Short clips of the “kemusan” — or “subject three” dance — has become a latest Internet sensation on social media platforms at home and abroad. By December 10, the dance,
The dance went viral quickly and has been adapted into
2 . In the U.S., a recent trend shows a growing demand for natural wine, which attaches importance to minimal processing and eco-friendliness. However, IWSR Drinks Market Analysis indicates that these wines still make up less than one percent of sales in 2021. Despite a general decline in wine buyers since 2015, demand for natural wines is on the rise at a significant pace, as said by Drizly, an online alcohol delivery service.
Natural wines typically use organic grapes, avoiding chemicals for pest and weed control. Traditional methods like foot treading (踩) are sometimes employed for crushing grapes. Afterwards, the crushed grapes ferment (发酵) naturally. Manufacturers don’t add water, yeast or other substances. There are some exceptions. Some natural winemakers add extra sulfites for preservation. Others clarify the wine to get rid of any small piece that could make it look cloudy, resulting in the earthy and unique flavor.
However, the market faces barriers due to a lack of set definitions for natural wine, creating confusion and marketing challenges. As Professor Anita Oberholster from UC Davis suggests, defining “natural wine” could help its growth. Yet, industry opinions vary on regulation: while some support official guidelines, others, like John Keller of Neu Cellars, worry about higher costs involved with certification.
CEO of Vinovest, Anthony Zhang sees another problem. Some wine companies are profiting using labeling content like imagery that suggests their wine making is natural when they are not. The European Union has taken measures to stop this by requiring wines sold in its markets to list all contained substances, starting December. It’s expected that the U.S. may soon adopt similar regulations, increasing transparency for consumers. With these advancements, buyers may soon be able to make more informed purchases.
1. Why does the demand for natural wine grow?A.Its flavor is better than other wines’. | B.Consumers’ preference has changed. |
C.Drizly has started its online delivery. | D.Its production process is eco-friendly. |
A.natural flavors | B.special grapes | C.chemical compounds | D.wine containers |
A.Decreased demand for natural wines. | B.The potential rise in production costs. |
C.Changes in the taste of natural wines. | D.Loss of modern wine-making methods. |
A.Old Ways of Making Wine Gain New Fans |
B.More Companies Admire Natural Elements |
C.New Ways to Improve Natural Wine’s Flavor |
D.More Strategies to Promote Natural Wine Well |
增加:在缺词处加个漏字符号(∧),并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线(\) 划掉。
修改:在错的词下划一横线,并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意:
1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;
2. 只允许修改10 处,多者(从第 11 处起)不计分。
Nowadays, some famous tourist attractions are crowded of tourists during the holidays, which makes it possible for tourists to enjoy themselves. It reflects the fact what it is difficult to travel to crowded tourist attractions. Therefore, to travel in the holidays made no sense. That is why many people prefer to stay at home rather than to go out. In my opinion, the government should devote its energies to relieve the stress of tourist attractions. Some effective measure can be taken. For example, the number of tourists to famous tourist attractions should limited and citizens should not travel at a same time. Only in this way can tourists enjoy our holidays.
4 . Each year, more than 27 million U.S. and Canadian kids get to school by bus. Most of those buses run on diesel (柴油) fuel, which give out pollution that riders can take in. Pollution levels can be several times higher inside a diesel school bus than outside it. Why? Pollution can leak in from the floor or blow in through windows.
A U.S. government program started in 2012 offered schools’ money spent on cleaner school buses but not all schools could get it. Five years later, emissions from buses in the winning districts fell. And a year after getting new buses, student attendance had improved in those districts. For an average district of 10, 000 students, about six more students attended ‘school each day’ in the winning districts, compared to the losing districts. Winning schools with higher rates of bus-riding kids had an average of 14 more students in class each day. And winning districts that replaced the oldest school buses? They had an average of 45 more students in school each day.
Those numbers may sound small, but they add up. And school attendance matters for student achievement. Almost 3 million U. S. kids ride school buses more than 20 years old. If U. S. school districts had replaced all of those older buses, there would have been 1. 3 million fewer student absences each year.
There might be other reasons for better attendance. For example, maybe kids preferred new buses. However, the most-likely reason for fewer student absences was better health. A study done on adults showed that a brief exposure to diesel emissions reduced “network connectivity” in the brain. In other studies, such network-connectivity changes have been linked to worsened memory and mental tasks. A Washington State program upgraded pollution controls in old diesel buses. Afterward, fewer kids were hospitalized in those districts than in schools without bus upgrades.
Almost all U. S. school districts can apply for the program. But schools in low-income areas, in tribal areas and, in rural areas will get priority. Kids in these areas tend to face the most health risks from older buses.
1. What can we infer about diesel school buses from the first paragraph?A.They have a short service life. |
B.They operate cost-effectively. |
C.They accommodate few passengers. |
D.They do much harm to school children. |
A.It is a long accumulation. | B.It is a winning condition. |
C.It is a measuring standard. | D.It is a student achievement. |
A.By reducing the network connectivity. |
B.By bettering the health state of students. |
C.By improving student satisfaction with schools. |
D.By meeting students’ demand for school bus drivers. |
A.The “network connectivity” in the brain. |
B.The great work on cleaner school buses. |
C.A U. S. government program for education. |
D.Better attendance due to new school buses. |
5 . In the days before the Internet, critical thinking was the most important skill of informed citizens. But in the digital age, according to Anastasia Kozyreva, a psychologist at the Max Planck Institute of Human Development, and her colleagues, an even more important skill is critical ignoring.
As the researchers point out, we live in an attention economy where content producers on the Internet compete for our attention. They attract us with a lot of emotional and eye-catching stories while providing little useful information, so they can expose us to profit-generating advertisements. Therefore,we are no longer customers but products, and each link we click is a sale of our time and attention. Toprotect ourselves from this, Kozyreva advocates for learning the skill of critical ignoring, in which readers intentionally control their information environment to reduce exposure to false and low-quality information.
According to Kozyreva, critical ignoring comprises three strategies. The first is to design ourenvironments, which involves the removal of low-quality yet hard-to-resist information from around. Successful dieters need to keep unhealthy food out of their homes. Likewise, we need to set up a digital environment where attention-grabbing items are kept out of sight. As with dieting, if one tries to bank onwillpower not to click eye-catching “news”, he’ll surely fail. So, it’s better to just keep them out of sightto begin with.
The next is to evaluate the reliability of information, whose purpose is to protect you from false and misleading information. It can be realized by checking the source in the mainstream news agencies which have their reputations for being trustworthy.
The last goes by the phrase “do not feed the trolls.” Trolls are actors who internationally spread false and hurtful information online to cause harm. It may be appealing to respond to them to set the facts straight, but trolls just care about annoying others rather than facts. So, it’s best not to reward their bad behaviour with our attention.
By sharpening our critical ignoring skills in these ways, we can make the most of the Internet while avoiding falling victim to those who try to control our attention, time, and minds.
1. What can we learn about the attention economy from paragraph 2?A.It offers little information. | B.It features depressing stories. |
C.It saves time for Internet users. | D.It seeks profits from each click. |
A.To discuss the quality of information |
B.To prove the benefits of healthy food. |
C.To show the importance of environments. |
D.To explain the effectiveness of willpower. |
A.Reveal their intention. | B.Turn a deaf ear to them. |
C.Correct their behaviour. | D.Send hard facts to them. |
A.Reasons for critical thinking in the attention economy. |
B.Practising the skill of critical ignoring in the digital age. |
C.Maximizing the benefits of critical ignoring on the Internet. |
D.Strategies of abandoning critical thinking for Internet users |
6 . In the roughly 250 years since the Industrial Revolution the world’s population, like its wealth, has exploded. Before the end of this century, however, the number of people on the planet could shrink (缩小) for the first time since the Black Death. The root cause is not an increase in deaths, but a sharp fall in births. Across much of the world the fertility rate, the average number of births per woman, is collapsing. Although the trend may be familiar, its extent and its consequences are not. Even as artificial intelligence (AI) leads to optimism in some quarters, the baby bust (婴儿荒) hangs over the future of the world economy.
The result is that in much of the world, the patter of tiny feet is being drowned out by the clatter of walking sticks. The prime examples of ageing countries are no longer just Japan and Italy but also include Brazil, Mexico and Thailand. By 2030 more than half the inhabitants of East and South-East Asia will be over 40. As the old die and are not fully replaced, populations are likely to shrink. Outside Africa, the world’s population is forecast to peak in the 2050s and end the century smaller than it is today. Even in Africa, the birth rate is falling fast.
Whatever some environmentalists say, a shrinking population creates problems. The world is not close to full and the economic difficulties resulting from fewer young people are many. The obvious one is that it is getting harder to support the world’s pensioners (养老金). While the rich world currently has around three people between 20 and 64 years old for everyone over 65, by 2050 it will have less than two. The implications are higher taxes, later retirements, lower real returns for savers and, possibly, government budget crises.
Eventually, therefore, the world will have to make do with fewer youngsters-and perhaps with a shrinking population. With that in mind, recent advances in AI could not have come at a better time. AI economy might find it easy to support a greater number of retired people. Eventually AI may be able to generate ideas by itself, reducing the need for human intelligence. Such innovations will certainly be in high demand.
1. What does the underlined sentence mean in paragraph 2?A.The development of economy is affected by old people. |
B.There are more elderly people than young children. |
C.The world’s population is still increasing too fast. |
D.The birthrates vary in different parts of the world. |
A.The changes of age structure of populations. | B.The reasons why the population is declining. |
C.The situations where the baby bust occurs. | D.The consequences that low birthrates bring. |
A.AI can decide human beings’ future. |
B.AI can make humans’ intelligence lower. |
C.AI can help solve the problems of the baby bust. |
D.AI can take the place of humans’ looking after the old. |
A.To analyze a phenomenon. | B.To give practical advice. |
C.To tell an interesting story. | D.To present a research result. |
7 . Cheerleading squads (啦啦队) are known for their energy and athleticism, and always add fun and excitement to any event. Most cheerleading groups have young members, so this Arizona cheerleading squad certainly stands out. Sun City Poms, which only recruits (招募) members who are over 55, has distinguished itself as a cheerleading squad that brings joy to seniors and audiences of all ages.
Established in 1979, the team consists of women aged over 55 who live in Sun City, a retirement community in Arizona. This community of active seniors women are passionate about dancing, performing and staying active, and prove that there is no age limit to what you love to do. The team has become increasingly popular, and the members are known for their energetic performances at parades, festivals and events throughout the state.
Despite the demanding schedule, the women remain committed to the team. This cheerleading squad brings joy to seniors by keeping members physically fit, building friendships, and fostering a sense of community. The Sun City Poms currently has 30members and a handful of trainees, who can join after completing a three-month class, learning two routines, and proving they have what it takes.
On March 25, the group successfully held the “Celebrate the Poms” show, which drew a crowd of over 700 people. It even included a special number from “The Flops”, who count the husbands, friends and lovers of the Poms as members.
Zirbel, in her eighties, already has a lot of memories with the group and is ready to make more. She shared that in one event alone. She estimated that she walked about three miles. Despite the tiring schedule and off days, Zirbel is not about to leave the team anytime soon.
1. What made the Sun City Poms special?A.Its founders. | B.Its members. | C.Its location. | D.Its service. |
A.Get through qualification training. | B.Demonstrate their advantages. |
C.Remain committed to the team. | D.Practice 3 routines in 2 months. |
A.To prove her energetic daily life. | B.To indicate her tiredness of the work. |
C.To show the effort involved in the event. | D.To complain about the stress of the training. |
A.No young or old learner is a teacher. |
B.When is life enough to be idle and idle? |
C.One year older, one more point of responsibility. |
D.Although the violin is old, it can still play a good tune. |
8 . If you have a car, you most likely have been feeling pain at the pump. At the time of writing, a gallon of gas in Lafayette County costs $3.94, with the national average even higher at $4.24. These are the most expensive gas prices in history. The White House has regarded this rise in prices as “Putin’s Price Hike”, but how much is the conflict between Russia and Ukraine really to blame?
The White House’s claim could be believable if gas prices had not already been way above normal before Russian soldiers ever set foot in Ukraine. In fact, Biden told the Federal Trade Commission to investigate high gas prices back in November 2021, long before the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
For many Americans, gas prices are the limiting factor in how much food is on the dinner table, because nearly all goods need gas to be transported. Egg prices are up 13.1%, pork has risen 14.1% and chicken rose 10.3% over the past year. In February, as a result of the climbing gas prices and other factors, such as the supply chain crisis, the Consumer Price Index, which tracks average inflation (通胀), rose another 0.8%, which can have terrible impacts for low-income families. This was a trend before the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and blaming it on Putin is shying away from the real problem of 40-year high inflation.
While Americans are struggling to pay for things that just a few years ago would be affordable, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg had a tone-deaf solution. If you cannot afford gas, just get an electric vehicle. Easy, right? An electric car costs tens of thousands of dollars, and when people cannot even afford a tank of gas, they will surely not be able to afford a brand new car.
President Biden has said he “can’t do much” about high gas prices and inflation, but that is not true. We do not need to rely on Russian oil to keep prices low. The answer is for President Biden to increase United States oil production to offset any lost oil imports from Russia.
1. What can we learn about the gas prices?A.They remained normal before the Russia-Ukraine conflict. |
B.They rose mainly because Russia decided to export less oil. |
C.They climbed to the highest in history for uncertain reasons. |
D.They went up suddenly because of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. |
A.Reasonable. | B.Senseless. | C.Practical. | D.Funny. |
A.Give rise to. | B.Launch an attack on. |
C.Get rid of. | D.Make up for. |
A.Gas prices are Biden’s fault, not Putin’s |
B.High gas prices hit Americans really hard |
C.The truth behind an abnormal phenomenon |
D.Time to take measures to keep gas prices down |
9 . The recent reports of a 4-year-old girl on a Shanghai beach have gone viral on social media platforms, provoking debate about whether China should criminalize negligence in child supervision.
The father of the little girl claimed that he left her alone on the beach for about 12 minutes to fetch his phone. However, she was nowhere to be found when he was back. Surveillance (监控) videos show that she waited for about 10 minutes before walking toward the water’s edge alone, and then disappeared into the water. Two weeks later, her body was discovered about 100 kilometers away in neighboring Zhejiang Province.
The core issue in this case is the father’s leaving his young daughter unattended on the beach, causing her tragic death. Should such behavior, when it causes harm to a child, be seen as a criminal act? In an online survey, more than 90 percent of respondents insisted that the father be held legally responsible and face criminal punishments.
Nevertheless, according to Liu Chunquan, a lawyer, it may not satisfy the criteria for criminal negligence, since the primary focus of Chinese criminal law is on extreme cases of parental neglect, such as physical abuse and mental torture. Rarely do legal authorities charge parents; instead, they are just likely to face penalties consisting of warnings and fines.
In 2022, a 2-year-old baby drowned in a cesspool while in the company of his father. The court ruled shared responsibility between the father and the cesspool’s owner, with a 7:3 proportion. The owner was ordered to pay 20,000 yuan to the child’s family. Unluckily, similar cases do exist nationwide. Roughly, 100,000 children lose their lives in accidents annually in China, which is largely due to negligence, such as parents leaving their children unattended, either in locked cars or at home. Besides, drowning is now the main cause of death for children aged 1 to 14 years old.
It is no wonder that an increasing number of netizens request that specific laws and regulations be passed to ensure the safety of children and their well-being. Hopefully, criminalizing child supervision negligence in China can serve as a warning and precaution.
However, downsides of introducing such legislation may also emerge. For instance, it’s difficult to distinguish between a regrettable accident and criminal negligence, so that over-criminalization can be triggered, in which well-meaning parents making honest mistakes are charged with a crime.
Therefore, a more balanced approach to addressing the issue of infant safety should involve a combination of new legislation, education and support services. The ultimate objective is to prevent similar catastrophes in the future. We must recognize that children are not only their parents’ offspring, but also the nation’s future.
1. What can we infer from the tragedy of the 4-year-old girl?A.Her father’s carelessness and negligence should be to blame. |
B.The beach in Shanghai should not be open to small children. |
C.Her father has been sentenced to severe penalties by the police. |
D.She would have survived if she had not waited in the water for a long time. |
A.Irresponsible adults contribute to children’s death. | B.People can’t be too concerned about child safety. |
C.Kids shouldn’t be allowed to swim alone. | D.Parents’ constant monitoring is a must. |
A.the mild penalties in the existing laws | B.parents’ ignorance of potential dangers |
C.frequent occurrence of such incidents | D.masses of netizens’ urgent appeals |
A.Indifferent. | B.Negative. | C.Objective. | D.Supportive. |
1.举办的原因;
2.防溺水措施;
3.你的呼吁。
注意:
1.词数100左右;
2.可适当增加细节,以使行文连贯;
3.开头与结尾已给出,不计入总字数。
参考词汇:溺水drown
Good afternoon, my dear classmates!
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That’s all! Thank you for your listening.