1 . According to the majority of Americans, women are every bit as capable of being good political leaders as men. The same can be said of their ability to dominate the corporate boardroom. And according to a new Pew Research Center survey on women and leadership, most Americans find women equal to men on key leadership characteristics such as intelligence and capacity for innovation, with many saying they’re stronger than men in terms of being passionate and organized leaders.

So why, then, are women in short supply at the top of government and business in the United States? According to the public, at least, it’s not that they lack toughness, management talent or proper skill sets.

It’s also not all about work-life balance. Although economic research and previous survey findings have shown that career interruptions related to motherhood may make it harder for women to advance in their careers and compete for top executive jobs, relatively few adults in the recent survey point to this as a key barrier for women seeking leadership roles. Only about one-in-five say women’s family responsibilities are a major reason why there aren’t more females in top leadership positions in business and politics.

Instead, topping the list of reasons, about four-in-ten Americans point to a double standard for women seeking to climb to the highest levels of either politics or business, where they have to do more than their male counterparts to prove themselves. Similar shares say the electorate (选民) and corporate America are just not ready to put more women in top leadership positions.

As a result, the public is divided about whether the imbalance in corporate America will change in the foreseeable future, even though women have made major advances in the workplace. While 53% believe men will continue to hold more top executive positions in business in the future, 44% say it’s only a matter of time before as many women are in top executive positions as men. Americans are less doubtful when it comes to politics: 73% expect to see a female president in their lifetime.

1. What do most Americans think of women according the new survey?

A．They possess the core competence of leadership.

B．They are much better leaders compared with men.

C．They are stronger than men in the terms of creativity.

D．They lack some characteristics which make a good leader.

2. What is the main purpose of paragraph 3?

A．To explore the deciding factor.

B．To explain women’s family role.

C．To stress the difficulty in balancing.

D．To clarify a possible misunderstanding.

3. What tops the list of the reasons in the new survey?

A．Gender inequality.

B．Insufficient positions.

C．Unachievable standards.

D．Competitive environment.

4. Which statement best reflects Americans’ common expectation?

A．More women leaders will take highest positions.

B．More woman will stand out as global political figures.

C．Women will make it to the top position of White House.

D．Women will continue to make major advance in workplace.

2 . We may “friend” more people on Facebook, but we have fewer real friends — the kind who would help us out in tough times, listen sympathetically no matter what, lend us money, or keep a secret if we shared one.

    1     He is a Cornell University sociologist who surveyed more than 2,000 adults and found that from 1985 to 2021, the number of truly close friends has dropped even though we’re socializing as much as ever. On average, participants listed 2.03 close friends in his survey.     2     “These are the people you think of as your real friends, your go to people if you need something,” Brashears said.

Brashears asked people online to list the names of people with whom they had discussed “important matters” over the previous six months. 48 percent of participants listed one close friend when asked. 28 percent listed two and 19 percent listed more.     3     He reports the results in the journal Social Networks.

    4     Brashears said his survey can’t tell us for sure, but his guess is that while we meet just as many people as we used to, we sort them differently.

Does that suggest we’re more isolated in these times when we seem to meet more people online than in person? Keith Hampton from the University of Pennsylvania wrote a report. “Internet, or Facebook users have more close relationships than other people. They get more overall social support than other people.     5    ” wrote Hampton in his blog post.

A．What’s the reason behind them?

B．What’s the meaning of the survey?

C．The report reflected issues behind the phenomenon.

D．That’s the conclusion made by Matthew Brashears.

E．At the same time, a little more than 4 percent didn’t list anyone.

F．And in particular they report more emotional support and companionship.

G．Compared with 3 in a previous study, the number was down by one point.

3 . The Little Baby Face Foundation (LBFF) provides free plastic surgery (整容手术) for children born with facial deformities (畸形). Many teenagers who have been _________ for their looks are now applying to have their problem areas “fixed” by LBFF.

Nadia, one 14-year-old teenager, had her face greatly changed in June when she went under the _________. Her classmates had been constantly making fun of her appearance. “They said I have the biggest ears that they’ve ever seen. They called me elephant ears,” Nadia said. Those _________ hurt her a lot. She even _________ how to end her own life.

But Nadia tried to _________ the bullying a secret from her mother, Lynda. Her mother was already dealing with mounting medical _________ for her 9-year-old son, Josh, who had a serious brain disease. When her mother did finally _________ about the bullying, she was heartbroken.

Then her mother _________ the LBFF, which accepted Nadia’s application. The surgeries were very _________ and it took months for her face to heal, but she did __________ return to school with a new face, a face she was finally proud of.

Nadia’s surgery may have helped her overcome her emotional pain, but should teenagers go to those __________ just because they are being bullied?

Experts __________ if the deformities are not really a problem to the child, plastic surgery is not the answer! In fact, when a teen decides to get plastic surgery because he or she is being bullied, it can send the wrong __________. By surgically changing the victim (受害者) of a bully, it is as if you __________ the bullying and agree the victim is in fact worthy of all those __________ he or she has been called.

1.

A．laughed at

B．thought of

C．looked after

D．watched over

2.

A．practice

B．light

C．knife

D．process

3.

A．opinions

B．comments

C．thoughts

D．ideas

4.

A．wanted

B．needed

C．considered

D．managed

5.

A．keep

B．protect

C．end

D．shelter

6.

A．incomes

B．bills

C．notes

D．accounts

7.

A．work out

B．cut out

C．make up

D．find out

8.

A．turned in

B．asked for

C．related to

D．turned to

9.

A．quick

B．relaxed

C．pleasant

D．painful

10.

A．manage to

B．seek to

C．agree to

D．try to

11.

A．operations

B．extremes

C．evaluations

D．attitudes

12.

A．protest

B．declare

C．push

D．warn

13.

A．answer

B．way

C．notice

D．message

14.

A．recommend

B．remember

C．support

D．suppose

15.

A．sufferings

B．names

C．bullies

D．behaviors

5 . Almost everyone gossips. And a new study finds that people spend about 52 minutes per day, on average, talking to someone about others who are not present

But here’s the surprise: Despite the assumption that most gossip is trash talk, the study finds the majority of gossip is nonjudgmental chat.

“People love to talk about others,” says Jeremy Cone, a psychologist at Williams College. “Think about your own conversations with a family member or friend: You talk about everyday things that keep you connected. You share your daughter got her driver’s license or your uncle has a kidney stone. Much of it is just documenting facts.”

Of course, the study also finds that some gossip is negative or mean-spirited. About 15% of the gossip included some type of negative judgement.

But even negative gossip can serve a purpose, as more research has found.

“I think gossiping can be a smart thing to do,” says Elena Martinescu who has studied gossip in the workplace. “It allows people to keep track of what’s going on and form social connection with other people.”

Research has shown that gossip can help build group cohesion (凝聚力) and cooperation. “When you gossip, you can keep track of who is contributing to the group and who's being selfish,” Martinescu explains. “And by sharing this information, you can exclude those group members who are social loafers (游手好闲的人).”

“We also found negative gossip makes people likely to repair the aspects of their behavior that they were criticized for,” Martinescu says.

So, say, for instance, you were criticized for always arriving at work late. Hearing that gossip about yourself may motivate you to want to be on time.

Of course, this isn’t a license to be loose lips or to repeat baseless claims that can damage someone’s reputation unfairly. But confiding (吐露个人隐私) in your friends and colleagues and sharing impressions about another person — even when they’re negative — may be helpful.

1. Why do people often gossip according to Jeremy Cone?

A．Because gossip can satisfy their curiosity.	B．Because they can share social information.
C．Because they want to correct others’ mistakes.	D．Because spreading negative facts is unavoidable.

2. In Elena Martinescu’s opinion, what can people benefit from gossip?

A．People can be improved in an all-round way.	B．People can get rid of immoral behavior rapidly.
C．People can be kept informed of others' privacy.	D．People can change their behavior for the better..

3. Which of the following statements is right according to the text?

A．It is plain to see that people gossip all the time.

B．Based on the study, the majority of gossip is trash talk.

C．It’s advisable that we turn a deaf ear to negative gossip.

D．It’s likely that gossip helps us know more about one's quality.

4. What conclusion can we draw about gossip?

A．Gossip is the last thing people could do.	B．Gossip should be advocated by the society.
C．Gossip may not be as harmful as it sounds.	D．Gossip is the best way to build social bonds.

6 . When making choices, people assume that they pick what they like. However, research suggests that we like something strictly because we have chosen it. In other words, we dislike things we don’t choose. And this phenomenon has existed since we were babies.

In an experiment, US researchers brought several 10 to 20-month-old babies into a lab and gave them two same bright and colorful soft blocks to play with. They set each block far apart, so the babies had to crawl to one or the other—a random choice. After the baby chose one of the toys, the researchers took it away and came back with a new option. The babies could then pick either the toy they didn’t play with before, or a brand-new toy.

It turned out that the babies reliably chose to play with the new toy rather than the one they had not chosen.

In follow-up experiments, when researchers instead helped choose which toy the baby would play with, the phenomenon disappeared. “As if they were saying, ‘Hmm, I didn’t choose that object last time, because I guess I didn’t like it very much” said Lisa Feigenson, co-author of the study.

This is a very important phenomenon in life, Feigenson noted. Adults will less like the thing they didn’t choose, even if they had no real preference in the first place. It looks like babies do just the same.

It shows that the act of making choices changes how we feel about our options. The random choices might become our preferences. “They are really not choosing based on whether they are novel or what they prefer,” said Alex Silver, co-author of the study.

This new finding explains why adults build unconscious preference when they make choices between the same things. Justifying(证明有道理) choice is somehow fundamental to the human experience. “I chose this, so I must like it. I didn’t choose this other thing, so it cannot be so good. Adults make these inferences unconsciously,” Feigenson said.

Such tendency makes sense to us as we live in a consumer culture and must make so many choices every day, between everything from toothpaste brands to styles of jeans.

Next, researchers will look at whether too many choices could be a problem for babies as they certainly are for adults.

1. What is the purpose of the experiments?

A．To test whether people choose what they like.

B．To see why babies prefer new toys to old ones.

C．To explain how babies and adults make choices differently.

D．To study if too many choices could create problems for people.

2. What can be learned from the experiments?

A．Babies prefer bright and colorful toys.

B．Babies’ preference largely affects their choices.

C．Babies prefer adults to help them make choices.

D．Babies’ previous random choices affect their preference.

3. Why is the new finding important in life?

A．It entirely changes our styles to choose.

B．It helps us make wise decisions in a consumer culture.

C．It promotes the relationship between adults and babies.

D．It helps us understand our unconscious preference for choices.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Babies like what they choose	B．Random choices matter
C．Too many choices puzzle the adults	D．Preference affects the choice

8 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

On Saturday night, a team named EDward Gaming, won     1     2021 League of Legends (LoL) World Championship in Reykjavik, Iceland. Over 209 million viewers     2    (occupy) in watching the Championship that day, with the number still rising.     3     other words, about one in 30 people on the planet     4     (witness) the success of the Chinese e-sports team by Sunday morning.

The team has employed this opportunity to share Chinese culture with the world. In early October, they displayed tai chi, martial arts and traditional Chinese costumes in Reykjavik,     5    (launch) a “Chinese hurricane” in the Icelandic capital. With the popularity of digital technology, e-sports have been emerging,     6    are of the hottest among new forms of cultural exchanges. Unlike texts and videos, e-sports transcend the barriers of language and are understandable around the world. More     7     (essential), the e-sports industry is sustainable in spreading Chinese culture, as the large audiences mean huge commercial potential. In 2020 alone, the sales revenue of the domestic e-sports industry exceeded 278.69 billion ($43.56 billion), and involved 280,000 enterprises, which in turn improved the     8     (employ) rate.

    9    more Chinese star gaming clubs and teams emerging, the industry is expected to further prosper and continue     10    (expand) Chinese culture to the world.

9 . After two years of working from home, we have adapted to communicating digitally, in short bursts of time. Remember in Before Times you could head to the gym after work and then get dressed for dinner and a night out? The pandemic(疫情) has changed this. Our social batteries have run out of charge. It’s been a long time since we had to perform our social role for an extended period.

For 23-year-old Jennie, the excitement of her friends and family to restart their social lives has left her astonished. “At the minute my parents are planning a trip abroad and I keep postponing getting back to them with a date,” she explains. “They don’t know it’s because of all of this. Just the thought of being in a room full of people is scary, it’s like going back to school.”

Heather Garbutt, psychotherapist of The Counselling & Psychotherapy Centre says communication is key to recharging your unused social battery. “Take it slowly and don’t immediately organise a large get-together,” she advises. “Go for a walk with somebody for no more than half an hour and gently get used to being with people again. It may actually be a shock to our system which has been shut down to some degree to cope with absence. We may have that longing to be with others, but that doesn’t mean we are free from anxiety. It would be good to start off with a conversation about what it’s going to be like when you are all together again.”

She says finding some casual topics to discuss also works. Understand that many of you may feel a bit awkward after being physically apart for so long. It’s a bit like learning to walk again after you’ve broken a leg. It may all be off-balance to begin with but you will find a new steadiness with practice. Whatever happens post-pandemic, your loved ones can’t judge if you want to take it easy and not engage in the festivities immediately. We are recovering from a post-pandemic stress disorder, after all.

1. What has become of us after two years of working from home?

A．We are addicted to chatting with people online.

B．We may feel it impossible to go back to normal.

C．We are quite looking forward to being with people.

D．We may find it hard to communicate with others like before.

2. What can we learn about Jennie from Para 2?

A．She is excited to see her friends again.

B．She is not on good terms with her family.

C．She is not good at communicating with people.

D．She is anxious about meeting people face to face.

3. What does Heather Garbutt advise us to do to get reconnected?

A．Pay a visit to a close friend and stay over.

B．Hang out with your friends for several hours.

C．Have a brief chat about your future get-together.

D．Ignore those who are anxious about connecting with others.

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

A．How Can We Restore Our Social Batteries?

B．When Can We Speed Up Our Reunion Plan?

C．What Can Help Repair Our Social Networks?

D．Why Did the Pandemic Mess Up Our Social Life?

10 . Teens who have good, supportive relationships with their teachers enjoy better health as adults, according to research published by an American research center.

“This research suggests that improving students’ relationships with teachers could have positive and long-lasting effects beyond just academic success,” said Jinho Kim, a professor at Korea University and author of the study. “It could also bring about health implications in the long run.” Previous research has suggested that teens’ social relationships might be linked to health outcomes in adulthood. However, it is not clear whether the link between teen relationships and lifetime health is causal (因果的) — it could be that other factors, such as different family backgrounds, might contribute to both relationship problems in adolescence and to poor health in adulthood. Also, most research has focused on teens’ relationships with their peers (同龄人), rather than on their relationships with teachers.

To explore those questions further, Kim analyzed data on nearly 20, 000 participants from the Add Health study, a national study in the U. S. that followed participants from seventh grade into early adulthood. The participant pool included more than 3, 400 pairs of siblings (兄弟姐妹). As teens, participants answered questions, like “How often have you had trouble getting along with other students and your teachers?” As adults, participants were asked about their physical and mental health.

Kim found that participants who had reported better relationships with both their peers and teachers in middle and high school also reported better physical and mental health in their mid-20s. However, when he controlled for family background by looking at pairs of siblings together, only the link between good teacher relationships and adult health remained significant.

The results suggest teacher relationships are more important than previously realized and that schools should invest in training teachers on how to build warm and supportive relationships with their students. “This is not something that most teachers receive much training in,” Kim said, “but it should be.”

1. What does the underlined word “implications” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Recipes.

B．Habits.

C．Risks.

D．Benefits.

2. What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．Poor health in adolescence.	B．Teens’ relationships with their peers.
C．Limitations of the previous research.	D．Factors affecting health in adulthood.

3. What does Kim’s research show?

A．Positive student-teacher relationship helps students’ adult health.

B．Good family background promises long-term adult health.

C．Healthy peer relationships leads to students’ academic success.

D．Good adult health depends on teens’ good teachers.

4. Where does this text probably come from?

A．A medical report.

B．A health magazine.

C．A term paper.

D．A family survey.