1 . In the United States alone, 119 billion pounds of food is wasted each year according to the nonprofit organization Feeding America. Yet, over 44 million Americans go hungry every day. If this seems like a huge gap, this is due both to the process of distributing the food and to the food waste that affects the world’s ability to sufficiently raise its entire population. However, several New York City(NYC) communities have found an effective way to reduce food waste—community fridges.
These fridges represent a grassroots way to increase access to food and fight against food waste. The community fridges offer a way for people to give fresh food that they will not eat to others who need it. They first surfaced in New York City in 2020. These community fridges offer a ray of hope to people who were struggling to afford or find food during supply chain issues and rising food prices.
Community fridges offer a way for food that would otherwise be wasted to be redistributed. However, another wonderful effect of reducing food waste is the ability to reduce emissions that contribute to climate change. As food gets bad in landfills, it gives off methane, which is the second most common greenhouse gas. This means that food waste is responsible for up to ten percent of global emissions—which is a pretty large number! Placing food that would otherwise go uneaten in a community fridge can help to reduce these emissions.
Although there are some negative side effects of community fridges, their benefits usually outweigh their negatives. Volunteers clean and maintain the fridges. Some community fridge nonprofits even use renewable energy to power the refrigerators. Although the community fridge may be misused by some, these instances are sparse. Now, the idea of the community fridge has spread. These fridges, also known as “friendly fridges”, will be found in cities throughout the United States.
1. Why is “a huge gap” mentioned in paragraph 1?| A．To seek for ways to feed the hungry. | B．To lead in the problem of food waste. |
| C．To point out the population crisis in the US. | D．To show the effect of reducing food waste. |
| A．It helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions. |
| B．It motivates companies to make energy-saving fridges. |
| C．It is the best solution to global climate change. |
| D．It brings down food prices by offering more supplies. |
| A．Ordinary. | B．Serious. | C．Reasonable. | D．Rare. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Doubtful. | C．Hopeful. | D．Indifferent. |
2 . Today, many people are turning to social media for their fitness routines, with TikTok, one of the most popular platforms. Indeed, its fitness category has some 300 billion views. But are the posted works, exercises and challenges really safe and effective?
While fitness influencers can encourage people to become more physically active, which is a positive, the quality and accuracy of their content is a concern, according to a 2023 review in Frontiers in Public Health.
“There are a lot of unsustainable and unrealistic workouts on TikTok, and even some dangerous advice,” said Jess Brown, a certified personal trainer in Westchester, New York. “What’s more, much of the fitness information on TikTok isn’t backed by science or posted by fitness professionals. The workouts are usually generalized to anyone, too, and don’t take into account your health, your family history, your flexibility, your range of motion—the list goes on,” said Monica Jones, a certified personal trainer in Washington, DC.
One of the more popular TikTok fitness trends involves developing your abdominal muscles. These challenges often show an influencer doing one exercise or series of movements that, if repeated daily for a week or two, is promised to result in a sexy six-pack. “No way,” Brown said. “We’ve proven again and again that spot reduction isn’t a thing.”
“Unfortunately, there will always be trends centered around getting fast results, because those grab people’s attention. But it’s important to look at your fitness and health as a lifelong journey, not something you can achieve within 10 to 90 days,” Jones said.
How can you separate quality workouts from dangerous ones? First, check the information of the posters. They should be certified fitness professionals who have experience working with people. You also want a coach who emphasizes improving strength and health, not one who focuses on body type. A quality influencer should encourage mental well-being, self-care and the importance of listening to your body in addition to physical fitness.
1. What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?| A．The problems of fitness content on TikTok. |
| B．The lack of sustainability on TikTok workouts. |
| C．The needs for personalized workout on TikTok. |
| D．The absence of scientific backing in fitness information on TikTok. |
| A．Sustainable workout routines. | B．Long-term health improvement. |
| C．Certified fitness professional guidance. | D．Easy exercise with immediate results. |
| A．Fitness should be a lifelong journey, not a quick achievement. |
| B．Fitness training should be specific to body type and flexibility. |
| C．Fitness influencers must prioritize fast results over long-term health. |
| D．TikTok workouts must promote mental well-being over physical fitness. |
| A．Personalized workout plans. | B．Paying attention to detail in exercises. |
| C．Taking a balanced approach to fitness. | D．Certification and reputation in fitness training. |
3 . It is natural to compare ourselves to others and to get caught in a mental comparison loop, and yet this seldom is beneficial. You may have heard the expression. “Comparison is the thief of joy. “To me, this rings true as I have found it is quite difficult to compare myself to others and feel joy at the same time.
Comparison not only robs us of joy, but it can also fuel self-criticism and a lack of self-acceptance. Typically, comparison leads to perceiving others as superior to you in some way and feeling inadequate or inferior. “I am not as successful, competent, attractive as they are. “Why don’t I have what they have?” We use comparison as an avenue for self-criticism, “What’s wrong with me? I must be an inadequate loser.” This hinders(阻碍)self-acceptance.
We often tell ourselves we are acceptable only if we meet certain standards, and we evaluate how we measure up by looking at others. The tendency is to conclude that we are not measuring up, particularly if we have a low sense of self-worth, and we worry that others are going to judge or criticize our perceived failures. We don’t just ask ourselves. “What’s wrong with me?” We worry what others will think: “What’s wrong with them?” The looming(迫近的)sense of possible rejection creates uneasiness and anxiety.
Comparison is deceptive(造成假象的). It tells us that if we meet the expectations, lose weight, get a promotion, or buy the house, we will feel better, calmer, more self-assured, and stop comparing ourselves. This may be temporarily true, yet, a comparison is an internal process that is ultimately based on our thoughts and sense of self, not external circumstances. We can always find something else to compare, another expectation we tell ourselves we are not meeting.
To stop comparing ourselves to others, we have to recognize that the comparison game is unwinnable and exhausting and stop playing. We should shift from being guided by comparison to being guided by personal values.
1. What is the author’s attitude towards comparison?| A．Supportive. | B．Tolerant. | C．Negative. | D．Uncertain. |
| A．The significance of comparison. | B．The joy of self-acceptance. |
| C．The necessity of self-criticism. | D．The consequences of comparison. |
| A．It is rooted in our inner thoughts. |
| B．It makes us become better. |
| C．We will stop it if we achieve our goals. |
| D．It is a reliable measure of success. |
| A．How we can change personal values. |
| B．Why personal values are important to us. |
| C．How personal values help stop comparison. |
| D．What impact technology has on comparison. |
On a cold winter day at the Palisades Tahoe ski resort, many skiers and snowboarders were skiing happily in the snow. Janet He and her husband, Joseph Lu, were among them, gliding gracefully through the snowy peaks with joy.
Unexpectedly, things took a scary turn. As they went down the mountain, a loud noise filled the air, making the skiers panic. A huge avalanche (雪崩) was rushing towards them with strong force.
Janet tried hard to keep up with her husband, skiing desperately to find safety. But the avalanche was too strong, and quickly covered her. She was swept down the mountain, unable to control her movements under the heavy snow.
The weight of the snow pressed down on her, ruining her hopes of pulling herself up. She was buried, her face buried in the snow. She was lucky she had the face mask and had some air in the face mask. She fought against the heavy pressure, thinking of her husband and their life together. Just as darkness was about to take over, she found her determination.
She focused on calming herself down, knowing that panicking would use up her air. With every passing moment, she held onto hope and found the strength to endure the cold.
Meanwhile, Joseph crazily looked for his wife, calling her name but with no response. Time seemed to go so slowly as he worried about what would happen if he couldn’t find her in time.
Just when he felt despair, a stranger’s voice cut through the chaos (混乱). The words “Don’t worry. I’ve got you,” filled Joseph with relief and hope.
The stranger fearlessly made his way through the dangerous snow, carrying the heavy responsibility. Guided by determination and skill, they finally found Janet buried in the snow.
注意：
1．续写词数应为150左右；
2．请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
The stranger worked quickly to free Janet from the heavy snow.
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Once she was rescued, the couple walked down the mountain with no injuries.
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5 . Schools in England will be offering British Sign Language (BSL) as a general certificate of secondary education(GCSE) subject as a way of boosting life skills and social inclusion (包容). This is something that comes after a decade of efforts that were backed by celebrities including Rose Ayling-Ellis, the stage and TV actor and model Tasha Ghouri, who has a hearing disability.
Ghouri has been encouraging people to learn sign language and told The Guardian that people often feel uncomfortable trying to speak to others who are deaf or hearing impaired (受损的). That’s because, she said, “they don’t know how to communicate”.
One in five people in the UK are deaf or hearing impaired according to the RNID organization. This includes at least 50,000 deaf children. It is estimated that 25,000 people use BSL as their main language.
Daniel Jillings started an activity when he was 12 to allow British Sign Language to be a core subject in school. Earlier in 2023, Daniel spoke to the government about the importance of deaf awareness in schools. Teaching BSL in the schools will allow hearing students to learn and that will lead to more social inclusion. “This is a significant moment in the history of the British deaf community, as it is a powerful step to equality,” he said.
While it is too late for Daniel, who was born without a cochlea (耳蜗), so he cannot use hearing aids and cannot speak, it is a welcome change for other students. The first GCSE courses are set to begin in 2025.
There are concrete benefits for students. Education secretary Gillian Keegan said, “Studying British Sign Language can open so many doors for young people, giving pupils an understanding of how thousands of people communicate and ultimately even expanding job prospects.”
1. Why does Ghouri encourage people to learn BSL?| A．To make people learn more basic life skills. | B．To meet the demands of some celebrities. |
| C．To make deaf people feel more comfortable. | D．To boost better communication with the deaf. |
| A．The situation of deaf people in the UK. | B．The number of deaf children in the school. |
| C．The worldwide influence of sign language. | D．The survey process of the RNID organization. |
| A．He is a celebrity with hearing disability. | B．He is an advocate for BSL teaching. |
| C．He revealed the cause of social inequality. | D．He has benefited a lot from modern medicine. |
| A．Deaf People Start A 10-year Project |
| B．Schools Need To Teach Students More Life Skills |
| C．Sign Language Is To Be Offered in English Schools |
| D．The Deaf Community Will Be Left Behind In Britain |
South Koreans have enjoyed their first close-up look of new baby giant pandas at a name-revealing ceremony that is also
What to name the twin sisters was widely discussed among netizens after they were born on July 7 in theme park Everland. The names were
The baby pandas,
Everland said it would monitor the twins’ health
1. How many people are there on the plane in all?
| A．Four. | B．Six. | C．Seven |
| A．Engine failure. | B．Lack of gas. | C．Bad weather. |
| A．The President’s encouragement. | B．Local villagers’ assistance. | C．Their knowledge of what to eat. |
8 . Recycling is a great way of doing your bit for the environment and helping to protect the earth’s precious resources. However, a new study has revealed that our desire to be sustainable maybe doing more harm than good. According to waste company Biffa, this is because of “wish-cycling” — assuming that items such as disposable coffee cup sand pizza boxes will be recycled if put in the recycling bin. In fact, pollution from those items or other non-recyclables can result in recyclable items that have been put in the correct bin going to landfill. David Heaton, a business director at Biffa, said: “Pollution happens when items are disposed of in the wrong bins or haven’t been cleaned before being recycled.”
Experts at Biffa analyzed the amounts of non-target and non-recyclable materials that entered UK material recycling facilities between 2016 and 2020. It was found that, in 2016, the average pollution rate of recycling waste was 13.4 percent, rising over four years to 17 percent by the end of 2020. This shows that, even as people are becoming more eco-conscious, wish-cycling is increasing both in households and businesses.
The Biffa experts say that one of the best ways to prevent pollution of recycling is to clean recyclable waste before putting it in the bin. They suggest cutting off the top of old pizza boxes and only recycling that part to avoid pollution from the grease (油脂). Check the on-packaging recycling label to check it can actually be recycled When it comes to plastics, Biffa recommends checking the resin code, the number in the plastic triangle, to know whether it should go in the recycling bin. In general, resin codes 1, 2, 4 and 5 are recyclable, while 3, 6 and 7 are not. Larger items, like electronics, furniture and batteries, can also be recycled but often can not go in household recycling bins as they need specialist separating. These will need to be taken to recycling centers or sustainable waste management companies.
“It’s vital as a nation that we get better at effective ‘pre-cycling’— sorting waste correctly before collection to reduce pollution rates,” added Mr. Heaton.
1. What’s the truth of “wish-cycling” according to the first paragraph?| A．The desire to lead a sustainable life. |
| B．The good intention to help recycling. |
| C．The habit of throwing items that end up in landfills. |
| D．The practice of recycling items that can not be recycled. |
| A．People are becoming more eco-conscious. |
| B．Wish-cycling is on the rise in recent years. |
| C．Pollution happens less frequently in recycling facilities. |
| D．People are used to cleaning recyclable waste before putting it in the bin. |
| A．Dispose of electronics together with household waste. |
| B．Skip the step of checking the on-packaging recycling label. |
| C．Check the resin code of plastics to see whether it is recyclable or not. |
| D．Cutoff the top of old pizza box and throw the rest to the recycling bin. |
| A．Recycling: a Big Project | B．Wish-cycling: a New Trend |
| C．Wish-cycling: a Growing Concern | D．Pre-cycling: an Effective Method |
9 . Back in the 1980s when monkeypox(猴痘)was still an extremely rare disease, scientists kept warning: Over time, the monkeypox outbreaks will increase. At that time, there were only about 50 monkeypox cases a year in West and Central Africa where people caught the disease mainly from direct contact with wild animals. Infection between humans was very limited. But in 2022, the world is facing the first international outbreak, with more than 5,000 cases reported in 44 countries within six months.
So how could the scientists know in the 1980s that monkeypox would grow in size and spread internationally?
Their warnings were based on the successful campaign against smallpox(天花), one of the deadliest diseases in human history, which killed up to 30% of the people infected. Thanks to a worldwide campaign, smallpox disappeared in the late 1970s. However, the end of smallpox opened the door for monkeypox to emerge.
Monkeypox, whose present version kills less than 1% of people infected, is closely related to smallpox. Having a smallpox infection-or a smallpox vaccine(疫苗)-offers really good protection against smallpox as well as monkeypox. Perhaps about 85% protection. But in the late 1970s, the world stopped vaccining people for smallpox. So over the past decades, human resistance to smallpox and monkeypox has dropped sharply.
“We’re actually at a point where our immunity against monkeypox is the lowest in thousands of years,” says Jo Walker of the Yale School of Public Health. Without some resistance against the disease, people are more likely to catch monkeypox from animals and spread it to someone else. So it is time that people who might come into contact with infected people were vaccined for monkeypox. Otherwise, it could become a permanent presence in the world, since every time there’s an outbreak the virus has a chance to figure out how to spread more quickly among people.
Indeed, this new outbreak in Europe may be a sign that the virus has changed-even if just a bit-and may be increasing its ability to spread among people.
1. What can be learned about monkeypox?| A．It can be more dangerous than smallpox. | B．It rarely spread from animals to humans. |
| C．The outbreaks were not serious in the 1980s. | D．Scientists are surprised by the present outbreaks. |
| A．The cause of the present outbreaks. | B．The disappearance of smallpox. |
| C．The potential danger of smallpox. | D．The treatment of monkeypox. |
| A．Kill all the infected wild animals. | B．Develop a special vaccine for treatment. |
| C．Lock down the infected countries. | D．Vaccine those in possible contact with the infected. |
| A．Skeptical. | B．Worried. | C．Overjoyed. | D．Uncaring. |
It was a bright spring afternoon along the coast, and Jonathan Bauer, 51 and his 13-year-old daughter, Ava, were taking full advantage of it. They were driving with the windows down as they headed home on the 1.4-mile, two-lane Route 90 bridge, which crosses the shallow waters of the bay. Suddenly, the calm was disturbed by the loud noise of tires.
Not far ahead of them, a black pickup truck was skidding (打滑) from one lane to the other. To Bauer’s horror, it crashed into a concrete barrier, spun like a top, flipped over the SUV directly ahead of them, and came to rest hanging over the railing of the bridge. Bauer hit the brakes in time to avoid the vehicles in his path, but a BMW car that had hit into the guardrail on the right, came sliding backward towards him. He turned left, but too late — the BMW struck his car’s fender (保险杠) before crashing into the vehicle behind him.
Bauer stopped the car. “Ava, are you OK?” he asked. She was shaken, but otherwise unhurt.
He ran to the BMW. “Are you OK?” he asked the driver. She nodded, too shocked to speak.
And then a shout. It came from the pickup truck, which had come to rest on its right side. The back passenger compartment (车厢隔间) and truck bed were hung out past the guardrail, 30 or more feet above the waters of the bay. The driver’s door was open and a man climbed out. He dropped to the ground, then storming to the railing. Bauer ran up beside him. The man pointed down. In the water was a car seat. Next to it, a girl, about two years old, was terrified, floating on her back, and screaming.
From around the truck, its other passengers who had gotten clear of the compartment were looking down into the water.
Matters quickly went from bad to frightening when the girl rolled over onto her stomach. Bauer waited for the pickup truck driver to do something, but he didn’t. Maybe he was in shock.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
“Ava!” Bauer yelled, trying to remove his shoes. “Stay by the car!”
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When the little girl was less than 10 feet away, Bauer swam to her quickly.
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