1 . The slogan of a University of Northern Iowa clothing exchange also serves as the perfect description of a fashion currently popular among students: thrifting-trading clothes with friends informally or through campus events and websites such as Swapstyle or at a thrift store.
Students are becoming increasingly vocal champions of this creative and commercial effort and the culture it represents. The act of thrifting is at the heart of the rise in students’ do-it-yourself (DIY) fashion shows and themed parties in which clothes must be handmade-composed of older, organic or recyclable items.
More broadly, the thrifting movement represents a generational switch built on five basic beliefs: old is new, mixing is far better than matching exchanging beats shopping, the best things in life are free (or incredibly cheap), and social responsibility is the new black.
According to recent campus and professional press reports, more students are thrifting so they can remain fashionable during the economic downturn.
They are giving up brand loyalty. They are also increasingly unwilling or unable to buy things at full price. Instead, they are seeking discounted ways to stand out stylistically, including making certain classic clothes the next big things.
“It’s often hard to find two of the same clothing items in a thrift store. You can leave knowing that the special outfit you are getting for your major event, no one will have,” Saint Xavier University rising senior Sydney Bennett confirms. “Because a lot of the items in thrift stores are classic, you will have a chance to showcase a ‘recycled style’ that is just like new for our generation.”
To this end, Bennett calls thrifting “a treasure hunt and shopping experience rolled into one ”.
1. Which item of the following will disqualify you for DIY fashion shows?| A．A newly-bought dress. | B．A pair of washed-out jeans. |
| C．An out-dated sweater. | D．A second-hand cotton jacket. |
| A．It’ll damage economy. | B．It’s a temporary success. |
| C．It was started by the government. | D．It reflects a change in philosophy of life. |
| A．Getting anything for nothing. | B．Staying loyal to the brand. |
| C．Seeking out unique items. | D．Buying as many clothes as possible. |
| A．To evaluate a rule. | B．To clarify a concept. |
| C．To introduce a new trend. | D．To recommend a way of life. |
2 . Something strange is happening to the millennial workers of America. After a year spent with their computers, they are turning over the carefully arranged chessboards of their lives and deciding to risk it all. Some are giving stable jobs up to start a new business, while others giving up the career altogether.
If this movement has a battle cry, it’s “YOLO” — “you only live once”. The term is used when people are making irresponsible bets that sometimes pay off anyway. More broadly, it has come to characterize the attitude that has captured a certain type of bored office worker in recent months.
“It feels like we’ve been so locked into careers for the past decade, and this is our opportunity to switch it up,” said Nate Moseley, 29, a buyer at a major clothing retailer. Mr Moseley recently decided to leave his US$130,000-a-year job. He created an Excel spreadsheet called “Late 20s Crisis”, which he filled with potential options for his next move: Take a coding class, start mining Ethereum, join a 2022 political campaign and open a tourism business. “The idea of going right back to the pre-Covid set-up sounds so unappealing after this past year,” he noted. “If not now, when will I ever do this?”
It’s possible that some of these YOLOers will end up back in stable jobs if they spend through their savings, or their new jobs fail. But an adventurous spirit seems to be infecting even the kinds of risk-averse overachievers who typically hold on to the career ladder.
One executive at a major tech company said she and her husband had both been discussing quitting their jobs. The pandemic, she said, had taught them that they’d been playing it too safe with their life choices, and missing out on valuable family time. The executive then sent me a quote from the Buddha about impermanence, and the value of realizing that nothing lasts forever. Or, to put it in slightly earthier terms: YOLO.
1. What strange things are US millennial workers doing?| A．They prefer doing work online. | B．They are taking more risks. |
| C．They enjoy playing chess more. | D．They are making extra money. |
| A．To encourage people to take brave moves. | B．To stop people making silly decisions. |
| C．To cover up a person’s past failure. | D．To gain trust from other people. |
| A．It didn’t pay well enough. | B．The business was in a crisis. |
| C．He missed the pre-Covid set-up. | D．He was eager for new changes. |
| A．The bad effect of the pandemic. | B．The significant influence of YOLO. |
| C．The potential danger of changing jobs. | D．The future development of different careers. |
3 . Meat is crucial for feeding the planet, leading scientists have said, as they warned it is not more environmentally-friendly to go vegan (素食).
Prof. Geoff Simm, Director of Global Academy Agriculture and Food Security at the University of Edinburgh, said, “I think livestock (家畜) farmers do feel they are being demonized (妖魔化).” Often the argument is made that going vegan would minimize land use, but the modelling studies that have been done demonstrate that’s not the case. We feel that while livestock production has a range of economic, social and environmental costs and benefits, the costs have perhaps been receiving far more attention recently than some of the benefits. Meat has massive social benefits. It’s an important source of dietary protein, energy, highly bioavailable micronutrients (微量营养素), even small amounts of animal-sourced food have a really important effect on the development of children, in the developing world on their cognitive and physical development and they are really important.
Prof. Mike Coffey, from Scotland’s Rural College, added, “It’s completely unnecessary to go vegan. If everybody went vegan it would be devastating for the UK environment. Animals bred for food help boost biodiversity.”
Researchers are currently attempting to breed more environmentally friendly cattle, which grow faster and eat less, which could further reduce the sector’s carbon footprint by reducing the amount of methane (甲烷) released by cows.
Prof. Coffey said that the difference in methane emissions from best and worst cattle was about 30 percent and that if all UK farmers used the most efficient animals this could reduce carbon emissions by nearly a third. But Prof. Coffey said the next stage will be trying to measure the methane given off by different breeds of cattle to find which are the lowest emitters. Prof. Coffey said that soon shoppers could be able to check meat labels to find out how much environmental impact their food has had. He added, “My expectation is that at some point in the near future there will be product labels that relates to the efficiency or carbon impact of the food.”
Professor Andrea Wilson, also of Edinburgh University, said more research was needed into the impact of veganism (绝对素食主义). She added, “We know a lot about the livestock sector because people have looked at it. We actually know very little about the vegan sector. The danger is we demonize one and jump too quickly to the other.”
1. Why are livestock farmers being demonized?| A．Because livestock production has huge costs. |
| B．Because livestock meat contains harmful protein. |
| C．Because livestock need more land and emit polluting gases. |
| D．Because livestock meat negatively affect children’s development. |
| A．To state a fact. | B．To make a prediction. |
| C．To present a solution. | D．To explain a phenomenon. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Intolerant. | C．Indifferent. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．Going vegan is not greener. | B．Consuming meat is harmful. |
| C．Raising cows is environmentally friendly. | D．Criticizing livestock farmers is not wise. |
4 . A mobile phone is very useful. It's one of the greatest
If you have a mobile phone, it is necessary to know about the
Some students like listening to music on the mobile phone
| A．laws | B．methods | C．secrets | D．inventions |
| A．his | B．her | C．their | D．our |
| A．pride | B．differences | C．disadvantages | D．discussions |
| A．seldom | B．never | C．hardly | D．probably |
| A．As soon as | B．For example | C．Instead of | D．In fact |
| A．while | B．until | C．before | D．after |
| A．safe | B．dangerous | C．careful | D．exciting |
| A．tell | B．talk | C．speak | D．say |
| A．take on | B．write down | C．turn off | D．get over |
| A．look | B．put | C．pick | D．wake |
5 . Restaurants’ growth accelerated in the 20th century. Dining out became relatively more expensive. And yet three economic changes ensured that demand for restaurants grew despite rising prices.
The first was immigration. In the 50 years after the Second World War, the net flow of migrants into rich countries were more than four times as before. Starting a restaurant was a good career move for new arrivals：it neither required formal qualifications nor, at least for chefs, fluency in the local language. Migrants tended to improve the quality of an area’s restaurants. London’s became far better in the era of free movement with the European Union. The melting pot that is Singapore has some of the best food in the world Restaurants became more tempting, even as prices went up.
The second factor was the changing microeconomics of the family. Households’ choices about whether to make their own food or to buy it premade were shaped not only by the cost of ingredients, but also by the time spent on shopping and preparation. As more women entered the workforce during the 20th century, a working woman who cooked dinner would be sacrificing time which might otherwise be used to earn money. And so eating out made increasing economic sense, even as it became more expensive.
The third factor was changing working patterns. Historically, poor people tended to work longer hours than rich ones. But in the latter half of the 20th century the opposite became true. The rise of knowledge-intensive jobs, and globalization, made rich people’s work more financially rewarding and enjoyable. Working late into the night became a sign of status. The result was that the people with the most money to spend on dining out increasingly needed it most, since they had the least free time.
The long-term future of the restaurant is less clear. The pandemic has led to many people buying more takeout than before, while others have a newfound love of cooking.
Restaurants have little choice but to continue to adapt. Maybe apart from food, they can also double down on what they do best: offering those who need to eat a taste of romance, glamour and love.
1. Why was starting a restaurant a good choice for the new migrants?| A．They could meet the requirements easily. |
| B．They could speak the local language fluently. |
| C．They could serve the best food in the world. |
| D．They could move to and from the country freely. |
| A．They might make little money. | B．They tended to eat at home. |
| C．They tended to work longer hours. | D．They might have a lower social status. |
| A．Restaurants have to double the price of dishes. |
| B．Restaurants have to reduce the cost of ingredients. |
| C．Restaurants have to adapt to the needs of customers. |
| D．Restaurants have to cancel the take-out service. |
| A．How to make restaurants more appealing. |
| B．How restaurants survive the pandemic. |
| C．What contributes to the development of restaurants. |
| D．Why people go to restaurants despite the rising price. |
6 . Millions of highly polluting used cars from rich countries are being" dumped" on developing nations, according to a UN report. Between 2015 and 2018, some 14 million older, poor quality vehicles were exported(出口) from Europe, Japan and the US. Four out of five were sold to poorer countries, with more than half going to Africa.
Experts say that up to 80% failed to meet-minimum safety and environmental standards in exporting countries. As well as causing accidents, these cars make air pollution worse and contribute heavily to climate change. Many of the vehicles have also been tampered with(篡改) to remove valuable parts.
The report, published by the UN Environment Programme (Unep), says that both exporters and importers need to put tougher regulations (rules) in place to stem the flow of these cars. Car ownership is booming(繁荣) all over the world with an estimated 1.4 billion vehicles on the roads, a number that's expected to reach around two billion by 2040. Much of that growth is happening in developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
A second study on the issue, by the Netherlands Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate, shows that many cars and vans shipped from Dutch ports to Africa are outdated and contribute to worsening air quality on the continent. According to the authors, these cars are both “dangerous and dirty.” They believe these imports are responsible for increased levels of road accidents in many poorer African and Asian countries.
The growing realization of the dangers posed by these cars has seen several importing countries strengthen their regulations. Morocco only permits cars less than five years old to be imported. Kenya also has an age limit of eight years for imported cars. On a regional level, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), representing15 countries, has set cleaner fuel and vehicle standards from January 2021.
But to really deal with the issue will require action at both ends of the supply chain. "On one hand，I think it's unethical(不道德的) that these developed countries export vehicles that are not roadworthy on their own roads," said Rob de Jong, one author." On the other hand, why have the importing countries been waiting so long to put in place some minimum standards? So I think the responsibility is not only on the exporting country, it's really a joint responsibility."
1. What problems do the "dumped" cars cause to developing countries?| A．Car ownership is booming in these countries. |
| B．These countries are becoming poorer and poorer. |
| C．They worsen the air quality and lead to road accidents. |
| D．These countries have to make rules to handle climate change. |
| A．stop | B．increase | C．lead | D．distract |
| A．importing countries strengthen their regulations |
| B．exporting countries get punished for their behavior |
| C．both exporting and importing countries take action |
| D．limit be set on the age of the imported cars |
| A．Many used cars are exported to poor countries, which calls for action. |
| B．Developing countries are very weak in dealing with the import of used cars. |
| C．It's selfish for developed countries to export vehicles that are not roadworthy on their own roads. |
| D．Used cars contribute heavily to air pollution and climate change in poor countries. |
7 . I love charity(慈善) shops and so do lots of other people in Britain because you find quite a few of them on every high street. The charity shop is a British institution, selling everything from clothes to electric goods, all at very good prices. You can get things you won’t find in the shops anymore. The thing I like best about them is that your money is going to a good cause and not into the pockets of profit-driven companies, and you are not damaging the planet, but finding a new home for unwanted goods.
The first charity shop was opened in 1947 by Oxfam. The famous charity’s appeal to aid postwar Greece had been so successful that it had been flooded with donations(捐赠物). They decided do set up a shop to sell some of these donations to raise money for that appeal. Now there are over 7,000 charity shops in the UK. My favorite charity shop in my hometown is the Red Cross shop, where I always find children’s books, all 10 or 20 pence each.
Most of the people working in the charity shops are volunteers, although there is often a manager who gets paid. Over 90% of the goods in the charity shops are donated by the public. Every morning you see bags of unwanted items outside the front of shops, although they don’t encourage this, rather ask people to bring things in when the shop is open.
The shops have very low running costs: all profits go to charity work. Charity shops raise more than ￡100 million a year, funding(帮助) medical research, overseas aid, supporting sick and poor children, homeless and disabled people, and much more. What better place to spend your money? You get something special for a very good price and a good moral sense. You provide funds to a good cause and tread lightly on the environment.
1. The author loves the charity shop mainly because of .| A．its convenient location | B．its great variety of goods |
| C．its spirit of goodwill | D．its nice shopping environment |
| A．sell cheap products | B．deal with unwanted things |
| C．raise money for patients | D．help a foreign country |
| A．What to Buy at Charity Shops. |
| B．Charity Shop: Its Origin & Development. |
| C．Charity Shop: Where You Buy to Donate. |
| D．The Public’s Concern about Charity Shops. |
8 . Police should be allowed to use facial recognition to investigate specific crimes and to protect the public at major events, according to the first national survey of the public's attitude to the technology. However, they are opposed to unrestricted use while two thirds (65 percent) of the public believe an absolute ban on the police would be wrong, Up to 70 percent backed its use to analyse faces on CCTV (闭路电视) to catch a suspect in an investigation or in day-to-day policing to prevent crime at events such as football matches or carnivals, The technology enables police to scan crowds and pick out faces that match huge databases of suspects.
There is, however, far less tolerance of its use by private (私人的) companies, whether to monitor shoppers or workers, or in schools if it was to be used to track children's behaviour or expressions. By a majority of almost two to one, the public believes that organizations should seek the permission of people before they start using facial recognition. Most also want a pause on any further use of the technology until publicly-agreed guidelines are in place on when and where it should be used.
More than half (55 percent) of the public believe the Government should limit police use of facial recognition to criminal investigations, though half also saw it as no different to taking photographs or using CCTV. Of those who were comfortable with its use, 80 percent said it was because it was “beneficial for the security of society”,
There was also a majority in favour of the technology where there was personal benefit, with 54 percent backing its use to unlock a smartphone by recognizing an owner’s face and with passport checks at airports where it can speed up queues.
1. Why is the technology of facial recognition significant to the police?| A．It helps them better investigate criminal cases. |
| B．It is a good way to control private companies. |
| C．It can recognize and catch suspects. |
| D．It mainly gets fully support from all walks of life. |
| A．It is believed to go against publicly-agreed guidelines. |
| B．It is helpful to track students’ behavior at home. |
| C．It is a potential threat to privacy. |
| D．It is popular among shoppers, workers and private companies. |
| A．It should be banned totally. |
| B．It should be open to police undoubtedly. |
| C．It is a double-edged sword. |
| D．It benefits the society in every aspect. |
| A．Should the police free use facial recognition? |
| B．Should facial recognition be applied to airports? |
| C．Should facial recognition protect the privacy of the public? |
| D．Should private companies use facial recognition without limit? |
9 . You probably know who Marie Curie was, but you may not have heard of Rachel Carson. Of the outstanding ladies listed below, who do you think was the most important woman of the past 100 years?
Jane Addams (1860-1935)Anyone who has ever been helped by a social worker has Jane Addams to thank. Addams helped the poor and worked for peace. She encouraged a sense of community (社区) by creating shelters and promoting education and services for people in need. In 1931, Addams became the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Rachel Carson (1907-1964)If it weren’t for Rachel Carson, the environmental movement might not exist today. Her popular 1962 book Silent Spring raised awareness(意识) of the dangers of pollution and the harmful effects of chemicals on humans and on the world’s lakes and oceans.
Sandra Day O’Connor (1930-present)When Sandra Day O’Connor finished third in her class at Stanford Law School, in 1952, she could not find work at a law firm because she was a woman. She became an Arizona state senator (参议员) and in 1981, the first woman to join the U. S. Supreme Court (最高法院). O’Connor gave the deciding vote in many important cases during her 24 years on the top court.
Rosa Parks(1913-2005)On December 1,1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Rasa Parks would not give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger. Her simple act landed Parks in prison. But it also set off the Montgomery bus boycott (抵制). It lasted for more than a year, and kicked off the civil-rights movement. “The only tired I was, was tired of giving in,” said Parks.
1. What is Jane Addams famous for in history?| A．Her social work. | B．Her teaching skills. |
| C．Her efforts to win a prize. | D．Her community background. |
| A．Not having training in law. | B．Her little work experience in court. |
| C．Her identity as a woman. | D．Her poor financial conditions. |
| A．Jane Addams. | B．Rachel Carson. |
| C．Sandra Day O’Connor. | D．Rosa Parks. |
| A．They are highly educated. | B．They are truly creative. |
| C．They are pioneers. | D．They are peace-lovers. |
10 . Scientists are working to stop a deadly virus that infects pigs. This African swine flu (猪流感) virus is causing huge losses for farmers in China and other Asian countries. Many farmers have tried to contain it by destroying infected animals. But the spread of the disease into East Asia has stepped up the search for other ways to deal with the problem.
The virus had not been considered a major concern for researchers until it appeared in China last year. Chinese farmers raise about half of the world’s pigs. Some researchers think the virus might have come from infected animals in Eastern Europe or Russia. Since then it has spread to China, Vietnam and other Asian countries. Millions of pigs have been destroyed.
Although swine flu does not sicken people, it is very infectious and deadly to pigs. As the deadly virus kills pigs across Asia, scientists are speeding up efforts to develop a vaccine (疫苗). “Today’s situation, where you have this global danger, puts a lot more emphasis on it,” said Doctor Luis Rodriguez, who leads the United States government laboratory for foreign animal diseases.
Vaccines are often developed by killing a virus before it is put into an animal. The disabled virus does not make the animal sick, but it activates the body’s natural defenses against disease. The immune system is then able to identify the virus and produce antibodies against it. However, this method is not effective with all viruses including the one that causes African swine flu. For swine flu, scientists have been working on a different kind of vaccine. It is made from a weakened virus, not a dead one. The problem for researchers has been how to change the virus so it can be safely used.
Vietnam’s government reported a few weeks ago that it was testing vaccines, but provided few details. In China, the government says scientists are working on a vaccine that genetically changes the virus, which is similar to a method being used by scientists in the US.
1. What caused the researchers’ deeper concern?| A．The virus’ appearance in China. |
| B．The disease’s damage to people’s health. |
| C．The death rate of pigs all over the world. |
| D．The failure of vaccine’s development. |
| A．Developing a vaccine. |
| B．Curing the infected pigs. |
| C．Finding the origins of the virus. |
| D．Studying the harmful effects on people. |
| A．They are developed from a dead virus. |
| B．Regular developing methods apply to them. |
| C．China and the U.S. have different methods of developing them. |
| D．The genetic change of the virus may be a breakthrough for the vaccines. |
| A．Government Places Much Stress on Virus Research |
| B．Swine Flu Leads to the Deaths of Lots of Pigs |
| C．Scientists Hurry to Develop Vaccine for Swine Flu |
| D．Research onAnimal Diseases Makes Great Progress |
