1 . Every festival has its own meaning. Labor Day, for example, celebrates the value of hard work. Thanksgiving is about showing thanks to people around you. And Valentines’ Day is a time when you express love to your loved ones. But somehow it now seems that all festivals we just care about one thing — shopping. And that can be a big problem.
“In a way, over-consumption (过度消费) is the mother of all our environmental problems,” Kalle Lasn once told CNN. Lasn is the organizer of Buy Nothing Day, a day set up in Canada in 1992 to fight against unhealthy spending habits, and has now become an international event. It’s held on the day, which is known as Black Friday — a famous shopping day in the US and Canada.
You can see the irony (讽刺) here.
Even though the idea of Buy Nothing Day was brought up 26 years ago, we seem to need it now more than ever. It’s just as Lasn said, all the different kinds of pollution in our lives today — bad air quality, the reduction of forest area, endangered animal species, and plastic bags found in the ocean — seem to be the same cause: over-consumption.
The latest example is the Singles’ Day shopping craze of Nov 11, which saw a new sales record. But as Nie Li, a campaigner at Greenpeace, told Reuters, “Record-setting over-consumption means record-setting waste.” And it was reported that last year the Singles’ Day packages left more than 160,000 tons of waste, including plastic and cardboard. The Collins Dictionary has also just named “single-use” its Word of the Year, pointing out the problem that there’re too many things we tow out after only using them once.
So, Buy Nothing Day might only be here for one day a year, but it’s not just to remind us to the a break from shopping on that day, but to change our lifestyle completely, focusing on fun “with people we care about” rather than wasting money on useless things.
1. What’s the authors purpose of writing the first paragraph?A.To express the people’s love for all festivals. |
B.To talk about the meaning of the festivals. |
C.To appreciate the value of the festivals. |
D.To bring out the topic of the passage. |
A.To help people save money. | B.To cut the cost for daily life. |
C.To prevent over-consumption. | D.To set up a new sales record. |
A.Opposed (反对的). | B.Supportive. |
C.Unknown. | D.Neutral (中立的). |
A.Creating a New Lifestyle | B.Buy Nothing Day |
C.Festivals Around the World | D.A Change in People’s Life |
2 . Growing up as kids we are told to share our toys and not to be selfish. We also live in an age when discussing our feelings is encouraged. But when does it all become too much? With new trends growing all the time, such as dance challenges and wearing a carpet as a dress, the question is: when can sharing become oversharing on social media?
“Oversharing” has become associated with social media, but it isn’t exclusive to this platform. Imagine you head to a party and meet someone. Within five minutes they have revealed private details about their life. While some of us may try to escape these people, according to marriage advisor Carolyn Cole, this form of oversharing could come from a strong desire to connect with someone. But how does this translate to social media?
Dr. Christopher Hand, a lecturer in cyberpsychology (网络心理学), says the more details people uncover, the less sympathy we express when things go wrong. It seems that searching for sympathy by oversharing is generally considered as negative rather than the cry for help it could really be.
However, Dr. Hand’s research also seems to suggest that the more we post on a platform, the more socially attractive we become-only if the posts that we share are positive. Even back in 2015, Gwendolyn Seidman PhD said that we should avoid complaining and being negative online. We should also avoid showing off, especially about our love lives. It makes sense-if your date is going “that well”, would you really have time to share a photo with text?
So, how can you know if you are oversharing? Well, why not ask your friends in real life. They would probably be happy to tell you if your posts about your breakfast or your complaints about your lack of money really are too much.
1. What does the underlined word “exclusive” in paragraph 2 mean?A.Unique. | B.Similar. | C.Relevant | D.Distinct. |
A.To draw others’ attention. | B.To satisfy others’ curiosity. |
C.To remove negative feelings. | D.To develop good relationships. |
A.Sharing more details online can attract more sympathy. |
B.Oversharing negative experiences is equal to crying for help. |
C.Oversharing isn’t likely to happen online when things go wrong. |
D.Sharing negative posts can’t help one become socially attractive. |
A.Reflecting on past bad manners. | B.Showing a great many expensive goods. |
C.Writing a recipe for a balanced breakfast. | D.Recording unforgettable moments with friends. |
3 . 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 who are eager to take 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 strains, 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, endure and sacrifice to bear the stresses, they prefer a temporary lying down as catharsis (宣泄) and adjustment,” said a scholar. “It is 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, the majority of millennials and Gen Zs reached by the Global Times, who claim to be big fans of the lying down philosophy, 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 in fact, lying down is not entirely comfortable. Young people who lie down always feel guilty about their constant loss of morale (士气) far beyond their reach.
“Young people on campus have both aspirations 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. What does the underlined phrase in paragraph 1 mean?A.Warned. | B.Punished. | C.Amused. | D.Touched. |
A.Improvements in living conditions. |
B.Growing pressure from family and social life. |
C.Increasing material possessions from families. |
D.Temporary adjustment to failure in competitions. |
A.Understanding. | B.Intolerant. | C.Supportive. | D.Unclear. |
A.They never really drop their responsibilities. |
B.They really enjoy the “lying down” lifestyle. |
C.They find their dreams far beyond their reach. |
D.They would rather escape than take challenges. |
1. Which country’s experts suggest bowing when meeting during the outbreak?
A.China. | B.America. | C.Qatar. |
A.Shaking hands. | B.Kissing on the cheek. | C.Waving hands. |
A.People are encouraged to shake hands when they meet. |
B.People are encouraged to choose to kiss anyone they like. |
C.People should give each other a pat on the back when meeting. |
A.The change of table manners in different countries. |
B.The impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on greeting manners. |
C.The impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on national economies. |
1. 你的看法;
2. 原因(2 点);
3. 恰当的结尾。
注意:1. 可适当增加细节,以使行文连贯;
2. 100 词左右;信件的开头已提供,不计入总字数。
3. 参考词汇:压岁钱 lucky money
Dear Editor,
I’m writing to share my opinion about
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Yours,
Li Hua
The Titanic was the largest and
So why did so many people die in the tragedy? Firstly, the Titanic’s owners fitted the ship
The wreck (残骸) of the Titanic
On March 31, the Swedish fashion retailer, H&M,
Chinese netizens expressed their disappointment at H&M,
Many have voiced their
While H&M struggles
Anta, a leading domestic sportswear brand, promised on March 24 to exit the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), stating that it will continue to use Chinese cotton, including cotton
8 . Knock, knock. Starting from Nov.1, 2020, people will be knocking on doors across the country to collect personal information. But don’t panic. This is for the seventh national population census (人口普查). The Chinese population census takes place every 10 years. It gathers data including name, age, ID number, gender, education, job, marital status and housing situation.
Tracking down more than 1 billion Chinese citizens is by no means easy. This year, about 7 million staff will be needed to visit homes for registration work, according to Xinhua. New methods will also be used during this census, including online information registration, application of electronic devices and big data. Compared with previous surveys, new methods will be convenient for people who are not living where they are officially registered, as well as those who do not want to be bothered by census takers’ door-to-door surveys. The new methods also reduce census takers’ workload.
The data is expected to give a full picture of the population, including its size, structure and distribution and recent changes. It provides support for making national development policies.
The census has a large impact on our lives. For instance, areas with a high number of children may receive more funding for public schools. Researchers can use the results to investigate population trends in different cities. The census will help to find out the number of foreigners living in China. It can also tell how many Chinese people have moved to other countries.
However, citizens’ privacy concerns could be one of the biggest challenges. Some may not be willing to give their personal information to census takers because they are worried about what the data would be used for. There are also worries about privacy leakage among the public.
In response to such concerns, Jiangsu’s pilot work zone allowed residents to upload personal data on their own through WeChat, which avoids information leakage. The data will be delivered directly to the National Bureau of Statistics through a WeChat program.
1. Which can be inferred about the census according to the text?A.This census will be conducted only by knocking on doors. |
B.The previous census was likely to begin around 2010. |
C.It gathers data including your name, age, and education. |
D.This census will be easy by taking some new methods. |
A.Positive | B.Negative |
C.Neutral | D.Doubtful |
A.Areas with a high number of children will receive the most funding. |
B.Researchers can use population trends to investigate the results. |
C.The census will help to drive out the foreigners living in China. |
D.The census will help to learn about the immigration situation. |
A.Because they are worried that the data would be used. |
B.Because their privacy will be known by the government. |
C.Because their information can be stolen by a man of ill will. |
D.Because the data will be uploaded through a WeChat program. |
9 . On November 4th, 2020, the draft that math should be listed as a major national project during the 14th Five-Year Plan(2021—25)period was adopted at the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, reported China Daily.
Katherine Johnson (1918—2020), a former NASA mathematician who calculated and analyzed flight paths for many missions, once said: “Some things will drop out of the public eye and go away, but there will always be science, engineering, and technology. And there will always, always be mathematics.” This may be one of the reasons why our country has listed math and its applications as a major national project into the next Five-Year Plan.
“The policy and financial support for the field of mathematics will be greatly improved between 2021 and 2025 compared with the past five years—it’s unprecedented,” said Yuan Yaxiang, a mathematician and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He also stressed that mathematical research matters because it can help overcome some current technology bottlenecks.
According to Science and Technology Minister Wang Zhigang, basic scientific research, including mathematics, will have a larger focus during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, with funding expected to reach over 8 percent of all research and development (R&D) expenses.
The math project is expected to receive 1.5 billion yuan in funding, according to Yuan. The funding will be used to build new institutions for scientific research and support the current ones with new experimental equipment. More training for young mathematicians has also been urged.
Thịs year, Tsinghua University carried out a leading talent training program in math. It recruits hundreds of outstanding middle and senior high school students from across the country to cultivate leading talents in mathematics and related fields. The “strengthening basic disciplines plan” was launched in 2020 at 36 top universities.
According to the German newspaper Die Welt, China leads the way as far as those with an aptitude for math. Of all those born in China between 2005 and 2009, 24 million have exhibited a talent for math. The number is 1.8 million and 940,000 in Japan and South Korea, respectively. That's why many international companies like Apple have set their research centers in China.
1. Why has our country listed math as a major national project in the 14th Five-Year Plan?A.Because math has dropped out of the public eye. |
B.Because the government intends to arouse the public’s interest in math. |
C.Because math is the basic science that will always be there. |
D.Because some mathematicians attach importance to it. |
A.A middle school student talented in politics. |
B.A high school student good at physics. |
C.A primary school student gifted in mathematics. |
D.A postgraduate with a natural gift in chemistry. |
A.We will overcome current technology bottlenecks. |
B.China will give unprecedented financial support to math researches. |
C.1.5 billion yuan will be used to train more young mathematicians. |
D.Many international companies will set up research centers in china. |
A.Math has played an important role in the development of a country. |
B.China carried out some policies to overcome difficulties in math. |
C.Math has been listed as a major national project in the 14th Five-Year Plan period. |
D.Leading talents will be admitted for further training. |
10 . My wife and I were at a crowded grocery store not long ago. It was a weekday evening, cold and wet and tense. People were carelessly blocking aisles, complaining and cutting one another off with their carts. At one point, two women quarreled for several minutes in the freezer section.
Things got worse at the checkout line. The cashier scanned a man's discount card, but he misread the savings on her screen as an additional charge. He decided she was acting on purpose and began to argue.
Other customers looked away as the cashier tried to reason with him. She called a manager, who took him to customer service. Shaken, she moved to the next customer in line.
We’ve all witnessed uncomfortable scenes like this in public places. My reaction when I see them is both personal and professional. I am a data analyst and sociologist who studies how and why people interact with one another--or why they choose not to. To me, the grocery scene was another example of how our trust in others has disappeared. But it was also a teachable moment on how we can rebuild our faith — starting with just one person.
Therefore, my wife and I reached the disturbed cashier. I grabbed a bottle of water from a nearby cooler and handed it to her. We learned her name was Beth.
“We felt bad about how that man treated you and wanted to buy this for you.” I said.
Beth’s face lit up, and we talked as she scanned our items. She told us she had been working that evening through severe foot pain and would be having surgery later that week. We wished her well in her recovery, and she thanked us as we left.
That is the balancing act, the moment of countering social and emotional pain with healing, that will add up to restore trust across the United States. You can start that pattern in someone else's life , even in a place as ordinary as the neighborhood grocery store.
1. By describing the arguments, the author wants to show________.A.the job as a cashier is not easy. | B.people in the U.S are unfriendly. |
C.arguments in public are very common. | D.confidence in each other has worn off. |
A.Sad and regretful. | B.Sorry and embarrassed. |
C.Cheerful and rewarded. | D.Grateful and relieved. |
A.Doubtful. | B.Optimistic. | C.Uncaring | D.Cautious |
A.A Miserable Cashier. | B.A Helping Hand. |
C.Learning to Trust Again. | D.Starting a new life. |