1 . Most children now chat daily either online or through their mobile phones.
Sometimes the online world, just like the real world, can cause problems, such as bullying (恃强凌弱) or arguments.
| A．Going online is great fun. |
| B．Computer studies are part of schoolwork now. |
| C．The language of chat is strange to many parents, too. |
| D．There are some websites that are not suitable for the children. |
| E．To keep children safe, your management must cover the family computer. |
| F．They are connecting to a huge number of other children all over the world. |
| G．Surfing the Internet takes up too much of the time that should be spent on lessons. |
2 . Older people traditionally struggle with new tech, but it doesn’t have to be this way. With the right design, even the most unwilling user can obtain the benefits.
A lack of understanding of technology and its benefits, along with difficulty in using hi-tech products, such as a smartphone or computer, leads to the result that many seniors hesitate to migrate from the old to the new. This is a mistake.
Older people themselves must consider whether they want to embrace new technology, or let the benefits pass them by. Technology, often in the form of social media, has enabled seniors to meet new friends, keep in touch with old ones and learn new skills.
The reasons why some older people adopt new technology are likely to be twofold: they’re forced to do so and they want to make their lives easier. These reasons are important for anyone who realizes seniors need to be convinced to engage with technology to consider.
Adopting new technology is often imperative for modern people to do, yet some elderly still insist, “I have managed before without technology. Why do I have to use it now?”
Seniors often become frustrated with technology. “It’s not working, ” is a complaint co-author Lucia heard many times from her late father, especially when it came to his cell phone-and he used technology well, for the most part. Often, the problem was that he was unable to use the small keypad( 键盘) on his phone or read the letter size of the words in text messages he received.
One issue that needs to be addressed is the design of technology. Seniors want web pages to be simple and clear, and navigation easy. One study from 2005 shows that many seniors like a website to be user-friendly with a simple interface (界面).
“A simpler and more uniformly designed internet would help to break down the psychological barriers outlined, ”it states. While that study was carried out years ago, this problem with web design still stands.
1. Why do older people hesitate to embrace new techs?| A．They misunderstand computer’s design. |
| B．They are unwilling to change into the new. |
| C．They lack access to smartphones and computers. |
| D．They have difficulty in using technological products. |
| A．Seniors often feel upset about new technologies. |
| B．Seniors always face the breakdown of smartphones. |
| C．Seniors refuse to use the small keypad on their phone. |
| D．Seniors can’t understand the text messages they receive. |
| A．Ways for web-designers to make internet easier to navigate. |
| B．Psychological barriers of seniors to adopt new technology. |
| C．Methods of tackling breaking down issues of computers. |
| D．Other researches related to seniors’ dissatisfaction. |
| A．To use or not to use: a technological dilemma |
| B．Exploring benefits for seniors to accept hi-techs |
| C．To say yes to the smartphone: a beautiful mistake |
| D．Bridging the gap between seniors and technology |
3 . In the house where I grew up, we had a room we called the library. It wasn’t a real library, of course, it was just a small room dominated by a television set. But there were bookshelves built into all four walls, and hundreds of book — hardback books of many colors — surrounded us in that room. The books, collected by my parents and grandparents throughout their lifetimes, were a part of my childhood.
But in the 1970s, I’m noticing a worrying trend: a move away from books. American homes might soon lack dedicated spaces for libraries, and hardcover books, once symbols of enduring thought and wisdom, may become endangered.
A friend who owns a bookstore in a college town tells me he struggles to sell hardback books; paperbacks, though easier to sell, still disappoint him. Students, once seen with books, now carry music records. Reading seems to be giving way to listening. Recent observations support this shift: the University of Illinois reported that a significant portion of freshmen have reading skills no better than an average eighth grader, with many of these students having been top performers in high school.
University professors note that even college graduates struggle with reading and writing. The cultural impact of this change is evident. A successful fiction book might sell a mere 3,000 copies, while a music album by a new band, Boston, has sold millions. This reflects our passive consumption era, where listening to music or watching shows requires little active engagement, unlike reading a book, which demands effort and intent.
In the past, reading was a fundamental part of life, but now, in the era of fast information access, books are losing their significant place. Today’s young Americans are more likely to read a disposable paperback than to cherish and reread a hardcover. In a society that values speed and convenience, the book for keeping and rereading is a weighty dinosaur.
1. What trend in the 1970s does the author find concerning?| A．The rise of paperback books. | B．The increase in television watching. |
| C．The struggle to sell hardback books. | D．The decline in book reading and interest in libraries. |
| A．They may have difficulty in reading and writing. | B．They read more hardbacks than paperbacks. |
| C．They are buying more books than music records. | D．They are more likely to engage in demanding work. |
| A．A valuable resource. | B．A popular trend. |
| C．An outdated relic. | D．A new innovation. |
| A．Library: A Valuable Place | B．Books: An Endangered Species? |
| C．Reading Makes People Wise | D．Hardcovers Are Symbols of Wisdom |
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.
注意:字数 100左右。
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6 . Being an opinion writer and journalist, I was demanded that I make a public statement about hot issues online. The voices yelling at me and anyone else who failed to post seemed to believe that not making a statement was itself a statement — and an immoral one, at that.
On social media, people take a position that results in positive comments but reduces complex issues to a simple yes or no. Taking simplistic stands can also lead to twisting words. This kind of simple thinking is deeply unserious and further fuels hatred (敌意), changing personal opinions into extremism and mistaking the expressions of anger for brave action in the face of horror.
These loud, reductive declarations reflect genuine fear about horrors that lie beyond words. Simple binaries (二元对立) imply simple solutions. And it’s much more pleasant to tell yourself you stand on the side of good, against evil, than to question whether the lines of boundaries were drawn correctly.
Sitting with uncertainty is hard, especially when social media has urged us to expect perfect real-time information during unfortunate events and immediate answers and resolution. Moral certainty is a point we stand on when factual certainty is not possible. And the faster we express it, the more certain we appear.
Such thoughtless posts are not what bother me most, though. Instead, it’s the idea that not posting is wrong somehow — that everyone needs to speak, all the time. It discourages shutting up and listening and letting the voices that matter the most be heard over the noise. It suggests that having any doubts about what’s happening or forming moral conclusions that don’t make sense to share on social media is unacceptable.
I do have opinions, of course, but they don’t fit on social media. While I’ve regretted posting half-formed thoughts too quickly, I’ve never regretted waiting until I was less angry or not posting at all.
1. What does the author think of people’s quick posts on hot issues?| A．Positive. | B．Irresponsible. | C．Uncaring. | D．Unkind. |
| A．Reasons why people rush to post opinions. | B．Ways people use to express ideas. |
| C．Means by which people solve difficult problems. | D．Facts on which people base their judgement. |
| A．Too many posts online. | B．Too much false information. |
| C．People’s judgement on not posting. | D．People’s unawareness of current issues. |
| A．It’s useless to post ideas on social media. | B．It’s better to keep silent than blindly follow suit. |
| C．Everyone has the right to voice his opinion. | D．Everyone must guard network security. |
7 . “It’s too sugary, I can’t manage very many,” said a friend. She wasn’t talking about dessert but about some fresh cherries. I bit into another cherry and realized she was right. The fruit was so sweet that it was as if it had been pre-sugared.
But the cherries of my childhood were much less sweet than today’s cherries. Some of them were hardly sweet at all, which made it all the more exciting when you happened upon a super sweet one.
Is modern fruit getting sweeter? The answer is yes. Some of the most powerful evidence comes from zoos. In 2018, Melbourne Zoo in Australia had stopped giving fruit to most of its animals because cultivated fruit was now so sweet that it was causing tooth decay and weight gain.
Breeding isn’t the only reason that modern fruit is sweeter; there’s also climate change. It’s found that since the 1970s, with rising temperatures, Fuji apples have become significantly sweeter and softer.
But the sweetness of modern fruit is not without its problems, especially for people with diabetes, who have to be careful to moderate their intake of higher - sugar fruits such as pineapple. Fruit that is bred sweeter also tends to be lower in the phytochemicals (植物化学成分) that make it so healthy.
Health aside, maybe the real problem with modern fruit is that it has become yet another sweet thing in a world filled with sugar. Even grapefruit, which used to be quite bitter, is sometimes now as sweet as oranges. If you’ve never tasted a sour cherry, how can you fully appreciate a sweet one? Experts put forwards some thoughts about how to appreciate the various tastes of modern fruit.
1. Why does the author mention her friend’s words in Paragraph 1?| A．To introduce the topic of the extreme sweetness of modern cherries. |
| B．To highlight the content of friend’s preference for sour cherries. |
| C．To emphasize the importance of pre-sugaring fruits. |
| D．To show the breeding and selection of modern fruit. |
| A．The author believes it has no impact on health. |
| B．The author sees it as a triumph of plant breeding. |
| C．The author thinks it is a bit worrying in today’s world. |
| D．The author is concerned that it will lead to bitterness in fruit. |
| A．It is short of healthy phytochemicals. |
| B．It may not be as tasty as it used to be. |
| C．It could lack variety and contrast in taste. |
| D．It doesn’t meet people’s need for sweetness. |
| A．The advice on selecting modern fruit. |
| B．The approaches to freeing bitter fruit. |
| C．The comments about cultivated grapefruit. |
| D．The research into the health of zoo animals. |
8 . Farming is destroying the planet, but there could be a much more environmentally friendly way to feed ourselves: using renewable energy to turn carbon dioxide into food. “This is becoming a reality,” says Pasi Vainikka at Solar Foods, a company that is building the first commercial-scale factory that will be able to make food directly from CO2.
There can be no doubt that immediate attention to find greener ways to grow food is required. Conventional agriculture, including organic farming, causes damage to the environment in many ways. It requires a lot of land, leading to habitat loss and deforestation. It is also the source of a third of all greenhouse gas emissions and releases other pollutants. It isn’t very efficient, either. Crops typically transform less than 1 percent of light energy into usable biomass (生物量).
Instead, Solar Foods plans to avoid photosynthesis (光合作用) altogether, and grow bacteria that use hydrogen as their source of energy. At the factory, renewable electricity will be used to split water to produce hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen will be added to large containers, where the bacteria grow, along with CO2 and ammonia (氨气). The end result will be a yellow powder called Solein.
Solein is made of bacterial cells and is up to 70 percent protein. It can be used as an ingredient in all kinds of foods. “We are aiming at replacing animal-sourced proteins, which we think have the highest environmental impact,” says Vainikka.
Compared with plant crops, Solein will use 100 times less water per kilogram of protein produced, 20 times less land and emit a fifth as much CO2, according to Solar Foods. There are other benefits, too: factories could be situated anywhere in the world and production won’t be affected by weather conditions.
“With Solar Foods and other companies scaling up their systems, this is truly beginning a new era of agriculture,” says Dorian Leger at Connectomix Bio in Germany. “I think these trends are exciting and will help bend the carbon curve as well as lead to improved global food supply security.”
1. What is the author’s purpose in mentioning conventional agriculture in paragraph 2?| A．To demonstrate its influence on crops. |
| B．To compare different farming methods. |
| C．To highlight the urgent need for alternatives. |
| D．To provide an example of agricultural types. |
| A．Its production process. | B．Its storage condition. |
| C．Its ingredient materials. | D．Its investment potential. |
| A．It is low in protein. | B．Its production is weather sensitive. |
| C．It is resource-limited. | D．Its production is location-independent. |
| A．The use of Solein may help reduce carbon emissions. |
| B．Solein will dominate the agricultural development. |
| C．Solein can help achieve global food safety. |
| D．The prospect of Solein remains to be seen. |
9 . The United Nations announced on April 19 that India is going to become the most populous country in the world by the end of June. India’s population by the middle of this year is estimated to come in at.1.4286 billion, compared to 1.4257 billion for China, in the State of World Population Report 2023 by the United Nations Population Fund. The data showed the United States at a distant third, with an estimated population of 340 million.
One of the main reasons for this rapid population growth is India’s high birth rate, said Time magazine. In 2022, there were about 23 million newborns in India. That’s more than any other country.
This big population has both good and bad effects on India. The Associated Press noted that having a lot of people who are of working age can help the economy. It means that there are more people who can work and earn money, which can lead to economic growth. It can also attract foreign investment, meaning companies from other countries and regions might want to invest in India.
However, there are also some challenges that come with having such a big population. One challenge is that there might not be enough resources such as food, health care and education-for everyone.
CNN stated that it can also be hard for people to find jobs because so many people are looking for work. According to a 2021 report from the World Bank, India’s labor force participation rate, which is the proportion (比例) of the active labor force in the working-age population, is 46 percent the lowest in Asia.
Online news magazine The Diplomat said that, despite these challenges, India is still a country with many opportunities for growth. Many manufacturing companies are choosing to set up factories in. India, especially for making things like mobile phones and semiconductors (半导体).
Morgan Stanley, a US investment bank, said that India is on track “for unprecedented (空前的) economic growth” that will allow it to overtake Japan and Germany to become the world’s third-biggest economy by 2027.
1. What is one of the main reasons for India’s rapid population growth mentioned in the text?| A．Birth boom. | B．Birth decline. |
| C．High immigration rates. | D．Improved living conditions. |
| A．Lower unemployment rates. | B．A higher labor force participation rate. |
| C．Increased levels of education. | D．More opportunities for foreign investment. |
| A．Higher poverty rates. | B．Higher levels of pollution. |
| C．Lack of access to resources. | D．Decreased economic growth. |
| A．Control. | B．Exceed. | C．Overestimate. | D．Compare. |
10 . Lifestyle Creep (LC) is when living expenses and unnecessary cost grow with income. In bad cases of LC, this unnecessary spending can cut into savings.
LC is common among high earners, but anyone can fall into this trap. Who hasn’t a reason to eat out more often every week after receiving a 1 or 2 percent raise? The temptation (诱惑) of a more costly lifestyle is difficult to resist. If you’re making enough money to afford a larger apartment, shouldn’t you move to a larger one?
Objectively, improving your standard of living as your income increases isn’t a bad thing, but when that habit cuts into your savings efforts, it can be a major financial risk. As Katie Waters, a financial planner at Stable Waters Financial, says ,”Something’s got to give.”
If you can, head off LC from the beginning by giving your raise or bonus money a purpose immediately. This can be to pay down debt, save for a house, or add to retirement accounts. This way, you won’t be tempted to spend it on unnecessary things. If you fear you’ve already fallen victim to LC at any level, you can still turn your spending around. If you are putting all your expenses on your credit card, Waters recommends rearranging, so only routine, fixed monthly expenses are on the card. “The monthly changeable costs — food, clothing, personal care, purchases for the home, the list goes on — are where your money slips away easily.” Waters says, “Calculate your possible savings each pay period and put that money into a separate checking account.”
“As with all things, the secret to managing your finances is a constant effort for balance,” Waters says. “Have fun along the way, but don’t put the cart before the horse.”
1. What do we know about LC?| A．It may affect everyone. | B．It may increase savings. |
| C．It benefits high earners. | D．It means reasonable consumption. |
| A．Expect. | B．Avoid. | C．Believe. | D．Explain. |
| A．Suitable. | B．Controllable. | C．Promising. | D．Surprising. |
| A．A working guide. | B．A social magazine. | C．An account book. | D．A research report. |
