1 . The clock rules our lives. The more we try to save time, the less time we seem to have. In every area of our lives we are doing things faster. And many of us live in towns and cities which are getting noisier and more stressful as each day passes. But now a worldwide movement, whose aim is to slow life down, has started. Its supporters are people who believe that a happier and healthier way of life is possible.
The Slow Food movement was founded the day that an Italian journalist, Carlo Petrini, saw that McDonald’s had opened a restaurant in a beautiful square in Rome. He thought it was sad that many people today live too quickly to sit down for a proper meal and only eat much fast food. He decided that he had to try to do something about it and so he started the Slow Food movement. Slow Food has become a global organization ever since and now has more than 80,000 members in 100 countries.
Slow Food also encourages people to eat local and regional food, to use local shops and markets, to eat out in small family restaurants, and to cook with traditional recipes.
The idea of Slow Cities was inspired by the Slow Food movement. The aim of Slow Cities is to improve people’s quality of life. Towns which want to become a Slow City have to reduce traffic and noise, increase the number of green areas, plant trees, build pedestrian zones, and promote local businesses and traditions. Now it has spread to other countries all over the world, from the UK to Japan and Australia. There are now 135 Slow Cities in 24 countries across the world that have been named since founding of the organization in 1999. Gao Chun County, in east China’s Jiangsu Province, is expected to be named the first “Slow City” in China next year.
“Slow Cities are about having a community life in the town,” said a local resident. “It is not ‘slow’ as in ‘stupid’. It is ‘slow’ as in the opposite of ‘worried’ and ‘stressful’.”
But not everybody is happy. For teenagers, who have to go 25km to Norwich, the nearest city, to buy CDs, living in a Slow City is not very attractive. “It’s all right here for adults,” says Lewis Cook, 16. “But if you want excitement, you have to go to Norwich. We need more things here for young people.”
1. What’s the aim of the Slow Food movement?| A．To call on people to eat out. | B．To make people enjoy cooking. |
| C．To drive McDonald’s out of Rome | D．To encourage people to slow down. |
| A．reducing traffic and noise | B．increasing the number of green areas |
| C．building more department stores | D．promoting local businesses and traditions |
| A．Slow Food was founded in 1999 | B．there is no Slow City in China now |
| C．Slow Cities are mainly in the UK | D．there are about 24 Slow Cities in the world |
| A．Satisfied. | B．Excited. | C．Happy. | D．Dissatisfied. |
| A．Slow down and you’ll move fast. | B．Time flies never to be recalled. |
| C．Eat slowly and you’ll be healthy. | D．Pay attention to the quality of life. |
2 . Many people who work in London prefer to live outside it, and to go in to their offices and schools every day by train, car or bus, even though this means they have to get up early in the morning and reach home late in the evening.
One advantage of living outside London is that the houses are cheaper. Even a small flat in London without a garden costs quite a lot to rent. With the same money, one can get a little house in the country with a garden of one’s own.
Then, in the country, one can rest from the noise and hurry of the town. Even though one has to get up earlier and spend more time on trains or buses, one can sleep better at night. Besides, during weekends and on summer evenings, one can enjoy the fresh, clean air of the country. If one likes gardens, one can spend one’s free time digging, planting, watering, and doing the hundred and one other jobs which are needed in a garden. Then, when the flowers and vegetables come up, one has the reward of one who has shared the secret of Nature.
Some people, however, take no interest in country things: for them, happiness lies in the town, with its cinemas and theatres, beautiful shops and busy streets, dance-halls and restaurants. Such people would feel that their life was not worth living if they had to live it outside London. An occasional walk in one of the parks and a fortnight’s (two weeks) visit to the sea every summer is all the country they want: the rest they are quite prepared to leave to those who are glad to get away from London every night.
1. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?| A．Some people who work in the country prefer to live in the city |
| B．Some people who work in the city prefer to live in the country |
| C．Those who live in London wake up early and get home late |
| D．Those who live in London must travel by train, car or bus every day |
| A．a small house with a garden in London |
| B．a large house with a garden in the country |
| C．a small flat with a garden in the country |
| D．a small house with a garden in the country |
| A．one can’t sleep so well as in the city | B．one has to spend more time on transport |
| C．one has to spend a long time in the garden | D．one is likely to be poorer |
| A．spend all of their time in the town | B．feel their life is not worth living |
| C．enjoy cinemas, shops and crowds | D．share the secret of Nature |
| A．the rest of their time | B．the rest of the people |
| C．the rest of the country | D．the rest of the parks and sea |
3 . Social media is one of the fastest-growing industries in today’s world. A study conducted by the US think tank (智囊团) Pew Research Center showed that 92 percent of teenagers go online daily.
The wide spread of social media has changed nearly all parts of teenagers’ lives.
Changing relationshipsHigh school student Elly Cooper from Illinois said social media often reduces face-to-face communication.
“It makes in-person relationships harder because people give attention to their phones instead of their boyfriends or girlfriends,” Cooper said.
There’s also a greater possibility of things getting lost in translation over social media.
“If half of your relationship is over social media, you don’t really know how the other person is reacting,” Sienna Schulte, a junior student from Illinois, said.
Yet, some people believe social media has made it easier to start relationships with anyone from anywhere. Beth Kaplan from Illinois met her long-distance friend through social media. He currently lives in Scotland, but they’re still able to frequently communicate with one another.
“I can feel close to someone that I’m talking to via (通过) FaceTime,” Kaplan said.
Wanting to be “liked”The rise of social media has changed the way teenagers see themselves.
The 19-year-old Essena O’Neill announced on the social networking service Instagram that she was quitting social media because it made her obsessed (痴迷) with appearing perfect online.
Negative comments also can do great damage to a teenager’s self-esteem (自尊).
In particular, anonymous (匿名的) social media apps such as Yik Yak may provide opportunities for cyber bullying (网络欺凌).
The app allows users within 5 miles (8 km) to create and add comments to everything. Teenagers who get negative comments on these sites can’t help but feel hurt.
Opening new doorsHowever, Armin Korsos, a student from Illinois, takes advantage of the comments he receives over social media to improve his videos on the social networking site Youtube.
“Social media can help people show themselves and their talents to the world in a way that was never possible before,” Korsos said.
But Korsos recognizes that social media has become a distraction (让人分心的事). “Social media, though it helps people connect with their friends and stay updated, is not all necessary.”
1. What is the article mainly about?| A．The major problems with social media. | B．The effect of social media on teenagers. |
| C．How teenagers benefit from social media. | D．Why social media appeals so much to teenagers. |
| A．It pushes people to meet their friends more often offline. |
| B．It encourages people to pay more attention to those around them. |
| C．It enables users to understand accurately what others are talking about online. |
| D．It allows people to keep in touch with their friends who live far away more easily. |
| A．The use of social media taught him to turn negative comments into motivations. |
| B．Social media can easily become an addiction (着迷), despite its benefits. |
| C．Social media is mostly a distraction to teenagers, so it is unnecessary for it to exist. |
| D．If used well, social media can create opportunities for teenagers to develop themselves. |
4 . When Lenore Skenazy let her 9-year-old son take the New York subway home by himself 10 years ago, you would have thought that she’d carried out a crime. Now Skenazy started the movement Free Range (放养的) Kids to bring up safe and independent children. Just this month, Utah became a free range state, changing its law to protect parents from being charged with neglect (疏忽)for letting their kids walk alone, or wait in a car for an adult.
Skenazy argues that the risks of giving children some freedom are exaggerated (夸大). Skenazy’s mother used to send her outside at 5 to walk to school. That was just normal back then. And suddenly we hear stories about parents getting punished for letting their 10-year-old son play outside.
We get so used to not knowing our neighbors, not letting our kids walk to school, or play outside, that nowadays, the kids are either in a car or in the backyard, and they don’t get to know the neighborhood. In fact, the world has become safer. We have the technologies to keep track of almost everything our kids do. And so you think you must control them, and you think your child is something that has to be tracked like a package.
The famous case for many parents was the Etan Patz case in New York in 1979. Patz’s parents gave him permission for the first time to walk to the bus stop nearby. He was killed. The story is so terrible that we remember it two generations later. And we don’t allow our kids to walk alone because of one terrible thing that happened 39 years ago. But we don’t say, “I want to drive you to the dentist, but what if we get in a car accident? Think of those people who died in a car accident 39 years ago. I don’t want to be like them. No, we’re not going.” And we recognize that it would be funny to think that way.
1. What do we know about Lenore Skenazy?| A．She used to have full control of her son. |
| B．She was in favor of Utah’s previous law. |
| C．She suggests kids be allowed more freedom. |
| D．She was once punished for neglecting her son. |
| A．People remain distant. |
| B．Kids dislike outdoor activities. |
| C．Parents know little about accidents. |
| D．The crime rate is slightly increasing. |
| A．Unclear | B．Supportive. | C．Indifferent. | D．Unfavorable. |
| A．To prove accidents are like crimes. |
| B．To warn parents of a terrible crime. |
| C．To argue against some parents’ worry. |
| D．To point out the real danger to children. |
1. 你对网络安全的认识;
2. 在网上保持安全的建议。
注意：
1. 写作词数应为80左右;
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Online Safety
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________6 . Are you happy with your appearance?
“Almost all the girls with single-fold eyelids (单眼皮) in our class have had double eyelid operations,” Zeng, a Senior 2 student from Chengdu, told Xinhua. Zeng had the same surgery done this summer.
From popular photo-editing apps to plastic surgery (整形手术), it seems that large eyes, pale skin and a skinny body are the only standard for beauty these days. But can following this standard really make us feel good about ourselves?
“Many teenagers are upset about their appearance because they believe in unrealistic standards of beauty,” experts say.
However, trying to live up to strict standards can make us feel anxious. What troubles us is not just our “imperfect” looks, but the fact that we criticize ourselves too much.
| A．Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. |
| B．Body image anxiety is common among teenagers. |
| C．Guys care just as much as girls do about their body image. |
| D．Some teenagers might feel negative about their appearance. |
| E．It’s common for teenagers to feel confident about their appearance. |
| F．She and many of her classmates believe bigger eyes look more beautiful. |
| G．Perfect faces and bodies are everywhere in advertising, TV shows and social media. |
7 . A group of middle-aged dads formed a dance team to perform at their kids’ school but unexpectedly gained popularity on social media, having over 300,000 followers—one of them is famous actor Hugh Jackman. The “Outta” Puff Daddys first came together in 2012 in Brighton for a surprise performance at their children’s annual dance show.
Having never danced professionally before and ranging in age from 42 to 60, the dads were taught by their kids’ street dance teacher for the surprise performance. They received a good reception, so they decided to carry on permanently.
Paul Jukes, 48, said dancing together has enabled the members to get through unemployment and anxiety. “Even though I’m the leader and artistic director of the team, I’m not normally the most confident guy.” said Jukes, whose team name is Jukebox. “If we’re in a party situation, we’re off at the side, but when we’re together those inhibitions (拘束感) are lost, and we just accept life to the fullest.”
The dance team members remember the moment when they surprised their kids at the dance show. “We performed at the Brighton Dome which seats 2,000 people, so for our first live dance performance, it was quite something. We took the roof off,” Jukes said. “The noise was crazy and of course, the kids in the audience were blown away. They were shouting, ”Hang on a second; that’s your dad.“ Most people might think our kids would be embarrassed by us but none of them had that feeling. All our families and kids were really supportive and really loved it. And it has been considered cool by them to have such a large following on Instagram.”
The team has to adapt to its members’ changing bodies as they get older, but that has not stopped them from continuing to dream big. “We take care of and support each other to make sure what we do is achievable,” said Jukes. “One of our members is 60 years old now and he’s just excellent.”
1. What is special about the dance team?| A．Its members are inexperienced. | B．It helps with school dance instruction. |
| C．It regularly posts videos on social media. | D．Its members are guided by famous dancers. |
| A．It has inspired him to take up new hobbies. |
| B．It has improved his health and leadership skills. |
| C．It has strengthened his relationship with his family. |
| D．It has helped him build confidence in a difficult time. |
| A．They were amazed and proud of their dads. |
| B．They were embarrassed but showed understanding. |
| C．They considered following Jukebox on social media. |
| D．They joined their dads to complete the performance together. |
| A．Dancing is beneficial to people of all ages | B．Talented dads celebrate their kids’ interest |
| C．Middle-aged dads prove age is just a number | D．A dance team is winning popularity among adults |
8 . Last year, 138,000 San Francisco residents used Airbnb, a popular app designed to connect home renters and travelers. It’s a striking number for a city with a population of about 850,000, and it was enough for Airbnb to win a major victory in local elections, as San Francisco voters struck down a debatable rule that would have placed time restrictions and other regulations on short-term rental services.
The company fiercely opposed the measure, Proposition F, with a nearly $10 million advertising campaign. It also contacted its San Franciscan users with messages urging them to vote against Proposition F.
Most people think of Airbnb as a kind of couch-surfing app. The service works for one-night stays on road trips and longer stays in cities, and it often has more competitive pricing than hotels. It’s a textbook example of the “sharing economy”, but not everyone is a fan.
The app has had unintended consequences in San Francisco. As the San Francisco Chronicle reported last year, a significant amount of renting on Airbnb is not in line with the company’s image: middle-class families putting up a spare room to help make ends meet. Some users have taken advantage of the service, using it to turn their multiple properties into vacation rentals or even full-time rentals. Backers of Proposition F argued that this trend takes spaces off the conventional, better-regulated housing market and contributes to rising costs.
“The fact is, widespread abuse of short-term rentals is taking much needed housing off the market and harming our neighborhoods,” said ShareBetter SF, a group that supported Proposition F. Hotel unions have protested the company’s practices in San Francisco and other cities, saying that it creates an illegal hotel system.
San Francisco is in the middle of a long-term, deeply rooted housing crisis that has seen the cost of living explode. Actually, explode is a generous term. The average monthly rent for an apartment is around $4, 000. Located on a narrow outcropping of land overlooking the bay, San Francisco simply doesn’t have enough space to accommodate the massive inflow of young, high-salaried tech employees flocking to Silicon Valley.
As the Los Angeles Times reported some San Francisco residents supported the measure simply because it seemed like a way to check a big corporation. Opponents of Proposition F countered that the housing crisis runs much deeper, and that passing the rule would have discouraged a popular service while doing little to solve the city’s existing problems.
1. What is the intention of Proposition F?| A．To place time limits in local election. | B．To set limits on short-term rental. |
| C．To strike down a controversial rule. | D．To urge users to vote against Airbnb. |
| A．It shrinks the living space of middle-class families. |
| B．Users are taken advantage of by the service financially. |
| C．It makes the house market more competitive. |
| D．It indirectly leads to high house rental price. |
| A．To show its sharp population increase. | B．To show its geographic characteristics. |
| C．To support high-salaried tech employees. | D．To explain its worsening housing crisis. |
| A．Objective. | B．Supportive. |
| C．Negative. | D．Uncaring. |
9 . In the early hours of the morning on April 17, Kevin Record, 43, was sleeping in his apartment on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, England. His dog, Shogun, jumped onto the bed and
Though suffering serious life-changing
Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS)
Speaking from his hospital bed, Kevin promised he would routinely check his e-scooter and make sure it is in good working
| A．pushed | B．picked | C．drew | D．woke |
| A．fell off | B．blew up | C．turned over | D．ran out |
| A．knocks | B．cuts | C．ruins | D．burns |
| A．escape | B．keep | C．hear | D．suffer |
| A．Finally | B．Typically | C．Unfortunately | D．Undoubtedly |
| A．scared | B．nervous | C．puzzled | D．heartbroken |
| A．forget | B．realize | C．express | D．regret |
| A．result | B．shape | C．speed | D．color |
| A．spread | B．awoke | C．pointed | D．jumped |
| A．exciting | B．frightening | C．amazing | D．confusing |
| A．backed | B．responded | C．turned | D．connected |
| A．save | B．collect | C．move | D．deliver |
| A．fuel | B．seat | C．engine | D．battery |
| A．mind | B．order | C．practice | D．platform |
| A．aim | B．model | C．warning | D．example |
10 . One of Twitter’s main characters recently was a man who chose to keep his middle seat between a couple on a flight instead of moving to the side. The situation raised some questions: Who are these middle-seat lovers? What do they want?
Many of the thousands of replies suggested that the majority of the flying public cannot understand why someone would ever choose the middle over a window or an aisle (走廊). But among the majority appeared a few people who endorse middle seats. “In the middle seat I don’t feel I should lean one way or another and generally sit pretty comfortably,” one person wrote. Another added: “I’m not getting hit by someone walking down the aisle or luggage either.”
Kyle Burke, in Florida, said on Twitter that he usually exchanged seats when asked. “I didn’t want to sit between a couple that were upset with me,” he told The Washington Post. At 6-foot-7, Burke, 41, said he didn’t fit well in plane seats, anyway. So, he preferred the middle, which gives him double chance of having a chatty neighbor.
Frederick resident Samantha Jones told The Post by email that she usually chose the middle seat when traveling alone. As a mother of three, “Having personal space is a far-off memory.” she said. “Middle seats have the least amount of responsibility,” she wrote. “I don’t control the window shade and only have to get by one person to get out or to go to the bathroom.”
Despite the few fans, middle seats are still not likely to get much respect. “There’s nothing good in the middle seat,” Scott McCartney, the writer of the journal Middle Seat said. “The position’s infamy (臭名昭著) was part of the reason for the journal’s name.” He added: “People really care about the ‘middle seat’, so they are more likely to pick up this magazine on seeing it.”
1. How does the author start the text?| A．By challenging a common belief. | B．By raising a couple’s questions. |
| C．By comparing travelers’ preferences. | D．By presenting an unusual seat choice. |
| A．Exchange. | B．Resist. | C．Support. | D．Indicate. |
| A．It provides larger space. | B．It reduces unnecessary trouble. |
| C．It avoids family responsibilities. | D．It offers networking opportunities. |
| A．To catch readers’ eyes. | B．To voice his own taste. |
| C．To make people think. | D．To urge airlines to change. |
