1 . Country music has been long led by an age of “bro-country” — country music made by straight white men, best characterized by songs about drinking, trucks and blue jeans. Yet, at its core, country music is a type that is truly all about subversion. Country, essentially, takes the legend of the cowboy and turns it into an act, one that breaks away from tradition. In this new “bro-country” movement, subversion is completely lost, which is why someone like Orville Peck, with the first two chapters of his latest album “Bronco”,is so important for this age of country music.
The Toronto-based singer-songwriter Orville Peck announced “Bronco” on Feb. 7. In the trailer (预告片), the album was revealed to be released in three separate chapters weeks apart from each other.
The two chapters that have been released stay true to the musical stylings of country but often draw subtle influences from the closely related types of folk and rock, which may not be surprising given Peck’s time as a drummer in a punk band. As to the content, the first chapter of “Bronco” presents a more upbeat, somewhat positive feeling with its selection of songs like “C’mon Baby Cry”, “Outta Time”,“Dayton Sand”, and “Any Turn”, which in particular truly feels like the perfect jig (吉格舞曲) to square dance to. The second chapter of “Bronco”, with a focus on the fragile emotions that often lies at the core of the country type, explores darker topics, being largely made up of emotional songs that dive into topics like abusive relationships, loneliness, deep longing, and depression. While sharply different from one another, the two chapters fit amazingly well together. The songs draw on multiple contemporary inspirations, and in doing so stand out against what has become expected of country.
With the third and final chapter of “Bronco” coming on the road, we have reasons to believe that Peck will manage to meet and exceed public expectations and successfully made an album that may shake any who feel no appetite for the type of country music.
1. What do you learn about “bro-country”?| A．It is original country music. | B．It has gained lasting popularity. |
| C．It supports cowboy’s untraditional act. | D．It is well presented in the album ”Bronco“. |
| A．Legend. | B．Movement. | C．Tradition. | D．Opposition. |
| A．The two chapters contrast strikingly but mix well. |
| B．The style of the songs is restricted to country music. |
| C．The second chapter mainly concerns positive emotions. |
| D．The first chapter is a mixture of folk, rock, punk and jig. |
| A．“Bro-country”meets great challenge. | B．Orville Peck is to release a new album. |
| C．Traditional country music finds its way back. | D．“Bronco”returns to the core of country music. |
The conclusion of the recent Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics on Feb 20 also marked the end of the volunteering work of Armenian twin brothers Vahan and Hayk Gehamyan, both of
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3 . On a winter night, I was standing at the cash register, ready to pay for my bananas when I found my wallet was lost. And I could only have
Two hours after I realized my wallet was
After I posted the story, I heard from her
Once I
Ball had gone beyond what almost anyone would have done, finding my house on a bitterly
The next day, as I was pushing my son in his stroller down the block, I looked at him and
| A．forgot | B．paid | C．left | D．brought |
| A．got off | B．got on | C．got through | D．got by |
| A．confirmed | B．obtained | C．gone | D．defined |
| A．heard | B．answered | C．returned | D．witnessed |
| A．picture | B．bananas | C．money | D．wallet |
| A．before | B．when | C．because | D．after |
| A．complaint | B．help | C．account | D．gratitude |
| A．husband | B．friend | C．workmate | D．neighbor |
| A．identified | B．tracked | C．convinced | D．inspired |
| A．thought of | B．approved of | C．figured out | D．made out |
| A．currency | B．note | C．picture | D．file |
| A．cold | B．hot | C．rainy | D．starry |
| A．accessible | B．incredible | C．embarrassing | D．amusing |
| A．gradually | B．individually | C．suddenly | D．slightly |
| A．site | B．earth | C．campus | D．bus |
On Saturday night, a five-person team of the Chinese e-sports club, with the full name EDward Gaming,
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6 . The holidays are officially over, and while the vacation time could mean different things to people — catching up on competitive sports, eating amounts of food, or finally visiting your uncle — one thing is almost universal: the sentiment of “oh no, I have to go to work again.”
It’s easy to understand why we get a little depressed at the thought of coming back to everyday life. The post-vacation blues, the depression after the holiday, can have actual health effects. A journalist and travel writer Nneka Okona says, “For me, the dejection (沮丧) starts around the last 24 hours of a trip. I feel really down and sometimes even teary.”
But if vacations are supposed to be a significant boon to our happiness and well-being, why do we break down afterwards?
Jeroen Nawijn, a psychologist at the Breda University, says that though people generally become happier on their days off, those benefits weaken quickly after returning home. “They most likely feel best during vacation because they have more freedom to do what they want.” he explains.
Suzanne Degges-White, a therapist, echoes this sentiment. “Once we get back into the work world, the majority of us have to deal with piles of work,” she says. She also indicates the difficulty of rejoining the work life lies in the fact that duties don’t disappear when we go on vacation. “They know that problems may have stacked up in their absence. ” Degges-White adds.
Thankfully, there are ways to ease the sentimental blues. “Thinking ahead could also include making a to-do list for your first week back, keeping your work and living spaces clean and organized for your return.” Degges-White says.
One more tip: start planning your next vacation right away. “The only thing that has continually worked for me is booking another trip as quickly as possible.” Okona says, “My blues are disappearing if I know I have something else to look forward to.” She also recommends grabbing a useful rather than decorative souvenir(纪念品) so that you have something to tie your new experiences with your life back home.
Prepare you better for the reality that awaits post-vacation. And if all else fails, you can always try working your memories to trick yourself into happiness ever after.
1. Thinking of returning to work, most people will ________.| A．do sports and eat delicious food |
| B．use the remaining time to visits their relatives |
| C．feel down especially when their vacation is about to be over |
| D．deal with the harmful effects on health caused by depression |
| A．Something helpful. | B．Something beautiful. |
| C．Something memorable. | D．Something unforgettable. |
| A．Jeroen Nawijn and Degges-White differ about post-vacation blues. |
| B．Degges-White thinks post-vacation blues result from piles of work. |
| C．Jeroen Nawijn suggests giving people more freedom when they work. |
| D．Okona would choose a painting rather than local snacks as a souvenir. |
| A．Happiness can’t be achieved. |
| B．Another vacation is the best way. |
| C．People should focus on their work. |
| D．If you will, some way can be found. |
7 . Ever wondered if dogs can learn new words? Yes, say researchers as they have found that talented dogs may have the ability to learn new words after hearing them only four times.
While previous evidence（以前的证据）seems to show that most dogs do not learn words, unless very well trained, a few individuals（个体） have shown some extraordinary（不一般的） abilities, according to a study published in the journal Scientific Reports.
“We wanted to know under which conditions the talented dogs may learn new words,” said researcher xuekw Claudia Fugazza from the Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary（匈牙利）. For the study, the team involved（包含）two gifted dogs, Whisky and Vicky Nina. The team exposed（暴露）the dogs to the new words in two different conditions.
In the exclusion-based（基于排除的）task, presented with seven known toys and one new toy, the dogs were able to select（选择）the new toy when presented with a new name. Researchers say this proves that dogs can choose by exclusion（排除）when faced with a new word, they selected the only toy which did not have a known name.
However, this was not the way they would learn the name of the toy. In fact, when they were presented with one more equally（同等地）new name to test their ability to recognize the toy by its name, the dogs got totally confused and failed.
The other condition, the social one, where the dogs played with their owners who pronounced the name of the toy while playing with the dog, proved to be the successful way to learn the name of the toy, even after hearing it only 4 times. “The rapid learning that we observed seems to equal children’s ability to learn many new words at a fast velocity around the age of 18 months,” Fugazza says. “But we do not know whether the learning mechanisms（机制）behind this learning are the same for humans and dogs. ”
To test whether most dogs would learn words this way, 20 other dogs were tested in the same condition, but none of them showed any evidence of learning the toy names, confirming（确认）that the ability to learn words rapidly in the absence（缺乏）of formal training is very rare（少） and is only present in a few talented dogs.
1. What was the purpose of the study published in Scientific Reports?| A．To better train dogs’ ability to learn new words. |
| B．To further make sure of previous evidence about dogs. |
| C．To confirm the dogs can learn words. |
| D．To find out suitable conditions for gifted dogs’ new-word learning. |
| A．Slow to understand. | B．Quick to learn. |
| C．In puzzlement. | D．In surprise. |
| A．Learning through playing applied to most dogs. |
| B．The social condition helped dogs learn new words. |
| C．Dogs’ new-word learning turned out to be less effective. |
| D．Dogs shared similar learning mechanisms with children. |
| A．speed | B．quality |
| C．time | D．journey |
8 . Suppose you become a leader in an organization. It’s very likely that you’ll want to have volunteers to help with the organization’s activities. To do so, it should help to understand why people undertake volunteer work and what keeps their interest in the work.
Let’s begin with the question of why people volunteer. Researchers have identified several factors that motivate people to get involved. For example, people volunteer to express personal values related to unselfishness, to create various experiences, and to strengthen social relationships. Therefore, to select volunteers, you may need to understand the motivations of the people you wish to attract.
A few people also volunteer because they are required to do so. To increase levels of community service, some schools have launched compulsory volunteer programs. Unfortunately, these programs can shift people’s wish of participation from an internal factor (e.g., “I volunteer because it’s important to me”) to an external factor (e.g., “I volunteer because I’m required to do so”). When that happens, people become less likely to volunteer in the future.
Once people begin to volunteer, what leads them to remain in their positions over time? After following 238 volunteers in Florida over a year, one study found that one of the most important factors influencing their satisfaction as volunteers was the amount of suffering they experienced in their volunteer positions. The result leads to important practical advice – attention should be given to “training that would prepare volunteers for troublesome situations or provide them with strategies for coping with the problems they do experience”.
Another study of 302 volunteers at hospitals in Chicago focused on individual differences in the degree to which people view “volunteer” as an important social role. It was assumed that those people for whom the role of volunteer was most part of their personal identity would also be most likely to continue volunteer work. The assumption was supported by the result, which once again leads to concrete advice: “Once an individual begins volunteering, continued efforts might focus on developing a volunteer role identity...Items like T-shirts that allow volunteers to be recognized publicly for their contributions can help strengthen role identity.”
1. People volunteer mainly out of ________.| A．academic requirements | B．social expectations |
| C．financial rewards | D．internal needs |
| A．Follow-up studies should last for one year. |
| B．Strategy training is a must in research. |
| C．Training to get volunteers prepared is necessary. |
| D．Volunteers are provided with concrete advice. |
| A．Individual differences in role identity. |
| B．Publicly identifiable volunteer T-shirts. |
| C．Role identity as a volunteer. |
| D．Practical advice from researchers. |
| A．How to Get People to Volunteer |
| B．How to Study Volunteer Behaviors |
| C．How to Keep Volunteers’ Interest |
| D．How to Organize Volunteer Activities |
要点：
1. 在学校：努力学习知识，养成良好的学习习惯，爱运动；
2. 在家里：经常与家人交流, 分担家务；
3. 在社会：在公共场合不要大声喧哗，注意安全；
4. 发表你的观点。
要求：1. 文中不得出现真实的人名或地名；
2. 语言通顺，条理清楚，书写规范；
3. 要点齐全，内容可适当发挥；
4. 词数：100-120（开头已给出，不计入总词数）。
Be a Virtue Teenager
Teenagers are the future of our motherland, and also the symbol of our district.
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10 . By the end of the century, if not sooner, the world’s oceans will be bluer and greener thanks to a warming climate, according to a new study.
At the heart of the phenomenon lie tiny marine microorganisms (海洋微生物) called phytoplankton. Because of the way light reflects off the organisms, these phytoplankton create colourful patterns at the ocean surface. Ocean colour varies from green to blue, depending on the type and concentration of phytoplankton. Climate change will fuel the growth of phytoplankton in some areas, while reducing it in other spots, leading to changes in the ocean’s appearance.
Phytoplankton live at the ocean surface, where they pull carbon dioxide (二氧化碳) into the ocean while giving off oxygen. When these organisms die, they bury carbon in the deep ocean, an important process that helps to regulate the global climate. But phytoplankton are vulnerable to the ocean’s warming trend. Warming changes key characteristics of the ocean and can affect phytoplankton growth, since they need not only sunlight and carbon dioxide to grow, but also nutrients.
Stephanie Dutkiewicz, a scientist in MIT’s Center for Global Change Science, built a climate model thatprojectschanges to the oceans throughout the century. In a world that warms up by 39C, it found that multiple changes to the colour of the oceans would occur. The model projects that currently blue areas with little phytoplankton could become even bluer. But in some waters, such as those of the Arctic, a warming will make conditions riper for phytoplankton, and these areas will turn greener.” Not only are the quantities of phytoplankton in the ocean changing,” she said, “but the type of phytoplankton is changing.”
And why does that matter? Phytoplankton are the base of the food web. If certain kinds begin to disappear from the ocean, Dutkiewicz said, “it will change the type of fish that will be able to survive.” Those kinds of changes could affect the food chain.
Whatever colour changes the ocean experiences in the coming decades will probably be too gradual and unnoticeable, but they could mean significant changes. “It’ll be a while before we can statistically show that the changes are happening because of climate change,” Dutkiewicz said, “ but the change in the colour of the ocean will be one of the early warning signals that we really have changed our planet.”
1. What directly makes the change of the ocean’s appearance?| A．The increase of phytoplankton. |
| B．The way light reflects off the organisms. |
| C．The type and concentration of phytoplankton. |
| D．The decline of phytoplankton. |
| A．Control. | B．Use. |
| C．Predict. | D．Discover. |
| A．Phytoplankton are sensitive to the ocean’s warming trend. |
| B．Phytoplankton absorb carbon dioxide at the bottom of the ocean. |
| C．Oceans with more phytoplankton may appear bluer |
| D．Data have been found to show the change in the colour of the ocean |
| A．To introduce a new method to study phytoplankton. |
| B．To explain the effect of climate change on oceans. |
| C．To analyze the consequences of ocean colour changes. |
| D．To analyze the composition of the ocean food chain. |
