In recent years, shared vegetable plots (地块) have been appearing in Shanghai’s suburban districts as more white-collar workers turn to farming to relax and escape the pressures of city life.
Among these individuals
This farm has about 200 members, some of
Chen notes that many of his customers are parents who rent plots
2 . Scientists say the plant enset, an Ethiopian staple (主食), could be a new superfood and a lifesaver in the face of climate change. The banana-like crop has the potential to feed more than 100 million people in a warming world, according to a new study.
Enset or “false banana”, almost unknown outside of Ethiopia, is a close relative of the banana, but is consumed only in one part of this country. The banana-like fruit of the plant is inedible, but the starchy stems (茎) and roots can be used to make porridge and bread. Research suggests the crop can be grown over a much larger range in Africa. “This is a crop that can play a really important role in addressing food security and sustainable development,” said a university professor in Awasa, Ethiopia.
Using agricultural surveys and modelling work, scientists predicted the potential range of enset over the next four decades. They found the crop could potentially feed more than 100 million people and boost food security in Ethiopia and other African countries, including Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda.
Study researcher Dr James Borrell, of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, said planting enset, as an alternative for lean times, could help boost food security. “It’s got some really unusual features that make it absolutely unique as a crop,” he said. “You plant it at any time, you harvest it at any time. That’s why they call it the tree against hunger.”
There is growing interest in seeking new plants to feed the world, given our reliance on a few staple crops. Nearly half of all the calories we eat come from three species — rice, wheat, and maize. “We need to diversify the plants we use globally as a species because all our eggs are in a very small basket at the moment,” said Dr Borrell.
1. What does the underlined word “inedible” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Not secure enough. | B．Not diverse enough. |
| C．Not fit to be planted. | D．Not suitable to be eaten. |
| A．It is a special species of banana. |
| B．It can help with solving food shortage. |
| C．It has fed more than 100 million people. |
| D．It can be grown at anytime and anywhere. |
| A．Negative. | B．Objective. | C．Approving. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．To provide a solution to food problems. |
| B．To advertise a unique banana-like staple. |
| C．To recommend a magic crop against hunger. |
| D．To introduce a wonder crop for climate change. |
3 . Most of us spend our lives surrounded by screens, which offer us convenience as well as connection and an ocean of information. But since it’s easy to feel pressured to keep up with every notification, technology may feel more like a burden than a blessing. Thus, the idea of “digital detox” is becoming increasingly inviting.
The phrase “digital detox” describes getting rid of TV, phones, computers and other forms of technology that control our lives for a period of time. Some experts advocate completely avoiding unnecessary screen time for 30 years. Others suggest using an app that will limit the amount of time one can spend on certain websites. A third option is logging out in evenings or on weekends. Others simply turn their phones off at scheduled times. Some even pay high prices to take vacations in places where they can unplug from their digital routine.
Why might you want to take a digital detox? Perhaps you find that you are spending longer than you intend on certain apps or that they distract you from more important things. Perhaps social media is depressing because you compare yourself to others or you fear missing out on things that other people are enjoying. Constant negative news can also give rise to a lot of stress.
Technology can also have physical effects. Many people experience back or neck pain as a result of bending over screens. The blue light coming from most screens can also affect people’s sleep by preventing production of melatonin(褪黑素).
Giving up all screens may not be realistic, but strategic breaks from technology may be good for your body, mind, emotions and relationships. It is high time that you picked a time to turn off your devices and focus on really important things.
1. Why does the author say “technology may feel more like a burden than a blessing” in paragraph 1?| A．To confirm a concept. |
| B．To present a problem. |
| C．To explain a rule. |
| D．To make a prediction. |
| A．Recover. | B．Benefit. | C．preventing | D．Suffer. |
| A．Apps selection difficulty. |
| B．Fear of missing important things. |
| C．Exposure to false news. |
| D．Pressure from social comparison. |
| A．To recommend healthy lifestyles. |
| B．To call for reducing the use of digital devices. |
| C．To give instructions on starting digital detox. |
| D．To present different attitudes to digital products. |
The term “car boot sale” refers to the selling of items from a car’s trunk (后备箱). Most of the goods on sale are used personal items with only a few of professional traders
5 . Historians are often asked to examine the actions of our ancestors so we can repeat their wisdom and avoid their mistakes. But the present is just too different from the past. It is a waste of time to study Hannibal’s strategies in the Second Punic War so as to copy them in the Third World War. What worked well in cavalry battles will not necessarily be beneficial in cyber war. Studying history aims to loosen (松开) the hold of the past.
A young couple building a new home may ask the architect for a nice lawn (草坪) in the front yard. Why a lawn? “Because lawns are beautiful,” the couple might explain. But why do they think so?
The idea of growing a lawn at the entrance to private houses and public buildings was born in the castles of French and English aristocrats in the late Middle Ages. Well-kept lawns demanded land and a lot of work. In exchange, they produced nothing of value. The neat grass at the entrance to castles was a social position symbol nobody could pretend to have. Later the new parliaments (议会), supreme courts, presidential residences increasingly showed their power in row upon row of neat green grass. Humans came to identify lawns with political power, social position and economic wealth.
When you now come to plan your dream house, you might think twice about having a lawn in the front yard. You are of course still free to do it. But you are also free to shake off the cultural cargo given to you by the upper class. This is the best reason to learn history: not in order to guess the future, but to free yourself of the past and imagine different lives. Of course this is not total freedom — we cannot avoid being shaped by the past. But some freedom is better than none.
1. Why does the author mention Hannibal and cavalry battles in paragraph 1?| A．To illustrate why future cyber war is difficult. |
| B．To highlight how important historical warfare is. |
| C．To show that past experience may not suit the present. |
| D．To explain what strategies historical figures developed. |
| A．Its connection with power and wealth. | B．Its high maintenance requirements. |
| C．Its origin from European castles. | D．Its outstanding natural beauty. |
| A．Cultural mistakes. | B．Cultural standards. |
| C．Historical buildings. | D．Historical knowledge. |
| A．guess events in the future | B．repeat wise decisions |
| C．understand cultural changes | D．reduce the control from the past |
1. On which day is World Sleep Day held?
| A．March 21. | B．March 25. | C．March 31. |
| A．Being stronger. | B．Being cleverer. | C．Being taller. |
| A．21%. | B．27%. | C．80%. |
| A．World Sleep Day started in 2006. |
| B．Teenagers need at least 8 hours of sleep a night. |
| C．80% of people throughout the world have sleep problems. |
1. Where did the man most probably lose his phone?
| A．On the underground. | B．At the workplace. | C．In a restaurant. |
| A．Buy a new phone. |
| B．Make a call to the bank. |
| C．Meet the woman. |
| A．Surprised. | B．Grateful. | C．Doubtful. |
8 . Like social media giants before it, TikTok hasn’t just contributed to the cultural conversation. It’s literally changed how entire industries operate and affected how we live, eat, watch and buy. In fact, even if you’ve never spent a single second on the app, there’s likely something in your life that has been changed by TikTok’s powerful influence.
Social media, like Youtube, Instagram and the now-defunct short video platform Vine, has always been a pipeline to fame for a few lucky people. However, because of the way TikTok’s algorithm (算法) works, learning users’ interests and preferences in real time as they interact with content, it’s not unusual for videos created by everyday people to suddenly get millions of views as they are pushed into users’ feeds.
BookTok-TikTok’s communities of readers-has become a major driving force in book sales, even influencing how major retailers, like Barnes Noble, market and display their products. The effect, in some cases, has been unbelievable. Colleen Hoover, an author of young adult fiction, has become a huge name thanks to the app. In 2021, Hoover sold nearly 1.9 million copies of her books, according to Publishers Weekly. In 2022, that number rocketed to 14.3 million-and that’s just physical copies.
TikTok began, and is still largely defined as, a music and dancing app. Unsurprisingly, perhaps no industry has been as affected by its power as the music industry. Olivia Rodrigo’s hit song “drivers license” is a perfect example of how far this phenomenon can go. The song first appeared on the app back in 2021, when a video of someone copying Rodrigo’s music video went viral. Soon, thousands of people were posting their own versions of the video.
Regardless, it speaks to the power of TikTok that it has the ability to not only influence, but completely redirect, longstanding billion-dollar industries.
1. What’s the main reason why TikTok videos have higher click-through rates?| A．Interesting topics | B．Eye-catching titles. |
| C．Sufficient TikTok users. | D．Personalized recommendations. |
| A．BookTok drives up sales of books. |
| B．Print industry is facing challenges. |
| C．Major booksellers control the market. |
| D．Publishers issue new books on BookTok. |
| A．Book-selling. | B．Music. | C．Sports. | D．Education. |
| A．Videos well-received on TikTok. |
| B．Ways to become famous on TikTok. |
| C．Reasons for the popularity of TikTok. |
| D．TikTok’s impact on various industries. |
9 . The United States of America is the most culturally diverse country in the world in terms of culture, religion, ethnicity and sexual orientation. As a combination of various races and cultures, America is home to all. The culture here is so unique that citizens can be just as proud of their original cultural heritage as they are to be Americans.
What is now the US was initially inhabited (居住) by native people until the land was settled by various European groups and African slaves. Since the 20th century, the country has become a heaven for people from all over the globe.
The arrival of immigrants has removed populations from rural areas into cities because immigrants tend to settle in urban areas. At present, 81 percent of the citizens in the US live in cities.
Cultural and ethnic diversity adds a unique flavor to cities that is expressed through different neighborhoods, restaurants, places of worship, museums, nightlife and multicultural learning environments.
Unique musical forms, such as jazz, rock and roll, Chicano music, and the blues, grow in the US by mixing a variety of culturally distinct musical traditions to create a new form.
At the executive (行政的) level, the country is headed by a mixed-race president; two posts on the Supreme Court are held by members of the country’s two largest minorities. There is also diversity in state and local governments.
Without its rich mixture of races and cultures, America would not be the nation that it is today. Founded upon the basis of equality and freedom, America acts as ad stage where different cultures not only coexist peacefully, but develop well.
1. According to the passage, America is a country .| A．that welcomes people from all over the world |
| B．where citizens take more pride in their original culture |
| C．that is mostly settled by Europeans and Africans |
| D．where 81% of the population are immigrants |
| A．In the urban areas. |
| B．In the rural areas. |
| C．In the southern part of America. |
| D．In the northern part of America. |
| A．diversity has existed in America in almost every aspect |
| B．most posts in America state governments are held by mixed-race people |
| C．equality and freedom make America a fair country |
| D．diversity has greatly affected the American political field |
| A．The Effects of Culture and Diversity on America |
| B．The Influence of Globalization on America |
| C．The Political Development of America |
| D．The Bright Future of America |
10 . Eating out in the United States is not much different than eating out in other parts of the worlds. There are still fast-food chains such as McDonalds and KFC for those hamburgers. However, what makes the restaurants in the US unique is that there is a cultural diversity of restaurants serving food from almost every part of the world. When you arrive in Irvine, and travel around the city, you will find many restaurants of many different cultures, ranging from European, to the Middle East and Asia. So, when you first arrived, there are always restaurants close by that offers the food you prefer.
Now how do you find those restaurants and know if they are good or not? The most common way is through the Internet. In the US, most restaurants can be found through a smartphone app called Yelp. It is a commonly used search engine for restaurants and it is very convenient to use! All you need is to enter the cuisine you want such as “Indian, Sichuan, Sushi, Vegetarian, etc.” In addition, each restaurant on there is also rated and reviewed by some of their past customers. At some restaurants, you can also sign up for the waiting list through the app to save time!
If you don’t have access to a car or don’t have time to go out and eat, there are food delivery services available. Traditionally, pizza is the most common food for delivery. Some delivery services you can try are DoorDash, UberEats, or Postmates. All you would need to do is just make free account, select the restaurants on their webpage, order from the menu, and enter your address to have the food delivered to your home. They usually have a delivery discount the first time you sign up for an account, so make sure to take advantage of that!
1. What’s special about American restaurants?| A．They offer food delivery service. |
| B．They are mainly fast -food chains. |
| C．They are rated and reviewed by past customers. |
| D．They offer different foods from diverse cultures. |
| A．Various. | B．Particular. | C．Convenient. | D．Historical. |
| A．Buying meals is inconvenient in the US. |
| B．The delivery charge will be reduced for the first sign-up. |
| C．You will be charged for opening a delivery account. |
| D．Delivering hamburgers is the most common in the US. |
| A．American traditional food. | B．American diverse culture. |
| C．Guide to eating out in the US. | D．Delivery service in the US. |
