1 . Shrinkflation has made British shoppers unhappy. For years, producers have quietly shrunk product sizes rather than rise prices. A multipack(合装包)of Fazzles, used to cost £1 ($1.36) and contain eight bags. Now it contains six. Cadbury’s Creme Eggs used to come by the half-dozen; now they come in fives. Quality Street, a chocolate box, weighed 1.2kg in 2009; today, just 650g.

The logic of Shrinkflation is that consumers are less likely to notice it than its alternative: higher prices. For years, the government has worked on the same principle. Taxpayers paid roughly the same, but government services became worse. Now an era of price increases in the form of tax rises has begun. In a nasty combination of inflation and shrinkflation, voters will be expected to pay more for less.

It will be an awkward shift. Since coming to power in 2010, the Conservatives (保守党) have used shrinkflation just as retailers do. In the early austerity (财政紧缩) years, the government shrank (收缩，减少), but its cost did not. As a percentage of GDP, it fell from a peak after the financial crisis of 46% of GDP to 39%. Taxes stayed around their historic norm of about 32% of GDP. But citizens received fewer services.

And, as when shoppers fail to notice the missing packet of Frazzles, voters did not care much at first. Weekly bin collections became fortnightly or monthly. Once-generous legal aid became mean; in-work benefits fell; police solved fewer crimes. But eventually voters and shoppers start to feel confused. Was a box of Quality Street always so small? Were the police always so used to fraud (诈骗)? Moreover, shrinkflation cannot continue forever. Just as people will not buy an empty packet of Frazzles, taxpayers will not pay for government services that are not provided at all. Eventually prices must rise — as the Conservatives are discovering. By 2026 the tax burden will be 36% of GDP, the highest since the post-war era, under Clement Atlee. This will cause several problems such as one of expectations. Atlee’s government promised a new Jerusalem (耶路撒冷): voters accepted higher taxes in return for a welfare(福利)state. Similarly, when New Labour governments raised taxes in the 2000s, they provided more in return. They increased national insurance, in order to bring heath care spending in line with other European countries. Schools were rebuilt and repaired; civic art, though sometimes of questionable quality, appeared in town squares.

Unfortunately, this time higher spending will at best stop things getting worse. Sajid Javi, the health secretary, admits that the health-and social-care systems will struggle even after a 2.5 percentage-point rise in national insurance,

“Is that all we get for £12bn” asked the Daily Mail, a newspaper that lends to see eye-to-eye with the Conservatives, when the plan to cut hospital waiting-lists was announced. British voters are often said to want American taxes and a European welfare government. Instead, they face paying European taxes for services as insufficient as those in American.

1. Shrinkflation refers to the process of items ______.

A．shrinking in size or quantity while their prices remain the same

B．shrinking in size or quantity while their prices become higher

C．expanding in sire or quantity while their prices remain the same

D．expanding in size or quantity while their prices become lower

2. What can be learned about the consumer psychology in Britain nowadays?

A．Consumers will pay higher taxes for government services.

B．Consumers are more sensitive to price increases in products.

C．Consumers can hardly notice the changes in government services.

D．Consumers are unwilling to pay for government services.

3. What is the writer’s attitude toward New Labour governments in Para 4?

A．Critical.

B．Unconcerned.

C．Supportive.

D．Doubtful.

4. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Both inflation and shrinkflation exist in Britain.

B．The Americans pay high taxes for poor services.

C．The British government will be costlier with fewer services.

D．The Daily Mail is in favor of the current economic policy.

2 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

The EU, US and their allies have agreed to cut off a number of Russian banks from the main international payment system, Swift. The possessions of Russia’s     1     (center) bank will also be frozen, limiting Russia’s ability     2     (access) its overseas reserves.

“This     3     (intend) to cut off these institutions from international financial flows, which will     4     (massive) restrict their global operations,”     5     German government spokesman said. Russia is heavily reliant     6     the Swift system for its oil and gas exports. The joint sanctions (制裁) are the severest measures imposed to date on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.     7     the move could also harm Western businesses doing business with Russia.

Swift, or the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication is a secure messaging system     8     makes fast, cross-border payments possible, enabling international trade.     9     (base) in Belgium, it facilitates transactions (交易) between more than 11,000 banks and financial institutions across the globe     10     (economic), but has no authority to make sanction decision itself.

Removing banks from Swift is considered to be a severe measure because almost all banks use the system.

3 . Many Chinese home appliance enterprises (家电企业) saw demand for their heating products rise from the European market during the ongoing 132nd session of the China Import and Export Fair, or Canton Fair, the Shanghai Securities News reported on Friday.

“This time we are focusing on heating products,” said Bu Zhiming, general manager Gd Shine Electric Appliances, who has had his hands full since the opening of this year’s on Oct 15. The major products on display are heaters and electric ovens. The orders be flooding in more than one month earlier than previous years, according to Bu. The company sold more than 500,000 heating equipment to the European market in the first nine months, up over 30 percent year-on-year.

“We’ve received many telephones for information on heating equipment from the customers,” said Zhang Wei, board director of the exhibitor, Honghuo Holdings, a heating equipment provider based in Guangdong Province. “Small-sized air blowers with lower price and electric blankets with lower energy consumption are popular among European customers.” To meet the demand from Europe, the company has set up a subsidiary in France to produce heating products under own brand and seen the export of own-brand products rising by four to five fold so far this year.

“The European market is our focus during the Canton Fair this time. Since autumn, we’ve seen order rise,” said Peng Hongfei, head of the marketing department of the Vanward, a heating equipment provider. Peng said the sales of their heating equipment went beyond over 20 million yuan ($2.76 million) in the third quarter this year, up 102 percent on a yearly basis. “At present, we are also stepping up the preparation of new production lines to ensure order production.”

1. How did the report prove the greater demand for Chinese home appliances?

A．By advertising.

B．By comparing.

C．By interviewing.

D．By analyzing.

2. What does the underlined word in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Lab.

B．Branch.

C．System.

D．Standard.

3. How will the Vanward deal with the rising order?

A．Employ more workers.	B．Add production lines.
C．Learn new skills.	D．Encourage extra work.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Chinese heating equipment providers will make a big fortune.

B．The European market greatly welcomes Chinese home appliances.

C．Chinese heating products have changed fast over the past twenty years.

D．Chinese heating products see orders from Europe rise during Canton Fair.

4 . For most people, money still means physical cash printed by a sole(唯一的、专有的), public authority. Yet it may be short-lived, as cash gives way to the digitalization of finance and new means of payment may take over. The big change will have huge impacts on states, people and companies.

Does it do more good than harm? Eswar Prasad, a senior professor of Trade Policy at Cornell University, says in his book Kill bills, the Future of Money, it depends on central banks — whether they can embrace change without losing control. He insists the end of cash — likely within a decade or two — is revolutionary.

As for the trend that cash is declining, Mr Prasad explains that it is due to the fact that many people bank from laptops and make payments on their phones. Bitcoin and many other digital monies it has inspired bring about a more fundamental shift, which makes payments possible without the need for a trusted, central authority. However, banks remain dominant. Fearing this could do them out of a job, many central banks are beginning to catch up with the pace by developing their own digital currencies — CBDCs, which will upgrade the financial system.

Mr Prasad says they are more efficient than cash for settling transactions(交易结算). They could also provide support to digital-payment systems managed by private firms. They could offer “unbanked” communities access to digital payments and other financial products. And they may make it easier to track illegal transactions.

However, Mr Prasad fears CBDCs may be vulnerable(脆弱的) to hacking and bugs; they could kill private innovation and cause the instability they are meant to prohibit. The privacy of transactions will be lost.

He also manages to make the financial system understandable and interesting. His patient description of how it works includes numbers of well-researched examples and personal anecdotes.

1. What’s NOT the cause of cash decline?

A．Digital monies.	B．Digitalization of finance.
C．Financial system.	D．New means of payment.

2. What does the underlined word “they” in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A．Central banks.

B．Bills.

C．Companies.

D．CBDCs.

3. What’s the benefit of digital currencies developed by central banks according to the text?

A．They could keep private firms from innovating.

B．People without bank accounts can buy and pay online.

C．People can bank from laptops and make payments online.

D．They make the financial system safe and understandable.

4. What type of writing is the text?

A．A news report.	B．A science report.
C．A book review.	D．A biography.

5 . China’s first group of e-sports major graduates will emerge in the summer of 2021,with data showing that even though this major has been underestimated by the public, the future appears promising as there are hundreds of thousands of related jobs available.

After the Ministry of Education decided that “electronic sports and management” should be listed in colleges’ major departments in September 2016, around 30 Chinese universities kicked off their e-sports major courses in the same year, to meet the needs of the rise of e-sports related industries in the Chinese market.

“The major is designed to meet the demand,”said Zheng Duo,co-founder of Tianjin Hero Sports Management and a visiting professor from the Communication University of China(CUC).

Chinese passion for e-sports is not in doubt, with more than 18,000 e-sports companies registered as of 2021, according to corporate database Qichacha.The number of e-sports users in China reached 500 million in 2021, and the market had a value of more than 145 billion yuan as of 2020, according to Chinese consulting group iResearch. Meanwhile,the industry chain is becoming more complete.

Jobs in areas such as supervision and content production require talent and training. The number of available jobs is estimated at 500,000,and could reach 3.5 million in the next five years, according to China’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.

Well-known universities such as CUC and the Shanghai Theatre Academy have responded to the country’s call and are preparing graduates for the e-sports market.Yet not every major graduate is qualified for the positions available, as the jobs normally require practical experience,which is something a lot of graduates lack.

Industry insiders have indicated that e-sports is an industry with rapid iteration(迭代), and some companies prefer to hire people with experience instead of spending time training recruits.

Roughly half of the graduates will enter the gaming industry, said Xiao Pi, an e-sports major graduate from CUC. “Some of the rest will pursue further studies for their master’s degree.”

“Even though e-sports majors have advantages in finding jobs, students need practical experience to better suit the different positions,” said Gu Liming, president of Perfect World Games.

1. What do the public think of e-sports majors according to the text?

A．They don’t exist in job markets.

B．They deserve a promising future.

C．They don’t have a wide appeal.

D．They replace many other majors.

2. Why did universities start to offer e-sports major courses in 2016?

A．They had great passion for electronic sports.

B．They wanted to respond to the public’s call.

C．They had the potential for e-sports courses.

D．They wanted to meet the social demands.

3. What can we infer from Paragraph 4?

A．E-sports have a large database.

B．E-sports see a larger-scale market.

C．E-sports get advice from iResearch.

D．E-sports arise from a complete chain.

4. What do e-sports graduates really need to be better qualified for the positions?

A．The fierce competition.	B．Familiarity with markets.
C．Practical experience.	D．A master’s degree.

6 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入一个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

For centuries, people have kept large amounts of cash at home during difficult times. But in the coronavirus crisis, things are different. These metal coins and paper bills can be     1     source of worry rather than hope.

    2    (touch) by thousands of people, these objects could be a way for the coronavirus     3    (spread). Some countries have suggested that their citizens     4    (stop) using them altogether.

Zachary Cohle, an economics professor, said, “In many areas, cash was already beginning to disappear due to the risk of     5    (rob), the ease of Internet ordering, and the ubiquity (普遍存在) of cell phones.”

Sweden, Finland, Norway, Canada and others have slowly reduced cash use to the point     6     using it in large amounts seems unusual. Britain and Australia are expected to become     7    (cash) countries. In China, cash use     8    (drop) because of electronic payment services over the past ten years.

However, cash use is still common in places like West and Central Africa, for they don’t have reliable access     9     the Internet. In Lebanon, as the economy worsened late last year, the central bank said people withdrew an estimated $3 billion and saved     10     at home.

7 . The pink and green buoys（浮标）moved gently over the surface of the water as Catherine Puckett steered（操纵）her boat towards them. Underneath the area, Ms Puckett plants kelp-a type of seaweed-on long ropes that are like washing lines. In a good year she harvests about five tonnes of the stuff.

Seaweed has long been a mainstay(支柱)of Japanese cuisine, but it is now catching on in America. Dieticians(营养师)praise kelp's high nutritional value and its many uses in the kitchen. Restaurants offer kelp salads.

Seaweed also owes its rising popularity to something else. Research has shown that it restores underwater habitats and helps to reduce the effects of climate change.

Seaweed farming is attracting newcomers, especially women, to the seafood industry. GreenWave, a non-profit, has a waiting list of about 8, 000 people for its ocean-farming programme.

People, such as Suzie Flores, are switching careers. Before opening her kelp farm in 2017, she was a manager at a higher-education software company. Bren Smith, founder of GreenWave, says one reason ocean faming attracts newcomers is that starting a seaweed farm is easier than becoming a commercial fisherman, which requires permits that come in limited numbers and can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

For kelp farmers, however, getting the required permits can be a process involving numerous state agencies. Ms Flores says that outside of Maine(缅因州), plants to process the seaweed crop are limited. Ms Puckett has to harvest her crop within a five-hour window to get it on a ferry(渡船)before noon(she hopes to build her own processing plant on the island). And farmers sometimes have to deal with people who complain that the farming gear, though mostly underwater, spoils the view from their seafront villas(别墅).

The kelp industry is still young and farming seaweed is not always profitable. But, says Ms Flores, “I find it to be very fulfilling. You are growing food that is healthy for the environment and healthy for people. ”

1. What's Catherine Puckett?

A．A fisherman.

B．A seaweed farmer.

C．A scientist.

D．A dietician.

2. Why does ocean farming attract newcomers?

A．Fishing is no longer permitted.

B．It's not difficult to enter seafood industry.

C．A seaweed farm can be started at no cost.

D．It's more profitable than software industry.

3. What can we conclude from Paragraph 6?

A．Kelp farmers face some difficulties.

B．Kelp farmers complain about the ocean view.

C．Kelp farmers harvest their crop in the afternoon.

D．Kelp farmers process seaweeds in seafront villas.

4. What's Ms Flores' attitude towards the kelp industry?

A．Worried.

B．Doubtful.

C．Positive.

D．Unclear.

8 . People only contact their insurers when things go wrong and they need to make a claim. This generally means losses for the insurer. It also means stress and troubles for the customer. In order to relieve both problems, insurers increasingly offer extra services alongside their traditional policies.

Aviva, a British insurer, for instance, installs sensors on customers’ water pipes to detect very small leaks, so that these can be repaired before causing greater damage. This spares Aviva the cost of a bigger claim, and the customer the misfortune of a flooded basement.

Life insurers have so far been slower to catch on. But this is changing. Often extra services help people to live more healthily. AXA, a French insurer, gives its customers access to check-ups. Union Life, a Chinese one, guarantees customers a place in an old people's home and advises them on activities in retirement.

Last month, Haven Life, an American life-insurance agency, announced it would include a set of extra services for its customers. That makes it a pioneer on its home market as its new policy fits neatly into the global trend. Its extra services centre on health. For instance, customers also get discounts on family-health services at some clinics, and access to a genetic health test. Now more and more American life insurers have joined it. Ladder, a life-insurance startup, offers some help on financial planning through an online tool. State Farm, a large American insurer, gives customers a discount on in-home sensors that monitor old people’s health.

These services are not in short of demand. A survey by Bain & Company finds that American consumers have very similar preferences to other parts of the world on the sorts of services they want from life insurers. But America is not a friendly place for innovative insurers. New policies must be approved by each of its 50 state authorities. Some states’ laws are too inflexible, and do not allow for such extra benefits. Even when an offering suits insurers and their customers, it can still take time to spread.

1. Why do more and more insurers provide customers with extra services?

A．To help with the repair work.	B．To earn a greater reputation.
C．To prevent greater losses.	D．To make customers relaxed.

2. Why does the writer mention “AXA” and “Union Life” in Paragraph 3?

A．To draw people’s attention to keeping healthy.	B．To urge life insurers to provide more services.
C．To explain why life insurers develop slowly.	D．To show the changes in life insurers’ services.

3. What does Paragraph 4 mainly talk about concerning American life insurance?

A．The new trend on its market.	B．The new leader of its industry.
C．The quality of its new services.	D．The future of its new policy.

4. What is preventing life insurers’ new policies from spreading in America?

A．Consumers’ preferences.	B．Customers’ demands.
C．Some states’ rigid laws.	D．Extra services’ quality.

9 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Trading and Trending

December 11, 2021 marks the 20^th anniversary of China's entrance to the World Trade Organization（WTO）. Over the past 20 years, China has won widespread     1     （recognize）for its commitments, becoming a country that practices and defends globalization

Since 2001. China's overall tax rate     2     （drop）from 15.3 percent to 7.4 percent, lower than that in most developing countries. China has also continuously cut     3     （it）negative list of foreign investment access, and opened up as many sectors as possible to international trade.

The facilitation of trade and investment proves that China is opening     4     （wide）to the outside world,     5     in turn has promoted faster growth of the Chinese economy. In the last two decades. China's GDP went from sixth to second in the world, with its trade in goods     6     （rise）from sixth place to firs and trade in services climbing from eleventh to second place.

WTO spoke highly of the nation's important role as a driver of global growth and its commitment     7     guarding the trading system and participating in the various parts of WTO projects.

As the years progressed, China contributed     8     average of 30 percent to world economic growth. In 2020     9     （specific），the global economy declined owing to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,     10     China became the only major economy to sustain positive growth, putting the nation in an important position to drive the world's gradual economic recovery.

10 . The British love their supermarkets. And there are more and more of them every year. But is this a good thing? Not necessarily.

For a start, supermarkets have a negative effect on local communities. Money spent in independent small shops usually stays in the area. However, money spent at supermarkets is often put into the bank accounts of distant shareholders(股东), some of whom don't even pay any tax(税) in the UK!

Supermarkets are also bad for animal welfare(福利、关心). The UK has high standards in this field, but some supermarkets get their meat from abroad. And in many cases, this meat is produced under conditions that would be illegal (违法的) in the UK. But once they've got the meat, supermarkets put a British flag on the product as the meat is packed there. Dishonest? Not exactly, but it isn't entirely true either!

Supermarkets have a poor environmental record too. Many of them don't store food products themselves as storage space is expensive, so they get food producers to do it for them. This means that supermarket trucks have to make more trips to collect supplies. In turn,this increases the amount of petrol used, which leads to more pollution. In fact, the average item of food from a supermarket travels over 1,000 kilometres. Supermarkets also use a lot of plastic packaging, which isn't good for the environment either.

So, what can be done to help the small shops? Not much really. Supermarkets have a lot of power. Many political parties(政党) receive donations from supermarkets and supermarkets often use their money to influence decisions. For example, just before the millennium (the year 2000), one supermarket gave the government £12 million to help build the Millennium Dome in London. Later, plans to tax supermarket car parks were dropped.

Supermarkets are good news for shoppers looking for a bargain, but they're definitely bad for local business, animals and the environment!

1. Why are supermarkets in the UK bad for local communities?

A．They refuse to employ local workers.

B．They take money away from the locals.

C．They drive small shops out of the area.

D．They pay more tax than local companies.

2. What is the problem with the meat at supermarkets?

A．It is often priced dishonestly.

B．It may be packed under poor conditions.

C．It is sometimes produced illegally in the UK.

D．It may be below UK standard for animal welfare.

3. How do supermarkets affect the environment?

A．They cause too much food waste.

B．They reuse a lot of plastic packaging.

C．They occupy much land-as storage space.

D．They carry food over long distances by truck.

4. What does the author think of political parties in the UK?

A．They are heart-broken.

B．They are money-driven.

C．They are open-minded.

D．They are strong-willed.