1 . I’m always cautious of the tired saying, “If it doesn’t kill you, it’ll make you stronger.” I mean, what about polio (小儿麻痹症)? Or loads of other horrible things that if you survive, you’re left scarred in one way or another.

For many years I worked in a specialist NHS clinic for people with eating disorders, which are greatly misunderstood and connected with vanity (虚荣) when instead it’s usually about control or even profound trauma (精神创伤). Eating disorders have the highest mortality of any mental illness, with one in five of those with an eating disorder dying from it. Treatment for it is long, tough and tiring. So, it’s fair to say it’s not something to be taken lightly.

Yet I was often surprised by how many patients-patients with all sorts of other conditions too, from depression to cancer -would tell me how the experience had changed them for the better after receiving treatment. It’s not so much that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger; more, it might make you more understanding of yourself and more sensitive to the battles and struggles of others. It can also give people a sense of determination and perseverance they never had before.

I had one patient who was an addict and alcoholic besides suffering eating disorder. She was frequently rushed into hospital and was sometimes at a real risk of dying. However, after years of hard work, she stopped drinking, stopped using drugs and her eating disorder improved. She got back into work and started doing several courses to get promoted. Actually, she had gone through numerous intense and exhausting interviews before landing a job, but she said whenever she felt she couldn’t handle it or doubted her capabilities, she reminded herself that nothing would ever be worse or harder than what she had already gone through. She managed to make the most of her life and turn her life around.

1. What does the author think of the old mantra?

A．Always applicable.	B．Totally absurd.
C．Partially right.	D．Quite misleading.

2. What does the underlined word in paragraph 2 possibly mean?

A．The number of deaths.

B．The possibility of being cured.

C．The rate of getting mentally hurt.

D．The chance of having mental illness.

3. How does the experience influence patients according to paragraph 3?

A．It leads to a changeable attitude.

B．It makes no noticeable difference.

C．It builds up their physical strength.

D．It fosters self-awareness and sympathy.

4. What can we learn about the patient mentioned in the last paragraph?

A．She continued harmful habits.	B．She relied only on medication.
C．She always believed in herself.	D．She became stronger and tougher.

2 . In recent years, aggression on social media have become commonplace. More than half of the victims said they didn’t know the identity of the perpetrator (作恶者). Most people agreed that the anonymity (匿名) of the Internet provides cover for nasty and harassing (骚扰) behavior.

Does this growing aggression on social media give us a glimpse of our real human nature? Are we-at our core-aggressive beasts? It’s true that hate crimes are on the rise, and political divisions app ear to be growing. The level of public bitterness-especially online-is substantial. But I don’t believe that’s because social media has unlocked our cruel human nature.

As an evolutionary anthropologist, I have spent years researching our transformation as a species. Over the past two million years, we have evolved from groups of apelike beings armed with sticks and stones to the creators of cars, rockets, and nations. Our bigger brains have allowed us to bond and cooperate in more complex and diverse ways than any other animal. Meanwhile, “you are whom you meet.” How we perceive, experience, and act in the world is shaped by who and what surround us on a daily basis. This process has deep evolutionary roots and gives humans what we call a shared reality.

I would argue that the rise in online aggression is a product of our evolutionary social skills, the social media boom, and the specific political, economic and social context where we find ourselves. This explosive combination has opened up a space for increasingly more people to fan the flames of aggression and insult online. Aggressive behavior-especially to those you don’t have to confront face-to-face-is easier than it’s ever been. And for the aggressor, there are often no consequences.

Yes, it seems that the world is getting more aggressive, but that’s not because we are more aggressive at our core. It’s because we haven’t been standing up against bullying, abuse, and aggressive harassment, and promoting pro-social attitudes and actions our contemporary world demands. In person and on social media, we must do both.

1. What does the underlined word “that” in paragraph two refer to?

A．Hate crimes on the rise.	B．Growing political divisions.
C．Considerable online bitterness.	D．The transformation of humans.

2. What’s the author’s attitude toward social media?

A．Critical.

B．Objective.

C．Approving.

D．Ironic.

3. What does the author propose to address the issue of growing aggression?

A．Embracing our aggressive nature to compete in today’s world.

B．Strengthening laws to hold perpetrators responsible for their online actions.

C．Promoting positive behaviors and interactions in both real-life and digital spaces.

D．Focusing only on reducing anonymity on the internet to reduce offensive behavior.

4. What is mainly discussed in this passage?

A．The impact of social media on society.

B．The influence of evolution on our behavior.

C．The reasons behind rising online aggression.

D．The factors in the social media development.

3 . 假定你是校英语报主编李华，你发现随着信息技术的发展，高中生阅读纸质媒体的热情在逐步减少，请你写一篇英语短文，呼吁学生重拾对纸质阅读的热情。
具体内容如下：1.介绍现状；2.纸媒的重要性；3.提出呼吁。
注意：1.词数80左右；2.可适当增加细节，使内容充实，行文连贯。

Embracing the Magic of Print Media

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4 . American families don’t save money like they used to. In 2018 the personal saving rate was somewhere around 7%, which is well below the rate of a few decades ago.

There are a lot of potential explanations for this. Wage growth has slowed while necessities such as housing and medical care have grown more expensive. The rise of easy credit has made overspending easier than ever. And the number of people who make a budget is decreasing.

Now, a team of U.S. and Canadian economists have proposed a new explanation for the declining savings rate, one rooted in individual psychology. At its heart lies a simple observation: Spending is a lot more visible than not spending. Humans are social creatures, and we have a tendency to evaluate our own standing in life relative to how our friends and neighbors are doing. We want to keep up with the Joneses, and stay ahead of the Smiths. Because of this, when we see other people spending money we have a tendency to believe that we can — or should — be spending too. Nowadays, changes in the media landscape have made other people’s spending more visible than ever. That, in turn, is making all of us spend even more — and save even less.

David Hirshleifer, one of the economists, said that “it’s easy to think that you’re saving enough because you are not throwing luxury parties or taking expensive journeys the way some people you know are.” But, he warned, “those journeys and parties may not really be typical of your acquaintances — they just stand out in memory.”

The economists imply that finding ways to make non-spending more visible might help individuals develop more realistic views of overall spending and saving behavior. “Make a special effort to notice when your friends are careful with money, such as holding on to their 15-year-old car,” Hirshleifer said.

1. Which of the following is a potential explanation for the low saving rate in America?

A．The reduction in the income.	B．The easy access to money.
C．The growing desire for housing.	D．The difficulty in sticking to a budget.

2. The “individual psychology” mentioned in paragraph 3 refers to a tendency to ______.

A．show off wealth	B．connect with others
C．compare oneself to others	D．adapt oneself to social change

3. What is the warning of David Hirshleifer?

A．It is improper to copy others’ spending habits.

B．It is unwise to spend more than one can afford.

C．One may spend too much on journeys and parties.

D．One may have misunderstanding of others’ spending habits.

4. What do the economists suggest people do?

A．Make good use of money.	B．Save as much money as possible.
C．Pay attention to non-spending behavior.	D．Change overall spending and saving behavior.

5 . One of my bad habits is saying “busy” when people ask me how I’m doing. Sometimes it’s because I actually am busy, but other times it’s because that’s what I think I’m supposed to say. That’s what important or promoted people say.     1     So why are we so proud to talk about how busy we are all the time?

In 2016, researchers conducted a study to figure it out.     2     And interestingly, these status attributions (归属) are heavily influenced by our own beliefs. In other words, the more we believe that one has the opportunity for success based on hard work, the more we tend to think that people who always skip leisure and work are of higher standing.

That’s why we feel like we have to appear busy, and there’s a real perception that if someone is knee-deep in meetings, emails, and stress, then they’re probably a big deal.     3     According to a recent study, one in five highly engaged employees is at risk of burnout.

    4     It sounds self-righteous (自以为是) and sets the wrong tone. Phrases like “I have limited access to email” and “I’ll respond as soon as I get back” sound like you’re being held against your will from working as opposed to making the most of your time off.

That’s why we recently launched the Out of Office Email Generator, a free tool you can use before your next long weekend or trip.     5     Managers need to think twice about emailing their teams on the weekend and talking about how busy they are, and so do leaders.

A．Actually, leading a busy life can be avoidable.

B．But working long hours doesn’t drive better results.

C．A person of high status feels tired when promoted.

D．Busy people are found to be those with high social rank.

E．You can share you won’t be checking the mailbox till you return.

F．This culture of busyness is making it hard to find work-life balance.

G．Personally, I’m going to stop saying “busy” when people ask me how I am.

6 . Nowadays, the world is slowly becoming a high-tech society and we are now surrounded by technology. Facebook and Twitter are innovative tools; text messaging is still a somewhat existing phenomenon and even e-mail is only a flashing spot on the screen when compared with our long history of snail mail. Now we adopt these tools to the point of essentialness, and only rarely consider how we are more fundamentally affected by them.

Social media, texting and e-mail all make it much easier to communicate, gather and pass information, but they also present some dangers. By removing any real human engagement, they enable us to develop our abnormal self-love without the risk of disapproval or criticism. To use a theatrical metaphor (隐喻), these new forms of communication provide a stage on which we can each create our own characters, hidden behind a fourth wall of tweets, status updates and texts. This unreal state of unconcern can become addictive as we separate ourselves a safe distance from the cruelty of our fleshly lives, where we are imperfect, powerless and insignificant. In essence, we have been provided not only the means to be more free, but also to become new, to create and project a more perfect self to the world. As we become more reliant on these tools, they become more a part of our daily routine, and so we become more restricted in this fantasy.

So it is that we live in a cold era, where names and faces represent two different levels of closeness, where working relationships occur only through the magic of email and where love can start or end by text message. An environment such as this reduces interpersonal relationships to mere digital exchanges.

Would a celebrity have been so daring to do something dishonorable if he had had to do it in person? Doubtful. It seems he might have been lost in a fantasy world that ultimately convinced himself into believing the digital self could obey different rules and regulations, as if he could continually push the limits of what’s acceptable without facing the consequences of “real life.”

1. What can we know about new communication tools?

A．Destroying our life totally.	B．Posing more dangers than good.
C．Helping us to hide our faults.	D．Replacing traditional letters.

2. What is the potential threat caused by the novel communication tools?

A．Sheltering us from virtual life.	B．Removing face-to-face interaction.
C．Leading to false mental perception.	D．Making us rely more on hi-tech media.

3. What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs?

A．Technologies have changed our relationships.

B．The digital world is a recipe for pushing limits.

C．Love can be better conveyed by text message.

D．The digital self need not take responsibility.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．Addiction to the Virtual World	B．Cost of Falling into Digital Life
C．Interpersonal Skills on the Net	D．The Future of Social Media

7 . It’s no secret that reading good news feels a lot better than reading bad news. Like, would you rather bite into a lemon, or sip on a fresh glass of lemonade?

    1    The world is full of problems and conflicts and we need to stay informed and alert (警觉的) to what’s going on around us. While reading traditional, more negative news is important, consuming good news is also part of staying informed.     2    And it also brings meaningful benefits, like reduced stress and anxiety, higher rates of engagement, community building skills, and inspiration for creating a better world. Plus, knowing what to look for in the good news landscape is a key part of improving our media literacy skills and being thoughtful news consumers.

In fact, good news, known as solutions journalism, is becoming more popular, as publishers and news stations discover the benefits of sharing positive stories. Good Good Good is one of them.     3     A team of reporters and editors there work daily to deliver stories that make readers feel hopeful and equipped to do more good with possible solutions.

“If it bleeds, it leads.” has long been a saying used in the media to describe how news stories about violence, death and destruction draw readers’ attention.       4     The thing is, however, there’s also good stuff out there—the delightful and kind parts of humanity. “Beautiful stories are happening worldwide.    5    When you do find them, the world can suddenly feel like a very different place. Good news is a vital part of how we learn about the world and solving the world’s problems.” Hervey, one of Good Good Good’s editors said.

A．Share good news with people around you.

B．It’s just that we don’t hear as much about them.

C．But the “bad news” has its place in the world.

D．It provides a more balanced view of the world.

E．And so, negative news stories are everywhere on news media.

F．Heartwarming stories make you cry and feel good.

G．The news media company is devoted to providing good news intentionally.

8 . Is forgiveness against our human nature? To answer our question, we need to ask a further question: What is the essence of our humanity? For the sake of simplicity, people consider two distinctly different views of humanity. The first view involves dominance and power. In an early paper on the psychology of forgiveness, Droll (1984) made the interesting claim that humans’ essential nature is more aggressive than forgiving allows. Those who forgive are against their basic nature, much to their harm. In his opinion, forgivers are compromising their well-being as they offer mercy to others, who might then take advantage of them.

The second view involves the theme of cooperation, mutual respect, and even love as the basis of who we are as humans. Researchers find that to fully grow as human beings, we need both to receive love from and offer love to others. Without love, our connections with a wide range of individuals in our lives can fall apart. Even common sense strongly suggests that the will to power over others does not make for harmonious interactions. For example, how well has slavery worked as a mode of social harmony?

From this second viewpoint of who we are as humans, forgiveness plays a key role in the biological and psychological integrity of both individuals and communities because one of the outcomes of forgiveness, shown through scientific studies, is the decreasing of hatred and the restoration of harmony. Forgiveness can break the cycle of anger. At least to the extent the people from whom you are estranged accept your love and forgiveness and are prepared to make the required adjustments. Forgiveness can heal relationships and reconnect people.

As an important note, when we take a Classical philosophical perspective, that of Aristotle, we see the distinction between potentiality and actuality. We are not necessarily born with the capacity to forgive, but instead with the potential to learn about it and to grow in our ability to forgive. The actuality of forgiving, its actual appropriation in conflict situations, develops with practice.

1. What is Droll’s idea about forgiveness?

A．People should offer mercy to others.

B．Aggressive people should learn to forgive.

C．Forgiveness depends on the nature of humanity.

D．People who forgive can have their own welfare affected.

2. What does the example in paragraph 2 illustrate?

A．To forgive is to love.	B．To dominate is to harm.
C．To fight is to grow.	D．To give is to receive.

3. What is the writer’s attitude toward forgiveness?

A．Favorable.

B．Reserved.

C．Objective.

D．Skeptical.

4. What is message of the last paragraph?

A．Forgiveness is in our nature.	B．Forgiveness grows with time.
C．It takes practice to forgive.	D．Actuality is based on potentiality.

9 . Going on a vacation might seem like a rather     1     (conventional) way to try to improve your sleep habits, but sleep tourism has been growing in popularity for a number of years, with an increasing amount of sleep-focused     2     (stay) popping up in hotels and resorts (度假胜地) across the world.

In fact, interest     3     (increase) since the pandemic, with a number of hotels focusing their attention on those     4     (suffer) from sleep-deprivation (剥夺). Over the past 12 months, Park Hyatt New York has opened the Bryte Restorative Sleep Suite (套房),     5     800-square-foot suite filled with sleep-enhancing facilities, while Rosewood Hotels Resorts recently launched a collection of retreats (休养处),     6     are designed to “promote rest”.

The global pandemic appears     7     (play) a huge part in this. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that 40% of the over 2,500 adults who took part reported a reduction     8     their sleep quality since the start of the pandemic.

But can short term sleep-focused travel experiences actually have a long term impact on a person’s overall sleep? According to Dr. Robbins, a sleep researcher and co-author of the book Sleep for Success, travel experiences centered around “healthy sleep strategies” that aim to supply guests with the tools they need to improve their sleep     9     (be) hugely beneficial.

“The concept of travel actually allowing you to return home     10     (refresh) is a really exciting proposition,” she adds.

10 . It’s commonly acknowledged that our lives are ruled by algorithms (算法), but have we really collectively understood how they have transformed our culture and personality?

In Filterworld: How algorithms flattened culture, Kyle Chayka argues convincingly that the rise of algorithm-driven feeds, used everywhere online from Instagram to Spotify, has led to a more uniform culture. Our tastes and desires increasingly don’t belong to us, but to algorithms that are designed to keep people engaged at all costs. If the collection of our tastes truly shapes our entire personality, then this loss is more psychologically damaging than it first appears. Aimlessly scrolling (滚屏) through Netflix or TikTok may seem harmless, but over days, months or years, we lose touch with what we like and enjoy.

Taste-making algorithms are inescapable. Chayka shows this by working through all corners of life: what we wear(TikTok), where we eat(Google Maps), music we listen to(Spotify), even who we date or marry(Tinder). This universe of algorithm-driven decisions has society-wide implications: “It extends to influence our physical spaces, our cities, and the routes we move through…flattening them in turn.” No one gets out of the Filterworld untouched.

If you’re lucky enough not to need any sort of algorithm-based system for your work, then you have the option to step back from algorithms for a while. But if your friend suggests a film recommended on X/Twitter or you feel the need to buy those shoes suddenly everyone has started wearing after social media advertisements, what are you to do? It all feels fruitless.

This Filterworld may be inescapable, but there is hope. You can start by engaging more with the media you do choose to consume. This could mean reading up about a film you watched or paying artists you like directly. Even the thoughtful act of recommending an album (专辑) to a friend is more rewarding than a random TikTok feed. As Chayka says, resistance to algorithms “requires an act of willpower, a choice to move through the world in a different way.”

1. What is Kyle Chayka’s opinion on algorithms?

A．They improve our tastes.	B．They make our culture more alike.
C．They help to identify our personality.	D．They contribute to psychological problems.

2. What does the underlined part in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．The society with advanced technology.	B．The world without social media platforms.
C．The network of algorithm-driven decisions.	D．The community free from algorithmic influence.

3. Which of the following is a way to resist the impact of algorithms?

A．Limiting the use of social media platforms.	B．Making choices based on friends’ suggestions.
C．Getting more involved with the selected media.	D．Disconnecting from social media advertisements.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Algorithms: Cultural Takeover	B．The Secret of Algorithms
C．Social Media: Cultural Messenger	D．The Rise of Digital Platforms