1 . Walking in the city is very different from walking in the park. A small psychology study suggests urban(城市的) environments can slow your step and possibly increase your mental load. A walk through nature, on the other hand, appears to ease your mind and quicken your pace. The findings show that natural settings may potentially reduce cognitive (认知的)tiredness and improve reaction times straight away. The study, which includes two experiments with two different approaches, was conducted among 65 university students in the lab.
The first of the two experiments in the new study focused on people’s way of walking and cognitive load. During this trial, participants were fitted with sensors and a dozen motion control cameras were set up to watch them repeatedly walk down a 15-metre room at their natural speed. The wall opposite them showed an image of either a nature scene or a city scene. After each walk, participants were asked to rate their feelings of discomfort in the visual environment. On the whole, when walking in city settings, people reported more discomfort and they walked at a slower pace, indicating a higher cognitive load.
The second experiment dug into some of the higher-level cognitive processes that might be at play. In the trial, participants were asked to distinguish between basic visual shapes on the computer while also in the presence of a natural or urban image(the same ones from the first experiment). Measuring reaction times in both natural and urban settings, the team found results to support their idea. In urban environments, participants were slower in distinguishing between simple shapes. The authors think this is because urban environments are more distracting(令人分心的) for our brains and take longer to process, but more research is needed to prove that idea.
1. How were the experiments conducted mainly?| A．By comparing. | B．By giving data. |
| C．By giving examples. | D．By explaining facts. |
| A．It can make us feel relaxed and react quickly. | B．It can activate our thinking and speed up our step. |
| C．It can make us less tired and improve our memory. | D．It can make us become more focused and creative. |
| A．They had a lower cognitive load. | B．They had to slow down their pace. |
| C．They couldn’t concentrate properly. | D．They felt uncomfortable after walking. |
| A．Urban environment makes us more concentrated. | B．People’s feelings are decided by their pace of walking. |
| C．The result of the experiments is widely appreciated. | D．People tend to get tired more easily walking in the city. |
2 . 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 |
3 . We’re frequently told that our attention problem-being easily distracted-result from modern technology. If we truly want to focus, according to the popular belief, we need to turn off all our digital devices and quit social media.
Here’s my opinion about that idea. This era(时代)is no different than any other-there has always been a “crisis of attention”. Think about life long ago: people in ancient India or Europe didn’t have smartphones and social media, but they were faced with the same problem.
A crisis of attention can happen anytime you don’t allow yourself a break-when you don’t allow your mind to daydream, which may inspire your creativity. We are always engaged in something. With these digital tools at our fingertips, we have constant access to all these forms of communication, content, and interaction, and we don’t let our thoughts wander(漫游)freely. When was the last time you stood in line at a store and just…looked around? Thought about whatever came to your mind? Or did you pull out your phone, check your texts, read your email during that time?
We all do it. We catch ourselves all the time going from one type of mental engagement to the next. Like surfing online (clicking from link to link), we go from one task to the next and the next. We are “all task and no downtime”. Even something you might think of as relaxing is more engagement. Checking your phone messages may seem “fun”, but it’s just another task for your attention. Your attention is focused on task after task after task, without a moment for the mind to wander freely.
It’s not always realistic to unplug. We can’t just turn off our phones and pause our email. We can’t create a distraction-free world. The problem is not the existence(存在)of modern technology; rather, it’s how we’re using it.
1. Why does the author mention people in ancient India?| A．To argue against the popular belief. |
| B．To discuss the benefits of technology. |
| C．To suggest a solution to the attention problem. |
| D．To show the seriousness of the attention problem. |
| A．Chatting with friends. | B．Reading a newspaper. |
| C．Sitting back doing nothing. | D．Checking phone messages. |
| A．Work long hours. | B．Improve technology. |
| C．Stop using digital devices. | D．Balance work and leisure. |
| A．Culture. | B．Fashion. |
| C．History. | D．Opinion. |
4 . Money with no strings attached. It’s not something you see every day. But at Union Station in Los Angeles last month, a board went up with dollar bills attached to it with pins and a sign that read, “Give What You Can. Take What You Need.”
People quickly caught on. And while many took dollars, many others pinned their own cash to the board. “People of all ages, races, and socio-economic(社会经济的) backgrounds gave and took,” said Tyler Bridges of The Toolbox, which created the project. “We even had a bride in her wedding dress come up to the board and take a few dollars.” Most of the bills on the board were singles, but a few people left fives, tens and even twenties. The video clip(片段) shows one man who had found a $ 20 bill pinning it to the board.
“What I can say for the folks that gave the most, is that they were full of smiles,” Bridges said. “There’s a certain feeling that giving can do for you and that was apparent in those that gave the most.” Most people who took dollars took only a few, but Bridges said a very small number took as much as they could.
While the clip might look like part of a new ad campaign, Bridges said the only goal was to show generosity(慷慨) and sympathy. He added that he hopes people in other cities might try similar projects and post their own videos on the Internet.
“After all, everyone has bad days and good days,” he said. “Some days you need a helping hand and some days you can be the one giving the helping hand.”
1. What does the expression “money with no strings attached” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Money spent without hesitation. | B．Money not legally made. |
| C．Money offered without conditions. | D．Money not tied together. |
| A．Women tended to be more sociable. | B．The activity attracted various people. |
| C．Economic problems were getting worse. | D．Young couples needed financial assistance. |
| A．To do a test on people’s morals. | B．To raise money for his company. |
| C．To earn himself a good reputation. | D．To promote kindness. |
5 . Hansen and his 10-year-old son Chase search the streets of Salt Lake City every weekend for the homeless to take to lunch. They started Project Empathy(共情) four years ago to
“Just start with a smile, a hello. It really just starts with that. If you do it, you can make a connection. A small gesture can have a
Some of these shared meals have turned into stronger
Father and son’s
“My hope for the future is to
| A．buy | B．cook | C．share | D．eat |
| A．often | B．further | C．also | D．even |
| A．dramatic | B．different | C．minimum | D．decisive |
| A．commented | B．praised | C．joked | D．quoted |
| A．desires | B．connections | C．motivations | D．opinions |
| A．provided | B．permitted | C．abandoned | D．housed |
| A．through | B．for | C．despite | D．to |
| A．surprised | B．anxious | C．awesome | D．annoyed |
| A．dreams | B．influences | C．experiences | D．efforts |
| A．assesses | B．compares | C．highlights | D．respects |
| A．importance | B．task | C．chance | D．role |
| A．argument | B．problem | C．debt | D．conflict |
| A．go away | B．catch on | C．work out | D．give off |
| A．spread | B．miss | C．exchange | D．maintain |
| A．before | B．until | C．if | D．so |
6 . How many phone numbers can you remember by heart? It’s probably fewer than you would like. Actually, you’re not alone. Out of more than 1,000 Americans who were surveyed, more than half said that they couldn’t recall the phone numbers of their friends and neighbors. And 44% said that they couldn’t remember their relatives’ phone numbers. In their eyes, there is no point in filling their heads with phone numbers if they’re all stored in smart phones that are with them almost all the time.
In fact, most people are suffering from a sort of digital amnesia. More than 90% of those surveyed agreed that they used the Internet as an online extension of their brains. Rote memorization was once an important part of modern education, but we just need a click or slide now. That’s making us worse at remembering things.
Researchers found that when people expected to have access to information online, they were less likely to remember actual facts，but more likely to remember how to find them. As a result, we are already becoming one with our computer tools, growing into interconnected systems that remember less by knowing information than by knowing where the information can be found.
However, some believe it isn’t necessarily a bad thing—maybe it gives them more chances to think through things. We certainly have access to more knowledge now than ever, even if it isn’t all stored in our brains.
Even so, I still believe that there are more risks to this new world of memory beyond losing our ability to recall some information such as who the 15th President was. That kind of information may always be a click away, but the important things are personal ones, like the way your parents smiled at your wedding. It’s harder to recall or find online. If you’re relying on yourself to keep track of those memories, they will be much more meaningful.
1. Paragraph 1 is mainly used to________.| A．serve as the background | B．introduce the topic |
| C．explain new research | D．attract readers’ attention |
| A．Dealing with too many things. | B．Seldom thinking about questions. |
| C．Relying on the Internet too much. | D．The changes of their memories. |
| A．Over 90% people are suffering from digital amnesia. |
| B．Rote memorization no longer exists in modern life. |
| C．People can gain knowledge more easily than before. |
| D．People find it hard to remember how to find information |
| A．Worried. | B．Optimistic. | C．Disappointed. | D．Confident. |
A 17-year-old Bangladeshi boy has won this year's International Children's Peace Prize for his work to fight cyberbullying in
The prize winner, Sadat Rahman, promised to keep
Rahman developed a mobile phone
The award comes with
8 . Why do I want to go to college? No one has ever asked me
Many things make human beings different
One of the most important things is
| A．quite | B．so | C．such | D．another |
| A．come up with | B．agreed with | C．been fed up with | D．got on well with |
| A．Most | B．The most | C．More | D．Much |
| A．to | B．around | C．between | D．from |
| A．education | B．weather | C．temperature | D．science |
| A．finished | B．don’t finish | C．will not finish | D．has finished |
| A．develop | B．developed | C．developing | D．experience |
| A．improve | B．graduate | C．hear | D．provide |
| A．between | B．among | C．inside | D．outside |
| A．can good | B．may better | C．be able to better | D．be able to best |
9 . If you haven’t heard or seen anything about Road Rage in the last few months, you’ve probably been avoiding the media. There have been countless stories about this scary phenomenon, considered a type of aggressive driving. You have most likely encountered aggressive driving or Road Rage recently if you drive at all.
While drunk driving remains a critical problem, the facts about aggressive driving are surely as disturbing. For instance, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Association, 41,907 people died on the highway last year. Of those deaths, the agency estimates that about two-thirds were caused at least in part by aggressive driving behavior.
Why is this phenomenon occurring more than ever now, and why is it something that seemed almost nonexistent a few short years ago? Experts have several theories, and all are probably partially correct. One suggestion is overcrowding. In the last decade, the number of cars on the roads has increased by more than 11 percent, and the number of miles driven has increased by 35 percent. However, the number of new road miles has only increased by 1 percent. That means more cars in the same amount of space; and the problem is more serious in urban areas. Also, people have less time and more things to do. With people working and trying to fit extra chores and activities into the day, stress levels have never been higher. Stress creates anxiety, which leads to short tempers. These factors, when combined in certain situations, can spell Road Rage.
You may think you are the last person who would drive aggressively, but you might be surprised. For instance, have you ever yelled out loud at a slower driver, sounded the horn long and hard at another car, or sped up to keep another driver from passing? If you recognize yourself in any of these situations, watch out!
Whether you are getting angry at other drivers, or another driver is visibly upset with you, there are things you can do to avoid any major conflict. If you are susceptible (易受影响的)to Road Rage, the key is to discharge your emotion in a healthy way. If you are the target of another driver’s rage, do everything possible to get away from the other driver safely, including avoiding eye contact and getting out of their way.
1. The first sentence in Para. 1 implies that ______.| A．one may be angered by media reports and wants to avoid them |
| B．the media invented the term “Road Rage” only a few months ago |
| C．people not interested in the media know little about recent happenings |
| D．Road Rage has received much media coverage in the last few months |
| A．relieve | B．prevent | C．spread | D．cause |
| A．Talking while driving. | B．Driving at high speed. |
| C．Sounding the horn when passing. | D．Shouting at another driver. |
| A．tell people how to deal with Road Rage |
| B．inform people how aggressive drivers could be |
| C．show people how to control themselves when angry |
| D．warn people against eye contact with another driver |
10 . Many parents set rules for their children’s online activity, such as limiting ( 限 制 ) the mount of time they can spend online. But some children in the US and UK are saying that theyd like to makerules for parents, too. Their main complaint? That their parent share too many photos them online.
In a 2016 study, it was found that parents in the US share an average of 116 photos of their kids after they are born. Most were taken before the child tumed 8 years old. Many of the photos showed kids in embarrassing situations, like having food all over their faces,Quartz reported.
Parents do like to share their childs progress as he or she grows up. But their kids don’t like it as much. In a survey of UK children between the ages of 12 and 16, 70 percent said they feltheir parents didn’ t respect their online privacy( 隐私),Accroding to Digital Pareting magazine.
In addition, many kids said that other students at school sometimes picks on (捉弄)them aftertheir parents post photos online, CBS News noted. In one case, a girl was bullied (欺负)by boys at school after they found her moms’s blogs,which had many family photos.
“ Each time a photo or video is uploaded, it creates a digital footprint of a child, which can follow them into adult life , “ a spokeswoman for a leading children’s charity in the UK said. “ It’s always important to ask children for their permission (允许)beforeposting photos or videos of them.”
What is sharenting？
There’s a new word English to describe it when parents post pictures of their online –”shareting”, or a combination of the world “share” and “parenting”.
1. According to the first paragraph, what do kids in the US and UK complain about?| A．Their parents setting rules fortheir online activity. |
| B．Their parents limiting the amount of time they spend online. |
| C．Their parents posting too many photos of them online. |
| D．Their parents setting high expectations for their schoolwork. |
| A．share photos online after they get married |
| B．post photos of their kids in embarrassing situations |
| C．take more photos of their children after they are 8 , |
| D．pick on their kids and make them feel embarrassed |
| A．care too much about their progress in school |
| B．forget to set good examples for them |
| C．don’t care enough about their online safety |
| D．don’t respect their online privacy |
| A．Parents should ask kids for permission before sharing their photos. |
| B．UK kids don’t mind that their photos are shared by their parents |
| C．Sharing photos online helps kids live a better adult life. |
| D．Kids don’t get bullied at school when their photos are shared online. |
| A．Nature Today | B．All about Space |
| C．Society and Culture | D．Philosophy for Life |
