1 . The Africa Sourcing and Fashion Week held in Ethiopia in November attracted over 5,000 visitors. Though the number is not extremely high, the continent is becoming a new global fashion leader, according to a UNESCO report.
Although most African fashion businesses are small and medium-sized enterprises (企业), the report identified a growing number of high-fashion brands concentrated in key markets on the continent. What makes African fashion unique is its authenticity (真实性), according to Kenyan designer Aulga Nato. “If you check most fashion houses elsewhere in the world, they have done so much that they have less creativity in what they are putting out now. Africa, on the other hand, is rich in cloth. We are huge cotton growers, and we are rich in every single way. That’s our fashion,” she explained.
Africa is a major producer of raw materials (原材料) for the fashion industry, with 37 out of 54 African countries producing cotton and textile exports from the continent averaging $15.5 billion (about 110.2 billion yuan) a year. The continent also has a huge animal population from which it sources animal skins. However, there’s a huge shortage of chemicals to make the materials needed to treat the leather (皮革) from animals used in the clothing industry. And the continent still faces challenges related to the movement of people.
Despite these challenges, African designers are giving their best to their work and leading the world in sustainable fashion and practices. African governments have also taken measures to help designers in achieving their aims. It seems that their efforts have paid off. After checking clothing exhibits at a fashion event, Ghanaian exhibitor Solomon Dodoo noticed that every single cloth is unique and there are no two pieces of cloth that look alike.
1. What makes Africa have an unusual fashion?| A．Its increasing tourism. | B．Its huge cotton production. |
| C．A report from the UNESCO. | D．The authenticity of its fashion. |
| A．A great need for animal skins. |
| B．Lack of chemicals for treating leather. |
| C．The development of cotton production. |
| D．Shortage of creativity among designers. |
| A．They are supported by African governments. |
| B．They abandon unique and sustainable fashion. |
| C．They lead the world in the clothing industry. |
| D．They check clothing exhibits at a fashion event. |
| A．African Fashion is Popular in the World |
| B．African Designers Face Difficulties in Fashion |
| C．African Countries Have Materials for the Fashion Industry |
| D．Africa’s Advantages Promote Its Fashion Industry’s Success |
2 . The term “Hudson River school” was applied to the foremost representatives of nineteenth-century North American landscape painting. Apparently unknown during the golden days of the American landscape movement, which began around 1850s and lasted until the late 1860s, the Hudson River school seems to have emerged in the 1870s as a direct result of the struggle between the old and the new generations of artists each to assert its own style as the representative American art. The older painters, most of whom were born before 1835, practiced in a mode often self-taught and monopolized by landscape subject matter and were securely established in and fostered by the reigning American art organization, the National Academy of Design.
The younger painters returning home from training in Europe worked more with figural subject matter and in a bold and impressionistic technique; their prospects for patronage in their own country were uncertain, and they sought to attract it by attaining academic recognition in New York. One of the results of the conflict between the two factions was that what in previous years had been referred to as the American, native, or, occasionally New York school — the most representative school of American art in any genre — had by 1890s become firmly established in the minds of critics and public alike as the Hudson River school.
The sobriquet was first applied around 1879. While it was not intended as flattering, it was hardly inappropriate. The Academicians at whom it was aimed had worked and socialized in New York, the Hudson’s port city, and had painted the river and its shores with varying frequency. Most important, perhaps, was that they had all maintained with a certain fidelity a manner of technique and composition consistent with those of America’s first popular landscape artist, Thomas Cole, who built a career painting the Catskill Mountain scenery bordering the Hudson River.
A possible implication in the term applied to the group of landscapists was that many of them had, like Cole, lived on or near the banks of the Hudson. Further, the river had long served as the principal route to other sketching grounds favored by the Academicians, particularly the Adirondacks and the mountains of Vermont and New Hampshire different ways.
1. According to the passage what was the function of the National Academy of Design for the painters born before 1835?| A．It mediated conflicts between artists. | B．It supervised the incorporation of new artistic techniques. |
| C．It supported their growth and development. | D．It determined which subjects were appropriate. |
| A．In New Hampshire. | B．In the Adirondacks. |
| C．In Vermon. | D．In Europe. |
| A．people | B．sides | C．cities | D．images |
| A．Hudson River School | B．The Nature’s Nation |
| C．Early Painters and Their Drawings | D．North American Landscape Painting |
3 . We’ve all been there: in a lift, in line at the bank or on an airplane, surrounded by people who are, like us, deeply focused on their smartphones or, worse, struggling with the uncomfortable silence.
What’s the problem? It’s possible that we all don’t have enough conversational ability. It’s more likely that none of us start a conversation because it’s embarrassing and challenging, or we think it’s annoying and unnecessary. But the next time you find yourself among strangers, consider that small talk is worth the trouble. Experts say it’s a valuable social practice that leads to big benefits.
It is easy to consider small talk as unimportant, but we can’t forget that deep relationships wouldn’t even exist (存在) if there weren’t casual conversations. Small talk is the grease (润滑剂) for social communication, says Bernardo Carducci, director of the Shyness Research Institute at Indiana University Southeast. “Almost every great love story and each big business deal begins with small talk,” he explains. “The secret to successful small talk is learning how to connect with others, not just communicate with them.”
In a 2014 study, Elizabeth Dunn, professor of psychology at UBC, invited people to a coffee shop. One group was asked to interact with its waiter, the other, to speak only when necessary. The results showed that those who chatted with their server reported obviously higher positive feelings and a better coffee shop experience. “It’s not that talking to the waiter is better than talking to your husband,” says Dunn. “But interactions with peripheral (边缘的) members of our social network is important for our happiness and health.”
Dunn believes that people who reach out to strangers feel a greater sense of belonging, a link with others. Carducci believes developing such a sense of belonging starts with small talk. “Small talk is the basis of good manners,” he says.
1. What does the underline word “casual” in paragraph 3mean?| A．Addictive | B．Public | C．Personal | D．Informal |
| A．Showing good manners. | B．Making business deals. |
| C．Focusing on a topic. | D．Keeping in contact with other people. |
| A．It raises people’s confidence. | B．It makes people feel good. |
| C．It improves family relationships. | D．It matters as much as a formal talk. |
| A．Conversation Counts | B．Ways of Making Small Talk |
| C．Importance of Small Talk | D．Uncomfortable Silence |
4 . People from East Asia tend to have more difficulty than those from Europe in distinguishing facial expressions — and a new report published online in Current Biology explains why.
Rachael Jack, University of Glasgow researcher, said that rather than scanning evenly (均匀的) across a face as Westerners do, Easterners fix their attention on the eyes.
“We show that Easterners and Westerners look at different face features to read facial expressions,” Jack said. “Westerners look at the eyes and the mouth in equal measure, whereas Easterners favor the eyes and neglect the mouth.”
According to Jack and her colleagues, the discovery shows that human communication of emotion is more complex than previously believed. As a result, facial expressions that had been considered universally recognizable cannot be used to reliably convey emotion in cross-cultural situations.
The researchers studied cultural differences in the recognition of facial expressions by recording the eye movements of 13 Western Caucasian and 13 East Asian people while they observed pictures of expressive faces and put them into categories: happy, sad, surprised, fearful, disgusted, angry, or neutral. They compared how accurately participants read those facial expressions using their particular eye movement strategies.
It turned out that Easterners focused much greater attention on the eyes and made significantly more errors than Westerners did. “The cultural difference in eye movements that they show is probably a reflection of cultural difference in facial expressions,” Jack said. “Our data suggest that whereas Westerners use the whole face to convey emotion, Easterners use the eyes more and mouth less.”
In short, the data show that facial expressions are not universal signals of human emotion. From here on, examining how cultural factors have diversified these basic social skills will help our understanding of human emotion. Otherwise, when it comes to communicating emotions across cultures, Easterners and Westerners will find themselves lost in translation.
1. The discovery shows that Westerners ________.| A．pay equal attention to the eyes and the mouth |
| B．consider facial expressions universally reliable |
| C．observe the eyes and the mouth in different ways |
| D．have more difficulty in recognizing facial expressions |
| A．The participants in the study. |
| B．The researchers of the study. |
| C．The errors made during the study. |
| D．The data collected from the study. |
| A．do translation more successfully |
| B．study the mouth more frequently |
| C．examine the eyes more attentively |
| D．read facial expressions more correctly |
| A．The Eye as the Window to the Soul |
| B．Cultural Differences in Reading Emotions |
| C．Effective Methods to Develop Social Skills |
| D．How to Increase Cross-cultural Understanding |
5 . Slow travel is about connecting deeply with your travels. Rather than rushing from one place to another, slow travelers treat each experience as an opportunity to learn and feel more deeply to the people, culture, and food they want to explore.
Relax and enjoy
Once, a vacation provided relaxation from the stress of everyday life. But over time, we began trying to put everything we want into a checklist.
Have more memorable experiences
Meet people and actually get to know them
When you decide to take the slow travel route, you free yourself up to meet and spend time with others. You can meet locals at a park or restaurant and enjoy a conversation. Learn about the people on your food tour. You may even decide that you like someone enough to meet him/her later for lunch or a coffee.
Traveling by plane, train, and bus has a bad effect on the environment. We can transport ourselves to one location and spend more time exploring it on foot, by bike or on horseback. That’s less harmful to the planet than rushing to the next thing on the list with whatever vehicle that will get us there in a hurry.
| A．Be more eco-friendly |
| B．Experience different means of transportation |
| C．This created more stress than we were escaping |
| D．Making a checklist makes your journey more organized |
| E．Here are some reasons we think you need to try slow travel |
| F．Your communication tends to be more relaxed and more real |
| G．Maybe you’re used to jumping from one attraction after another |
6 . When running through an airport, your luggage becomes a burden for you. A new ride-on suitcase called the Airwheel, currently seeking funding on Kickstarter, can let your luggage carry you around for a change.
Companies like Trunki have been making ride-on suitcases for kids for years, and later involved in adapting them for adults too. And the appeal of the idea is hard to deny—who wouldn’t want to slide to their terminal (航站楼) on top of their luggage, rather than trying to carry it while you’re running?
The Airwheel is designed to make it come true, equipping an electric motor, rechargable battery and a steering (操控) device just like the motorbike handlebars. The accelerator and brake take the form of buttons on the handle, and the 4-in(10-cm) wheels are apparently tough enough to run over rocky roads and cracks. The outer frame is strong enough to support riders weighing up to 130 kg.
At max speed the case can get up to 10 km/h, and the battery will last one hour at that speed. The company says that not only is this faster than other ride-on suitcases, but the more upright sitting position is more comfortable and natural than the bent-over posture of others, which is the riders’ big hit.
For a touch of customization (定制), the Airwheel connects to an app which lets users set up colors and patterns of lights. There’s also a search mode to help you find it on a luggage transfer-belt. That said, making the suitcase transparent is a bit of a unique design choice. Your customized suitcase will draw your attention easily.
The Airwheel has already passed its goal on Kickstarter, with 44 days remaining on the campaign. If all goes to plan, shipping should begin in February 2024.
1. Why does Trunki company try to produce the Airwheel?| A．It is popular with kids. | B．It meets the demands of customers. |
| C．It can raise fund for the local airport. | D．It can help travellers keep their luggage. |
| A．The equipment of the Airwheel. | B．The methods to use the Airwheel. |
| C．The applications of the Airwheel. | D．The process of making the Airwheel. |
| A．Its longer duration of transport. | B．Its popular bent-over posture. |
| C．Its increasing running speed. | D．Its natural sitting position. |
| A．Widely available. | B．Completely controlled. |
| C．Easily recognized. | D．Environmentally friendly. |
7 . A few months ago, a friend gifted me a robot sweeper that’s programmed to move around a room and clean as it goes.
When the box arrived, I was afraid the device would detect me and suck up (汲取) data along with the dog hair and dust. But the instructions were easy, and I finally decided not to care.
I powered up the sweeper, watched it leave its docking station to work, and quickly fell in love with my newly shiny floors. I kept shooting its working videos. “I think you’re giving more attention to it than to us,” joked my son.
One day, I returned home and discovered that our front door had blown open and the robot rolled into the yard, trying to clean the flower beds. Even when its brushes were blocked with leaves, bugs and mud, its little wheels bravely kept turning.
The robot acted properly as it was programmed to clean “dirty” things. In a kitchen, dirt can be garden debris (碎片) such as leaves and mud. In a garden, this kind of dirt does not need to be removed. The context is important. The problem for robots is that reading this context is difficult.
This accident inspired me to think more about AI (artificial intelligence). As far as I am concerned, AI is simply well trained and reproduces what it has learned. And it is undeniable that robots are increasingly being given powerful intelligence. Some experts even predict that we will soon see not only AI-enabled robots designed to solve problems according to their instructions, but also those with the ability to judge how they should respond when they are in a different setting.
Maybe this will happen in the near future.
1. What was the author’s concern about the robot sweeper at first?| A．Its after-sales service. | B．Its working efficiency. |
| C．The privacy of her family. | D．The readability of its instructions. |
| A．Enthusiastic. | B．Regretful. | C．Uncertain. | D．Cautious. |
| A．Its program went wrong. | B．It lacked critical thinking. |
| C．Its wheels were badly designed. | D．It failed to work on rough surfaces. |
| A．The accident. | B．Some experts’ thinking. |
| C．Its appeal to the author. | D．The author’s opinion. |
8 . Students who are better able to understand and manage their emotions effectively, a skill known as emotional intelligence (EI), do better at school than their less-skilled classmates, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
“It’s not enough to be smart and hardworking. Students must also be able to understand and manage their emotions to succeed at school,” said Carolyn MacCann, lead author of the study. MacCann and her colleagues analyzed data from more than 160 studies, representing more than 42,000 students from 27 countries, published between 1998 and 2019. The students ranged in age from primary school to college. The researchers found that students with higher EI tended to get higher grades and better achievement test scores than those with lower EI scores. This finding held true even when controlling for intelligence and personality factors. What was most surprising to the researchers was the association held despite different ages.
As for why EI can affect academic performance, MacCann believes a number of factors may come into play. “Students with higher EI may be better able to manage negative emotions, such as anxiety, boredom and disappointment, which can negatively affect academic performance,” she said. “Also, these students may be better able to manage the social world around them, forming better relationships with teachers, classmates and family, all of which are important to academic success.” Finally, the skills required for EI, such as understanding human motivation and emotion, may overlap with (与……重叠) the skills required to master certain subjects, such as history and language, giving students an advantage in those subject areas, according to MacCann.
However, MacCann cautions against widespread testing of students to identify and target those with low EI as it may stigmatize (给……打上烙印) those students. Instead, she recommends interventions that involve the whole school, including additional teacher training and a focus on teacher well-being and emotional skills. “Programs that integrate emotional skill development into the existing curriculum would be beneficial, as research suggests that training works better when run by teachers rather than external specialists,” she said. “Increasing skills for everyone — not just those with low EI—would benefit everyone.”
1. What surprised the researchers most during MacCann’s study?| A．Intelligence mattered more than EI for academic success. |
| B．EI had an effect on learning for students of all ages. |
| C．College students benefited more from EI than pupils. |
| D．Personality affected academic performance greatly. |
| A．High-EI students hardly experience negative emotions. |
| B．High-EI students seldom develop social relationships. |
| C．High-EI students tend to easily focus on their study. |
| D．High-EI students have helpful skills for certain subjects. |
| A．Equipping teachers with emotional skills. |
| B．Designing tests to identify students with low EI. |
| C．Developing special programs for students with low EI. |
| D．Employing emotional specialists to give training to students. |
| A．Should EI be taught in school? |
| B．How can students develop high EI? |
| C．Students with high EI do better in school |
| D．Good students do better in managing emotions |
9 . Here are some of the best nonfiction books of recent years.
Somebody’s Daughter
$ 16 at Amazon
Ashley C. Ford talks about growing up as a black girl in Indiana, dealing with poverty, the complexities of adolescence, and a tense relationship with her mother. She often wished that she could express her feelings with her father, but failed for reasons she didn’t know. Until one day — after going through a heart-broken experience with a boy, which she kept from her family — her grandmother told her. And what she learned turned her entire world upside down.
Crazy Stories About Racism
$ 14 at Amazon
New York-based comedian Amber Ruffin, along with her sister Lacey Lamar, shares their everyday experiences about their bad conditions. It gets especially bad for Lacey who still lives in their home state of Nebraska, and is a start for these ridiculous but all-too-real encounters (遭遇).
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain
$ 25 at Amazon
If you want to get in touch with your creative side, this book might just be the trick. As the title suggests, A Swim in a Pond in the Rain is a literary master class that takes readers into the mind of Booker Prize-winning author George Saunders. He discusses what makes great stories, how they work, and what they say about ourselves and today’s world.
All In
$ 21 at Amazon
Sports legend Billie Jean King writes a self-portrait that talks about the highs and lows of her amazing tennis career, her work in activism, and the ongoing fight for social justice and equality.
1. What is special about Somebody’s Daughter?| A．It tells a girl’s relationship with parents. | B．It tells a confused girl. |
| C．It tells a girl’s education. | D．It describes a girl’s secret. |
| A．The steps of writing a good story. | B．The secret of George Saunders’ success. |
| C．The situations of the present society. | D．Experiences of swimming in a pond. |
| A．All In. | B．Somebody’s Daughter. |
| C．A Swim in a Pond in the Rain. | D．Crazy Stories About Racism. |
10 . This is a talk by a London taxi driver.
“I’ve been a taxi driver for nearly ten years. Most London taxi drivers have their own taxis.” “It’s a nice job most of time. you meet a lot of people. I always work at night, because there is too much traffic during the day. I live twenty miles outside London and I go to work at 5:30 in the afternoon.”
“I usually go home between 2 and 3 in the morning.”
“Some very strange things happened late at night. The other day I was taking a woman home from a party. She had her little dog with her. When we got to her house, she found that she had lost her key. So I waited in the car with the dog while she climbed in through the windows.” “I waited and waited. After half an hour of ringing the bell I decided to find out what was going on. I tied the dog to a tree and started to climb in through the window. The next thing I knew was that the police came.” They thought I was a thief.
“Luckily, the woman came downstairs. She must have gone to sleep and forgotten about me and the dog!”
1. The driver always worked at night because it was easier to ______.| A．drive | B．make money |
| C．climb in through the window | D．meet a lot of people |
| A．she wanted to have a sleep | B．her husband didn’t open the door for her |
| C．she didn’t want to pay the driver | D．she couldn’t find her key |
| A．early in the morning | B．late at night |
| C．20 miles outside London | D．near the police station |
| A．The driver worked until between 2 and 3 in the morning. |
| B．The police made a mistake. |
| C．The woman had no money to pay the driver. |
| D．The woman had forgotten about the driver and the dog. |
