1 . London life for Cathy Hagner and her three children is set to be permanent. Their
Often, the
In today’s world, middle class American and British parents
Parents take their children from activity to activity to make their future
“There is a new parenting trend under way which says you have to
“It isn’t entirely
| A．half | B．full | C．meaningful | D．relaxing |
| A．seeing | B．sending | C．dropping | D．taking |
| A．exhausted | B．loving | C．energetic | D．nuclear |
| A．assess | B．encourage | C．remind | D．treat |
| A．hoping | B．racing | C．calling | D．caring |
| A．challenging | B．exciting | C．promising | D．inviting |
| A．realistic | B．specific | C．difficult | D．important |
| A．Doctors | B．Parents | C．Headmasters | D．Teachers |
| A．start | B．attend | C．skip | D．prefer |
| A．lack | B．establishment | C．explosion | D．business |
| A．practice | B．enjoy | C．teach | D．include |
| A．unlock | B．fulfill | C．show | D．record |
| A．let down | B．pushed off | C．laughed at | D．taken over |
| A．new | B．out-dated | C．wrong | D．right |
| A．respected | B．done | C．accepted | D．managed |
2 . A new study has found the amount of antibiotics (抗生素) given to farm animals is expected to increase by two-thirds over the next 15 years. Researchers are linking the growing dependence on the drugs to the increasing need for meat, milk and eggs. However, the drugs could quicken the development of antibiotic-resistant infections (感染). Such infections are already a major public health concern in the United States.
The World Health Organization notes that when people stop living in poverty (贫困), the first thing they want to do is eat better, rather than earn more money. For most people, that means their diet should contain more meat. With the rapid development of Asia, people there are eating nearly four times as much meat, milk and other milk products as they did 50 years ago.
To meet the need, farmers have put many animals into smaller spaces. As the animals are crowded together, the easiest way to deal with some of the problems of crowding is to give them antibiotics. It’s clear that antibiotics help animals stay healthy in a crowded environment and grow faster. But bacteria can develop resistance to the drugs gradually.
Nowadays, doctors find antibiotics that once worked against the infections no longer work. The bacteria have learned ways to fight against the drugs. The heavy use of antibiotics in animals is responsible for the growth of antibiotic resistance worldwide. In the United States, at least two million people get drug-resistant infections each year and at least 23,000 die from an infection.
Europe has banned the use of antibiotics to increase animal growth. And the United States is hoping to persuade farmers to stop using antibiotics for that purpose.
1. What accounts for the increasing amount of antibiotics given to farm animals?| A．The desire for new drugs. | B．The less effective antibiotics. |
| C．The outdated farm technology. | D．The need for more various foods. |
| A．Make a lot of money. | B．Focus more on health. |
| C．Have more meat in their diet. | D．Live in a better environment. |
| A．Antibiotics do harm to animals. |
| B．Antibiotics make animals more nutritious. |
| C．Antibiotics are used heavily in Europe. |
| D．Antibiotic-resistant infections spread to people. |
| A．A new way of raising farm animals. |
| B．The advantages of using antibiotics. |
| C．The reason for banning the use of antibiotics. |
| D．The negative effects of the heavy use of antibiotics in farm animals. |
3 . WHEN KIM JI-UN lived in Seoul, she worried about finding a good job. Now, she is worried that drought may ruin her crop. The 23-year-old started a farm last year. Her first harvest was an unexpected success.
Ms Kim is part of a phenomenon called kwichon, or returning to rural life. The term crops up during periods of economic hardship. This time, in the wake of the pandemic, many new farmers have never lived in the countryside before. The government promotes the idea as a solution to the problem of South Koreans migrating to Seoul, aiming to regenerate struggling rural regions. By planting young farmers in rural areas, the government hopes to enjoy big rewards in future.
The plan is working. In 2021 nearly 380, 000 people moved to the countryside, up 15% from 2015 and almost half (a record high) younger than 40. Comfort with digital technology gives young farmers a leg up, says Cho Kyung-ik, the director of the Beginning Farmer’s Centre, an institution educating those who wish to kwichon at its downtown offices. They sell fresh produce on Naver, South Korea’s largest search engine.
The centre teaches techniques like how to use a tractor or select the best crops. It arranges a trial period during which ambitious farmers work under the guidance of an old hand, learning what it means to do back-breaking labour from dawn to dusk.
The most important lesson is how to get on with the locals. The villagers are also offered tips on how to act towards the newcomers. That part is not yet a total success. Ms Kim says her neighbours have a bad temper. “The old people come in here and give me unwanted advice, or say that I will never be able to grow anything, ” she says. Her black beans beg to differ. She and the South Korean government will be hoping that her crops put the argument to rest for good.
1. Why does the writer tell Ms Kim’s story?| A．To start an argument. | B．To introduce a trend. |
| C．To present a challenge. | D．To make a comparison. |
| A．A new identity. | B．A helping hand. |
| C．A touching moment. | D．A different idea. |
| A．Learning farming skills. | B．Facing criticism online. |
| C．Handling invisible overwork. | D．Adapting to local community. |
| A．It generates huge profits. | B．It reconnects local people. |
| C．It helps to revive rural areas. | D．It deserves more financial support. |
4 . Every order of takeout comes with a side of single-use plastics and each plastic fork. knife, spoon and straw-whether or not you wanted it or used it-ends up in the trash.
New research found that 139 million metric tons of single-use plastic waste was generated in 2021-six million metric tons more single-use plastics compared to 2019. A hunger for takeout meals during the pandemic contributed to the surge.
An estimated 60% of Americans order takeout or delivery at least once a week and online ordering is growing 300% faster than in-house dining; that means millions of single-use plastic utensils (餐具) are going out with every order.
New laws aim to address the problem. Some of the recent bills are thanks to The National Reuse Network, part of the environmental nonprofit Upstream, which launched a national Skip the Stuff campaign to work out policies that require restaurants to include single-use plastic utensils, straws, and napkins only when customers request them.
The bills also require meal delivery and online apps like Uber Eats, GrubHub and Door Dash to add single-use extras to their menus; customers can choose the items and quantities to have them included in the order. Customers that don’t order the single-use plastics won’t receive them. The goal of the bills is to reduce the 40 billion plastic utensils sent to the landfill (垃圾填埋场) every year.
“Most of the time, people are taking food home or to their offices where there are reusable utensils so these utensils wind up in a drawer or get thrown out,” says Alexis Goldsmith, national organizing director for a nationwide project Beyond Plastics. “Some people do need utensils, but for the most part, they’re not needed.”
To date, Skip the Stuff bills have been passed in several cities, including Denver, Washington, D.C. and Chicago, California and Washington state passed statewide bills that make single-use plastic “accessories” available with takeout orders only upon request.
Organizations like Upstream, Beyond plastics and NRDC have created toolkits to help additional communities launch their own Skip the Stuff campaigns.
1. What does the underlined word “surge” in paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Great desire. | B．Sharp decline. | C．Rapid increase. | D．Obvious panic. |
| A．Choosing green products. | B．Adding single-use napkins. |
| C．Recycling and reusing utensils. | D．Providing utensils only on request. |
| A．To reduce plastic waste. | B．To stop bad eating habits. |
| C．To encourage people to eat out. | D．To better the dining environment. |
| A．Unimportant. | B．Damaging. | C．Much-needed. | D．Well-known. |
5 . Jennifer Destefano answered a call from a number she did not recognize. “Mom, I messed up,” her daughter’s voice told her, crying. “These bad men have me.” A man went on to demand money, or he would drug her daughter and leave her in Mexico. But while she kept him on the phone, friends managed to reach her daughter, only to discover that she was, in fact, free and well on a skiing trip in Arizona. The voice used on the phone was a fake.
Voice cloning’s influences will be huge. For several years, customers have been able to identify themselves over the phone to their bank and other companies using their voice. Not even a gifted mimic (巧于模仿的人) could fool the detection system. But the arrival of cloning will force adaptation in order to prevent cheating.
Creative industries could face the impact too. Voice actors’ skills, trained over a lifetime, can be copied in seconds. But some actors may, in fact, find cloning congenial. Val Kilmer, who has lost much of his voice to throat cancer, was delighted to have his voice restored for “Top Gun: Maverick”.
Another industry that will have to come to cope with the rise of clones is journalism. Now who will trust a story based on an audio clip (片段)? Slightly easier to manage might be the false positives: recordings claiming to be someone but which are fakes. The opposite problem — the false negatives — will appear when public figures deny real recordings. Proving that a clip is genuine is bard, perhaps even impossible. Journalists will need to show how they obtained and stored audio files.
The term “fake news” had existed long before voice cloning. Now, ever more people caught in a crime are likely to defend themselves. “It wasn’t me.” And many people will have even more reason to believe them.
1. What does Jennifer Destefano’s experience suggest?| A．The high frequency of fake news. | B．The rising crime rate in Mexico. |
| C．The danger of voice-cloning technology. | D．The value of bravery in an emergency. |
| A．illegal | B．embarrassing | C．striking | D．agreeable |
| A．Late Beetles’ songs have been restored by voice cloning. |
| B．A pop star claims a real recording untrue. |
| C．Journalists prove their reports with audio clips. |
| D．The police identify a criminal through voice. |
| A．Voice cloning is increasingly used in journalism |
| B．Voice cloning is challenging our traditional ideas |
| C．Voice cloning is impacting different aspects of our life |
| D．Voice cloning is re-establishing life styles for the better |
6 . Textile (纺织品) waste is a growing problem for our environment. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported the US throws away more than 11 million tons of clothing every year. That is why some small businesses spotting the problem are beginning to recycle in ways they haven’t before.
Create Good Company is a clothing company that tries to produce sustainable (可持续的) clothing and repurpose older clothing into updated fashionable items. Maggie. Hendricks, the owner of Create Good Company, said, “If you can revamp what you find, why wouldn’t you do that instead of buying new things? It’s a big issue not to create new waste. I would say we are 90%recycled materials.”
According to the EPA, the average consumer (消费者) throws away 81.5 pounds of clothes every year. “Anywhere between 10%-17%of the waste that’s going into landfills (废弃物填埋场) is made up of things like textiles and clothing,” said Danny Katz with the CoPIRG Foundation.” A lot of the clothing that we’re producing doesn’t even get worn, so it’s going right to the landfill or even being burned and contributing to pollution that way. It’s really worrying.”
This is why businesses like Create Good Company exist—to use outdated clothing and turn it into dresses or jackets.
“There’s just so much waste and so many big companies that might not think about it,” Hendricks said. “Just standing with other like-minded people who are interested in sustainability is important.”
Another important element Hendricks has focused on is creating these items and selling them at an affordable price.
“Sustainability sometimes is green washed in companies and they make things more expensive,” Hendricks said. “That’s not how we become a sustainable world. I think making products affordable is important to me. I want to buy things that are better for the environment without throwing my pocketbook in the fire.”
1. What does the underlined word “revamp” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Share. | B．Decorate. | C．Replace. | D．Improve. |
| A．The use of old clothing. | B．The cost of textile pollution. |
| C．The effect of clothing waste. | D．The future of the textile industry. |
| A．Its sales. | B．Its price. | C．Its producer. | D．Its quality. |
| A．The EPA’s measures to reduce textile waste |
| B．Small businesses working to prevent textile waste |
| C．Textile businesses’ social responsibility and their waste |
| D．Consumers being aware of the seriousness of textile waste |
7 . It’s commonly acknowledged that our lives are ruled by algorithms (算法), but have we really collectively understood how they have transformed our culture and personality?
In Filterworld: How algorithms flattened culture, Kyle Chayka argues convincingly that the rise of algorithm-driven feeds, used everywhere online from Instagram to Spotify, has led to a more uniform culture. Our tastes and desires increasingly don’t belong to us, but to algorithms that are designed to keep people engaged at all costs. If the collection of our tastes truly shapes our entire personality, then this loss is more psychologically damaging than it first appears. Aimlessly scrolling (滚屏) through Netflix or TikTok may seem harmless, but over days, months or years, we lose touch with what we like and enjoy.
Taste-making algorithms are inescapable. Chayka shows this by working through all corners of life: what we wear(TikTok), where we eat(Google Maps), music we listen to(Spotify), even who we date or marry(Tinder). This universe of algorithm-driven decisions has society-wide implications: “It extends to influence our physical spaces, our cities, and the routes we move through…flattening them in turn.” No one gets out of the Filterworld untouched.
If you’re lucky enough not to need any sort of algorithm-based system for your work, then you have the option to step back from algorithms for a while. But if your friend suggests a film recommended on X/Twitter or you feel the need to buy those shoes suddenly everyone has started wearing after social media advertisements, what are you to do? It all feels fruitless.
This Filterworld may be inescapable, but there is hope. You can start by engaging more with the media you do choose to consume. This could mean reading up about a film you watched or paying artists you like directly. Even the thoughtful act of recommending an album (专辑) to a friend is more rewarding than a random TikTok feed. As Chayka says, resistance to algorithms “requires an act of willpower, a choice to move through the world in a different way.”
1. What is Kyle Chayka’s opinion on algorithms?| A．They improve our tastes. | B．They make our culture more alike. |
| C．They help to identify our personality. | D．They contribute to psychological problems. |
| A．The society with advanced technology. | B．The world without social media platforms. |
| C．The network of algorithm-driven decisions. | D．The community free from algorithmic influence. |
| A．Limiting the use of social media platforms. | B．Making choices based on friends’ suggestions. |
| C．Getting more involved with the selected media. | D．Disconnecting from social media advertisements. |
| A．Algorithms: Cultural Takeover | B．The Secret of Algorithms |
| C．Social Media: Cultural Messenger | D．The Rise of Digital Platforms |
8 . Initial conversations can have a huge impact on how relationships develop over time. People are often stuck in the impressions they think they might have made the minute they finish speaking with someone for the first time: “Did they like me or were they just being polite?” “Were they deep in thought or deeply bored?”
To find out whether these worries are necessary, we have conducted nearly 10 years of research. In our studies, participants in the UK talked with someone they had never met before. Afterward, they were asked how much they liked their conversation partner and how much they believed that their conversation partner liked them. This allowed us to compare how much people believed they were liked to how much they were actually liked.
Time and time again, we found that people left their conversations with negative feelings about the impression they made. That is, people systematically underestimate how much their conversation partners like them and enjoy their company — a false belief we call the “liking gap”.
This bias (偏见) may seem like something that would occur only in initial interactions, but its effects extend far beyond a first impression. Surprisingly, the liking gap can constantly affect a variety of relationships, including interactions with coworkers, long after the initial conversations have taken place. Having a larger liking gap is associated with being less willing to ask workmates for help, less willing to provide workmates with open and honest feedback, and less willing to work on another project together.
There are numerous strategies to minimize your biased feelings. One place to start is shifting your focus of attention. Try to direct your attention to your conversation partner, be genuinely curious about them, ask them more questions, and really listen to their answers. The more you’re zeroed in on the other person, and the less you’re focused on yourself, the better your conversation will be and the less your mind will turn to all the things you think you didn’t do well.
1. Why did the author carry out 10 years of research?| A．To dismiss national concerns. | B．To check out a potential bias. |
| C．To enhance human communication. | D．To develop harmonious relationships. |
| A．Fewer chances of new projects. | B．Underestimation of their ability. |
| C．Bad relationships with people around. | D．Low willingness to interact with others. |
| A．Restate opinions. | B．Deliver warnings. | C．Give suggestions. | D．Make a summary. |
| A．Liking Gap May Influence Work Performances |
| B．First Impressions Rely On Initial Conversations |
| C．People Probably Like You More Than You Think |
| D．How People Like You Matters Less Than You Assume |
9 . The apparent complexities of the TikTok algorithm(算法)may actually be as simple as a bag of chips. In a video with more than 700,000 views, creator Celeste Aria laid out her “Dorito theory”, which she uses to explain the addictive nature of endlessly-scrolling social media feeds.
Everyone has a topic they just can’t stop thinking about, and Aria’s Roman Empire is Doritos. In her popular video, she expresses that TikTok scrolling is so addictive because it is never fully satisfying. Like a Dorito, a scrolling session on the For You Page is most stimulating during the first few bites. The end of the chip or video brings a desire to start consuming another one, thus returning to that first-bite feeling.
Essentially, the Dorito theory suggests that activities like eating Doritos, which provide a quick burst of pleasure but lack lasting satisfaction, can be highly addictive. Aria compared it to consuming foods that offer deeper satisfaction, like a hearty steak, where the feeling of fullness and contentment lasts longer.
The theory can apply to a lot of different experiences, but it’s particularly well-suited as a metaphor for the dopamine (多巴胺) boosts that occur while scrolling through social media feeds. Dr. Jamie Sorenson, a board-certified psychiatrist, said that the Dorito theory is consistent with existing ideas regarding addiction. “The more immediate the reward is, the more likely we are to repeat that behavior, whether it’s eating Doritos or scrolling on social media.”
Aria may not be a licensed medical professional, but she treats junk food the way any nutritionist would. “I’d recommend just trying to remove anything that you think falls into the Dorito category,” she says in her video.
The Dorito theory trend has led to reflections on the nature of addiction and the pursuit of instant satisfaction in today’s society, resonating (共鸣) with many TikTok users who recognize similar patterns in their own lives. So, it feels like it’s only a matter of time before Doritos responds to Aria’s theory.
1. What do the underlined words “Roman Empire” in paragraph 2 probably refer to?| A．A video. | B．A subject. | C．A country. | D．A snack. |
| A．Social media. | B．Different flavors. | C．Lasting satisfaction. | D．First-bite feeling. |
| A．By introducing a concept. | B．By conducting an experiment. |
| C．By making a comparison. | D．By quoting an expert’s words. |
| A．The Role of Dopamine in Social Media Addiction |
| B．The Theory behind Snacking: A Deep Dive into Dorito |
| C．Maximizing Your Social Media Reach: Tips from Top Creators |
| D．Snack-Sized Satisfaction: How Social Media Hooks Us Like a Bag of Chips |
10 . If sales generally feel hard to resist, the sale in front of Arron Schurevich was the ultimate test: a new car just like the one he’d loved. And it was more than a 20% discount. “I figured that I would be a fool not to take advantage of that,” says Schurevich. After he drove the car off the lot, the deal turned sour. The brand-new car quickly needed repairs. Schurevich now jokes that he paid a tax for being a fool.
Why is it so hard for the human brain to resist a discount? Spotting something you’d like to buy activates your brain’s reward circuitry (奖赏回路). It gets especially heightened if it’s something you’ve been fascinated by — say, the same car you’ve enjoyed for years. Additionally, the discount itself often registers as a win, delivering its own kind of joy, says Jorge Barraza, a consumer psychologist at the University of Southern California.
“Not only are we getting the product,” Barraza says, “but we’re also getting that reward that we discovered something; we’ve earned this extra thing.”
Stores, of course, know all this and try to push our buttons. “Limited-quantity, limited-time, scarcity-marketing promotions—they get people’s blood pumping,” says Kelly Goldsmith, who studies this as a marketing professor at Vanderbilt University.
It’s really hard to always approach sales rationally. One buying strategy experts recommend is to make a shopping list in advance and then, stick to it. Another is to research items — beforehand or on the spot, checking online — to weigh whether the sale is really a good deal.
“The human brain has essentially evolved to feel first and think next, which is why you need to give yourself time to cool off from your instant reaction when in front of a sale,” says Goldsmith.
1. What is the purpose of telling Arron Schurevich’s story?| A．To explain the way to promote sale. | B．To inform readers of an important test. |
| C．To introduce the topic of the passage. | D．To show the advantage of products on sale. |
| A．Brain’s reward circuitry needs activating. | B．It’s hard to resist a discount for some reasons. |
| C．Buying discounted products has consequences. | D．It’s worthwhile to approach sales rationally. |
| A．Stores are good at pushing buttons. | B．Stores tend to affect people’s health. |
| C．Stores help consumers earn extra things. | D．Stores know how to attract consumers with sales. |
| A．Calm down in front of a sale. | B．Make a shopping list ahead of time. |
| C．Research items on the spot or online. | D．Avoid buying any discounted items. |
