1. What is Task Rabbit?
| A．A service company. | B．A moving company. | C．A smart phone company. |
| A．Help you move your furniture. |
| B．Find you a job to do. |
| C．Lend you money for rent. |
| A．Leah Basque. | B．Sally. | C．Sally’s Neighbors. |
| A．5% of all Task Rabbit employees. |
| B．20 % of all Task Rabbit employees. |
| C．70% of all Task Rabbit employees. |
1. What music makes the man want to dance?
| A．The 80s music. | B．The song “Holiday“ | C．Madonna’s new music. |
| A．Think about past experiences. | B．Drive more carefully. | C．Try something new. |
| A．Getting good grades is important. |
| B．One shouldn’t study history at school. |
| C．Studying is complicated. |
| A．He will forget the past. | B．The woman is right. | C．He will study harder. |
1. Whom did people usually marry in Russia in the past?
| A．Those with the same interests. |
| B．Those with the same background. |
| C．Those with the same profession. |
| A．She was a scientist. | B．She was a teacher. | C．She was a musician. |
| A．By taxi. | B．By car. | C．By bus. |
5 . Caring for plants is a fantastic skill for kids to have. There are so many benefits of gardening for kids, yet the importance of gardening in early childhood is often undervalued. Here are some reasons why to teach your kids to garden.
Gardening makes kids stronger.
Gardening is good for kids’ well-being. Studies find that kids who garden have reduced large amounts of anxiety, stress and tend to be in a better mood.
Gardening is beneficial for picky eaters.
Gardening strengthens connection. Through gardening activities, kids grow closer to their parents and make many new friends.
| A．Gardening helps build teamwork skills. |
| B．Gardening activates kids’ sensory skills. |
| C．It is the perfect activity for growing bodies. |
| D．Learning to garden can be very tiring for children. |
| E．Spending time outdoors in nature can bring a sense of well-being. |
| F．Kids are more likely to eat the vegetables and fruit they’ve helped grow. |
| G．They also develop a connection to the earth and a need to care for our planet. |
6 . There are some sounds most of us acknowledge are annoying — the chewing of chips, the low noise of air conditioning or a screaming baby. These noises, for many people, act as a mere inconvenience that can distract them from the task at hand. However, there are some amongst us who have a much more severe response to these noises. Has a noise ever made you feel so angry that you could explode with rage? If the answer is yes, you may be suffering from misophonia (恐音症).
The word “misophonia” literally means “a hatred of sound” and is sometimes called Selective Sound Sensitivity Syndrome. There are some experts who doubt the existence of the condition. However, for those who claim to suffer from it, the experience can be painful. Certain sounds could set off intense emotional or psychological responses that may seem over the top compared with a non-sufferer’s complaints.
The sound of people chewing their food could trigger sufferers’ anxiety, or make them feel panic. It may even activate their fight-or-flight response, making them want to run away. In extreme cases, that feeling of panic may result in intense anger and even end up expressing rage physically.
Sadly, there’s no known cure. But tinnitus retraining therapy, cognitive (认知的) behavioural therapy and counselling could help sufferers tolerate noises and manage the condition. According to James Cartreine, a clinical psychiatrist, the condition can lead to separation. Sufferers use coping strategies that include avoiding places with lots of noises, like restaurants, or moving away when they feel like raging against someone due to their breathing.
So, the next time you see someone fly into a rage because of a sound that is driving them crazy, it may be due to a difficult condition they are trying to manage, and not just because they hate a certain sound.
1. What is the purpose of paragraph 1?| A．To lead in the topic of misophonia. |
| B．To introduce different annoying sounds. |
| C．To show ways of preventing a severe disease. |
| D．To present the harm of noises to human health. |
| A．Jane who usually has lunch alone. |
| B．Nancy who often screams at her baby. |
| C．Peter who is always worried about his studies. |
| D．Henry who is annoyed at the sound of book pages turning. |
| A．Control. | B．Cause. | C．Predict. | D．Relieve. |
| A．It happens mostly in restaurants. |
| B．Any sound around can drive sufferers crazy. |
| C．Staying away from noises is a potential solution. |
| D．It may greatly influence sufferers’ cognitive ability. |
Public attention will often be focused on the collective stories of soldiers on the anniversary (纪念日), which
However, this year,
For instance, Tian Wei, a 90-year-old CPV soldier, returned to China in 1954 and learned that his comrade-in-arms (战友) Wei Jiamin,
The purpose of the documentary is to encourage today’s younger generation
8 . In a new study, the researchers examined trends in subjective well-being (幸福) over the course of a lifespan based on 443 samples from a total of 460,902 participants. “We focused on changes in three central components of subjective well-being: life satisfaction, positive emotional states and negative emotional states,” explains Professor Susanne Bücker.
The findings show that life satisfaction decreased between the ages of 9 and 16, then increased slightly until the age of 70, and then decreased once again until the age of 96. Positive emotional states showed a general decline from age 9 to age 94, while negative emotional states fluctuated (波动) slightly between ages 9 and 22, then declined until age 60 and then increased once again. The authors identified greater median changes in positive and negative emotional states than in life satisfaction.
“Overall, the study indicated a positive trend over a wide period of life, if we look at life satisfaction and negative emotional states,” Susanne Bücker concludes. The researchers attribute (把……归因于) the slight decline in life satisfaction between the ages of 9 and 16 to, for example, changes to the body and to the social life that take place during puberty. Satisfaction rose again from young adulthood onwards. Positive feelings tended to decrease from childhood to late adulthood. In very late adulthood, all components of subjective well-being tended to worsen rather than improve. “This could be related to the fact that in very old people, physical performance decreases, health often worsens, and social contacts reduce; not least because their peers pass away,” calculates the researcher.
The study highlights the need to consider and promote subjective well-being with its various components across the life, as the authors of the study conclude. Their findings could provide significant guidance for the development of intervention programmes, especially those aimed at maintaining or improving subjective well-being late in life.
1. What is exactly the subject of the study?| A．Life satisfaction of the elderly. | B．Trends in lifelong subjective well-being. |
| C．Ways to control negative emotional states. | D．Factors affecting positive emotional states. |
| A．During childhood. | B．In late adulthood. | C．At middle age. | D．In young adulthood. |
| A．Teaching to improve physical performance. |
| B．Giving suggestions on the lifetime increase. |
| C．Providing a theoretical basis for healthy growth. |
| D．Guiding to improve the well-being of the elderly. |
| A．When does happiness matter most to us? |
| B．What does subjective well-being consist of? |
| C．Why will we be more positive as we get older? |
| D．How does subjective well-being develop over the lifetime? |
9 . A proposal released in China recently would require all mobile devices, apps and app stores to have a built-in “minor mode” that would restrict daily screen time to two hours a day, depending on the age group. The restrictions, if approved, would mark an expansion of existing measures rolled out in recent years as China aims to limit screen time among kids and reduce their exposure to undesirable information.
Under the draft rules open for public discussion, children and teens using devices in minor mode would automatically see online applications close when respective time limits are up. They would also be offered age-based content.
No one under 18 would be able to access their screens between 10 p. m. and 6 a. m. while using the mode. Children under eight would be able to use their phones for only 40 minutes a day, while those between 8 and 16 would get an hour of screen time. Teenagers over 16 and under 18 would be allowed two hours. All age groups would receive a reminder to rest after using their device for more than 30 minutes. Parents would be able to override time restrictions, and certain educational and emergency services would not be subject to the time limits.
Parents said the proposal can help protect children’s vision as many young kids cannot stop themselves while watching something they like. On the other hand, it’s easier for parents to control their kids’ screen time. Most importantly, the content under the minor mode is more positive and healthier.
The effectiveness of the new proposed measures may depend on parents’ example, according to a father of two in southeastern China’s Zhuhai city, who said children sometimes use their parents’ accounts to play online. “Even we adults need it!” he joked.
1. What is the main purpose of the “minor mode”?| A．To regulate the legality and standard of apps. |
| B．To increase the variety of mobile applications. |
| C．To restrict under-age kids’ screen time and content. |
| D．To improve the convenience of mobile equipment. |
| A．Children under 8 use phones for an hour daily. |
| B．People under 18 can access their screens at 2 a. m. |
| C．10-year-old students get 90 minutes of screen time a day. |
| D．17-year-old teenagers play on phones for 2 hours every day. |
| A．Critical. | B．Doubtful. | C．Supportive. | D．Uncaring. |
| A．Parents’ leading by example. | B．Flexible control of time limits. |
| C．Children’s ability of self-discipline. | D．Diverse outdoor activities after school. |
10 . The Biggest National Parks on Continents
North America
Covering nearly half of the world’s largest island, Northeast Greenland National Park is currently the globe’s single largest national park and biggest land-based protected area. It covers 972,000 square kilometers. The vast Greenland Ice Sheet makes up most of the park, but there’s also a long coastline that is home to musk oxen, polar bears and many other Arctic creatures.
Oceania
Covering 36,000 square kilometers, the Munga-Thirri-Simpson Desert National Park was set up in2021 to protect the beautiful desert landscapes of far northern South Australia. It includes one of the world’s largest dune (沙丘) fields. As well as more than 150 bird species, the park provides a habitat for many animals.
Asia
Founded in 2021, China’s Sanjiangyuan National Park is now the largest in Asia, covering 123,100square kilometers of snow-covered Qinghai-Tibet Plateau that provides the headwaters of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lantsang rivers. Rough and remote, the highlands harbor a range of rare, endangered animal species. The park also includes cultural sites.
Africa
Some of the world’s highest and biggest sand dunes are the centerpiece of western Namibia’s Namib-Naukluft National Park, Africa’s largest at 49,768 square kilometers. Easy to explore with your own vehicle, the main park road leads to the vibrant Sossusvlei dunes and photogenic Dead Vlei with its ghostly forest. Hot-air balloon flights offer a bird’s-eye view of the whole park. It is also known for plants and animals that have adapted to one of the Earth’s driest places.
1. On which con tinent is the world’s largest national park located?| A．Asia. | B．Africa. | C．North America. | D．Oceania. |
| A．The large ice sheet. | B．Highest sand dunes. |
| C．Rare Arctic creatures. | D．Cultural scenic spots. |
| A．By driving a car. | B．By flying on a plane. |
| C．By taking a boat. | D．By riding a hot-air balloon. |
