1 . Michael Bublé and Mariah Carey have been surpassed on the Australian ARIA music charts by an album (专辑) that consists entirely of birdsongs. Songs of Disappearance features the voices of 53 birds, all threatened species, collected over more than 40 years and now turned into a lovely meditative (冥想的) recording.
The album has sold 2,000 copies so far. Songs of Disappearance is the result of a partnership between the Bowerbird Collective and David Stewart, who is responsible for collecting the birdsong recordings. All the money from the album sales goes to BirdLife Australia, in order to support and promote the latest version of The Action Plan for Australian Birds, a comprehensive review of the continent’s birds that has been published each decade since 1992.
Scan Dooley, national public affairs manager at BirdLife, thought the realization that these unique sounds could one day be silenced forever is very poignant (辛酸的). However, he described the album as a great opportunity to highlight the condition of the threatened birds in a much more upbeat way to a different audience than BirdLife can usually reach.
Australian birds suffer from historical and ongoing habitat loss. The Black Summer bushfires in 2019—2020 alone made 26 birds more threatened than they were ten years ago, including 16 on Kangaroo Island alone. And there is a significant population decline of 6 million for 17 bird species in the high altitude rainforests of Far North Queensland, including the lovely Fernwren.
Statistics like these are terribly depressing for the sense of helplessness they indicate. But at least Songs of Disappearance offers some practical solutions. Dooley believes the benefits extend beyond its support of BirdLife’s work. The greater value is bringing to the attention of a wider audience the beauty and wonder of the birds singing as more people are needed not just to take part in local conservation actions, but to demand the government step up and save the birds.
1. What is Songs of Disappearance?| A．A book written by Sean Dooley. |
| B．A song released by a famous singer. |
| C．An album of David Stewart’s collections. |
| D．A comprehensive review of wildlife in Australia. |
| A．Bird population is large. | B．The situation is serious. |
| C．The album is well-received. | D．Protection efforts are ineffective. |
| A．Promoting wider awareness. | B．Supporting government actions. |
| C．Preserving voices of extinct species. | D．Providing fund for more environmentalists. |
| A．BirdLife Tells Stories of Hopelessness |
| B．Meditative Recording Sales Hit New Heights |
| C．Birdsong Album Tops Australian Music Charts |
| D．Australian Government Steps up to Deal with Wildfire |
| A．Generation gap. | B．Personal experience. | C．Social problems. |
Cotton bags have become a means for brands，retailers and supermarkets to indicate a planet-friendly mindset-or, at least, to show that the companies are aware of
So far, so Earth-friendly? Not
An organic cotton bag needs to be used 20,000 times to reduce
Cotton is water-intensive, and figuring out ways of
You can’t, for example, just put a bag in a bin. Even when a bag does make it to a treatment plant, most materials used to print logos onto them are PVC-based and thus not
That’s not to say cotton is worse than plastic. In the end, the
4 . They say procrastination (拖延) is the thief of time — actually deadlines are. New research has found that if you want someone to help you out with something, it is best not to set a deadline at all. But if you do set a deadline, make it short.
Professor Stephen Knowles tested the effect of deadline length on task completion for their research. Participants were invited to complete an online survey concerning a charity donation. They were given either one week, one month, or no deadline to respond. Professor Knowles says although the topic of the survey was about charity, the results are true of any situation where someone asks another person for help.
The study found responses to the survey were lowest for the one-month deadline and highest when no deadline was specified (明确规定). No deadline and the one-week deadline led to many early responses, while a long deadline appeared to give people permission to procrastinate, and then forget. Professor Knowles wasn’t surprised to find that specifying a shorter deadline increased the chances of receiving a response compared to a longer deadline. However, he did find it interesting that they received the most responses when no deadline was specified.
“We interpret this as evidence that specifying a longer deadline, as opposed to a short deadline or no deadline at all, removes the urgency to act,” he says. “People therefore put off undertaking the task, and since they are inattentive or forget, postponing it results in lower response rates.”
He says of the research that it is possible that not specifying a deadline might still have led participants to assume that there is an unspoken deadline. Professor Knowles hopes his research can help reduce the amount of procrastinating people do. “Many people procrastinate. They have the best intentions of helping someone out, but just do not get around to doing it.”
1. Why did Professor Knowles do the research?| A．To study the role a deadline plays in procrastination. |
| B．To find out whether people are interested in charity. |
| C．To attract public attention to the effects of procrastination. |
| D．To test the effect of procrastination on task completion. |
| A．No deadlines. | B．Short deadlines. |
| C．Specific deadlines. | D．Long deadlines. |
| A．They oppose the deadline. | B．They are unwilling to act. |
| C．They lack a sense of urgency. | D．They are too busy to remember. |
| A．Procrastination — the Thief of Time |
| B．Procrastination — an Urgent Problem to Solve |
| C．Deadline — a Result of Procrastination |
| D．Deadline — the Key to Reducing Procrastination |
5 . “What do you want to be when you grow up?” When I was a kid, I
Now, as an organizational psychologist, my job is to fix other people's jobs, and I've come to
My first complaint about the question is that it
The second
If you manage to
Asking kids what they want to be leads them to
| A．considered | B．feared | C．explained | D．recalled |
| A．dreaming of | B．objecting to | C．focusing on | D．sticking to |
| A．average | B．humble | C．heroic | D．romantic |
| A．prefer | B．remember | C．believe | D．anticipate |
| A．harm | B．good | C．wrong | D．honor |
| A．forces | B．troubles | C．commands | D．forbids |
| A．status | B．experience | C．worth | D．fame |
| A．taught | B．asked | C．guided | D．consulted |
| A．rejected | B．accurate | C．confirmed | D．acceptable |
| A．thought | B．division | C．assumption | D．problem |
| A．picking up | B．searchingfor | C．praying for | D．taking over |
| A．bored | B．impatient | C．intolerant | D．confused |
| A．strengthen | B．control | C．build | D．overcome |
| A．efforts | B．struggles | C．ambitions | D．gains |
| A．ideal | B．permanent | C．ordinary | D．specific |
| A．benefit | B．outcome | C．solution | D．truth |
| A．boost | B．contain | C．guarantee | D．affect |
| A．disappointed | B．addicted | C．delighted | D．embarrassed |
| A．refuse | B．claim | C．keep | D．ignore |
| A．Meanwhile | B．Otherwise | C．Instead | D．However |
6 . More than half a trillion dollars. That's the estimated value of all the stuff that U. S. shoppers bought last year only to return it—more than the economy of Israel or Austria. We tried new brands with unfamiliar sizes after seeing them on TikTok. We overbought for the holidays, and we shopped overly online, where returns are between two and five times more likely than that from stores.
Where does it all go? Take the blanket I bought on holiday sale for example. I opened the package, only to discover it was just too small for my new sofa. So I returned it. Sorry, blanket! What will happen to it?
“Your blanket is very likely to be in a landfill,” says Hitendra Chaturvedi, a supply chain management professor at Arizona State University. “That is what consumers don't realize—the life of a return is a very, very sad path.” Value is the big threshold (门槛): Is the product worth the cost of shipping back and paying someone to inspect, clean, repair or test? Experts estimate that retailers (零售商) throw away about 25％ of their returns. Every year, U. S. returns create almost 6 billion pounds of landfill waste.
Many others get resold in discount and outlet stores. Some go to sellers on websites. Some get donated to charity or recycled. “These options have increased over the past decade, allowing more and more returns to find a new home”, says Marcus Shen, chief operating officer of B-Stock, a platform where retailers can resell their returns, often to smaller stores.
As companies compete on flexible return policies, technology is also slowly playing a part: helping shoppers buy the right-size sweater or picture a new blanket inside their room. Most importantly, She says, shoppers themselves are getting more and more comfortable with buying stuff that's not exactly brand-new.
“The idea of that is no longer scary for us, right?” he says. On his holiday-returns agenda is an electric, self-heating coffee mug that he has never opened, and he feels confident it will find a happy new buyer.
1. What is paragraph 1 mainly about?| A．The challenge facing the American economy. | B．The urgency to cut down on online shopping. |
| C．The returning problem caused by overbuying online. | D．The cost of finding new homes for returned goods. |
| A．It's required by the return policies. | B．It saves retailers 6 billion pounds a year. |
| C．It's impossible to put returns to other uses. | D．It's more economically efficient for retailers. |
| A．By helping shoppers make better decisions. | B．By restoring the newness in returned goods. |
| C．By improving the return policy-making process. | D．By drawing pictures of the goods for the shoppers. |
| A．TikTok items. | B．The coffee mug. | C．The blanket. | D．A right-size sweater. |
7 . People often discuss the dangers of too much stress, but lately a very different view of stress is gaining popularity: this view of stress, held by members of the positive stress movement, argues that some stress might actually be beneficial.
The positive stress movement is made up of people like Zachary Rapp who are looking for an edge in a competitive world. He wakes up most mornings at dawn, goes for a run, sips black coffee while looking through emails, and then steps into a freezing cold shower. This is a routine designed to reduce the stress of running simultaneously (同步地) three different health and biotechnology companies for 18 hours a day. In addition to running and freezing showers, Rapp also uses ice baths, hot yoga, and unconventional eating practices, eliminating milk, sugar, and various other foods high in carbohydrates.
Although Rapp’s practices may sound extreme, he is part of a growing movement, consisting largely of tech industry workers who claim that such methods will help them live better and longer. Inspired by influential figures in different fields, including entertainers, athletes, entrepreneurs and scientists, positive stress practitioners seek out some combination of extreme temperatures, restrictive diets, punishing exercise routines and general discomfort.
They believe these extreme practices put stress on their bodies, which actually keep them balanced. For them, the difference between day-to-day stress, like the kind we feel when moving apartments, and positive stress is that the latter involves pushing their bodies to extremes, forcing them to build up a tolerance and finally making them feel less stress from work.
But it is important to note that not everyone agrees with these practitioners; indeed, some medical professionals argue that positive stress is not for everyone, and that it might even be dangerous for people who are unhealthy or older.
1. What do we learn about followers of the positive stress movement?| A．They are usually quite sensitive to different types of stress. |
| B．They hold a different view on stress from the popular one. |
| C．They get much pleasure from living a very busy life. |
| D．They gain a competitive edge by enjoying good health. . |
| A．Removing. | B．Hating. | C．Drinking. | D．Choosing. |
| A．Because they live better and longer. |
| B．Because they suffer various stress. |
| C．Because they forget day-to-day stress. |
| D．Because they become more tolerant of stress. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Tolerant. | C．Objective. | D．Conservative. |
8 . It’s a connected world, and nearly every device, appliance, and machine with some sort of computer running inside it can be connected to others through the Internet of Things (IoT). What a great leap forward in this journey we call human civilization! But does this recent advancement come with a dark secret that can someday turn on us? Are smart devices spies around us?
Many smart appliances today, particularly smartphones and virtual assistants are equipped with voice command capabilities. They can, therefore, listen to and record your comments and conversations even after they’ve carried out your original command. Concerns about devices turning on voice command by themselves and listening even when you do not enable the feature have also been raised. The question then is: What actually happens when your smart device is listening? How much information gets recorded, and where does this eventually end up in?
Take a listening app called “Alphonso” as an example. You can’t download it directly from the App Store, but it comes with some games and apps that you can fix. While you are playing games on your smartphone, Alphonso comes to life and listens to what you are watching on TV. It then records this information and sends it to some server somewhere, and the data is analyzed to build a profile about your TV-viewing habits. Alphonso proves that devices can listen to what you say and do.
Alphonso proves that devices can listen to what you say and do. Now, what’s to stop devices from gathering other data? They can be made to look at chat and text messages or your calendar, for example, everything about you would be fair game. Some popular smart home platforms can control the platforms to fall silent but still remain active, capturing every word you speak that can potentially land you in some sort of phishing (网络欺诈) trouble. This seems to be the price we have to pay for the convenience that technology gives us. Privacy seems non-existent. So we should thus take steps to protect ourselves from this eventuality.
1. What can we infer about IoT mentioned in paragraph 1?| A．People rely too much on IoT. | B．IoT spies are exactly among us. |
| C．IoT can be a double-edged sword. | D．IoT merely comes with a dark secret. |
| A．Voice command capabilities | B．Personal data and identity theft. |
| C．Original command recognition. | D．Location-based tracking function. |
| A．To present how smart devices send ads. | B．To introduce the advantage of voice commands. |
| C．To show the usage of downloading listening app. | D．To explain how hidden app steal people’s privacy. |
| A．Ways to prevent information leakage. | B．Reasons for the loss of personal data. |
| C．Tricks of obtaining sensitive information. | D．Methods of interactions with technologies. |
9 . Len Wuey Chew's look involves a layered mashup of skirt and scarf you might spot on fashion designer’s catwalk. The elderly woman shows a simple yet lively way of life.
On every bench in Portsmouth Square, Chinatown's outdoor living room, elderly people in bright clothes chat, play cards and practise Tai Chi. Fuchsia scarves top crocheted vests; paisley sweaters wrap formal striped shirts. Impishly stylish, this respectable crowd is “Chinatown Pretty”, in the words of a new hook devoted to their fashion style.
Valerie Luu, a writer, and Andrio Lo, a photographer, spotted their first “pretty grandma” six years ago. A blog and a photography show in a Chinatown alley followed. Their book collects portraits from six North American Chinatowns, including Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Oakland and Vancouver. But their heart remains in San Francisco, home of America’s oldest Chinatown.
Five thousand souls, a big part of them elderly, are crowded into 30 city blocks. Many immigrated from China long ago, have experienced war and revolution and now live on small incomes. Around a third live in poverty. Yet their neighborhood bursts with color. Chinatown resembles an operatic senior center and the residents pay close attention to their clothes.
The eclectic outfits are practical. In the city's foggy, unpredictable climate, it pays to wear several layers. Beyond keeping warm, though, the fashions speak volumes about the enjoyment of living. Dressing beautifully on a tight budget is a matter of pride. “When you're young you don't have to are about fashion,” says Mr. Wu,82.a Chinatown model, “But when you're old, you have to.”
Each article of clothing tells a story. Some were made in Hong Kong decades ago, others have been sewn at home, or were handed up or down. One lady sports a hot pink backpack over a tailored blue skirtiest. The styles may not be to everyone's taste. But as surrounding neighborhoods become ever more costly, this frugality and courage are a means of survival.
1. What is the third paragraph mainly about?| A．A new book “Chinatown Pretty”. | B．America's oldest Chinatown. |
| C．How “Chinatown Pretty” get attention. | D．What's the way of life in Chinatown. |
| A．It is a waste of money. | B．It is an expression of love for life. |
| C．It is showing off your wealth. | D．It is the ability to impress the world |
| A．Poor and pitiful. | B．Social and successful. |
| C．Fashionable and frugal. | D．Determined and discouraged. |
| A．We should care for elderly people. | B．Beauty has nothing to do with age. |
| C．Confidence is the key to success. | D．Be yourself regardless of what others say. |
10 . I received a video call last month. The president announced the news; Given the
Three years ago, the president had asked us for
We
Then came COVID-19. We stayed open and taught students on campus, but enrollments(注册) continued to
We
| A．stress | B．advice | C．progress | D．focus |
| A．taught | B．limited | C．hit | D．directed |
| A．standard | B．job | C．lesson | D．favor |
| A．life-long | B．old-fashioned | C．well-meant | D．long-standing |
| A．leave | B．help | C．money | D．control |
| A．regarded | B．commented | C．specialized | D．organized |
| A．sizes | B．types | C．sources | D．supplies |
| A．gave up | B．ended up | C．heard about | D．worried about |
| A．admitting | B．dismissing | C．attracting | D．promoting |
| A．change | B．record | C．introduce | D．recall |
| A．refused | B．continued | C．stopped | D．forgot |
| A．level | B．event | C．demand | D．number |
| A．fall | B．exist | C．appear | D．delay |
| A．blanked | B．settled | C．faded | D．raced |
| A．plan | B．goal | C．question | D．system |
| A．common | B．new | C．previous | D．complex |
| A．popularity | B．profit | C．applications | D．challenges |
| A．parents | B．teachers | C．employers | D．colleagues |
| A．object | B．belong | C．look | D．add |
| A．far | B．close | C．straight | D．late |
