1 . As the weather shifts, many teenagers search for and purchase fashionable seasonal clothes, often from fast fashion sites. The potential effects of fast fashion are well-known, with the fashion supply chain ranking as the third-largest polluter in the world according to a 2021 report by the World Economic Forum.
Companies like Shein are accused of art theft and unfair treatment of employees. The modern fashion industry heavily relies on labor and treat workers not that well in underdeveloped countries due to globalization. The issue of ethical (合乎伦理的) consumption is complex, particularly among students who put affordability and accessibility in the first place over longevity when choosing clothes. Many think sustainable ethical brands are classist (有阶级偏见的) and that these companies often cater only to wealthy individuals, ignoring many others.
Even if teens don’t throw away their clothes as soon as trends end, there is still a sense of guilt associated with unintentionally supporting the growth of these companies for something as unimportant as fashion or beauty. However, those who buy from fast fashion brands out of necessity are not the ones causing the problem to continue. The concept of sustainability in fashion has been distorted (曲解) by those who use it to make the non-wealthy feel guilty for not participating in ethical consumption. Even purchasing from moral brands becomes unsustainable and fuels consumerism when overdone.
According to Forbes, teenagers are major consumers of TikTok, finding excitement in the platform’s ever-changing trends. Microtrends and fast-paced fashion cycles have transformed clothing into a single-use product. In the past, teens relied on celebrities and magazines for fashion inspiration; but with the rise of influencers and apps like TikTok, access to these previously exclusive fashion cycles has expanded. This accessibility and affordability require transformative change and accountability from appropriate institutions.
A re-examination of business and culture is necessary, and we should encourage small steps toward more intentional, reasonable shopping instead of punishing and policing those who shop for fast fashion out of necessity.
1. Why does the author mention Shein in paragraph 2?| A．To highlight the growing influence of fashin industry. |
| B．To accuse the company of causing pollution. |
| C．To show fast fashion companies' unethical practices. |
| D．To discuss the impact of globalization on fast fashion. |
| A．Sustainability. | B．Brand popularity. |
| C．Design and quality. | D．Price and approachability. |
| A．The influence of celebrities. |
| B．Microtrends and rapidly changing styles. |
| C．The easy access to fashion magazines. |
| D．The unintentional support of consumerism. |
| A．Supporting gradual actions toward reasonable shopping. |
| B．Carrying out strict regulations on all fashion brands. |
| C．Punishing those who throw away old-fashion clothes. |
| D．Promoting fast fashion as a sustainable alternative. |
Many people take the idea of saving money very seriously. Back in 1924, in Italy, a group of people
Not
Other people don’t spend money because they don’t like the culture of consumption. This is connected to the view that we should make ourselves happy through the
But however we view money, moderate spending is certainly a good idea when we are still too young to get a job. There is a British saying
3 . Louie, a pet parrot, saved a whole family. He
“Louie is a true
Barbara took her five-year-old granddaughter
“People have
| A．annoyed | B．alarmed | C．impressed | D．noticed |
| A．model | B．genius | C．hero | D．pioneer |
| A．awake | B．asleep | C．alone | D．afraid |
| A．opinion | B．way | C．memory | D．sight |
| A．survive | B．resist | C．arrive | D．respond |
| A．frightening | B．shocking | C．sorrowful | D．grateful |
| A．angrily | B．gently | C．secretly | D．immediately |
| A．turn | B．blow | C．keep | D．put |
| A．accompanying | B．saving | C．comforting | D．adopting |
| A．luck | B．doubt | C．evidence | D．barrier |
| A．injuries | B．losses | C．pressures | D．failures |
| A．detail | B．place | C．ruins | D．rows |
| A．rushed out | B．come back | C．run away | D．reached out |
| A．presented | B．equipped | C．linked | D．compared |
| A．replace | B．honor | C．forget | D．reward |
4 . China has set new rules limiting the amount of time children can play online games. The rules limit children to just three hours of online game playing a week. That is one hour between 8 p. m. and 9 p. m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday most weeks.
Li Zhanguo has two children aged 4 and 8. Even though they do not have smartphones, they enjoy playing online games. Like many other parents. Li is happy with new government rules. But experts say it is unclear if such policies can help prevent addiction to online games. Children might just get addicted to social media instead. In the end, experts say, parents should be the ones to set limits and support good practice.
There has been a growing concern in China about gaming addiction among children. Government reports in 2018 found that about one in ten Chinese children were addicted to the Internet. The new rules are part of an effort to prevent young people from spending too much time on unhealthy entertainment. That includes what officials call the “irrational fan culture”
Under the new rules, the responsibility for making sure children play only three hours a day as largely on Chinese gaming companies like Net Ease and Ten cent. Companies have set up real-name registration systems to prevent young users from going past game time limits. They have used facial recognition technology to check their identities. And they have also set up a program that permits people to report what is against the law. It is unclear what punishments gaming companies may face if they do not carry out the policies. And even if such policies are performed, it is also unclear whether they can prevent online addiction.
A specialist treating Internet addiction expects about 20 percent of children will find ways to break the rules by borrowing accounts of their older relatives and find a way around facial recognition. In his opinion, short-video alps such as Douyin and Kuaishou are also very popular in China. They are not under the same restrictions as games.
1. When can children play games according to the new rules?| A．Between 8 p. m. and 9 p. m. On Friday. | B．Between 8 p. m. and 9 p. m. On Tuesday. |
| C．Between 10 p. m. and 11 p. m. On Saturday. | D．Between 10 p. m. and all p. m. On Thursday. |
| A．the new rules can stop children’s addiction to social media |
| B．companies are more responsible for kids ‘ obeying the rules |
| C．the new rules will help prevent children playing online games |
| D．parents play a greater part in limiting the time of online games |
| A．Design an advanced program. | B．Use facial recognition systems. |
| C．Set up real-name registration systems. | D．Borrow accounts of their older relatives. |
| A．Rules Limiting Short-video alps | B．Rules Limiting Video Game Time |
| C．Rules Banning Irrational Fan Culture | D．Rules Breaking Addition to Social Media |
When you are surfing the Internet, you can be anyone or anything. Avatars are a key part while people use the Internet to communicate. and express themselves. The first simple 2D avatars
6 . When I first moved to China in 1998, I thought I would impress my class by using some Chinese in my speech about American weddings (婚礼). I told them everyone brings a gift to the wedding for the couple. As soon as I said this, all of the students looked surprised. I knew I had said something wrong. I realized that instead of telling them that everybody brings gifts to the hun li for the couple, I had said people bring gifts for them at the li hun!
I get laughs from some of my students because I often make mistakes and my Chinese sounds strange at times. But I tell them that sometimes their English is really strange too.
One asks, “What are you like to do in your free time?” And the other answers, “I very like basketball.” I find that even good English speakers make such mistakes. The second is by far the most common mistake I have heard among Chinese English speakers. It is a result of first thinking in Chinese and then translating each word in the sentence into English. This, of course, makes some Chinese people’s English sound strange.
“We should get off the car here,” a student told me. My school had asked two students to show me around the city by taxi. In English countries, we “get off” a bike, bus, or train. However, when we leave a car, we say “get out of the car”. Perhaps the student had learned “get off” means xia in Chinese and he thought the phrase (短语) could be followed by any means of transportation. To avoid such mistakes, you should take collocations (搭配) seriously. Only learning vocabulary and grammar is not enough.
Some of my students sound more like a book or machine than a human. Perhaps they have gotten used to depending on books. You can also read English books out loud or use a CD, but you need the real thing. If you have a chance to hear a native speaker from an Englishspeaking country, practice repeating what you hear. They can teach you how to have a conversation.
1. Why did the students feel surprised?| A．American weddings are difficult to organize. |
| B．The author’s Chinese was as fluent as Chinese. |
| C．The author used a completely wrong Chinese word. |
| D．Everyone must bring a gift to an American wedding. |
| A．Spelling mistakes. | B．Direct translation. |
| C．Cultural difference. | D．Wrong pronunciations. |
| A．He might be poor at vocabulary. |
| B．He might mistake “car” for “taxi”． |
| C．He might know very little about the city. |
| D．He might pay little attention to collocations. |
| A．Common mistakes made by Chinese English learners. |
| B．Differences between Chinese and American culture. |
| C．Suggestions on improving conversational skills. |
| D．His experience of learning English. |
7 . We’ve all been there: in a lift, in line at the bank or on an airplane, surrounded by people who are, like us, deeply focused on their smartphones or, worse, struggling with the uncomfortable silence.
What’s the problem? It’s possible that we all don’t have enough conversational ability. It’s more likely that none of us start a conversation because it’s embarrassing and challenging, or we think it’s annoying and unnecessary. But the next time you find yourself among strangers, consider that small talk is worth the trouble. Experts say it’s a valuable social practice that leads to big benefits.
It is easy to consider small talk as unimportant, but we can’t forget that deep relationships wouldn’t even exist (存在) if there weren’t casual conversations. Small talk is the grease (润滑剂) for social communication, says Bernardo Carducci, director of the Shyness Research Institute at Indiana University Southeast. “Almost every great love story and each big business deal begins with small talk,” he explains. “The secret to successful small talk is learning how to connect with others, not just communicate with them.”
In a 2014 study, Elizabeth Dunn, professor of psychology at UBC, invited people to a coffee shop. One group was asked to interact with its waiter, the other, to speak only when necessary. The results showed that those who chatted with their server reported obviously higher positive feelings and a better coffee shop experience. “It’s not that talking to the waiter is better than talking to your husband,” says Dunn. “But interactions with peripheral (边缘的) members of our social network is important for our happiness and health.”
Dunn believes that people who reach out to strangers feel a greater sense of belonging, a link with others. Carducci believes developing such a sense of belonging starts with small talk. “Small talk is the basis of good manners,” he says.
1. What does the underline word “casual” in paragraph 3mean?| A．Addictive | B．Public | C．Personal | D．Informal |
| A．Showing good manners. | B．Making business deals. |
| C．Focusing on a topic. | D．Keeping in contact with other people. |
| A．It raises people’s confidence. | B．It makes people feel good. |
| C．It improves family relationships. | D．It matters as much as a formal talk. |
| A．Conversation Counts | B．Ways of Making Small Talk |
| C．Importance of Small Talk | D．Uncomfortable Silence |
1. What does the man do?
| A．An animal keeper. | B．A zoo manager. | C．A park cleaner. |
| A．A lion escaped into the zoo. |
| B．A lion escaped from the zoo. |
| C．A hurricane blew a lion away. |
| A．In the zoo. | B．In the police station. | C．In a lady’s garden. |
| A．Eating in the bushes. | B．Sleeping in the garden. | C．Playing in the park. |
1. How many people spend their holiday at home now?
| A．40%. | B．50%. | C．90%. |
| A．In big cities. | B．On the beach. | C．In a foreign country. |
| A．Great pleasure of travel. |
| B．Changes in spending vacation. |
| C．Costs of different travels. |
10 . Keeping animals safe on the road
Roadkill is not a rare sight when driving down most highways and sometimes also on roadways in cities.
They chose Nanjing as the study subject, where there are more than 9,700 kilometers of paved roads. A total of nine roads were chosen for the research, including three national highways.
| A．You may not feel good about seeing roadkill |
| B．The object is to educate people about road safety |
| C．The length of the roads combined was over 224.27 kilometers |
| D．It refers to animals being hit by cars or other vehicles by accident. |
| E．Cats, dogs and blackbirds were the three commonly killed animals |
| F．In the past, research in China focused on roadkill in nature reserves |
| G．Roadkill incidents are more likely to happen in November and January |
