1 . On Feb. 21, four students were standing on the side of Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu when a driver going 110 miles per hour lost control of his car and it crashed into the parked vehicles.12 people were killed at the scene, including 2 drivers.
This kind of traffic death shouldn’t be called an accident. In Los Angeles, we seem to have accepted constant carnage (屠杀) in our streets in exchange for maximizing driver speed and convenience. The official responses to proven traffic dangers are mere gestures, if even that.
Los Angeles is a uniquely deadly city with a death rate that is four times the national average. Unsurprisingly, it’s also a city that has been designed with one thing in mind: a concept called level of service, which grades streets on how well they serve those in automobiles. To many Angelenos, that makes sense — to design our streets for car traffic, which is the way many get around the city. Unfortunately, we don’t recognize that there’s a trade-off. We can either have streets bettered for free-flowing traffic, or we can design streets for people to move around safely outside of cars.
City leaders consistently choose for the easy but deadly option. In one recent example, a resident asked the city’s Department of Transportation to block drivers from using Cochran Avenue at Venice Boulevard as a cut-through street, as they were speeding through a quiet residential neighbourhood. The department responded by suggesting a “speed awareness campaign” in which neighbours put up yard signs urging drivers to slow down.
People don’t drive based on signage, but they drive on the design of the street. The trunk roads of Los Angeles such as Venice Boulevard all need to be revised so that people are prioritized over cars. This would include narrowing travel lanes (道), building bike lanes, and banning right turns at red lights. These measures would make drivers feel like they’re in a city and not on a highway. A recent John Hopkins study says this would have substantial safety benefits.
With more than 7,500 miles of streets in the city of Los Angeles, they won’t all be rebuilt anytime soon. But with each road construction project, or each crash, we should be revising streets to make them safer for all road users.
The solution to traffic jam isn’t to make more space for cars. It’s to design the streets to be safe enough for alternatives such as biking, walking and mass transit, especially for the 50% of trips daily in Los Angeles that are less than three miles. The solution to protecting people dining outdoors isn’t crash barriers. It’s a street design that forces drivers to go slowly. The problem is carnage in the streets, and we know the solutions.
1. Why should the traffic death in Los Angeles be called “constant carnage”?| A．The traffic accidents happen quite often. |
| B．Too many people are killed in the traffic accidents. |
| C．The drivers’ speeding is to blame for the traffic death. |
| D．City leaders’ consistent choice contributes to the traffic death. |
| A．Balance. | B．Guideline. | C．Conflict. | D．Resolution. |
| A．To widen travel lanes. | B．To add more crosswalks. |
| C．To arrange more traffic police. | D．To punish speeding drivers. |
| A．Drivers first or walkers first? | B．Traffic death or constant carnage? |
| C．More warning signs or safer designs? | D．More narrow lanes or speedy highways? |
2 . Are you crazy about something cool and delicious? Why not reach for one of the frozen treats around the world?
Parfait
A favorite in France is the parfait, which means “perfect”. This partly frozen dessert is made with egg yolks, sugar, whipped cream and often flavored syrup(糖浆). It is then served in a tall glass usually with ice cream and fruit in layers.
Turkish mastic ice cream(dondurma)
Like other kinds of ice cream, dondurma is made with milk and sugar. Thickening agents and flour are also added. These ingredients make the dessert so chewy that it’s usually eaten with a knife and fork!
Mango shaved ice
When mangoes are in season, it’s time for a summer favorite: mango shaved ice. For this delicious treat, shaved ice is covered with fresh mango cubes and milk. Some shops top it off with a scoop of ice cream.
Italian gelato
Many people consider gelato the best ice cream in the world. It’s made with a lower percentage of fat than regular ice cream and churned(搅拌) more slowly. This produces less air and gives gelato a richer quality. It’s often made with fruit flavors.
La Dame Blanche
This simple yet pretty dessert is from Belgium, a place known for its chocolate. The treat consists of vanilla ice cream and whipped cream, topped with chocolate sauce.
1. Which of the following treats is difficult to chew?| A．Parfait. | B．La Dame Blanche. | C．Mango shaved ice. | D．Turkish mastic ice cream. |
| A．France. | B．Turkey. | C．Belgium. | D．Italy. |
| A．Its shape. | B．Its quality. | C．The fruits it uses. | D．The procedure it is made. |
3 . How Your Weekly Shop Could Help Prevent a Mass Extinction
All around the world, the way in which we produce, buy and eat food has never been more similar. You may think you have more choices than your parents or grandparents ever did, and on one level that is true. Wherever you are, you can eat various foods all in a single day.
What we’re being offered appears at first to be diverse, until you realise it is the same kind of “diversity” that is spreading around the globe in the same way; what the world buys and eats is becoming more and more the same. Of the 6,000 plant species humans have eaten over time, we now mainly grow and eat just nine. What’s less well known is that for each of the crops, we’re eating from a smaller number of varieties. Thousands of different wheats exist, but less than 10 make it onto the “recommended list” issued to British farmers. It’s a similar story with the meat we eat.
This relatively recent phenomenon (现象) of eating from such a narrow selection of plants and animals, and just a few varieties of these, has resulted in a serious loss of diversity in farmers’ fields and in our diets and a great loss of biodiversity.
In the 20th century, efforts were made to produce more calories (卡路里) to feed growing populations, but in search of quantity, we gave up diversity. Crops and farm animals unique to their part of the world became endangered; some even went extinct (灭绝). When a food is lost, we risk not only losing a special flavour, but also a way of life and part of a culture. We also lose choices for the future.
Faced with the growing impact of climate change and extreme weather events, we can add greater resilience (快速恢复能力) to our food system by saving diversity. But as the world farms and eats in increasingly similar ways, more foods are at risk of disappearing. We all have a part to play in preventing this from happening, wherever we are in the world, and it starts with what we put in our shopping baskets.
Still unsure where to start? Focus on one of your favourite foods and start to explore it in all its diversity. Whether that’s chocolate, coffee, cheese or wine, find as much variation as you can, set off on a flavour adventure and help save something from extinction.
1. According to the passage, people may believe that ________.| A．our choices of food are more than those of early generations |
| B．our ways of food production are never similar to one another |
| C．what we plant stays the same around the world |
| D．what we eat is becoming increasingly popular |
| A．By using data. | B．By describing a scene. |
| C．By telling a story. | D．By sharing experiences. |
| A．Climate. | B．Business. | C．Population. | D．Technology. |
| A．Why to start. | B．Where to shop. | C．What to eat. | D．How to help. |
4 . Liu Yexi has taken Douyin by storm. As of Nov 17. the virtual idol, who debuted (首次出现) on the social media platform on Oct 31. had only released two short videos but attracted over 5 million followers.
Different from other virtual idols, Liu is defined as a “virtual beauty vlogger”. In her first video, Liu is doing makeup with an eye brush while dressed in a traditional Chinese costume. When she turns around, the onlookers are terrified, except one boy. Then Liu slightly brushes the boy’s eyes, allowing him to see the fantasy world in her own eyes.
The internet users marveled at its storyline, science-fiction elements and special visual effects with cyberpunk style. Liang Zikang, the CEO of the production team, told China Newsweek that the team spent two months making the video.
Liu’s instant popularity online further reflects that the virtual idol industry in China has been booming. There are over 32, 400 virtual idols that have opened accounts on video-sharing platform Bilibili in the past year, seeing a year-on-year rise of 40 percent, Chen Rui, the CEO of Bilibili, said in a speech.
“Compared with real idols and stars, the virtual ones seem to be more approachable for fans,” Shine News noted. Additionally, these virtual web celebrities won’t have scandals.
As more young people are fascinated by these virtual figures, their commercial value has been on the rise. Generally, they earn money by endorsements, online concerts, livestreaming and related products.
Therefore, some people are wondering whether they will replace real humans. “These so-called virtual idols have real human teams to back them up and control them. They are not really virtual,” Ding Daoshi, an independent analyst in the internet sector, told the Global Times. The real virtual idol will come when artificial intelligence achieves a new level of self-learning and self-training and then interacts with others, he added.
1. What can we learn about Liu Yexi from the text?| A．Liu has more followers than any real idols. |
| B．Liu is skilled at making up science fictions. |
| C．Liu became famous overnight as a “virtual beauty vlogger”. |
| D．Liu has released two short videos to attract 5 million supporters. |
| A．Virtual idols will replace real humans. |
| B．The real virtual idol is likely to appear. |
| C．The virtual idol industry is totally conducted by AI. |
| D．Conditions for the virtual idol industry have matured. |
| A．A guidebook. | B．An autobiography. | C．A book review. | D．A news report. |
Is it the future worrying me? Did I hurt someone by mistake? Am I expecting too much from life? We are often stuck in these unnecessary thoughts, causing anxiety and making us weak.
The escape from my sadness and depressed thought has been cooking for the past few months. I read through quick recipes, find the ones that I can connect to, and search up for materials in the kitchen. Every time I cut a vegetable, it is like I am cutting off my problems. All of this not only brings me great joy, but it leads me to discover something I am good at, which I might have never tried otherwise.
Cooking can work as a treatment, which has received some scientific explanations. Mental health experts have talked about the benefits cooking and baking provides for people struggling with poor mental health. Through cooking, these people can get back control of their lives. They can bring back the feeling of joy and excitement that has been long gone from their daily lives. Julia Ohana, an active expert in culinary therapy, talked about the significance cooking holds in terms of time control, communication, and problem-solving ability. She believes all these skills combined help people become less depressed and more satisfied.
The excitement when you work on a recipe is unexplainable. You look forward to what you are going to create from your own hands. You have the power to make something great, only depending on the direction you take and your cooking skills.
1. What might be the result if we are caught in unnecessary worries?2. According to the experts, what benefits will cooking bring to people with poor mental health?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
The author chooses to cook when he feels sad because he wants to comfort himself with a good meal and the cooking process also brings him happiness.
4. Please briefly present some other ways to get rid of unnecessary worries. (In about 40 words)
6 . Hello, everyone! Welcome to another episode of our show Tease Your Brain. Today we will talk about brand language. When you walk into Starbucks, the world’s biggest coffee chain, you may hear a customer speaking a rapid-fire series of descriptions when asking for a drink — half-caf, black, and for the sizes — tall, grande, venti and trenta.
It is a special language, so this morning we have invited Scott, the Starbucks Regional Manager to talk about it. Welcome Scott!
First of all, can you say something about Starbucks language?
Scott: Thanks for inviting me. OK, sure. Our company invented these rules in the booklet, “Make It Your Drink”. It only belongs to Starbucks. We have also trained our baristas (咖啡师) to reply to customers using Starbucks vocabulary.
That is so fascinating, Scott! Is Starbucks the only company that uses brand language?
Scott: No. Many companies use this technique. When hungry Californians order a meal at In-N-Out, a burger chain, they need to specify the proportion of cheese slices to patties: a “triple double” means two patties sandwiched between three slices of cheese.
Thank you so much for your insight, Scott.
This past week, Tease Your Brain left the studio to ask people’s opinion about brand language. Let’s find out what they said：
A marketing professor: In my book The Language of Branding, I mention that brand language is a brilliant way of enhancing customer loyalty (忠诚). Companies that persuade people to use their own terms create “a sense of belonging and improved loyalty to the brand”. It also enables employees to work more efficiently.
A sociologist: People become part of a “speech community” when they use specialized vocabulary, which creates a feeling of shared values. Every time a company gets a consumer to refer to its products using a branded term rather than a general description — whoppers, say, rather than burgers — it is drawing them into its own community. In so doing, it makes them more likely to buy its products in the future.
OK. Now let’s listen to what a customer in Starbucks said.
I heard you order your coffee with the brand language, “no-whip”. So, what do you think of this kind of language?
A customer: I think it helps to create a “tribe” that members identify with. Take CrossFit, a fitness firm as an example. It has come up with a set of extensive vocabulary —“wod” means “workout of the day”. Using this kind of description, I feel like I am in the CrossFit group.
1. Which of the following belongs to Starbucks language?| A．Triple double. | B．Whopper. | C．Wod. | D．No-whip. |
| A．model a new marketing tool |
| B．give its baristas a sense of belonging |
| C．get customers to identify with the brand |
| D．provide a platform for people to share their values |
| A．To feature Starbucks’ popular products. |
| B．To explore the function of brand language. |
| C．To highlight the importance of brand influence. |
| D．To advise more companies to create special terms. |
| A．quotations | B．principles | C．usage | D．cases |
| A．server | B．device | C．item | D．practice |
9 . Earlier this year, the price on the bestseller, The Girl on the Train, was cut from $11.99 to $1.99 for one day only. The Da Vinci Code was given away for free for one week. Most people were completely unaware of these huge deals.
A select group of readers, however, had the inside scoop (消息) on all these deals. They were using our service at the deal site, BookBub, a daily email that offers limited-time deals on free or deeply-discounted e-books.
Easy Access
Over 10 million people have signed up for BookBub’s free service. Readers sign up with just an email address, and then select their favorite genres (类型). Each day, we send an email with free and discounted bestselling e-books in the selected genres. Just click, download, and read on a device.
Customized Categories
Ranging from mysteries to romance to cookbooks, there are more than 35 categories to choose from to customize your email.
Expert Editors
Each title is hand-selected by our editorial team to ensure the highest quality. In addition, each book is at least 75% off, and many are free, which makes it extremely low-risk to try new authors and genres.
Book lovers have now become practically attracted to this concept. In many cases, they’ve downloaded hundreds of books and saved hundreds of dollars using the service.
“I now have more books than I can read in a lifetime,” said Suzie Miller of Auburn, WA. She said she has downloaded more than 350 free e-books using the service.
Sign up to see today’s deals！
1. According to the passage, BookBub is unique mainly in its ________.| A．wide price range | B．rich selection of authors |
| C．various events for readers | D．personalized recommendations |
| A．prove popularity of the e-books | B．show the benefits of BookBub |
| C．call on people to read more e-books | D．offer guidance on using BookBub |
| A．promote a deal site | B．give advice on book choice |
| C．report a new way to read | D．compare e-books with paper books |
Amsterdam has become very popular with cyclists because of the convenience for bicycles. In the 1960s, a group of cycling fans came up with an idea
