2 . Vegetarians would rather not be forced to eat meat. Yet the reverse compulsion is hidden in the proposals for a new plant-based “planetary diet.” Nowhere is this more visible than in India.

Earlier this year, the EAT-Lancet Commission released its global report on nutrition and called for a global shift to a more plant-based diet and for “substantially reducing consumption of animal source foods.” In countries like India, that call could become a tool to aggravate an already tense political situation and stress already undernourished populations.

The EAT report assumes that “traditional diets” in countries like India include little red meat, which might be consumed only on special occasions or as minor ingredients in mixed dishes.

In India, however, there is a vast difference between what people would wish to consume and what they have to consume because of innumerable barriers around class, religion, culture, cost, geography, etc. Policymakers in India have traditionally pushed for a cereal-heavy “vegetarian diet” on a meat-eating population as a way of providing the cheapest sources of food.

Currently, under an aggressive Hindu nationalist government, Muslims, Christians, disadvantaged classes and indigenous communities are being compelled to give up their traditional foods.

None of these concerns seem to have been appreciated by the EAT-Lancet Commission’s representative, Brent Loken, who said “India has got such a great example” in sourcing protein from plants.

But how much of a model for the world is India’s vegetarianism? In the Global Hunger Index, the country ranks 102^nd out of 117. Data from the National Family Health Survey indicate that only 10 percent of infants of 6 to 23 months are adequately fed, which is why calls for a plant-based diet modeled on India risk offering another whip with which to beat already vulnerable communities in developing countries.

A diet directed at the affluent West fails to recognize that in low-income countries undernourished children are known to benefit from the consumption of milk and other animal source foods, improving cognitive functions, while reducing the prevalence of nutritional deficiencies as well as death.

EAT-Lancet claimed its intention was to “spark conversations” among all Indian stakeholders. Yet vocal critics of the food processing industry and food fortification strategies have been left out of the debate. But the most conspicuous (明显的) omission may well be the absence of India’s farmers.

1. What is more visible in India than anywhere else according to the passage?

A．People’s positive views on the proposals for a “planetary diet”.

B．People’s reluctance to be compelled to eat plant-based food.

C．People’s preferences for the kind of food they consume.

D．People’s unwillingness to give up their eating habits.

2. What would the EAT-Lancet Commission’s report do to many people in countries like India?

A．Radically change their dietary habits.	B．Keep them further away from politics.
C．Make them even more undernourished.	D．Substantially reduce their food choices.

3. What do we learn from the passage about food consumption in India?

A．People’s diet will not change due to the EAT-Lancet report.

B．Many people simply do not have access to foods they prefer.

C．There is a growing popularity of a cereal-heavy vegetarian diet.

D．Policymakers help remove the barriers to people’s choice of food.

4. What does the passage say about a plant-based diet modeled on India?

A．It may benefit populations whose traditional diet is meat-based.

B．It may be another blow to the economy in developing countries.

C．It may worsen the nourishment problem in low-income countries.

D．It may help narrow the gap between the rich and poor countries.

4 . Iceberg Water, which is harvested from icebergs off the coast of Newfoundland Canada, is achieving new heights of popularity in North America.

Arthur, Von Wiesenberger who carries the title “Water Master”, is one of the few water critics in North America. As a boy, he spent time in the larger cities of Italy, France and Switzerland, where bottled water is consumed daily. Even then, he kept a water journal, noting the brands he liked best. “My dog could tell the difference between bottled and tap water.” He says.

But is plain tap water all that bad? Not at all. In fact. New York’s tap water for more than a century was called the champagne of tap water and until recently considered among the best in the world in terms of both taste and purity. Similarly, a magazine in England found that tap water from the Thames River tasted better than several leading brands of bottled water that were 400 times more expensive.

Nevertheless, soft-drink companies view bottled water as the next battle-ground for market share — despite the fact that over 25 percent of bottled water comes from tap water: Pepsi Co’s Aquafina and Coca-Cola’s Dasani are both purified tap water rather than spring water.

As diners thirst for leading brands, bottlers and restaurateurs are desperate for the profits. A restaurant’s typical mark-up (加价) on wine is 100 to 150 percent, whereas on bottled water it’s often 300 to 500 percent. But since water is much cheaper than wine, and many of the fancier brands aren’t available in stores, most diners don’t notice or care.

As a result, some restaurants are turning up the pressure to sell bottled water. According to an article in The Street Journal, some of the more shameless methods include placing attractive bottles on the table for a visual sell, listing brands on the menu without prices, and pouring bottled water without even asking the diners if they want it.

Regardless of how it’s sold, the popularity of bottled water taps into our desire for better health. our wish to appear cultivated, and even a longing for lost purity.

1. What is Arthur’s purpose in mentioning his dog in paragraph 2?

A．To indicate his own preference for bottled water.

B．To show the importance of bottled water to dogs.

C．To clarify the difference between bottled water and tap water.

D．To exhibit the large consumption of bottled water in big cities.

2. Which of the following best explains “fancier brands” underlined in paragraph 5?

A．tap water from the Thames River

B．famous wines not sold in ordinary stores

C．PepsiCo’s Aquafina and Coca-Cola’s Dasani

D．pricey bottled water with very impressive names

3. Why are some restaurants turning up the pressure to sell bottled water?

A．Most diners find bottled water affordable.

B．Competition from the wine industry is fierce.

C．Bottled water can bring in huge profits.

D．Bottled water satisfies diners’ desire to be fashionable.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Tap water: why tastes better?	B．Bottled water: why so popular?
C．A new favorite of. restaurants; bottled water	D．A rising star: tap water

5 . Wall Street bankers, investors and economists have for months argued over whether a US recession (衰退) is coming. But for some Americans, the unforgiving economic pain typical during recession has already set in.

Al Brown and his wife faced a tough call in May when reviewing their weekly budget: what’s a higher priority, more food or dish soap? Based in Concord, North Carolina, Brown was the main breadwinner for his wife and their two children. Then in April, he was let go from his job as a global director of business development at software company Cascade. He’s since quit his gym membership and sold various items around his home, including a computer and yard furniture. His 13-year-old son quit the basketball team.

Brown, 37, now spends his days searching the internet for jobs or reaching out to potential connections. After filing over 600 applications, only a handful have produced interviews. That’s a far cry from the labor-market strength described in government figures.

Investors and economists have been expecting a recession since last year as the Fed raised interest rates to control inflation (通货膨胀). That caused companies to focus on profitability over growth, which meant cutting spending and reducing their workforces.

“I think it’s unlikely that I will get another good paying job with great benefits like the one I had,” McCollum, who lives in Cleveland, Ohio, said. More Americans are likely to encounter similar cases, some experts predict.

“As we go through this year, and into next year, there is still going to be this focus on trying to reduce costs, and it is going to result in more unemployment,” said Thomas Simons, a senior economist at Jefferies. “The impact of layoffs, currently concentrated among white-collar workers, will last throughout the economy through a ‘big pullback in overall spending’,” Simons said. “Consumer spending accounts for about two-thirds of economic output, so if more Americans are forced to cut back because they were laid off, that might throw the US economy into a recession.”

1. What are some Americans currently going through?

A．They can’t afford necessities of life.	B．They’ve lost interest in high-end gyms.
C．They are badly treated by their bosses.	D．They have difficulty making ends meet.

2. What does the author want to demonstrate through Brown’s job hunting?

A．One should try various ways to find a job.

B．American labor market is not that friendly to job-seekers.

C．Few companies are interested in middle-aged job-hunters.

D．The government provides accurate figures of the job market.

3. How do companies deal with the economic struggles?

A．By employing more workers.	B．By changing interest rates.
C．By giving priority to profits.	D．By cutting employees’ allowances.

4. Which statement will Thomas Simons probably agree with?

A．Laid-off workers tend to go into debt.

B．Lower consumption may worsen the current situation.

C．Americans will spend more to increase economic output.

D．Companies are to blame for the unemployment of white-collar workers.

6 . The news is everywhere. We can’t stop constantly checking it on our computer screens, but what is this doing to our minds?

The news is committed to laying before us whatever is supposed to be most unusual and important in the world: a snowfall in the tropics; a love child for the president; a set of conjoined (连体的) twins.

The news knows how to operate its own mechanics almost invisible and therefore hard to question. It speaks to us in a natural unaccented voice, without reference to its own perspective. It fails to disclose that it does not merely report on the world, but is instead constantly at work crafting a new planet in our minds in line with its own often highly distinctive priorities.

Why do we, the audience, keep checking the news? Fear has a lot to do with it. After even a short period of being cut off from news, our anxiety has a habit of building up. We know how much is likely to go wrong and how fast: an A380 may have its fuel line cracked and crash into the bay in flames, a virus from an African bat may leap the species barrier and enter a crowded Japanese commuter train, investors may pose a run on the currency and yet another seemingly ordinary father may call a violent end to the lives of his two beautiful young children.

The hum and rush of the news have flowed into our deepest selves. What an achievement a moment of calm now is, what a miracle the ability to fall asleep or to talk undistracted with a friend and what demanding discipline would be required to make us turn away from the messy news and listen for a day to nothing but the rain and our own thoughts. We may need some help with what the news is doing to us: with the envy and the terror, with the excitement and the frustration; with all that we’ve been told and yet occasionally suspect we may be better off never having learned.

1. What does news offer us according to the passage?

A．Its operating system.

B．Its preferred world.

C．Normal happenings worldwide.

D．Objective points of view.

2. People keep checking news because they are_______.

A．worried about losing contact with updates.

B．anxious about building up a habit.

C．curious about an African virus in Japan.

D．interested in strangers’ extraordinary lives.

3. Which of the following statements will the writer approve of?

A．Talking with a friend is remarkable.

B．Listening to natural songs is absolutely impossible.

C．Preventing envy and terror is realistic.

D．Staying clear of the media is beneficial.

4. What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．News is transforming our lifestyle secretly.

B．News is becoming a user’s manual.

C．News is filling us with growing fear.

D．News is enriching our life dramatically.

7 . While an analysis of the Global Dietary Database for the years 1990, 2005, and 2018 found overall consumption of sweetened drinks increased—by nearly 16% worldwide over the 28-year period studied—regional intake widely varied, researchers say.

Sugary drinks have been widely associated with overweight and heart related diseases, which are among the leading causes of death and years lost to disability globally. Many national guidelines recommend limiting added sugars to less than 5% to 10% of daily calories, and because sodas (汽水) add no nutritional value, some countries tax their consumption to help their residents meet this goal.

The study, published in Nature Communications, is the latest presentation of how adults in 185 countries drink sugar-sweetened beverages (饮料). Intakes varied widely by world region. In 2018, the average person consumed 2.7 servings of sugary drinks per week, but this ranged from 0.7 servings per week in South Asia to 7.8 servings per week in Latin America. And some of the highest sugary drink intakes in the world were among urban, highly educated adults in Sub-Saharan Africa (12.4 servings per week) and in Latin America (8.5 servings per week). “We were struck by the wide variations by world regions in 2018; that Latin America had the largest intakes at all time points despite an overall decrease overtime; and that Sub-Saharan Africa had the greatest increases across all time points,” says Laura Lara-Castor, a PhD candidate at Tufts University.

“These results suggest that more work is needed such as marketing regulations, food labeling, and soda taxes.” Information from the Global Dietary Database, which gathers hundreds of survey results, also revealed a relationship between sugary beverages and socio-economic status. “Sugar-sweetened beverage intake has increased in the past few decades despite efforts to decrease their appeal,” says researchers. “Some populations are especially easily affected, and our findings provide evidence to inform the need and design of national and more targeted policies to reduce their intake worldwide.”

1. What is the main concern about sugary drinks?

A．They are just a barrier to weight loss.	B．They are linked to health issues.
C．They are far from nutrition standard.	D．They are a total waste of money.

2. Why do some countries tax the consumption of sodas?

A．To increase income for the government.	B．To promote the sales of healthier drinks.
C．To discourage people from drinking sodas.	D．To set a limit to the price of sugary drinks.

3. What is the primary focus of the study published in Nature Communications?

A．Sugary drink consumption trends.	B．Impact of soda taxes on purchases.
C．Regional variations in dietary habits.	D．Global dietary information analysis.

4. What can we infer from the results of the study?

A．Sugary drinks have nothing to do with economic status.

B．The appeal of sugary drinks cannot be underestimated.

C．Some people are very particular about the sugary drinks.

D．National policies on sugary drinks are more than enough.

10 . Social media provides materialists with ideal opportunities to compare themselves with others, which makes them subject to passive and addictive user behavior. This stresses them out and, ultimately, leads to low life satisfaction, according to a new study.

The researchers headed by Dr. Phillip Ozimek from Germany employed 1, 230 people for their online survey. In order to participate, respondents had to visit at least one social media channel at least once a week. On average, the participants stated they spent just over two hours a day on social media.

The team used six different questionnaires to determine the extent to which the participants had a materialistic attitude and tended to compare themselves with others, whether they used social media more actively or passively, whether they were addicted to social media, how stressed and how satisfied they were with their lives.

“The data showed a stronger materialistic approach goes hand in hand with a tendency to compare oneself with others,” points out Ozimek. This comparison is easy to make on social media, primarily through passive use—by looking at the content posted by other users. Materialism and passive use were also linked to addictive use of social media.

“Users are constantly thinking about the respective channels and fear they’re missing out on something if they aren’t online,” explains Ozimek. “This in turn leads to poorer mental health like stress. The final link in the chain is reduced life satisfaction.”

“Overall, the study provides further evidence that the use of social media is associated with risks, especially for people with a highly materialistic mindset,” says the psychologist. “This is particularly worrying, because social media can stimulate and increase materialistic values through influence r marketing. Meanwhile, the platforms attract materialists anyway, as they’re a perfect way to satisfy materialistic needs.”

“It’s definitely a good idea to be aware of the amount of time you spend on social media and to reduce it,” recommends Ozimek, who advises against giving up social media completely. “If you did, you’re likely to over-correct.” He also suggests recording materialism and social media use in patients undergoing treatment for mental health disorders. “While these factors are often irrelevant, they can be a starting point for additional interventions patients can try out at home.”

1. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．The Virtual World, the Real Danger

B．Showing Superiority Causes Heavy Media Use

C．More Social Media Materialism, Less Happiness

D．Materialistic Values: A Stepping Stone to Discontent

2. To qualify for the survey, a participant must ______

A．be a big spender	B．specialize in data analysis
C．be a regular social media user	D．upload web surfing history

3. What kind of feeling is expressed by Ozimek in paragraph 6?

A．Pessimism.

B．Sympathy.

C．Shock.

D．Concern.

4. What does Ozimek propose concerning using social media?

A．Restricting the duration.	B．Logging onto well-rated websites.
C．Abandoning it for good.	D．Prohibiting patients from using it.