1 . Marilu Arce loves her job, but for a time she considered leaving. The traffic-plagued commute from her home to her office, nearly two hours each way, meant her daughters couldn’t enroll in after school activities because she couldn’t get home in time to take them.

Then her employer adopted a policy permitting her to work from home two days a week, and “I feel like it changed my life,” she said. Her stress level has dropped. Her daughters are thrilled. She likes her job more. That’s the type of reaction Arce’s boss likes to hear as the company measures the success of the work-from-home policy which was instituted three years ago in hopes of improving employee retention. So far, it seems to be working: turnover was less than five percent last year—its lowest ever.

Flexible work policies top employee wish lists when they look for a job, and employers increasingly have been offering them. Studies have shown working remotely increases employee engagement, but in moderation because there is still value in the relationships nurtured when colleagues are face to face. The key, advocates of flexible work policies say, is to match the environment with the type of work that needs to be done.

The flexibility hasn’t hurt productivity, which is up 50 percent. There is “something lost” when colleagues don’t gather at the water cooler, but it’s outweighed by the retention and happiness gains, he said. As jobs that require physical work decline, thanks to technological advances, life superficially appears to get better. Consumers benefit in the form of cheaper prices. Labor-saving appliances all make things easier and suggest that even more and better benefits are on the horizon. But is something lost?

Talk long enough to the most accomplished academics, they will brag about a long-ago college summer job waiting tables or repairing hiking trails. They might praise the installer who redid their kitchen. There seems to be a human instinct to want to do physical work. The proliferation of hard-work reality-television programming reflects this apparent need. Indeed, the more we have become immobile and urbanized, the more we tune in to watch reality television’s truckers, loggers, farmers, drillers and rail engineers. In a society that supposedly despises menial jobs, the television ratings for such programmes suggest that lots of Americans enjoy watching people of action, who work with their hands.

Physical work, in its eleventh hour within a rapidly changing Western culture, still intrigues us in part because it remains the foundation for 21st century complexity. Before any of us can teach, write or speculate, we must first have food, shelter and safety. And for a bit longer, that will require some people to cut grapes and nail two-by-sixes. No apps or 3D printers exist to produce brown rice. Physical labour also promotes human versatility: Those who do not do it, or who do not know how to do it, become divorced from—and, at the same time, dependent on—labourers. Lawyers, accountants and journalists living in houses with yards and driving cars to work thus count on a supporting infrastructure of electricians, landscapers and mechanics. In that context, physical labour can provide independence, at least in a limited sense of not being entirely reliant on a host of hired workers.

1. The author mentions the example of Arce to show that________.

A．she dislikes the present job for the long commuting time

B．she is having trouble balancing work and school life

C．people usually don’t work hard outside office

D．employers are facing the problem of staff drain

2. The practice of flexible working time is based on the belief that________.

A．it helps to increase job satisfaction for the employees

B．it improves harmonious relationship among colleagues

C．the decline in physical work gives employees more mobility

D．employees are entitled to request it according to their work

3. What is the possible reason for the popularity of hard-work reality-television programmes?

A．They entertain those employees burned out with overwork.

B．People can learn some basic labour skills from these programmes.

C．There’s an ongoing need for physical labour skills that technology doesn’t possess.

D．They offer instructive information for both employers and employees.

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

A．The Emergence of Alternative Work Arrangements

B．The Rise of Automation, the Decline in Need for Labour

C．Time to Rethink in the Face of the Evolution of Work

D．New Challenges for Today’s Employers and Academics

2 . Earlier this year, I moved into a suburb of Atlanta. I decided to _________ the area on foot. On my walks, as I admired the range of residential _________, I also admired another type of house: Little Free Libraries. I’d seen them all over Atlanta and _________ it’d be fun to build my own, but when I looked at the website’s official map, it turned out there were already a handful nearby. _________, I decided to seek each of them out.

I’ve since found six sites of these free book _________. Without them, I would never have been able to “meet” people in my community. I quickly _________ my neighbors’ reading tastes, sorting through their small boxes of books. Each library is unique and shows the _________ of the person who built it, with _________ colors and designs. These Little Free Libraries are also the perfect way to _________ conversations with strangers.

Since the pandemic began, Little Free Libraries have become a lifeline for many. They don’t __________ social distancing and everything is on an honor system. People __________ a book in exchange and some libraries have even become __________ food pantries (食品储藏柜) for people in need. In all the __________ they’ve taken on, these libraries have brought people together in a sense, especially when it feels like everything is trying to __________ us. Beyond conversation starters and personality __________, Little Free Libraries find common ground — a precious thing, pandemic or not.

1.

A．explore

B．search

C．measure

D．clean

2.

A．district

B．setting

C．development

D．architecture

3.

A．promised

B．explained

C．thought

D．proved

4.

A．Secretly

B．Fortunately

C．Naturally

D．Cautiously

5.

A．exchanges

B．giveaways

C．reservations

D．publications

6.

A．corrected

B．learned

C．improved

D．satisfied

7.

A．appearance

B．expression

C．health

D．personality

8.

A．standard

B．ordinary

C．varying

D．new

9.

A．go on with

B．strike up

C．break in on

D．act out

10.

A．require

B．permit

C．deserve

D．guarantee

11.

A．leave

B．order

C．edit

D．write

12.

A．fancy

B．traditional

C．private

D．temporary

13.

A．subjects

B．burdens

C．forms

D．risks

14.

A．inform

B．persuade

C．surprise

D．divide

15.

A．balancers

B．indicators

C．testers

D．separators

3 . The Best Writing Contests of 2023

1. What do Weekly Writing Competition and Anthology Travel Writing Competition 2023 have in common?

A．No entry fee is required.

B．Local culture is the focus.

C．There is maximum word count for entries.

D．One entry per person for each week is allowed.

2. What can be learned from Fiction Factory Flash Fiction?

A．Top prize winner will be awarded $300.

B．It is open to anyone from across the world.

C．Children’s stories on any theme are greatly appreciated.

D．Contest entries should be submitted before July 31, 2023.

3. Which contest suits you most if you are interested in climate crisis?

A．Weekly Writing Competition.	B．Anthology Travel Writing Competition.
C．Fiction Factory Flash Fiction.	D．Imagine 2200.

4 . 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。

In recent years, shared vegetable plots (地块) have been appearing in Shanghai’s suburban districts as more white-collar workers turn to farming to relax and escape the pressures of city life.

Among these individuals     1    (be) Yang Rui, who, on weekends, drives his family from their home in downtown to the All-Happy City,     2     shared ecological farm in Minhang, where he has rented a 20-square-meter vegetable plot for 1,600 yuan per year. The family tends carrots, lettuce and other vegetables they have planted. When they aren’t around during the week,     3    (professional) take over the work and perform whatever chores     4    (need).

This farm has about 200 members, some of     5     even raise chickens and ducks that wander in the fields.

    6    (found) by Chen Yougui in October, the shared farm has an area of 13.33 hectares     7     comes with shared vegetable plots and leisure areas. According to Chen, the monitoring system     8    (cover) the entire farmland allows members to view their vegetables and fields remotely through their phones. The farm also uses technology to ensure that the chickens and ducks raised     9     customers don’t go missing or end up in someone else’s plot — each animal comes with its own QR code.

Chen notes that many of his customers are parents who rent plots     10    (primary) to teach their kids about science and nature and how farming works.

5 . “友善”是中华民族的传统美德，你校以“友善”为主题举办英语征文比赛,内容包括：
1. 日常生活中的友善行为；
2. 友善行为的意义或价值；
3. 提出倡议。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：传统美德traditional virtues
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6 . I was 68 when I first stepped on stage as a standup comedian in 2003. I’d never set foot in a comedy club before. I’ve always been a performer - I’ve worked as a singer, actor and musician - but all that came to an end after 9/11. I live in New York, and we watched the twin towers fall from my apartment building. For a year afterwards, nobody wanted to go out or be entertained.

It was then that I started to think about comedy. I realised people needed to laugh, to enjoy themselves again, and thought that with a little training I could do it. I took a few classes, tried to work out a routine, and finally plucked up the courage to get up on stage. That first time was terrifying. I had no idea what the audience would make of me.

In New York, comedians are typically young men with beards. It’s hard enough to break through as a woman, even harder as someone old enough to be their grandmother. As I stepped on stage that first time, people laughed nervously. They were clearly surprised to see me. I introduced myself, stated my age and tried my first joke. There was silence. But by the time I got to the third line, people were properly laughing, I was addicted.

Now my sets differ. I might be on stage for 10 minutes in front of a dozen people, or my one-woman show is a full hour in front of a crowd of 100. Even today, I’m nervous before I step out. My first line is, “Hello, everybody. I’m 88 and three-quarters years old. I’m telling you that in case I don’t make it all the way through the show.” Then people laugh and I relax.

After a show, people young and old come up to me, saying what an inspiration I am. They say they want to be as active as me when they reach my age. I’m pleased I can show that as an older person you don’t need to take a back seat in life.

I’ve no intention of stopping comedy. I’m taking all these pills, trying to stay alive, and I hope to still be performing when I’m 100. My goal is to still be up there making people laugh. It’s hard work, but it stops me being bored. I’d only be playing golf otherwise

1. What made the writer take up comedy?

A．She wanted to overcome her fears	B．She wanted to brighten others’ lives
C．She was unwilling to quit performing	D．She wanted to work out a routine

2. Why does the writer mention young men with beards in Paragraph 3?

A．To show the challenge she was facing

B．To explain her attraction to the job

C．To illustrate her special advantage

D．To describe her new friends in comedy

3. How has the writer made progress since her first performance?

A．She now performs before larger audiences

B．She no longer feels nervous before performances

C．She remains on the stage for a longer time

D．She has learned to make a joke of her age

4. Which of the following statements would the writer agree with?

A．Age is just a number

B．Advancing years bring greater wisdom

C．Old age means a chance to sit back

D．Being elderly means you have to slow down

7 . For decades, I was a hard drinker who could drink anyone under the table. This lasted from the age of 27 until after 50, a golden time during which I felt very sorry for ex-drinkers and people who couldn’t or wouldn’t drink. How did they make it through social situations, especially parties? What did they do at the end of a workday to celebrate and relax?     1    

When I first tried to quit drinking myself in my early 50s, I wasn’t sure at first how it would work for me. But I did it anyway.    2     I was getting older. I had to concede that I wasn’t as tough as I used to be. Nights of drinking too much showed in my face, and I could feel it in my bones. I wanted to take care of myself. So for the next few years, I bounced between not drinking at all for months at a time, then slowly starting again until I had to quit again.

During these years, I didn’t love not drinking. But I had to admit that when I was off booze, I looked and felt better physically: I slept more deeply, had more energy, exercised more. My mind was clearer. My moods were brighter. Parties were hard, and so was cooking at the end of a day of writing without a glass of wine at my elbow.    3    

I finally quit drinking for real almost four years ago, on 12 July 2019, when a writer friend stayed with my husband and me after his wife kicked him out. After my husband had gone upstairs to bed, my friend sat on our sofa drinking an entire bottle of gin, complaining about his fate, until he passed out next to our dog, whose bed that sofa was.    4     I didn’t have a drink the next night, or ever again since.

I’m not going to lie: being sober is not a hot-air balloon ride.    5     Having to feel my damn feelings without filters compels me to face and change the things in my life that keep me stuck. Hard work all around, but as my reward, I connect more deeply with the people I care about. I think of not drinking as a kindness I’ve given myself. And to my surprise, it’s rewarded me with true, hard-won happiness.

A．My body demanded it.

B．My health started improving rapidly.

C．It’s more like a hike in the mountains.

D．How did they quit drinking?

E．It was a wake-up call.

F．But the pluses seemed to outweigh the minuses.

G．How did they get through life?

8 . A growing body of research suggests that the gut microbiome (消化道菌群) could play a major role in a rising chronic disease that makes us physically weaker. The illness, which is commonly called chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), is characterized by intense fatigue, gastrointestinal (胃肠道的) issues, muscle pain, and cognitive challenges such as headaches and difficulty concentrating, among other symptoms. It often follows a viral infection which can lead to a “disruption” in a balanced gut ecosystem. Actually, an increasing number of Americans have been the sufferers since the outbreak of COVID-19.

Two recent studies published in Cell Host &Microbe point to changes in the microbiome as a possible cause of CFS. Research groups at Columbia University and the Jackson Laboratory performed detailed analyses of the microbes in stool (粪便) samples from patients with CFS and compared them to healthy controls.

The two groups found similar bacteria species were less present in CFS patients compared to control patients. They focused on bacteria that produce butyrate, a fatty acid involved in regulating metabolism and the immune system. “Butyrate plays several roles in directing the body’s response to infections, while also protecting the barrier between the intestine (肠) and the circulatory system, regulating genetic changes in cells, and more,” says Brent Williams, lead author on the Columbia study. Williams and his colleagues extensively analyzed the role of butyrate in CFS patients’ guts, even identifying a correlation between low levels of bacteria that produce this acid and more severe symptoms.

Parallel findings from the Jackson Laboratory team suggest the bacteria that produce butyrate could be used to diagnose CFS. Previous research has identified microbiome issues in CFS patients, but the new findings help clarify which microbes could be related to the illness.

More research on butyrate-producing bacteria and other species identified in the studies is necessary to investigate these potential biomarkers of CFS, the authors say. If the findings are replicated, specific gut bacteria could be used to diagnose the illness, which is currently identified based on symptoms alone.

The findings additionally point toward possible treatments, such as probiotics or microbiome-focused diet adjustments—though patients who have been sick for long periods may require drugs that alleviate the damage done to their metabolism or immune system.

1. What do we know about CFS?

A．It is caused by COVID-19 only.	B．It is an illness with systemic symptoms.
C．It breaks the balance of the gut ecosystem.	D．The number of the infected is on the decrease.

2. How did the researcher carry out the recent studies?

A．By controlling data.	B．By identifying genes.
C．By analyzing samples.	D．By comparing symptoms.

3. Which of the following is NOT the significance of the recent researches?

A．Butyrate’s multiple functions are promoted.

B．Targeted gut microbes may be used to diagnose CFS.

C．Certain microbes responsible for CFS are narrowed down.

D．Probiotics supplement with drugs can be a treatment for CFS.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．Gut microbiome may be the key to CFS.	B．Microbes help digest food and aid absorption.
C．Man’s gut is a rich, diverse tropical rainforest.	D．New method for diagnosing CFS are provided.

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。

The city of Zibo has never seen so many visitors.

As the sun begins to set, the aroma of sizzling meat falls the air and draws in more     1     (hunger) customers. On each street, queues stretch outside restaurants for more than a hundred meters. Some restaurants even run out of key ingredients as early as 7p.m.     2     the night. All hotels are also operating at full capacity.

The city was barely known by outsiders     3     it went viral on Chinese social media platforms recently. Most visitors are young people, who share their experience of traveling to Zibo to experience the city’s barbecue culture on social platforms,     4     (attract) even more visitors.

Zibo- style barbecue’s classic three-piece set contains roast lamb, green onions, and nan bread, which,     5     (combine), make a mouth-watering combo (组合). The fame of Zibo barbecue used to be limited to just Shandong Province.     6     (previous), barbecue in Northeast China was much more popular across the country.

Behind Zibo’s sudden fame     7     (be) the efforts and services of the local government, as well as a good reputation of local businesses,     8     receive favorable reviews from visitors who share their experiences online.

To promote Zibo-style barbecue, Zibo has launched two dozen “special barbecue trains,” where local tourism officials would serve tourists     9     (they). At the city’s train station, shuttle buses transport tourists to various barbecue stalls directly. Netizens joke that the high-speed trains     10     (pack) with visiting tourists and that the air onboard is filled with cumin.

10 . The days when art was an Olympic sport

Did you know that creating works of art used to be an Olympic competition?     1     In the first year, Walter Winans became the first and the only Olympian to win medals for both art and sports. Despite this seemingly optimistic start, the idea of the arts being included in the Olympic Games soon met with disinterest, finally resulting in the removal of the art competition from the Olympic Games.

    2    

The idea to include art in the Olympics came from Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who was the founder of the International Olympic Committee, which created the modern Olympics. Coubertin believed that the arts and sports were linked and was impressed by anyone who had a firm command of both a sport and an artistic discipline(项目).

Why aren’t the arts included in the Olympics today?

For starters, only amateurs were allowed to compete in the arts part of the Olympics.     3     Having artists of average quality competing while only the most competent athletes were allowed to compete created a dramatic divide and gave the impression that the arts were not as important as sports.

Secondly, works of art created had to have sports as the subject matter.     4     Limiting the subjects also contributed to making the arts part of the Olympic Games boring to the general public.

Finally, one of the biggest reasons was that the arts are subjective. Sports can be judged by time and distance, making it easy to determine who is the winner.     5     This difficulty in judging a definite winner resulted in the arts part becoming a non-competitive exhibition that ran for the duration of the Olympic Games.

A．Why was art made an Olympic discipline?

B．What is a discipline in the Olympic Games?

C．This rule made the objects produced seem really boring.

D．The arts, on the other hand, are not quite so easy to judge

E．However, the arts part of the Olympics Games was soon abandoned

F．This means that many famous artists were banned from participating.

G．For 36 years, from 1912 to 1948, artists participated in the Olympic Games.