1 . Like millions of other parents, Emily Hobey drops her son at day care before she heads to work every morning. But what makes her mornings different from other parents’ mornings, is that she gets to leave her one- and half-year old in a day care center run by her employer, Whirlpool.
The day care, called the Eddy, is located at the company’s global headquarters in Benton Harbor, Mich. — a five minute drive away from her office at the company’s North America Headquarters building. “Every day there is a safe environment waiting for him with great teachers.” said Hobey. “And we can really depend on that.”
A small but growing number of workplaces are offering on-site day care for their employees, according to data from network The Best Place for Working Parents, which covers over 600 businesses of varying sizes and services.
The organization has tracked how many businesses within its network offer on site child care since right before the pandemic (疫情). In 2020, the Best Place for Working Parents found that 8.5 percent of those companies offered on-site child care. That number grew to 11.9 percent in 2021. fell slightly to 11.4 percent in 2022 and climbed to 13.9 percent this year, a network spokesperson said.
A 2022 survey from McKinsey & Company found that 45 percent of mothers with children aged 5 or younger who left the workforce during the COVID-19 cited child care as a major reason for their departure. And 24 percent of mothers with children 5 years old or younger said they considered reducing their work hours or switching to part time work because of child care. Only 14 percent of fathers said the same.
Like Whirlpool, many workplaces offer on-site day care to help make their companies more attractive to employees. Research also shows that when companies offer on site child care, workers are happier at their job and are less likely to leave. This has been the case at clothing company Patagonia, which has offered on-site child care since 1983. Hilary Dessouky, general counsel at Patagonia, said that the on-site child care has resulted in almost 100 percent of mother’s returning to work after maternity leave (产假).
1. What makes Emily Hobey’s morning routines unique?| A．She drops her son at day care. |
| B．Her office is very close to her home. |
| C．Her employer provides on site day care. |
| D．She has a well-paid job in Whirlpool. |
| A．By making comparisons. | B．By providing examples. |
| C．By listing data. | D．By analyzing cause and effect. |
| A．Mothers love their children more than fathers. |
| B．Many women became jobless due to the pandemic. |
| C．Whirlpool offers the most attractive on-site day care across the world. |
| D．Lack of child care made many mothers leave work during the pandemic. |
| A．To describe some best child care services. |
| B．To show the positive effects of on site child care. |
| C．To stress the challenges faced by working mothers. |
| D．To compare it with companies without on-site child care. |
2 . Leah Brown aged 36 fell several hundred feet from Oregon’s highest mountain right before the eyes of a group of volunteer rescue workers who rushed to her aid and helped save her life.
The woman was coming down a popular path (小路) on Mt. Hood, about 70 miles east of Portland, on Saturday morning, according to the local police. Mt. Hood is the highest in Oregon, standing at around11.240 feet.
The fall was seen by members of Portland Mountain Rescue (PMR), a volunteer organization focused on helping people in mountainous areas. The group called 911 and rushed to the woman, providing medical care. They helped keep the woman warm for seven hours as the police worked to get her off the mountain safely. Finally, the woman was evacuated (转移) to a parking lot at 9:30 pm and taken to a hospital.
The climber, Leah Brown, said she didn’t know what caused her fall. “I can only guess it was either an ice tool or a crampon (冰爪) that didn’t land and stick like it should have, so I became detached from the mountain,” Brown said. “The thing I’d like to most stress is my appreciation for the members of PMR who evacuated me and took good care of me the whole time,” Brown added. “They saved my life. ”
In a statement after the rescue, PMR warned of the dangerous winter conditions at the mountain. “The short days and lower temperatures mean that the snow tends to be very hard and icy, and the conditions tend to be much steeper. Climbing the mountain in icy conditions is much more difficult,” the group said.
1. What happened to Brown on Saturday morning?| A．She lost her way in a forest. | B．She hurt her eye unexpectedly. |
| C．She failed to call her family. | D．She fell down on a downhill path. |
| A．Different. | B．Hidden. | C．Separated. | D．Tired. |
| A．Thankful. | B．Regretful. | C．Surprised. | D．Concerned. |
| A．Climbing requires teamwork. | B．Climbing in winter is too risky. |
| C．We must remain positive in hard times. | D．We can admire the view on sunny days. |
3 . A small town in western France has gone viral for marking a busy crossroads with overlapping (重叠的) white lines in order to confuse motorists and make them slow down.
The town of Bauné, near Angers, is home to only about 1,700 people, but it has to deal with heavy traffic on a daily basis because of its location at the crossroads between two departmental roads — D74 and D82. Some of the roughly 2,300 vehicles that pass through Bauné every day can have speeds of over 100 km/h, even though the town’s crossroads is clearly marked with signs limiting the speed at 30 km/h. In order to get drivers to slow down, local authorities came up with the idea of using confusing road markings in the form of overlapping continuous lines. Interestingly enough, the strategy worked like a charm!
Photos of the odd road markings on the busy crossroads of Bauné went viral on French social media recently and left a lot of people scratching (抓) their heads. Many people have pointed out that a continuous white line is impassable (不可通行的), so having the lines overlap and cover the entire square doesn’t really make a lot of sense. Others simply wondered why the local authorities didn’t use more traditional means of decreasing vehicle speed, like a roundabout (环形交叉路口) or traffic lights.
According to Grégoire Jauneault, deputy mayor of Loire-Authion and the person in charge of local development, the deliberately confusing road markings started working on the day they were completed, with data showing a significant decrease in motorists’ speeds. However, a part of the local community predicted that the result was only temporary and that as soon as motorists figured out the game, they would go right back to their speeding ways.
1. What’s the purpose of marking a busy crossroads with overlapping white lines?| A．To make headlines on social media. |
| B．To reduce traffic jam at the crossroads |
| C．To make drivers slow down their speed. |
| D．To reduce the number of people crossing the crossroads. |
| A．Only 1,7000 people living there. |
| B．The speed limit is 100 km/h at the crossroads. |
| C．Traffic jam happens every day at the crossroads. |
| D．Roughly 2,300 vehicles pass through Bauné every week. |
| A．Doubtful | B．Supportive | C．Opposed | D．Objective |
| A．In a textbook | B．In the newspaper |
| C．In a research paper | D．In a travel magazine |
4 . Josie, who is 17 years old, said, “Why do my parents do the same things they tell me not to do? For example, my mum stops me from shouting through the walls and asks me to go and speak to her face-to-face, but she always shouts through the walls to me. What can I do?”
That is a very good point. Parents can be completely inconsistent (不一致), and usually they don’t realize it. You see this a lot in many things like smartphones. Parents always say to their kids, “Oh, you can’t use that. That device (设备) is bad for you, so stop using it at the table. It’s harmful.” But then they are on theirs continually. So what do you expect teenagers to do?
The whole “Do as I say, not as I do” thing is an annoyance, especially for a teenager who is dying for independence and respect but isn’t getting them.
What can teenagers do with it? I would say you should point it out by calmly saying something like “You tell me not to scream through the walls, but you do it to me, so you can understand where I’m coming from. That’s not ideal.” They might object to it, but I think most parents who care about being parents would logically say, “That’s a reasonable point.”
There are a lot of conflicts (矛盾) going on between teenagers and their parents, but a lot of studies show that the conflicts are resolved a lot more when they turn into a dialogue.
If you can talk at a time when you’re both feeling a bit calmer, like just in the kitchen or doing something unimportant, then go in and say, “Can I just mention it? You tell me not to do this, but you do it too.” If you can approach it in a more calm and stress-free manner, most parents will respond positively.
1. How did Josie feel according to her words in paragraph 1?| A．Hopeful. | B．Bored. | C．Proud. | D．Confused. |
| A．The parents’ smartphones. | B．The tables in the house. |
| C．The devices in the house. | D．The teenagers’ points. |
| A．Object to it personally. | B．Complain of it continually. |
| C．Talk with their parents calmly. | D．Do some studies differently. |
| A．To list a fact. | B．To offer a suggestion. |
| C．To show a result. | D．To ask a new question. |
5 . A fire swallowed a warehouse (仓库) on San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf, threatening to spread to a historic World War II-era ship before firefighters controlled it. One firefighter got a hand injury while battling the fire.
After the fire, investigators searched the building to determine whether homeless people were inside. “We’re trying to confirm if anybody is in this building,” San Francisco Fire Lt. Jonathan Baxter said. “Nobody is supposed to be in the building and we are hoping that there is no victim.”
However, at least two workers were inside the warehouse when the fire broke out before dawn. Alejandro Arellano was cleaning out a fish storage locker when the fire began shortly after 4 a.m. “I saw a lot of smoke. A few minutes later, fire was everywhere,” he said. “It was very scary. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
More than 130 firefighters fought the fire, some using ladder trucks to drench (浸湿) the warehouse from above. A fireboat was used to protect a ship that stormed Normandy on D-Day in 1944. The ship is among numerous tourist attractions on the wharf. Coast Guard crewmembers and police assisted by keeping other ships away.
Shops and restaurants on the wharf have been shut in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus (冠状病毒) and were expected to reopen on May 31. Fishing companies said the fire worsened an already tough business climate. Kenny Belov, owner of the seafood wholesaler TwoXSea, said his building near the warehouse was not damaged but he worried the fish in his freezer could be ruined. Fire investigators were still assessing the damage and were looking into the cause.
1. Why did investigators search the building after the fire?| A．To search for valuable things. |
| B．To make sure the fire was really out. |
| C．To make sure nobody was trapped in the fire. |
| D．To look for the person who caused the fire. |
| A．They kept other ships away. | B．They protected tourist attraction. |
| C．They carried ladder trucks. | D．They sent the injured to hospital. |
| A．The cause of the fire was still unknown. |
| B．The fire helped slow the spread of the disease. |
| C．Kenny Belov’s building was damaged in the fire. |
| D．Shops and restaurants were closed because of the fire. |
| A．A Big Fire Was Put out by Firefighters |
| B．A Big Fire Broke out Early in the Morning. |
| C．Firefighters Are Looking for Victims of a Big Fire |
| D．Investigators Are Looking for the Cause of Big Fire |
6 . Technology has changed our lives and reshapes the way we live. Some of us love it and some of us are frustrated (懊恼的) with it. This is clear as most of us are guilty of being addicted to the Internet and social media.
The invention of airplanes, ships and spacecraft always allows people to visit other countries and even other planets. As long as we follow the laws of immigration, we can go to any country we like.
In addition, technology is also used by a large number of teachers to improve their teaching. It can make the lessons more interactive and interesting for students. E-learning is possible with the use of the Internet connection and computers. People wishing to study for a degree can do so at their comfortable homes.
However, we have to say that technology can be a double-edged sword. Nowadays, instead of paying attention to the conversation we are having face to face, we just take the phone. We are distracted by smartphones and technology in general. But we can’t blame technology. We should not blame ourselves, either.
| A．This gives students flexibility. |
| B．What we need to do is to find some balance. |
| C．This makes it easy for students to make progress. |
| D．Nevertheless, we have seen some benefits of technology. |
| E．When it comes to shopping, technology is also of great help. |
| F．Besides, we have suffered a lot from modern communication. |
| G．And of course, travelling can make people’s lives more colorful. |
Lunchtime Naps in China
In China, lunchtime naps (小睡) are a must. Typical Chinese
Don’t bother your Chinese coworkers between 12 pm to 2 pm that’s
The Chinese view napping not only
Regardless of its human biological benefits, naps are rooted in Chinese culture. Chinese school periods usually end around 4 pm or 5 pm, sometimes even 6 pm. This makes lunchtime naps all the most important so students can have as much energy as needed
Over the years, most Chinese
8 . “Second place is just the first loser” is a well-known saying from the legendary NASCAR champion Dale Eamhardt. Or as my father put it jokingly, “It’s not enough to win. Your friends have to lose too.” We may not want others to know our thoughts, but many of us think this way, because we are born to compete with each other. However, if left unmanaged, this can create disagreements between ourselves and others. Fortunately, there is a way to solve this problem: instead of always going for gold, aim for the bronze (铜牌) .
To expand on the wisdom of Earnhardt, let’s put it another way: although second place may be the first loser, third place can be the real winner, at least when it comes to happiness. A 1995 study discovered that bronze winners appeared happier on average than silver medalists, while another research in 2018 studied U.S. athletes in the Olympics from 1904 to 1936 and found that those whose best performance was silver lived to 72 on average. Gold medalists beat this by living to 76 But the first prize went to the bronze winners, who lived to 78.
The social concepts of upward and downward comparison help explain the difference. Silver medalists see themselves as the first loser because they compare themselves only with the champions. However, the bronze winners compare downwards with those who have never made it onto the podium at all. Therefore, they feel better about themselves and thus, happier. The feeling shows up in improved health. In fact, researchers have found that comparing ourselves with the unfortunate ones can help prevent a negative mood. The comparison is not from a feeling of ill will, but because rewards in life are relative (相对的).
The worldly happiness strategy of working for gold every day is foolish. Stop spending most of your time feeling like a silver medalist or always relying your happiness on a single result. Rather, aim for healthy competitions in which you do your best without the expectation of being the top winner.
1. What will be influenced by the type of medal one receives?| A．Wisdom. | B．Lifetime. | C．Wealth. | D．Recovery. |
| A．The place to receive the awards. |
| B．The place to meet his or her fans. |
| C．The place to build up one’s body. |
| D．The place to have the competitions. |
| A．Who Is the Real Winner? | B．How to Win a Gold Medal? |
| C．Should We Work for Gold? | D．Is It Difficult to Win? |
| A．Athletes. | B．Reporters. | C．Doctors. | D．Soldiers. |
9 . More and more travellers in China nowadays prefer homestays rather than traditional hotels, as they seek private living experiences. The house-sharing model was first introduced by the website Couchsurfing.com in 2003. It is still the largest website for travellers to find accommodation (食宿) without much money to spend.
Encouraged by her great experience of homestays in France, Maggita, 30 considered short-term hire as her first choice in her future trips. She later went back to her hometown Shanghai and ran a “shared accommodation” business.
For travellers, the short-term hire idea enables them to rent a special room at a reasonable price and also enjoy a first and experience of the local culture, compared with traditional hotels. For owners, they can gain much with daily rental. Now Maggita has quit her last job in an IT company and become a host of some 20 homestays, which enables her to earn a monthly income of around 40,000-50,000 yuan.
In recent years, China has see n many homestay booking websites such as Xiaozhu and Tujia. Chen Chi, the founder and CEO of Xiaozhu, said the model is to share rooms or apartments that are not in use with people who need them. Instead of the traditional view that Chinese people feel uncomfortable living with strangers. Chen found that a large number of travellers got along well with house owners.
However, experts have pointed out a series of problems brought about by the fashion. Lacking supervision (监管) to those accommodation sharing websites, the service quality and accommodation safety cannot be guaranteed. Experts suggest that the online websites should closely work together with communities and local police stations to improve the services.
1. Why do tourists choose homestays instead of hotels while travelling?| A．Because it is the most popular way to travel. |
| B．Because it is a great way to save money. |
| C．Because it is a better way to enjoy privacy. |
| D．Because it will provide more convenience. |
| A．Her hometown’s business. |
| B．The website Couch surfing.com. |
| C．Her own life experience. |
| D．Her choice of future trips. |
| A．Travellers will feel anxious living with house owners. |
| B．Travellers can get some rental when leaving the homestays. |
| C．Travellers have to share the same room with house owners. |
| D．Travellers and house owners can both benefit from it. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Positive. | C．Unclear. | D．Doubtful. |
As far as Justin knew, there was only one way out of his neighborhood: basketball. So he ran with the ball like the hounds (猎犬) were running after him. He could drop any of the older guys at the court and the younger guys didn’t stand a chance. Justin saw his way out and he ran for it.
One day when Justin was shooting around at the local court, some guys from another block ran up and asked to play. The big one in the middle said that he had heard that Justin was the best and he wanted to see if it was true. Justin refused him at once. But the big guy insisted, and Justin’s cousin was encouraging, “Come on, Justin, drop this guy.” So Justin figured that he’d just do what everyone wanted and play.
Justin was running all over the big guy and making his shots while he did it. But suddenly Justin was pushed hard by the big guy and went flying in just such a way that he unluckily tore up his right knee. The doctor said Justin might never play again. Justin almost broke down.
The first six weeks in hospital, Justin just lay in bed with his leg in a long cast (石膏). He watched three reruns (再播放) of The Simpsons every day and ate potato chips until the bag was empty, and then he’d dig the salt and grease out of the corner with his finger. It seemed as if he blew up like a balloon. Right when he reached the bottom of the pit of despair (绝望), Justin’s sister, Kiki, came home from the university.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
She came in the house like a whirl of sunshine.
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After spending those weeks with his sister, Justin realized he didn’t want to feel bad for himself any more.
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