1 . Research has shown that people tend to get more happiness from spending their money on experiences, such as travel and entertainment, than on things, such as clothes and electronic goods. But are people happier during the purchased (购买的) experience itself? Or does the happiness come more from expecting or remembering the experience?

A new study, published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, offers an answer. Our experiential purchases bring us greater pleasure in terms of expectation and remembrance than do our material purchases，but they also bring us greater in-the-moment enjoyment, the study found.

For the study, the researchers found 2,635 adults who agreed to receive texts at any time during the day. The texts began with a happiness question, which asked the participants (参与者) to rate how they felt “right now” on a scale from very bad to very good. Half of them were then asked if they had made a material purchase within the past hour, such as clothing or electronic goods. The others were asked if they had made an experiential purchase within the past hour, such as eating in a restaurant or attending a concert.

The researchers found that the purchasers of the experiences express higher levels of happiness than the purchasers of the material goods, no matter how much the purchases cost.

To address possible differences in types of purchasers, the researchers made a second study in which they researched more than 5,000 adults. “We still observed the same result,” said Amit Kumar, the study’s lead author.

The researchers said a possible explanation is the endurance (持久) of experiences in people’s memories, while the observed value of material goods weakens over time.

“If you want to be happier, it might be wise to move some of your spending away from material goods and a bit more toward experiences,” Kumar said. “That would likely lead to greater happiness.”

1. Why does the author put forward two questions in paragraph 1?

A．To make a fact clear.

B．To introduce a new study.

C．To compare different research.

D．To doubt the opinion presented.

2. Why did the researchers text the participants?

A．To ask them about their spending plans.

B．To understand their needs and spending habits.

C．To find out the change in their purchasing choices.

D．To track their purchasing activities and feelings.

3. What do the underlined words “the same result” in paragraph 5 refer to?

A．The desire to purchase things weakens over time.

B．People are more willing to spend money on things.

C．People get more pleasure from spending money than making it.

D．Experiential purchases bring more happiness than material ones.

4. What did Kumar think people should do in the last paragraph?

A．Spend more on experiences.

B．Make future spending decisions.

C．Be happy with what they have bought.

D．Consider its value when buying a product.

2 . According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term “couch potato” first appeared in print in a December, 1979 edition of the Los Angeles Times. Since then, it has become a familiar term for a person who spends a lot of time sitting, and little time exercising. Although there does not seem to be any particular reason why the term “couch potato” is used rather than “couch tomato”, a person may become a “couch potato” because living this way is said to make you round like a potato. The term is also said to have something to do with the high-calorie (卡路里) food like potato chips.

People now would say “couch potato” whenever they talk about overweight and obesity (肥胖). Indeed, “couch potatoes” are believed to have heart disease risks, which can be avoided by regular exercise.

It is true that technology and modern life in general make us sick, fat, lazy and physically/mentally soft. The more time people spend using technology, particularly televisions and computers, the less time they will spend being physically active.

“Couch potato” kids are a particular concern. Media reports repeatedly claim that children today are fatter than their elder generations, but less athletically skilled, less interested in physical activities and more addicted to “junk food” and technology such as televisions and computers. The message is clear: today’s children are fat because they are lazy and eat too much. Moreover, because technology is becoming more sophisticated, children are less able to resist (抵抗) technology’s attraction, and are more likely to spend more time using technology, less time doing physical activities and, therefore, more likely to be fat.

1. The first paragraph is mainly about____.

A．what kind of person looks like a couch potato

B．why “couch potato” is used as a term for a person

C．when “couch potato” is used as a term for a person

D．how “couch potato” is different from “couch tomato”

2. It’s kids’________that people are particularly concerned about.

A．food

B．study

C．health

D．hobby

3. The underlined word “sophisticated” in the last paragraph may mean_______.

A．boring

B．different

C．complex

D．simple

4. According to the passage, the author may suggest that, ________.

A．scientists should stop their technology research

B．parents should take better care of their children

C．kids should be prevented using new technology

D．people should spend less time using technology

3 . For today’s interconnected food supply chains, “efficient” is what it’s supposed to be: Each country specializes in what it’s best at and puts it on the global market. Producers and processors within countries specialize, too, as a way to minimize costs. As a result, at least in theory, prices stay low, the world gets fed and everyone wins.

However, the COVID-19 crisis demonstrates what is wrong with this approach. When barriers prevent food from reaching its markets, or demand suddenly drops — both of which are happening now — the system falls apart. Belgium, a leading exporter of potatoes, lost sales on the domestic and overseas markets because of lockdowns (封锁). At least the Belgians can try to eat the potatoes at home. That strategy won't work for every crop: Ghana, the world’s top cocoa exporter, lost markets when people focused on buying essential items instead of chocolate.

The loss in export income in Africa more generally could have a huge impact if the COVID-19 crisis continues, as many countries there rely heavily on imported (进口) grains. The prices of these grains have rocketed not only because of rising demand for these grains during the crisis, but also because a few countries — including Russia and Vietnam — carried out export restrictions out of fear that sending food abroad would lead to higher prices domestically.

Seeing the spoiled products across the world should force all of us to rethink our “efficient” food supplies. We need to rejuvenate (使恢复活力) local and regional food systems to reduce the vulnerabilities that come with being relying too much on imported foods. This doesn’t mean cutting off all trade or abolishing all packaged foods, but it does mean building diversity, and increasing opportunities for small and medium-scale enterprises to flourish in shorter, more sustainable (可持续的) food supply chains that are closer to home. For governments around the world, it should be the place to start.

1. In theory, specialization of the food system ________.

A．adapts to changes efficiently	B．balances supply and demand
C．focuses on essential items	D．reduces costs of production

2. The underlined word “vulnerabilities” in Paragraph 4 means ________.

A．weaknesses

B．diversities

C．unfairness

D．prices

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A．A few countries restrict exports to stabilize local food prices.

B．Grain prices rise due to Africa’s dependence on importation.

C．Ghana might be less affected by lockdowns than Belgium was.

D．Packaged-food consumption should be encouraged to handle the crisis.

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

A．expose food export issues during the crisis

B．encourage multi-channeled regional food supply

C．discuss the development of a sustainable economy

D．prove the importance of diverse government policies

5 . What does the man mean?

A．He agrees with the woman.

B．The woman should be polite.

C．The woman’s concern is useless.

6 . A new study indicates that living in a city makes it harder for people to concentrate on some tasks. The research found that people living in rural areas can focus better than those in urban areas. The study is from Goldsmiths College, which is part of the University of London. Head researcher Dr Karina and her team made great contributions. They studied how two groups of people did the same “thinking tasks”. The team went to a remote (偏远的) part of Namibia, southwest Africa, to study the Himba tribe. Himba people live a very basic life in the desert. They are still doing traditional farming. The team also studied members of the same tribe who had moved to the nearest town. The Dr. said the tribe who lived in the desert did much better on the tests than those in the town. It’s really interesting and shocking.

Dr Karina said their research may lead to changes in the way companies operate. In the future, workers may move from cities to live and work in the countryside. She said there are too many things around us in the city that stop us from thinking about one thing for a long time. This means we do not work at our best. She asked, “What if, for example, companies realized certain tasks would be better carried out by employees based outside of the urban environment? There their concentration ability is better.” The past century has seen billions of people move from the countryside to big cities. In the future, the trend may not continue. If Dr.’s research is true, this century might see many of those people return to the great outdoors. Let’s wait to see what will happen.

1. What conclusion did Dr Karina and her team get from the study on the Himba tribe?

A．Himba people focus better in the desert.

B．Himba people aren’t used to the life in city.

C．Himba people are smarter than others.

D．Himba people give up traditional farming.

2. The underlined word “outdoors” in the last paragraph probably refers to “________”.

A．towns

B．cities

C．villages

D．countries

3. What change has taken place in the past one hundred years?

A．Big cities attracted many people to live and work.

B．Many people came back to the countryside.

C．Companies realized certain tasks would be better carried out outdoors.

D．People in rural and urban areas can’t concentrate on one task.

4. What is the main purpose of the text?

A．To remind people to focus better.

B．To advise people to live in countryside.

C．To show the bright future to readers.

D．To share a recent study with readers.

7 . Mr. Ma, a famous mental doctor from Beijing once said at an important meeting, “Now many young students can have problems with their minds. Some students become worried because they have to study very hard. Others have trouble getting on well with people around them like their parents and classmates. Parents and teachers should care more about this mental problem.”

Then Mr. Ma gave some examples. One patient, a middle school student from Xi’an was doing badly in his lessons. He thought his teachers and friends often laughed at him, and he became so nervous and worried that one night he left his home without telling his parents. Another student, a14-year-old school girl from Shanghai, was very afraid of exams. While she was reading the exam paper, she couldn’t think of anything to write.

A recent report from Jiefang Daily says about 18% of young students in Shanghai have mental problems. They often feel worried and very unhappy. Unluckily many of them won’t go and ask for help. Some think they will look stupid if they go to see a doctor.   Others won’t talk about their secrets.

At the end of the meeting,   Mr. Ma offered some good ideas for young people:

• Talk to your parents or teachers often.

• Take part in group activities.

• Try to get on well with the people around you.

• Go to see a doctor if you often feel unhappy.

1. The schoolgirl’s problem happened whenever she _______.

A．studied very hard	B．had exams
C．talked with her parents	D．went to school

2. Why do students often have trouble getting on with others?

A．They may have no parents.

B．They may have poor memories.

C．They may have no secrets.

D．They may have mental problems.

3. The underlined words “mental problems” in this passage mean _____.

A．difficult things	B．strange mind
C．something wrong with mind	D．great thought

4. Some of those with mental problems won’t ask for help because ______.

A．they don’t want to tell their secrets to others

B．their parents are too busy to look after them

C．doctors can’t help them with the problems

D．they don’t have time to ask anyone for help

5. According to Ma’s ideas, which of the following is TRUE?

A．It’s good for kids to have more group activities.

B．It’s helpful for you to see doctors every day.

C．It’s useful for students to keep quiet in class.

D．We can only go to the doctor when we are ill.

8 . What happened to the man?

A．He hurt his ankle.

B．He made a mistake.

C．He had to stay in bed.

10 . China and India are Rebuilding the Green World

Over the last two decades, the Earth has seen an increase in foliage (植物) around the planet, measured in average leaf area per year on plants and trees. Data from NASA satellites (卫星) shows that China and India-two___________economies with the world’s biggest populations-are___________the increase in greening on and. The effect comes mostly from_________tree-planting programs in China and intensive agriculture (精耕细作) in both countries.

Researchers from Boston University found that global green leaf area has increased by five percent since the early 2000s, an area_________to the entire Amazon rainforest.(亚马逊热带雨林) The study was also published in the journal Nature Sustainability on February 11. It revealed that at least 25 percent of the global plant_________this century came in China.

“China and India_________one-third of the greening, but contain only nine percent of the planets land area covered in vegetation,” said lead author Chi Chen of Boston University. “That is a surprising finding, considering the general idea of land degradation (退化) in populous (人口多) countries from_________.”

China’s_________contribution to the global greening trend came in large part from programs to protect and expand forests, accounting for about 42 percent of the greening contribution. These programs were developed in an effort to _________the effects of air pollution, soil erosion and climate change.

Another 32 percent of the greening change in China, and 82 percent in India, resulted from intensive__________of food crops. The land area used to grow crops in China and India has not changed much since the early 2000s.

1.

A．developing

B．declining

C．stimulating

D．fading

2.

A．imposing on

B．contributing to

C．leading to

D．creating for

3.

A．digital

B．extreme

C．harmonious

D．ambitious

4.

A．distant

B．equal

C．related

D．resistant

5.

A．expansion

B．substitution

C．innovation

D．correction

6.

A．make up

B．take in

C．stand for

D．consist of

7.

A．over-reaction

B．over-planting.

C．over generation

D．over-explanation

8.

A．considerate

B．grateful

C．huge

D．regular

9.

A．forbid

B．investigate

C．boost

D．reduce

10.

A．cultivation

B．demand

C．destruction

D．supply