1 . Stories of immigrants attract me a lot, especially the life stories of Italians who have come to America since the 1700s. In each of these stories I see elements of my own story, that of leaving my birthplace and family and creating a new life in a different culture and in a different language.
The child of Italian immigrants and an award-winning scholar of Italian literature, in the book My Two Italies Joseph Luzzi struggled to create or find his own identity from an early age. Even more problematic for him was “which” Italy to “choose,” the one he inherited(继承) from his family, poor and linked to old traditions and customs he finds rude and somewhat cruel, or the one he finds in literature and art books that show him a country with a modern literary culture.
The choice becomes even sadder as in his professional life he becomes a scholar of Italian literature and culture. He describes episodes of his youth that show the clash between the first and the second generation immigrants that are both funny and tragicomic(悲喜剧式的). These episodes highlight the daily customs his parents brought from their hometown that are in conflict with Joseph’s desire to “fit in” the American culture. Joseph’s visits to Italy as a student and then as a scholar deepen the divide between his two Italies and highlight his quest for identity.
The author’s personal changes are full of quotes and comments on the cultural and political landscape of Italy. I find that his insights on contemporary Italian cultural and political phenomena are particularly interesting. In this book, Joseph touches or comments in depth about several issues concerning Italian life, such as the relationship between dialects(方言) and the official “Italian” language, and the Southern “question” or the uneasy interaction between Northern and Southern Italians.
I enjoyed reading this book. It is personal, moving, educational and entertaining. I hope you will enioy it too!
1. Why is the author interested in stories of immigrants?| A．He came to America in 1700. | B．He wants to live an Italian life. |
| C．He can see himself in these stories. | D．He likes to learn the Italian language. |
| A．Choosing right Italian identity. | B．Inheriting his parents’ wealth. |
| C．Bridging the generation gap. | D．Becoming a literary scholar. |
| A．Cooperation. | B．Distance. |
| C．Similarity. | D．Conflict. |
| A．A news report. | B．A book review. |
| C．A children’s story. | D．A diary entry. |
2 . The world produces around 359 million tons of plastics each year. Plastics are certainly a big problem, but they don’t necessarily have to be. There are many ways we could set plastics on a different lifecycle. One that I have been working on is turning plastics into a hardy, reliable and sustainable building material.
Most people believe that plastics recycling is severely limited: only a few types can be recycled at all. This is unsurprising. The proportion(比例)of plastics that are recycled is minimal. But all polymers(聚合物)are, technologically, recyclable. Some of them can be used again and again to produce the same goods. Some can technically be reprocessed into new materials for different applications.
The problem is that recycling much of this plastic waste is currently unprofitable. But the amount of these materials all over the world is large and keeps on growing. What if this plastic waste could be used to produce something useful to the society? Many universities and business people are attempting to do this. Most solutions target mixed plastic waste and suggest applications different from the original ones. For example, several groups have developed building materials made of plastic waste. Plastics are strong, durable, waterproof, lightweight and recyclable—all key properties for construction materials. So what if all of this plastic waste could be turned into building materials for low-income populations? Existing initiatives are promising, but not yet reproducible on an industrial scale.
I study plastic waste with the aim of finding interesting ways to remove it from the environment. From agricultural waste to concrete waste, mixed with recycled plastics, there are many ways to obtain materials to produce bricks and other useful elements for buildings. So perhaps plastics are not necessarily the problem. They can be part of a pathway towards a more sustainable way of living.
1. What’s people’s common belief about plastic recycling?| A．Almost all plastic waste can be reused. | B．The methods are quite limited. |
| C．Not many kinds of plastics are recyclable. | D．The amount is unbelievably large. |
| A．Plastic waste is on the decline globally. |
| B．Recycling plastics doesn’t make money now. |
| C．Plastic buildings have been largely constructed. |
| D．New applications of plastics haven’t been found. |
| A．They can resist water and won’t last long. |
| B．They can be reproduced in large quantity. |
| C．They satisfy the needs of low-income people. |
| D．They meet most demands of building materials. |
| A．Positive. | B．Anxious. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Critical. |
3 . Jenn Larson was just 14 years old when she took over the bookkeeping for her family’s dairy farm near Firth, Idaho. She soon saw firsthand how challenging it was for her parents, who lacked any college education, to properly manage the unpredictable earnings of farming. This started a lifelong passion for finance, and it led her down an unexpected path to becoming a role model she never had.
Yet, such ambitions ran in obvious contrast to everything familiar to her. “I didn’t have any advisors,” Larson says. “I didn’t have anyone to look up to for a professional example. All the women I associated with were stay-at-home moms.” Despite having parents who couldn’t fully understand her ambitions, Larson went to the BYU Marriott School, where she earned a business degree and focused much of her coursework on international finance.
Larson worked for seven years as a financial representative with Northwestern Mutual, advising clients on important financial decisions. Larson returned to BYU Marriott in 2008 to earn an MBA, and accepted a position in the school as an assistant professor following her graduation. For more than a decade, Larson has taught finance classes to undergraduate and MBA students. While she teaches finance, Larson tries to help her students see how mastering finance principles can also impact their personal lives.
Constantly balancing motherhood and work, Larson makes adjustments to the way she teaches. She gave birth to her first three children in three years while teaching at BYU Marriott, wondering at times if labor might start while in front of a class full of students. During the pandemic, Larson taught online classes from her dining room table while taking care of a newborn and other young children at home.
As a female instructor in the often male-dominated finance industry, Larson works to inspire other women who seek a similar path to hers. Larson became the role model that she never had — the example that a 14-year-old girl staring at a farming expense sheet couldn’t find. Now, Labor on’s children and students will always have that example.
1. What motivated Larson to major in finance?| A．Her experience of managing accounts. |
| B．Her strong desire for college education. |
| C．The high expectations from her parents. |
| D．The challenging labor on her dairy farm. |
| A．She had no one to ask for advice. |
| B．She was unsure about the coursework. |
| C．She was misunderstood by her neighbours. |
| D．She was unfamiliar with everything at school. |
| A．The work of looking after a baby. |
| B．The process of dealing with students. |
| C．The process of giving birth to a baby. |
| D．The work of adjusting teaching methods. |
| A．Following Your Interest |
| B．Balancing Work and Family |
| C．Becoming Your Own Role Model |
| D．Seeking a Way to Become a Role Model |
4 . Marilu Arce loves her job, but for a time she considered leaving. The traffic-plagued commute from her home to her office, nearly two hours each way, meant her daughters couldn’t enroll in after school activities because she couldn’t get home in time to take them.
Then her employer adopted a policy permitting her to work from home two days a week, and “I feel like it changed my life,” she said. Her stress level has dropped. Her daughters are thrilled. She likes her job more. That’s the type of reaction Arce’s boss likes to hear as the company measures the success of the work-from-home policy which was instituted three years ago in hopes of improving employee retention. So far, it seems to be working: turnover was less than five percent last year—its lowest ever.
Flexible work policies top employee wish lists when they look for a job, and employers increasingly have been offering them. Studies have shown working remotely increases employee engagement, but in moderation because there is still value in the relationships nurtured when colleagues are face to face. The key, advocates of flexible work policies say, is to match the environment with the type of work that needs to be done.
The flexibility hasn’t hurt productivity, which is up 50 percent. There is “something lost” when colleagues don’t gather at the water cooler, but it’s outweighed by the retention and happiness gains, he said. As jobs that require physical work decline, thanks to technological advances, life superficially appears to get better. Consumers benefit in the form of cheaper prices. Labor-saving appliances all make things easier and suggest that even more and better benefits are on the horizon. But is something lost?
Talk long enough to the most accomplished academics, they will brag about a long-ago college summer job waiting tables or repairing hiking trails. They might praise the installer who redid their kitchen. There seems to be a human instinct to want to do physical work. The proliferation of hard-work reality-television programming reflects this apparent need. Indeed, the more we have become immobile and urbanized, the more we tune in to watch reality television’s truckers, loggers, farmers, drillers and rail engineers. In a society that supposedly despises menial jobs, the television ratings for such programmes suggest that lots of Americans enjoy watching people of action, who work with their hands.
Physical work, in its eleventh hour within a rapidly changing Western culture, still intrigues us in part because it remains the foundation for 21st century complexity. Before any of us can teach, write or speculate, we must first have food, shelter and safety. And for a bit longer, that will require some people to cut grapes and nail two-by-sixes. No apps or 3D printers exist to produce brown rice. Physical labour also promotes human versatility: Those who do not do it, or who do not know how to do it, become divorced from—and, at the same time, dependent on—labourers. Lawyers, accountants and journalists living in houses with yards and driving cars to work thus count on a supporting infrastructure of electricians, landscapers and mechanics. In that context, physical labour can provide independence, at least in a limited sense of not being entirely reliant on a host of hired workers.
1. The author mentions the example of Arce to show that________.| A．she dislikes the present job for the long commuting time |
| B．she is having trouble balancing work and school life |
| C．people usually don’t work hard outside office |
| D．employers are facing the problem of staff drain |
| A．it helps to increase job satisfaction for the employees |
| B．it improves harmonious relationship among colleagues |
| C．the decline in physical work gives employees more mobility |
| D．employees are entitled to request it according to their work |
| A．They entertain those employees burned out with overwork. |
| B．People can learn some basic labour skills from these programmes. |
| C．There’s an ongoing need for physical labour skills that technology doesn’t possess. |
| D．They offer instructive information for both employers and employees. |
| A．The Emergence of Alternative Work Arrangements |
| B．The Rise of Automation, the Decline in Need for Labour |
| C．Time to Rethink in the Face of the Evolution of Work |
| D．New Challenges for Today’s Employers and Academics |
5 . Natural. High quality. Unique.
That's Almased.
 Selected ingredients (原料), an exceptional mix and production process: that's how we create the unique Almased effect. ➢Combination of ingredients that's more effective than individual nutrients (营养物质). ➢No artificial flavourings, fillers or sweeteners. ➢Supports fat-burning during digestion. ➢Supports resistance to common diseases. |
Many products promise what only Almased can deliver. In order to achieve the unique Almased effect, it takes more than just mixing soy, yogurt and honey. The recipe for our Almased powder is as simple as it is unique: high-quality and natural soy, honey and yogurt. SOY｜The high-quality non-GMO soy (非转基因大豆) used in Almased is an environmentally friendly, sustainable source of plant protein. A single serving of Almased supplies 27 grams of protein. HONEY｜Unlike most regular honey, which is heat-treated, the raw honey in Almased is bursting with freshness even after it is canned. The honey's natural ingredients are still living and active when you open the can. YOGURT｜Cows that are naturally fed can even in turn encourage grass growth. This is why Almased sources its milk and yogurt from happy cows in Ireland and northern Germany, where they live in green grasslands. Being a natural product, Almased has a very plain taste and can be prepared in many different ways. Whether you like it sweet or fruity, there are no limits to how you flavour it. This ensures Almased doesn't get boring and suits your personal taste perfectly. So quick and easy to prepare, Almased can be fitted into your daily routine with ease. |
| A．its nutrients are easier to absorb | B．it can help burn fat |
| C．secret ingredients are included | D．it cures common diseases |
| A．It manages to mix different ingredients together. |
| B．Selected ingredients can stay fresh as ever. |
| C．Soy, yogurt and honey are specially treated. |
| D．Superior natural materials generate uniqueness. |
| A．Almased can replace our regular routine diet. |
| B．It's hard to make Almased appeal to everyone. |
| C．There seem various ways of serving Almased. |
| D．Almased has just the same taste as plain yogurt. |
6 . During the 1930s, the Great War broke out. A 25-year-old American soldier, probably never thought that his life would change forever when he volunteered to go to France.
One night while the American unit was returning to the base after a bloody fight, Suleyman stumbled into the ground and noticed a bit of movement from the bush. Being stuck between two choices either its enemy or an animal, Suleyman found a five-year-old girl from the bushes shivering with cold and utmost fear. Due to the atrocity of the war, the girl was abandoned by her family and the whole village was killed.
During the war, it was impossible to find the child’s family so Suleyman took this little French girl under his wings and gave her an American name Flora which means like the flower. Soon, Flora became the apple of the eye of everyone living in the army camp.
For one and a half years, Flora and Suleyman became inseparable; however, every fairy tale comes to an end. When the war ended, Suleyman was sent back to USA, while Flora was put in an orphanage, the Normandy School, which was founded by the American government for orphaned French children to have an education.
For years, Suleyman always thought about Flora. When the French National Olympic Team was playing in the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 1984, Suleyman gazed through the audience on TV, hoping to catch a glimpse of Flora, but he never could.
At the age of 85, Suleyman attended the 60th anniversary reception of the Great War where Suleyman shared his story with American and French officials. After hearing his story, a French journalist started to investigate the story, and all government files were read in detail. The moment the journalist helped dial the number, in tears, Flora said Suleyman was her hero, and everything came flooding back to her.
1. What does the underlined word “atrocity” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Cruelty. | B．Challenge. | C．Range. | D．Stress. |
| A．Because Flora might be in the French team. |
| B．Because Suleyman was greatly interested in sports. |
| C．Because Flora might be watching the event. |
| D．Because Suleyman wanted to travel to Los Angeles. |
| A．Flora and Suleyman became attached to each other. |
| B．Flora was sent to an orphanage called Normandy. |
| C．Suleyman found some animals in the bush. |
| D．Suleyman would never see Flora again. |
| A．A Tough Flower in the War | B．The Influence of the War |
| C．The Lost and Found Love | D．The Apple of the Father's Eye |
7 . As thrift was introduced into mainstream pop culture, young people started going to thrift stores for cheaper, fashionable finds. Gen Z consumers state that sustainability is an important factor while making buying decisions. Many choose to shop for a second-hand or resale item of eco-friendly products. Thrift shopping may have once been on the to-do list of people in poverty. But now a rise in eco-conscious thinking has caused young people to pop to thrift stores.
However, scientists recently have come to realize such trendy sustainable practices could actually be less rosy than expected.
Actually, the root of this sustainability dilemma is not only assessing what you use in your life, but the overconsumption. “Buying piles of second- hand clothing doesn’t help to build a sustainable future or challenge our addiction to shopping whenever we want them,” says Anna Fitzpatrick, a project coordinator at the Sustainable Fashion’s Centre. In some cases, the very existence of second-hand stores can give us a false sense of guiltlessness. Fitzpatrick adds, “we can clear out our entire wardrobe by leaving what we don’t want at a second-hand store with the hope that it’ll be put into good use. Instead of buying less, we trick ourselves into thinking we can shop our way out of the problem by donating again and again.”
While shopping second-hand may seem like fun, or even an adventurous activity for fashion lovers, it’s absolutely essential for people of limited budget. With thrifting reaching new levels of popularity, a great many people are noticing a rise in prices at their local thrift stores. This can influence those who rely on the used market for everyday wear.
“Actually, they aren’t shopping in second-hand shops to be sustainable or cool—they’re doing it out of necessity,” says Fitzpatrick. So, when you walk into a thrift shop or really any store, it’s important to ask yourself whether it is necessary. While buying second-hand used to be economical and sustainable, it’s now about consumption and staying on trend. Just remember, when it comes to your wardrobe, less is more helpful for society and the planet.
1. Who has become the mainstream thrift store shoppers recently?| A．Fashion followers. | B．Lower-income individuals. |
| C．Young environmentalists. | D．Green initiative scientists. |
| A．It is a virtue of thrift. | B．It is sustainable action. |
| C．It challenges addiction to shopping. | D．It comes with worrying effects potentially. |
| A．They can cut down our living expenses. | B．They give us good excuses for the waste. |
| C．They are responsible for the environment. | D．They provide affordable items for the poor. |
| A．Restrict the desire of overconsumption. | B．Feel free to purchase the things you like. |
| C．Make contributions to society by donating. | D．Keep away from cheap and fashionable finds. |
8 . When romantic partners argue over things like finances, jealousy, or other interpersonal issues, they tend to employ their current feelings as fuel for a heated argument. But thinking about the future helps overcome relationship conflicts, according to a University of Waterloo study just published online in Social Psychological and Personality Science. Alex Huynh, a doctoral candidate in psychology is the lead author of the study, which he published with Igor Grossmann from the University of Waterloo, and Daniel Yang from Yale University.
Previous research has shown that third-perspective reasoning can be a positive strategy for reconciliation (调解) of interpersonal struggles. Huynh and his collaborators investigated whether similar benefit can be induced by simply thinking about the future. Study participants were instructed to reflect on a recent conflict with a romantic partner or a close friend. One group of participants were then asked to describe how they would feel about the conflict one year in the future, while another group was asked to describe how they feel in the present.
The team examined participants’ written responses through a text-analysis program for their use of pronouns — such as I, me, she, he. These choices of pronouns were used to capture participants’ focus on the feelings and behaviour of those involved in the conflict. Written responses were also examined for forgiveness and reinterpreting the conflict more positively, both of which implied the participants’ use of reasoning strategies.
The researchers found that envisioning future relationship affected both participants’ focus on their feelings, and their reasoning strategies. As a result, participants reported more positivity about their relationship altogether, especially when study participants extended their thinking about the relationship a year into the future.
“Our study demonstrates that adopting a future-oriented perspective in the context of a relationship conflict — reflecting on how one might feel a year from now — may be a valuable coping tool for one’s psychological happiness and relationship well-being,” said Huynh.
1. What do romantic partners do in face of most disagreements?| A．They lose faith in their future. | B．They focus on their present feelings. |
| C．They look forward to a fierce conflict. | D．They care more about financial problems. |
| A．Caused. | B．Explained. |
| C．Reduced. | D．Improved. |
| A．All the study participants described how they felt both in the present and in the future. |
| B．Study participants described their recent relationship with their romantic partners or friends. |
| C．A text-analysis program was employed to examine participants’ use of negative words. |
| D．The reasoning strategies in participants’ written responses were well worthy of note. |
| A．You have a year to solve your interpersonal problems! |
| B．Thinking about future is essential for relationship maintenance! |
| C．Your current feelings are the real cause of your heated arguments! |
| D．Beneficial reasoning is a positive strategy for reconciliation! |
9 . While some critics claim that history curricula (课程) teach unnecessary content, others argue that these curricula need to be more comprehensive. Despite ongoing debates about content, one universal truth remains: strong history curricula are necessary for developing the productive citizens of tomorrow.
The greatest academic value that history curricula provide is not the recall of important dates and names. Rather, understanding the historical inquiry process is the most important component. This process teaches students how to become critical thinkers and understand the dynamic nature of the telling of history.
Through strong history curricula, students are shown both a variety of primary and secondary sources and are taught to critique them. This is where the historical inquiry process begins. Students not only begin to analyze and ask questions about the content, but they also learn about the author’s credibility and potential bias (偏见). Students are then able to contextualize the information they learn and can think more critically about historical con text and those who tell it.
With this framework, students can then understand the causal relationship between human nature, values, philosophy, actions, and their consequences. It teaches students to recognize recurrent themes and lessons that are necessary to understand modern society. Most importantly, it teaches students to develop a healthy skepticism (怀疑论) when presented with information today because our actions are history in the making.
Forty years ago, renowned scholar James Fitzgerald argued that no education is complete without the teaching of historical inquiry. He believed that the only way to move forward in life is to understand what’s behind us.
Today, this principle still holds true. Students take both the factual knowledge and the historical inquiry skills they learn in the classroom and apply them to real world circumstances. Throughout their lives, students who are taught with strong history curricula will take the lessons they learn from our predecessors and become involved, active, productive citizens who want to create a history that tomorrow’s students will be proud to learn about.
1. What is the biggest academic significance of history learning?| A．Passing down Chinese culture. | B．Grasping historical inquiry skills. |
| C．Making people more knowledgeable. | D．Enriching people’s everyday life. |
| A．Protect. | B．Combine. | C．Comment. | D．Remember. |
| A．To stress the importance of history. |
| B．To point out the essence of education. |
| C．To indicate famous people learn from history. |
| D．To show history contributes to people’s achievements. |
| A．It Is the People that Create History |
| B．History Pushes the Wheel of the Times |
| C．History Curricula Are Gaining More Attention |
| D．History Curricula Shape Tomorrow’s Decision Makers |
10 . Rescuers in Jersey said on Sunday after an all-night search that there was no hope of survivors from an explosion that flattened a three-story apartment block. At least three people were confirmed killed in the accident early Saturday in the Channel island’s port capital St Helier, following a suspected gas leak. “We have three confirmed deaths and it’s fair to say we expect to find more,” police chief Robin Smith told a news conference, saying that around 12 residents remained unaccounted for. “It is with sadness that I am confirming that the search-and-rescue operation has been moved to a recovery operation,” he said.
The phase involved a “painstaking search of the debris” which could take weeks, Smith said, adding that a gas leak was the ‘likely” cause. Aided by sniffer dogs and experts from southern England, Jersey emergency workers had searched the rubble (瓦砾)overnight.
Fire chief Paul Brown confirmed that firefighters were called out to investigate the smell of gas on Friday evening, more than seven hours before the explosion. But in vain. He admitted that something had gone “horribly wrong”, considering the subsequent disaster, but insisted that Jersey islanders could still have confidence in his service. Jersey’s gas supplier, Island Energy, said it was working with the fire service to understand what happened.
Like many others in St Helier, Jersey’s Chief Minister Kristina Moore said she was awoken by the explosion. “Across the island you could hear this extraordinary sound,” she told the BBC. “It’s unthinkable news, so we’re all absolutely shocked and really worried about the people who are involved and about those whose lives have been lost.”
The incident caps a tragic week for Jersey, a British Crown dependency not part of the United Kingdom, whose economy relies on banking, tourism and fishing. “We must call on the collective strength of the island community,” Moore said.
1. What’s the possible cause of the accident?| A．The gas leak. | B．The gas supplier. |
| C．The recovery operation. | D．The unexpected explosion. |
| A．Rescuing the dead. | B．Searching the rubble. |
| C．Searching for the debris. | D．Working with fire service. |
| A．He had predicted the explosion hours before it. |
| B．The fire service was investigating the explosion. |
| C．People lost confidence in the island’s fire service. |
| D．The fire service was partly responsible for the accident. |
| A．Panicked and frightened. | B．Relieved and hopeful. |
| C．Astonished and concerned. | D．Fearful and sorrowful. |
