1 . Most of us grow up taking certain things for granted. We tend to assume that experts and religious leaders tell us “The truth”. We tend to believe that things advertised on television or in newspapers can’t be bad for us.

However, encouragement of critical (批判的) thinking in students is one of the goals of most colleges and universities. Few professors require students to share the professors’ own beliefs. In general, professors are more concerned that students learn to question and critically examine the arguments of others, including some of their own beliefs or values. This does not mean that professors insist that you change your beliefs, either. It does mean, however, that professors will usually ask you to support the views you express in class or in your writing.

If your premises (前提) are shaky, or if your arguments are not logical, professors personally point out the false reasoning in your arguments. Most professors want you to learn to recognize the premises of your arguments, to examine whether you really accept these premises, and to understand whether or not you draw logical conclusions. Put it this way. Professors don’t tell you what to think; they try to teach you how to think.

On the other hand, if you intend to disagree with your professors in class, you should be prepared to offer a strong argument in support of your ideas. Arguing just for the sake of arguing usually does not promote a critical examination of ideas. Many professors interpret it as rudeness.

1. In the first paragraph, the writer tries to tell us that ________.

A．we have strong beliefs in governments while growing up.

B．we grow up through learning certain things in life.

C．we are forming our views during our growth.

D．we easily believe certain things without a second thought.

2. Nowadays, few professors encourage students to ________.

A．criticize others.	B．share the same idea as professors’.
C．support their own views.	D．examine his own beliefs.

3. The word “shaky” in Paragraph 3 most probably means ________.

A．creative.

B．firm.

C．reasonable.

D．weak.

4. According to the writer, the right way to argue is to ________.

A．argue mainly for the sake of arguing.

B．prove it with a good conclusion.

C．support your ideas with a strong argument.

D．examine others’ ideas critically.

2 . The idea of low material desire, low consumption and refusing to work, marry and have children, concluded as a “lying down” lifestyle, recently struck a chord with many young Chinese eager to pause to breathe in this fast-paced and highly-competitive society.

Many millennials (千禧一代) and generation Zs complained to the Global Times that burdens, including work stress, family disputes and financial pressures, have pushed them “against the wall”. They said they hate the “involution (内卷),” joking that they would rather give up some of what they have than get trapped in an endless competition against peers.

“Instead of always following the ‘virtues’ of struggle, tolerance and sacrifice to bear the stresses, they prefer a temporary lying down as release and adjustment,” said a scholar. “No wonder that some young people, under the growing pressures from child-raising to paying the mortgage (按揭) today, would try to live in a simple way and leave the worries behind.”

Interestingly, most of them acknowledged that they only accept a temporary lying down as a short rest. It is true that with the great improvement of living conditions, some Chinese youth have partially lost the spirit of hardship and are not willing to bear too much hard work. But actually, lying down is not entirely comfortable. Young people who lie down always feel guilty of their constant loss of morale (士气) far beyond their reach.

“Young people on campus have both ambitions and confusion about their future, but most of us have rejected setting ourselves up in chains to waste opportunities and challenges,” a postgraduate student told the Global Times. “It’s no use running away. I have to ‘stand up’ and face the reality sooner or later.”

1. According to paragraph 1, which one can be called “lying down” lifestyle?

A．The people who desire to find a husband.

B．The people who are fond of shopping.

C．The people who refuse to deliver babies.

D．The people who are addicted to work.

2. Which of the following is NOT the burden many millennials facing?

A．work pressure	B．endless competition
C．family conflicts	D．economic pressures

3. What’s the scholar’s attitude toward the “lying down” group?

A．Understanding.

B．Disapproving.

C．Supportive.

D．Unclear.

4. What can be inferred about the young generation from the text?

A．They would rather escape than take challenges.

B．They really enjoy the “lying down” lifestyle.

C．They find their dreams far beyond their reach.

D．They never really drop their responsibilities.

3 . There are many differences between happy people and unhappy people.     1    ? Read the following list of things that happy people do differently from unhappy people and you will know the answer.

Well, I can tell you for sure that those people who are really happy, fear less and love a lot more. They see each moment, each challenge, each person as an opportunity to discover more about themselves and the world around them.     2    .

Happy people understand that you can’t really change a situation. But they can feel better by understanding that there might be a reason for it. When something unpleasant happens to them, they ask themselves questions like: What can I learn from this?     3    ? They always seem to be pleasant and hopeful no matter what happens to them. They do the things they do because of the meaning it brings into their lives and because they get a sense of purpose by doing so.

They understand that “Doing what you love is the most important for living a full life”. They care more about living a life full of meaning rather than, what in our modern society we would call, living a successful life.     4    , because they choose to focus on doing the things they love the most.

    5    . They make sure that their actions bring meaning and happiness in the lives of many. They look for ways to give and to share the best of themselves with the world and to make other people happy.

A．How can I make this better

B．They have an ideal living and a balanced life

C．Happy people do things for the good of others

D．What are the things that happy people do differently

E．They are ready to hug whatever lies in front of them

F．They neither care others nor understand the power of love

G．Most of the time they get both successful life and meaning

4 . Many young people are getting creative when it comes to putting their interests into their professions.

Yi Cheng used to be an engineer at a state-owned company. In 2013, he became an owner of escape room games, where one has to find secret clues and passwords within physical spaces in order to get entry to the next room. His favorite challenge was to design different things and passwords for entry to the various secret rooms. Later he founded his own escape room company — Second World.

Now the brand has eight sites nationwide with stable income. It has attracted a large number of young consumers. During the May Day holiday break, the volume of booking for escape room games in Shanghai increased 264 percent over the preholiday level, according to Meituan Dianping, an online consumption service provider.

In recent years, those born in 1980 and 1990 have taken up 90% of the new jobs in China’s service sectors. The development of the internet economy, which refers to an economy that is based on the use of digital technologies to conduct business via the world wide web, is also broadening the ambitions and horizons of many young businessmen in China. Other groups of new professions, such as online restaurant decorators, pet photographs and owners of bed and breakfast homestays, have sprung up alongside digital transformation in China.

Internet-based platform Meituan Dianping attributed this rise to the increasing demand for personalization. Their report said, “The stereotype (刻板印象) of low education, low skills and low income that were linked to those in the service industry on the internet is being changed in new ways.”

1. What do we know about Yi Cheng from paragraph 2?

A．He was a successful engineer.	B．He set up his own designing firm.
C．He gave up his job to play games.	D．He devoted himself to escape room games.

2. What is special about Yi Cheng’s new business?

A．It is likely to go down rapidly.	B．It is developing internationally.
C．Its target consumers are young.	D．Its future remains to be difficult.

3. How can the internet economy be described in paragraph 4?

A．Booming.

B．Time-killing.

C．Inspiring.

D．Foot-dragging.

4. Why is the report of Meituan Dianping mentioned?

A．To stress the influences of the website.

B．To introduce a new entertainment way.

C．To promote Internet-based entertainment platforms.

D．To show the improved service quality on the internet.