1 . You might have heard of the expression “a guilty pleasure”—maybe it’s the chocolate bar you buy on the way home from work, or the new clothes that you don’t really need.     1     . Perhaps we don’t feel we deserved it, or we don’t think it was a responsible way to spend our money. But should we feel like this? Do we really have to feel guilty about treating ourselves?

Perhaps not. Psychologists have suggested that buying things for yourself can make you feel better as it provides an opportunity to take control of your situation.    2     . It may be that as well as lifting your mood, when you buy a treat, you might just be looking after yourself.

Of course, there are also examples of people turning to destructive behaviour when faced with stressful circumstances. People might spend money that they don’t have or turn to dangerous addictions. Psychologist Leon Seltzer considers the difference between self-indulgence and self-nurturing.    3     , while self-nurturing is taking responsible decisions to satisfy our needs and take care of ourselves in ways that don’t have a significant impact.

    4    . So, many universities publish guides with advice for coping with exam stress. Reflecting the difference between self-indulgence and self-nurture, they recommend rewarding yourself for your efforts, doing things that you enjoy and are good at so that you can feel accomplishment.    5     . Thus, perhaps, as long as we make responsible decisions, we shouldn’t feel guilty about our guilty pleasures.

A．Exams are vital for students.

B．Self-indulgence can have negative consequences

C．The difference becomes evident when students manage exam pressure

D．They also recommend embracing activities that could dampen your spirits

E．Besides, you should avoid things that may make you feel worse afterwards

F．It comes from the idea that when we treat ourselves, it can sometimes leave us feeling guilty

G．It can give you social contact as well as a confidence boost from changes you make to your self-image

2 . Which is more important for parents, making more money to give the kids a better life or spending more time with them? It is a problem for parents and it is not easy to decide. A new study shows that today’s parents are spending more time with their children than parents in the past. According to the study, today’s college-educated mothers spend about 21.2 hours a week taking care of their children. But women with less education spend about 15.9 hours. Before 1995, it was only 12 hours.

Dads are spending more time on ball games. Before 1995, fathers with college educations only spent about 4.5 hours a week playing with their children. Today, it increases to 9.6 hours a week. For fathers with high school education, the time goes up from 3.7 hours to 6.8.

These days, parents don’t care more about the cleaning or the cooking. They are trying their best to spend time with their families. As for the kids, they don’t mind how much time their parents spend with them. They just want to enjoy the time their parents do be with them.

So, take part in the kids’ activities when you are with them, such as helping with homework or playing soccer with them.

1. How long do college-educated mothers spend taking care of their kids a week?

A．About 9.6 hours.	B．About 12 hours.
C．About 15.9 hours.	D．About 21.2 hours.

2. What can we know from the new study?

A．Women with less education spend about12 hours staying with their kids,

B．Mothers in the past spent less time staying with kids than mothers these days.

C．Mothers with college education are lazier than those with less education.

D．Dads spend more time staying with their kids than mothers do.

3. How long did fathers with college education spend with kids a month before 1995?

A．About 4.5 hours.	B．Less than 9 hours.
C．About 13.5 hours.	D．About 18 hours.

4. What do kids care about according to the text?

A．They care about how much money their parents can make.

B．They care about how much time their parents spend with them.

C．They care if their parents are really with them.

D．They care if their parents can give them a better life.

3 . A tragic case of Kitty Genovese, who was killed, happened in New York in 1964. However, subsequent investigations concluded that several people saw or heard what was happening, but did nothing to intervene. This has been termed the “bystander effect” — a well-known psychological phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer help to someone when other people are present. The more people there are, the less likely they are to help.

None of us like to think we’d walk on by when someone needed our help. But sometimes we behave in ways we wouldn’t expect when faced with a situation we are unsure about. While we might like to think we would rush to someone’s assistance, we know from studies that often people hang back. Research from the British Heart Foundation has suggested that a third of people would not give first aid if they saw someone collapse on the street, with some even admitting they wouldn’t call an ambulance.

There are various factors contributing to this effect — people think that others will get involved. Afterwards people often say they did not feel qualified or important enough to be the one to intervene. It is also partly down to “pluralistic ignorance” — since everyone is not reacting to the emergency, they don’t need to either; it’s not serious because no one else is doing anything.

Other studies have shown that once people are aware of the bystander effect, they are less likely to be affected by it. Self-awareness is the best solution to it. When facing an emergency, think to yourself how you would behave if you were on your own. Ignore everyone else and go with your gut (直觉) — If you’d run for help, do it. If that’s how you would have behaved when you were on your own, then that’s probably the right course of action. The worst that can happen is that you’ll look a little foolish at having overreacted. You might also save someone’s life.

1. What is the author’s purpose of telling about the case of Genovese?

A．To show the high frequency of killing.	B．To highlight the indifference of bystanders.
C．To introduce the topic of the passage.	D．To lead to the investigations.

2. What can we know from paragraph 2?

A．No one would like to admit the truth.	B．People tend to help when no people are present.
C．Few people will encounter uncertain situations.	D．Many people will not rush to help in an emergency.

3. What’s paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．The consequences of the phenomenon.	B．The reactions to different accidents.
C．The seriousness of an emergency.	D．The reasons for not helping.

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

A．Don’t Be A Bystander	B．Life-Saving Response
C．Importance of First Aid	D．Reactions in Emergency

4 . 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。

No matter your age, who can resist a tasty, low-priced meal? At noon, Tongxin Cafeteria near Shanghai’s Jing’an Temple downtown has a queue that shows its multi-generational popularity. The menu,     1     over 60 dishes rotated daily, caters to a wide range of tastes.

These cafeterias, once known as “senior canteens”, were originally established     2     (provide)healthy meals at     3     (afford) prices to older folks     4     might not be getting enough nutrition at home. From 2019 to 2021, the Shanghai government set a goal of building 200 new community canteens,     5     (bring) the total at the end of last year to 1,608.

    6     basic meal with one meat dish and two vegetables costs less than 20 yuan, far cheaper than prices in mainstream downtown restaurants. And all meals     7     (prepare) on site with fresh ingredients. The government supports these cafeterias, sometimes with rent-free space, sometimes with     8     (reduce) water and electricity charges.

Some community cafeterias have become so popular     9     they appear on WeChat and other lifestyle sharing     10     (platform). “We are pleased to have younger people dining here,” said a 90-year-old patron surnamed Qu. “They give the ‘elderly canteen’ a feeling of youthful vigor.”

5 . It was January 2016, and Jeremy and his girlfriend, Molei, were leaving Denver for a weekend of fun with friends on the slopes in Colorado.

The snow came earlier than they’d ________, but Jeremy wasn’t worried. He’d driven this ________ a thousand times, and he knew ________ what to do. “Take it easy. You’ll get there, and when you do, it’s going to be ________.” As the car began the twisting climb toward the resort town, Jeremy felt an overwhelming wave of excitement.

“Life was really great,” he says. Then, within a blink of an eye, everything ________.

A truck that came out of nowhere hit them. One minute, Jeremy’s Ford SUV was ________ quickly through the falling snow; the next, he was sitting in his crushed SUV by the side of the road, ________ his seat by the wheel, his body screaming with ________. To his right, he saw Molei. He could think only one thing to say: “Don’t die. I love you.”

Statistically, Molei should have died. Inside her neck, the vertebrae (脊椎) had basically been crushed. Her head was attached to her shoulders by ________ but skin and muscle.

Henry Rodriquez, an officer on holiday, was driving on the same road not far behind the Ford and ________ instantly when he saw the accident.

________ his wife calmed the trapped and terrified Jeremy, Rodriquez worked swiftly. One wrong move could have ________ Molei dead or paralyzed. Protecting her head and neck, he carefully removed her from the twisted car and ________ her on the road by the side of the car, covering her with coats to keep her warm.

For 45 minutes, Rodriquez ________ her chest to bring her heart back to life. Thanks to Rodriquez’s timely ________, Molei made it to Anthony Hospital and recovered gradually.

1.

A．observed

B．expected

C．enjoyed

D．realised

2.

A．slope

B．tunnel

C．route

D．town

3.

A．exactly

B．surprisingly

C．specially

D．correctly

4.

A．grateful

B．terrible

C．difficult

D．awesome

5.

A．happened

B．disappeared

C．moved

D．changed

6.

A．driving

B．rolling

C．jumping

D．running

7.

A．pinned

B．lay

C．sat

D．placed

8.

A．terror

B．pain

C．panic

D．frustration

9.

A．something

B．everything

C．nothing

D．anything

10.

A．drove away

B．drove on

C．pulled back

D．pulled over

11.

A．Since

B．After

C．While

D．Although

12.

A．kept

B．left

C．appealed

D．improved

13.

A．laid

B．rushed

C．dragged

D．walked

14.

A．shook

B．touched

C．pounded

D．felt

15.

A．rescue

B．check

C．response

D．arrival

6 . For night owls like Chen Danhong, 28, who works for a technology company in Beijing, the day really just begins after about 8 pm, a psychological hint that she can relax. “When I get home, I’m feeling worn out and tired, but that suddenly turns to excitement and I go on the Internet, read novels or watch movies. I’ll be playing video games and continually saying to myself, ‘OK, this is the last one’ before I eventually realize that it’s 2 o’clock,” says Chen.

Common symptoms (症状) include falling asleep later than 2 am, with the average time taken to fall asleep being more than one hour. Young people in cities are most vulnerable to such symptoms, according to the 2020 Chinese National Healthy Sleep White Paper. Common causes are loneliness, overtime sequelae (后遗症), excessive stress and emotional disorders. On March 21, World Sleep Day, a newspaper, Nanguo Morning News, conducted a survey that attracted 2,000 interviewees.

According to the survey, the reasons for going to bed late vary widely, with overtime work or taking care of a baby accounting for just five percent of the interviewees’ answers on this question. Sixty-four percent said they sleep late because they watch dramas, various shows, read books or play with their mobile phones. Fourteen percent said they do not want to go to bed too early even if they have nothing to do.

Many interviewees said they have had experience of the dangers of going to be late. Twenty-three percent said they have no serious physiological problems, but they can feel weak, are easily fatigued and have a poor complexion. Twenty-one percent said they are forgetful and find it hard to concentrate on work. More worrying is that an unwillingness to sleep can lead to a vicious circle (恶性循环), and15 percent of the respondents said they cannot fall asleep even if they want to.

1. Why does the author mention Chen Danhong’s situation in the first paragraph?

A．To lead in the topic.	B．To present an argument.
C．To shock the reader.	D．To raise a question.

2. What makes young people tend to go to bed late?

A．Unwillingness to sleep.	B．The various entertainments.
C．Caring for their family.	D．The frequent overtime.

3. What does the underlined word “fatigued” in the last paragraph mean?

A．Concerned.

B．Exhausted.

C．Focused.

D．Sleepy.

4. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Young people are more strong enough to sleep late.

B．Young people can fall asleep anytime they want to.

C．Going to bed late affects many people’s health or work.

D．Sleeping late occasionally isn’t harmful to our health.

7 . New research from the University of Portsmouth has shown a marked increase in shipping in the North East Atlantic. Scientists now warn that more monitoring is required to help protect sea life.

Researchers at the University of Ponsmouth have discovered that rates (率) of shipping in the North East Atlantic area rose by 34 per cent in a five-year period. The research is the first detailed survey of shipping activity in the North East Atlantic. Researchers used data from over 530 million vessel (船) positions recorded by Automatic Identification System(AIS). They looked at the change in shipping between 2013 and 2017 across ten different vessel types. In total the study area covered 1.1 million km², including waters off Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany,Iceland, Ireland, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal. Spain, and the UK.

Lead author, James Robbins said: “This change is likely to put more pressure on the marine (海洋的) environment, and may influence the protection of at-risk species. Renewed monitoring effort is needed to make sure that protective measures are enough to save species under threat in a changing environment.”

Some of the greatest shipping increases were found in areas close to the Spanish coast. The Espacio Marino de la Costa da Morte saw a rise of 413 percent in vessel activity. It is an area used to protect seabirds.

Dr. Sarah Marley, Visiting Researcher at the University of Portsmouth, said: “Shipping is the most widespread human activity in our oceans, carrying a set of threats-from unnoticeable effects like underwater noise pollution to serious results when ships hit whales.”

Professor Alex Ford. from the University’s Institute of Marine Sciences, said: “Given the well-documented effects that shipping can have on the marine environment, it is necessary that this situation continues to be monitored-particularly in areas used to protect vulnerable (脆弱的) species which may already be under pressure.”

1. What can we say about the new research?

A．It started in 2013.	B．It is the first of its kind.
C．It was carried out by AIS.	D．It covers the whole Atlantic.

2. What do the underlined words “This change” in paragraph 3 refer to ?

A．Rapid population growth.

B．Rising global temperatures.

C．The huge increase in shipping.

D．The disappearance of marine life.

3. What does Dr. Sarah Marley want to tell us in paragraph 5?

A．Shipping plays an important role in the local economy.

B．Shipping can be a danger to the marine environment.

C．Noise pollution is closely related to human activity.

D．Marine areas should be monitored more carefully.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．New waterways across the Atlantic

B．The shipping industry in the North East Atlantic

C．New research opens windows into life under the water

D．Sea life needs better protection from an increase in shipping

8 . As you read this, pause to reflect on your recent interactions. As a politician, husband, and father, I encounter various spoken language styles: analytical or chatty, formal or informal, pointed or gentle, cooperative or decisive. Talk is the currency of politics. It is our way of negotiating, debating, and persuading. Talk is also the currency of learning-how we develop our ideas, deepen our thinking and share our feelings.

That’s why I want speaking skills, sometimes called “oracy”, to play an important part in Labor’s plans for a reformed school curriculum (课程).

Employers value speaking skills equally with reading and writing. The ability to speak well and express yourself should be something every child should master. But the curriculum doesn’t allow us to provide this. This is short-sighted. An inability to express your thoughts fluently is a key barrier to getting on and doing well in life.

Oracy is in part about good public speaking and debating skills, but in reality, it’s about teaching young people to make strong arguments, choose wise words, understand their audience, form meaningful social connections, and use facial expressions and body language to convey their message. Above all else it’s about finding your voice. To work out who you are and what you believe. If reading opens up a world of imagination and possibility, then speaking and listening opens up a lifetime of empowerment-a chance for those who feel invisible in their own country to be heard. It is about the confidence to speak out, to call out injustice or harm.

And the other side of speaking is listening, which can also be taught. Listening, truly listening, develops tolerance and understanding. And as parents we can play our part. We’ve all been there, at mealtimes, silent as we all stare at our devices. Our job, all of ours, is to get off our screens and give young people, and adults, the gift of listening.

So, oracy―speaking and listening―needs to be placed firmly at the heart of school life.

1. How does talk help a politician?

A．It deepens his wishful thinking.

B．It enhances his analytical skills.

C．It strengthens persuasive power.

D．It provides emotional support.

2. Why does the author suggest a reform in the British school curriculum?

A．Employers underestimate the value of speaking.

B．Academic pressure makes students poor-sighted.

C．Spoken language is regarded as least important.

D．Oracy should deserve more attention at school.

3. How does the author illustrate his argument in paragraph 4?

A．By sharing different opinions.

B．By clarifying the definition.

C．By describing personal experiences.

D．By employing the concept.

4. What are parents advised to do?

A．Set a good example for their children.

B．Balance screen time and mealtime.

C．Have oral face-to-face communication.

D．Disconnect from the virtual world.

9 . “Looking good, feeling good” is a common phrase, but for many middle school students, it brings up the issue of appearance anxiety. In a world where social media often sets unrealistic beauty standards, teenagers can feel pressured to look a certain way. This pressure can lead to a lack of confidence and happiness.

Dressing in a style that reflects personal taste, rather than simply following fashion trends, can be a step towards overcoming this anxiety. Wearing clothes that make one feel comfortable and confident can help boost self-esteem. It’s important for students to understand that fashion is a way to express themselves, not a standard they must meet.

Healthy eating is also crucial. A balanced diet, rich in fruits, vegetables, and grains, helps maintain a healthy body and mind. Sometimes, teens worry too much about their weight, which can lead to unhealthy eating habits. Learning about nutrition and understanding that healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes can help alleviate these concerns.

Physical activity plays a significant role in mental well-being. Regular exercise, like playing a sport or going for a walk, not only keeps the body fit but also releases endorphins, improving mood and reducing stress. It's a natural way to fight the anxiety that comes with appearance concerns.

Finally, it's essential for middle school students to focus on mental health. Engaging in hobbies, spending time with friends, and seeking support when needed can contribute to a more positive self-image. Understanding that everyone's unique and that real beauty comes from within is vital. Feeling good about oneself should come from personal achievements and qualities, not just from outward appearance.

1. What is the main concern addressed in the article regarding middle school students?

A．Choosing the right fashion trends.

B．Coping with appearance anxiety.

C．Learning about nutrition and exercise.

D．Finding comfortable clothing.

2. According to the article, how can personal style in clothing affect students?

A．It can lead to unrealistic beauty standards.

B．It can help in overcoming appearance anxiety.

C．It pressures students to follow fashion trends.

D．It results in a lack of interest in fashion.

3. What role does physical activity play in addressing appearance concerns?

A．It sets beauty standards for students.

B．It mainly helps in weight management.

C．It improves mood and reduces stress.

D．It has no significant impact on mental well-being.

4. Why is focusing on mental health important for middle school students?

A．It helps in achieving academic success.

B．It contributes to a more positive self-image.

C．It encourages following social media trends.

D．It increases interest in fashion and style.

10 . In Europe, nine out of ten students study a foreign language. In the United States, only one in five does. From 1997 to 2008, the number of American middle schools offering foreign languages dropped from 75percent to 58 percent. From 2009 to 2013, one American college closed its foreign language program; from 2013 to 2017, 651 others did the same.

At first glance, these statistics look like a tragedy (悲剧). But I am starting to accept the strange idea that maybe they are not. What is changing my mind is technology.

I was in Belgium not long ago, and I watched various tourists from different nations use speech translation apps to change their own languages into English and French. The newer ones can even reproduce the tone of the speaker’s voice.

I know a foreign language is a window into a new way of understanding the world. But even beyond the fact that this idea has been rather oversold, can we really say the low level of French or Spanish we and our classmates usually picked up in school really gave us a new look into the world and our lives in it? And if our goals are more limited and practical --- for instance, getting directions to the bus station in Rome-technology now makes that possible at the press of a button. With a smart phone and an app, foreign languages will no longer present most people with the challenge they once did. Learning to speak a new language well will be necessary for those who want to engage with (从事) literature or media in the original language, as well as those of us who find pleasure in it just because they are “there”. Strange as that is, it is in its way a kind of progress.

1. What is the author’s opinion about the drop in foreign language learning in the United States?

A．It is a tragedy that needs to be avoided.

B．It is an unacceptable situation that harms society.

C．It is a challenge that will be overcome in the future.

D．It is a positive development due to advanced technology.

2. What is the author’s attitude towards the idea that learning a foreign language gives us a new look into the world?

A．Unconcerned.

B．Doubtful.

C．Curious.

D．Supportive.

3. How does technology influence language learning for practical purposes?

A．It makes the process easier and within reach.

B．It provides an easy way to understand the world.

C．It removes the need for language learning altogether.

D．It improves the traditional methods of language learning.

4. Which of the following questions can be answered in the text?

A．What challenges do translation apps bring to language learning?

B．Why is it still necessary to learn foreign languages in the digital age?

C．Will translation apps make learning foreign languages old-fashioned?

D．How can technology help us learn foreign languages more efficiently?