1 . Germany’s top court (法院) has ruled that parts of the country’s 2019 climate action law must be changed because they don’t do a good job of protecting young people. Nine young people aged 15 to 24 took the government to court over the law. They said that the government’s failure to plan carefully was putting their future lives in danger.
The judges (法官) of Germany’s highest court said climate change will influence young people far more than adults. That’s because climate change will become more serious over time. As young people become adults, they’ll be left to deal with any problems that today’s adults don’t deal with.
In 2019, Germany passed a new law, promising that the country would be producing no more CO2 than the forest can take in by 2050. The law made a plan of action until 2030. But the law didn’t have any plans for climate actions that would be taken between 2031 and 2050.
The court has asked the German government to fix the law by the end of 2022. The climate law will now need to have a plan for the actions that will be taken after 2030.
The German government has said that it will quickly begin working to make the needed changes. One important part of high court decisions like this is that they act as guides or examples for future decisions. This means that in the future, Germany’s lawmakers will be more likely to think about the climate future of young people as they create their laws.
1. Why did the judges make such a decision?A.They decided the new law made no sense. |
B.They wanted to give the young more rights. |
C.They focused more on the future of the young. |
D.They thought it’s hard to solve climate change. |
A.It failed to take action before 2030. |
B.It was producing more and more CO2. |
C.It refused to consider the young’s rights. |
D.It didn’t plan the climate actions after 2030. |
A.It will make more decisions on climate change. |
B.It will ask the young to help make climate laws. |
C.It will consider the young when making climate laws. |
D.It will encourage the young to protect the environment. |
A.They were brave and forward-looking enough. |
B.They couldn’t bear the present climate change. |
C.They wanted to take part in law-making. |
D.They planned to work in the government. |
2 . Julie Kenerson loved taking her two sons Lukas and his brother Jake who used a wheelchair due to his rare illness, to the Charlestown playground in Mayor Thomas M. Menino Park.
In 2019, Jake passed away at age 11 from complications of his metabolic (新陈代谢的) disorder.
Over the past decade, playground accessibility has advanced due to more awareness and more options for designers. Parents like Julie are telling public officials and planners that more work still needs to be done to make playgrounds truly inclusive.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which requires equal access for people with disabilities in public spaces, was passed in 1990. But it didn’t specifically address outdoor recreation in its original regulations. Updated guidance came in 2010, and any playground that is now built or renovated must be ADA-compliant. But, according to Julie, there is a gap between what she calls “ADA on paper” and “the lived experience of ADA”.
A.Fortunately, those in charge are listening. |
B.But not all playgrounds were accessible to Jake. |
C.However, some officials turn a deaf ear to Julie’s requests. |
D.The playground has plenty of wheelchair-accessible designs. |
E.One of Julie’s main themes is that play should be for everyone. |
F.Hence, she still attempts to make playgrounds accessible to all. |
G.Since then, Julie has been on a special playground-related mission. |
3 . On June 14, 2022, Mia Samolinski was driving a Subaru Outback in the parking lot when she stepped on the gas pedal (油门) instead of the brake (刹车) and drove into the water. It
Samolinski was at risk of
“
“It doesn’t matter who it was, they were in an
A.happened | B.appeared | C.changed | D.turned |
A.reported | B.prevented | C.witnessed | D.recalled |
A.starving | B.dying | C.escaping | D.bleeding |
A.confusion | B.passion | C.quality | D.strength |
A.At last | B.As usual | C.Of course | D.For example |
A.worry about | B.talk about | C.speak out | D.figure out |
A.aim | B.luck | C.proof | D.secret |
A.weight | B.enthusiasm | C.imagination | D.height |
A.bottom | B.window | C.nose | D.wheel |
A.reach | B.balance | C.protect | D.lift |
A.stand | B.escape | C.hide | D.participate |
A.frightened | B.excited | C.ashamed | D.disappointed |
A.unavoidable | B.similar | C.alarming | D.embarrassing |
A.suffer | B.cheat | C.relax | D.complain |
A.Confusingly | B.Obviously | C.Responsibly | D.Interestingly |
4 . Parents and kids today dress alike, listen to the same music, and are friends. Is this a good thing? Sometimes, when Mr. Ballmer and his 16-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, listen to rock music together and talk about interests both enjoy, such as pop culture, he remembers his more distant relationship with his parents when he was a teenager.
“I would never have said to my mom, ‘Hey, the new Weezer album is really great. How do you like it?” says Ballmer. “There was just a complete gap in taste.”Music was not the only gulf. From clothing and hairstyles to activities and expectations, earlier generations of parents and children often appeared to move in separate orbits.
Today, the generation gap(代沟) has not disappeared, but it is getting narrow in many families. Conversations on subjects such as sex and drugs would not have taken place a generation ago. Now they are comfortable and common. And parent-child activities, from shopping to sports, involve a feeling of trust and friendship that can continue into adulthood. No wonder greeting cards today carry the message, “To my mother, my best friend.”
But family experts warn that the new equality (平等) can also result in less respect for parents. “There’s still a lot strictness and authority (权威) on the part of parents out there, but there is a change happening,” says Kerrie, a psychology professor at Lebanon Valley College, “In the middle of that change, there is a lot of confusion among parents.”
Family researchers offer a variety of reasons for these changing roles and attitudes. They see the 1960s as a turning point. Great cultural changes led to more open communication and a more democratic process that encourages everyone to have a say.
“My parents were on the ‘before’ side of that change, but today’s parents, the 40-year-olds, were on the ‘after’ side,” explains Mr. Ballmer. “It’s not something easily accomplished by parents these days, because life is more difficult to understand or deal with, but sharing interests does make it more fun to be a parent now.”
1. The underlined word “gulf” in Para. 3 most probably means ________.A.interest | B.problem | C.difference | D.habit |
A.Parents help their children develop interests in more activities. |
B.Parents put more trust in their children’s abilities. |
C.Parents and children talk less about sex and drugs. |
D.Parents share more interests with their children. |
A.Less confusion among parents |
B.New equality between parents and children |
C.More respect for parents from children |
D.More strictness and authority on the part of parents |
A.describe the difficulties today’s parents have met with |
B.discuss the change of the parent-child relationship |
C.suggest the ways to handle the parent-child relationship |
D.stress the importance of parent-child relationship |
5 . I decided to write the article on British Sign Language (BSL) being taught in school. This is because both of my parents are completely deaf which means they can’t hear at all and another reason I decided to do this topic is because I have realised how much of a problem it has become.
It might come to a surprise to learn that nearly all communication is non-verbal (非语言的) and only a little bit is verbal. Over half of the non-verbal communication is body language. Deaf pupils often struggle (挣扎) in school because they can’t get proper help from their teachers as they might not understand each other.
Sign Language is a language that uses hand gestures and body language. These are different ways of communication that deaf or hard of hearing people use to communicate with people. Some deaf people are what you might call “mute”, which means they use Sign Language but don’t use speech. Other deaf people may use speech, most of whom either use hearing aids or have a cochlear implant (人工耳蜗) which can help them hear.
By teaching BSL it would open doors for the deaf community and it would reduce a lot of language barriers (障碍) between deaf and hearing people. The more people learning BSL through education means that it would give deaf people more options for further education and good jobs. By teaching Sign Language in school it can help deaf awareness (意识). With young people growing up and learning it together there wouldn’t be a problem with getting jobs.
I think that deaf awareness is better than it used to be but it still isn’t good enough. In the end teaching Sign Language will be the best for everyone. There would be less language barriers, which means communication will be easier between hearing people and deaf people.
1. What made the author write the text?A.His own hearing problem. | B.The difficulty of the deaf. |
C.The school’s sincere invitation. | D.His parents’ encouragement. |
A.They are too shy to ask for help. |
B.Their classmates use body language. |
C.Their teachers are unwilling to help them. |
D.They have difficulty communicating with others. |
A.We should offer deaf people good jobs. |
B.Schools should teach British Sign Language. |
C.Schools should provide further education for the deaf. |
D.Young people should learn more about Sign Language. |
A.It is nearly close to success. | B.It still needs to be improved. |
C.It isn’t understood by hearing people. | D.It’s bad for breaking language barriers. |
6 . A good vegan milk (纯素奶) needs to look like milk and taste like milk, whether it contains fat or not. Vegan milk is only one example in the growing types of plant-based alternatives (替代品) to animal products, such as meat, cheese, eggs and fish. Burger King and McDonald’s sell vegan pies. Last year the world’s largest producer of canned tuna, Thai Union, began to sell a plant-based product. Growing sales show the growing taste for this type of food, which means alternative proteins have come a long way since 1980s.
Producing techniques have been improved, resulting in better products and lower prices of them, which meet the needs of a growing number of people. Some vegetarians say no to meat, but yes to fish. Some people are trying to cut fat for health reasons. Fitness lovers want to develop muscular mass and strength without building up fat. Concerns about animal rights and greenhouse gas from raising livestock (家畜) are driving the environmentalists to limit their intake of animal-based proteins. As is reported, producing a gram of beef gives off 25 times the amount of greenhouse gas as producing a gram of tofu.
However, plant-based proteins are a tough sell in giant markets like India, where diets are already plant-rich, or Nigeria, where meat-eating is a sign of being rich. That limits their global popularity. What’s more, animal products, including milk and meat, are better for children’s bone development, though lab-grown meat and dairy are becoming more nutritious.
All this suggests that alternative proteins have far to go to replace the animal kind. Plant-based foods may no longer be only a side dish in diets, but their makers’ place as the main dish is another matter.
1. Why does the author mention vegan milk in the first paragraph?A.To encourage a healthy diet. |
B.To show people’s growing taste. |
C.To stress the importance of milk. |
D.To introduce the topic of the passage. |
A.Ways to meet the needs of people. |
B.Benefits of animal-based products. |
C.Results of improved producing techniques. |
D.Reasons for choosing plant-based products. |
A.Indian Diets are rich in plant. |
B.Eating meat means being rich. |
C.Plant-based products are produced in labs. |
D.Plant-based products are bad for children. |
A.Supportive. | B.Doubtful. | C.Objective. | D.Unclear. |
Many people take the idea of saving money very seriously. Back in 1924, in Italy, a group of people
Not surprisingly, a movement targeting the poor was started. People in the
Other people don’t spend money because they don’t like the culture of consumption. This is connected to the view
But however we view money, moderate spending is certainly a good idea when we are still too young to get a job. There is a British saying that
8 . People who cross the street while looking at their phones may be fined in the city of Xiamen, Fujian province, as traffic police officers are enforcing (施行) a local regulation that was put into effect on August 1st.
A pedestrian who was crossing the street on Tuesday while looking at their phone was given a warning, becoming the city’s first to receive a reprimand (训斥) for the behavior.
The Traffic Safety Regulation on Zebra Lines in Xiamen Special Economic Zone, made into a law on Tuesday, states pedestrians should not browse their electronic devices or engage in other activities that may end anger traffic safety while using crossing lanes. Those who violate this rule and delay or stop the progress of the normal passage of vehicles are supposed to be given a warning or a fine of 50 yuan($7).
The regulation was made in response to motions by legislators (立法委员) to the Xiamen people’s congress. “Through putting uncivilized behavior right via legal means, we hope to create a better environment for drivers and pedestrians to better understand and interact with each other,” said Wu Tao, an official at the local congress.
Su Guoqiang, a deputy to the congress among those who raised the motion, said more than 20 percent of traffic accidents in Xiamen happened on crosswalks. “We hope to use the punishment of the ‘small’ act of browsing phones as something to prevent people from doing such a thing,” he told China Central Television.
Peng Chong, a traffic police officer in Xiamen, told CCTV for the time being they will mostly educate and warn violators and make everyone involved in traffic aware of the rules.
1. What does the underlined word “motions” in paragraph 4 mean?A.Formal invitations. | B.Formal features. |
C.Formal proposals. | D.Formal apologies. |
A.The concrete contents of the punishment. |
B.The reason why the motion was put forward. |
C.The reason why people browse phones on crosswalks. |
D.The factors that have an influence on traffic on streets. |
A.Mostly by giving them a ticket. | B.Mostly by giving them a warning. |
C.Mostly by making them recite the law. | D.Mostly by making them catch another violator. |
A.Pedestrians on crosswalk warned not to end anger traffic safety in Xiamen |
B.Xiamen expects drivers and pedestrians to better understand each other |
C.20 percent of traffic accidents in Xiamen happen on crosswalks |
D.Xiamen regulation on crosswalk behavior enters force |
9 . Fatty foods, or junk foods as they are popularly known as, are increasingly popular among Asia’s fast-food generation.
Dr. Chang, director of the Department of Food Nutrition, says children are consuming more meat and soft drinks. That is a complete departure (背高) from the traditional diet of vegetables, rice and a little meat. “They like big pieces of fried meat with a soft drink. So although they may eat the same amount of food, their calorie intake has increased. Now about 40 to 45 percent of their calories come from fat, says Chang.
Although on the whole Asians tend towards thinness, culture, namely Asians’ hospitality, is a reason for the fatness of today’s generation, according to Chang. “Asian people love food,” she says. “Eating and drinking have important social functions.” In the past, however, big meals were only hosted on special occasions as people were more careful with money. In the age of increasing wealth and remarkable consumption, ten-course meals are no longer reserved for significant occasions.
In the past people had four or more children --- now, they have only one or two, so they tend to spoil the kids, says Chang ”The easiest way is to give them ‘quality food.’ Parents think feeding them well is showing their love. They feel bad when their children look thin.”
When describing the physical condition of most overweight Asian children, Chang says, ‘There is a clear relationship between fatness and indoor play. Children get fat because they don’t move, and eventually, they don’t want to move because they are too fat.
Due to technology, a growing army of children prefer video games to outdoor sports. “What do children do when watching TV or playing computer games? They eat chocolate and drink Coke,” says Chang
1. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?A.Asian people tend to save more money. |
B.Asian children depart from their diet tradition. |
C.Asian children eat big meals on more occasions |
D.Culture contributes to the fatness of Asian children. |
A.healthy food | B.qualified food | C.delicious food | D.high-calorie food |
A.their children don’t love eating and drink |
B.their children don’t have a good physical condition |
C.they feel that they are not taking good care of their children |
D.they feel that they are not wealthy enough to afford “quality food” |
A.compare the traditional Asian diet with today’s diet of Asian children |
B.find reasons for increasing food consumption of Asian people |
C.explain why many Asian children are overweight nowadays |
D.prove the relationship between fatness and indoor play |
The Internet is an