickness and took exercise actively. My first term of college had passed by at last and I had gotten straight A’s. That’s why I want to share my story—to help other students feel less lonely.

1. How was the author during the two weeks before she left for the college?

A．She was as normal as before.

B．She couldn’t wait to leave for the college.

C．She was afraid to leave her home.

D．She didn’t enjoy her mother’s company.

2. What is the author’s problem at the beginning of studying in the university?

A．Her weight.	B．Her diet.
C．Her homesickness.	D．Her bad study habit.

3. Which can best replace the underlined phrase “distract myself” in paragraph 2?

A．achieve my dream	B．earn money by myself
C．improve my studies	D．take my attention away

4. What is the main purpose of the author in writing the text?

A．To look back at her past middle school life.

B．To help girls to lose weight.

C．To help lonely college students.

D．To increase her own confidence.

8 . Is It Worth Buying Organic Food?

Organic food, grown without artificial chemicals, is increasingly popular nowadays. Consumers have been willing to pay up to twice as much for goods with organic labels (标签). However, if you think paying a little more for organic food gets you a more nutritious (有营养的) and safer product, you might want to save your money. A study led by researchers at Stanford University says that organic products aren’t necessarily more nutritious, and they’re no less likely to suffer from disease-causing bacteria, either.

The latest results, published in the Annuals of Internal Medicine, suggest that buyers may be wasting their money. “We did not find strong evidence that organic food is more nutritious or healthier,” says Dr. Crystal Smith-Spangler from Stanford. “So consumers shouldn’t assume that one type of food has a lower risk or is safer.”

For their new study, Smith-Spangler and her colleagues conducted a review of two categories of research, including 17 studies that compared health outcomes between consumers of organic against traditional food products, and 223 studies that analyzed the nutritional content of the foods, including key vitamins, minerals and fats.

While the researchers found little difference in nutritional content, they did find that organic fruit and vegetables were 20% less likely to have chemicals remaining on the surfaces. Neither organic nor traditional foods showed levels of chemicals high enough to go beyond food safety standards. And both organic and traditional meats, such as chicken and pork, were equally likely to be harmed by bacteria at very low rates. The researchers did find that organic milk and chicken contained higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, a healthy fat also found in fish that can reduce the risk of heart disease. However, these nutritional differences were too small, and the researchers were unwilling to make much of them until further studies confirm the trends.

Organic food is produced with fewer chemicals and more natural-growing practices, but that doesn’t always translate into a more nutritious or healthier product. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) states that “Whether you buy organic or not, finding the freshest foods available may have the biggest effect on taste.” Fresh food is at least as good as anything marketed as organic.

1. The new research questions whether organic food ________.

A．should replace traditional food

B．has been overpriced by farmers

C．is grown with less harmful chemicals

D．is really more nutritious and healthier

2. Smith Spangler and her colleagues found that ________.

A．organic food could reduce the risk of heart disease

B．traditional food was grown with more natural methods

C．both organic and traditional food they examined were safe

D．there was not a presence of any forms of bacteria in organic food

3. Which of the following is relatively healthier according to the passage?

A．Organic chicken and pork.

B．Organic milk and chicken.

C．Traditional chicken and pork.

D．Traditional fruit and vegetables.

4. What is the author’s attitude toward organic food?

A．Doubtful.

B．Positive.

C．Unconcerned.

D．Approving.

9 . A professor entered the classroom and told the students about a surprise test. All students were_________ and waited for the test to begin. The professor gave the test papers to all students with text facing down at the desk. Once he was done with _________ the test to all students, he asked them to_________ the test paper and begin.

Students were ___________ to see that there was just a black dot in the center of the page. The professor told them, “I want you to ___________ about what you see there.” The students were___________ confused but got started with the test. At the end of the class, the professor collected all answer sheets and started reading each answer from each sheet in front of all students. All of them___________ about the black dot and tried to explain its position.

Now, professor began to explain, “Here everyone_________ the black dot and wrote about it_________ no one wrote about the white paper. The same is with our lives. The white paper stands for our whole life and the black dot __________problems in our life.

Our life is a __________ given to us by God, with love and care, and we always have reasons to celebrate—our friends around us, the job that provides us with everything we need. However, we just focus on day to day ____________ like health issues, lack of money, poor relationships, but we seldom see that these problems are very small __________to everything we have in our lives.”

We should try to take eyes __________ our problems and enjoy each moment that life gives us. Be happy and live your life ____________.

1.

A．disappointed

B．curious

C．concerned

D．surprised

2.

A．handing out

B．working out

C．dealing with

D．mixing up

3.

A．open

B．read

C．defend

D．turn

4.

A．annoyed

B．addicted

C．confused

D．amazed

5.

A．bring

B．speak

C．write

D．talk

6.

A．still

B．hardly

C．never

D．mostly

7.

A．communicated

B．described

C．accepted

D．used

8.

A．concentrated on

B．depended on

C．insisted on

D．counted on

9.

A．for

B．so

C．and

D．but

10.

A．likes

B．means

C．prefers

D．deserves

11.

A．picture

B．lesson

C．gift

D．text

12.

A．events

B．adventures

C．solutions

D．problems

13.

A．connected

B．compared

C．addicted

D．attracted

14.

A．on

B．in

C．off

D．under

15.

A．formally

B．differently

C．obviously

D．positively