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 . Recently, there is a view on the Internet that “the rise of pig price will lead to the rise of other food prices, thus leading to a substantial rise in overall prices”. It should be said that this judgment is not scientific. We should objectively understand the position of pork price in the overall price and its possible linkage effect.

At present, the main problem faced by the pork price is the lack of pork production capacity, which has nothing to do with inflation and will not lead to inflation. The rise of pork price only affects the upstream and downstream of pig industry and other related products such as meat, but has limited impact on the overall price. At present, China's agricultural product supply is sufficient; the production capacity of consumer goods is constantly improving; the service supply is more diversified, and the monetary policy remains stable, which provides a solid foundation for the stable operation of prices.

Keeping prices, especially the prices of important people's livelihood commodities, basically stable is related to the basic life of the people. In the face of rising pork prices, the state's policy of ensuring supply and stabilizing prices continues to increase. From choosing the right opportunity to put frozen meat reserve to starting the price subsidy mechanism, from rectifying the improper restriction and prohibition measures to protecting the land for pig farms, from special financial support to financial insurance escort, all departments are taking measures. With the gradual effectiveness of the measures, the price of pork will be stable in the future. It is worth noting that the data of the Ministry of Commerce on September 10th shows that the increase of pork wholesale price has fallen back from the previous week (from September 2nd to 8th).

1. From the first paragraph of the article, what’s the correct point of view we can get?

A．The rise of pig price will lead to the rise of other food prices, which will lead to the sharp rise of overall prices.

B．The rise of pig price will lead to the decrease of other food prices, which will lead to the sharp decline of overall price.

C．People should objectively understand the position of pork price in the overall price and its possible linkage effect.

D．It is not important to understand the position of pork price in the overall price and the linkage effect it can produce.

2. According to the second paragraph, we can know why the price of pork is rising?

A．The reason for the rise of pork price is related to inflation.

B．The reason for the rise of pork price is related to the death of pigs.

C．The reason for the rise of pork price is related to market demand.

D．The reason for the rise of pork price is related to the lack of pork production capacity.

3. According to the third paragraph of the article, what will be the price of pork in the future?

A．The price of pork will keep rising.	B．The price of pork will probably be stable.
C．The price of pork will not be stable.	D．The price of pork will never be stable.

4. The most suitable title for this article is _______.

A．The Price of Pork Is Rising.

B．What will People Do in the Face of Rising Pork Prices?

C．The Impact of Rising Pork Prices.

D．The Impact of Rising Pork Prices on People.

4 . The sharing economy is an economic model known as a peer-to-peer(P2P)based activity of getting, providing, or sharing goods and services that is often promoted by on-line platforms (平台) It allows persons and groups to make money from the assets (资产) which is not _______ .In a sharing economy, underused assets such as parked cars and spare bedrooms can be _______ when they are not used. In this way, physical assets are shared as _______ .

Concerns about the sharing economy often includes the uncertainty about _______ .While businesses offering rent services are often _______ by local governments, people who don’t have official permission to _______ rent services may not be following these rules or paying the costs. This could mean putting them in a better position that makes it possible for them to ask _______   prices to get a bigger market share.

Another _______ is that lack of watching over businesses will lead to _______ uses of both buyers and sellers in the sharing economy. There have been many cases ________ known to the public like hidden cameras in rented rooms, lawsuits (诉讼)over ________ treatment of ridesharing drivers by the platforms ________ employ them, and even murders of customers by real or ________ ridesharing providers.

There is also a fear that lots of information shared on online platforms can create racial or sex bias (偏见) among users. This can happen when users are allowed to ________ who they will share their homes or cars with, or because of the database of users with poor credit history or bad behaviour ________ .

1.

A．in danger

B．in use

C．in order

D．in hand

2.

A．taken out

B．picked out

C．rented out

D．sold out

3.

A．services

B．supplies

C．gifts

D．goals

4.

A．values

B．customers

C．markets

D．rules

5.

A．managed

B．punished

C．provided

D．judged

6.

A．offer

B．order

C．accept

D．stop

7.

A．higher

B．lower

C．full

D．right

8.

A．case

B．opinion

C．topic

D．concern

9.

A．impolite

B．impatient

C．improper

D．impossible

10.

A．highly

B．widely

C．narrowly

D．deeply

11.

A．official

B．special

C．unfair

D．equal

12.

A．which

B．who

C．where

D．when

13.

A．formal

B．unique

C．dishonest

D．specific

14.

A．cheat

B．choose

C．impress

D．recognize

15.

A．errors

B．styles

C．details

D．records

5 . With coffee beans in short supply worldwide and Chinese consumers expanding their coffee habit, Yunnan province beans have increasingly appeared in major coffee chains in China.

Yunnan, the largest coffee planting area in China, is blessed with high altitudes and suitable climate for planting high-quality coffee beans. The province is the source of more than 99% of domestically (国内地) produced coffee.

Last year, Brazil, the world’s largest coffee producing country, experienced extreme weather, including drought and frost, which caused a decrease in output of nearly 20%. The epidemic (疫情) is another reason for the price increase. The COVID-19 pandemic has hampered the timely transportation of coffee beans to overseas markets.

With coffee from international markets in short supply, Yunnan has drawn attention of coffee chains in China.

Ye Peng, a coffee farmer in Pu’er, Yunnan, for more than a decade, said she has seen the prices of orders double from last year. With advanced planting technologies and higher quality local coffee beans, her company ships its product to famous coffee chains such as Starbucks and Manner Coffee.

Baoshan Chunzheng Coffee Company is a major coffee provider in Yunnan. It provides coffee beans to Yum China, which operates fast food chains KFC and Pizza Hut (必胜客) in the country.

With promising markets at home and abroad, there are more and more coffee farmers and coffee factories in Yunnan.

1. Why is Yunnan province suitable to grow coffee beans?

A．It is with high altitudes and proper climate.

B．It is a spring city with no summer or winter.

C．People in Yunnan are fond of drinking coffee.

D．Local government encourages people to grow them.

2. What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．Foreign coffee markets.	B．The weather and transportation.
C．The COVID-19 pandemic.	D．Reasons for increased prices.

3. What does the underlined word “hamper” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Speed up

B．Slow down.

C．Update.

D．Change.

4. What can we learn from the passage?

A．The prices of coffee are decreasing for many reasons.

B．Brail is no longer the biggest coffee producing country.

C．Most of the Yunnan coffee beans are transported abroad.

D．Many people in Yunnan are willing to enter the coffee markets.

6 . BEIJING — The Chinese economy has shown positive signs of stabilizing (稳定), but it’s hard to judge what it will be next year, governor of China’s central bank said on Thursday.

Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the People’s Bank of China, made the remarks on a panel discussion with delegates from the financial field to the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which opened here on Thursday morning.

China’s economic momentum (推进力) will depend on not only domestic conditions, but also changes brought by the global financial crisis, said Zhou, who is also a CPC delegate to the national congress.

“It has become increasingly clear that the Chinese economy is now moving towards a better direction,” he said.

Due to the impact of the debt crisis in Europe, China’s economy began slowing this year. The Chinese economy expanded only 7. 4 percent year-on-year in the third quarter of 2012, marking a downturn for seven straight quarters, the National Bureau of Statistics of China said.

As the government adopted a series of fiscal (财政的) and monetary measures and speeded up the approvals of investment projects to spur the slowing economy, the domestic economy has stabilized since September with better indicators, Zhou said.

He said it’s hard to judge how the global financial crisis will continue to affect the Chinese economy because the spreading of the European debt crisis and the so-called fiscal cliff problem in the United States have increased uncertainties of the world economy.

“We need to monitor the effect on our economy of the monetary, easing policies launched recently by the United States and the European Union,” he said.

China is likely to maintain the policy continuity to some extent in 2013, but will leave enough room to make the policy targeted and flexible.

1. What is the attitude of Zhou Xiaochuan towards the Chinese economy at present?

A．Doubtful.

B．Negative.

C．Optimistic.

D．Unknown.

2. The underlined word “spur” in the sixth paragraph probably means “______”.

A．cause

B．expand

C．decrease.

D．encourage.

3. What caused China’s economy slowing in 2012?

A．Global financial crisis.

B．The debt crisis in Europe.

C．Fiscal cliff problem in the US.

D．The Chinese economy policy.

4. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．The People’s Bank of China published the economic statistics of China.

B．The Chinese economy policy will have a chance of flexibility in 2013.

C．The world economy is uncertain.

D．The global financial crisis has a great effect on the Chinese economy.

7 . Dear boss — You have always tried to attract young consumers, and our consultants have always come up with new ways to label them. The trouble is that coming up with rules to define a group of humanity is more art than science. It is likely to become an exercise in applying stereotypes; not every youngster is drinking kombucha in a Brooklyn storehouse. Luckily you have me, and I’m here to tell you that much of what is written about marketing to today’s most prized consumers is a myth.

Start with the idea that, glued to smartphones, youngsters barely notice the physical world and passively follow the latest hit from Instagram or TikTok. It’s true that the days of marketing chiefly through television, newspapers and magazines are long gone. However, social media has not just changed the ways people discover brands; it has weakened the power of marketing as a whole. Online, talk is cheap and prices are readily Googled. Digital natives, therefore, can easily fact-check our suspicious marketing claims and ads. Surveys suggest that young Americans are among the most price-sensitive food shoppers, even though they have accumulated less wealth than earlier generations had by the same age.

There is a similar urge to think that physical shops no longer matter. Young consumers love their Amazon deliveries. It makes sense for our company to make sales via social media and ship directly to customers’ homes. But what works best is the close integration of the digital and physical worlds. Remember those online-only beauty brands like Glossier, which took the world by storm during the pandemic. It turns out that they struggle to get repeat business and have had to pair up with physical shops. What really matters is avoiding insincerity. Dishonesty is easily exposed online, where everyone loves a takedown. Remember the strong resistance to Boohoo, a fast-fashion firm, when it appointed Kourtney Kardashian, a celebrity leading a luxurious life, as a “sustainability ambassador”? And commit only to causes you can tangibly support and be frank when you are putting profits first. Anyway, nobody is perfect. To pretend otherwise is so 2013.

1. Why is there trouble with finding rules to define a group of people?

A．Because fixed ideas may be inappropriately employed.

B．Because not everybody is into drinking tea at a storehouse.

C．Because art is more challenging to learn than science.

D．Because the consultants are not as expert as the author.

2. What is the purpose of mentioning the surveys about young Americans in Paragraph 2?

A．To reveal their incompetence in saving money.

B．To illustrate they are sensitive to the prices of food online.

C．To demonstrate marketing has a great impact on their spending habits.

D．To prove they are not passive receivers of online marketing tricks.

3. Which of the following statements may the author agree with?

A．Celebrities work as reliable ambassadors.

B．Young customers don’t visit physical shops.

C．Dishonesty in marketing was not rare in 2013.

D．Traditional media still play a major role in marketing.

4. What is a suitable title for the text?

A．How to Expand Youth Market: From Ideas to Practice

B．How to Sell to the Young: From Myth to Truth

C．How to Attract Young Customers: Honesty and Profits

D．How to Increase Sales Online: Labeling and Marketing

8 . PRIVACY POLICY

The Bundaberg Privacy Policy explains how we collect, store and use your personally identifiable information. Our Privacy Policy will be continuously assessed against new technologies, business practices and our customers’ changing needs. Accordingly, this Privacy Policy is subject to change over time without notification being made to users, and therefore we encourage you to periodically review this Privacy Policy to become aware of any changes that may have occurred.

➢ Collection of Personal Information

We will collect personally identifiable information from you when you knowingly provide it to us. The types of personal information we may collect, includes, but is not limited to your full name, address, email address and phone number.

In terms of your personal information, we only collect information about individuals that is necessary for us to carry on our business functions. What information we collect depends upon the nature of our dealing with you. Importantly, in some circumstances if you do not provide the information that we request, you may not be able to engage with us. For example, if you refuse to provide some personal information as may be requested on the Bundaberg website, you may not be able to use all features or services of the website.

➢ Use and Disclosure of Personal Information

We may use your personal information for the following purposes:

⚫ Billing purposes;
⚫ To enable us to develop our products and business, or to customize services to better meet your needs and preferences;
⚫ Statistical purposes.
        We will contact you by electronic or other means to get your agreement first for any purpose other than those above, including but not limited to:
⚫ Future promotional and marketing purposes;
⚫ To inform you of special offers, promotions and competitions;
⚫ Any other customer support purposes.

Your personal information may be used by sub-contractors of Bundaberg for our business activities only; however, your information will not be disclosed to any other third party without your agreement, unless required to do so by law.

1. In order to be kept informed of the privacy information, you’d better __________.

A．examine the Privacy Policy regularly

B．check the official notification weekly

C．express your changing needs privately

D．evaluate the business practices critically

2. Which of the statements is TRUE about Bundaberg’s collecting users’ personal information?

A．You have no knowledge of what personal information is collected.

B．Your personal information can promote Bundaberg’s business functions.

C．All the customers are required to provide identical personal information.

D．You may not get some services without providing requested personal information.

3. Bundaberg will use your personal information for the purpose of __________ without getting your agreement first.

A．attracting new sub-contractors

B．advertising its services

C．sending bills to you

D．letting you know about special offers

9 . First launched in 2010 by China’s e-commerce giant Jingdong, the 618 shopping event has developed into a major mid-year shopping event that has driven online consumer spending over   the decade. However, consumers are becoming more cautious during a pandemic-hit economic downturn and growing tired of more frequent shopping events stimulation over the past decade.

The event was originally created as a competition for the Alibaba-backed Singles’ Day shopping event on November 11. And similar to Singles’ Day, the 618 shopping festival has grown out of its founding platform and become a promotional event across all major Chinese e-commerce platforms. The event is also considered a barometer (指标) for consumer spending capacity and new shopping trends in China.

For those who are taking a close look at the country’s second-largest shopping carnival, this year’s edition of 618 might seem like 2020’s all over again, yet if anything the situation is even more serious.

In both years, China was just coming out of lockdowns which had taken a toll on the country’s economy and led to negative consumer consumption concept. But the timing is different. In 2020, Covid-19 broke out in January and most pandemic-related lockdowns were removed in early April. By the time 618 arrived in June, the state had already stepped in to boost consumption by launching a series of digital subsidy programs over April and May. On top of that, the two-month gap allowed more time for manufacturing and logistics (物流) companies to recover from the lockdowns ahead of the shopping festival.

This year, however, there’s less time for the market—either consumer consumption concept, merchants (商人), or logistics companies—to react since the months-long lockdowns to control new Covid-19 outbreaks in cities like Beijing and Shanghai only ended on June 1, just as many retailers were preparing for the 618 shopping festival with pre-promotion and early deals. Moreover, recent trends make it obvious that Chinese consumers will be even more cautious in 2022 than they were near the start of the pandemic.

1. What was the reason for JD to establish the 618 shopping events?

A．To attract customers to shop in malls.

B．To celebrate Jingdong’s establishment.

C．To compete with Alibaba for customers.

D．To create opportunities for single person.

2. Why is the 618 shopping event seen as an assessment of spending power?

A．Because of its leadership in fashion.

B．It is China’s second-largest shopping festival.

C．Because of JD company’s popularity.

D．It is organized by China’s largest online platform.

3. What difficulty do the 618 shopping events in 2020 and 2022 both face?

A．The absent logistics assistance.

B．The same tough timing for selling.

C．The pandemic-hit economic decline.

D．The sales restrictions set by government.

4. Why may the 618 shopping event in 2022 be even worse?

A．Lockdowns just ended in early April.

B．There is less time for the market to respond.

C．Covid-19 outbreaks are more serious in cities.

D．Chinese customers are more lacking in money

5. What does the underline word “lockdowns”in the last paragraph mean?

A．measures to close cities

B．limited activities

C．locks to the door

D．downtowns

10 . 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.