The buzzwords (时髦术语) “brittle college students” have gone viral on the Internet recently among mounting concerns over
Such comments have caused heated discussions over the declining physical
“These young people were mainly diagnosed (诊断) with trauma, abdominal pain, chest tightness, hyperventilation, acute alcoholism, and cholecystitis. Most cases were caused by
A report pointed out that unhealthy lifestyle is common
2 . Apartment owners cash in on upcoming holiday trips
The National Day holiday is around the corner, and those making last-minute plans to travel at that time are busy booking
In a bid to cash in on this rush for rooms, social media users are
Unlike hotels, those renting out their homes are not charging anything
Meanwhile, some netizens have expressed
“It is so unsafe. What if the people install a camera in your home or make it a complete mess,” one asked while
Experts said this novel way of sharing one’s home not only means extra earnings for the homeowners, but also improves the
Fu Jian, a lawyer at Henan Zejin Law Firm, said that as there is no written
Moreover, if there is a theft or an accident involving the guests during their stay in the apartment, the owner will more or less be held
He advised owners to be aware of the rules and regulations before renting out their apartments, and added that renters should also choose
A.wide-spread | B.fast-disappearing | C.time-saving | D.newly-developed |
A.separating | B.providing | C.cheering | D.flooding |
A.rent | B.consideration | C.purchase | D.conservation |
A.given | B.exchanged | C.charged | D.encouraged |
A.exceptional | B.free | C.extra | D.rewarded |
A.occupied | B.empty | C.free | D.concrete |
A.entirely | B.heavily | C.fairly | D.necessarily |
A.concern | B.excitement | C.delight | D.disappointment |
A.putting | B.spying | C.commenting | D.working |
A.history | B.reputation | C.scenery | D.range |
A.article | B.agreement | C.news | D.response |
A.operated | B.printed | C.signed | D.registered |
A.respond | B.reveal | C.occur | D.obtain |
A.responsible | B.available | C.profitable | D.stable |
A.hopefully | B.specially | C.carefully | D.warmly |
3 . 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。
Domestic brands attract young consumers
Shu Qiuhong runs a store selling hanfu — the traditional clothing of the Han ethnic group — in Jinan, Shandong province.
Shu, a native of Southwest China’s Guizhou province, has a deep affection for traditional Chinese clothes
Over the past few years, China
In China, there around 260 million people born between 1995 and 2009,
Beijing’s Palace Museum has been at the forefront of the nationwide guochao trend, with lipsticks and blushes (胭脂) engraved with traditional Chinese patterns being the bestsellers all the year around. These products have proven very popular
4 . Shrinkflation has made British shoppers unhappy. For years, producers have quietly shrunk product sizes rather than rise prices. A multipack(合装包)of Fazzles, used to cost £1 ($1.36) and contain eight bags. Now it contains six. Cadbury’s Creme Eggs used to come by the half-dozen; now they come in fives. Quality Street, a chocolate box, weighed 1.2kg in 2009; today, just 650g.
The logic of Shrinkflation is that consumers are less likely to notice it than its alternative: higher prices. For years, the government has worked on the same principle. Taxpayers paid roughly the same, but government services became worse. Now an era of price increases in the form of tax rises has begun. In a nasty combination of inflation and shrinkflation, voters will be expected to pay more for less.
It will be an awkward shift. Since coming to power in 2010, the Conservatives (保守党) have used shrinkflation just as retailers do. In the early austerity (财政紧缩) years, the government shrank (收缩,减少), but its cost did not. As a percentage of GDP, it fell from a peak after the financial crisis of 46% of GDP to 39%. Taxes stayed around their historic norm of about 32% of GDP. But citizens received fewer services.
And, as when shoppers fail to notice the missing packet of Frazzles, voters did not care much at first. Weekly bin collections became fortnightly or monthly. Once-generous legal aid became mean; in-work benefits fell; police solved fewer crimes. But eventually voters and shoppers start to feel confused. Was a box of Quality Street always so small? Were the police always so used to fraud (诈骗)? Moreover, shrinkflation cannot continue forever. Just as people will not buy an empty packet of Frazzles, taxpayers will not pay for government services that are not provided at all. Eventually prices must rise — as the Conservatives are discovering. By 2026 the tax burden will be 36% of GDP, the highest since the post-war era, under Clement Atlee. This will cause several problems such as one of expectations. Atlee’s government promised a new Jerusalem (耶路撒冷): voters accepted higher taxes in return for a welfare(福利)state. Similarly, when New Labour governments raised taxes in the 2000s, they provided more in return. They increased national insurance, in order to bring heath care spending in line with other European countries. Schools were rebuilt and repaired; civic art, though sometimes of questionable quality, appeared in town squares.
Unfortunately, this time higher spending will at best stop things getting worse. Sajid Javi, the health secretary, admits that the health-and social-care systems will struggle even after a 2.5 percentage-point rise in national insurance,
“Is that all we get for £12bn” asked the Daily Mail, a newspaper that lends to see eye-to-eye with the Conservatives, when the plan to cut hospital waiting-lists was announced. British voters are often said to want American taxes and a European welfare government. Instead, they face paying European taxes for services as insufficient as those in American.
1. Shrinkflation refers to the process of items ______.A.shrinking in size or quantity while their prices remain the same |
B.shrinking in size or quantity while their prices become higher |
C.expanding in sire or quantity while their prices remain the same |
D.expanding in size or quantity while their prices become lower |
A.Consumers will pay higher taxes for government services. |
B.Consumers are more sensitive to price increases in products. |
C.Consumers can hardly notice the changes in government services. |
D.Consumers are unwilling to pay for government services. |
A.Critical. | B.Unconcerned. | C.Supportive. | D.Doubtful. |
A.Both inflation and shrinkflation exist in Britain. |
B.The Americans pay high taxes for poor services. |
C.The British government will be costlier with fewer services. |
D.The Daily Mail is in favor of the current economic policy. |
5 . Downey, a professor of sociology at The Ohio State University, had an argument with his son, Nick. “I explained to him how bad his generation’s social skills were because they spent so much time on screens,” Downey said. “Nick asked me how I knew that. And when I checked, there really wasn’t any solid evidence. It then occurred to me that something is needed.”
Downey, with his colleague, started to investigate before long. They used data from early childhood studies. They compared how teachers and parents rated social skills of children who started kindergarten in 1998 with data on those who started school in 2010, when the first iPad appeared. Downey was surprised to find despite the time spent on smartphones and social media, young people today are as socially skilled as those from the previous generation.
Results showed both groups of kids were rated similarly on interpersonal skills, such as the ability to form and maintain friendships and get along with different people. They were also rated similarly on self-control, such as the ability to control their temper (脾气). In fact, the evaluations of children’s interpersonal skills and self-control tended to be slightly higher for those in the 2010 group than those in the 1998 group. The results showed that even the children with the most screen exposure in both groups experienced similar development in social skills compared to those with less screen exposure. There was one exception: The skills were a bit lower for children who accessed online gaming and social networking sites many times a day. “But even that was a pretty small effect,” Downey said. In general, there was little evidence that screen time damages most children’s social skills.
There is a tendency for every generation at my age to worry about the younger generation. It is an old story. Now we know we really shouldn’t have been so,” said Maggie, one of the parents providing evaluation. Fears for screen-based technology represent recent panic in response to technological change. If anything, new generations are learning that having good social relationships means being able to communicate successfully both face-to-face and online, Downey said.
1. Why is Downey’s argument with his son mentioned?A.To attract reader’s attention to kids’ social skills. |
B.To explain the reason for Downey’s study. |
C.To show the impact of screen time on children. |
D.To introduce tension between parents and children. |
A.They were bad news for new generations. |
B.They were uncommon in the field of sociology. |
C.They were different from his assumption. |
D.They were opposite to findings of previous studies. |
A.They were addicted to online games. |
B.Their social skills were barely impacted. |
C.They were more likely to lose their temper. |
D.Their interpersonal relationship was damaged. |
A.Worried. | B.Doubtful. | C.Disappointed. | D.Relieved. |
1. 写信缘由;
2. 帮助老年人跨越“数字化”鸿沟的建议(至少两条)
注意:1. 词数80左右;
2. 可适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
参考词汇:健康码 health code 数字鸿沟 digital divide
Dear editor,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
7 . Being in college, coupled with being immersed (沉浸的) in social media means students are constantly surrounded by peers and their profiles (个人资料). “I am so pleased to announce that I have received an internship (实习工作).” If I opened my LinkedIn(a social network for job seekers, professionals and business)right now, the probability of me seeing posts of this kind is 100 percent.
I know the idea of comparison via social media has been studied and discussed a lot, but what we don’t put enough emphasis on is the physical and personal impact it can have on students. When students look at achievements and positions held by their peers, it is easy to feel as though they are not doing enough. When we go to career fairs and stand in lines for hours to not receive an interview, it is easy to feel as though there isn’t a bright future ahead. When we study in the library to improve our GPA (Grade Point Average) so as to get a job, it is easy to feel as though we have no fun.
It is easy to feel this way when we are immersed in what we think our peers’ lives and achievements look like. It can be easy to assume that the girl, who is doing two jobs, is a leader in three clubs, is taking 22 credit s and has an awesome internship lined up for the summer, is so happy and it’s going to be successful. However, what we don’t see are the three hours of sleep she gets each night or the lack of nutrition in her meals or that she is unable to keep up with her social relationships.
“One of the people we judge the most is ourselves. When we compare, we build on that judgment we make on ourselves in a negative way,” says Teri Pipe, Arizona State University’s chief well-being officer. This is not to say that it is impossible to do all those things, but it also important to know yourself and what you value when deciding what you want to do. “We should come back to the balancing point to understand that each of us has something important to do and serve in the world, which is as unique as your fingerprint,” says Pipe. By removing yourself from other people’s lives and things that have happened in the past or could happen in the future, you can allow yourself to be fully immersed in the present to enjoy and cherish what you’re doing.
The mental impacts of stress can also lead to physical pain. “When you are comparing yourself to someone, you start questioning yourself, and so you either make some changes blindly or feel defeated, and stop doing critical thinking,” says Jamie Valderrama. She is a lecturer in the university’s Schools of Social Work, which is one of the largest and most diverse social work program s in the US. “You might start feeling happiness in your heart, or your breathing and heart rate might accelerate. By paying attention to the body, you can take a step back and take preventive measures to make sure you calm the reaction down to handle the issue quickly in a positive way.”
1. What do we know about the profiles the author often sees on LinkedIn?A.They often contain false information. |
B.They completely show the positive side. |
C.They focus on one’s working experience. |
D.They usually show a person’s uniqueness. |
A.Their peers’ relaxed life. |
B.Their peers’ high GPAs. |
C.Their peers’ good luck. |
D.Their peers’ success. |
A.How your peers are misunderstood in general. |
B.The price of looking perfect on social media. |
C.What the average girl on social media is like. |
D.The reasons why one can become successful. |
A.They could be negative. | B.They are rather ordinary. |
C.They could discourage us. | D.They tend to be unrealistic |
8 . Does earning a higher salary make you happier?
It’s an issue that concerns many of us: the balance between a satisfying job and a satisfying paycheck.
It all depends on priorities, Mr. Lore said. Some people are willing to make lifestyle changes because the intrinsic (内在的) rewards of following a passion or making a difference are more important than a high salary in an unenjoyable career, he said.
Looking at lists of careers with the highest salaries tends to be a fool’s game. Let’s say you see that accountants are getting decent salaries out of college, but you don’t really like accounting.
“I would prefer that the economy was doing better and people were more adventurous because it often has an enormous effect on the quality of life,” he said. “Many people think success equals a high income, but
A.Therefore, people should pursue what they’re interested in. |
B.Students have to think about the question seriously when considering a college major or start a career. |
C.The selection suggests that most majoring in social sciences or liberal arts is likely to result in higher salaries. |
D.People who sought high income are more likely to major in things like business, engineering and finance |
E.How can someone say they’re successful if they’re not happy doing their work? |
F.These days, of course, many people are worried about whether they will get a job at all. |
G.Chances are you’re going to be very good at accounting and your salary will reflect that. |
9 . How cuteness has taken over the world?
Scroll through any social-media feed, and before long a cute video will appear.
Cute things are everywhere, not just online. In America, a puppy has advertised beer, and a cute gecko helps company Geico sell around $39billion in car insurance a year. In Britain a cartoon koala helps peddle toilet paper.
Cuteness has real-world uses. Lovot, a companion robot with big eyes and a button nose, is covered in sensors and responds positively when hugged. Such innovations may help fight with loneliness among the elderly. Policymakers, too, might take advantage of the power of cute to guide people’s behaviour.
An appreciation for cute things is a joy in and of itself, but it also has the potential to change the world. How’s that for a cute idea?
A.Cuteness is not a new trend. |
B.It inserts almost every aspect of our lives. |
C.Perhaps it shows a giggling baby or a rabbit biting strawberries. |
D.Japan’s kawaii barriers are thought to reduce road-rage incidents. |
E.Then, with the Internet, cuteness became available on demand. |
F.The demand is greater: those videos have been viewed over 625 billion times. |
G.An interest in the adorable has long been considered as girlish. |
10 . Placed before you are two pots. Each contains 100 balls. You are given a clear description of the first pot’s contents, in which there are 50 red balls and 50 black balls. The economist running the experiment is tight-lipped about the second, saying only that there are 100 balls divided between red and black in some percentage. Then you are offered a choice. Pick a red ball from a pot and you will get a million dollars. Which pot would you like to pull from? Now try again, but select a black ball. Which pot this time? Most people choose the first pot both times, despite such a choice implying that there are both more and fewer red balls than in the second pot.
This fact is known as the Ellsberg paradox after Daniel Ellsberg, who called the behaviour hate uncertainty. It reveals a deeper problem facing the world as it struggles with climate change.
Ignorance of the future carries a cost today: uncertainty makes risks uninsurable, or at the very least expensive. The less insurers know about risks, the more capital they need to protect their balance-sheets against possible losses.
Insurance is a tool of climate adaptation. Indeed, insurance calculators have as big a role to play as activists in the fight against climate change. Without insurance, those whose homes burn in a wildfire or are destroyed by a flood will lose everything. Insurance can also be a motive for corrective action. Higher insurance expenses, which accurately reflect risk, stimulate people to adapt sooner, whether by discouraging building in risky areas or encouraging people to move away from high fire risk land. If prices are wrong, society will be more hurt by a hotter world than otherwise would be the case. Politicians considering financial aid for home insurance on flood plains ought to note.
1. The experiment of the two pots shows that ___________.A.instinct sometimes works better than reasoning | B.most people prefer predictability to uncertainty |
C.people are willing to take risks to get a reward | D.it is impossible to always make the right decision |
A.It raises people’s awareness of climate change. | B.It prevents people from taking risks. |
C.It motivates people to adapt to risky environment. | D.It helps climate refugees to relocate. |
A.Opposing | B.Supportive | C.Uncertain | D.Ambiguous |
A.Prevention is better than remedy | B.Improving forecast can reduce uncertainty |
C.Uncertainty pushes up the price of insurance | D.Speedy action is urgently needed for climate change |