1 . The topic of China’s “slash youth” has fueled heated debate on social media recently, drawing attention to the diverse pursuits of the younger generation.
The slash youth, which could also be called slashers or slash-generation — means those who refuse to be defined or bound by just one personal identity. They are keen to present themselves as multiple and sometimes distinct identities, such as a nurse and model, a teacher and stand-up comedian, and an engineer and band player. Rather than material comforts, they pursue meaningful achievement.
A diverse career can enable them to develop new experiences and talents as well as social and professional networks, leading to greater flexibility in life and work, recognition and satisfaction.
A study on “slash youth” published in the China Youth Research magazine analyzes the background of this phenomenon: with part of modern society’s structured organization and stability norms (规范) broken, flexible labor markets and structural unemployment have emerged, dispelling the sense of job security of the young people in employment. Young people also face the dilemma of self-actualization (自我实现), including the sense of powerlessness, lost sense of value and lack of self-identity in the profession, which forces them to re-find the meaning of work.
“The ‘slash life’ shows that our society is becoming more and more diversified and inclusive, and it welcomes everyone’s self-fulfillment,” said Shi Yanrong, an associate researcher from Tianjin Academy of Social Sciences. “Young people no longer have to rely on work and money for their sense of self-worth. They tend to create their own identities.” The researcher added that against the background that people have multiple interests and are willing to pay for these interests nowadays, the “slash life” of the youth would drive the growth of a new economy, just as animation culture affected the market.
1. What attracts younger generation to pursue multiple identities?| A．Meaningful self-fulfillment. | B．Public concern. |
| C．Booming job market. | D．Material comforts. |
| A．Highlighting. | B．Stimulating. | C．Removing. | D．Increasing. |
| A．It inspires young people’s creativity at work. |
| B．It enables young people to earn high incomes. |
| C．It reflects the increasing tolerance of the society. |
| D．It increases people’s confidence in young generation. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Dismissive. | C．Disapproving. | D．Ambiguous. |
2 . An experiment in Botswana suggests that painting eyes on the rear ends (臀部) of cows may help protect them from large animals like lions. Protecting cows could also in turn protect the lions from farmers.
Large predators (食肉动物) like lions are under pressure. Much of the land they used to live in has been taken over by humans. Many are even hunted. One serious threat to large predators comes from farmers, who often shoot or poison them after losing farm animals to their attacks. This has long been a problem in the Okavango Delta.
The Okavango Delta is an area where the Okavango River empties out. With its waters spreading out over thousands of square miles, the area is an important location for various wildlife. In the area, there are many small farms, with between 6 and 100 cows. Lions are the biggest threat to cows in the area.
Scientists from the University of New South Wales wondered if painting pictures of eyes on the cows’ rear ends might protect them. Working with over 2,000 cows in the Okavango area, the scientists tested their ideas in a four-year study. The researchers separated the cows into three groups. They painted large eyes on the rear ends of one group of cows. The second group got simple Xs. The final group got nothing.The eyes worked well. Of the 683 cows with eyes painted on them, none were killed in the four-year period.Fifteen of the 835 cows with nothing on their backsides were killed. The scientists were surprised to learn even Xs seemed to give the cows protection. Only 4 of the 543 cows with Xs were killed.
Though the results show a simple way to protect cows from lions, the scientists pointed out that the method may have weaknesses. The researchers aren’t sure the fake (假的) eyes would work so well if all of the cows had them. Also, over time, predators might learn to ignore fake eyes. Still, for now, it seems like a cheap way to protect cows in the area.
1. What is the biggest possible benefit of proecting cows?| A．Improving farmers’life quality. |
| B．Balancing the local ecosystem. |
| C．Controlling the number of predators. |
| D．Saving lions from environmental pollution. |
| A．To draw attention to cows’ safety. |
| B．To introduce possible threats to cows. |
| C．To give the reason for choosing this place. |
| D．To show the problem of the location. |
| A．Cows’ eyes could scare lions away. |
| B．Xs could protect cows from lions too. |
| C．Many of the cows with Xs were killed. |
| D．Some cows with nothing on backsides were killed. |
| A．Cows can be protected from lions |
| B．Fake eyes protect cows from lions |
| C．Fake eyes are used to protect animals |
| D．Animals are closely related to each other |
3 . Scientists from the UK recently visited the Arctic, the northernmost region of Earth, to test out a method of “refreezing” its ice. The Arctic is extremely cold, but the ice is melting due to global warming. Over the past 30 years, the oldest and thickest parts have shrunk by as much as 95%. This is a concern because the melting ice causes sea levels to rise.
In January, a research team traveled to Cambridge Bay, in Arctic Canada.
The plan is for people who live in the region to measure the thickness of the ice over several weeks.
| A．Experts are exploring other ideas too |
| B．It also causes the seawater under it to freeze faster |
| C．This also limits the environmental impact of the study |
| D．It also makes the planet warmer because the dark water absorbs the Sun’s heat |
| E．They cut a hole in the ice and used a pump to bring seawater from under the ice up to the surface |
| F．The pump used by the scientists is powered by green hydrogen, a gas produced using renewable energy |
| G．The team hopes to add about three feet of ice in order to stop it from melting completely during the summer |
4 . Listening to birds and water can lower stress and improve mood, study finds. Researchers have long known there are benefits from being in nature. Living around trees can help you live longer. Walking in the woods is good for your mood. Being near water can have positive effects on your well-being.
A new study finds that natural sounds offer health benefits too. There is plenty of evidence that spending time in natural areas is good for our health — but typically this research is done from a visual perspective, but we are curious what the role is of sounds we hear in these spaces.
Some examples they found reported in those studies included decreased pain, lowered stress, improved mood, and better cognitive (认知的) function. With these results in hand, they then listened to audio recordings from 251 sites in 68 national parks across the United States.
The sites with the most natural sounds and the lowest man-made sounds were located in Alaska, Hawaii, and the Pacific Northwest and were far from urban areas. Only three locations with high natural sounds and low noise pollution were within 100 kilometers (62 miles) of urban areas.
However, despite human-made noises being heard most of the time at sites in urban locations, birds were still heard about 60% of the time and geophysical sounds like wind and rain heard about 19% of the time.
Not all natural sounds deliver the same benefits, the researchers found. For example, they discovered that the sounds of water had the largest impact on improving positive emotions and health outcomes, while bird sounds ease stress and annoyance. And the sounds of both birds and water were heard more than 23% of the time in the national park recording sites.
Interestingly, there was also some evidence that natural sounds have benefits over silence. There was also evidence that more different types of natural sounds — more types of birds singing rather than just one type of bird— have benefits over fewer sounds.
1. What does the new study focus on?| A．The effect natural sounds have on health. |
| B．The harm man-made sounds do to health. |
| C．The benefits natural sounds bring to the environment. |
| D．The effect nature has on people from visual perspective. |
| A．It is away from cities. |
| B．It has no noise pollution. |
| C．It has bird songs most of the time. |
| D．It is within 62 miles of urban areas. |
| A．The silence of nature. |
| B．The sounds of water. |
| C．The diversity of natural sounds. |
| D．Natural sounds mixed with noises. |
| A．It Is Beneficial to Live Close to Water |
| B．We Are Surrounded by All Kinds of Sounds |
| C．The Sounds of Nature Affect Your Well-being |
| D．Man-made Noise Pollution Is Harmful to Our Health |
5 . I’m 23 now, and I’ve had about eight different jobs. From each one I’ve learned something valuable.
The first job was as a receptionist (接待员) at a company that sold knives, and I got into the job so completely that I no longer had a life outside work. I was so desperate (不顾一切的) not to lose the job that I tried my best to be the best employee there ever was. I would come in at 6 am. Sometimes I wouldn’t leave until 11 at night.
Not only was I afraid of getting fired, but also I was avoiding being at home. I was living in an apartment with people I hated, so I spent all my time at work. And sometimes my boss asked me to lie to customers. I hated to do so. And soon my boss told me all his problems. I listened and offered whatever advice I could. It made me feel needed and useful.
I didn’t like the sleepless nights. I worried not only about my own problems but also about my boss’s as well. Even when my work started to suffer because of the stress, I couldn’t tell my boss that I needed a break.
Well, as you can imagine, I was working too much. It didn’t take long for me to pass out (昏倒) one night. And I had to stay in hospital and I was fired because my boss said I couldn’t handle the job’s pressure.
1. What was the author’s first job?| A．A knife seller. |
| B．An office cleaner. |
| C．A receptionist. |
| D．An adviser. |
| A．It’s common for the boss to be indifferent. |
| B．It’s necessary to lie to customers. |
| C．It’s wrong to help his boss roundly. |
| D．It’s important not to let work be the whole life. |
| A．My first job | B．My first boss |
| C．My work experience | D．My eight jobs |
6 . In the cartoon Tom and Jerry, Tom tries his best to kill Jerry, and Jerry keeps finding ways to escape. Both Tom and Jerry have their own challenges but they were born to never give up. Here are four life lessons we can learn from these two cartoon characters.
We fight with our nearest and dearest ones because we feel it is our right. Well, it doesn’t really matter how many times we fight; what matters is: Do we provide them with a sense of security (安全感) in the face of danger? Do we offer our shoulders when they are in need of us or stand by them when they feel upset? Do we share our happiness in life?
If you are witty, then your size does not matter at all. A weak one might get frightened for a moment, but he can win over the strongest with his wisdom. Jerry just makes the best use of his brain and wins. If you ever feel lost, disappointed or weak, return to yourself and try to discover your strength. “You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.”
At times, your best friend might behave rudely or seem to be your greatest enemy. It’s not the time to express your anger and prove him or her wrong. It is quite likely that your friend expects you to be wiser in difficult situations and wants you to admit your mistakes. Love is expressed in a variety of ways.
Be prepared to face difficulties even if you have had enough. There is an old saying,“Every difficulty is a chance!” Be prepared and let them come and get you annoyed; they will make you stronger and wiser as a person.
1. What can we learn from the cartoon characters according to Paragraph 2?| A．Always be there for our friends when they need us. |
| B．The nearest and dearest friends may be enemies. |
| C．Fight with the nearest and dearest friends. |
| D．Without friends, we can do nothing at all. |
| A．Strong. | B．Wise. |
| C．Confident. | D．Hopeful. |
| A．Show your anger to him or her. |
| B．Try to prove him or her wrong. |
| C．See it as a way of expressing love. |
| D．Regard him or her as your greatest enemy. |
| A．Becoming confident in solving all problems. |
| B．Seeing how wise we can be in the face of challenges. |
| C．Taking the chance to find our best and true friends. |
| D．Making use of every difficulty to improve ourselves |
7 . Every Friday afternoon, the student goes to the Career Clothing Closet for an hour-long open house event. Soon, Lattimore 124 was full of students admiring the clothing, and there was excited chatter from the sound of friends helping each other decide what pieces to take.
The Career Clothing Closet offers a diverse and great selection which includes: blouses, button-down shirts, skirts and jewelry in all colors, shapes and sizes. Everything here is completely free. But where do all of the items come from? How is the Greene Center from the University of Rochester able to give them away,free of charge?
According to Jodyi Wren,Executive Director and Assistant Dean of the Greene Center, andChristina Pero, the Employer and Alumni Experiences Manager, the Career Clothing
Closet is completely donation based, with many board members, staff, and the university community members providing contributions.
The Career Clothing Closet is relatively new to this university-previous Executive Director Joe Testani gave the first advertisement for the program, and the closet opened its doors in April 2019. Between those two events, a lot of behind the scenes work had to occur to bring the concept to life.
For Pero,her job required in-depth research on how to carry out the program, as well as securing the physical space on campus and marketing the program to potential donors. According to Wren and Pero,almost 300students have used the closet’s resources since its start!
The University of Rochester is certainly not the only college that has a program like this. Pero explained that a lot of schools would have a very small supply of clothing, but the closet is unique in its variety of clothing, its dressing rooms and the fact that students are allowed to keep the clothes.
The Greene Center has many other opportunities to offer besides the Career Clothing Closet and advising services. For example, there is funding for students to be able to take on opportunities related to career growth.
1. What do students do in the open house event?| A．Choosing clothes. | B．Donating clothes. |
| C．Designing clothes. | D．Admiring the clothes. |
| A．It offers a variety of clothes. |
| B．Its items are charged by value. |
| C．Its items are made of special materials. |
| D．It is an old tradition for the university. |
| A．It develops simply. |
| B．It looks common and dated. |
| C．It’s still a concept now. |
| D．It’s special and popular. |
| A．A clothes-sharing activity becomes popular |
| B．A university encourages students to donate clothes |
| C．The Greene Center offers many opportunities to students |
| D．The Greene Center holds the Career Clothing Closet open house |
8 . “We’re all waiting for you at Port Miller Swimming Pool, Alison. Are you coming with us?” asked the voice on the telephone.
“I can’t. I
“Alison,” called her mother from the house
“Really? Thanks, Mom!” said Alison in a
She was out of the house in a few minutes and
When she
“After you
| A．agreed | B．promised | C．asked | D．helped |
| A．hopefully | B．carefully | C．sadly | D．seriously |
| A．wonderful | B．hard | C．dull | D．long |
| A．suddenly | B．immediately | C．quickly | D．quietly |
| A．plan | B．schedule | C．sentence | D．conversation |
| A．low | B．graceful | C．grateful | D．light |
| A．walked for | B．headed for | C．ran for | D．arrived at |
| A．searched | B．found | C．looked | D．went |
| A．pool | B．review | C．eyes | D．sight |
| A．changed | B．disappeared | C．settled | D．hesitated |
| A．returned | B．hit | C．fled | D．stayed |
| A．calling | B．allowing | C．waiting | D．speaking |
| A．delight | B．surprise | C．belief | D．pleasure |
| A．left | B．cleaned | C．finished | D．removed |
| A．laughed | B．smiled | C．explained | D．remarked |
Tears began to well up in my eyes as my university lecturer, Dr Mike Bossley, showed our class images of dolphins that had been kept at theme parks.
One photo of an adult dolphin in a tiny pool hardly wider than the length of its body swimming alone had us all crying.
Mike explained how he had been studying the behavior of dolphins at Adelaide’s Port River for years.
I hadn’t expected to be so drawn to dolphins, the subject of many of Mike’s lectures, but he was right when he told us: “Humans could learn a thing or two from dolphins.“
I had a not-so-happy childhood. I hoped that university would be the start of a new life for me, and one day, I approached Mike to ask if he would ever take me out to visit the dolphins. He agreed. Days later we took a dinghy (小艇) out onto the water and were putting along in silence when I saw a dolphin just a few feet away.
Mike stopped the motor.” That’s Jock. He lives in this small part of the river.”
Jock the dolphin circled the boat curiously.He had scars (伤疤) and nets on his body. He was alone and refused to join other dolphins who swam together.I thought he was like me.
For almost three years, I visited Jock as often as I could. He’d dive beside me, allowing me to touch him. One time, he touched my feet.“What’s he doing?” I asked. “He thinks you’re in trouble,” Mike explained. My heart exploded knowing that this creature who could not speak seemed to be showing me he cared. Part of me was sad when Jock eventually swam off with the other dolphins, but I was also proud he’d shown the courage to do so. Leaving him and the river behind, I went on to get a job but was still unhappy.
注意：1．续写词数应为150左右；
2．请按如下格式作答。
Paragraph 1:
Weeks passed and I was in low spirits, but I soon realsed I had to do something positive.
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Recently, I’ve published my book, A Dolphin Called Jock.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1. 赛前准备；
2. 精彩瞬间；
3. 活动意义。
注意：
1. 词数应为80左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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