1 . As some cities start driving beggars from their major streets, some of the smarter ones have found a safer, more comfortable place to carry on — the Internet.

These “web beggars” go online with sad stories, and send out emails asking for money, according to a recent Beijing News report.

The paper published one example from a reader who had received it.

It said, “I’m from Chengdu. Dad died when I was a kid and Mum is seriously ill. My girlfriend has just dumped (丢下) me. I am so depressed that I cannot leave home. Would you please help me with 10 yuan for a meal?” The sender left the name Li Dan and a bank account number.

A reporter later contacted Li Dan through QQ, a Chinese Internet chat service. He said that he was 21 and had recently dropped out of college.

“I started begging by the Internet last December, just for fun,” he said. “But when I got the first 10 yuan in January, I decided to become a full-time web beggar.”

Li said he knew about 10 other web beggars in Chengdu. They all stayed at home to write emails and could probably send over 1,000 per day. They would exchange experience and thoughts over QQ or beggar websites.

The story got some reaction from the public. Some saw it as a fresh idea but others suspected (怀疑) that it was just another form of cheating.

In related news, Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu Province, began to ban begging in eight of its major districts on Monday, according to the local media.

That caused a heated discussion about whether it violated (侵犯) beggars’ rights.

Most people supported the policy, repeating the old line that most beggars were not real beggars and that they annoyed people constantly, according to a newspaper poll (计票).

1. What do “web beggars” mean?

A．The beggars who have a net.

B．The beggars that ask for money by the Internet.

C．The beggars that like the Internet.

D．It’s a website which is controlled by some beggars.

2. Why are some beggars fond of the Internet?

A．Because the places where the beggars are allowed to beg are becoming fewer and fewer.

B．Because the Internet is safer and faster.

C．Because the Internet is so developed.

D．Because the beggars are not allowed to leave home.

3. Which of the following is NOT true?

A．Beggars can get some money from banks.	B．Li Dan quit college.
C．Li Dan is a specialized beggar.	D．Beggars have their own websites.

4. How did people feel about begging by the Internet?

A．It was another kind of cheating.	B．It was a different idea.
C．It made people angry.	D．A, B and C.

2 . New research finds a link between poverty and poor decision making. The findings may explain why poor people sometimes make bad choices that continue their hardship.

Earlier studies have found the poor less likely to escape poverty. But there has been little research on why the poor make decisions that make their lives harder. Until recently, Eldar Shafir, a psychologist and his team did two experiments. One took place at a shopping center in New Jersey. The other was carried out among sugar cane (甘蔗) farmers in rural India.

The New Jersey experiment involved individuals with low paying jobs and others belonged to the middle class. All the volunteers were asked what they would do if their cars needed repairing.

The volunteers were given two imaginary situations. In the first, the car repair cost $150. In the second, $1,500.

“In the first, the poor and the rich performed equally well.”

“And when the repair cost $1,500, the poor performed significantly worse.” The poor lost about 13 IQ points on average. This is about the loss experienced when a person has not slept for one night.

The scientists then wondered if the same person reacted differently when he was rich and when he was poor. Once a year when the harvest comes in, the India sugar cane farmers earn most of their money, which often does not last through the year.

“So they find themselves basically rich after the harvest when the income comes in and poor just before the harvest.”

The researchers gave them tests similar to the ones taken by the people in New Jersey. They tested the Indian farmers before the harvest and after.

And the results were much the same as with the mall shoppers.

“They performed much more slowly and made many more mistakes when they were poor than when they were rich.”

Mr. Shafir says the results support 50 years of research that shows all humans have limited mental power to deal with things in life.

“And so the insight here is that, having not enough of something in a way makes it harder to make good decisions for everything else.”

1. What is true about earlier studies?

A．They were done by economists and psychologists.

B．They found it hard for the poor to become rich.

C．They explained why the poor make poor decisions.

D．They showed the poor care little about their wealth.

2. In the first experiment, the poor performed worse because         .

A．they had not slept for one night

B．it was just an imaginary situation

C．the increased price affected their decision

D．they didn’t take the second situation seriously

3. The Indian sugar cane farmers         .

A．are smarter when they are poor

B．earn money all through the year

C．earn a lot of money so they think they are rich

D．feel rich after the harvest and poor before the harvest

4. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．It is hard for the poor to rid their poverty.

B．The poor will become much poorer.

C．Poverty weakens brain power.

D．Different experiments and their findings.

4 . 假定你是李华，在英语论坛上，你班就该不该在抖音(TikTok)上播放零食的广告展开了讨论。请给你的英语老师Mr. Brown 写封邮件，介绍讨论的情况。内容包括：
1.支持方的观点；
2.反对方的观点；
3.你的观点。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.开头和结尾已给出。
Dear Mr. Brown,
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Yours,

Li Hua

5 . The city of Rotterdam is planning to take apart a famous old bridge so that the world’s largest sailboat can be brought through the city once it’s completed. However, not everyone is happy about the plan.

Rotterdam’s Koningshaven Bridge, which local people call “De Hef”, is no longer in use. It’s an old bridge that was damaged by bombing during World War II. But it’s still important to many people in Rotterdam. When the city planned to take the bridge down in the 1990s, many people complained. Instead, the city fixed the bridge up and left it in place as a monument.

That’s a problem for the boat building company Oceanco. The company is building a huge sailboat, and the boat is too big to fit under the bridge. When the boat is finished, it’s expected to cost more than $500 million. It will be the world’s largest sailboat. Large sailboats are often called yachts but this is a super yacht. It will be 417 feet (127 meters.) long. When it’s finished , it will also be taller than the bridge. So Oceanco has asked the city to take the central part of the bridge down to allow the boat to pass through. The city has agreed and the government plans to rebuild the bridge afterward. Oceanco will have to pay for all the work done for the bridge. The work is expected to take a few weeks some time this summer.

The locals are upset about the plan of taking a historic monument apart. Despite the public’s protest against the plan, the city appeared to agree to the arrangement. Last week, a person speaking for the mayor said that the Koningshaven River is the only path the sailboat can take to the sea. The mayor’s office also pointed out the arrangement has economic efficiency, including providing a lot of jobs for the well-being of local people.

1. What happened to Rotterdam’s Koningshaven Bridge?

A．It was taken down in the 1990s.

B．It was damaged in World War II.

C．It was destroyed and then deserted.

D．It was fixed and returned to normal.

2. What’s the major problem for Oceanco ?

A．To pay for the work done to the bridge

B．To complete the sailboat in a few weeks.

C．To get the bridge pulled down for the boat.

D．To make the sailboat long and tall month.

3. What’s the locals’ attitude towards the plan of taking down the bridge?

A．Supportive.

B．Excited

C．Opposed.

D．Optimistic

4. For what reason does the government agree to the arrangement?

A．National pride.	B．Economic benefits
C．Tourism development.	D．Local industries.

6 . One thing we always remember from our childhood is our favourite teddy bear. This soft ragged toy was our comfort and companion. As we grow up, we normally give up our childish ways, and our furry friend often ends up in storage or at a yard sale. But that’s not the case for everyone.

It seems that some grown-ups continue to need their cuddly (让人想抱的) toy by their sides. And for some adults, soft toys remain an essential presence—they take them wherever they go.

A cuddly toy can come in many forms —animals, strange shapes or just a piece of stuffed material. But it’s the teddy bear in particular that seems to have a lasting appeal —it gives us a nostalgic(怀旧的) feeling and a reminder of our younger days. David Cannadine, a historian, says, “Perhaps it’s that bears represent the happy security of a childhood friend who never changes or lets you down. For whatever reason, teddies appeal to both children and adults of all ages.”

The teddy bear is much celebrated these days, and they’ve become something that we don’t just grow up with —people buy them as adults too. There are shops which sell only teddy bears, there are teddy bear museums in many countries, and teddy bear festivals regularly take place around the world.

While our soft toys offer us a kind of comfort blanket, some experts say it’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s sometimes good to let go of the restrictions of adult life and be a big kid again. Many adults purchase playthings they enjoyed as children because they bring back happy memories. Colouring books, cuddly toys and board games were top of the list. So, if you’re still keeping your teddy a secret, don’t worry —you’re not alone!

1. What are teddy bears usually used for?

A．Keeping people company.

B．Making adults stay young.

C．Being sold for pocket money.

D．Being collected for appreciation.

2. Why are teddy bears so attractive to people?

A．They come in various shapes and colors.

B．They are made of strange furry materials.

C．They help to ensure children’s safety.

D．They carry with them true friendship.

3. Which advice is reasonable for an adult?

A．Take less notice of shame.	B．Try to act like a child.
C．Follow social rules strictly.	D．Buy toys if necessary.

4. What may be a suitable title for the text?

A．No More Teddy Bears	B．A Teddy Bear for Life
C．Childish Teddy Bears	D．Adults in Need of Toys

7 . Thousands of tons of Long Island recyclables are ending up as trash compared to last years because of sharply dropping prices caused by restrictions issued this year by China, the world’s largest importer of recycled cardboard and plastics, recycling operators said. The restrictions could lead to changes in the way many Long Islanders dispose(处理) of paper and other material—particularly in towns that switched to the “single stream” recycling programs that allowed residents to combine paper, plastic, aluminum and glass in one container, officials said.

The problem reached a flash point last week when Green Stream Recycling told Brookhaven officials it could no longer run the town’s recycling facility. Green Stream is expected to fold, and Brookhaven on Thursday expects to name a new operator to temporarily run the recycling system while town officials weigh their long-term options. Brookhaven plans to continue the single-stream program.

Though changeable prices are considered normal in the waste industry, Brookhaven and Green Stream previously had touted(吹捧) the town’s single-stream program since it began in 2014. In its first year using single stream, the town saw a 25 percent increase in the number of homes that recycled. Similar increases were reported by towns such as Smithtown, Huntington and Southold that agreed to transport their recyclables to the Brookhaven plant. But this year, nearly 22 percent of recyclable paper, plastic, cardboard and aluminum brought to the Brookhaven facility has gone to incinerators(焚化炉) or landfills, double the rates of 2016and 2017, according to figures provided by Green Stream.

1. How did Long Islanders usually deal with waste cardboard and paper?

A．They exported them to China.	B．They recycled the items.
C．They adopted “single stream” program.	D．They buried them under the ground.

2. How is Paragraph 2 developed?

A．By explaining the reason.	B．By giving an example.
C．By comparing options.	D．By stating the fact.

3. What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A．The town.	B．Changeable price.
C．Brookhaven and Green Stream.	D．The town’s single-stream program.

4. What has the single-stream program been like in the past four years ?

A．Booming.

B．Criticized.

C．Tricky.

D．Changeable.

8 . Marks &Spencer(M&S) is planning to remove “best before” labels from 300 varieties of fruit and vegetables in its stores to cut food waste. The change will rely on customers using their judgment to determine whether goods are still fine to eat.

The measure, to be rolled out this week, will affect 85% of the supermarket’s fresh pro-duce offering. “Best before” labels differ from “use by” dates, with the former often merely a measure of aesthetics(美学), while the latter tending to indicate a safety risk if ignored. “Best before” labels were meant to help consumers, but instead were blamed for creating mountains of waste from perfectly eatable food.

Tesco, the UK’s largest supermarket chain, had already announced the end of best before dates on its own-brand fruit and vegetables as far back as 2018, while the German supermarket Lidl also says it does not include best before information to reduce food waste. Now M&S is doing the same, with the aim to halve(减半) food waste from its products by 2030 com-pared with 2018. Achieving those targets would put it in line with the UK’s commitment to meet the United Nations’ goal of halving food waste by 2030 compared with 2007.

Reducing food waste is a vital part of tackling carbon emissions associated with farming and food distribution(分配). WRAP, a food waste charity, estimates that as much 45%of global greenhouse gas emissions can only be tackled by changing the way we make and consume products and food. It said that removing dates on fresh fruit and vegetables can save the equal of 7 million shopping baskets of food a year.

Catherine David, a director at WRAP, said, “We’re thrilled to see this move from M&S, which will reduce food waste and help tackle the climate crisis. We urge more supermarkets to get ahead on food waste by cutting date labels from fresh produce, allowing people to use their own judgment.”

1. What does Marks &Spencer intend to do?

A．Maintain the safety of their products.

B．Ask customers to pick out eatable produce.

C．Sell its own-brand fruit and vegetables.

D．Remove “use by” labels from its fresh produce.

2. What does the underlined phrase “rolled out” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Denied.

B．Canceled.

C．Introduced.

D．Examined.

3. What does Catherine David call on more supermarkets to do?

A．Meet government regulations.

B．Improve food safety standards.

C．Increase sales of fresh produce.

D．Get rid of dates labels on fresh produce.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．M&S’s new move to reduce food waste.

B．Tesco follows M&S’s lead on food labels.

C．M&S calls for a fight against climate crisis.

D．Effective methods to protect the environment.

9 . 语法填空。

American teens are seen as “in a state of     1     disaster”. A report released last week paints a deeply disturbing     2     of the mental health of high students.

    3     more than 17, 000 teens conducted in a survey in 2021, 42 percent said they experienced the     4     of sadness or hopelessness. The issue is     5     more widespread than in a     6     survey in 2011, and girls are dramatically worse. A     7     of girls — 57 percent — reported persistent despair,     8     with 29 percent of boys.

Nearly 1     9     3 girls seriously considered suicide (up from 19 percent in 2011), and 13 percent say they attempted it in the     10    . “What caused this?” The CDC offered     11     definitive answers, but consider     12     has happened over the past decade. “Instagram was released in late 2010. TikTok in 2016.” Soon     13    , 90 percent of teen girls reported using social     14     every day. These apps, create more “social comparison, social pressure, and     15     peer interactions,” with teens measuring their self-worth — or lack of it — in likes and followers. Then in 2020 Covid-19     16     the picture.

    17     its root causes, this epidemic of hopelessness should     18     considered “a national crisis”. Did the reopening of schools and social spaces this year help     19     teens’ suffering? The CDC survey comes out only every other year, so we’ll have to wait to     20     out.

10 . 学校英文报就“The best ways of spending a vacation”展开了一项调查，请根据下图调查结果写一篇短文投稿。内容包括：
1.度假方式；
2.你的观点。
注意：
1.词数80左右；
2.题目和首句已为你写好。

Last week, the school English newspaper interviewed 200 students to find out their ways of spending a vacation.

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