1. What are the speakers talking about?
| A．The jewelry. | B．A robbery. | C．A fact. |
| A．The computer. | B．The jewelry. | C．The fridge. |
| A．He has found some traces. |
| B．He is on the way back from Canada. |
| C．He has no idea what has happened. |
2 . We are all aware of the damaging pollution that’s created by driving petrol and diesel (柴油) vehicles. Many of the world’s cities are blocked with traffic, creating fumes containing gases such as nitrogen oxides. The solution for a cleaner, greener future could be electric vehicles. But how optimistic should we be? There was much excitement last year when the UK government announced it will ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030. But is that easier said than done?
The road to global traffic being totally electric is still a long way off. Currently, battery life is an issue — a fully charged battery won’t take you as far as a full tank of petrol. There are also limited numbers of charging points to plug an EV into. Of course, technology is always improving. Some of the biggest tech companies, like Google and Tesla, are spending huge amounts of money developing electric cars. And most of the big car manufacturers are now making them too.
Colin Herron, a consultant on low-carbon vehicle technology, told the BBC: “The big leap forward will come with solid state batteries, which will appear first in mobile phones and laptops before they progress to cars.” These will charge more quickly and give cars a bigger range. Cost is another issue that may discourage people from switching to electric power. But some countries offer incentive, such as cutting prices by reducing import taxes, and not charging for road tax and parking. Some also provide exclusive lanes for electric cars to be driven on, overtaking traditional cars which might be stuck in jams.
These kinds of measures have made Norway the country with the most electric cars per capita (人均) at more than thirty electric cars per 1000 inhabitants. But Colin Herron warns that “electric motoring” doesn’t mean a zero-carbon future. “It’s emission-free motoring, but the car has to be built, the battery has to be built, and the electricity does come from somewhere.” Maybe it’s time to think about making fewer journeys or using public transport.
1. Which statement can we infer from the question at the end of Paragraph 1?| A．Electric vehicles may not solve the traffic problems. |
| B．Probably it is hard to procure a greener future by means of electric vehicles. |
| C．We should not be too optimistic about the future. |
| D．It’s not a good idea to replace petrol vehicles with electric ones. |
| A．Improvements. | B．Drawbacks. | C．Communications. | D．Bonuses. |
| A．Putting solid-state batteries in electric cars first will be a “great leap forward”. |
| B．There are four obstacles on the road to global traffic being totally electric. |
| C．Electric cars might not get stuck in traffic jams in the future. |
| D．Electric motoring will create a zero-carbon future. |
| A．Total Electric Traffic: a Long Way to Go. |
| B．Electric Power or Petrol: a Tough Decision to Make. |
| C．Petrol and Diesel Vehicles: a Main Source of Gases. |
| D．Electric Vehicles: a Road to a Modern Society. |
3 . Flip-flops (人字拖) are the most popular type of shoe in the world. They’re comfortable, they’re easy to wear and they’re inexpensive. Unfortunately, most of them are also terrible for the environment. In Kenya, this is a huge problem, and around 90 tons of flip-flops wash up on its shores annually.
In the late 1990s, when Julie Church was working as a marine (海洋的) conservationist in Nairobi, she found an entire beach “just covered in flip-flops”. Around that time, Church also noticed children making toys out of the thousands of flip-flops that had made their way to the country’s beaches. She began working with the kids’ mothers to encourage them to not just collect the shoes, but also turn them into artworks. The families could then sell this art at local markets, providing another means of income.
The idea took off, and in 1998, Church founded Ocean Sole as a nonprofit. This year alone, the organization has upcycled more than 750,000 flip-flops and collected more than 47,000 kilos of waste. Additionally, Ocean Sole directly impacts more than 1,000 Kenyans, many of whom work as flip-flop collectors or artists, and contributes 10% to 15% of overall income to career and educational programs for residents, as well as beach cleanup and conservation efforts.
Ocean Sole is continuously growing and looking to keep waste off Kenya’s beaches and out of its water. When it comes to growing the Ocean Sole organization, Church has three “mantras (真言)”: trust to trade, trade to awareness, and awareness to protection. Church would like to put together toolkits and other resources to bring this concept to other places around the world that have similar problems. Ocean Sole is also encouraging companies to use more eco-friendly materials when making flip-flops. “I think it’s time for us to start looking for an alternative shoe, or an alternative material, to fit that kind of fashion need,” Church has said. “Our products need to develop.”
1. What was the main reason for founding the nonprofit?| A．To help Kenyans get healthy. |
| B．To develop children’s hands-on skills. |
| C．To protect Kenya’s marine environment. |
| D．To provide children with artistic flip-flops. |
| A．It is growing in a controlled way. |
| B．It has a smaller impact than expected. |
| C．It is running for profit since founded. |
| D．It has achieved many things with one move. |
| A．Lead the fashion trend. | B．Advance their products. |
| C．Practice her three “mantras”. | D．Develop global cooperation. |
| A．Environmental challenges in Kenya. |
| B．Flip-flops are out of date in Kenya. |
| C．Ocean Sole turns flip-flops into art. |
| D．Ocean Sole develops a new national art. |
4 . Before you throw that old cell phone in the trash, or hide it away in a drawer, think again. There are actually many ways to deal with a mobile phone that you are no longer using.
First, you should be aware that in many places, throwing away cell phones is actually illegal because the batteries, especially in very old phones, can contain poisonous metals.
Many schools and local charities now have recycling programs. And they do make a little bit on each donation.
You might also want to hang onto any accessories(配件)that you have.
| A．You certainly don’t need to pay to recycle an old cell phone |
| B．There are better places to get rid of them than your trash can |
| C．Things like chargers or covers can often be used with your new phone |
| D．Local charities have contributed a lot in repairing unwanted phones |
| E．As people move to bigger and better phones |
| F．The saying that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure certainly applies |
| G．If you can’t find a large cell phone recycling program in your area |
5 . 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. |
Pay-for-knowledge platforms and apps, including Weibo, Fenda and Zhihu Live,
Wang Sicong, the son of Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin, was reported
The price for that question was
Questions about finance and economics as well as health attract the most people and offer a new way for celebrities (名人) to translate
Prices for celebrity answers also increased with more people
In addition, people asking questions could have a share in the income if the question attracted a lot of netizen to hear the answer. The model stimulated (刺激) people to ask more questions.
7 . For almost all of human history, the Earth's population has tended to be younger. But since the last World Population Day on July 11, a major shift occurred: There are now more people aged 65 and older than there are under age five.
World Population Day was established by the United Nations Development Program in 1989 to bring attention to population issues. Having more people on the planet is not the only concern, though, since a population's age structure matters too.
Increased lifetime is a remarkable human success story, but having more elderly people also creates a number of socioeconomic concerns. The global population will continue to age as these two groups grow in opposite directions. By 2100, the percentage of the population aged 65 and older will rise to nearly 25 percent — about five times that of children under five.
“Most developed countries have been aging for a century, giving them time to prepare for the changes. But developing countries will become old before they become rich,” says researcher Toshiko Kaneda. Many countries in Latin America and Asia are aging much faster and have less time and resources to prepare health-care systems.
What are the consequences of an older global population? Supporting elderly people is more expensive than caring for young ones. Pressing issues arise like how to provide long-term care, and maintain a labor force. In developed regions like Europe, where 10 percent of the population over age 50 is childless, elderly care is a major worry.
“Not a single country has been able to change declining trends in fertility (生育) despite government requests for people to reproduce as has been done across Europe and in Japan,” Kaneda says. “The aging trend is continuous. ”
But declining fertility rates can have positive effects too, says Kaneda. When fertility rates decline but the population hasn't aged yet, governments can spend more on secondary and higher education, and benefit the economy. Both Thailand and South Korea have seized the opportunity during this ideal period.
1. What do we know about the global population?| A．It tended to be younger until now. |
| B．People are living longer and having fewer kids. |
| C．Age structure matters more than population size. |
| D．Developed countries are facing tougher challenges. |
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
| A．Critical. | B．Objective. | C．Optimistic. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．The declining trend in the fertility rates. |
| B．The consequences of the aging population. |
| C．The establishment of World Population Day. |
| D．The present situation of the global population. |
8 . California officials are praising workers for rescuing a 13-year-old boy who fell into a river of sewage(下水道) in Los Angeles. The boy, Jesse Hermandez, spent more than 12 hours in the city’s large underground sewage system. It is filled with liquid refuse and other waste materials, some of them poisonous.
Jesse had been playing at a public park with other children during a family gathering on Sunday. At one point, the children were on pieces of wood that covered an opening leading to the sewer system. One of the wooden planks broke. The boy fell about eight meters down and landed in fast-moving sewage, said Brian Humphrey, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department. The other children quickly told adults what had happened. The adults then called an emergency telephone line for help. Rescuers immediately began searching for Jesse underground. They set cameras on floatation devices, which they put into the sewage system. They finally found Jesse after seeing images of handprints on a pipe. A crew of sanitation(公共卫生) workers hurried to the area and opened a manhole. “The first thing they heard was ‘Help!’” said Adel Hagekhalil, an official in the Los Angeles Sanitation Department.
The crew lowered down a long hose (软管) to Jesse, who was in the pipe about three meters deep. The boy held onto the line while workers pulled him up. He was taken to a hospital for a full physical examination and reunited with his family. In addition to the major rescue effort, Humphrey credited the boy with being able to survive. Not only did he survive being pushed through sewage moving at speeds of 24 kilometers an hour, but also Jesse was able to find a small area of breathable air and wait there until he was found.
“Many would call it a miracle,” Humphrey said about Jesse’s survival. He added that the chances of someone surviving such an event are low.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti was among those closely watching the rescue effort. On Twitter, Garcetti praised rescuers and thanked Jesse’s family for their “patience and optimism” during the frightening experience.
1. According to the text, the accident took place__________.| A．before Jesse got to the park. |
| B．just after Jesse left the park. |
| C．right before the rescuers arrived at the park |
| D．when Jesse was playing in the park with other children. |
| A．Jesse fell 24 meters down into the sewage system. |
| B．The park should take some responsibility for Jesse’s accident. |
| C．The consequence of falling into the sewage system is disastrous. |
| D．Jesse’s being saved was not surprising thanks to the rescuers’ efforts. |
| A．Careless. | B．Sensible. |
| C．Hesitant. | D．Determined. |
| A．They were tolerant of the bad management of the park. |
| B．They brought up their son in a right and respectable way. |
| C．They stayed calm and hopeful about Jesse’s being saved. |
| D．They voluntarily participated in rescuing Jesse together with the rescuers. |
1. What place did the Mary Celeste depart from?
| A．Italy. | B．The USA. | C．Greece. |
| A．In October, 1872. | B．In November, 1872. | C．In December, 1872. |
| A．The ship was sinking. |
| B．The ship was badly damaged. |
| C．Nobody knows the real reason. |
| A．The alcohol. | B．A lifeboat. | C．A survival suit. |
10 . Chinese people spent more time on leisure activities in 2021 compared with the period before the novel coronavirus hit, according to a recent report by the China Tourism Academy. The academy said that urban residents’ leisure time was closely related to their work. They spent more time on leisure activities on weekends in 2021, about 4. 4hours a day, compared with an average of 3.82 hours a day on workdays. It said that urban residents’ leisure time increased both at weekends and during holidays in 2021 when compared with 2019. Daily weekend leisure time increased by 0.91 of an hour and that during holidays by 0.64 of an hour. The time that people in rural areas spent enjoying leisure activities rose nearly 39 percent compared with 2019, increasing to 4.36 hours a day from 3.14 hours before the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
Shopping at physical stores remained the most popular leisure activity for both urban residents and people in the countryside, followed by activities like facial treatments, hairdressing and manicures(修指甲). “Shopping is my favorite way to give vent to my negative emotions and pressure, also for leisure,” said Li Lingli, a 28-year-old financial analyst in Beijing. She said she had quite a heavy workload on workdays and also on weekends, meaning she didn't have much time to enjoy other leisure activities, especially outdoor ones like camping or hiking.
The report said it will be difficult to increase people’s leisure time in the future due to the large amount of time they spend working and looking after children.
A recent survey by the academy shows that 50 percent of urban residents worked over eight hours a day and 15 percent worked over 10 hours a day. “Heavy workload is truly a big problem,” Li said. “For me, as long as I don’t message or email back my clients, it’s my leisure time. I sometimes go to museums or exhibitions over holidays. It’s also a good form of leisure to appreciate beautiful art pieces.”
Dai Bin, chairman of the academy, said at an online conference that with more rural residents spending time on leisure activities thanks to the nation's rural vitalization(振兴)policy, the tourism market and travel companies will embrace new growth in the future.
1. How many hours did people in rural areas spend a day on leisure activities in 2021?| A．3.14. | B．3.82. | C．4. 36. | D．4.4. |
| A．Touring around was the most popular leisure activity. |
| B．A quarter of urban residents worked more than ten hours a day. |
| C．People will find it hard to have more and more leisure time in the future. |
| D．Urban residents' leisure time didn't have much to do with their work. |
| A．Turn over. | B．Let out. | C．Make for. | D．Figure out. |
| A．People spend more time on leisure activities, report says |
| B．More people prefer free time after work, report says |
| C．People treasure time for leisure activities, report says |
| D．More people enjoy themselves during weekends and holidays, report says |
