1 . In recent years, the food industry has increased its use of labels. Whether the labels say “non-GMO” or “no sugar,” or “zero carbohydrates”, consumers are increasingly demanding more information about what’s in their food. One report found that 39 percent of consumers would switch from the brands they currently buy to others that provide clearer, more accurate product information. Food manufacturers are responding to the report with new labels to meet that demand, and they’re doing so with an eye towards giving their products an advantage over the competition, and bolstering profits.

This strategy makes intuitive sense. If consumers say they want transparency, tell them exactly what is in your product. That is simply supplying a certain demand. But the marketing strategy in response to this consumer demand has gone beyond articulating what is in a product, to labeling what is NOT in the food. These labels are known as “absence claims” labels, and they represent an emerging labeling trend that is detrimental both to the consumers who purchase the products and the industry that supplies them.

For example, Hunt’s put a “non-GMO” label on its canned crushed tomatoes a few years ago — despite the fact that at the time there was no such thing as a GMO tomato on the market. Some dairy companies are using the “non-GMO” label on their milk, despite the fact that all milk is naturally GMO-free, another label that creates unnecessary fear around food.

While creating labels that play on consumer fears and misconceptions about their food may give a company a temporary marketing advantage over competing products on the grocery aisle, in the long term this strategy will have just the opposite effect: by injecting fear into the discourse about our food, we run the risk of eroding consumer trust in not just a single product, but the entire food business.

Eventually, it becomes a question in consumers, minds: Were these foods ever safe? By purchasing and consuming these types of products, have I already done some kind of harm to my family or the planet?

For food manufacturers, it will mean damaged consumer trust and lower sales for everyone. And this isn’t just supposition. A recent study found that absence claims labels can create a stigma around foods even when there is no scientific evidence that they cause harm.

It’s clear that food manufacturers must tread carefully when it comes to using absence claims. In addition to the likely negative long-term impact on sales, this verbal trick sends a message that innovations in farming and food processing are unwelcome, eventually leading to less efficiency, fewer choices for consumers, and ultimately, more costly food products. If we allow this kind of labeling to continue, we will all lose.

1. What does the author say is manufacturers’ new marketing strategy?

A．Stressing the absence of certain elements in their products.

B．Articulating the unique nutritional value of their products.

C．Supplying detailed information of their products.

D．Designing transparent labels for their products.

2. What point does the author make about non-GMO labels?

A．They are increasingly attracting customers’ attention.

B．They create lots of trouble for GMO food producers.

C．They should be used more for vegetables and milk.

D．They cause anxiety about food among consumers.

3. What does the author say absence claims labels will do to food manufacturers?

A．Cause changes in their marketing strategies.	B．Help remove stigma around their products.
C．Erode consumer trust and reduce sales.	D．Decrease support from food scientists.

4. What does the author suggest food manufacturers do?

A．Take measures to lower the cost of food products.

B．Exercise caution about the use of absence claims.

C．Welcome new innovations in food processing.

D．Promote efficiency and increase food variety.

2 . In July, a big study came out in the journal JAMA. It was titled “Association of Screen Time and Depression in Adolescence.” This big headline seemed to confirm what a lot of people have been saying—that screen time is horrible for young people.

The study followed over 3,800 adolescents over four years. Part of what the investigators measured was the teens’ amount of screen time, including time spent on social media, as well as their levels of depression symptoms. One of their main findings was that higher amounts of social media use were associated with higher levels of depression. That was true both when the researches compared between people and compared each person against their own mental health over time. Case closed? Not so fast. Let’s take a closer look at this and other studies, and ask ourselves: What exactly is the relationship between social media use and depression? It turns out there are several caveats.

Caveat #1: The association between social media use and depression is, on average, tiny.

In this big JAMA study, the investigators compared social media use and depression between teens and found that those who used social media more had higher depression scores. Specifically, for every hour per day that one teen spent on social media more than her peers, she likely had a 0.64-point higher depression score. Within each teen, increasing their daily social media use by 1 hour was also associated with a 0.41-point increase to their own depression score. You may be asking, “But what does a 0.64-point increase mean? How much more depression is that?” Depression was measured on a 28-point scale, so these less-than-one-point increases are tiny.

Caveat #2: Not everybody has the same relationship with social media.

A different study published in 2018 identified five distinct types of social media users, and the take-home finding was that “problematic social media use” was one of the main themes for people whose mental health was affected by social media. What makes for “problematic” use? The researchers adapted the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale to cover all forms of social media. It includes questions like, “You use Facebook in order to forget about personal problems” and “You have tried to cut down on the use of Facebook without success.” These sound similar to questions about other types of addiction like alcoholism. You can have alcohol in your life without it being a problem, or your alcohol use may become problematic. It’s the same with social media.

Caveat #3: We don’t know if it’s really social media use causing depression.

There’s one important thing to remember about survey research—just because two things happen together, it’s not necessarily true that one causes the other. Another possibility is that something else entirely is causing some people to have both high levels of depression and social media use. For example, one interesting study shows that childhood maltreatment was associated with greater current social media use. It’s not hard to imagine that people mistreated in childhood also had higher levels of depression. In this case, depression may have nothing to do with how much someone is using social media.

1. The study published by the journal JAMA ________

A．found screen time is the cause of adolescent depression.

B．has researched more than 3,000 young adults over the span of four years.

C．concluded that teens who used social media more suffered from more depression.

D．found that teens who spent one more hour on social media had a 0.41-point higher depression score than their peers

2. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “caveats” (para.2)?

A．warnings

B．approaches

C．faults

D．suggestions

3. Which of the following statements will the author most probably agree with?

A．Almost all types of social media users experience problematic social media use.

B．The influence of social media use on depression has not been exaggerated.

C．People who are depressed always choose to spend more time on social media.

D．People mistreated during their childhood suffer from depression probably due to their childhood experience rather than social media use.

4. What can we learn from the article?

A．The more people use social media, the more depressed they will feel.

B．Social media use actually has nothing to do with people’s level of depression.

C．Higher depression scores will certainly stimulate people to use social media more.

D．People need to be more cautious when making judgments about the relationship between social media and depression.

3 . A happy couple exchange a kiss for the camera, the bride in a white off-the-shoulder dress holding a delicate bouquet (花 束), the groom in matching white suit, standing together on a green lawn lined with pink blossoms. It looks like the perfect wedding memory - except it's not their wedding day. Instead, it is part of a booming industry in China for pre-wedding photos, as young couples spend time and cash lining up glamorous (有魅力的) photo shoots to display on their big day.

But for those who can't afford to travel overseas or to Chinese tourist hotspots in search of suitable backdrops(背景幕布), companies like the Love Story in Rome studio bring a range of backgrounds, costumes, accessories and themes together - all within one Beijing complex (摄影大楼). “It’s really tiring to shoot outside, moving from one place to another place. This wedding shoot center is indoors and it provides everything you want,” said bride Zhao Tianyou, 25, who had been shooting since 8 am.

Rows of couples pose for photographs inside the sprawling ( 杂乱的) complex in Beijing, with settings ranging from tropical gardens to autumn fields, waterfalls to starlit skies. In one carefully stage-managed shot, a bride in a white dress floats half-submerged in water, drinking a glass of wine. “Chinese wedding photography has become more customized,” said general manager Zhao Rongchang. “Chinese people used to love to go on trips for shooting their wedding photos... But now they prefer to shoot indoors and prefer a more personal photography style.”

The value of the wedding industry in China has been booming, with research group ASKCI predicting that by the end of 2019 its value will reach 2.27 trillion yuan ($321.7 billion). Zhao says between 50 and 60 couples come to their center every day on a quest for the perfect snaps.

The enormous building is full of aisles of clothing and accessories in every color, from traditional red Chinese wedding outfits to modern Western-style white gowns and suits. An army of helpers take photographs and manage sets, adjust clothing and add accessories with couples changing outfits multiple times throughout the day. “I love all the styles they've designed for me.” said a bride surnamed Wu, aged 26. “It’s a bit tiring, but I'm very happy.”

1. The underlined word "customized" is closest in meaning to________.

A．full of various costume

B．showing different customs

C．customer-dependent

D．full of various styles

2. Which will NOT be provided by the indoor shoots companies?

A．backgrounds

B．plants in tropical gardens

C．accessories

D．costumes

3. What can we infer from Paragraph 3?

A．Chinese people love to go on trips for shooting their wedding photos.

B．Chinese people prefer to take photos outdoors in a more precise photography style

C．Indoors wedding shoot are more popular among Chinese new couples than go out nowadays.

D．A bride in a white dress floats half-submerged in water to drink a glass of wine.

4. What's the best title for the passage?

A．Pre-wedding photo industry booms in China.

B．Sprawling complex with customized wedding shoot.

C．Big days with delicate pre-wedding photos.

D．A tiring but happy wedding photo shoot.

4 . Academic learning is usually in the spotlight at school, but teaching elementary-age students “soft” skills like self-control and how to get along with others might help to keep at-risk kids out of criminal trouble in the future, a study finds.

Duke University researchers looked at a program called Fast Track, which was started in the 1990s for children who were identified by their teachers and parents to be at high risk for developing aggressive behavioral problems.

The students were randomized into two groups; half took part in the intervention (干预), which included a teacher-led curriculum, parent training groups, academic tutoring and lessons in self-control and social skills. The program, which lasted from first grade through tenth grade, reduced arrests and use of health and mental health services as the students aged through adolescence and young adulthood, as researchers explained in a separate study.

In the latest study, researchers looked at the “why” behind those previous findings. In looking at the data from nearly 900 students, the researchers found that about a third of the impact on future crime outcomes was due to the social and self-regulation skills the students learned from ages 6 to 11.

The academic skills that were taught as part of Fast Track turned out to have less of an impact on crime than did the soft skills, which are associated with emotional intelligence.

“The conclusion that we would make is that these soft skills should be emphasized even more in our education system and in our system of socializing children,” says Kenneth Dodge, a professor at Duke who was a principal investigator in this study as well as in the original Fast Track project.

Parents should do all they can to promote these skills with their children, Dodge says, as should education policymakers.

To Neil Bernstein, a psychologist in Washington, D.C., who specializes in child and adolescent behavior disorders, the researchers’ findings seem to match what he’s seen among the general public in working with children for more than 30 years. And while he says he agrees with the importance of teaching self-control and social skills, he would add empathy to the list, too.

“Empathy is what makes us aware of the feelings of others, and when you’re empathic, you’re much less likely to hurt someone else’s feelings,” says Bernstein, who serves on the advisory board for the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids. “Being in tune with how someone else feels might also make adolescents avoid bullying and other behaviors of concern,” Bernstein says.

While Bernstein thinks the study’s findings are meaningful and could potentially serve as a model for schools, he says that collectively getting a school system, teachers, parents and students all motivated enough to take part in an intervention like Fast Track is challenging.

1. Fast Track is aimed to ________.

A．improve children’s academic skills	B．help the children with behavior disorders
C．identify the problematic children	D．classify children into different groups

2. Neil Bernstein thinks that ________.

A．empathic children are more likely to have higher emotional intelligence

B．the findings of the studies disagree with what he has found in his work

C．empathy is equally essential in educating and socializing children

D．self-control and social skills are not as important as empathy

3. What can be learned from the passage?

A．It’s hard to involve everyone concerned in applying the findings.

B．Soft skills were not part of the education system in the past.

C．The findings are meaningless unless guided by Fast Track.

D．Adolescence is the most critical stage in a person’s life.

4. What does the passage mainly tell us?

A．Academic skills are paid too much attention at schools.

B．Academic skills have no influence on children’s behaviors.

C．Soft skills are much harder to develop than academic skills.

D．Soft skills play a significant role in preventing future crimes.

5 . Handwriting has existed for about 6,000 years. It’s one of our most important inventions. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to record knowledge or pass ideas from one generation to the next.

Most of us know, but often forget, that handwriting is not natural. It’s not like seeing or talking, which are what we are born with. In early America, only wealthy men and businessmen learned to write. A “good hand” became a sign of class and intelligence as well as morality. Most, meanwhile, signed legal documents with a mere “X” and the presence of a witness. Writing only spread to the masses in the 19th century, after schools began teaching handwriting.

________— left-handed students often had their arm tied tightly to their bodies, so they’d learn to write with the “correct” hand. In more modern times, you may remember spending hours learning the correct stroke (笔画), formation and spacing of upper- and lower-case letters.

But today, schools are shifting the focus to coursework in STEM — short for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. With limited hours and an increased pressure to meet higher standards, teachers are emphasizing technology and tablets and less of the written word.

Technology has threatened writing long before every man, woman and child carried a phone. It came with the invention of the typewriter, which standardized written communication, and that same argument will reappear as technology advances.

I don’t know if handwriting will ever die. But today, the growing emphasis on typing is having far-reaching effects. To get a glimpse of the future, just look at the youth. Instead of curly Qs or crazy Ls, kids are using emoticons such as ☺ or  to give a personal touch.

Typing is more democratic, too — it isn’t a complicated skill to master. Keyboards are changing the physical connection between writers and text, and people who can’t write by hand, like the blind, can now use tools to communicate only by touch.

I suppose it’s easy to grieve over the passing of one era (年代) into another. Sure, I’ll miss the writing of letters, and the beautiful and well-practiced signature written with a pen. And while some pathways in our brains will weaken with the decline of handwriting, we’ll develop new ones as we swipe (滑动) and double-click our way into the future.

1. Before the 19th century in America, ________.

A．only intelligent people could learn handwriting in schools

B．legal documents were signed with the presence of a witness

C．most of the people didn’t even know how to write their names

D．people would spend hours learning how to write every day

2. Which of the following sentences can best fit in the blank in the third paragraph?

A．Writing was a means of human communication

B．Writing has always been serious business

C．Schools tried different ways to force students to write

D．Young people worked hard to improve handwriting

3. We can learn from the passage that ________.

A．the invention of cellphones started the decline of handwriting

B．handwriting will disappear because young people write poorly

C．typing makes it possible for blind people to communicate

D．typing is comparatively easy to learn, even for the disabled

4. What does the writer imply in the last paragraph?

A．The era of handwriting is leaving and that of typing is coming.

B．Letters and signatures are gradually disappearing for sure.

C．The decline of writing has drawn much attention from the public.

D．Our brains will weaken with the decline of handwriting.

7 . Neighbors used to wave to Timothy Masters whenever he stood outside his barn (谷仓). Across his soybean fields in this small town about ten miles north of Niagara Falls, they trade hellos every morning. That ended about a year ago, when a field of solar panels was set up on 18 acres of Masters’ land.

Masters is among a growing number of landowners trying to cash in on New York State’s push toward renewable energy. The solar company now using his land, he said, pays him 20 times more than the soybean farmer who had previously rented it. However, by replacing soybean plants with rows of silicon and metal solar panels, Masters has found himself the target of a growing backlash against the spread of solar farms in rural areas.

The tension over solar plants often resembles not-in-my-backyard, or NIMBY, disputes. “You’ll have people that get up and say, ‘I am green,’ ‘I’m for the environment,’ and ‘I’m pro this whole-green agenda.’ But then, all of a sudden, whenever one comes in, it changes.” Masters said. “What I notice is that people have ideals and values that they will put forth—until it comes around their own house.”

Opponents in New York cite a wide range of reasons. There are practical ones, like the danger of glare (刺眼的光) for drivers passing by. Some are about aesthetics (美学), such as the impact of solar panels on the rural landscape. There is even concern for endangered short-eared owls that may struggle to find field mice to eat amongst the panels. Small farmers who rent land from bigger farmers or landowners, meanwhile, have resisted for economic reasons. They fear they will be squeezed out by energy companies willing to pay more to use farmland for their solar panels.

Across western New York, anti-solar sentiment has surfaced on lawn signs and in Change. org petitions (请愿书). The movement has had some effect. At least a dozen towns in New York State have suspended new solar projects. Several others are weighing temporary bans. Local officials have said they need time to study the potential impact of solar farms.

The pushback is not unique to New York. In Virginia, anti-solar campaigners successfully blocked the plan of an 80-megawatt solar farm last year. This has inspired the launch of a nonprofit with a mission to help communities across the country to stop solar farms. The grass-roots backlash against solar farms has become so widespread that the U. S. Solar Energy Industries Association last year developed a manual that included coping with community sensitivities, in a move to fight increasing negativity.

1. According to the article, what has Timothy Masters noticed?

A．Few people genuinely support the development of green energy technologies.

B．Many people believe solar farms should be set up in cities rather than in rural areas.

C．People support green energy only when the equipment is located away from their houses.

D．The past few years saw a drop in the number of people supporting green energy.

2. Small farmers are opposed to solar farms because ________.

A．they think the farms have ruined the rural landscape

B．they consider it dangerous to drive by these farms at night

C．the farms may endanger many rare species, such as short-eared owls

D．they can’t rent farmland as they can’t pay as much as energy companies

3. The underlined word “suspended” in Paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to ________.

A．launched	B．stopped
C．promoted	D．permitted

4. Which of the following is the probably the best title for this passage?

A．Solar Farms Face Resistance	B．Solar Energy Industries Encounter Backlash
C．Farmers Dispute Renewable Energy	D．Solar Energy Industries Fight Pushback

8 . As students are discussing their favorite colleges, there’s one characteristic they can’t control: their race.

That’s one reason voters, courts and politicians in six states have outlawed racial preferences in college admissions, while other colleges, fearful of lawsuits, play down their affirmative-action efforts these days. But make no mistake: race still matters. How much depends on the school and the state.

In Texas, public universities have managed to reduce the effect of racial-preference bans by automatically admitting the top 10% of the graduating class of every high school, including those schools where most students are minorities. But Rice University in Houston, private and highly selective, has had to reinvent its admissions strategies to maintain the school’s minority enrollment. Each February, 80 to 90 black, Hispanic (西班牙裔的) and Native American kids visit Rice on an expenses-paid trip. Rice urges headmasters from high schools with large minority populations to recommend qualified students. And in the fall, Rice sends two recruiters (招生人员) on the road to find minority applicants; each recruiter visits about 80 mainly black or Hispanic high schools. Two weeks ago, Rice recruiter Tamara Siler dropped in on Westlake High in Atlanta, where 99% of the 1,296 students are black. Siler went hearing literature and advice, and though only two kids showed up, she said, “I’m pleased I got two.”

Rice has also turned to some almost comical end-runs around the spirit of the law. The university used to award a yearly scholarship to a Mexican-American student; now it goes to a student who speaks Spanish really well. Admissions officers no longer know an applicant’s race. But a new essay question asks about each student’s “background” and “cultural traditions.” When Rice officials read applications, they look for “diverse life experiences” and what they awkwardly call “overcome students,” who have triumphed over hardship.

Last spring, admissions readers came across a student whose SAT score was lower than 1,200 and who did not rank in the top 10% of her class. Numerically speaking, she was far behind most accepted applicants. But her essay and recommendations indicated a strong interest in civil rights and personal experience with racial discrimination (歧视). She was admitted. “All the newspapers say affirmative action is done,” says an experienced adviser at a large New York City high school. “But nothing has changed. I have a (minority) kid at Yale with an SAT score in the high 900s.”

1. What does the word “outlaw” (in Para. 1) most probably mean?

A．support

B．consider

C．ban

D．hate

2. What can we infer from the passage about affirmative action?

A．It guarantees students of different races to be admitted equally.

B．It discriminates against minority students in college admissions.

C．It gives preference to minority students in college admissions.

D．It is popular with American colleges but not with the American public.

3. Why does Rice University send two recruiters to find minority applicants?

A．Rice has a large minority population.

B．Rice wants to maintain its minority enrollment.

C．Minority students do not favor Rice very much.

D．Minority students have better school performance.

4. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

A．Here Comes Equality at Last	B．Yes, Your Race Still Matters
C．Well Done, Affirmative Action	D．Minorities Are Still a Minority in Universities

9 . A new survey by non-profit No Meat May has revealed that old-fashioned attitudes towards meat and manliness have not changed. Out of 1000 Aussies questioned, almost 1 in 2 associated a diet high in meat with manliness, including 47% of women. Moreover, 73% of the men surveyed said they would rather die 10 years earlier than give up eating meat. This shocking statistic corresponds to the figure of 90% of previous No Meat May participants being women. Men are significantly less likely to try plant-based options, and it is apparent that doubts about masculinity are at the root cause.

No Meat May co-founder Ryan Alexander explained, “Australian men are still being fed a lie that meat-eating makes them more masculine, when in reality, what’s more masculine than protecting the planet, sparing innocent lives and ensuring you live a long and healthy life for the people you love?”

What was perhaps the most ironic statistic was that 81% of men considered themselves someone who cares about the environment, yet when asked whether they would give up meat if it meant would reduce their impact on the environment, 79% said ‘no’.

This demonstrates the huge power that the media has in convincing men that they would lose their masculinity if they stopped eating meat. Moreover, it shows how much of a barrier it is to making more climate-positive choices.

Significant research over many years has shown that eating meat and other animal products increases the risk of developing certain cancers, heart disease, obesity and having a reduced life expectancy, not to mention being one of the biggest contributors to global warming and the destruction of our environment.

“Yet our survey alarmingly shows that Australian men are either not aware of any of these facts, don’t believe them, or simply don’t care,” Alexander continued.

This data is certainly worrying, not only for global public health but also for the impending climate crisis. It seems that we still have a long way to go in reversing the damage done by overwhelming toxic masculinity plugged by the mainstream media, which is why we need initiatives like No Meat May.

We hope that more men sign up this year, and give meat-free options a go whether it be for health, environmental, or animal welfare reasons!

1. The underlined sentence “This shocking statistic corresponds to the figure of 90% of previous No Meat May participants being women.” implies that _________.

A．male participants account for 10% of the total

B．women are more welcome than men to No Meat May

C．No Meat May is dominantly composed of women

D．the statistic is convincing though it is shocking

2. What might NOT be the reason for men’s sticking to the old-fashioned attitudes towards meat and manliness according to the article?

A．The influence of the mainstream media on men.

B．The expectation from some women.

C．Their preference for meat.

D．Their ignorance of the negative impact on the environment.

3. Which of the following statement is TRUE?

A．According to Ryan Alexander, eating meat is no more masculine than living longer.

B．Meat-eating means higher risk of many diseases such as diabetes.

C．The shocking data from the nation-wide survey in Australia worries the vegan community.

D．The mainstream media is largely responsible for the traditional attitudes towards masculinity.

4. No Meat May is a campaign in which participants have meat-free meals for a month for the sake of _________.

A．health, money and the environment

B．health, animal welfare and science

C．health, animal welfare and the environment

D．health, animal welfare and the break of the gender stereotype