| A. addressed B. boast C. approach D. sense E. wealthy F. glimpse G. revealed H. pushy I. statistics J. peers K. motivation |
College Rankings Are Something, but Not Everything
I am always confused when reading statements like “Princeton University is the number one college in the United States.” Are those who attend Princeton inherently brighter than their
High-ranking colleges in global education leagues attract greater talent in staff and students, and
I didn’t care about college rankings for years until I recently saw something different. This past October, Shanghai Ranking Consultancy
In my opinion, college rankings can serve as a reference, offering a
I once taught a three-month program to prepare university students for overseas exchange programs in England. But some of them displayed low
2 . They say the average person makes 35,000 decisions a day. Yet in her new book, How Woman Decide, Therese Huston explores a widespread phenomenon that many women fail to notice. “There’s a huge double standard when it comes to how men and women are viewed as decision-makers,” explains Therese, a psychologist from Seattle University. Therese decided to write the book after looking at her bookshelf: At one end, there were bestselling books about how to be a clever decision-maker — all written by men and featuring interviews with men like athletes. At the other end were books aimed at women on gaining leadership skills and confidence.
“Once those women are at the table, will their decisions be taken as seriously as men’s?” Therese wondered. “Men are respected as decision-makers more than women, especially in the workplace, largely because there’s this cultural belief that women are unable to make smart choices at work.”
So, Therese set out to pick apart the stereotypes to see what scientific research had found. “Scientific research shows that men and women struggle with decision-making equally. The only disadvantage I found was that during the teenage years — teenage girls are more indecisive than teenage boys. Otherwise, there’s little difference between the genders.”
However, there are some differences. “Women are more collaborative,” says Therese. “A female boss is more likely to ask the opinions of those around her when making a choice. Women ask for input, which helps make better decisions. However, this is often seen as a weakness rather than a strength.”
Therese also found that during times of stress, men and women make different choices, and the outcomes are often better when women are involved.
Study after study backs this view up. Neuroscientists Mara Mather and Nicole Lighthall from the University of Southern California studied the way men and women make decisions and found that in times of stress, they react very differently.
During their study, which involved playing a virtual gambling game, they found that when the females became stressed, they made smart decisions — quitting while they were ahead or taking safe bets. But when the men became stressed, they did the opposite, risking everything for a slim chance of a big win.
1. Therese Huston wrote the book How women Decide because she finds that ____________.| A．Women are less respected as decision makers. |
| B．Women are not equally treated in workplaces. |
| C．Women are unable to make smart choices. |
| D．Women are poor at making big decisions. |
| A．Men can make quicker decisions than women. |
| B．Women easily get stressed when making decisions. |
| C．Women are likely to ask for input when making decisions. |
| D．Teenage girls are less able to make decisions than teenage boys. |
| A．Women show less confidence in times of stress. |
| B．Men tend to make risky decisions in times of stress. |
| C．Men demonstrate great bravery in times of stress. |
| D．Women quit making decisions when ahead in games. |
| A．Women are brilliant as decision makers. |
| B．Men are weaker in making smart decisions. |
| C．We should give up all cultural beliefs about gender. |
| D．Great difference exists between the two genders in decision-making. |
The TERM “killjoy parents” has been trending on Chinese social media platforms as many young pcople complain that their parents would rather criticize than praise them for their accomplishments. One poster, for example, remarked that his parents said his high score in math wasn't good enough
It’s a terrible feeling to have someone “burst your bubble” when you think they should be sharing your joy. And your parents, after all, are probably the people with
I think a lot of it has to do with Chinese society. Parents know that life
When I asked a Chinese friend why Chinese parents don’t praise their children, he said it’s because they don't want to bring their children bad luck. He told me the story of two women sitting in a park and watching their children play. One of the mothers said to the other, “Your boy is so handsome and healthy.” That other mother replied, “No, he’s very ugly and he’s a very sickly child.” The mother, my friend explained, didn't want her son praised in case the “gods” heard and punished him. It's an old superstition (迷信), but it does have some basis in fact.
American parents, at the other extreme, are taught to ever criticize their children because it may hurt their feelings—their self-esteem. Instead, they
Stacey and Toby aren’t the only people to be welcoming Mariella’s app. It’s now got thousands of users, and she’s working long days to balance it with her A-level studies. The time difference from New York to her school in Rugby, Warwickshire, means she sets her alarm for 5am.
4 . In spite of “endless talk of difference”, American society is an amazing machine for homogenizing people. This includes the uniformity in clothing and communication, as well as the casualness and lack of respect seen in popular culture. People are absorbed into “a culture of consumption” launched by the 19th-century department stores that offered a wide range of goods in an elegant atmosphere. Instead of fancy shops catering to the upper-class, these were stores “anyone could enter, regardless of class or background.” This turned shopping into a public and democratic (民主的) act. The mass media, advertising and sports are other forces for homogenization.
Immigrants are quickly adapting to this common culture, which may not be altogether elevating but is hardly poisonous. Writing for the National Immigration Forum, Gregory Rodriguez reports that today’s immigration is neither at remarkable levels nor resistant to assimilation (融合). In 1998 immigrants were 9.8 percent of population; in 1900, 13.6 percent. In the 10 years prior to 1990, 3.1 immigrants arrived for every 1,000 residents; in the 10 years prior to 1890, 9.2 for every 1,000. Now, consider three indicators of assimilation — language, home ownership and intermarriage.
The 1990 Census revealed that “a majority of immigrants from each of the fifteen most common countries of origin spoke English ‘well’ or ‘very well’ after ten years of residence.” The children of immigrants tend to be bilingual (双语的) and good at English. “By the third generation, the original language is lost in the majority of immigrant families.” Hence, America is described as a “graveyard” for languages. By 1996 foreign-born immigrants who had arrived before 1970 had a home ownership rate of 75.6 percent, higher than the 69.8 percent rate among native-born Americans. Foreign-born Asians and Hispanics “have higher rates of intermarriage than do U.S.-born whites and blacks.” By the third generation, one third of Hispanic women are married to non-Hispanics, and 41 percent of Asian-American women are married to non-Asians.
Rodriguez notes that children in remote villages around the world are fans of superstars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Garth Brooks, yet “some Americans fear that immigrants living within the United States are not influenced by the nation’s assimilative power.”
Are there divisive issues and anger in America? Indeed. It is big enough to have a bit of everything. But particularly when viewed against America’s troubled past, today’s social Indicators hardly suggest a dark and worsening social environment.
1. The underlined phrase in paragraph 1 probably means ________.| A．making people adapt to American consumption culture |
| B．encouraging people to embrace a democratic lifestyle |
| C．encouraging people to stick to their own ideas and principles |
| D．making people behave more similarly in many aspects |
| A．Their adaptation to the common culture is quick but harmful to the society. |
| B．The scale of immigration is not big and the immigrants welcome American culture. |
| C．Their children are good at both English and their original language. |
| D．Hispanic and Asian-American women both prefer to marry native-born Americans. |
| A．provide examples of successful immigrants |
| B．suggest the weakness of America’s assimilative power |
| C．show the powerful influence of American culture |
| D．prove their popularity at home and abroad |
| A．Optimistic. | B．Concerned. | C．Neutral. | D．Negative. |
5 . Club Activities in Japanese Schools
In the after-class activities of Japanese high schools, there are various clubs. Participation depends on students; however, most students choose a certain club.
A recent survey showed activity participation rate (比率). In junior high schools, participation rate was around 70% in sports clubs and around 20% in culture clubs. In senior high schools, participation rate in sports clubs dropped to about 50%, and in culture clubs, rose to around 25%. One reason is that there are more kinds of culture clubs in senior high schools than in junior high schools, so there is a wider range of choices.
The rate of junior high school students not choosing any club was less than 10%. However, that number more than doubled in senior high school. In recent years, the number of students not joining in any clubs is increasing. Stronger individualism, which causes unwillingness to participate in group activities, is one factor behind this change.
| A．Clubs are generally divided into two types — sports clubs and culture clubs. |
| B．Each sports club has a teacher, but the key is placed on student independence. |
| C．They are places where like-minded students can improve their creativity together. |
| D．Culture clubs in senior high schools tend to include traditional culture activities, such as tea ceremony. |
| E．It is also pointed out that culture clubs offer a more casual environment than sports clubs that require long and hard practice. |
| F．Actually, there are many advantages of participating in club activities in Japan. |
Venice, one of Europe’s most historical, romantic, and unique cities, is in danger of drowning — not in one of its famed canals but under the weight of people. Since 1980, there have been more tourists than residents in Venice and right at present the number
Venice is not alone. Croatian favourite Dubrovnik, with history and cultural excellence, is suffering the same fate. There were 5,000 residents in 1991, but in 2017 only 1,157 people were living in the Old Town
Many popular locations have started to apply strategies
Finding safe places to interact
“Why are young people staying away from their relatives?” Recently, this question
Many people believe
Moreover, online socializing
8 . The world’s population reached five billion on the day I was born. That was in Indonesia back in 1987, and my parents was shocked that there were so many people on the planet.
The human population has never been bigger, but in some ways the planet seems to begetting unbelievably smaller. In the past, travellers from Europe to Indonesia spent months at sea. Now you just have to sit on a plane for a few hours. When you arrived in another country a hundred years ago, you saw unfamiliar styles of clothing and buildings and discovered a completely different culture. In many places today, clothing and new buildings are very similar, and people enjoy the same things.
Even the languages that we use are becoming more global. There are around seven thousand languages in use today.
| A．But the number is decreasing fast. |
| B．Although we are on different continents, we are starting to live the same lives. |
| C．The planet might be a lot more peaceful if that were the case. |
| D．However, since then the population has continued to increase at an alarming rate. |
| E．A number as big as seven billion is hard to imagine. |
| F．With only one language left, there will be no culture difference in the world. |
9 . It keeps what’s inside a mystery until you open it. There are usually toys in mystery boxes; but now, food has been added to the list.
Recently, the trend of “leftover mystery boxes” has become popular in many Chinese cities such as Beijing, Nanjing and Chengdu. Stores pack boxes full of unsold food or food nearing its expiration date at low prices.
“We make the leftover mystery boxes available to buy at the end of the day,” Wu Tian, a staff member at a convenience chain store in Beijing, told China Daily. The food, such as milk, bread and sandwiches, is sold at about half the original price and is usually sold out quickly. Many bakeries have also joined the “mystery box club”.
Due to their low price, leftover mystery boxes “are very promising as a new business mode” and can attract more consumers, Hong Yong, an expert at the Ministry of Commerce, told China Daily. “In addition, they follow the concept of zero-waste and environmental protection.”
In 2021, the total amount of food waste in China reached 160 million tons, with an average of 93 grams per meal per person, China Food Newspaper reported. Since the passage of China’s Anti-Food Waste Law in April 2021, people’s awareness of food waste reduction has increased. Leftover mystery boxes can be an effective way for people to deal with food waste.
However, some people have raised food security concerns. If consumers buy a food mystery box for their breakfast the next morning, even if the food looks fine at the moment, it may have gone bad overnight. Moreover, food made in the store, such as bread, isn’t labeled with the production date in many cases, according to China Consumer News. If a consumer unpacks a mystery box and discovers that the food tastes bad or has already passed the last date, then it will be difficult for them to protect their rights, such as getting money back.
Only by considering both food safety and consumer rights can mystery blind boxes achieve a win-win situation for both buyers and sellers, commented China Youth Daily.
1. What leads to the rise of the trend of “leftover mystery boxes”?| A．Stores make the leftover mystery boxes available at night. |
| B．People feel like such food as milk and bread more attractive. |
| C．It offers customers lower prices for those unsold food. |
| D．It goes against the concept of zero-waste and environmental protection. |
| A．ending | B．producing | C．purchasing | D．selling |
| A．Because the food has gone bad when it’s bought. |
| B．Because customers’ rights are hard to protect. |
| C．Because the production dates are not clear enough. |
| D．Because customers cannot get a refund in many cases. |
| A．Concerns Over Food Security | B．Mystery Boxes of Leftover |
| C．A Solution to Food Waste | D．A Win-win Situation |
10 . Riding the bus to school could be keeping some kids out of class. Most school buses run on fuel. Those buses send out pollution, including tiny particles and gases. Bus riders get exposed to high levels of this pollution. When breathed in, it can lead to breathing problems, such as asthma (哮喘), which may keep kids home from school. But replacing the worst-polluting buses should cut down on student absences, a new study shows.
The study focused on schools that were asked to take part in a U. S. government program. The program offered schools cash back for money spent on cleaner school buses. The 2, 816 school districts in the new study all asked for the money. But not all got it. Only 383 were picked to receive funding. Winning districts could buy new buses and desert old ones.
The program started in 2012. From 2012 to 2017, the winning districts very likely had less bus pollution. And a year after getting new buses, student attendance had improved in those districts. For an average district of 10, 000 students, about six more students attended school each day in the winning districts. Districts that replaced the oldest buses had an average of 45 more students in school each day.
Those numbers may sound small, but they can add up, says Meredith Pedde, an environmental epidemiologist (流行病学家). Almost 3 million U. S. kids ride school buses more than 20 years old, her team figures. Replacing all of those old buses could mean 1.3 million fewer student absences each year, the data suggest. And school attendance matters for student achievement.
Now the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a new program for school buses. It’s offering $5 billion through 2026 to replace old fuel buses with cleaner ones. Almost all U. S. school districts can apply for the new rebates. But schools in low-income areas and in rural areas will get priority. Kids in these areas tend to face the most health risks from old buses, EPA notes. And anything that cuts air pollution, Pedde says, should improve student health.
1. What is the primary reason why riding the bus to school might lead to student absences?| A．Serious fuel shortage for school buses. |
| B．Lack of available seats on school buses. |
| C．High risk of disease spreading in a bus. |
| D．High levels of pollution from school buses. |
| A．It increases health risks for students. |
| B．It is a costly and ineffective measure. |
| C．It helps to improve student attendances. |
| D．It has no significant effect on absences. |
| A．Financial aids. |
| B．School posts. |
| C．Health benefits. |
| D．Public resources. |
| A．To describe the potential risk of school buses. |
| B．To talk about the use of cleaner school buses. |
| C．To discuss the importance of decreasing absence. |
| D．To call on the government to improve school buses. |
