1 . Yang Xingyu, 23, took a liking to fried insects the first time she ate them while touring Lijiang, Yunnan province. “I ate fried locusts (蝗虫) and silkworm chrysalises (蚕蛹). Although they looked a little strange, they were crisp. Due to the protein they provide, I now eat them for nutrition,” she said to China Daily.
Like Yang, about two billion people around the world have added eatable insects such as beetles, caterpillars and bees into their diets, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). They can be fried, baked, braised with soup, mixed with dessert, or even eaten raw.
The reason why the global interest in eatable insects has increased is that it is imperative to develop new food sources that are safe to eat, according to Huang Dawei, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Zoology. A UN report in July showed the global population is expected to rise to 8.5 billion by 2030, 9.7 billion by 2050, and about 10.4 billion by the 2080s. Huang said that the global population is rising much faster than the availability of food. As such, developing new food sources — especially sources of protein — is extremely urgent.
Insects are rich in protein, vitamins and minerals, which are all good for human bodies. In addition to their nutritional value, raising and eating insects is also friendly toward the environment and ecological conservation. Compared with traditional food sources such as farm animals, insect farming needs less land and water for production. Plus, insect farming releases less greenhouse gases. For example, pigs produce 10 to 100 times more greenhouse gases per kilogram than mealworms.
Even so, Guo Jianjun, professor at Guizhou University, warns that not all insects can be eaten, adding that some are poisonous, and that some people may even be allergic to insect protein. Knowing this, it would be best for would-be eaters of insects to first learn about the features of insects and make sure they are eatable before eating them.
1. What makes Yang want to eat insects?| A．Their taste. |
| B．Their appearance. |
| C．Their nutritional value. |
| D．Their cooking methods. |
| A．General. | B．Potential. | C．Reduced. | D．Pressing. |
| A．It provides more jobs. |
| B．It produces less pollution. |
| C．It generates more profits. |
| D．It takes less space and time. |
| A．Only a few insects are eatable. |
| B．It is never wise to eat insects. |
| C．Be cautious about eating insects. |
| D．Eating insects does more good than harm. |
1. Who are the audiences probably?
| A．College students. | B．News reporters. | C．Movie fans. |
| A．Racism. | B．Heightism. | C．Sexism. |
| A．Get more attention. | B．Get more choices. | C．Get more income. |
| A．They can earn high income from it. |
| B．They can get satisfaction from it. |
| C．Nobody cares about their height. |
3 . More often than not, people look at the phone screen to check for new messages or have a quick look a Meta. Researchers have now found why we often feel such a strong need to look at our phones. Using the mobile phone, according to them, is contagious (有传染性的).
The team said people were twice more likely to pull out their phones to check their text messages or e-mails if they were with someone who had just done the same. They also found that women were more likely to use their mobile phones than men. The team watched students in dining halls and coffee shops around the college, observing pairs of college students sitting at the tables for as long as 20 minutes and recording their cellphone use. “What we found most interesting was just how often people were using their mobile phones.” said Dr. Daniel Kruger, the study’s co-author. “Every person we studied used his or her phone at least once,while one woman was on hers about half of the time. People saw others checking their incoming messages and began to check their own.”
“Cellphones create another choice for one’s attention and may both support and disagree with live social activities,” the researchers wrote. Kruger believed this could be explained by the effects of social inclusion and exclusion. If one person in a pair starts a conversation through his phone, the other one may feel excluded and then feel the need to get in touch with others so as not to feel left out. The researchers noted that they might not get the same result in a study of different people for example, older adults might not have a habit of using cellphones so often.
1. What can we learn from the study?| A．People can affect each other by using mobile phones. |
| B．Using mobile phones has nothing to do with social activities. |
| C．Men are more likely to be affected by others’ using mobile phones. |
| D．The sound of mobile phones makes using mobile phones contagious. |
| A．will find that older adults don’t like to use mobile phones |
| B．will find that mobile phones are harmful to health |
| C．will no longer like using mobile phones |
| D．may reach a different conclusion |
| A．Supportive. | B．Objective. | C．Indifferent. | D．Opposed. |
| A．How to Use Mobile Phones Correctly |
| B．Why College Students Like Mobile Phones? |
| C．The Relation Between Mobile Phones and People’s Hobbies |
| D．Something Interesting About the Habit of Using Mobile Phones |
4 . We all may know someone we consider to be a picky eater, who tends to dislike some common food regularly and causes social embarrassment when ordering at restaurants. But for some people picky eating can actually become a serious disorder, and clinical definitions of picky eating behaviors often include people who only consume around 20 different kinds of foods for a long period of time.
“Having restricted diets can lead to nutritional deficiencies (缺陷) as well as health problems like heart disease, poor bone health and dental issues,” explained Lorenzo Stafford, one of the authors on the latest study. “There is also a social cost because normally enjoyable moments between family members can easily turn into stressful, anxious, and conflict-causing situations when picky eaters feel ashamed or pressured to eat certain food.”
A new research homed in on the effect of plate color on food desirability for picky eaters. The experiment was based on a foundational study from 2018 which looked at the way different colored food bowls affected a person’s sense of taste.
Using a design similar to the 2018 research, the new experiments had participants rate the sweetness, saltiness and overall desirability of a snack food eaten from different colored bowls. In this instance the snack was salt and vinegar potato crisps consumed from either a red, blue or white bowl. Around 50 participants were recruited (招募) and classified as either picky or non-picky eaters based on a standard questionnaire.
The results revealed picky eaters considered the snack to be saltier when it was eaten from a red or blue bowl compared to the white bowl. And overall, picky eaters found the snack generally less desirable when eaten from a red bowl.
It is worth mentioning that a recent survey estimated nearly one in five American adults could be clinically classified as picky eaters. So exploring ways to help these people better engage with more types of food could result in valuable health outcomes.
1. Which of the following may be a picky eater?| A．Tom who ate only some bread this morning. | B．Lisa who only has vegetables for losing weight. |
| C．Peter who often orders little at restaurants. | D．Alex who likes only a small range of dishes. |
| A．Health problems caused by picky eating. |
| B．Moments that are ruined by picky eaters. |
| C．Potential consequences of picky eating. |
| D．Quotes of Lorenzo to support the research findings. |
| A．Bowls of different colors directly affect appetite of eaters. |
| B．Blue color bowls can make the food in them saltier for eaters. |
| C．Food in red bowls seems less attractive to picky eaters. |
| D．The color of the bowl can change the taste of the dishes. |
| A．To show ways of enhancing people’s appetite effectively. |
| B．To stress the importance of reducing picky eaters’ anxiety and stress. |
| C．To encourage us to raise picky eaters’ awareness of healthy eating. |
| D．To call on researchers to help picky eaters try a wider variety of foods. |
5 . Thousands of workers in the UK have a shortened week ahead of them as a large-scale four-day workweek pilot gets underway. Beginning this week, more than 3. 000 workers at 70 companies across diverse industries will get an extra day off every week. The six-month trial organized by 4 Day Week Global, is considered the largest experiment of its kind in the world.
“What is most exciting about the pilot is that we have a wide range of fields of economy participating.” said Joe Ryle, campaign director for the UK arm of 4 Day Week. “We’re hoping it will show that the four-day workweek is possible across the economy in the longer term. ”
Participating employers range from firms in the education sector to banking. IT. marketing, retail and hospitality businesses. The schedule is based on the 100-80-100 rule, which allows workers to earn 100%of their pay for 80%of their time for delivering 100% of output.
Employers have been eager to test programmes that offer workers more flexibility and a better work-life balance after workers quit their jobs at record rates. It has forced companies to find new ways to employ and retain(留住)talent, including bumping up pay and allowing more remote work. Cutting a full day off the workweek is yet another option companies can use to induce job seekers to work for them.
“We’ve seen a growing appetite for reduced work time,” said Joe O’Connor, CEO of 4 Day Week Global. “Employers are drawn to this idea as they see it providing them with a competitive advantage. Because of the pandemic(大流行病)，managers are more open-minded.”
For the workers’ part, expectations have also shifted dramatically since the start of the pandemic. “People’s expectations about what forms a reasonable life-work balance have changed,” O’Connor said.
“The four-day week is generally considered to be a triple-dividend policy-helping employees, companies, and the climate,” said Juliet Schor, a sociology professor at Boston College.
1. What is the purpose of the pilot according to Joe Ryle?| A．To test the effectiveness of the four-day workweek. |
| B．To help develop the economy during COVID-19. |
| C．To improve cooperation between different industries. |
| D．To increase employees'productivity within four days. |
| A．Work hard to get a pay raise. | B．Improve their productivity. |
| C．Keep a record of what they do. | D．Spend more time with their family. |
| A．Expect. | B．Force. | C．Allow. | D．Persuade. |
| A．Negative. | B．Unclear. | C．Favourable. | D．Doubtful. |
6 . What are the limits of the human body? Is there a point at which it is physically impossible to do something?
“One thing we’ve all learned in the last 30 years or so is that just about anything is humanly possible,” says Dr. Jack Wilmore, author of Physiology of Sport and Exercise. “As time goes by, I think you’ll see more records continue to fall in every sport. The talent pool is better than ever. With more and better athletes involved and competing, records will fall and new standards will be set.”
Many believed it was physically impossible for a human to run a mile in under four minutes, but Roger Bannister proved that theory wrong with a three-minute, 59-second mile in 1954. Today, sub-four-minute miles are considered routine even in high school. And Bob Beamon stretched human performance in the 1968 Olympics with his historic long jump of 8.90 metres. In an event where a record is usually broken by mere inches, he broke the previous jump record by more than 21 inches, but even his record was broken in 1991.
One factor is now becoming more understood and heavily emphasized: sports psychology. Getting inside the athlete’s head can be as effective as training and long workouts. According to Wilmore, the psychological aspect of sports has become more and more esteemed. He points out that most professional teams have hired sports psychologists for their players.
In addition, every aspect of athletics --- training, nutrition, injury treatment --- is far better than it’s ever been. “Besides, children today tend to specialize in one or two sports instead of competing in several as was common twenty-five years ago,” Wilmore says. “That means they start concentrating on a sport much earlier and more intensely, and they become much better at it.”
“There’s a lot we don’t know yet about the human body,” he adds. “And one of those things is the full range of human potential. It would be foolish to try and put limits on what the human body can do.”
1. Which statement will Wilmore probably agree with?| A．It is preferable to set universal standards for athletes. |
| B．Athletes will become the most sought-after celebrities. |
| C．It is necessary for athletes to learn the limits of the body. |
| D．Athletes will continue to surprise us with their achievements. |
| A．To introduce two great athletes. |
| B．To show some of the latest world records. |
| C．To prove the limits of the body can be pushed. |
| D．To explain what athletes can achieve under stress. |
| A．Similar. | B．Valued. |
| C．Complex. | D．Specialized. |
| A．They participate in far more sports. |
| B．They are less likely to get injured in sports. |
| C．They begin playing sports at a much earlier age. |
| D．They become more skilful at one particular sport. |
7 . Humanities departments(人文院系)in America are once again being cut down. Earlier this month, the State University of New York(SUNY)StonyBrook announced a plan to abandon several of the college’s well-known departments for lack of fund. The University of Pittsburgh has cut its German and classics.
These are hard times. Instead of Shakespeare or French, there will be(perhaps there already are)college classes in how to cut corporate spending.
I don’t believe that the humanities can make you a decent person.
| A．These subjects are under attack |
| B．Students need practical skills to find jobs |
| C．Defenses of the humanities have appeared |
| D．This problem has also arisen internationally |
| E．Therefore, courses in the humanities are beneficial |
| F．It helps us learn how to think and live in a harmonious society |
| G．But they can expand our sense of what humans can accomplish and create |
1. Why do adults go to receive education again?
| A．To change a job. | B．To get higher degrees. | C．To meet the thirst for knowledge. |
| A．It is hard to spare time. | B．It will cost all their money. | C．It is impossible to be a student. |
| A．He questions it. | B．He supports it. | C．He thinks it costs too much. |
1. What happened to the man?
| A．His window was broken. | B．He forgot to lock the door. | C．His house was broken into. |
| A．Have a look. | B．Talk to others. | C．Ask more questions. |
| A．The man’s wife. | B．A policewoman. | C．The man’s neighbour. |
10 . While Jenny Loucas had enjoyed a wonderful holiday in Greece, her luggage disappeared after she had checked it in for the flight home to London. Two months later, Easyjet has confirmed that her luggage has been permanently lost.
Ms. Loucas’s case is far from unique. One insurance firm, Spain’s Mapfre, said that the number of passengers reporting missing luggage this summer was 30% higher than in 2019, the last year of normal travel before the pandemic. That year 19 million bags and suitcases were late arriving around the world, and 1.3 million were never seen again.
The situation has been blamed on staff shortages both at the carriers, the airport security staff that have to scan all the checked-in luggage, and the ground handling firms that are employed to get all these suitcases and bags onto the planes and then back to the moving belts.
To try to keep tabs (标签) on their items of luggage, a growing number of passengers are turning to technology.
Apple has reportedly seen a rise in sales of its AirTag tracking device. The AirTag works by sending out a secure Bluetooth signal that can be detected by nearby devices in the Find My network. These devices send the AirTag’s location to the iCloud, allowing the user to go to the Find My app and see it on a map.
Other travelers are attaching trackers that use GPS to their luggage. Yet while such tagging devices may give a passenger peace of mind, travel industry expert Eric Leopold says they don’t solve the core issue -- stopping the accumulation that prevent bags from catching the same flights as their owners.
SeeTrue is one company that hopes to help airports and airlines get luggage onto planes more efficiently. The firm makes software that can do the security scans on check-in luggage much faster than human security staff.
For UK tech firm AirPortr, its approach is to remove the need for passengers to have to queue up at the airport to check in their luggage before their flight. Instead passengers can use its app and website to arrange for their luggage to be taken door-to-door.
1. Why is the story of Jenny Loucas mentioned in the first paragraph?| A．To prove airport service is far from satisfying. |
| B．To show losing luggage can ruin a great holiday. |
| C．To explain the risks of traveling outweigh its benefits. |
| D．To introduce the topic of airlines losing luggage. |
| A．Staff’s careless handling. | B．Unreasonable flight schedules. |
| C．Lack of airport hands. | D．Low efficiency of scanners. |
| A．Unfavorable. | B．Approving. | C．Objective. | D．Interested. |
| A．Apple | B．Mapfre | C．AirPortr | D．SeeTrue |
