1 . The good news is that more people bought electric vehicles (EVs) in 2020. The bad news is that sport utility (多用途的) vehicles (SUVs) continued to grow in popularity, too. “The fall in oil consumption due to the first trend was completely canceled out by the second,” said Laura Cozzi, an officer at the International Energy Agency (JEA).

Between 2010 and 2020, global carbon dioxide emissions (排放) from conventional cars fell by nearly 35 billion tons, due to reasons such as fuel efficiency improvements as well as the   switch to electric cars. Emissions from SUVs rose by more than 50 billion tons. “While the growth in EVs is encouraging, the boom in SUVs is heart-breaking,” says Peters at the Cicero Climate Research Centre in Norway.

There are many reasons for the growing popularity of SUVs. For example, rising economic boom in many countries means more people are able to afford them. Some people see them as status symbols. Also, SUVs are heavily advertised by car-makers, whose profit is higher on these vehicles. Some countries, including France, have introduced plans under which more taxes are paid on heavier cars. But Peters thinks that people who are rich enough to afford SUVs won’t be deterred by slightly higher taxes. “There are now some electric SUVs available, but I hope one day you will see more electric vehicles brought to the SUV market,” says Peters.

Even if it happens, switching to electric SUVs isn’t a good solution. Due to their size and bigger batteries, it takes more resources to build electric SUVs, and they consume around 15 percent more electricity. That means higher emissions unless the electricity comes entirely from renewable sources, and higher electricity demand makes it harder to green the electricity supply.

1. What can we infer from Paragraph 2?

A．Scientists should devote themselves to improving fuel efficiency.

B．The popularity of SUVs destroys some efforts to protect the environment.

C．Electric vehicles will certainly take the place of sport utility vehicles.

D．The emission of carbon dioxide of motor vehicles has hit a new low.

2. What does the underlined word “deterred” probably mean?

A．Encouraged.	B．Removed.
C．Discouraged	D．Connected.

3. What is one of the reasons that SUVs are popular with consumers?

A．SUVs are discounted heavily.

B．SUVs consume fewer resources than other vehicles.

C．SUVs are often advertised by car producers.

D．SUVs are taxed at a lower rate in some countries.

4. What point does the author try to make in the last paragraph?

A．More electric SUVs don’t necessarily mean “environment-friendly” .

B．The electric SUVs are a good guarantee for less pollution.

C．The electric SUVs should be made smaller and lighter.

D．Future electric SUVs will be powered with completely green energy.

4 . Twenty years ago, the idea of sharing our lives so openly with the world was unheard of. However, for young people today it is considered completely normal to share pictures of their lives and interact online every day. Fans of social media (媒体) point out that the world has never been so connected as it has allowed people to make friends, learn about the world and celebrate life.

However, many people have concerns about the effects of this new way of living, particularly around the amount and type of information that is shared so openly. Recently researchers have found that too much time on social media may have some negative(消极的) effects. They measured people’s attitudes and feelings before and after watching social media sites. They found that the more time people spent on social media, the more unhappy they became.

There are a number of reasons for this. When watching social media, people often see photographs and stories showing beautiful holidays, fun parties and modern clothes. People seldom post negative stories or bad pictures, so it can be misleading. For those looking at these pictures and comparing them to their own lives, they can end up feeling upset. They might think their lives are worse in comparison. Even for those people who post positive stories and pictures, they too can feel stressed and worried. The number of “likes” and comments on their posts can make them anxious about their popularity. Of course, there is also the problem of cyberbullying where people are bullied online when others make negative or cruel comments about them.

The reality is that social media is part of modern life and it is not going to go away. This research shows us that it is important to find a balance between our online and offline lives. We don’t have to stay away from the Internet to live a happy life, but we should realize that the pictures we see and the stories we read are only part of a bigger picture. If we can do that, we can protect ourselves and enjoy our lives.

1. What effect does social media have according to the recent research?

A．It makes people share their lives openly.

B．It enables people to make more friends on the Internet.’

C．It helps people to have a better knowledge of the world.

D．It increases unhappiness for people who use it too much.

2. Why are people worried when they post positive stories and pictures?

A．They fear others mislead their posts.

B．They fear others have happier lives.

C．They fear others may cyberbully them.

D．They fear others have more interesting stories.

3. How is Paragraph 3 organized?

A．By giving causes.	B．By listing numbers.
C．By making comparisons.	D．By describing process.

4. What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?

A．To persuade people to keep off the Internet.

B．To describe the threats caused by social media.

C．To advise us to balance online and offline lives.

D．To introduce the convenience created by social media.

5 . We see hundreds of logos on signs, vehicles, websites, and even on the clothes we are dressed in. All these logos are intended to attract our attention.     1     However, recent research supports the idea that remembering what a logo looks like is a very difficult task.

Researchers gave 85 students a simple assignment to draw the logo of a famous company from memory. Surprisingly, only one student could make it.     2     Researchers have developed a theory that they think might help explain this blind spot in our memories.

Logos are typically designed to be simple and easy to recognize with a quick glance. Yet the frequent exposure to these logos can actually make our brains overlook them. This process is known as attention saturation (注意力饱和)     3    

    4     we become familiar with them. This constant exposure leads to the situation where our brains remember the basic idea without all of the details. This general sense of memory has its own benefits. In fact, being familiar with a popular logo can even make people feel more comfortable about buying or using certain products.

Nowadays, logos are everywhere. A fancy design or a thoughtful (体贴的) colour combination may be a good start for a logo concept , but there are some other things to consider.     5     Maybe a clever design is well worth trying.

A．When we see some logos over and over again,

B．People will know the product behind the logo.

C．This may be inspiring to logo designers.

D．So why is it so difficult for people to recall the details?

E．They also help us remember a product or service connected with them.

F．Our brains actually signal us to ignore information we don’t think we will need to remember.

G．Logo designers need to know that people will only remember what they believe is worthwhile.

6 . When plates are set on the table, phones, rather than forks, are at the ready. At this point in our social media entanglement (纠缠), the fact that the camera eats first is pretty much a given. Sure, some chefs, including Michelin rated star chefs, express their displeasure at this, but efforts to make the table a screen-free domain have mostly fallen flat.

New research from Aston University has found that people are indeed influenced by the food photos that their friends post on social media. For example, for every serving of fruits and vegetables that a person thinks their friends are eating, they’ll eat one-fifth of a serving more. This number makes more sense within the context of the recommended “five a day”, meaning someone who’s being influenced would make a point of eating six portions of fruits or vegetables. Similarly, for every three portions of junk food that a person sees friends consuming on social media, they’ll eat an extra one.

The researchers have also suggested that social media can be very beneficial when it comes to people’s choices of food and their diets. Study supervisors Dr. Jason Thomas said, “The implication is that we can use social media as a tool to encourage each other’s eating choice within friendship groups, and use this knowledge as a tool for public health interventions.”

Actually, the daily food situation is somewhat different from everything else posted on social media. People also desire to copy what they see but they need good social media literacy skills in order to grasp what’s realistic and what’s absurd. It is necessary to avoid the fake perfection of social media.

It gets boring trying to figure out what to eat three times a day, week after week, so no wonder people want to take the path of least resistance and eat what their friends are eating. Unfortunately, most of what gets posted is the more time-consuming recipes or the attractively styled restaurant meals. By all means, keep your antennae (触角) out for new ideas, but gather them from food magazines, cookbooks, store flyers, reliable cooking websites, and recommended recipes from friends and family.

1. What phenomenon is talked about in Para.1?

A．The influence of social media on people’s diet.

B．People’s taking photos of food before eating.

C．Chefs’ efforts to make the table screen-free.

D．The pursuit of dining in fancy restaurant.

2. What’s the consequence of people’s seeing their friends’ online post?

A．They’ll copy what their friends do.

B．They’ll take junk food more seriously.

C．They’ll consume more than their friends.

D．They’ll care more about their friends’ eating habits.

3. What’s Dr. Jason Thomas’s attitude towards social media?

A．Positive.

B．Doubtful.

C．Concerned.

D．Unclear.

4. What does the author intend to do in the last paragraph?

A．Point out the unreality of social media.

B．Call on people to enrich their knowledge in cooking.

C．Introduce the general classification of food posted online.

D．Encourage people to broaden their sources of food inspiration.

7 . In 2020, Pink launched the world Regret Survey, the largest survey on the topic ever undertaken. With his research team, Pink asked more than 15, 000 people in 105 countries, “How often do you look back on your life and wish you had done things differently?” Most of them said regret was at least an occasional part of their life. Roughly 21 percent said they felt regretful all the time. Only 1 percent said they never felt regretful.

If you are of the “no regrets” school of life, you may think that all this regret is a recipe for unhappiness. But that isn’t the case. Letting yourself be overwhelmed by regret is indeed bad for you. But going to the other extreme maybe even worse. To extinguish your regrets doesn’t free you from shame or sadness but causes you to make the same mistakes again and again. To truly get over our guilt requires that we put regret in its proper place.

Uncomfortable as it is, regret is an amazing cognitive (认知的) feat. It requires that you go back to a past scene. Imagine that you acted differently to change it, and with that new scene in mind, arrive at a different present — and then, compare that fictional present with the one you are experiencing in reality. Not all regrets are the same, of course. Pink says they come in four basic varieties, and an instance of regret may involve just one combination.

Many connection regrets overlap (重叠) with moral regrets, which can come about after you go against your own values. For example, you may pride yourself on being a loving person, and thus regret not living up to this image in the relationship you harmed. Moral regrets can also involve (涉及) just yourself. Maybe you regret not living up to your commitment (承诺、保证) to your health when you ate a whole pizza or skipped the gym.

If not analyzed and managed, any variety of regret can be harmful to your health. Regret is linked to depression and anxiety, and excessive regret can have a bad effect on your immune system. But regret doesn’t have to be put aside and ignored.

1. What could be concluded from Pink’s research ?

A．Half of the people felt regretful.

B．Most people lived without regrets.

C．None could live a life without regrets.

D．The majority of the people had regrets.

2. What does the underlined word “extinguish” in paragraph 2 mean ?

A．Admit.

B．Destroy.

C．Treasure.

D．Advance.

3. What is paragraph 4 mainly about ?

A．The harm of moral regrets.

B．The importance of commitment.

C．The relationship between regrets and values.

D．The connection between reality and imagination.

4. What might the author continue talking about ?

A．Types of regrets.	B．Causes of regrets.
C．Benefits of experiencing regrets.	D．Ways of dealing with regrets.

8 . Several years ago, Jeremy Clarkson, presenter of the famous BBC television programme Top Gear’, discovered that one of his guests was half German and half Irish. Immediately, he said: “That’s quite a strange combination. It’s like, this must be done absolutely perfectly... tomorrow”.

This is a joke about the stereotype (刻板印象) that Germans are efficient and Irish are lazy. Many people could understandably be offended by these kinds of assertions (断言). We do not know every Irish person, so how can we then conclude that every Irish person is lazy?

I recently read on a website that Irish business people were described as being ‘generally rather casual’ and ‘more outwardly friendly than many European countries’. German business people, on the other hand, are considered to be very direct and according to the website, they do not need a personal relationship in order to do business. Once you hear advice like this, it becomes easier to understand where jokes like the one in the first paragraph come from.

So why do some people disagree with the kind of stereotypes as seen in Clarkson’s joke, but agree when it comes to generalizations (概括)? What is the difference between the two?

By definition, a stereotype is a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. A cultural characteristic, on the other hand, is a pattern of behaviour that is typical of a certain group.

So what does this really mean? Stereotypes are simply overstated assumptions about groups of people. Imagine if a tourist visited a small town in Switzerland and saw a number of locals playing the alphorn instrument, and then claimed that Swiss people can play the alphorn. This would be a stereotype! This is an overstated image of the Swiss which is based on one tourist’s experience.

If, however, this tourist were to say that the Swiss are very punctual, this could be seen as a cultural characteristic. This is because it is a pattern of behaviour which is very typical in Switzerland: from their transport system to their business meetings.

In this way, some people argue that generalizing another culture is not just useful, but important. Politicians always have to be mindful of the cultural characteristics of different countries. By becoming aware of different cultural characteristics, they can avoid causing offence in those cultures.

However, others argue that generalizing cultures will always lead to offensive stereotypes. They argue that the best thing we can do is to stop generalizing cultures and start treating people as individuals.

All this raises important questions: Can making generalizations about groups of people be a positive thing? Or should we always avoid making broad assumptions about different groups?

1. When he said “It’s like, this must be done absolutely perfectly... tomorrow”, Jeremy Clarkson really meant ________.

A．the stereotypes of the Germans and the Irish are not so good

B．the combination of half German and half Irish is interesting

C．the characteristics of the Germans and the Irish are opposite

D．the Germans will do it perfectly tomorrow while the Irish won’t.

2. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．It’s typical of the Swiss to be punctual.

B．The Irish people are considered as lazy, direct and casual.

C．The Germans are thought to be efficient, friendly and direct.

D．The Swiss people can play the alphorn.

3. Politicians think it important to generalize another culture because ________.

A．they don’t want to offend other people

B．generalizing will lead to offensive stereotypes

C．cultural characteristics are better than stereotypes

D．they should treat people as individuals

4. The main purpose of this passage is to ________.

A．show the importance of making generalizations

B．show it is wrong to play jokes on stereotypes of different people

C．tell us the differences between stereotypes and cultural characteristics

D．discuss whether it is good to make generalizations about groups of people

9 . Imagine being able to go to your local park and pick some tomatoes, potatoes or even bananas to take home for dinner. Sounds too good to be true, right? For residents of Andernach, a German city, it’s not just a Utopian dream — it’s their reality. In 2010, Andernach began its “edible city” project, planting 101 varieties of tomatoes in public green spaces around the city centre. Its 30,000 residents are free to help themselves to whatever grows, as are any other visitors. Every year a new type of plant is introduced. In 2011, 100 types of beans were planted, while 2012 saw the introduction of 20 onion varieties. The town’s motto (座右铭) is, “Picking is encouraged — help yourself!”

It’s a community effort, as local citizens are encouraged to help plant and maintain the gardens. This offers an opportunity to socialize as well as to learn about planting, cultivating and harvesting food. “I often drop by to pick some herbs that I’m missing at home. Everything is easily accessible. There aren’t any fences. You just take what you need. The only thing is you have to be quick once the fruits are ripe or they’ll all be gone!” said a local historian.

Andernach may be the first, but it isn’t the only edible city. It’s part of the Edible Cities Network, an EU-funded project connecting green urban food initiatives (倡议) around the world. Other edible cities include Carthage in Tunisia, Havana in Cuba and Šempeter-Vrtojba in Slovenia. In February 2022, the first Edible Cities Network Conference took place. Dr. Ina Säumel, Principal Investigator of the Edible Cities Network, called it, “a unique opportunity to invite researchers and practitioners (从业人员) of Edible City Solutions to the same table and unite theory with practice”.

Ultimately, the Edible Cities Network aims to create “greener, more edible and, above all, more livable cities”. It is a response to the pressures of climate change, and a cause for hope.

1. What is paragraph 1 mainly about?

A．The process of Andernach’s growth.

B．The green food project in Andernach.

C．Methods of planting vegetables in Europe.

D．The popularity of Andernach’s city design.

2. What is the attitude of the local historian mentioned in paragraph 2 towards the project?

A．Doubtful.	B．Indifferent.
C．Positive.	D．Negative.

3. What can be inferred from paragraph 3?

A．Green urban food has drawn more attention.

B．German rural areas will follow the trend too.

C．Asia will join the Edible Cities Network soon.

D．Edible cities hold meetings on a regular base.

4. Which of the following could be the best title for the text?

A．Start a Green Food Campaign Now

B．Gain Easy Access to German Food

C．Quick Response to Climate Change

D．An Incredible “Edible City” Initiative