1 . That artificial food dyes (染料) are unhealthy is not news. Some are known to cause hyperactivity (多动症) in some children, affecting their ability to learn. But regulatory agencies (监管机构) around the world don’t necessarily agree on which food dyes are a problem, or why. That may soon change. A 2021 peer-reviewed report by California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment concluded that artificial food dyes “cause or worsen neurobehavioral (神经行为的) problems in some children” and that the current levels that are regarded safe for consumption by the federal government are too high.
California is now considering requiring warning labels on food products and dietary supplements containing the seven most commonly used artificial dyes. The warning label requirement would put California on par with the European Union, which since 2010 has required food products containing certain artificial food dyes to carry warning labels about their negative effect on activity and attention in children.
Artificial dyes are used in foods for one reason: to make products look prettier. Bright colors make candies appealing, especially to kids. But dyes are also in chocolate cake mixes, salad dressings and other products that don’t seem to cry out for a color boost.
In Europe, it was the 2010 label lawmaking that triggered (引发) companies’ decisions to reformulate. “If you’re a company, you do not want to put a warning label on your product.” says Lefferts, an environmental health consultant. Warning labels are why European Starburst Fruit Chews are now colored with natural products, not the artificial dyes that brighten their North American counterparts (同类商品).
Given that artificial food dyes are used far more than needed, we need to be more cautious. After all, we don’t dye fresh fruits and vegetables, but we do dye candy and sprinkles, points out Joe Schwarcz, a chemistry professor at McGill University in Montreal. “The foods in which you find food dyes are foods that are poor in nutrition,” he says. “If you limit foods that contain food dyes, you automatically make your diet better.”
1. What can we learn about artificial food dyes from paragraph 1?| A．A 2021 report confirmed their negative effects. |
| B．The fact that they are harmful is newly revealed. |
| C．Regulatory agencies consider them a serious problem. |
| D．The Federal government thinks their current standard too high. |
| A．In opposition to. | B．In line with. | C．Ahead of. | D．Behind. |
| A．Food companies will stop coloring their products. |
| B．More fresh fruits and vegetables will appear in the market. |
| C．Food companies may replace artificial dyes with natural products. |
| D．It will be hard to find packaged foods without warning labels of dyes. |
| A．Approving. | B．Neutral. | C．Tolerant. | D．Concerned. |
2 . Would you take a trip if you couldn’t use your cellphone? A new tour company called Off the Grid is asking travellers to put their cellphones away and not even use them for photos. The company founder, Zach Beattie, is developing his business, using money he saved from a tech job at a mapping company. He’s hired guides for every trip but will help lead the first few himself.
The first trip is to Lisbon, Portugal, in July. It takes 7 to 10 days, with small groups of up to 16 people. Prices range from $1,500 to $1,650, including accommodations, meals and ground transportation. The plan includes at least three excursions (远足) and two social events, with an emphasis on unique experiences over bucket-list sightseeing. The tour also includes surfing lessons, yoga on the beach, a day of sailing and dinner with a local family.
“When you’re somewhere new, there’s a lot to see and a lot of cool and interesting people to meet,” Beattie said. “Your phone can distract (使分心) you.” The phone ban won’t be enforced quite as strictly as it seems at first glance. “We want it to be voluntary,” he said. “We’re not collecting phones and throwing them in a locked trunk. It’s held by you, but put in your pocket, and you state your intentions for the week, whether that’s checking your social media once or twice a day or a total blackout.”
Tour-goers also get a “dumbphone” without Internet access that’s loaded with numbers for group leaders and other participants, both for emergencies and to promote socializing. Participants may bring regular cameras, but Beattie is hiring a photographer for each tour so there will be plenty of photos to remember the trip. Once the trip is over, participants will have access to those photos for use in social media posts.
1. What can be learned about Zach Beattie?| A．He set up his business at his own expense. |
| B．He is always guiding every trip personally. |
| C．He forbids tourists to take along cellphones. |
| D．He used to earn his living in a tour company. |
| A．The trip features sightseeing. |
| B．Participants live in homestays. |
| C．Air ticket is covered in the cost. |
| D．Tourists experience water sports. |
| A．Lock their phones in a trunk. |
| B．Post their photos on social media. |
| C．Free themselves from their phones. |
| D．Shift their focus onto dumbphones. |
| A．Take photos. | B．Access the Internet. |
| C．Record the trip. | D．Contact group members. |
3 . If a traditional sport bores you, it’s time to try something new! Cycling, but outdoors on city roads; surfing, but on the land; playing frisbee (飞盘), but with a group of people... New sports have been refreshing our minds, bringing more joy to physical exercise.
National fitness has been part of the national strategy for many years, aiming to improve people’s overall physical health. With great attention paid in support of national fitness, new sports begin to develop. According to a study by Houlang Research Institute which attracted more than 1,200 young people to participate, more than 93 percent of people born after 2000are interested in urban (城市的) sports.
Why do young people favor new sports? Houlang’s report claims that apart from keeping fit as a type of exercise, many young people pick them up to socialize—allowing them to build up their social circles. “Players tend to have online group chats announcing their usual activities and simply sharing their lives. The new sports are also suitable for taking photos and are less limited by venues (场地),” the CEO of a tourism website in China told China News Service. Gathered together through social media, people can enjoy new sports at many places in the city, from parks to spacious sidewalks.
Qianjiang Evening News also comments that the new sport are easier for new players to start, unlike other traditional sports, such as soccer and basketball, which usually require strict and complex rules. Thus, the new sports are less competitive but could bring more fun. According to a website, people may opt for sports that are less challenging and can take place at local venues.
Urban sports have unlocked new lifestyles in China and prove that more people arc exposed to and willing to enjoy sports, according to China News Service.
1. Why do the young prefer urban sports?| A．To help socialize. | B．To compete better. |
| C．To have online chats. | D．To desert traditional sports. |
| A．They are only suitable for the young. | B．They are easy to have access to. |
| C．They are more competitive than traditional sports. | D．They need more strict rules. |
| A．Spot. | B．Decide. | C．Support. | D．Choose. |
| A．The entertainment activities in modern cities | B．A promising exercise for the young |
| C．The rise of urban sports in China | D．The development of urban sports |
4 . When we think about lives filled with meaning, we often focus on people whose grand contributions benefited humanity. Abraham Lincoln,Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela surely felt they had a worthwhile life. But how about us ordinary people,struggling in a typical existence?
There is an important element to consider. Think about the first butterfly you stop to admire after a long winter or imagine the scenery at the top of a hill after a fresh hike. Sometimes existence delivers us small moments of beauty. When people are open to appreciating such experiences, these moments may enhance how they view their life. This element is defined as EA (experiential appreciation) by Joshua Hicks, a psychological professor at Texas A &M University.
Recently, he and his research team set out to figure out whether EA was related to a person’s sense of meaning in a series of studies that involved more than 3,000 participants. At an initial test, researchers had participants rate their agreement of different coping strategies to relieve their stress. They found people who managed stress by focusing on their appreciation for life’s beauty also reported experiencing life as highly meaningful.
Researchers then conducted a series of experiments, in which they gave participants specific tasks and, once more, asked them to report how strongly they identified with statements linked to purpose, etc. In one case, participants who watched an awe-inspiring video reported having a greater sense of EA and meaning in life, compared with those who watched more neutral videos. After reflecting on the results collected from the participants, researchers confirmed their original theory.
But applying that insight can be difficult.Our modern, fast-paced, project-oriented lifestyles fill the day with targets and goals. We are on the go, and we attempt to maximize output both at work and at leisure.
This focus on future outcomes makes it all too easy to miss what is happening right now. Yet life happens in the present moment. We should slow down, let life surprise us and embrace the significance in the everyday life.
1. Why are the butterfly and the scenery on a hill mentioned in paragraph 2?| A．To introduce a concept. |
| B．To attract readers’ interest. |
| C．To demonstrate the beauty of nature. |
| D．To show the necessity of protecting nature. |
| A．By designing different strategies to reduce stress |
| B．By studying previous research data. |
| C．By shooting videos starring the participants. |
| D．By analyzing the response from the participants. |
| A．A person who always gets her life well-organized. |
| B．A person who often hears motivating speeches. |
| C．A person who leads a fast-paced life |
| D．A person who always expects future results. |
| A．No pains, no gains. |
| B．Those who believe in their ability can do anything. |
| C．Live your life one day at a time. |
| D．Being on sea, sail; being on land, settle. |
5 . Historically, only local governments worried about a widespread food crisis, but today, the rapidly rising food prices and the resulting food crisis can quickly be a worldwide phenomenon. Over the next 20 years, the fight to feed the world will be a huge challenge facing the global economy.
The first solution lies in the combined effect of money and time.
Another way to solve the crisis is to double food production in developing countries.
While we may not be seeing all the symptoms of food shortage, we must be clear-eyed in our current support of food production. It is obvious that we will face a severe problem, but the problem is solvable.
| A．Since you think it beneficial to the whole world |
| B．What about developing economy to solve the crisis |
| C．If we are to reach our goal and prevent a global food crisis |
| D．How can we relieve the current crisis and avoid future risks |
| E．The goal needs an enormous investment in agriculture from various sources |
| F．Developing a national strategy to reduce food loss and waste is also useful to handle the crisis |
| G．Some countries like India have realized this fact and are giving more financial support to agriculture |
6 . Grace Hemingway gifted her son, Earnest, a copy of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s epic poem Hiawatha on his sixth birthday. While it’s hard to say how much her choice of gift influenced Earnest Hemingway at the time, he grew up to become one of the most famous writers in history.
Books can make for charming gifts. Giving a book as a gift to someone is much more than a simple exchange of goods.
When giving books, think about your recipients’ (接受者) favorite. It is worth the time to try and find a rare copy, like first editions or signed copies. They’ll be delighted by the effort. Are your friends stuck in a dullness and in need of some motivation? You can gift them a book that offers inspiration. Also, not mainstream yet useful guides related to their career are helpful.
A book when received as a gift has meaning to the recipient by itself if you’ve put some thought into it. An inscription (题词) adds to the appeal of your gift by making it more individualized. Without an inscription, although still meaningful, the book is just a book indistinguishable from hundreds of thousands of copies out there. A case for not penning down an inscription is that it makes it easier for them to pass it on to someone else if they don’t like the book.
Wondering if you should give your recipient a hardcover or a paperback? There is no universal preference among readers. Some like the paperbacks because of the convenience, easy to carry around and travel with. But many people, including me, prefer hardcovers because they’re more traditional and last much longer. A study designed to find a relation between the weight of wine bottles and their prices found that in most cases the weight of a wine bottle related positively with the price. The weight helped consumers perceive the wine as better.
In a word, books can make for memorable gifts. A good book gifted thoughtfully will create a pleasant memory.
1. Why is Earnest Hemingway mentioned in the first paragraph?| A．To share a book. | B．To present a fact. |
| C．To introduce the topic. | D．To make a comparison. |
| A．Who the gift should be given. | B．How a book should be presented. |
| C．Where a proper book can be found. | D．What kinds of books can be chosen as gifts. |
| A．To make the book more personal. |
| B．To record the giver’s reading experience. |
| C．To make the content of the book more appealing. |
| D．To allow the book to be more pleasing to the eye. |
| A．Good wine is all in heavier bottles. |
| B．The weight of a book determines its price. |
| C．A hardcover book is often valued more as a gift. |
| D．The price of wine depends on the quality of its bottle. |
7 . Those of us who shop online may scan customer reviews to get a better sense of products we can't judge for ourselves at a physical store. We may check out online testimonials before booking a haircut or visiting a new restaurant. But what happens if some of those reviews can't be trusted?
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently announced that it was proposing new measures to crack down on fake reviews and other practices used to mislead consumers. The commission published a proposed rule that would prohibit companies from writing or selling fake reviews, buying positive reviews, suppressing negative reviews and more.
“Our proposed rule on fake reviews shows that we're using all available means to attack deceptive advertising in the digital age,” Samuel Levine, director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement.
Research shows people overwhelmingly consult online reviews, but humans are also bad at telling which consumer reviews hold water and which are nonsense.
That's potentially worrisome given that nearly one in every three reviews is fake, according to one estimate.
In arguing for the proposal, the FTC cited enforcement actions it had taken against companies that manipulated reviews of their products.In 2022, for example, the commission forced the online retailer Fashion Nova to pay $4.2 million to settle allegations (指控) that it blocked negative reviews from being posted on its website — the first FTC action involving a company's effort to hide negative reviews. For its part, Fashion Nova said in a statement to The New York Times that the FTC's allegations were “inaccurate” and that it only settled the charges to avoid “the distraction and legal fees”.
Comments on the proposed rule have to be received within 60 days of its publication in the Federal Register, after which the FTC will decide whether to issue a revised final version.
1. What is the main purpose of the FTC's proposed rule?| A．To improve the quality of products and services. |
| B．To protect the interests of physical stores. |
| C．To ban negative reviews from online platforms. |
| D．To ensure true reviews are presented to customers. |
| A．Be credible. | B．Be prejudiced. | C．Be official. | D．Be misleading. |
| A．To delete negative reviews of its products. |
| B．To post customer reviews on its website. |
| C．To resolve allegations of deceptive advertising. |
| D．To prevent it from facing further criticism and legal fees. |
| A．It is well-received. | B．It is still under review. |
| C．It has proven to be effective. | D．It has encountered opposition. |
| A．A car driver. | B．A careless mistake. | C．A car accident. |
1. Who did Fred have a fight with last night?
| A．A storekeeper. | B．A policeman. | C．His brother. |
| A．At home. | B．In the hospital. | C．In the police station. |
| A．At about7. | B．At about 8. | C．At about 9. |
