2 . 最近The 21st Century Teens 开辟小栏目，让高中学生讨论“Is studying abroad a good idea or a bad idea?”。假如你是李华，你班进行了激烈讨论，请你根据以下要点，给编辑写信投稿。

利	......(至少写两点)
弊	......(至少写两点)
你的观点	......

注意：1.词数不少于80;
2.可适当增加细节，以使内容充实、行文连贯;
3.开头已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Editor,

Knowing that The 21st Century Teens offers a chance for high school students to discuss the topic “Is studying abroad a good idea or a bad idea?”,

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                                                                                       Yours,

Li Hua

3 . Younger generations of Chinese citizens have developed new methods to relieve stress, which include raising unconventional “pets”, hugging trees, watching stress relief videos and so on.

On social media platforms, a new toy called “mango dog” recently emerged.     1     In the eyes of some netizens, the “mango dog” has special meanings. “Every time I see it, it heals me,” “It’s fluffy (毛茸茸的) and cute.”     2     For example, college students have shared online their experiences of raising stones and paper box “dogs”. These “pets” share similar characteristics—they don’t cry, make noise or get sick.

Tree hugging has also become a new stress relief for young people. “You may think you are hugging the tree, but in fact, the tree is embracing you,” this is a feeling shared by a netizen. Many netizens with such experiences have expressed that their anxiety has been reduced, and they feel a sense of communication with nature.     3    

“I came across the idea online. I tried it and felt truly relaxed,” said a young office worker. “In those brief seconds, it felt like the tree released a lot of pressure and stress from me.”     4     “I especially enjoy watching stress relief videos, like washing blankets and cutting soap. After watching them, I feel like the stress of the day is relieved and it’s easier to fall asleep.”

    5     According to public data, there are currently more than 800 companies in China with names, business scopes, products, services or trademarks containing the term “stress relief”. In 2023 alone, more than 70 new registered companies with this focus were added.

A．Various “pets” are made to cater to different people.

B．It is claimed to bring a sense of calmness and give a healing effect.

C．This is not the first time that young people have raised novel “pets”.

D．A young media worker also finds the relief in watching short videos.

E．In some cities people have even organized “tree hugging interest groups”.

F．Other toys such as squeeze balls have also gained popularity as a way to relieve stress.

G．The popularity of these methods reflects an increasing need to release people’s pressure.

5 . The halo effect is a cognitive bias (认知偏见) that affects our opinions of quality in products, brands, businesses or people. It describes our tendency to judge a wider concept on our experience of a single moment or interaction. That is, your experience of using a product may colour your impression of an entire brand.

This is a very surface-level, quick-fire response that’s deep in our mind. If we see a good or bad quality, we really can’t help thinking this “thing” must flow through to the rest of the person, business or brand. Marketers understand this and have been using it against you for years.

Advertisers want to back winners, especially those on big stages. The Olympics, the World Cup and the Super Bowl all attract huge amounts of advertising spend. Why? Because when sports stars win big, they create huge amounts of feel-good factors and a brand can use the halo effect to project some of those feel-good factors onto themselves.

Studies have shown that when a product has a label that it is either fair trade, sustainably sourced or organic in nature, it will receive higher ratings in customer satisfaction and people will pay more for it. In a blind taste test though, that’s not necessarily the case. The product could be considered poor in taste or quality, but the act of adding a certain label to the packaging increases people’s liking for it.

The halo effect is a bias we cannot escape. It is in action everywhere in the modern world. Every high-end product you experience leaves a lasting impression and every advertisement that catches your eye is looking to direct your attention towards something you may not have otherwise been interested in. As a consumer, be careful. There are businesses that will go to any extent to influence your behaviour. Next time you find yourself really wanting something, stop and ask yourself why.

1. How does the halo effect influence our opinions?

A．It helps us see things in a better way.	B．It deepens our understanding of things.
C．It stops us from jumping to conclusions.	D．It works on us through former experience.

2. Why do advertisers back winners of big events?

A．To use halo effect to attract more audience.

B．To contribute to the development of sports.

C．To connect their brands with positive emotions.

D．To drive sports stars to create feel-good factors.

3. What can be inferred about the halo effect from Paragraph 4?

A．It leads to false advertisements.	B．It results in incorrect judgments.
C．It ensures the quality of products.	D．It improves environmental protection.

4. What is the purpose of the last part of the text?

A．To warn of unplanned buying.	B．To summarize the halo effect.
C．To expose the influence of advertising.	D．To show modern marketing strategies.

6 . The middle class in Uganda is on the increase. So is the country’s tourism industry. The growth of restaurants and high-end hotels is evidence that both foreigners and Ugandans are spending money. But the owners of these businesses have often had to turn to other countries to find executive chefs (行政总厨) . The reason: a lack of well-trained chefs and other assistants at Ugandan restaurants. Slowly but surely, this is changing.

Uganda has a problem not normally found in a low-income country. It has a shortage of local chefs. In recent years, the number of restaurants and tourism-related businesses has risen. As a result, the demand for well-trained cooks and other assistants has grown. But experienced chefs are difficult to find. Jean Byamugisha is in the Uganda Hotel Owners Association. “The biggest challenge is capacity building. People really need a lot of training, especially now that we are competing to reach East African level.”

To meet the need, many restaurants have turned to neighboring countries for help. Enock Alumasi is from Kenya. He saw that Uganda had a lack of top chefs. So he helped set up the Impact Chefs Academy in 2013. The academy is the only school in Uganda that offers a full training program for chefs. It offers a number of program-starting with one-week courses for those who already have a career in the restaurant industry, to a year-long training program.

One recent day, several students were learning the different ways to fry an egg. This may sound like something that comes naturally to a chef. But some workers have never cooked an egg before. Brian Kazibe has worked as a chef. He says that some trainees have learned about five different areas of restaurant operations over three months. “By the time they get to the kitchen,” he says, “they only remain for two or three weeks, which is not really enough for them.”

The Impact Chef’s Academy has trained more than 3, 000 people in the past two years. Jean Byaugisha says that the need is still growing. “The impact is not yet felt. One week’s training for a chef is too short. We need somebody who can come for two months, six months, nine months and train the chefs and release somebody who can actually come to the restaurant or a hotel and prepare a meal that everybody will fall over themselves to pay for.” However, the academy has gotten a taste of success; it looks forward to expanding.

1. What can be inferred from the first two paragraphs?

A．Uganda is a high-income country now.

B．Tourism is Uganda’s main source of GDP.

C．Visitors go to Uganda mainly for its foods.

D．Uganda’s economy develops at a high speed.

2. What can we learn about the Impact Chef’s Academy?

A．It mainly trains students to fry eggs.

B．It provides courses different in length.

C．It employs teachers from neighboring countries.

D．It was set up by Enock Alumasi in Kenya in 2013.

3. In the past two years, the Impact Chef’s Academy ________.

A．has gained success to some extent

B．has trained enough experienced chefs

C．has set up a series of chain training schools

D．has only opened short-term classes for 3 months

4. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．How to solve the difficulties in Uganda.

B．Handling lack of excellent chefs in Uganda.

C．The setting up of the Impact Chef’s Academy.

D．The expanding of the middle class in Uganda.

7 . In a new study, the researchers examined trends in subjective well-being (幸福) over the course of a lifespan based on 443 samples from a total of 460,902 participants. “We focused on changes in three central components of subjective well-being: life satisfaction, positive emotional states and negative emotional states,” explains Professor Susanne Bücker.

The findings show that life satisfaction decreased between the ages of 9 and 16, then increased slightly until the age of 70, and then decreased once again until the age of 96. Positive emotional states showed a general decline from age 9 to age 94, while negative emotional states fluctuated (波动) slightly between ages 9 and 22, then declined until age 60 and then increased once again. The authors identified greater median changes in positive and negative emotional states than in life satisfaction.

“Overall, the study indicated a positive trend over a wide period of life, if we look at life satisfaction and negative emotional states,” Susanne Bücker concludes. The researchers attribute (把……归因于) the slight decline in life satisfaction between the ages of 9 and 16 to, for example, changes to the body and to the social life that take place during puberty. Satisfaction rose again from young adulthood onwards. Positive feelings tended to decrease from childhood to late adulthood. In very late adulthood, all components of subjective well-being tended to worsen rather than improve. “This could be related to the fact that in very old people, physical performance decreases, health often worsens, and social contacts reduce; not least because their peers pass away,” calculates the researcher.

The study highlights the need to consider and promote subjective well-being with its various components across the life, as the authors of the study conclude. Their findings could provide significant guidance for the development of intervention programmes, especially those aimed at maintaining or improving subjective well-being late in life.

1. What is exactly the subject of the study?

A．Life satisfaction of the elderly.	B．Trends in lifelong subjective well-being.
C．Ways to control negative emotional states.	D．Factors affecting positive emotional states.

2. When do all components of subjective well-being go worse?

A．During childhood.

B．In late adulthood.

C．At middle age.

D．In young adulthood.

3. What is the positive significance of this study?

A．Teaching to improve physical performance.

B．Giving suggestions on the lifetime increase.

C．Providing a theoretical basis for healthy growth.

D．Guiding to improve the well-being of the elderly.

4. What’s the best title for the text?

A．When does happiness matter most to us?

B．What does subjective well-being consist of?

C．Why will we be more positive as we get older?

D．How does subjective well-being develop over the lifetime?

8 . A proposal released in China recently would require all mobile devices, apps and app stores to have a built-in “minor mode” that would restrict daily screen time to two hours a day, depending on the age group. The restrictions, if approved, would mark an expansion of existing measures rolled out in recent years as China aims to limit screen time among kids and reduce their exposure to undesirable information.

Under the draft rules open for public discussion, children and teens using devices in minor mode would automatically see online applications close when respective time limits are up. They would also be offered age-based content.

No one under 18 would be able to access their screens between 10 p. m. and 6 a. m. while using the mode. Children under eight would be able to use their phones for only 40 minutes a day, while those between 8 and 16 would get an hour of screen time. Teenagers over 16 and under 18 would be allowed two hours. All age groups would receive a reminder to rest after using their device for more than 30 minutes. Parents would be able to override time restrictions, and certain educational and emergency services would not be subject to the time limits.

Parents said the proposal can help protect children’s vision as many young kids cannot stop themselves while watching something they like. On the other hand, it’s easier for parents to control their kids’ screen time. Most importantly, the content under the minor mode is more positive and healthier.

The effectiveness of the new proposed measures may depend on parents’ example, according to a father of two in southeastern China’s Zhuhai city, who said children sometimes use their parents’ accounts to play online. “Even we adults need it!” he joked.

1. What is the main purpose of the “minor mode”?

A．To regulate the legality and standard of apps.

B．To increase the variety of mobile applications.

C．To restrict under-age kids’ screen time and content.

D．To improve the convenience of mobile equipment.

2. Which of the following agrees with the “minor mode”?

A．Children under 8 use phones for an hour daily.

B．People under 18 can access their screens at 2 a. m.

C．10-year-old students get 90 minutes of screen time a day.

D．17-year-old teenagers play on phones for 2 hours every day.

3. What is parents’ attitude toward the proposal?

A．Critical.

B．Doubtful.

C．Supportive.

D．Uncaring.

4. Which of the following may determine the effective operation of the proposal?

A．Parents’ leading by example.	B．Flexible control of time limits.
C．Children’s ability of self-discipline.	D．Diverse outdoor activities after school.

9 . 最近，你班涌现出了一股时尚攀比风，有些同学甚至不惜花重金网络代购限量版球鞋。对此你打算给校英语报投稿，发表你的看法，内容包括:
1.分析产生这一现象原因;
2.该现象造成的不良影响;
3.发出积极的倡议。
注意:
1.写作词数应为80左右;
2.短文的题目和首句已为你写好(不计入总词数)。

Too much expenditure on fashion

Recently, an increasing number of students are pursuing fashion in our class.

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