1 . Recently, the “city walk” has been gaining steam among residents and tourists around China. On social platform Xiaohongshu, data shows that the number of city walk-related topic posts has increased by 700 percent over the past three months, and the total number of interactions has increased by more than 600 percent.
A city walk is a form of urban tourism originating in the UK. Unlike traditional sightseeing, which aims to hit famous attractions and commercial center, usually by vehicles with tense schedules, city walk is about “roaming” around a city on foot, soaking up the atmosphere and finding unusual things that even a resident of the city might not have noticed before. Such walks generally avoid famous scenic spots and shopping centers, and take you to places where you can have real interactions with the local people, eat at small but authentic restaurants, and gain a deeper understanding of the history and culture of the city.
City walkers are a cast of people who possess intense curiosity. They are eager to engage with the city they are visiting or reside in their own way. By “roaming” on foot, city walkers can better feel the texture and listen to the breath of a place. They seek pleasure more through connection than consumption, which indicates a deep cultural curiosity. For example, in Chongqing, if you don’t take a walk, you can hardly experience the unique geographical charm of the mountainous city. Be it the hutong in Beijing or the Chinese parasol tree district in Shanghai; city walks allow people to see the scenery apart from the scene and uncover hidden knowledge.
The appeal of a city walk lies in the young generation’s changing attitude toward life — pursuing quality leisure time while being occupied with demanding workloads and limited time for exploration. While roaming along the road, you can entirely focus on yourself and listen to your inner voice and care for what you feel, which is a way to love yourself and benefit your mental health. Just like Oscar Wilde once said, “To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.”
1. What do the underlined words “gaining steam” in paragraph one probably mean?A.Raising concerns. | B.Getting outdated. | C.Causing trouble. | D.Receiving popularity. |
A.It pursues economical tourism. |
B.It is usually well-organized and scheduled. |
C.It helps promote the authentic food of the destination. |
D.It focuses on feeling the local culture by connecting the city. |
A.They are keen to buy souvenirs. |
B.They tend to walk as much as possible. |
C.They have strong curiosity about the local culture. |
D.They prefer the city landscape to the natural scenery. |
A.Why city walk changes people’s lifestyle. |
B.Why the young fall in love with a city walk. |
C.How popular the city walk is among citizens. |
D.What young people usually do during a city walk. |
2 . When did you last write a letter? Properly write one—by hand? In a digital world, sending a text or e-mail is far more convenient than using traditional mail. Well, some people claim that writing still has many benefits, so maybe it’s not time to throw away your ballpoint or fountain pen yet.
These days, when people request things in writing, a typed, electronic document will be accepted. Doing this on a computer means it could be saved, edited, copied and sent via e-mail. But doing a handwritten document is unique: It requires planning and thought, and, as well as practising your handwriting, it helps you to remember spelling and punctuation (标点符号).
Some experts believe your brain benefits from using old-fashioned pen and paper. This is particularly related to students, because typing notes into a laptop is thought to lack the “tactile feedback (触觉反馈)” to the brain. They think taking notes by hand involves cognitive (认知的) engagement in summarising, paraphrasing, organizing, concept and vocabulary mapping. They also agree that handwriting may improve fine movement skills of your hands and fingers.
There are everyday benefits to using pen and paper too. Writing notes, shopping lists or messages on the back of an envelope can still be useful, quick and convenient. But putting pen to paper in a letter to a friend or loved one can probably have the most influence. Pen Pal writer Katherine Moller said, “In a world where it is so easy to get online to e-mail or send a fast text, it is so personal and so precious to know someone chooses to turn off the virtual world to spend some time with you.”
So, while digital skills remain important, don’t get rid of your pens and pencils yet—especially if your smartphone, table t or laptop runs out of power!
1. Why are two questions asked in Paragraph 1?A.To offer background information. | B.To ask for opinions. |
C.To show disagreement. | D.To lead to the topic. |
A.It needs people to plan and think. | B.It creates spelling and punctuation. |
C.It does harm to hands and fingers. | D.It helps the brain recover from disease. |
A.Using pen and paper every day has many benefits. |
B.Writing to someone shows true emotion. |
C.It is not easy to e-mail or send a fast text today. |
D.Digital skills are always important and necessary. |
A.It’s Time to Throw Away Your Pens | B.A World With Writing by Hand |
C.Do We Still Need to Write by Hand? | D.The Birth of Writing by Hand |
3 . As Norwood drove through St. Petersburg, Florida, the laughter from the four teenage girls inside her car suddenly gave way to
Then smoke
But halfway down the street, she realized that her best friend, Simmons, wasn’t with them. Norwood ran back and found Simmons stuck in the back
Kneeling on the lawn and looking down at her
Soon, paramedics (医务人员) arrived and rushed Simmons to hospital. When she heard how Norwood had saved her life, “I wasn’t
A.horrors | B.screams | C.pains | D.concerns |
A.crashed | B.pulled | C.settled | D.fell |
A.left | B.rose | C.jumped | D.disappeared |
A.speed up | B.run out | C.wear out | D.blow up |
A.injure | B.free | C.care | D.control |
A.freedom | B.rescue | C.life | D.target |
A.seat | B.window | C.car | D.handle |
A.moving | B.crying | C.listening | D.praying |
A.kicked | B.pushed | C.threw | D.pressed |
A.safety | B.shelter | C.home | D.hospital |
A.mouth | B.head | C.heart | D.shoulder |
A.smiling | B.disturbing | C.dying | D.troubling |
A.ways | B.terms | C.hopes | D.times |
A.thought | B.food | C.water | D.air |
A.touched | B.delighted | C.terrified | D.shocked |
4 . Japan recently lowered its voting age from 20 to 18. This decision was in order to help young people feel more engaged in politics. But it may also signal the change of social views regarding the beginning of adulthood.
Adulthood has traditionally been defined by a combination of age and the achievement of social milestones (里程碑). Most countries have a legally defined age to determine when a person becomes an adult — the age of majority. In Australia, most states consider a person to be an adult in court at 18. The age of 18 is also consistent with other adult privileges, such as the right to purchase alcohol and to marry. However, 17-year-olds can serve in the army and get a driver’s licence. The law defines adulthood on the basis of age and it also recognizes the process of becoming an adult as involving himself gradually in social responsibility. This legal approach to adulthood is mirrored in other countries, where there are differences between the age of majority and social responsibility given to young people.
Socially, determinants of adulthood traditionally focus on a person taking increasing responsibility for their lives in various ways. Completing school, taking full-time employment, getting married and parenthood — these are all observable indicators to determine when a person is viewed as an adult.
Since the 1980s, however, people have achieved some of these observable milestones at later ages. Increased access to education has delayed young people leaving home and developing romantic relationships. Economic changes have also resulted in unstable employment markets and increases in costs of living, prompting many young people to remain at home and dependent on parents.
Due to these social changes, our expectations of young people and their level of social responsibility have also changed. The recognition of a new life stage — emerging (发展初期的) adulthood — has been recommended to account for the changes to social milestones that have traditionally represented adulthood.
1. What can we learn about adulthood from the text?A.People reach observable indicators much later. |
B.Age alone is a reliable determinant of adulthood. |
C.Participation in politics is a responsibility for adulthood. |
D.Economic changes mainly shift people’s views on adulthood. |
A.Voting. | B.Buying wines. | C.Getting married. | D.Driving legally. |
A.Encouraging. | B.Advising. | C.Forbidding. | D.Persuading. |
A.Emerging adulthood reflects a new life stage. |
B.Adulthood is defined differently in different places. |
C.Social changes are challenging the idea of adulthood. |
D.Adulthood is a combination of rights and responsibilities. |
5 . Before uploading a photo of ourselves to social media, chances are that we’ll use an app to smooth our skin, make our eyes look bigger, and lips fuller. With a couple of taps on our mobile phone, we can get a quick fix and present the “best” version of ourselves to the world. However, the problem is, when we simply edit our imperfections away, we’re also changing the way we look at ourselves.
Last month, researchers published the article Selfies—Living in the Era of Filtered (过滤的) Photographs. The article analysed photo editing apps’ bad influences on people’s self-respect and their possibility to cause appearance anxieties. The researchers also warned that such apps make it difficult to tell the difference between reality and fantasy. “These apps allow one to change his or her appearance in minutes and follow an unrealistic standard of beauty,” the article reads.
In the past, people may have compared their looks to those of famous people. But for today’s young people, beauty standards are most likely set by what they see on social media. “From birth, they are born into an age of social platforms where their feelings of self-worth can be based purely on the number of likes and followers that they have, which is linked to how good they look,” British cosmetic doctor Tijion Esho told The Independent. This is why many young people suffer an identity trouble when it comes to appearance.
“Now you’ve got this daily comparison of your real self to this fake self that you present on social media,” Renee Engeln, a professor of psychology, told the HuffPost website. Engeln further pointed out that when people spend too much time making such comparisons, they may become “beauty sick” and find it difficult to accept what they actually look like. “Because between you and the world is a mirror. It’s a mirror that travels with you everywhere. You can’t seem to put it down,” she told The Washington Post. So when we look in a real mirror, we shouldn’t think to ourselves, “Do I look as good as myself in the filtered photos?” Instead, we should think, “I feel good; I have my health.”
1. Before uploading a photo to social media, we will probably _________.A.have an operating to make our eyes look bigger |
B.use some cream to smooth our skin |
C.use an app to fix our photo |
D.edit our perfections away |
A.In many ways, photo editing apps are beneficial to people. |
B.Photo editing apps are likely to cause people’s anxieties about their appearance. |
C.Photo editing apps can make people more beautiful. |
D.Photo editing apps help people judge realistic beauty. |
A.Because they compare their looks to those of famous people. |
B.Because beauty standards are set by social media. |
C.Because their feelings of self-worth depend on their own likes and dislikes. |
D.Because their feelings of self-worth depend on their appearance. |
A.We should feel good about what we actually look like. |
B.We should spend more time making comparison of our real self to fake self. |
C.We should take a mirror with us everywhere. |
D.We should try to look as good as ourselves in the filtered photos. |
6 . We’re increasingly relying on automation and artificial intelligence in everyday life. But we still don’t quite trust robots and fear they will take our jobs.
Humankind has a complicated relationship with robots. On the one hand, we appreciate how they can do dangerous, repetitive work so we don’t have to. Robots don’t need vacations or medical insurance. And in areas such as agriculture, where farmers can’t find enough people to pick the produce, robots can shoulder some of those tasks. But polls (民意调查) show that the growing robotization of the planet makes us feel deeply agitated - and threatened.
Pew Research Center surveys found that more than 80 percent of Americans believed thạt by 2050, robots would do much of the work humans now do and about 75 percent believed that would make economic inequality worse. Across lines of race, age, and education, people who said automation has hurt workers outnumbered those who said it’s helped workers by two to one.
National Geographic sent David Berreby around the world to look at the present and future state of robots in society.
“Robots now deliver food in Milton Keynes, England, carry supplies in a Dallas hospital, disinfect (给……消毒) patients’ rooms in China and some European countries, and wander parks in Singapore, asking pedestrians (行人) to maintain social distance,” Berreby writes.
“It’s an unavoidable fact that we are going to have machines, artificial creatures; that will be a part of our daily life,” Carnegie Mellon University AI roboticist Manuela Veloso told Berreby. “When you start accepting robots around you, like a third species, along with pets and humans, you want to relate to them.”
A third species? That’s a new idea indeed. But were not there yet. So far, Berreby reports, robots can’t equal the human mind’s ability to do a lot of tasks, especially unexpected ones, and robots haven’t yet mastered common sense - all sill required to be a magazine editor.
1. What does the underlined word “agitated” in paragraph 2 probably mean?A.Disappointed | B.Proud. | C.Comfortable | D.Worried. |
A.Most people regarded workplace automation as good. |
B.Most people agreed robots helped stimulate the economy. |
C.More people thought robots did more harm than good. |
D.More people feared robots would bring more social problems. |
A.People enjoy robots’ company. |
B.People have a growing reliance on robots, |
C.Robots will pose a serious threat to humans. |
D.Robots will soon replace humans in many fields. |
A.Disapproving. | B.Favorable. | C.Concerned. | D.Reserved |
7 . If job seekers knew companies were using AI to fill open positions, would it stop them from applying for the job? The answer, according to a recent study, is yes — sometimes.
The researchers found that in certain instances, like the screening (筛选) of applications, participants usually accepted some degree of automation. But in other instances, like interviews, automation could stop job seekers from applying for a position.
Companies facing recent labor shortages are increasingly turning to AI as a way to facilitate and speed up the hiring process. AI can be used in tasks such as screening job candidates, checking professional licenses, and interviewing candidates.
The new research suggests that using AI in hiring could be quite opposite. For instance, in one part of the study, participants were shown fictional job postings and then asked if they intended to apply for the position. The researchers found that if the job posting said that AI was used both to screen applicants and to conduct interviews, participants’ intention to apply for the position averaged 2.77 on a six-point scale. If AI was used only for the screening process, participants’ intention to apply averaged 3.73.
In another experiment, the researchers also found that study participants saw pros and cons in the use of AI in interviewing. When told the hiring would be fully automated, some participants expected the whole hiring process to be more consistent (始终如一的) in its judgments. But others tended to believe that they had less voice in the final outcome. Overall, the study results suggest this concern tends to outweigh the appreciation of AI’s lack of bias (偏见) at the interviewing stage.
A mixed approach may be a way to get the best of both worlds. Participants may have been more open to automation earlier in the hiring process because they could see some benefits from using AI — such as less-biased decisions. But during the later stages applicants expect personal interaction, to give them an opportunity to sell themselves and to learn more about the company.
1. Why do companies increasingly turn to AI in hiring?A.To attract more applicants. | B.To boost hiring process. |
C.To pick out top candidates. | D.To solve labor shortages. |
A.Screening job candidates. | B.Interviewing candidates. |
C.Grading professional licenses. | D.Predicting final outcomes. |
A.Less AI involvement. | B.Lack of consistent judgments. |
C.Less-biased decisions. | D.Lack of personal interaction. |
A.Hi-tech is a two-edged sword. |
B.AI finds its way to hiring process. |
C.Automation may discourage job seekers. |
D.A mixed approach should be adopted in hiring. |
8 . At the present time, the Internet is a major part of our lives. It’s always in our hands or pockets. Whatever we are doing is somehow linked(连接) to the Internet. We start finding our connections online as well, which is quite impressive. We find a person on a social media platform (社交媒体平台),see we have a shared interest and start chatting!
Online friendships in the past were doubted and not considered reliable because you didn’t know who was behind the screen. But now, when we can go shopping online, clear bills in online banks, and virtually attend schools, why can’t we find some real friends online?
With online friends, there are several advantages. When we find something catchy in someone — the very first quality of our online friend, we only then encourage ourselves to find ways to talk to them. We can share with them our everyday things, and what’s better than texting our friends our secrets? We can be present together with them on interested forums(论坛). We can share looks just through a click. And the best part is that we can shoot them a real quick message whenever we need their expert advice.
With all these strengths of an online friend, also come some weak points which make some people afraid to find their friends online. Some people believe that the person they are talking to on the screen is not real or trying to get information about their private life. They feel uncomfortable sharing and chatting with a person who they’ve never met in real life. Another problem that comes in the way of online friends is hanging out. People can’t really hang out with their online friends. The other problem is miscommunication, which sometimes leads to the end of a friendship.
Despite all these problems, online company is a perfect form of relationship between two or more. After all, we would notice these problems in any other kind of relationship or friendship. Miscommunication or a trust issue is always present even in face-to-face communication.
1. What is paragraph 1 mainly about?A.How the Internet has changed our daily life. |
B.whether people should make online friends. |
C.Why a good friendship is difficult to develop. |
D.What made making friends online a reality. |
A.Easy. | B.Possible. | C.Dependable. | D.Lasting. |
A.By telling stories. | B.By making comparisons. |
C.By explaining general rules. | D.By providing research results. |
A.Doubtful. | B.Neutral. | C.Unclear. | D.Supportive |
9 . Throughout history, music spread among people of different cultures. In today’s technological advanced society, however, people spread music online, sometimes without an artist’s permission. This can lead to many problems, and music companies are now cracking down on this practice. Sharing music online without permission is theft.
Sharing music online prevents recording companies from making money from their efforts. They say that sharing music online has resulted in a huge drop in profits and sales over the past 10 years. People who find music for free online are not paying for CDs or every piece of music downloaded. To truly understand the influence of music piracy (盗版行为) on creators, one must understand how many people are involved in the recording process. For the sale of each album, profits must be shared among musicians, sound engineers, music producers, managers, advertisers, and the company selling the product. Many people believe sharing music only affects the recording artist, but the reality is that sharing hurts business for all companies involved.
There are many people who don’t see the harm in sharing music online and even think they have the right to do it. One online blogger states that he originally paid for an entire CD and that he should be able to do with the material whatever he wants. While he may have legally paid for the music, he does not have the right to share it without permission, which means people like the blogger are thieves.
Although we don’t spread music the same way we did before, there’s no doubt that people around the world love to share music. However, Internet piracy will prevent musicians from continuing producing albums for fear of theft. Therefore, if people want to continue listening to their favorite artists, they need to buy their music so that artists will make enough profits to continue their music careers.
1. What does the underlined phrase “cracking down on” in Paragraph 1 most probably mean?A.Bringing up carefully. |
B.Speaking highly of. |
C.Dealing seriously with. |
D.Destroying completely. |
A.All bloggers are acting like thieves. |
B.Once paying for a CD, you can treat it at will. |
C.Many people have difficulty understanding CDs. |
D.People who share music online without permission can be called thieves. |
A.Sharing music online affects a lot of people. |
B.Artists are taking action to protect their right. |
C.Sharing music online increases sales of music CDs. |
D.A person who buys a CD has the right to share it online with others. |
A.Indifferent. | B.Favorable. | C.Disapproval. | D.Skeptical. |
10 . Haley Curfman, 25, of Blackwell, Oklahoma, is a teacher at Blackwell Public School and last year she bought a plain(朴素的) white dress, which she set up a station in her classroom for her students to decorate, encouraging them to go and draw on the dress whenever they had free time. Haley set up a station at a table with the dress and some colored markers so that her students could draw on it, having first seen the idea on Pinterest.
After the kids had finished the design, she then surprised them all by wearing the dress to class, sharing pictures of herself in it on Facebook in a post that has since been shared over 200, 000 times.
For teachers looking to do something similar for their own students, Haley said that she bought the dress off Amazon for less than $ 20 about six months ago and pre-washed the dress before she started the project. She used markers from Walmart. But she said these things can be bought in other places. She said, “To do the project, I set up a station at a table with the dress and markers. It takes anywhere from two weeks to a month to complete as we just work on it here and there when time allows. You'd better give the students enough time so they don't have to hurry.”
“Teachers have been sharing their dresses, T-shirts, etc. with me that they've been creating since the 1950s with the same idea. It is amazing, and I love the fact that you are sharing them with me! Thank you all so much for your kindness and support,” she wrote on Facebook.
Asked why she came up with the idea, Haley told Scary Mommy. “We don't have art in our school, so, I always try to do little creative projects when possible.”
1. What did Haley use the plain white dress to do?A.To teach her students painting. |
B.To prepare for her presentation. |
C.To ask her students to draw on it. |
D.To help her students with their homework. |
A.It took Haley by surprise. | B.It is kept by Haley at home. |
C.It is the product of a new idea. | D.It has enjoyed popularity online. |
A.Buy the same dress online. | B.Give the kids enough time. |
C.Buy the same markers in Walmart. | D.Leave the finished work untouched. |
A.To teach art to her students. | B.To show her idea on Pinterest. |
C.To share it with other teachers. | D.To excite her students' creativity. |