1 . How do consumers access, buy and use their favorite products and services? The answer to the seemingly simple question is changing. Traditionally, people often see ownership as the most desirable way to have access to products. However, an increasing number of consumers are paying to temporarily access or share products and services rather than buy or own them Customer behavior towards many goods and services changes from ownership to sharing. This transformation of people’s consumption, habits has made sharing economy grow and it seems that some individuals and companies have already benefited from this trend.
Growth in sharing systems bas particularly been fueled by the Internet with the rise of social media systems. Anyone can be part of the sharing economy. It is reported that of the 44 percent of U.S. adults who are familiar with the sharing economy, 86 percent say it makes life more affordable, 83 percent say it makes life more convenient and efficient, and 78 percent say it builds a stronger community. The central idea of group consumption is simple: Obtain value which remains in goods or services that are not entirely used by their owners.
A recent survey from Pricewaterhouse Coopers, the largest professional service firm in the world, shows this so-called “sharing economy” is growing faster than ever. Although we are not sure about the current size of this market, by 2025, according to Pricewaterhouse Coopers, the sharing economy could represent $335 billion in profit worldwide. Nowadays, well-known examples of successful corporations built on group consumption systems include Airbnb, a San Francisco-based online accommodations marketplace, and Zipcar, a car sharing brand that is now part of the vehicle rental service company.
The speed of its growth suggests that the sharing economy might represent a serious threat to established industries, due to fewer purchases in conventional markets. For consumers, it seems to bold the advantage to unite cost reduction, benefit expansion, convenience and environmental consciousness in one type of consumption. Companies therefore should understand the new situation and manage their operating system in order to adapt to current and future business models to provide new sources of profits within this growing area of the sharing economy.
1. How does the sharing economy work?| A．Exchanging possessions of products online. |
| B．Sharing something with the owners. |
| C．Selling underused items to make money. |
| D．Paying for sharing products or services owned by others. |
| A．The change of people’s consumption habits. |
| B．People’s need to reduce life expenses. |
| C．The decline of traditional business. |
| D．The easier access to the Internet. |
| A．44 percent of U.S. adults think sharing economy makes life easier |
| B．sharing economy can have a promising future |
| C．sharing economy is expanding too fast to threaten other business |
| D．group consumption systems can be successful if run by large companies |
| A．traditional business should find different sources of profits |
| B．sharing economy has many advantages over conventional industry |
| C．the growth of sharing economy has led to the decrease of purchases |
| D．traditional business should try to adapt to sharing economy |
| A．The Rise of Sharing Economy |
| B．Sharing Makes Life Better |
| C．Advantages of Sharing Economy |
| D．Sharing Economy or Conventional Business |
2 . Everyone looks forward to progress, whether in one’s personal life or in the general society. Progress indicates a person’s ability to change the way he is living at the moment. Progress must lead a better way of doing things. All these, however, remains true only in so far as people want to accept technology and move forward by finding new and more efficient ways of doing things.
However, at the back of the minds of many people, especially those who miss the “good old days”, efficiency comes with a price. When communication becomes efficient, people are able to contact one another no matter where they are and at whatever time they wish to. The click of a button allows people miles apart to talk or to see each other without even leaving their homes. With the communication gadgets, such as mobile phones and ipads, people often do not take the effort to visit one another personally. A personal visit carries with the additional feature of having to be in the person’s presence for as long as the visit lasts. We cannot unnecessarily excuse ourselves or turn the other person off.
With efficiency also comes mass production. Such is the nature of factories and the success of industrialization today. Factories have improved efficiency. Unskillful tasks are left to machines and products are better made and produced with greater accuracy than any human hand could ever have done. However, with the improvements in efficiency also comes the loss of the personal touch when making these products. For example, many handcrafts are now produced in a factory. Although this means that supply is better able to increase demand, now that the supply is quick and efficient, the demand might fall because mass production lowers the quality of the handicraft and it is difficult to find unique designs on each item.
Nevertheless, we must not commit the mistake of analyzing progress only from onepoint of view. In fact, progress has allowed tradition to keep up. It is only with progress and the invention of new technology that many old products can be brought back to their old state. New technology is required for old products to stay old.
It is people’s attitude towards progress that causes the type of influence that technology has on society. Technology is flexible. There is no fixed way of making use of it. Everything depends on people’s attitude. The worst effects of progress will fall on those who are unable to rethink their attitudes and views of society. When we accept progress and adapt it to suit our needs, a new “past” is created.
1. According to Paragraph 1, progress can benefit people when they are willing to ________.| A．live an advanced life |
| B．look for better technical methods |
| C．change ways of living at the moment |
| D．accept technology and advance steadily |
| A．describing a process |
| B．using examples |
| C．following time order |
| D．making classification |
| A．lack great accuracy |
| B．lack the personal touch |
| C．are of high value |
| D．are quite welcome |
| A．It can destroy new traditions. |
| B．It can lead to social progress. |
| C．It can be used to correct mistakes if necessary. |
| D．It can be used to preserve old products. |
| A．Progress can suit the needs of daily life. |
| B．People review the past with great regret. |
| C．Technology should be introduced in a fixed way. |
| D．People’s attitude decides the use of technology. |
3 . When evaluating people on various psychological tests, psychologists often distinguish between markers of absolute performance and relative performance. Absolute performance reflects the raw measurement of something, like the time it takes to run a mile. Relative performance is how a person rates in relation to their peers, as in what place a runner gets in a race.
The standards we use to evaluate ourselves are almost always relative, as we compare ourselves to our peers and the standards that are most familiar to us. Our conscious recognition of these peers and norms is what sets our expectations, shaping our self-image and happiness. What’s interesting about the relative comparisons that most of us make is that in whatever area of life we consider—for example, our highest level of education—it’s not how we fare in comparison to the rest of the world that seems to matter most, but rather how we compare to our closest peers.
For instance, in my private practice, I have one patient I will call “Omar” who is dependent on social services and makes less than $30,000 per year at his job. While this level of poverty would lead most people to wake up depressed each day, Omar is one of the most optimistic and appreciative individuals I know. Why? Because most of his closest peers—his siblings and friends from childhood—have lives far worse than his.
In contrast to. Omar, I have another patient, an adolescent I’ll call “Lena”, whose family has property over $5 million. Lena, however, lives in an upper-class neighborhood where her family is at the lower end of the income level. Though Lena’s family allows her to enjoy possessions and experiences that less than 1 percent of her peers across the world can share, she consistently feels “less than”. Why? Because Lena doesn’t compare herself to the rest of the world; This is too abstract an exercise for her, as it would be for most of us.
Accordingly, whether a psychologist is psychodynamic or cognitive-behavioral, therapy (疗法) with individuals struggling with situation al or psychological depression aims to solve the problems associated with basing one’s self-worth on comparisons with others. Psychologists try to help people focus on personal growth around the achievement of concrete goals in line with their values independent of the achievement of others. For all of us, defining these goals, especially during Periods of emotional calm, can go a long way in helping us to avoid the trap of relativity that often leads to situational and psychological depression.
1. In writing Paragraph 1, the author aims to ________.| A．show the significance of evaluating people. |
| B．motivate readers to study psychological tests. |
| C．help people perform well in psychological tests |
| D．provide some background information on evaluating people. |
| A．To measure different achievement. |
| B．To introduce the standards to evaluate people. |
| C．To explain relative performance with examples. |
| D．To contrast relative performance and absolute performance. |
| A．“Omar” is independent on social services. |
| B．“Omar” ‘s siblings lead better lives than he does. |
| C．“Lena” is always discontented with what she has. |
| D．“Lena” tends to compare herself to the rest of the world. |
| A．Setting goals in life is essential for everyone. |
| B．It’s important to avoid unhealthy comparisons. |
| C．A sense of achievement can affect one’s happiness. |
| D．Improving self-worth can help get rid of depression. |
| A．Happiness: Is it all relative? | B．Happiness: Is it associated with achievement? |
| C．Self-worth: Is it based on efforts? | D．Self-worth: Is it measurable? |
4 . Every year, thousands of teenagers participate in programs at their local art museums. But do any of them remember their time at museum events later in life? A new report suggests that the answer is yes — and finds that arts-based museum programs are credited with changing the course of alumni’s (毕业生的) lives, even years after the fact.
The Whitney Museum of American Art, the Walker Art Center and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles recently asked researchers to conduct a study to find out how effective their long-standing teen art programs really are. They involved over 300 former participants of four programs for teens that have been in existence since the 1990s. Alumni, whose current ages range from 18 to 36, were invited to find out how they viewed their participation years after the fact.
Among the alumni surveyed, 75 percent of them thought the teen art program experience had the most favorable impact on their own lives, beating the family, school and their neighborhoods. Nearly 55 percent thought that it was one of the most important experiences they had ever had, regardless of age. And two-thirds said that they were often in situations where their experience in museums affected their actions or thoughts.
It turns out that participating in art programs also helps keep teens keen about culture even after they reach adulthood: Ninety-six percent of participants had visited an art museum within the last two years, and 68 percent had visited an art museum five or more times within the last two years. Thirty-two percent of alumni work in the arts as adults.
Though the study is the first of its kind to explore the impact of teen-specific art programs in museums, it reflects other research on the important benefits of engaging with the arts. A decade of surveys by the National Endowment for the Arts found that the childhood experience with the arts is significantly associated with people’s income and educational achievements as adults. Other studies have linked arts education to everything from lower dropout rates to improvement in critical thinking skills.
1. What is the main function of paragraph 1?| A．To make a comparison. | B．To propose a definition. |
| C．To provide the background. | D．To present the subject. |
| A．To change the course of alumni’s lives. |
| B．To introduce the art museums. |
| C．To explore the impact of teen art programs. |
| D．To invite people to participate in the art programs. |
| A．Students are more influenced by the family and school. |
| B．Teen art programs in museums are highly beneficial. |
| C．Many teens fail to realize the great value of art programs. |
| D．Most experiences in museums are boring for today’s teens. |
| A．They are intended to attract more adults. |
| B．They are designed to support art museums. |
| C．They create adults who are culturally aware. |
| D．They provide many job opportunities for adults. |
| A．All prove the good effects of art education. |
| B．All suggest the need to improve museum programs. |
| C．All show the growing popularity of art programs. |
| D．All focus on the link between art and education. |
5 . 假设你是红星中学高三学生李华，请根据以下四幅图的先后顺序，写一篇英文周记，记述你们上周接待外国学生，带领他们体验中国茶文化的全过程。
注意：词数不少于60。
(请务必将作文写在答题卡指定区域内)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6 . Those in the food industry understand the difficulty that comes from working with people. No matter how much you try, some customers are never
A customer approached the drive-through window
Bryanna was the
The
When Feroza approached the drive-through window, she
Through this, Feroza and Bryanna have become friends. It’s just
| A．confused | B．frightened | C．troubled | D．satisfied |
| A．temper | B．passion | C．sight | D．temperature |
| A．sadly | B．angrily | C．happily | D．patiently |
| A．posted | B．handed | C．returned | D．introduced |
| A．convinced | B．embarrassed | C．justified | D．misunderstood |
| A．imagined | B．missed | C．brought | D．wanted |
| A．interviewer | B．victim | C．looker-on | D．witness |
| A．unpleasant | B．reliable | C．responsible | D．unavoidable |
| A．figure out | B．set down | C．take over | D．put aside |
| A．warning | B．weeping | C．begging | D．checking |
| A．journalist | B．manager | C．customer | D．worker |
| A．heard of | B．thought of | C．spoke of | D．dreamed of |
| A．admit | B．behave | C．follow | D．approve |
| A．wonderful | B．funny | C．necessary | D．terrible |
| A．paid | B．charged | C．offered | D．afforded |
| A．principle | B．program | C．destination | D．idea |
| A．assumed | B．realized | C．recognized | D．recalled |
| A．left | B．earned | C．donated | D．saved |
| A．regret | B．relief | C．reward | D．joy |
| A．encouraging | B．demanding | C．amusing | D．puzzling |
7 . You can make a difference to the life of others by signing up for a volunteer vacation.
“After 30 programs in Poland, I’ve received more than I’ve given. All benefit from this partnership — the future leaders of this great nation, and volunteers who fall in love with the beautiful people and culture.”
– Lori Wedeking, a volunteer in Poland
Volunteer Opportunities Portugal:
Teach natives conversational skills with varying English abilities in classrooms, offices, and community centers. Help choose assignments in public elementary and secondary schools, or with young adults in technical or trade schools.
Peru:
Volunteers with a medical background can choose to spend their time working at medical centers. Others can spend their time practicing conversational English with local students and teachers.
Tanzania:
Support a community quest for development through food and nutrition, health and education projects. Work in the greenhouse nurturing seedlings for seasonal plantings.
Nepal:
Teach conversational English and business management, help repair living and learning spaces, provide support and training for marginalized women, and nurture impoverished children.
Cuba:
Build bridges of friendship through conversational English classes. Work alongside local women sewing and knitting baby clothes, aprons, crafts, etc, which are sold to benefit the women’s cooperative interests.
Global Volunteers’ History
Established in 1984 by Bud Philbrook and Michele Gran, Global Volunteers is an international nonprofit organization assisting worldwide community development programs by mobilizing short-term volunteers on local work programs, as well as providing project funding and child sponsorships. Since 1984, Global Volunteers has helped partner communities deliver most of these services to local people worldwide, and been trusted by more than 34,000 volunteers. As Seija Webb, an eight-time global volunteer says, “Volunteering abroad holds magic on so many fronts. It’s the springboard for my global explorations. I can’t imagine one without the other anymore.”
1. Which is right about Lori Wedeking?| A．Lori is the organizer of 30 programs. |
| B．Lori had a positive experience in Poland. |
| C．Lori wants to be the future leader of Poland. |
| D．Lori received a lot of presents from volunteers. |
| A．Working at medical centers. |
| B．Teaching business management. |
| C．Developing food and nutrition. |
| D．Sewing and knitting baby clothes. |
| A．Peru. | B．Tanzania. | C．Nepal. | D．Cuba. |
| A．34,000 volunteer get involved in its projects every year. |
| B．Teaching magic shows is one of its various programs. |
| C．It sends short-term and long-term volunteers to help local residents. |
| D．Seija Webb is a regular volunteer and enjoys volunteering abroad. |
| A．Global explorers. | B．Keen travelers. |
| C．Future leaders. | D．Potential volunteers. |
8 . When plates are set on the table, phones, rather than forks, are at the ready. At this point in our social media entanglement (纠缠)，the fact that the camera eats first is pretty much a given. Sure, some chefs, including Michelin rated star chefs, express their displeasure at this, but efforts to make the table a screen-free domain have mostly fallen flat.
New research from Aston University has found that people are indeed influenced by the food photos that their friends post on social media. For example, for every serving of fruits and vegetables that a person thinks their friends are eating, they’ll eat one-fifth of a serving more. This number makes more sense within the context of the recommended “five a day”, meaning someone who’s being influenced would make a point of eating six portions of fruits or vegetables. Similarly, for every three portions of junk food that a person sees friends consuming on social media, they’ll eat an extra one.
The researchers have suggested that social media can be very beneficial when it comes to people’s choices of food and their diets. Study supervisors Dr. Jason Thomas said, “The implication is that we can use social media as a tool to encourage each other’s eating choice within friendship groups, and use this knowledge as a tool for public health interventions.”
Actually, the daily food situation is somewhat different from everything else posted on social media. People also desire to copy what they see but they need good social media literacy skills in order to grasp what’s realistic and what’s absurd. It is necessary to avoid the fake perfection of social media.
It gets boring trying to figure out what to eat three times a day, week after week, so no wonder people want to take the path of least resistance and eat what their friends are eating. Unfortunately, most of what gets posted is the more time-consuming recipes or the attractively styled restaurant meals. By all means, keep your antennae (触角) out for new ideas, but gather them from food magazines, cookbooks, store flyers, reliable cooking websites, and recommended recipes from friends and family.
1. What phenomenon is talked about in Par.1?| A．The influence of social media on people’s diet. |
| B．People’s taking photos of food before eating. |
| C．Chefs’ efforts to make the table screen-free. |
| D．The pursuit of dining in fancy restaurant. |
| A．They’ll copy what their friends do. |
| B．They’ll take junk food more seriously. |
| C．They’ll consume more than their friends. |
| D．They’ll care more about their friends’ eating habits. |
| A．Positive. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Concerned. | D．Unclear. |
| A．Form their own diet styles. |
| B．Find the similarities among others’ diets. |
| C．Avoid aiming for perfection in daily meals. |
| D．Enhance their critical thinking and skepticism. |
| A．Point out the unreality of social media. |
| B．Call on people to enrich their knowledge in cooking. |
| C．Introduce the general classification of food posted online. |
| D．Encourage people to broaden their sources of food inspiration. |
9 . I was 17 years old. Along with a dozen other boys I had made a long trip to Iowa in order to see a college that I was thinking of
Here in Iowa everything was
Over the years to come I
| A．skipping | B．recommending | C．attending | D．enjoying |
| A．calm | B．lonely | C．awake | D．hungry |
| A．performing | B．jumping | C．walking | D．shooting |
| A．leaves | B．insects | C．seeds | D．water |
| A．blue | B．black | C．white | D．gold |
| A．sound | B．smell | C．strength | D．spirit |
| A．role | B．time | C．part | D．path |
| A．exciting | B．silent | C．full | D．flat |
| A．mixture | B．memory | C．nutrition | D．distinction |
| A．sofa | B．pool | C．bench | D．soil |
| A．believed in | B．cared about | C．looked for | D．dreamed of |
| A．touched | B．occupied | C．passed | D．missed |
| A．happened | B．exploded | C．flowed | D．increased |
| A．rich | B．tiny | C．popular | D．perfect |
| A．remembered | B．replied | C．realized | D．refused |
| A．creation | B．shadow | C．regulation | D．terminal |
| A．watched | B．confirmed | C．decided | D．learned |
| A．as well | B．as usual | C．as a result | D．as a whole |
| A．responsibilities | B．honors | C．talents | D．desires |
| A．clearly | B．brightly | C．blankly | D．suddenly |
10 . “One of the reasons I find this topic very interesting is because my mom was a smoker when I was younger.” says Lindson-Hawley, who studies tobacco and health at the University of Oxford.
By studying about 700 adult smokers, she found out that her mom quit the right way—by stopping abruptly and completely.
In her study, participants were randomly assigned to two groups. One had to quit abruptly on a given day, going from about a pack a day to zero. The other cut down gradually over the course of two weeks. People in both groups used nicotine(尼古丁) patches before they quit, in addition to a second form of nicotine replacement, like gum or spray. They also had talk therapy with a nurse before and after quit day.
Six months out, more people who had quit abruptly had stuck with it—more than one-fifth of them, compared to about one-seventh in the other group. Although these numbers appear low, it is much higher than if people try without support.
And the quit rates were particularly convincing given that before the study started, most of the people had said they’d rather cut down gradually before quitting. “If you’re training for a marathon, you wouldn’t expect to turn up and just be able to run it. And I think people see that for smoking as well. They think, “Well, if I gradually reduce, it’s like practice.” “says Lindson-Hawley. But that wasn’t the case. Instead of giving people practice, the gradual reduction likely gave them cravings(瘾) and withdrawal symptoms before they even reached quit day, which could be why fewer people in that group actually made it to that point. “Regardless of your stated preference, if you’re ready to quit, quitting abruptly is more effective.” says Dr. Gabriela Ferreira.“When you can quote a specific number like a fifth of the patients were able to quit, that’s convincing. It gives them the encouragement, I think, to really go for it.”Ferreira says.
People rarely manage to quit the first time they try. But at least, she says, they can maximize the odds of success.
1. What does Lindson-Hawley say about her mother?| A．She quit smoking with her daughter’s help. |
| B．She studied the smoking patterns of adult smokers. |
| C．She was also a researcher of tobacco and health. |
| D．She succeeded in quitting smoking abruptly. |
| A．They were offered nicotine replacements. |
| B．They were looked after by physicians. |
| C．They were encouraged by psychologists. |
| D．They were given physical training. |
| A．It is unexpected. | B．It is idealized. |
| C．It is encouraging. | D．It is misleading. |
| A．is a challenge at the beginning | B．needs some practice first |
| C．requires a lot of patience | D．is something few can accomplish |
| A．They feel much less pain in the process. | B．They are simply unable to make it. |
| C．They show fewer withdrawal symptoms. | D．They find it even more difficult. |
