1 . On Feb. 21, four students were standing on the side of Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu when a driver going 110 miles per hour lost control of his car and it crashed into the parked vehicles.12 people were killed at the scene, including 2 drivers.
This kind of traffic death shouldn’t be called an accident. In Los Angeles, we seem to have accepted constant carnage (屠杀) in our streets in exchange for maximizing driver speed and convenience. The official responses to proven traffic dangers are mere gestures, if even that.
Los Angeles is a uniquely deadly city with a death rate that is four times the national average. Unsurprisingly, it’s also a city that has been designed with one thing in mind: a concept called level of service, which grades streets on how well they serve those in automobiles. To many Angelenos, that makes sense — to design our streets for car traffic, which is the way many get around the city. Unfortunately, we don’t recognize that there’s a trade-off. We can either have streets bettered for free-flowing traffic, or we can design streets for people to move around safely outside of cars.
City leaders consistently choose for the easy but deadly option. In one recent example, a resident asked the city’s Department of Transportation to block drivers from using Cochran Avenue at Venice Boulevard as a cut-through street, as they were speeding through a quiet residential neighbourhood. The department responded by suggesting a “speed awareness campaign” in which neighbours put up yard signs urging drivers to slow down.
People don’t drive based on signage, but they drive on the design of the street. The trunk roads of Los Angeles such as Venice Boulevard all need to be revised so that people are prioritized over cars. This would include narrowing travel lanes (道), building bike lanes, and banning right turns at red lights. These measures would make drivers feel like they’re in a city and not on a highway. A recent John Hopkins study says this would have substantial safety benefits.
With more than 7,500 miles of streets in the city of Los Angeles, they won’t all be rebuilt anytime soon. But with each road construction project, or each crash, we should be revising streets to make them safer for all road users.
The solution to traffic jam isn’t to make more space for cars. It’s to design the streets to be safe enough for alternatives such as biking, walking and mass transit, especially for the 50% of trips daily in Los Angeles that are less than three miles. The solution to protecting people dining outdoors isn’t crash barriers. It’s a street design that forces drivers to go slowly. The problem is carnage in the streets, and we know the solutions.
1. Why should the traffic death in Los Angeles be called “constant carnage”?| A．The traffic accidents happen quite often. |
| B．Too many people are killed in the traffic accidents. |
| C．The drivers’ speeding is to blame for the traffic death. |
| D．City leaders’ consistent choice contributes to the traffic death. |
| A．Balance. | B．Guideline. | C．Conflict. | D．Resolution. |
| A．To widen travel lanes. | B．To add more crosswalks. |
| C．To arrange more traffic police. | D．To punish speeding drivers. |
| A．Drivers first or walkers first? | B．Traffic death or constant carnage? |
| C．More warning signs or safer designs? | D．More narrow lanes or speedy highways? |
Nowadays, there exists a common scene. A man
People from different generations often live and work together. Sometimes they’re happy being together, other times they’re not. One of the reasons for their unhappiness maybe a generation gap. A generation gap is the difference between two or more generations—not the differences between their years but the differences between the generations’ ideas, attitudes, and interests. Of course, people can have differences and still be happy together, but according to the experts, communication between the generations helps everyone get along.
Good communication between the generations starts in the family. These days many families are changing their communication style. They are moving from a “one-way” style to a “two-way” style of communication. To show this change, let’s compare two families:
The Smith family uses the “one-way” style of communication. Mr. and Mrs. Smith show interest in their children, but they don’t discuss problems of feelings. The parents make all the rules and decisions. They don’t ask for their children’s opinions. They explain their decisions to their children, but they don’t discuss them. The explanation is clear and the children understand. The communication goes one way: from the parents to the children.
The Jones family uses the “two-way” style of communication. Mr. and Mrs. Jones show interest in their children and ask for their opinions. They discuss problems and express their feelings. The family makes rules and decisions together after a discussion. The communication goes two ways: from parents to children and from children to parents.
Better communication between generations at home means better communication between generations at work and in the community. When people from different generations understand each other better, they learn from each other more. This helps them form stronger bonds, work together more easily. As a result, people of all ages can team up effectively and come up with new ideas in different parts of life.
1. What is a generation gap?2. Where does good communication between the generations begin?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
If Jack’ parents discuss with him where to spend their summer vacation, they use the “one-way” style of communication.
4. To bridge the generation gaps, what other suggestions would you make besides better communication? (In about 40 words)
4 . In June 2022, Huffington Post and Mail Online reported that three-year-old Victoria Wilcher, who had suffered facial scarring (结疤), had been kicked out of a KFC because she was frightening customers. Later, KFC announced that no evidence had been found to support the story. This phenomenon is largely a product of the increasing pressure in newsrooms that care more about traffic figures.
Brooke Binkowski, an editor, says that, during her career, she has seen a shift towards less editorial oversight in newsrooms. “Clickbait is king, so newsrooms will uncritically print something unreal. Not all newsrooms are like this, but a lot of them are.”
Asked what the driving factor was, a journalist said, “There is undoubtedly pressure to churn out (粗制滥造) stories in order to get clicks, because they equal money. At my former employer in particular, the pressure was on due to the limited resources. That made the environment quite horrible to work in.”
In a February 2023 report for Digital Journalism, Craig Silverman wrote, “Today the bar for what is worth giving attention to seems to be much lower. Within minutes or hours, a badly sourced report can be changed into a story that is repeated by dozens of news websites, resulting in tens of thousands of shares. Once a certain critical mass is reached, repetition has a powerful effect on belief. Thus, the rumor simply becomes true for readers.”
And, in spite of the direction that some newsrooms seem to be heading in, a critical eye is becoming more, not less important, according to the New York Times’ public editor, Margaret Sullivan. “Reporters and editors have to be more careful than ever before. It’s extremely important to question and to use every verification (验证) method available before publication.” Yet those working in newsrooms talk of doubtful stories being tolerated because, in the words of some senior editors, “a click is a click, regardless of the advantage of a story”. And, “if the story does turn out to be false, it’s simply a chance for another bite at the cherry.”
Verification and fact-checking are regularly falling victim to the pressure to bring in the numbers, and if the only result of being caught out is another chance to bring in the clicks, that looks unlikely to change.
1. According to Brooke Binkowski, newsrooms produce false news because .| A．clicks matter a lot | B．resources are limited |
| C．money is needed for news | D．journalists lack experience |
| A．Lies can’t sell without an atom of truth. |
| B．Rumors are like a flame blown by the wind. |
| C．You can hear rumors, but you can’t know them. |
| D．A lie, repeated frequently enough, will end up as truth. |
| A．Pessimistic. | B．Supportive. | C．Subjective. | D．Sympathetic. |
| A．Consequences of false stories. | B．Causes of online false news. |
| C．Inability of journalists. | D．A craze to get clicks. |
5 . Offload Thoughts
In our busy world, we rush from task to task, often leaving us feeling easily angered. We seek out technology or brain-enhancing products to help us optimize (最优化) our productivity, but end up running on a never-ending hamster(仓鼠) wheel.
Research shows that spending too much time optimizing our thoughts for perfect outcomes not only leaves us feeling exhausted, but can also have harmful effects on our wellbeing and work output. Optimizing thoughts requires being highly focused. But it just goes against the way our minds work. That is to say, efficiency isn’t always productive when we pursue it.
Our brain essentially has two main modes of operating: the “focus network” and the “default mode network.” When one network works, the other physically can’t turn on. The modern world often demands we live in the focus network and the default mode network is often less celebrated.
Cognitive (认知的) offloading is an accessible practice. It has the potential to not only release emotions, but enhance mental capabilities, too. Even just a few moments of creative flow — like offloading the feelings of anxiety by doodling (涂鸦) before a meeting — can have a strong impact on emotions.
| A．The functionality is simpler than you might imagine. |
| B．Give ourselves a few minutes to offload our emotions. |
| C．Being focused all the time can eventually lead to less self-control. |
| D．Fortunately, there is a way to stop this kind of always-on mentality. |
| E．It’s no surprise that the majority of us feel more exhausted than ever. |
| F．But spending more time on the latter offers a form of “insurance” for our emotions. |
| G．What’s more, this exercise can help give the brain the space to make new connections. |
Your friends influence the way you view your physical appearance. If you have friends who
7 . Lately, I’ve been thinking about my school life in the 1990s, when in class we were encouraged to express ourselves through creative writing, public speaking or perhaps taking part in some form of drama. And as we shared our creativity we were improving our communication skills. The emphasis here was how best to convey our thoughts as clearly as possible. Yet it seemed that all spoken word exercises were being taught only from the speaker’s point of view, with little or no time spent teaching the art of listening.
And that was a missed opportunity because young children are remarkable listeners. They take in words, ideas and speech patterns, quite often without our awareness. Yet somewhere along the way, we teach them to stop listening. Perhaps they would benefit from lessons in selective silence, concentration, while focusing on knowing how to process all incoming information. Sadly, to the best of my knowledge, no such programs are offered.
We seem to spend less time actually listening to one another. One reason might be the fact that we have become a much more visual society as a result of exposure to television, the Internet and all manner of hand-held wireless devices. We tend to be more self-absorbed and primarily focused on hearing ourselves talk rather than listening to others.
I attended a small family gathering a few years ago and almost everyone, except my 86-year-old aunt, was constantly texting or checking email on their iPhone. It made me wonder why we had bothered to get together in the first place as we were paying so little attention to one another. We could just as easily have had an online get-together.
Listening is indeed a rare and special talent, and one that takes a lot of practice. But once you have gotten comfortable with the technique, you might find your next face-to-face talk a whole lot more meaningful. Simply listening for nuances(细微差别)in conversation will provide so much more context and substance for the words you are hearing. Remember, in order to be interesting, you must first be interested. And in conversation, you are supposed to be listening, not waiting to talk.
1. What is the author’s attitude toward the class in the 1990s?| A．Objective. | B．Tolerant. | C．Favorable. | D．Prejudiced. |
| A．We have less time to communicate. |
| B．We have a sense of self-importance. |
| C．The rapid development of technology. |
| D．The lack of care and understanding for others. |
| A．His aunt wasn’t good at listening. |
| B．His aunt didn’t like attending family gatherings. |
| C．His family members were engaged in hot discussions. |
| D．His family members showed little interest in one another. |
| A．To lead a discussion. | B．To give a suggestion. |
| C．To provide a warning. | D．To make a comparison. |
A new study has found that the most common favorite color is blue, a color in nature, for
9 . The sun is setting, brightening your kids’ faces as they play in the waves. You reach for your phone for this perfect moment. But before you do, here’s a bit of surprising science: Taking photos is not the perfect way to keep memory as you think.
Taking too many pictures could actually harm the brain’s ability to keep memories, says Elizabeth Loftus, a psychology professor at the University of California, Irvine. So we get the photo but kind of lose the memory.
Photos may outsource memories. It works in two ways: We either shake off the responsibility of remembering moments when taking pictures, or we’re so distracted (分心的) by the process that we miss the moment altogether.
The first explanation is the loss of memory. People know that their camera is recording that moment, so they don’t try to remember. Similarly, if you write down someone’s phone number, you’re less likely to remember it offhand because your brain tells you there’s just no need. That’s all well and good — until that piece of paper goes missing.
The other is distraction. We’re distracted by the process of taking a photo — how we hold our phone, composing the photo, such as smiling faces, the background to our liking and clear image, all of which uses up our attention that could otherwise help us memorize.
However, taking photos can benefit memory — when done mindfully. While taking a photo may be distracting, the act of preparation by focusing on visual details around has some upsides.
When people take the time to zoom in (拉近镜头) on specific things, memories become strengthened.
Another benefit is that we recall moments more accurately with the photos. Memory has been reshaped with the help of new information and new experiences. Thus, photos or videos help us recall moments as if they really happened.
Memories die away without a visual record backing them up. Therefore, a photo is an excellent tool to help remember when done purposefully, which is worth exploring further.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To bring up a topic. | B．To present an experience. |
| C．To show an approach. | D．To give a suggestion. |
| A．Make full use of. | B．Get rid of. |
| C．Take the place of. | D．Are made up of. |
| A．Situations when taking photos is better. |
| B．How to stay focused while taking photos. |
| C．When distraction is most likely to happen. |
| D．How to use photo-taking to memorize better. |
| A．Photography or Memories |
| B．Fewer Photos, More Memories |
| C．Photography Does Good to Memories |
| D．Remember the Moment and Take Photos Properly |
10 . Why We Listen to Music with Lyrics(歌词) We Don’t Understand
From French electronic to K-pop and Spanish jazz, it’s common for us to listen to songs we don’t necessarily understand.
But why? It all starts with what’s called “sound symbolism(语音表意),” which refers to the study of the relationships between utterances(发声) and their meaning. In music, there’s something about the appeal of words as sounds, beyond their meaning in a language.
| A．The interrelationship of melody and pitch is important. |
| B．This is why fast-paced music is so popular for running. |
| C．Of course, this isn’t to ignore the importance of lyrics in music. |
| D．Things like a musician’s image also help convey meaning through songs. |
| E．So, when listening to a foreign song, we enjoy the lyrics as sounds and not words. |
| F．It seems that not knowing the language of the lyrics doesn’t stop us from liking a song. |
| G．Some musical techniques and elements can also help convey certain moods and messages. |
