1 . For the arts “to mean more, to more people,” as Arts Council England (ACE) argues that they should, would be excellent. Music, drama, dance, visual arts, poetry and literature are among the most precious human achievements. To live in a country in which these are more widely shared and enjoyed would be proof that we are making progress. The point is not to entertain or educate people, or bring communities together. Nor is it all about boosting jobs and investment. Imagination has intrinsic (内在的) value, and research carried out by ACE in the course of preparing its 10-year strategy showed that people from all walks of life value and get pleasure from cultural activities.

Positioning itself as a development agency, ACE will now hope to win government backing for a change of direction that orients it away from the biggest and most prestigious national institutions and towards the towns, villages and grassroots organizations that should be similarly deserving of attention. There, it envisions a role for itself “building the identity and prosperity of places,” bringing professional artists together with voluntary groups, particular in areas that have previously not been well represented on the cultural map.

ACE’s chair, Sir Nicholas Serota, quotes the first world war centenary (百年纪念) project devised by the artist, Jeremy Deller, and theatre director, Rufus Norris, as the model of what he wants his organization to be about. By dressing up volunteers as soldiers, and orchestrating their encounters with members of the public in settings across England, the artists succeeded in “dissolving the barriers between artists and audiences.”

The emphasis on participation- on culture as something that more people should actually do- is newer. This is the difference between being in a play or a band and buying tickets to watch them, and for ACE to play a more active role in promoting the former would be beneficial. This begins in childhood, and ACE clearly hopes that the government will think again about policies that have seen music, drama and other arts subjects systematically downgraded in favour of science, technology and maths.

To what extent the vision is realized will depend in part on whether ACE’s ambitions catch the government’s interest sufficiently to influence the upcoming spending review, and provide a counterweight to the scorn (轻视) that is regularly poured on the humanities. Around £400m has been cut from local government arts budgets since 2010, and ACE cannot plug this gap. The closure of youth clubs and live music venues, and growing financial pressures linked to the property market, are among other reasons for this worrisome narrowing of opportunities. So far Boris Johnson has offered few signs that he has in mind a starring role for the arts in post-Brexit Britain, although 2022’s Festival of Brexit is one such event. ACE’s plan should boost the profile of all those, in government and outside, who are arguing for more.

1. The purpose of making arts available to more people is to __________.

A．enlighten people from all walks of life

B．consolidate various communities

C．create job opportunities for artists

D．maximize the natural value of art

2. According to the passage, ACE is most likely to promote the arts of ___________.

A．national institutions

B．commercial centers

C．local governments

D．towns and villages

3. Which of the following statements would Sir Nicholas Serota most probably agree with?

A．Audiences with little education can also gain pleasure from cultural activities.

B．Artists and audiences can create and enjoy the arts together without barriers.

C．The soldiers and volunteers should vividly show scenes about the First World War.

D．Science, technology and maths are more important than humanities and arts nowadays.

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．For the arts to get revitalized more extensive efforts are needed.

B．The current British government has done enough to promote arts.

C．ACE should narrow the financial gap left by the local government.

D．Many performing venues have closed due to the rising property market.

2 . There Are 4 Types of Anger: Which One Is Yours?

You’re passive-aggressive (被动攻击型)

    1     when a colleague asks for a favor, but then oh, forget to do it—or do it late and not well. You say "it's fine" when it's really not or 'whatever' when you really mean no. These are all classic passive-aggressive behaviors-or patterns of indirectly expressing negative feelings instead of openly addressing them.

You make mountains out of molehills (小题大做)

You find the fault in every situation, and regard each conversation as an argument you have to win. Maybe you were made to look or feel inferior（卑微的） growing up. To pay off, you become more aggressive. Instead of feeling like a victim, you learn to be the "rejecter".     2    . And you create conflict or deliver the first blow in an argument so it gives you the chance to be heard, to prove you are smarter, and to show you're right.

Your fuse (保险丝) is short and you burst into anger

When you lose the ability to control a situation, it may set off aggression, violent behavior or explosive outbursts that are not necessary to the situation.    3    . This type of anger can also put people at risk for harm, so it's important to seek professional help.

    4    

When it comes to your religious, political or other beliefs—yours are right, the others are wrong; yours are good, the others are bad. So when others go against your beliefs, you're on the offensive because your beliefs are correct, and therefore your anger is reasonable. Even if your intentions are good, anger gets you in trouble when you allow it get out of control.    5     because you think your morals back the behavior.

A．Your morals fuel your anger

B．Anger itself is not a bad emotion

C．You give an enthusiastic "sure, no problem!"

D．It's how you use your anger that makes it good or bad

E．And you feel you have the right to do whatever you want

F．You put down or reject others first before it can be done to you

G．Getting stuck in traffic, for example, may lead you to yell at other drivers

3 . The demands of today's busy schedules have driven us indoors, where we now spend almost 90 percent of our time commuting（通勤）, at work, and inside our homes. This modern way of living disconnects us from the outdoors and from the natural light and fresh air we all require to be healthy.     1    

Marvin Skycove: A Cozy Nook Like No Other

Marvin Skycove is a glass structure that projects into the open air, enhancing connections with the outdoors. Skycove creates a smart extension of usable space, opens a room to panoramic（全景的）views, and allows in restorative light from four directions.     2     And while Skycove is a fantastic way to use light and views, imagine yourself sitting in this space on a starry night or during a summer rain shower.

Marvin Signature Modern: Windows and Doors that Play Nice

Combining large windows and doors to create large glass walls is a great way to complement a modern design and truly blur（模糊）the boundaries between indoors and out.     3     The Marvin Signature Modern line was created to solve these very problems. Marvin Modern windows and doors are engineered to work as part of a high-performing, unified system.

Bi-Fold Windows: Not Just for Restaurants Anymore

    4     Like their bigger cousins, bi-fold windows can virtually pull a room outdoors. These types of windows have been used commercially for many years in restaurants and bars, but they're now finding their way into our homes.

Marvin Has Well-Being in Mind

At Marvin, well-being is our guidepost.     5     We try hard to find new ways to thoughtfully bring light and fresh air into every inch of a building. We purposefully marry our 100 years of industry expertise with a forward-thinking approach to deliver people-first products inspired to help people feel happier and live better in their homes.

A．But doing so can result in poor performance and may create odd feelings.

B．Bi-fold windows are often found between doorways and outdoor living space.

C．Our windows and doors are designed to help people feel balanced and healthy.

D．This glowing（发光的）setting creates a calming space to enjoy a coffee or a book.

E．When Bi-fold doors open, the panels are folded, leaving the whole space wide open.

F．It was designed to allow people to effortlessly create a personalized atmosphere inside.

G．Here are some products that are designed to connect our indoor space to the outside world.

4 . I had to say something after reading The Anxious Generation. It is going to sell well , because Jonathan Haidt is telling a scary story about children’s development many parents are led to believe. However, the book’s repeated suggestion that digital technologies are rewiring our children’s brains and causing the epidemic (流行病) of mental illness is unsupported by science. Worse , the rude proposal that social media is to blame might distract (分心) us from effectively responding to the real causes of the current mental-health crisis in young people.

Researchers have searched for the effects suggested by Haidt. Our efforts have produced a mix of no, small and mixed associations. Most data are correlative. When associations over time are found, they suggest not that social-media use predicts or causes depression, but that young people who already have mental-health problems use such platforms more often or in different ways from their healthy peers.

We are not alone here. Several analyses and systematic reviews centralize on the same message. An analysis done in 72 countries shows no consistent or measurable associations between well-being and social media globally. Moreover, studies from some authorities finds no evidence of intense changes associated with digital-technology use.

As a psychologist studying children’s and adolescents’   mental health, I appreciate parents’ frustration (沮丧) and desire for simple answers. As a parent of adolescents, I would also like to identify a simple source for the pain this generation is reporting. There are, however, no simple answers. The beginning and development of mental disorders are driven by a complex set of genetic and environmental factors.

More young people are talking openly about their mental-health struggles than ever before. But insufficient services are available to address their needs. In the United States, there is, on average, one school psychologist for every 1,119 students. We have a generation in crisis and in desperate need of the best of what science and evidence-based solutions can offer. Unfortunately, our time is being spent telling stories that are unsupported by research and that do little to support young people who need, and deserve, more.

1. What is presented in The Anxious Generation?

A．Scary stories affect children’s brains.

B．Parents are responsible for children’s health.

C．Teen’s mental illness results from screen time.

D．The epidemic of mental illness is unavoidable.

2. What does “the same message ” underlined in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．Many countries do research in mental health.

B．Well-being and social media are closely related.

C．The young are trapped in the mental-health crisis,

D．Social media don’t necessarily cause mental illness.

3. What is implied in the last paragraph?

A．Effective actions need to be taken.	B．Positive stories should be shared.
C．Financial support needs to be provided.	D．Broader research should be done.

4. What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A．To suggest ways to help those in need.

B．To encourage parents to brave the crisis.

C．To recommend a newly-published book.

D．To give a voice to children’s mental issues.

5 . Given the astonishing potential of AI to transform our lives, we all need to take action to deal with our AI-powered future, and this is where AI by Design: A Plan for Living with Artificial Intelligence comes in. This absorbing new book by Catriona Campbell is a practical roadmap addressing the challenges posed by the forthcoming AI revolution (变革).

In the wrong hands, such a book could prove as complicated to process as the computer code (代码) that powers AI but, thankfully, Campbell has more than two decades’ professional experience translating the heady into the understandable. She writes from the practical angle of a business person rather than as an academic, making for a guide which is highly accessible and informative and which, by the close, will make you feel almost as smart as AI.

As we soon come to learn from AI by Design, AI is already super-smart and will become more capable, moving from the current generation of “narrow-AI” to Artificial General Intelligence. From there, Campbell says, will come Artificial Dominant Intelligence. This is why Campbell has set out to raise awareness of AI and its future now — several decades before these developments are expected to take place. She says it is essential that we keep control of artificial intelligence, or risk being sidelined and perhaps even worse.

Campbell’s point is to wake up those responsible for AI-the technology companies and world leaders—so they are on the same page as all the experts currently developing it. She explains we are at a “tipping point” in history and must act now to prevent an extinction-level event for humanity. We need to consider how we want our future with AI to pan out. Such structured thinking, followed by global regulation, will enable us to achieve greatness rather than our downfall.

AI will affect us all, and if you only read one book on the subject, this is it.

1. What does the phrase “In the wrong hands” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．If read by someone poorly educated.	B．If reviewed by someone ill-intentioned.
C．If written by someone less competent.	D．If translated by someone unacademic.

2. What is a feature of AI by Design according to the text?

A．It is packed with complex codes.	B．It adopts a down-to-earth writing style.
C．It provides step-by-step instructions.	D．It is intended for AI professionals.

3. What does Campbell urge people to do regarding AI development?

A．Observe existing regulations on it.

B．Reconsider expert opinions about it.

C．Make joint efforts to keep it under control.

D．Learn from prior experience to slow it down.

4. What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A．To recommend a book on AI.	B．To give a brief account of AI history.
C．To clarify the definition of AI.	D．To honor an outstanding AI expert.

6 . Every bookstore in Beijing used to have a massive fiction room piled to the ceiling with great books. These days, you’re as likely as not to find that those rooms have been shrunk down to the size of a solitary (单独的) table thickly covered with the latest releases and best-selling novels. This, however, begs the question: Is fiction dying out, or is print media finally succumbing to (屈服于) its electronic and audio copy rivals (对手)?

Now that Kindle is leaving China, some say that maybe people will get back to traditional reading. I doubt it, however. This downward reading trend has been evident for a long time now. When Jeff Bezos first launched Kindle, Steve Jobs from Apple said it would fail because “people don’t read anymore. It doesn’t matter how good or bad the product is.”

But I don’t think reading itself is dying. It is merely becoming more functional — in other words, something you have to do in order to get some tangible (实际的) benefit. Gone are the days when people just read for fun. Why lumber (迫使担负) through a musty old book when you can watch an action movie or play a video game? Of course, people know that these are poor substitutes (替代品) for a good book.

In fact, there is nothing better than getting lost in a great book. I remember reading Shackleton, the British polar explorer, when I was a boy. After turning over the last leaf of this extraordinary adventure, I felt as if I, too, had just been to the South Pole and back. This imaginary achievement translated into a sense of confidence which must have been infectious, as soon afterwards all of my friends were themselves picking up books to read for fun. Psychologists say that you are the average of the five friends you surround yourself with. We can learn from them and they can also come to have a profound effect on our own habits and mindset. In this way, a book, too, can be a mentor (导师). The ideas, advice, mindset, and experiences of other people living in other times can get transmitted to us down through the pages of a good book.

In the age of fragmented (碎片化的) information, the winners will be those who can stay focused. However, in a world that easily gets distracted, deep reading seems to be getting further away from us. Our biggest problem is not Kindle’s departure from China, but our own departure from reality. Great books transmit universal truths; get them read. How exactly you do so is up to you.

1. The author mentioned Kindle in the text to _______.

A．praise its convenience and popularity in reading

B．explore the reason for the decline of print media

C．highlight the decreasing trend of traditional reading

D．show our regret for its departure from China’s market

2. Which of the following statements is true about Shackleton according to the passage?

A．He is famous for imaginary writing.	B．He finds nothing better than an old book.
C．He visited the South Pole many times himself.	D．His adventure story influenced the author a lot.

3. We can benefit a lot from reading according to the author except that _______.

A．we can be influenced by positive ideas	B．we’d surround ourselves with good friends
C．we can learn from other people’s experiences	D．we can develop good habits and ways of thinking

4. The author probably agrees that _______.

A．great books are more popular than action movies

B．we should avoid being distracted by modern technology

C．reading great books can help us stay focused

D．traditional reading will eventually disappear

5. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．It’s necessary to find a better substitutes for books like Kindle.

B．We should read more in order to escape from reality.

C．We need to face the reality that reading is becoming less popular.

D．We have to accept the fact that Kindle is leaving China.

6. What is the author’s main purpose in writing this passage?

A．To discuss the future trend of reading.	B．To advocate the benefits of reading.
C．To analyze the reasons for the decline of reading.	D．To compare different forms of reading.

7 . The British accent of Cary Gran has finally been revealed after a fellow actor tracked down a secretly tape recording of the Bristol-born big screen superstar.

Jason Isaacs, who plays Cary Grant in a coming ITV biopic (传记片), said that although setting his mind on figuring out the actor’s real accent, he had become upset by the absence of interviews with Cary Grant.

The star, whose death aged 82 in 1986 brought to an end one of the 20th century’s greatest screen careers, rarely spoke in public and would always adopt a mid-American accent for the cameras

Isaacs, 60, said this week that after some “detective work”, he found out about an interview Cary Grant gave to a student from the University of Iowa months before his death. The student’s classmate secretly recorded the interview in which Cary Grant spoke about his hatred (厌恶) of being approached by fans. The secret recording reveals Cary Grant’s true accent.

At the launch of the ITV drama Archie-after Cary Grant’s birth name Archibald Leach — Isaacs said that when he landed the role, “the first thing I did was look for interviews of Cary Grant.” Isaacs added; “He didn’t want to be seen and he didn’t want to be known. There was nothing at all. Only the films. And that’s not what he spoke like. His accent changed a lot in the films.

Isaacs said of listening to the tape: “I felt like I’d finally made a real connection with him and that’s the voice you hear on screen in Archie. It’s more English than he is in the movies. People think they remember Cary Grant’s voice but what they remember is Tony Curtis in Some Like It Hot.”

The ITV biopic focuses on Grant’s troubled family relationships. Jennifer Grant, Grant’s daughter, said her father had rarely spoken about his childhood. “Sadly I think there was so much shame wrapped up in it,” Jennifer Grant said.

1. Why did Jason Isaacs attempt to get a recording of Cary Grant?

A．To recreate his accent for real.

B．To show sincere respect to him.

C．To get the role of Cary Grant easily.

D．To make the film more profitable.

2. What can we infer about Cary Grant from Paragraph 4?

A．He acted as a detective.

B．He worked in a university.

C．He hated being recorded secretly.

D．He disliked having his life disturbed.

3. Whose voice is familiar to the audience?

A．Cary Grant.

B．Tony Curtis.

C．Jason Isaacs.

D．Jennifer Grant.

4. What kind of person is Jason Isaacs?

A．Generous.

B．Ambitious.

C．Determined.

D．Knowledgeable.

8 . How long does it take to become an elite (精英) in your field?     1     That’s what John Hayes, a cognitive psychology professor at Carnegie Mellon University, wanted to know.

For decades, Hayes has been investigating the role of effort, practice and knowledge in top performers.     2     The research focused on people like Mozart and Picasso-to determine how long it took them to become world-class at their craft.

Let’s talk about what Hayes has discovered about world-class-performers. And more importantly, let’s discuss how you can use these insights to achieve your goals and become your best.

    3     He analyzed thousands of musical pieces produced from 1685 to 1900. The central question that drove his work was, “How long after one becomes interested in music is it that one becomes world-class?” Eventually, Hayes developed a list of 500 pieces of “masterworks” in the field, which were created by a total of 76 composers.

text, Hayes mapped out the timeline of each composers career.     4     What he discovered was that virtually every single “masterwork” was written after the tenth year of the composer’s career. Not a single person produced incredible work without putting in a decade of practice first. Even a genius like Mozart had to work for at least ten years before he produced something that became popular.     5    

In follow-up studies, Hayes found similar patterns among famous painters and popular poets. These findings have been further confirmed by research from professors like K. Anders Ericsson, who produced research that revealed that you needed to put in “10, 000 hours” to become an elite or expert in your field.

A．It takes time to achieve your goals.

B．And what do people like doing in their spare time?

C．He has studied the most talented creators in history.

D．Hayes started his research by examining successful composers

E．Professor Hayes began to refer to this period as the “ten years of silence”.

F．And what do the successful people do differently than the rest of us?

G．And then he calculated how long they had been working before they created their popular works.

9 . When we’re stressed, the brain sends a signal to the adrenal medulla (肾上腺髓质). That signal causes many unpleasant symptoms. Until recently, most scientists believe that muscles have nothing to do with stress because they don’t influence how the brain and the adrenal medulla communicate. In fact, Strick, a leading neuroscientist at the University of Pittsburgh, says he has long been suspicious of claims that exercises building muscles like yoga can decrease stress. “I need to see that there’s a connection; that there’s a real biological basis,” he says.

In 2016, Strick decided to study the connection between muscles and stress by using a method he pioneered. Strick invented a process where he could put a virus into an organ to track the neural network s that connect the brain and the muscles. “So we injected (注入) the adrenal medulla with a virus, and we tracked it back into the brain and then mapped which areas influenced the adrenal,” he says. “And that’s where the surprise came.” Essentially, Strick discovered that our stress response is controlled by more than just the ‘thinking’ part of the brain. Other parts of the brain, including those controlling our muscles, are also sending signals to the adrenal medulla. And the area of the brain that communicates with the adrenal receives signals from the core muscles as well. So, strengthening those muscles, Strick says, can adjust our stress.

When we’re tapping away at a computer in a chair all day, many of us feel more mentally stressed. Strick recommends strengthening the core muscles so that sitting upright all day becomes more natural. “Slump, and then sit up straight,” he says “And see what the difference they make to your mood.”

Strick also says this discovery was a wake-up call for his own health. He credits his children, who persuaded him to try yoga years ago. “And I once said, come on, give me a break. I don’t have time,” he says. “But as it turns out, they’re right.”

1. What can we learn about Strick’s study?

A．He referred to other researchers’ methods.

B．He observed the influence a virus has on the adrenal.

C．He got the result similar to that of previous studies.

D．He found the part of the brain managing muscles can affect stress.

2. What does the underlined word “slump” probably mean in paragraph 3?

A．Sink into a chair.	B．Stand up all of a sudden.
C．Stare at something carefully.	D．Do intense physical exercise.

3. What does Strick think of yoga at the end of the passage?

A．Favorable.

B．Intolerant.

C．Doubtful.

D．Unclear.

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

A．Why We Are So Easily Stressed	B．Benefits of Doing Sports Like Yoga
C．Ways of Strengthening Our Muscles	D．Our Muscles Can Affect Our Mood

10 . In recent studies we have been investigating mirror writing by typical 4-to 6-year-old children. The term is used because the characters — numbered and letters — are reversed (颠倒), yet are correct when looked at in a mirror.

For quite a long time, the mainstream views on the phenomenon were supported by the observation of left-handed children writing reverse characters, which was insufficient and misleading as right-handed children do so as well. Even today, left-handedness is often the favorite explanation of teachers when children produce mirror writing.

We find mirror writing works on both the cerebral(relating to the brain) and the behavioral level. The former has long been limited to the simplistic 1925 theory by Samue Ort on that one of the cerebral hemispheres (大脑半球) (usually the left) would correctly store the letters while the other would store them in a mirrored form. More recently, however, it has been shown that the brain doesn’t consider orientation (方 向) (left or right) when storing images, a process called mirror generalization.

This mirror generalization process, which can be very useful — for example, to recognize a face by both its left and right sides —leads children to know, from memory, the shape of the characters, but not their left / right orientation. It is important to note that the learning of the form of characters by children is mainly visual, and that children produce almost entirely horizontal mirror writing.

At the behavioral level, when children write the characters from memory, they must give them an. orientation. In countries whose primary languages are written in Latin characters —written from left to right — children tend to reverse mainly characters that face the left, such as 7 and q. However, when children are required to write from right to left, they instead reverse the right-oriented letters. This suggests that children usually orient characters in the direction of their. writing.

Our explanation is supported by analyzing tens of thousands of writing samples from more than a thousand children. Nevertheless, many parents continue to believe that mirror writing might be the indicator of a disorder such as dyslexia (读写困难), as doctors may still suggest that mirror writing by children is a sign of a developmental issue. Our research on typical developing children does not support such claims.

1. What does the author want to show by mentioning the left-handedness view?

A．The necessity of re-explaining mirror writing.

B．The role of teachers in addressing mirror writing.

C．The difficulty in adjusting children's handedness.

D．The challenge of writing faced by left-handed children.

2. What feature of the human brain was Samuel Ort on unaware of?

A．It can recognize letters in a mirror forms.

B．It ignores the orientation during image storage.

C．Its ability to store visual images is quite limited.

D．Its left hemisphere is more active in storing letters.

3. What does mirror generalization help children know about a character?

A．Its pronunciation.	B．Its meaning.
C．Its orientation.	D．Its outline.

4. Which combination is likely to be reversed by children writing from right to left?

A．7, J and Z.	B．9, D and F.
C．6, B and R.	D．8, J and L.

5. What's the researchers’ suggestion for parents?

A．Limiting children’s exposure to mirror writing.

B．Regarding mirror writing as something normal.

C．Encouraging children to overcome mirror writing.

D．Seeking professional advice on kid’s developmental issues.