1 . Supermarkets have long been suffering as one of the thinnest-margined businesses in existence and one of the least-looked-forward-to places to work or visit. For more than a decade, they have been under attack from e-commerce giants, blamed for making Americans fat, and accused of contributing to climate change.

Supermarkets can technically be defined as giants housing 15,000 to 60,000 different products. The revolutionary idea of a self-service grocery, where people could hunt and gather food from aisles rather than asking a clerk to fetch items from behind a counter, first came about in America. There is some debate about which was the very first, but over the years a consensus has built around King Kullen Supermarket, founded in New York in 1930.

For some 300 years, Americans had fed themselves from small stores and public markets. Shopping for food involved mud, noisy chickens, clouds of flies, nasty smells, bargaining, and getting short-changed. The supermarket imitated the Fordist factory, with its emphasis on efficiency and standardization, and reimagined it as a place to buy food. Supermarkets may not feel cutting-edge now, but they were a revolution in distribution at the time. They were such strange marvels that, on her first official state visit to the United States in 1957, Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ insisted on an impromptu (即兴的) tour of a suburban-Maryland Giant Food.

The typical supermarket layout has barely changed over the past 90 years. Most stores open with flowers, fruit and vegetables at the front as a breath of freshness to arouse our appetite. Meanwhile, they keep the milk, eggs, and other daily basics all the way back so you’ll travel through as much of the store as possible, and be tempted along the way.

In the early days, as the supermarket multiplied, so did our suspicion of it. We have long feared that this “revolution in distribution” uses corporate black magic on our appetite. The book The Hidden Persuaders, published in 1957, warned that supermarkets were putting women in a “hypnoidal trance (催眠恍惚状态),” causing them to wander aisles, bumping into boxes and “picking things off shelves at random.”

1. What problem have supermarkets been facing?

A．They are actually on the way to shutdown.

B．They have been losing customers and profits.

C．They are forced to use e-commerce strategies.

D．They have difficulty adapting to climate change.

2. What does the passage say about the idea of a self-service grocery?

A．It was put forward by King Kullen.

B．It originated in the United States.

C．It has been under constant debate.

D．It proves revolutionary even today.

3. What have people long feared about supermarkets?

A．They use tricky strategies to promote their business.

B．They are going to replace the local groceries entirely.

C．They apply corporate black magic to the goods on display.

D．They take advantage of the weaknesses of women shoppers.

2 . About a dozen women have gathered as their instructor guides them through the moves. “Backstroke!” Jean Bailey directs from her chair, raising her arms high, as the women of Elk Ridge quickly begin arm rotations. Everyone puts in top effort.

Bailey, who is 102, has been teaching them four times a week in the hallway of the second floor for about three years. “When I get old, I’ll quit,” said Bailey. Some of her regulars have arthritis (关节炎) that limits their movements, but they can do the stretching exercises comfortably and benefit from them, said Bailey, who herself often uses a walker.

“After attending the class, we’ve gotten pretty close up there on our floor. One of us would do something for anybody. We really keep track of each other,” Phyllis Black, 87, said. She lives down the hall from Bailey; if she skips them, she feels stiff. “She’s a very nice neighbor, and she’s a good friend also. She’s very talented.”

When her children were young, Bailey became a florist (花匠) — a practice she still enjoys as a hobby. She buys artificial flowers and makes bouquets (花束) for the clubhouse and some residents. Laura Stuart calls her the “queen bee”. “She brings her expertise in floral arrangements and is always doing beautiful arrangements,” Stuart said. “She brings that to us, and it’s just a blessing that she’s still here with us to even do such a complex type of floral arrangement.”

At Elk Ridge, residents can participate in fitness activities like a walking club, tai chi and working out in a fitness room. But Bailey’s ladies seem to prefer her class because of her warm and fun personality, and the gentleness of the stretches for people who have mobility challenges, says Sean Tran, operations director at Elk Ridge. “More than anything, her general outlook on life…is just remarkable,” he said about Bailey. “She’s the nicest, most thoughtful, caring person that I probably ever met. Nothing is going to stop her,” Tran said. “She’s going to keep going, no matter what. And others look at her and think: ‘If she can do this at 102, I can do this at my age, whatever it is.’”

1. What scene does the first paragraph describe?

A．A game practice.	B．A dancing session.
C．A swimming training.	D．A fitness class.

2. What is implied in Phyllis’s words about the learners?

A．They have deepened the women’s friendship.

B．Some women often skip the exercise classes.

C．Old women are gifted in exercise.

D．Some attendees feel stiff after the classes.

3. What does Laura think of Bailey?

A．She has a hobby of growing flowers.

B．She is expert at arranging flowers.

C．She is a good florist.

D．She sells man-made flowers to others.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．Bailey organizes various activities,

B．Bailey makes her attendees stretch gently.

C．Bailey inspires other people to exercise.

D．Bailey remarks on the life of others.

3 . The Age of Information is mushrooming, perhaps even bulging. If you tried to download all the data available today, you’d need more than 180 million years to do so. But you are wrong to assume that all this information would stimulate a boost of innovation to match the output of data. Indeed, the last time we found ourselves in a period of significant innovation, pursuing the ideas with the biggest spark, was more than 120 years ago, in a period called the Age of Insight.

Innovations, both big and small, start with a new idea. Often, these ideas occur as a moment of insight-the result of a novel connection in our brains made between existing and new information. Studies show insights involve quiet signals deep in the brain, just under the surface of awareness. Anything that helps us notice quiet signals, such as taking breaks between meetings, only adopting necessary learning approaches or avoiding distractions like social media, can increase the chance of insights. However, it’s becoming more challenging to find those quiet signals with the increasing use of technology, filling every moment with emergencies and an endless supply of content.

Besides, we also want to increase the quality of them-to be able to sort through big new ideas and find the ones that have real value, which can be hard to measure. Launched in 2015, the Eureka Scale(尤里卡量表) allows us to assess the strength of our insight experiences on a five-point scale, which is marked by intense emotions, motivation, memory advantage, aftershocks, and following ideas. The Scale combines these five variables into a single value and allows us to define the importance of a new idea. The level-5 insight, involving the richest emotion, motivation, and lasting impact, holds the greatest significance.

Because insights are one of the best ways to drive engagement, innovation, and behavior change, the Eureka Scale has broad applications for measuring and improving individual and organizational performance. More importantly, it can be used to measure the impact of different kinds of work environments and learning approaches on participants’ growth-both in the moment or afterward.

In order for organizations to benefit from another age of insight, it’s not enough to try to access more data or increase the number of insights we generate. Instead, it’s about making space for the biggest ideas to emerge from all the information. Using the shared language of the Eureka Scale as a way to measure how important ideas are, relative to each other, will enable better decision-making toward practical and competitive outcomes. And if we’re to enter a new age of insight, we must design our environments to allow for the best insight possible to surface.

1. What does the underlined word “bulging” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．Stabilizing.

B．Exploding.

C．Shifting.

D．Collapsing.

2. According to the passage, how can the possibility of insights be increased?

A．By engaging in ongoing social media interactions.

B．By relying on technology to receive regular notices.

C．By stepping away from computers between meetings.

D．By participating in additional training and coaching sessions.

3. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．The Eureka Scale controls the influence of our insights.

B．Possessing minimal emotional responses is a level-5 insight.

C．Both the quantity and quality of insights are essential to innovation.

D．A breakthrough has been made in innovation due to a wealth of information.

4. What is the author’s attitude towards the current environment for innovations?

A．Uncertain.

B．Optimistic.

C．Unconcerned.

D．Dissatisfied.

4 . Adom Appiah, is not your typical High School Junior. He has taken his volunteerism to a whole new level by starting a nonprofit charity organization called Ball4Good.

Amazingly, this innovative organization was a result of Adom’s 7th grade school assignment. At age 12, his history teacher, Mrs. Kelsea Turner, at Spartanburg Day School, had challenged her students to dedicate 20% of their class time to a service project. She suggested that they research a community need and then work independently on finding a solution. Adom was inspired.

Adom had great passion for playing sports as a soccer and basketball player. So, he naturally thought of combining sports and community support into an athletics-oriented service project. His idea was to invite athletes, leaders and celebrities to play ball games to raise money for local charities.

Ball4Good held its first Celebrity Basketball Game in 2017. He used donations received on his 13th birthday as seed money for the event. It was a huge success and raised over $70,000 for 13 local charities.

Then, Adom’s idea has transformed into a movement that is helping communities through various ways such as celebrity sport events, charity drives and fundraising. It donates raised funds to various causes affecting children, such as autism, homelessness, abuse and cancer.

If all these accomplishments about Ball4Good were not enough, the teen has also authored three motivational children’s books to inspire students to change the world and bounce back from failures. Donations from book sales have supported several charitable causes. In addition, he won a National Award (Gloria Barron for Young Heroes, 2019) that comes with a $10,000 prize for his public service efforts. Having multiple projects has not slowed Adom down, as he is currently hosting his own show called Kids Changing the World on TV.

“I try to have kids involved in every step of the way, so they can figure out how things work in the business and philanthropist world,” Adom said. He wants people to know that success starts with believing in yourself. His goal is to expand Ball4Good’s reach. He believes that by encouraging others to get involved, he’s multiplying the impact of Ball4Good.

1. What inspired Adom Appiah to start Ball4Good?

A．Passion for sports and support from a community.

B．A school assignment given by his history teacher.

C．His experiences of being a soccer and basketball player.

D．Athletes, leaders and celebrities he invited to play games.

2. According to the passage, we can learn that Ball4Good        .

A．aims to promote community sports

B．held its first activity with Adom’s own savings

C．helps communities simply through celebrity sport events

D．uses raised money to help children in various difficulties

3. Which of the following can best describe Adom Appiah?

A．Kind and humorous.	B．Generous and patient.
C．Innovative and inspiring.	D．Hardworking and reliable.

5 . 阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给出提示词的空白处仅填写1个恰当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

In today’s world, everyone wants to become successful. Most of us have the initial motivation to start something, but     1     (accomplish) that task sometimes turns out to be boring and hence we lose hope of achieving it in the middle of the journey. Consistency, however, is generally believed to be the main driver leading to the ultimate success,     2     means staying focused and dedicating oneself to the goal. It is the ability     3     (remain) committed to a task or habit without wandering from it. So, we can say that consistency is the critical element of success.

6 . Social media does have its shortcomings, and one of those is that it can often seem like everybody is living and winning big — except you.

    1       But the reality is that these people go through struggles just like everybody else. Nobody’s life is perfect all the time. We all go through life’s hardships, failure, and pain. Picture perfect moments do exist, but they exist amongst the real-life terrible moments.    2    

Someone could have +1000 likes on their pictures or a million views on their videos and still be unhappy.     3     There are people with only 10 likes but having plenty of friends, and people with +1000 likes that are lonely, depressed, in fed up relationships and have no real friends.

There are couples that appear happy on social media but behind those photos, they suffer a lot in relationships.     4     Things aren’t always what they appear to be.

You don’t know what some people go through to come out with the fantastic pictures you envy. The real key players mostly operate behind the scenes but make the most happen. They may look like nobody but they are building their kingdoms while others are getting high on likes and attention. Success is not what is presented on social media.     5    

Be yourself and never give up on yourself. Don’t compare yourself to others. The real champions of social media are those who add value to others, not the ones who show their lifestyle to impress others.

A．Those ones don’t get documented.

B．Some even think it’s a complete show-off.

C．Being popular on social media is not everything.

D．Self-worth is determined by the number of likes one gets.

E．There are couples who post nothing but are in loving relationship.

F．It takes tears, sleepless nights, and loads of failure to make it in life.

G．You are always flooded with strangers’ images that show the life you long for.

7 . Are you passionate about Academic Essay Writing? Do you want to share your knowledge of Academic Essay Writing with others? Then come join us as an online Academic Essay Writing teacher and help students who are eager to learn.

Lessonpal was born as a Silicon Valley startup. We believe in delivering high-quality and affordable lessons to all our students, and we’d love you to join us!

What’s in it for you?

It’s you who decide how much you get paid. You set your own rates for your lessons. If your rates are attractive to students, you’ll get lessons. It’s all in your hands.

All lessons are taught online and are easily accessible to everyone. We’re in the digital age now!

You have complete control of when and how much you teach. You control your schedule, availability, and how many students you teach.

You keep the majority of your earnings! Compared to other platforms, Lessonpal teachers keep more of their earnings...90%!

Job responsibilities

Deliver online Academic Essay Writing lessons to students of all ages (you choose what age groups you want to work with).

Respond to questions and messages from current and potential students.

Work with your students to schedule lessons efficiently.

Actively communicate with Lessonpal support about any questions.

Job requirements

Knowledge of Academic Essay Writing

Strong communication skills

Stable internet connection

Proficiency (熟练) in using online meeting platforms

Ready to get started? Click here to sign up.
1. What is available for the applicants?

A．Deciding the class size.

B．Keeping all the earnings.

C．Getting promoted at work.

D．Receiving high-quality training.

2. The applicants are required to _________.

A．follow Lessonpal’s teaching schedule

B．be good at organizing meetings

C．deliver online writing lessons

D．have teaching experience

3. Where is the passage probably from?

A．A science report.	B．A website.
C．A storybook.	D．A brochure.

8 . 语法填空

    1     (locate) in the northeast of the Tibetan Highland, Qinghai Lake is usually No. 1 on “Most Beautiful Lakes in China” list. It has very different scenery in different seasons. In spring, the surrounding mountains and wetlands take on a fresh green look with     2    (colour) flowers and white snow. In summer and autumn, the lake     3     (decorate) with golden clothing, as thousands of hectares (公顷) of rape flowers spread out from Qinghai Lake’s shores. In winter, snow and ice cover the surface of the lake, and the lake becomes quiet.

9 . The idea that we need to eat meat to get enough protein and iron, a false assumption of some Paleo diet (原始饮食) advocates, is a common misconception. It ignores the abundance of protein and iron in many plant-based foods such as nuts and seeds. Likewise, while we typically associate omega-3 fatty acids with fish, fish themselves incorporate these into their tissue by eating seaweed, which we can consume directly without the concerns of exposure to microplastics in fish flesh.

Indeed, a whole-food, plant-based diet can provide all essential nutrients except for vitamin B12, made by bacteria in soil and ingested by animals, thereby incorporated into their tissue, milk, and eggs. While modern sanitation allows humans to consume clean produce unpolluted by dirt, we can easily and cheaply obtain oral B12 supplements.

Evidently, significantly reducing our consumption of meat would carry vast benefits. Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death around the world. Eating highly processed foods and red meat has been repeatedly demonstrated to promote underlying mechanisms of cancer and cardiovascular disease, such as inflammation (炎症) and damage to the lining of blood vessels (血管).

Mounting evidence points to the benefits of a whole-food, plant-based diet. Studies from 2017found that a vegetarian diet is associated with a 25 percent relative risk reduction for coronary heart disease and an 8 percent relative risk reduction for cancer, with a vegan diet related to a 15 percent relative risk reduction for cancer. The World Health Organization has classified processed meat as carcinogenic (致癌的), and (unprocessed) red meat as probably carcinogenic to humans.

In addition to harming ourselves, eating meat harms others. Factory farming practices often entail unspeakable cruelty to animals, and working conditions for human laborers are often unsafe and inhumane as well. Overcrowding of livestock and workers promotes the spread of disease among both people and animals, putting us all at risk for future pandemics. The overuse of “routine” antibiotics (抗生素) to accelerate animal growth and precautiously treat the infections anticipated as a result of living in unclean and overcrowded conditions can promote antibiotic resistance.

While large-scale, well-coordinated national and international action is undoubtedly needed to fight unscrupulous factory farming practices-and to ensure the availability of nutritious and healthy food for all citizens, those with greater influence, such as physicians, educators and policy makers, should consider the importance of acting as role models for healthy behaviors themselves as well as advocating for policies that ensure better nutritional access and education for others.

All of these should not be excuses for individuals to resist implementing change in their own lives and communities. Societies change when enough individuals within them alter their behavior, and it is up to each of us to act as a change agent in whatever capacity we can. We would all be well served to pull this lever in our own lives as well.

1. The author writes the first two paragraphs mainly to ________.

A．show the concerns of Paleo diet advocates

B．compare the differences between two diets

C．highlight the importance of nutrition intake

D．point out a misunderstanding in nutrition source

2. Which of the following logic chains is reasonable according to the passage?

A．

B．

C．

D．

3. What does the underlined word “unscrupulous” in Paragraph 6 probably mean?

A．Illegal.

B．Unfair.

C．Immoral.

D．Unnecessary.

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

A．A Meatless Diet Is Better for You	B．Food Problems Call for Joint Efforts
C．Say No to Processed Meat Consumption	D．Eatable Greens or Not? That Is a Question

10 . The Ultimate Guide to STEM Competitions & Events

STEM competitions allow individuals or student teams to solve a specific challenge or problem through science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. The followings are different events at this time.

Congressional App Challenge
What: Students must code and build an app by themselves. The apps are judged in district-wide competitions.
Who: High school students.
When: From June 15 to November 1, 2023.
Where: Online.
Prize: Winners receive a free trip to display their work in the Capitol Building.
Regeneron Science Talent Search
What: Entrants must conduct an original independent research project. Besides application letters, recommendation letters and transcripts(成绩单) are also needed.
Who: Any student in their senior year of high school.
When: From June 1 to November 8, 2023.
Where: Selected finalists will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington D. C. for in-depth judging.
Prize: Over $2 million in awards are given; first-place prize is $ 250,000.
THINK Challenges
What: This competition is for high school students who are in the early stages of an original research project, rather than being fully completed.
Who: High school students.
When: 2023 registration is closed; 2024 details are to be decided and will likely open in November 2023.
Where: Online.
Prize: Selected finalists are invited to a 4-day all-expenses-paid trip to MIT’s campus to meet professors in their field of research! $1000 will be given.
Source America Design Challenge
What: Student teams are to use STEM concepts to create a totally new product that empowers people with disabilities.
Who: High school and collegiate-level students.
When: Registration for Design Challenge 2022 is still live!
Where: The finals take place in Washington D. C.
Prize: Grand prize is $ 8,000 per team and $ 6,000 to the affiliated school.
1. In the STEM competitions, participants can ________.

A．design an app based on judges’ choices	B．create an invention to help the disabled
C．present a fully completed research project	D．get recommendation letters from professors

2. If someone wants to win a free trip to a university, the one will join in ________.

A．THINK Challenges	B．Congressional App Challenge
C．Regeneron Science Talent Search	D．Source America Design Challenge

3. Which is a requirement for all the applicants?

A．They must be available for an outing trip.	B．They must register 2023 competitions.
C．They must be high school seniors.	D．They must submit original works.