1 . Which is healthier: a bag of crisps or a vegetable salad? That is easy. Now which is healthier: a pizza made from scratch or one made from the same basic ingredients, with the same number of calories, pulled out of a box in the freezer? Many people would instinctively(本能地) say the former, perhaps showing a vague concern with processed food. Such food can often be delicious. And there is much to cheer about calories being cheap and abundant.     1    

What’s the distinction between “ultra-processed food(upf)” and “processed food”? Almost everything people consume is processed in some form. Rice is harvested; animals are butchered. Upf is usually described as “formulations of ingredients, made by a series of industrial processes, many requiring advanced equipment and technology”.     2     The one in the freezer, with its extra, modified ingredients, is upf.

Upf harms people in ways both known and unknown. It seems to affect the trillions of bacteria that contribute to health in a range of ways. Calorie-rich but usually nutrient-poor, upf contributes to obesity(肥胖症).

Upf displaces healthier alternatives, particularly for poor people.     3     Extra weight was once a sign of wealth, but among British and American women today, obesity rates are higher at lower-income levels.

    4     Additives that may be safe in small quantities may be harmful in combination with other chemicals or when consumed regularly. If we are what we eat, considering the impact of upf is essential.

    5     People who live in so-called “food swamps”, where upf is everywhere but real food is harder to reach, could spend large amounts of time and money seeking out fresh food, but that is not how most people live. There is nothing wrong with the odd fast-food trip, but anyone who can afford to eat less upf probably should.

A．Environment matters, too.

B．It’s cheap to produce and buy.

C．But that cheapness and abundance come at a cost.

D．Even foods labeled “natural” or “organic” can be processed.

E．A pizza made from scratch contains minimally processed food.

F．Some people have a particular weakness for salty potato crisps.

G．The reasons why upf can be harmful are not always clear, even to scientists.

2 . Climate experts are having a debate: they are asking whether the UK should focus more on adapting to climate change or trying to prevent it.

David Frost holds that preventing climate change is no longer an option, given the extent to which the Earth now appears certain to heat up. Despite the many policies which attempt to stop climate change, it now seems unavoidable that the world will pass the 1.5℃ or 2℃ increases in average global temperature that are likely to induce large changes in the climate.

David Frost is right in that our economies are growing so much slower than we had anticipated. Our emissions can drop if we reduce emissions per unit of GDP we create—but they can also drop if the GDP is lower. Lower growth means it is more feasible (可行的) for us to achieve targets such as Net Zero, but it also makes it less environmentally urgent to achieve those targets so soon, because we are and have been emitting a lot less carbon than we had anticipated.

The UK authority finds the debate about adaptation difficult. Partly, it is because some activists claim that adaptation is not feasible. They say that climate change will end human civilization, potentially leading to the entire extinction of the human race.

However, the mainstream view of many scientists and economists, who work on climate change, is that global warming could lead to large changes in our environment. Significant parts of the world currently heavily populated could become effectively uninhabitable while other parts currently unsuitable for high-density human habitation would become more habitable. Meanwhile, at higher temperatures both climate and weather are likely to become more volatile—including increased frequency of storms, flooding and other weather events.

These would be significant changes, but it would be perfectly feasible for humans to adapt to them. The issue is not whether adapting would be technically feasible, but whether it would be desirable either in ethical or practical terms. Are we willing to accept a materially warmer world, with humans living in different parts of it? Are we willing to accept the possible extinctions of certain species and the greater flourishing of those currently less successful and of new species yet to evolve? Are we willing to accept the consequences of a large shift in the patterns of human habitation across the world?

It is by no means clear on what basis we ought to ethnically privilege the plants and animals that flourish under today’s climate over those that would flourish under a warmer, more volatile climate. However, adaptation will be feasible and is a necessity given the extent to which warming is now unavoidable. Slower GDP growth and thus slower climate change ought to make greater efforts at adaptation more attractive.

1. According to the passage, who hesitate(s) to adapt to the climate change?

A．The government.	B．Climate experts.
C．David Frost.	D．The activists.

2. The underlined word “volatile” in Paragraph 5 probably means ________.

A．changeable

B．predictable

C．bearable

D．noticeable

3. The questions in Paragraph 6 are mainly aimed at __________.

A．expressing doubts about people’s adaptability

B．presenting examples of future climate patterns

C．highlighting the consequences of human activities

D．helping people decide on their openness to adaptation

4. Which of the following might the author agree with?

A．Slowing climate change deserves great efforts.

B．Global warming is preventable to some extent.

C．Adaptation to climate change is beyond question.

D．Protection of the current species should be prioritized.

3 . Autumntime

① I saw my first tree today. Dad finally broke down and took us to East Boston Urban Center after Mom had been harping on it for the past two weeks. I think he was glad we went after all because he was smiling quietly all during the trip back.

② Dad used to tell me stories about the trees that still existed when he was a boy. There weren’t very many even then, with the urbanization program in full swing, but most people had seen at least one tree by the time they started school. It wasn’t like nowadays, at any rate. Oh, I’ve seen the plastic trees; practically every street has a few of them. But you can tell the plastic ones are artificial just from looking at pictures in the microdot library.

③ This morning when we got up, the house was all excited. Mom dialed a light breakfast of toast and synthetic milk so that we wouldn’t waste time eating. And when finished, the three of us took an elevator bus up to the fourth level, where we caught the air track to Brooklyn. From there we took another elevator bus down to the main level, rode the monorail to Intercity Subway Station 27, and caught the second sublevel AA train to Boston. Our expectations were so high that Dad and I didn’t mind it when Mom told us again how the tree was discovered.

④ The O’Brien home was one of the few examples of old—style wooden structures that hadn’t been pulled down in Boston’s urban—renewal campaign at the turn of the century. The family had been able to avoid this because of its wealth and political influence, and the house was passed on through several generations to the present. Old man O’Brien had no heirs, so when he died, the family home went up for auction (拍卖), and the Urban Center bought it. When local officials arrived for an appraisal, they discovered that the house had a backyard, which is forbidden by zoning restrictions.

⑤ In the yard was a live tree—an oke was what Mom called it. When the news of the tree’s discovery leaked out, quite a few sightseers stopped by to have a look at it, and the local government, realizing the money—making potential, began charging admission fees and advertising the place. By now it had become a favorite spot for school field trips and family excursions such as ours.

⑥ When we arrived in main Boston we rode the elevator bus up to ground level and caught a monorail out to East Boston Urban Center. An air—cush taxi took us the rest of the way to the place.

⑦ The home itself was unimpressive. It had none of the marble gloss or steely sheen of modern buildings, but was rather a dull white color, with the paint peeling in places. Dad paid the admission fee, and we spent the next 15 minutes on a dull guided tour of the house. ‘The rooms were roped off to keep people from touching anything, but there were no windows facing the illegal backyard anyway, so it really didn’t matter that I couldn’t enter the rooms on that side.

⑧ My mind was on the tree, and I thought the inside tour would never end, but soon we were walking through a doorway hidden in one of the bookshelves and into the backyard. The yard was big—at least 10 by 20 feet, and I was surprised to find real grass growing on the sides of the concrete walkway built for tourists. The grass didn’t distract me for long, however, because I just couldn’t help noticing the tree!

⑨ It was located at one end of the yard, and there was a mesh fence around it for protection. It was similar in form to the plastic trees I’d seen, but there was much more to it than that. You could see details more intricate than in any artificial plant. And it was alive. Long ago someone had carved their initials in the bark, and you could see where the wound had healed. But best of all was the smell. It was a fresh, living odor, alien to the antiseptic world outside with all its metal, plastic, and glass. I wanted to touch the bark, but the fence prevented me from doing so. Mom and Dad just breathed deeply and stared up with smiles on their faces. The three of us stood there for a moment, and then the tour guide told us to make room for the next group. I didn’t want to go—in fact, I felt almost like crying.

⑩ On the way back home, Mom and Dad were silent, and I read through one of the brochures the guide had passed out. When I came to the part that said the O’Brien home would be open only for the rest of this year, I was sad. They intend to tear down the place to make room for some kind of insurance building, and the tree will have to go, too. For the rest of the trip, I just sat still, fingering the object in my pocket that I had picked off the grass in the O’Brien’s backyard. I think it’s called an acorn (橡子).

1. According to the passage, the O’Brien home was not destroyed at the turn of the century because ________.

A．a secret passageway was found in the library

B．the family had wealth and political influence

C．a tree was found in the backyard of the home

D．the home had historical and architectural value

2. Why does the tree become a tourist attraction?

A．It is the oldest known tree in the city.

B．It belonged to a family with privileges.

C．“Oke” trees are an especially rare species.

D．There are very few real trees remaining.

3. What does Paragraph 9 reveal about the narrator’s attitude towards nature?

A．The narrator is excited by nature, but not deeply affected by it.

B．The narrator is impressed with the beauty of nature.

C．The narrator prefers the world of steel to the world of nature.

D．The narrator is unaccustomed to nature and tries to keep a distance.

4. Which statement would the narrator most likely agree with?

A．Technological progress and urbanization come at a cost.

B．Economic profits overweigh environmental protection.

C．There is no point in preserving nature in the urbanization process.

D．Nature is resilient and there’s no need to worry about it.

4 . How Sociologists Define Culture

Culture is one of the most important concepts within sociology because sociologists recognize that it plays a crucial role in our social lives. It is important for shaping social relationships, maintaining and challenging social order, determining how we make sense of the world and our place in it, and in shaping our everyday actions and experiences in society.    1    

In brief, sociologists define the non–material aspects of culture as the values and beliefs, language, communication and practices that are shared in common by a group of people. Expanding on these categories, culture is made up of our knowledge, common sense, assumptions and expectations. It is also the rules, norms, laws and morals that govern society; the words we use as well as how we speak and write them; and the symbols we use to express meaning, ideas and concepts.    2    It informs and is encapsulated in how we walk, sit, carry our bodies and interact with others; how we behave depending on the place, time and “audience”; and how we express identities of race, class and gender, among others. Culture includes the collective practices we participate in as well, such as religious ceremonies, the celebration of secular holidays and attending sporting events.

    3    This aspect of culture includes a wide variety of things, from buildings, technological gadgets and clothing, to film, music, literature and art, among others. Aspects of material culture are more commonly referred to as cultural products.

Sociologists see the two sides of culture—the material and non–material—as closely connected. Material culture emerges from and is shaped by the non-material aspects of culture.    4    But it is not a one–way relationship between material and non–material culture. Material culture can also influence the non-material aspects of culture. For example, a powerful documentary film might change people’s attitudes and beliefs.    5    What has come before in terms of music, film, television and art, for example, influences the values, beliefs and expectations of those who interact with them, which then, in turn, influence the creation of additional cultural products.

A．This is why cultural products tend to follow patterns.

B．It is composed of both non-material and material things.

C．Without culture, we would not have relationships or society.

D．Culture is also what we do and how we behave and perform.

E．Material culture is composed of the things that humans make and use.

F．Culture is distinct from social structure and economic aspects of society.

G．In other words, what we value, believe and know influences the things that we make.

5 . Her ________（提升，晋升）to Sales Manager was not surprising at all since she has managed to bring in millions of dollars of sales income. （根据汉语提示单词拼写）

6 . ________   (期待的) fans gathered in the hall, hoping to take a look at the three astronauts who were about to be sent to space. （根据汉语提示单词拼写）

7 . 阅读下面的短文，根据短文内容回答问题。

Your Food Choices Affect the Earth’s Climate

Every action has a cost, even for growing food and delivering it to your dinner plate. A team of researchers has found that meat production releases more climate-warming pollution than it does when producing fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains. Their calculations suggest that people could do a lot to slow global warming if they limited how much meat they eat.

There are plenty of “costs” of food. As to the visible costs, people pay money for the food as well as the fuel needed to get groceries to the store or restaurant. However, producing foods also takes resources，for example，the water used to irritate (灌溉）crop fields or the fertilizer and chemicals used to promote plant growth and fight pests.

Peter Scarborough at the University of Oxford in England decided to calculate some of the less-visible pollution created by food production. His team focused on greenhouse gases emitted through the production of our food, including carbon dioxide(CO2)，methane(甲烷） and the nitrous oxide. All three gases are important. While CO2 is the greenhouse gas released in the highest volume, methane and nitrous oxide stay in the atmosphere far longer than CO2 does. As such, they are more powerful in warm the earth’s atmosphere.

They used a computer to change the methane and nitrous-oxide emissions for each person’s diet into its carbon dioxide “equivalent.”That’s the amount of CO2 needed to warm Earth’s atmosphere by the same amount as the methane or nitrous oxide would.

As for the calculations of the carbon dioxide “equivalent(等量)”, in the 1990s, a survey asked65,000 adults what they typically had eaten throughout the past year. Scarborough’s team fed those data into a computer and then included the amount of green house gases linked with producing nearly100 common foods. Then the computer matched those green house-gas amounts to the mix of foods each person had reported eating.

It shows that the diet of someone whose meals included an average of 50 to 99 grams of meat each day would be responsible for the daily release of 5.6 kilograms of CO2 equivalent while those vegans had the lowest diet-linked greenhouse-gas emissions (2.9 kg of CO2 equivalent).

Its authors conclude that reducing the intake of meat and other animal-based products can make a valuable contribution to climate change reduction. And compared to meat, more plant-based food calories can be grown on more lands with less water and other resources. In places where many people are going hungry, raising meat may make it harder to ensure that everyone gets enough to eat.

1. What are the visible costs of food mentioned in the article?
2. According to the author, why can our food choices affect the earth’s climate?
3. Please underline the inappropriate part in the following statement and explain why.
Plant-based food can adapt to more types of lands than meat, but they may have a higher requirement of water and other resources, which can be a disadvantage of such food.
4. Apart from food choices, are there any other ways for you to protect the environment? List two or more.

8 . What role might arts play in response to climate change and related economic and ecological crises?

It’s often said that a novel, a painting, a song or a motion picture changed how a lot of people thought or felt about the world. Anthropologists (人类学家) and historians rightly argue that major changes in society have sprung up not from the arts, but from-our relationship to our environment. Nevertheless, artists’ efforts help shape the terms by which society adapts to such changes and their consequences. Think of how Beethoven marked the beginnings of modern democracy and the nascent (初期的) Industrial Revolution. Or how Hollywood writers and directors inspired massive support for the U.S. war effort during the early 1940s.

We have stepped into a century in which the societal systems have been built since the start of the Industrial Revolution. Our food system，transport system，energy system，financial system，and possibly our political and governance systems were designed during an era in which fossil fuels met the great quantity of our fast-growing energy demand. But fossil fuels are exhaustible resources, and their reduction will drive evermore desperate methods of extraction (提炼), create evermore environmental risk and require evermore capital-even as alternative energy sources they are also costly. Further, burning fossil fuels changes our planet’s climate. So, at the same time our economy will need to be redesigned to run on entirely different energy sources, and the natural world will be shifting around us in unprecedented (空前的) ways, with more frequent disastrous storms，floods，droughts etc.

Everything will be up for negotiation, redesign and change. And artists have the opportunity and duty to translate the resulting tumultuous (动荡的) human experience into words, images，and music that help people not just to understand these events mentally, but also to come to grips with them willingly. The economic and environmental shifts described above are currently being detailed in ever-greater specificity in hundreds of reports released yearly by climate and energy experts. What’s missing in their carefully worded journal articles is the human dimensions of imagination, joy or sorrow, inspiration, and passion. Art can help us cope with the possible effects of our collective challenges. It can help prepare society for a possibly painful future. It can give voice to suffering and loss, helping people deal with life’s unavoidable stress. And it can also offer beauty, which can be especially important in hard times.

Meaningful art can and must express the chaos we encounter and help us process it mentally and emotionally. To achieve this, artists need to dig deeper, observe more closely and help their audiences connect abstract explanations and forecasts with actual experiences.

1. The author mentions Beethoven to suggest that__________.

A．musicians can easily adapt to changes in society

B．music can control the social change of the world

C．anthropologists are right about major changes in society

D．art serves as a bridge for people to understand the world

2. What do the underlined words “come to grips with” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．start to create	B．begin to deal with
C．try to record	D．take an interest in

3. According to the author, the artists __________ .

A．are expected to show human experience in works

B．deal with the unpleasant events willingly

C．help people forecast painful future

D．are the voice of suffering and loss

4. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Art in Greater Need during Climate Change

B．The Relationship Between Society and Art

C．The Climate Clues Hidden in At History

D．The Best Ways to Change the World