1 . The Stanford marshmallow (棉花糖) test was originally conducted by psychologist Walter Mischel in the late 1960s. Children aged four to six at a nursery school were placed in a room. A single sugary treat, selected by the child, was placed on a table. Each child was told if they waited for 15 minutes before eating the treat, they would be given a second treat. Then they were left alone in the room. Follow-up studies with the children later in life showed a connection between an ability to wait long enough to obtain a second treat and various forms of success.
As adults we face a version of the marshmallow test every day. We’re not tempted by sugary treats, but by our computers, phones, and tablets — all the devices that connect us to the global delivery system for various types of information that do to us what marshmallows do to preschoolers.
We are tempted by sugary treats because our ancestors lived in a calorie-poor world, and our brains developed a response mechanism to these treats that reflected their value — a feeling of reward and satisfaction. But as we’ve reshaped the world around us, dramatically reducing the cost and effort involved in obtaining calories, we still have the same brains we had thousands of years ago, and this mismatch is at the heart of why so many of us struggle to resist tempting foods that we know we shouldn’t eat.
A similar process is at work in our response to information. Our formative environment as a species was information-poor, so our brains developed a mechanism that prized new information. But global connectivity has greatly changed our information environment. We are now ceaselessly bombarded (轰炸) with new information. Therefore, just as we need to be more thoughtful about our caloric consumption, we also need to be more thoughtful about our information consumption, resisting the temptation of the mental “junk food” in order to manage our time most effectively.
1. What did the children need to do to get a second treat in Mischel’s test?| A．Take an examination alone. | B．Share their treats with others. |
| C．Delay eating for fifteen minutes. | D．Show respect for the researchers. |
| A．the calorie-poor world and our good appetites | B．the shortage of sugar and our nutritional needs |
| C．the tempting foods and our efforts to keep fit | D．the rich food supply and our unchanged brains |
| A．Be selective information consumers. | B．Absorb new information readily. |
| C．Use diverse information sources. | D．Protect the information environment. |
| A．Eat Less, Read More | B．The Later, the Better |
| C．The Marshmallow Test for Grownups | D．The Bitter Truth about Early Humans |
2 . The topic “slash youth”, referring to those refusing to be defined or bound by just one personal identity and choosing to undertake multiple careers, has fueled heated debate on social media. On Douban, a Chinese social networking platform, the topic has attracted about 11,000posts and has been viewed over 400 million times. China’s young people are keen to share their slash youth stories online, presenting themselves as multiple and sometimes distinct identities, such as a nurse and model, a teacher and stand-up comedian, and an engineer and musician.
Xing Eryang, a 31-year-old female resident in Beijing, founded the Douban topic in 2021.While staying diligent about her daytime work, she is developing her hobbies, including stand-up comedy and vlogging, into secondary careers during her spare time. And she is amazed to find her “slash life” philosophy followed by so many of her peers.
Weiheng, a 26-year-old woman in Guangzhou, and Tang Yuhan, a 27-year-old man in Xuancheng city, Anhui province, are both participants in the topic, with their stories earning thousands of likes so far. The two are both musicians in their spare time, even though they are thousands of miles apart and have different jobs in media and finance. Their passion for music has grown since college and they didn’t abandon their enthusiasm, even after entering the workplace.
Their reaction showed the gap between the young and former generations. “My parents used to say, ‘music cannot earn you money’, so the band thing was regarded as a waste of time. However, we want to pursue whatever we love and are willing to pay for it.” says Weiheng.
“The ‘slash life’ mania(狂热)shows that, along with China’s economic development, our society is becoming more and more diversified and inclusive, and it welcomes everyone’s self-fulfillment,” says Shi Yanrong, an associate researcher from Tianjin Academy of Social Sciences. “Young people no longer have to rely on work and money for their sense of self-worth. They tend to practice a carpe diem(活在当下)philosophy and create their own identities.”
1. What are “slash youth” more likely to do?| A．Create a topic on Douban. |
| B．Take diverse occupations. |
| C．Become a stand-up comedian. |
| D．Share their own stories online. |
| A．Other young people’s positive response. |
| B．Hobbies developed while working. |
| C．The growing social networking platform. |
| D．Thousands of likes earned on Douban. |
| A．They sent their stories online to gain more funds. |
| B．They shared similar interests in both their hobbies and jobs. |
| C．They never lost passion for music even if they had to quit college. |
| D．They stuck with their dream despite the older generation’s opinion. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Supportive. |
| C．Unfavorable. | D．Indifferent. |
3 . Activities such as art classes could be recommended as an alternative to medication for patients in England as part of a major initiative to reduce the number of people becoming dependent on prescription drugs.
The Times newspaper quotes figures showing that in the past 12 months,8.4 million adults in England were taking antidepressants(抗抑郁药)，which is 8 percent higher than 2019,which has resulted in the new advice.Around 23 percent of women are on antidepressants, and 12 percent of men.
“Medicines offer a fantastic range of tools for NHS staff to provide care that can be positively life-changing,” said Tony Avery, the national clinical director for prescribing at NHS England. “However, we need to be alert to the risks of some medicines, and the framework we are publishing today empowers local services to work with people to ensure they are being effectively supported when a medicine is no longer providing overall benefit.”
The NHS report drew particular attention to projects carried out in the county of Glouc-ester shire. One service, called Art on Prescription, was described as “a form of social prescription and is a non-clinical intervention delivered by art practitioners for therapeutic benefit”. Another, a course called Artlift, begins with “a personalized ‘What Matters To You’ conversation prior to the start of the program and (we) agree a personalized support plan and goals with each participant”. They all reported improvement in participants’ mental well-being.
Actually, as long ago as September 2018, then health secretary Matt Hancock said, “The evidence increasingly shows that activities like social clubs, art, ballroom dancing, and gardening can be more effective than medicines for some people and I want to see an increase in that sort of social prescribing.”
1. Why does activities such as art classes are recommended for patients in England?| A．Because they are more effective than medicines. |
| B．Because people in England prefer to attend art classes. |
| C．Because they can replace medication for patients in England. |
| D．Because they may help reduce the people’s dependence on certain drugs. |
| A．Medicines can provide life-changing effects all the time. |
| B．We need to be cautious about the dangers of some medicines. |
| C．The framework published is greatly supported by the local people. |
| D．Local services can work with patients to provide them with overall benefit. |
| A．The two projects were carried out in the rural areas of Gloucester-shire. |
| B．Art on Prescription was a clinical intervention delivered by art practitioners. |
| C．The patients’ mental health in the two projects were both reported to be improved. |
| D．A personalized “What Matters To You” conversation started after the start of the program Artlift. |
| A．To persuade people to stop taking medicine. |
| B．To introduce a new kind of life-changing medicine. |
| C．To appeal to the government to organize more social activities. |
| D．To recommend a way to reduce patients’ dependence on prescribed drugs. |
4 . Good Morning Britain (GMB) launches special “listening benches” in order to solve loneliness. EastEnders star Maisie Smith joined Susanna and Martin in the studio to talk about her involvement in a special part of the 1 Million Minutes campaign — GMB’s special “listening benches” across the country.
Six special “listening benches” have been designed by six celebrities, and can be found in six cities across the UK — and they’re in place to encourage people to strike up a conversation. Maisie joined the show to share why the campaign is important to her.
“I’m always very open about mental health,” Maisie explained. “It doesn’t matter who you are, where you’re from, what you have — everyone is going through something and I just think the world would be a kinder place if everyone understood that.”
“I think especially growing up in the limelight (引人注目) as a teenager, you’re very judgemental of yourself when you do see comments of other people judging you. It can add to the stress of the things you re already going through. I think people do think I’m confident because I cover my nerves with a big smile and that’s what I’ve been doing in my whole life.”
Susanna asked Maisie if she had a technique for dealing with her nerves. “It depends on what it is,” said Maisie. “A lot of the time — and it’s going to sound really stupid — but I write a script. I write down all of the questions that I could be asked and try to come up with something so that my brain won’t go blank when I’m under pressure.
1. What is the theme of “listening benches”?| A．Caring for oneself. | B．Changing the world. |
| C．Dealing with loneliness. | D．Protecting the environment. |
| A．To let people know about her life. | B．To share her feelings of the campaign. |
| C．To set up a model for other celebrities. | D．To ask more people to express their mind. |
| A．Protective. | B．Private. |
| C．Serious. | D．Outspoken. |
| A．A programme on mental health. | B．GMB interviewing celebrities. |
| C．Techniques for responding to nerves. | D．Preparations before being interviewed. |
5 . Talking to your children about the misinformation they may find online is a great idea. Children don’t always have the judgment or critical thinking skills to test what they read or watch, but they’ll develop these abilities quickly if you help them figure out how to separate fact from fiction. We’re here to help you do just that!
Don’t wait for your kids to approach you with questions——instead, take a few minutes to sit down with them. Let them know that there’s a lot of content out there on the Internet, and not all o£ it is true. With everything going on in the world, remind your kids that they might be seeing a lot of confusing, false information going around on social media and other parts of the web.
It’s a good idea to turn news reports and TV shows into teachable moments. Look for small opportunities to start helpful conversations about misinformation with your kids. Take a TV show or newspaper article and transform it into a helpful, easy way to understand what misinformation is9 and how to avoid it.
Misinformation can be really upsetting and stressful for your kids to think about. Let them know that you’re always available to listen and answer their questions if they’re feeling confused. Reassure your kids that there are no stupid questions, and that you’re always willing to explain something for them.
Teach your kids a few tricks to fact-check misinformation online. Remind your kids to be on the lookout for strange-looking website like those ending with co. Tell them to read through the headline. If it has a lot of mistakes, or if it’s written in all capital letters, there’s a good chance that it might be misinformation. Additionally, introduce your kids to official websites, which are quick and easy ways to fact-check information.
1. Why should people talk to their children about online misinformation?| A．There is no information holding true online, |
| B．There is no one else willing to teach the children. |
| C．Children lack the ability to judge the information. |
| D．Children can’t develop the judgement on their own. |
| A．relieve children’s financial burden |
| B．approach children positively to help them |
| C．remind parents to seize every chance to teach |
| D．encourage children to communicate with parents |
| A．A passage on the website www. i21st.cn. |
| B．A passage on the website www. pep. com. cn. |
| C．A passage titled with Origins of the Mandela Effect”. |
| D．A passage titled with ”SHOK! GAS RAN OUT YESTERDAY“. |
| A．Parents. | B．Teenagers. | C．Students. | D．Teachers. |
增加∶在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），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, we can see phubbers watching their mobile phones everywhere. They can' t stop sending messages, surfing the Internet, listening music and even taking photos by using the mobile phone.
Actually, phubbing disturbs not only our study and our life. On the one hand, phubbers waste plenty of time play cell phone games and sending message, particularly in the class. On the other, using the mobile phone for a long time can lead to healthy problems.
As far as I am concerned, it is high time that we put down the mobile phone and raise our heads up. Do cherish that is around us and appreciate the sceneries ahead of us. Only when we use the mobile phone reasonable, can you realize the happiness of life.
采访内容:
1.你或你身边的人在日常生活中使用移动支付的情况；
2.移动支付带来的好处
3.你的看法。
参考词汇: 微信: Wechat 支付宝: Alipay 二维码: QR code
注意:1.词数120左右;
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯
Dear Jenny,
How is your survey on mobile payment going？ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours faithfully
Li Hua
8 . “What is civilization? ”asked Kenneth Clark 50 years ago in the BBC series on the subject. “I don’t know, and I can’t define it in abstract terms, yet.
It seems inhuman to care more about a building than about people. That the sight of Notre Dame going up in flame has attracted so much more attention than floods in southern Africa which killed over 1000 arouses understandable feelings of guilt. Yet the widespread, intense grief at the sight of the cathedral’s collapsing steeple (尖塔) is in fact profoundly human—and in a particularly 21st-century way.
This visual age has blessed beauty with new Dower and social media have turned great works art into superstars.
Yet the emotions the sight aroused were less about the building itself than about what losing it might mean. Notre Dame is an expression of humanity at its collective best. Nobody could look up into that vaulted ceiling without wondering at the genius of the thousands of anonymous craftsmen who, over a century and a half, realized a vision so grand in its structural ambition and so delicate in its hand-chiselled detail.
And it will be rebuilt. The morning after the fire, the many Parisians who went to the cathedral o mourn its destruction found comfort instead. Although the spire is gone, the towers are still standing and it seems likely that the whole building can be revived. The effort to rebuild it, like the fire, will bring people together. Within 24 hours, ￡6000m($677m) had been raised from businesses and rich people, and a lot of crowd funding campaigns started. A high-resolution laser scan of the building, carried out recently, should help.
It will never be the same, but that is as it should be. As Victor Hugo wrote in The Hunchback of Notre Dame", a three-volume love-letter to the cathedral: Great edifices, like great mountains, are the work of centuries.
| A．Only a few, though, have achieved this status. |
| B．It is not just the economy that is global today, it is culture too. |
| C．The outpouring of emotion it has brought forth is proof that, despite the dark forces of division now abroad, we are all in it together. |
| D．But I think I can recognize it when I see it, and I'm looking at it now. |
| E．Art is often transformed as it is being made. |
| F．An edifice (宏伟建筑) built for the glory of God also represents the unity of the human spirit. |
| G．Its survival through 850 years of political turbulence though — war, revolution and Nazi occupation — binds the present to the past. |
9 . The first clue came when I got my hair cut. The stylist offered not just the usual coffee or tea but a complimentary nail-polish change while I waited for my hair to dry. Maybe she hoped this little amenity (便利) would slow the growing inclination of women to stretch each haircut to last four months while nursing our hair back to whatever natural colour we long ago forgot.
Then there was the appliance salesman who offered to carry my bags as we toured the microwave aisle. When I called my husband to ask him to check some specs online, the salesman offered a pre-emptive discount, lest the surfing turn up the same model cheaper in another store. That night, for the first time, I saw the Hyundai ad promising shoppers that if they buy a car and then lose their job in the next year, they can return it.
Suddenly everything's on sale. The upside to the economic downturn is the immense incentive it gives retailers to treat you like a queen for a day. During the flush times, salespeople were surly, waiters snobby. But now the customer rules, just for showing up. There's more room to stretch out on the flight, even in a coach. The malls have that serene aura (氛围) of undisturbed wilderness, with scarcely a shopper in sight. Every conversation with anyone selling anything is a pantomime (闹剧) of pain and bluff. Finger the scarf, then start to walk away, and its price floats silkily downward. When the mechanic calls to tell you that brakes and a timing belt and other services will run close to $2,000, it's time to break out the newly perfected art of the considered pause. You really don't even have to say anything pitiful before he'll offer to knock a few hundred dollars off.
Restaurants are also caught in a fit of ardent hospitality, especially around Wall Street: Trinity Place offers $3 drinks at happy hour any day the market goes down, with the slogan “Market tanked? Get tanked!” — which ensures a lively crowd for the closing bell. The “21” Club has decided that men no longer need to wear ties, so long as they bring their wallets. Food itself is friendlier: you notice more comfort food, a truce between chef and patron that is easier to enjoy now that you can get a table practically anywhere, New York Times restaurant reviewer Frank Bruni characterizes the new restaurant demeanor as “extreme enthusiasm tinged with outright desperation.” “You need to hug the customer,” one owner told him.
There is a chance that eventually well return all this kindness with the extravagant spending that was once decried (t) but now everyone is hoping will restart the economy. But human nature is funny that way. In dangerous times, we clench and squint at the deal that looks too good to miss, suspecting that it must be too good to be true. Is the store with the super cheap flat screens going to go bust and thus not be there to honor the “free” extended warranty? Is there something wrong with that free cheese? Store owners will tell you horror stories about shoppers with attitude, who walk in demanding discounts and flaunt their new power at every turn. These store owners wince as they sense bad habit forming: Will people expect discounts forever? Will their hard-won brand luster be forever cheapened, especially for items whose allure depends on their being ridiculously priced?
There will surely come a day when things go back to “normal”; retail sales even inched up in January after sinking for the previous six months. But I wonder what it will take for US to see those $545 Sigerson Morrison studded toe — ring sandals as reasonable? Bargain-hunting can be addictive regardless of the state of the markets, and haggling is a low-risk, high-value contact sport. Trauma digs deep into habit, like my 85-year-old mother still calling her canned-goods cabinet “ the bomb shelter.” The children of the First Depression were saving string and preaching sacrifice long after the skies cleared. They came to be called the “greatest generation.” As we learn to be decent stewards of our resources, who knows what might come of it? We have lived in an age of wanton waste, and there is value in practicing conservation that goes far beyond our own bottom line.
1. According to the passage, what does “the first clue” suggest?| A．Shops, large or small, are offering big discounts. |
| B．Women tend to have their hair cut less frequently. |
| C．Shops try all kinds of means to please customers. |
| D．Customers refrain from buying things impulsively. |
| A．Bad-tempered. |
| B．Highly motivated. |
| C．Over-friendly. |
| D．Deeply frustrated. |
| A．Customers now rush to buy things on sale. |
| B．Customers have got a sense of superiority. |
| C．Customers have learned how to bargain. |
| D．Customers have higher demands for service. |
| A．Extravagant spending would boost economic growth. |
| B．One's life experience would turn into lifelong habits. |
| C．Customers should expect discounts for luxury goods. |
| D．The practice of being economical is of great importance. |
Many people may think the Forbidden city, or the Palace Museum , is
The museum’s online store now offers special cultural and creative
Last year, a documentary
Some other museums across the country, such as the National Museum of China,
