1 . Whenever we are planning to buy something online, most of us prefer to look at the reviews first. We imagine that they have been left by shoppers like us who want to share their knowledge with others, so the reviews would be of great value to us.
A careful study of thousands of reviews on a popular shopping website showed that a surprisingly large number of reviewers gave either four-or five-star ratings to the product. Two-or three-star ratings both accounted for less than ten percent of the total, which looked suspicious (可疑的).
It seems that anyone who writes a large number of good review s is given a special treat by the shopping website.
| A．So why are most reviews positive? |
| B．Reviews differ from person to person. |
| C．However, not all reviewers are like this. |
| D．So how can we tell true review s from false ones? |
| E．These “top” reviewers are then given free products. |
| F．Shoppers need protection from misleading reviews. |
| G．If those reviews were true, a broader spread of ratings would be given. |
2 . Dopamine (多巴胺), known as the “source of pleasure”, is a chemical that is released in the brain and provides people with a feeling of reward and motivation. Now, China’s young people are seeking to wear that joyfulness on their bodies, giving rise to the fashion craze—“dopamine dressing style”. Mainly characterized by bright colors, this dressing style is described by many Chinese netizens as “healing” and “a mood booster”. It is part-fashion, part-mindfulness.
Dopamine dressing is nothing new. In fact, a study published in 2012 found that when participants were asked to wear clothing that held some symbolic meaning, their perceived (感知的) confidence increased. The study determined that clothing can have a direct impact on their psychological process.
Another 2015 study found that the outfits we wear can directly influence how we think. It suggested that dressing in a certain way can influence the way we make decisions. “What we wear is how we show ourselves to those we interact with—we are influenced by their reaction to it. If we are well received, it builds up our confidence and can eventually affect our wellbeing.” one of the leading researchers, Mair added.
Actually, dopamine dressing is different for everyone. It’s about wearing the clothes that make you feel good. It could be joggers and a sport shirt; it could be your favorite pair of jeans; or it could be that dress you were saving for a special occasion. In a word, it’s ok to wear anything that can boost your mood.
Color psychologist Karen Haller said: “Color is a great way to lift our spirits and boost our moods in an instant. Our confidence can be boosted when we wear colors that we love and feel good in. We instinctively feel and behave differently when we take the colors in through our eyes and through the part of our brain where our emotions reside.” Ultimately, dopamine dressing is whatever makes you feel good.
1. What makes the dopamine dressing a real hit according to paragraph 1?| A．Its featuring only bright colors. | B．Its healing and boosting function. |
| C．Its impacting on people’s confidence. | D．Its allowing people to wear differently |
| A．Dopamine dressing is simply a new concept of dressing. |
| B．Dopamine dressing is beneficial to our mental health. |
| C．Dopamine dressing has little to do with our decision making. |
| D．Dopamine dressing can drive us to interact with more people. |
| A．All the students wear school uniform on Mondays. |
| B．My father has to put on a heavy coat in cold weather. |
| C．Jack often follows the trend to buy clothes in dark colors. |
| D．The girl chooses her favorite skirt for her birthday party. |
| A．To demonstrate a pleasant dressing style. |
| B．To convince us to buy more fashionable clothes. |
| C．To arouse our curiosity of the dopamine dressing. |
| D．To promote more people to accept dopamine dressing. |
3 . Authors are upset after tech companies started using their books to train artificial intelligence without letting them know or seeking their permission. They worry about copyright and loss of income, among other issues.
According to CNN, the system is called Books3, and according to an investigation by The Atlantic, the system is based on a collection of pirated (盗版的) e-books including all genres, from fiction to poetry. Books help generative AI systems with learning how to communicate information.
The Atlantic article notes that some of the text that’s training AI on how to use language is taken from Wikipedia and other websites. But high-quality generative AI requires higher-quality input than what is usually found on the internet — that is, it requires the kind found in books.
Many authors apparently don’t view the use of their books to train artificial intelligence as an honor. Rather, it’s a shortcut that robs them of their due, they say. CNN reported that Nora Roberts, who writes romantic novels, has 206 books in the database — “second only to William Shakespeare.” “The database is all kinds of wrong. We are human beings, we are writers and we are being exploited by people who want to use our work, without permission or compensation (赔偿金), to ‘write’ books, scripts, essays because it’s cheap and easy, ” she said in a statement to CNN.
Not everyone is upset, however, by use of their work to train AI. Ian Bogost, author of some popular books, wrote a column for The Atlantic. Bogost claims that successful art is beyond its creator’s plans, noting that an author cannot accurately predict a book’s audience. “To complain this unexpected use for my writing is to decline all of the other unpredictable uses for it. Speaking as a writer, that makes me feel bad.”
1. What contributes to some authors’ dissatisfaction with Books3?| A．It is unable to train AI. |
| B．It uses their works illegally. |
| C．It fails to improve their income. |
| D．It sells books without permission. |
| A．The reason it was created. |
| B．The high quality it possesses. |
| C．The benefit it has brought. |
| D．The bond it has with Wikipedia. |
| A．Made fun of. | B．Caught up with. |
| C．Taken advantage of. | D．Looked down upon. |
| A．It’s necessary to predict a book’s audience. |
| B．Being involved in Books3 is hardly an honor. |
| C．Good art should be limited to creators’ plans. |
| D．It’s acceptable for books to be used to train AI. |
4 . Movie stars might think their lives are private after leaving the acting location, but they ought to know that they have much power over their audience. The power gives them an ability to change people, events, even history, making them to have the responsibility of being good role models.
With time going on, movie stars become celebrities (名人) and in the process get a large number of fans. Some of them follow their deeds, dress, and act like them. In reality, they want to be like their favorite movie stars. If a movie star engages in acts that the society does not approve, those who look up to them, especially the teens, will do the same. Movie stars should be responsible for what they do and say as following the actions is now simpler because of social media. It is important to behave like a role model even when they think no one is watching.
Nobody is perfect, and movie stars also have had their down moments. They may not have been good role models at the time, but they can change the narrative by doing the right things. They can also turn the past shortcomings into positives by opening up about problems and how they overcame the challenges. And their audience can learn to discuss their problems and seek help.
People starring in movies are the target of companies to promote their products or services for a fee. Their celebrity status is a reason enough to think beyond the payment. A movie star should not recommend something that will influence the way teens live negatively. It would be wrong to promote something like sweetened drinks or foods without health benefits. Movie stars face problems like other people, but because of their influence, they have a responsibility to be role models in the public eye.
1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?| A．Fans often follow their stars’ dress and hobbies. |
| B．Celebrities’ actions spread fast on social media. |
| C．Movie stars should be responsible for their fans. |
| D．Movie stars’ acts have a great impact on their fans. |
| A．Lie to fans by making up a story. |
| B．Do the right things to overcome the problems. |
| C．Cover their problems with good movies. |
| D．Post their problems online to seek help. |
| A．Don’t tell problems to the public. |
| B．Don’t play roles that have a negative impact on teens. |
| C．Don’t ask for payment when promoting products. |
| D．Don’t recommend unhealthy drinks or foods. |
| A．To tell movie stars how to help people in need. |
| B．To stress movie stars’ impact on teens. |
| C．To call on movie stars to be good role models. |
| D．To advise movie stars to open up about their problems. |
1. Why did the man come back late?
| A．He went to a pub with Linda. |
| B．He hurt his hands and knees. |
| C．He waited a long time for the bus. |
| A．She was fined. |
| B．She got injured. |
| C．She had an accident. |
| A．Outside the pub. | B．At a bus stop. | C．In his car. |
| A．Looking for something. |
| B．Struggling to stand up. |
| C．Trying to seek help. |
1. What did the woman do with the thief?
| A．She did as he asked. | B．She fought with him. | C．She pretended not to see him. |
| A．A necklace. | B．Some money. | C．Nothing. |
| A．Keep a dog. | B．Call the police. | C．Fit a home alarm system. |
| A．She is puzzled. | B．She is brave. | C．She is frightened. |
7 . Imagine walking into your local grocery store on a freezing January day to pick up freshly harvested lettuce, fragrant basil, juicy sweet strawberries, and ripe red tomatoes — all of which were harvested at a local farm only hours before you’d arrived. You might be imagining buying that fresh produce from vertical (垂直的) farms where farmers can grow indoors year-round by controlling light, temperature, water, and oftentimes carbon dioxide levels as well. Generally, fresh produce grown in vertical farms travels only a few miles to reach grocery store shelves compared to conventional produce, which can travel thousands of miles by truck or plane.
Beyond providing fresh local produce, vertical agriculture could help increase food production and expand agricultural operations as the world’s population is projected to be over 9 billion by 2050. And by that same year, two out of every three people are expected to live in urban areas. Producing fresh greens and vegetables close to these growing urban populations could help meet growing global food demands in an environmentally responsible and sustainable way by reducing delivery chains to offer lower emissions, providing higher-nutrient produce, and completely reducing water usage and runoff.
Recently, USDA and the Department of Energy held a workshop focused on vertical agriculture. At this workshop, field experts shared presentations followed by small group discussions focused on areas such as plant breeding, pest management, and engineering. Workshop attendees worked together to identify the challenges, needs, and opportunities for vertical farming. A report on this workshop will be released to help inform Departmental strategic planning efforts for research priorities at USDA and funding opportunities for researchers.
Vertical agriculture presents potential opportunities to address food security. That’s why USDA already has some of these funding and research chances in place. The National Institute for Food and Agriculture has funding opportunities that could support future vertical agriculture conferences and research. Similarly, the Agricultural Research Service is working on a project to increase U.S. tomato production and quality in greenhouses and other protected-environments.
1. What is the advantage of vertical farms?| A．Delivery chains can be extended. |
| B．Food yield can be increased. |
| C．Fresh produce can be sold by consumers. |
| D．Produce can travel long distance by truck or plane. |
| A．suspected | B．estimated | C．proved | D．displayed |
| A．A released report helps promote Departmental strategies. |
| B．Small group discussions concentrated on agricultural areas. |
| C．People attending the workshop shared presentations. |
| D．Researchers might benefit a lot from this workshop. |
| A．To support future agricultural conferences. |
| B．To increase tomato production and quality. |
| C．To present potential chances to consumers. |
| D．To explore possibilities for food security. |
8 . The big French pet care company AgroBiothers Laboratoire will no longer sell very small containers for raising fish.
The company has a 27 percent share of the French market for products used by people who raise animals at home. But it said it would no longer sell any fishbowls that hold less than 15 liters of water. They will only offer four-sided ones.
The company said it was animal abuse (虐待) to put fish in small bowls without added oxygen and filtration. Filtration is the process of removing small waste from the water with a device.
AgroBiothers chief Matthieu Lambeaux recently used the term “impulse”—meaning a sudden strong desire to do something—to describe why many adults buy goldfish. “People buy a goldfish for their kids on impulse, but if they knew what torture it is, they would not do it. Turning round and round in a small bowl drives fish crazy and kills them quickly,” Lambeaux added.
Goldfish can live up to 30 years and grow to about 25 cm in large aquariums (养鱼缸) or outdoor ponds. But in very small bowls they often die within weeks or months. Lambeaux said goldfish are social animals that need other fish, lots of space and clean water. He added that having an aquarium requires some special equipment and knowledge.
Germany and several other European countries have long banned (禁止) fishbowls, but France has no laws on the problem.
Lambeaux explained the company’s decision further by saying, “We cannot educate all our customers by explaining that keeping fish in a bowl is terrible. We consider that it is our responsibility to no longer give customers that choice.”
“There is demand for fishbowls,” he said, “but the reality is that what we offer children is the possibility of seeing goldfish die slowly.”
1. What makes the French company stop selling certain fishbowls?| A．Their size. | B．Their price. |
| C．Their weight. | D．Their popularity. |
| A．Progress. | B．Pleasure. |
| C．Difficulty. | D．Suffering. |
| A．The age goldfish can reach. | B．Costs of keeping goldfish. |
| C．Proper living conditions for goldfish. | D．The advice on how to choose fishbowls. |
| A．Raise the price of the fishbowls. | B．Remove the chances of harming goldfish. |
| C．Keep goldfish outside in the wild. | D．Educate parents to care for goldfish. |
9 . BE A GOOD TOURIST
Tourism can be both good and bad. Yes, it brings in money for the local economy and creates lots of jobs for locals,
One growing problem is tourists who want to prove that they have visited a destination. Tourists have used paint, rocks, or even keys to write on the LUXOR Temple in Egypt, the Colosseum in Rome, Stonehenge in the UK, Memorial stones at the bottom of Qomolangma, and many, many other places.
Another big problem in some places has been tourists disturbing (打扰) the local people and life.
The number of problems from tourists is endless: Walking in large groups without considering others who need to walk by, crossing roads without thinking of local traffic laws, and many more. The only way to solve the problem of the terrible tourist is to make sure that you are not one!
| A．Another example is Sanlitun, a neighborhood in Beijing, China. |
| B．Be the best, kindest, most polite tourist possible. |
| C．but it may also bring some problems. |
| D．Thousands of tourist sites are being destroyed by tourists who “love them to death”. |
| E．Some tourists wander around and take pictures of local people without asking for their permission. |
| F．It’s high time that we should behave ourselves and protect tourist sites. |
| G．but it also has many side effects. |
1. 新青年应具备的品质；
2. 新青年应该如何做。
注意：
1. 词数80左右；
2. 内容充实、行文连贯；
3. 题目已给出，不计入总词数。
Chinese Youth of the New Era
Dear fellow students,
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