1 . Here are some of the best shopping malls in the world.
Mall of America (Minnesota, the United States)
It isn’t just a shopping center; it’s a destination. There are more than 520 stores,50 restaurants, more than 30 specialty (特产) food stores, 14 movie screens, a park, an aquarium, and other unique attractions like the LEGO Imagination Center. The mall is so large that it has its own Visitor’s Guide.
West Edmonton Mall (Alberta, Canada)
The mall describes itself as “the greatest indoor show on earth”. With over 800 stores, over 100 restaurants, an amusement park with roller coasters, a water park, a skating court, themed attractions, and hotels, you can spend your entire vacation within its walls. Shoppers at the West Edmonton Mall can enjoy everything from educational displays to dance parties.
Ala Moana (Hawaii, the United States)
Located in Honolulu, Hawaii, the mall owns a variety of unique features. It is the largest open-air mall. Swinging palm trees (棕桐树) and beautiful Hawaiian sun add to the atmosphere. Creating a Hawaiian experience seems to be part of its appeal because it offers a variety of events including daily classes, Hula shows, live Hawaiian music, and more. While you’re there, also make sure to check out the Art Walk — a multi-million dollar collection of art.
Galleria Vittorio Emmanuel(Milan, Italy)
If antique (古老的) and period art is your thing, the Galleria Vitoria Emmanuele is a not-to-be-missed stop on your journey. Topped with glass round roofs, this masterpiece in architecture has interesting and significant history. Thought as one of the world’s best shopping destinations, it is definitely known mostly for its ancient and splendid architecture, brand name stores, and historical significance.
1. What do Mall of America and West Edmonton Mall have in common?| A．They are both indoor shopping centers. | B．They both own a number of restaurants. |
| C．They both have their own Visitor’s Guide. | D．They are both located in the United States. |
| A．A collection of modern art. | B．A variety of special cuisines. |
| C．Large amounts of sunshine. | D．Lots of different music styles. |
| A．Its unique location. | B．Its warm weather. |
| C．Its historic buildings. | D．Its attractive scenery. |
2 . Attention! We need to put a stop to parents doing harm to youth sports. It has gotten out of hand.
A recent study showed 26 million American children took part in non-school sports. By the age of 13, about 18.2 million quit.
No wonder kids are quitting. Many parents show no sportsmanship. They often shout happily at an injury if the injured player is on the other team. My brother Mario Widdowson got hit in the face during a soccer game. The parents from the other team were shouting gladly at his pain. All of the players were down on one knee waiting for Mario to get up, out of respect and it was the right thing to do. The kids did much better than these parents.
There are different types of parents. In the book “Parenting with Love and Logic” the authors describe two different types of parents. The first is helicopter parents, who don’t allow their kid to succeed or fail on their own. The other type is lawnmower parents, who clear anything in their child’s path to make life as easy as possible.
I have observed helicopter parents. When my brother was playing club soccer, one of his teammate’s parents shouted at their son. “Shoot the ball”. It was from about half field. He did it and the coach stopped him from playing and asked him to leave the field.
The parents are trying to coach their kids. The players on the field follow blindly and many mistakes happen. It’s not good for kids’ confidence. What is the purpose of youth sports anyway?
Problems happen in youth sports all over the United States. Parents need to behave themselves. Then the number of students who quit at the age of 13 will drop greatly.
1. What does the author want to show by using numbers in Paragraph 2?| A．American kids are sports lovers. |
| B．Parents can’t behave themselves. |
| C．Most kids give up sports half-way. |
| D．Non-school sports are popular among teens. |
| A．They lent a helping hand. | B．They cheered at his injury. |
| C．They waited for him to get up. | D．They kept shouting at their kids. |
| A．He made a mistake. |
| B．He missed his goal. |
| C．He turned to the coach again. |
| D．He didn’t want to go on with the sport. |
| A．Parents Should Respect Sports. | B．Non-school Sports Is Popular. |
| C．Encouragement Is Important for Kids. | D．Kids Need to Love Sports. |
3 . At 8 years old, Danay Ferguson is the youngest business owner in Fresno, California, where the literacy (识字) rate is shockingly low when compared to the rest of the United States.
“I wanted to share my enthusiasm for reading with other kids, so I asked my daddy if I could open up my business,” Danay says, adding that her father, Dwayne Ferguson, asked her to prove she was serious about taking on such a major project. “He said I had to invite all of his friends on Facebook to the fan page he made for me,” she says. “It took me two days to invite my dad’s 4,000 friends to ‘like’ my page, one by one.”
With the help of her family and team of over 40 volunteers (mostly consisting of kids), Danay strengthened her literacy support in 2014 with her very own no-profit (非营利的) organization named Reading Heart. Danay has worked hard to raise awareness of her organization’s task by giving talks at schools, meeting with city officials and hosting board meetings.
“Her main line is ‘How about you get a book and read it and then share the book with somebody else, and do it again?’ instead of, ‘I give you a book and keep it,’ says Dwayne. “She’s starting a movement on ‘I will give everybody books, but you have to read and share them.’ And she’s trying to do this worldwide.”
And Danay also hopes to break the Guinness World Record for most books collected in a 24-hour period. Danay has a goal of beating the existing record (set at 274,325) with 500,000 donated books, which she is now making possible with a speaking tour that covers 130 schools encouraging kids to read. So far, Reading Heart has collected 90,000 books and given out over 20,000 books, having gifted used and new books to kids in schools, hospitals and in poor areas. “It is the most amazing thing to be a part of,” Dwayne tells us. “My wife and I have to remember that we are her parents because we have great respect for her.”
1. What is Reading Heart intended for?| A．Collect books. | B．Encourage reading. |
| C．Break world records. | D．Make friends. |
| A．To show its achievements and aims. | B．To explain why it is successful. |
| C．To voice Danays’s views on books. | D．To discuss its future. |
| A．Danay’s fan page on Facebook has few followers. | B．Reading Heart offers books to readers for a fee. |
| C．Danay has broken the Guinness World Record. | D．Danay’s parents gave her great support. |
| A．Outgoing and selfish. | B．Warm-hearted and traditional. |
| C．Smart and self-centered. | D．Strong-minded and tireless. |
4 . The Beatles have released the last song they recorded. The song is titled “Now and Then”. It was written by John Lennon in 1977. He sang it at the piano and recorded it in 1979 at his home. The other Beatles added to the track over the years. Recording engineers used AI technology to bring the song to life, resulting in a sound like the four Beatles recorded it together in a studio. The song has been released as a double-A side single. The flip side of the record is a new mix of the band’s first single “Love Me Do”. This was first released in 1962. “Now and Then” will also be the final track on a new edition of the Beatles’ legendary greatest hits “blue” album. This is a collection of their classics from 1967-1970.
Beatles member Paul McCartney spoke to reporters about the new song. He said, “It’s quite emotional. And we all play on it. It’s a genuine Beatles recording.” He spoke about his excitement at being able to release a new song, saying, “In 2023, to still be working on Beatles music, and to release a new song the public haven’t heard, I think it’s an exciting thing.” McCartney was also excited about hearing John Lennon’s voice. He said it was “crystal clear”. Lennon was shot dead by a fan outside his New York home in 1980. Beatles drummer Ringo Starr said recording the song was, “the closest we’ll ever come to having [John Lennon] back in the room”. He said it was, “very emotional for all of us”.
1. What can be learned about “Now and Then”?| A．It was first released in 1962. |
| B．It was a song created by John Lennon in 1979. |
| C．The four Beatles didn’t actually record it together. |
| D．It was AI technology that helped to write the song. |
| A．Because the song was emotional. |
| B．Because he could play on a new song. |
| C．Because John Lennon came back in the room. |
| D．Because the band could release a new song that people hadn’t heard before. |
| A．The Beatles singer. | B．The Beatles engineer. |
| C．The Beatles drummer. | D．The Beatles manager. |
| A．A news website. | B．A travel blog. |
| C．A science fiction. | D．A nature magazine. |
5 . Felicia Grimmenhag of Sweden doesn’t let anything get in her way — even a life-changing injury. After surviving a serious car accident, Felicia had to
Felicia was 17 when she was
Felicia has since taken part in competitions around the world, proving she doesn’t need
It’s true that when you want something, all you need is the
| A．give up | B．worry about | C．adjust to | D．speak of |
| A．forgetting | B．pursuing | C．losing | D．describing |
| A．pick up | B．searched for | C．sent away | D．knocked down |
| A．magically | B．immediately | C．logically | D．hopelessly |
| A．rang up | B．stood up | C．woke up | D．turned up |
| A．tough | B．additional | C．forbidden | D．acceptable |
| A．swum | B．skated | C．cycled | D．ridden |
| A．excuse | B．accident | C．mistake | D．conflict |
| A．technically | B．biologically | C．mentally | D．intellectually |
| A．disabled | B．frightened | C．disciplined | D．focused |
| A．cars | B．motorbikes | C．horses | D．legs |
| A．hesitates | B．fails | C．intends | D．pretends |
| A．suspect | B．challenge | C．evaluate | D．protect |
| A．preferences | B．schedules | C．principles | D．limits |
| A．pressure | B．desire | C．budget | D．responsibility |
6 . Can you imagine what you wear can reveal a story about you?
Recent research shows that you can tell a lot about someone’s personality, politics, status, age and income just from looking at a photo of their shoes or clothes. Did you ever notice that when former US president Barack Obama addressed a crowd of working class Americans, he would speak with no jacket and his sleeves rolled up? That silently and instantly communicated to the audience that he too was a hard worker.
When you’re dressing or grooming, consider what it says about you and whether it’s in line with the message you want to communicate. There’s no right or wrong. It’s all about context (情景). A tie can make you look reliable and rooted in tradition. This might be important at an investment firm, where clients want to know that you’re serious about managing their capital, a formal party like meeting the elders or even a wedding ceremony. But it can also come off as stuffy (刻板的) and resistant to change, which may be inappropriate for a newly-built tech company.
Of course, dressing smart is also important for your confidence and sense of self-empowerment. But your style does more than just send messages, to your mind or to others. New research shows it actually impacts how you think. Professional dress, one study found, increases abstract thinking and gives people a broader perspective. So that tie might actually be switching on your creativity button. “The formality (正式) of clothing might not only influence the way others perceive a person, and how people perceive themselves, but also could influence decision making in important ways through its influence on processing style,” the study says. Professional clothes create social distance. When we are more socially distant, we tend to think in more distant, abstract terms.
Taking intentional command of how you dress and present is a good step in empowering yourself, accomplishing your goals, and living a more lucid life at the helm of your decisions. So pay attention!
1. What may we know by looking at a photo of a person’s clothes?| A．Whether he has been married. | B．Whether he is outgoing or shy. |
| C．Whether he likes playing volleyball. | D．Whether he is working at an international company. |
| A．delivered a speech | B．wrote a letter to | C．dealt with | D．conveyed support to |
| A．want to take part in a wedding party |
| B．want to look dependable to your clients |
| C．want to apply for a job in a new technology company |
| D．want to meet your fiancée’s (未婚妻的) parents for the first time |
| A．Smart dress can build up your confidence. |
| B．Your dressing style will affect how you think. |
| C．What you wear will send messages to you and others. |
| D．Professional dress will make people more socially distant. |
7 . Tony Gemignani started rolling pizza dough (面团) when he was 17. “I loved it and customers loved it,” said Gemignani.
More than three decades later, Gemignani, now 49, is a famous pizza acrobat(杂技演员)with 13 world titles. He has also won several Guinness World Records.
Pizza acrobatics (杂技) has been around since the 1980s. The sport is throwing stretched pizza dough in the air and using it to perform exciting tricks. Seeming to have no gravity (引力), the do ugh is thrown straight into the air in perfect round plate.
It might seem like an unusual hobby, but throwing pizzas is no joke. Like other com-petitive sports, it requires focus, physical strength, and—perhaps most importantly—practice. Lots of practice.
“It’s difficult. You need to move quickly and easily,” said Gemignani, who initially practiced turning pizzas with wet towels, which he cut and attached together to form a 16-inch circle. “It takes a bit of perseverance (毅力).”
Also, he added, pizza dough can be easily broken. For example, warm weather makes dough softer, which is easier to tear in midair. “It’s flexible, it can tear, and it changes shape,” Gemignani said. However, the challenge is part of what attracts Gemignani to the sport.
Although Gemignani has performed thousands of times, “I still get nervous,” he said. In addition to competition, he has traveled from London to Thailand—throwing pizzas at cancer camps, local festivals, sports games, talk shows, and other gatherings large and small. He especially loves performing for children. “It’s so rewarding,” said Gemignani, who has an 8-year-old son.
“I could never get tired of pizza,” said Gemignani. “Pizza always takes you back to a time when things in life were much simpler,” he said. “No stress. It’s all about eating good food and having a good time.”
1. What makes pizza acrobatics challenging?| A．It needs skills and carefulness. | B．It performs exciting tricks. |
| C．It goes against gravity in reality. | D．It has been around for a long time. |
| A．He could live a care-free life. |
| B．He hated stressful life of competitions. |
| C．He felt less nervous because he was good at pizza acrobatics. |
| D．He could entertain people and enrich himself through pizza acrobatics. |
| A．Considerate and talented. | B．Determined and funny. |
| C．Hard-working and devoted. | D．Brave and flexible. |
| A．Great Time of Gemignani | B．The Kindness of Gemignani |
| C．An Exciting Sport—Pizza Acrobatics | D．Pizza Acrobatics Makes a Full Man |
8 . A new study warns that more than a fifth of all reptile (爬行动物) species are threatened with extinction, which may have a bad impact on the planet.
The largest ever analysis of the state of the world’s reptiles, published in Nature, has showed that 21% of the reptile species are facing extinction. The study says from lizards to snakes, such a loss could have disastrous impacts on ecosystems around the world.
Although many reptiles live in dry environments such as deserts, most species occur in forests, where they suffer from threats such as logging of land for agriculture.30% of the forest-dwelling reptiles are at risk of extinction, compared with 14% in dry habitats. Hunting is also a major threat to reptiles, especially turtles and crocodiles, many of which are at risk of extinction. Another major contributing factor is the introduction of invasive species.
“If we removed reptiles, it could change ecosystems fundamentally, with unfortunate knock-on effects, such as increases in pest insects,” said Neil Cox, co-leader of the study. “Biodiversity, including reptiles, supports the ecosystem services that provide a healthy environment for people.”
Our hope is that this first-ever assessment of the world’s 10,000-plus reptiles helps put them in the spotlight and goes some way to highlighting this diversity, and just how much we have to lose. As well as controlling rats, mosquitoes and other pests, reptiles deliver many other benefits. “They help spread seeds, especially in island environments,” said researcher Hoffmann. “We’ve also achieved many medical advances from studies of reptiles.”
The results of the study are not all doom and gloom. Scientists have found, surprisingly, that if they set out to protect places where threatened birds, mammals and amphibians (两栖动物) live together, they’ll meanwhile protect many more threatened reptiles.
1. Which is the main concern raised by the new study?| A．The overpopulation of reptiles. | B．The loss of reptiles. |
| C．The sharp increase in reptile species. | D．The disastrous influence of reptiles on nature. |
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
| A．Their benefits. | B．Their habitats. |
| C．Their living habits. | D．Their health problems. |
| A．Disappointing. | B．Odd. | C．Satisfactory. | D．Amazing. |
9 . Whenever I visited my grandfather Jack, he burst with questions. Each time I
Jack loved company, and loved having long
When I visited him in the fall of 2022, I
These days, Jack and his new earphones are
| A．concluded | B．answered | C．complained | D．wondered |
| A．laughter | B．sound | C．ring | D．voice |
| A．shook | B．carried | C．waved | D．frightened |
| A．competitions | B．attention | C．conversations | D．introductions |
| A．taste | B．hearing | C．memory | D．sight |
| A．effective | B．fluent | C．convenient | D．intelligent |
| A．kept | B．ended | C．carried | D．paused |
| A．made | B．checked | C．brought | D．searched |
| A．design | B．function | C．purpose | D．model |
| A．referred to | B．pointed at | C．figured out | D．turned on |
| A．hesitation | B．agreement | C．permission | D．understanding |
| A．clearly | B．patiently | C．confidently | D．evidently |
| A．task | B．secret | C．road | D．gap |
| A．inseparable | B．fortunate | C．familiar | D．busy |
| A．control | B．hold | C．recall | D．remember |
10 . In South Korea, students should pay for everything they learn in classes from K-pop auditions to real estate deals. Now, top Korean firms are introducing artificial intelligence in hiring and job seekers want to learn how to defeat the robots to get a job.
Many major South Korean companies like SK Innovation and Hyundai use AI in hiring, which generates classes for AI hiring booming fast. Career advisor Park Seong-jung is now offering a three-hour training course in handling recruitment, screening by computers, not people.
Preparing for such tests doesn’t necessarily involve simply memorizing answers. “Don’t force a smile with your lips,” Park Seong-jung told students looking for work in a recent session, one of many in which he said he has conducted for hundreds of people. “Smile with your eyes.”
One AI video system reviewed by Reuters asks candidates to introduce themselves, during which it spots and counts facial expressions including “fear” and “joy” and analyses word choices. It then asks questions that can be tough: “You are on a business trip with your boss and you spot him using the company credit card to buy himself a gift. What will you say?”
Kim Seok-wu, a 22-year-old senior at a top university, recently failed to get beyond an AI interview for a management position at a retail company. “I think I will feel hopeless if all companies go AI for hiring,” Kim said. “The AI interview is too new, so job hunters don’t know what to prepare for and any preparations seem meaningless since AI will read our faces if we make something up.”
1. Why do students in South Korea pay to study courses like AI hiring?| A．They want to be more competitive when faced with AI interview. |
| B．Big companies are in favor of it and want them to beat the androids. |
| C．They want to learn some AI knowledge and learn how to smile before AI. |
| D．AI can analyze their facial expressions and help to prepare for the interviews. |
| A．By making a self introduction and answering some questions. |
| B．By asking interviewees how to deal with the boss’s asking for a gift. |
| C．By looking at what words the interviewees use when answering difficult questions. |
| D．By demanding an introduction, observing facial expressions and asking challenging questions. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Disapproving. | C．Uncaring. | D．Contradictory. |
| A．A news report. | B．A job interview. |
| C．Scientific paper. | D．A job-seeking lecture. |
