1 . We are familiar with an old saying that “Clothes make the man”, which means good-looking outfits may possibly make a person better respected and look more like a true gentleman.
In summary,
A.clothes do help in making an initial image, but do not make the man |
B.As a result, all the people spare no money to buy expensive fine clothes |
C.Clothes just make a man look better but will in no sense make a better person |
D.But I have a different view on this issue |
E.Thus, a man should be always dressed like a gentleman |
F.for many people judge others only by the way they dress |
G.If a man is well dressed, he will probably gain more confidence and dignity |
2 . Creative people are more likely to make the most of their idle (空闲的) time during a typical day by exploring their mind, a new study by University of Arizona researchers suggests.
In the study, the researchers divided the study into two parts. For the first experiment, the researchers asked each participant to sit alone in a room for 10 minutes without any access to digital devices. In the absence of any particular prompt (提示), the participants were asked to speak out their thoughts aloud in real time. The recorded files from 81 participants were then analyzed.
The researchers assessed the participants’ creativity through a thinking test, a lab-based verbal test that measures a person’s ability to think outside of the box. Participants who performed well in the thinking test had thoughts that flowed freely and were associated with one another, often indicated by phrases such as “this reminds me of” or “speaking of which”.
“While many participants had a tendency to jump between seemingly unrelated thoughts, creative individuals showed signs of thinking more associatively,” Raffaeli said, who was a senior author of the paper.
The first experiment also found that creative people were more engaged in their thoughts when they were left alone without distractions (干扰), such as the cellphone and Internet. “Creative people rated themselves as being less bored, even over those 10 minutes. They also spoke more words overall, which indicated that their thoughts were more likely to move freely,” Raffaeli said.
To further prove their initial findings, the researchers extended their study in the context of a much larger span of time—from 2020 to 2023 when many people were alone with their thoughts more often. For the second experiment, over 2,600 adults answered questions through a smartphone app called Mind Window. Participants who self-identified as being creative reported being less bored and more engaged in their thoughts during that period.
The researchers are continuing this line of work using their Mind Window app. They encourage people to download and use the app to help scientists understand how people across the world think in their everyday lives. “Understanding why different people think the way they do may lead to promising interventions to improve health and well-being,” Raffaeli said.
1. What were the participants asked to do in the first experiment?A.Play digital devices for just 10 minutes. |
B.Voice their thoughts quickly when asked. |
C.Observe and record each other’s performance. |
D.Make self-assessment in a thinking test. |
A.They often had associated ideas. |
B.They thought of anything as a reminder. |
C.They preferred to sit alone without being distracted. |
D.They tended to jump between unrelated thoughts. |
A.To analyze their own thoughts. | B.To try out the function of the app. |
C.To keep track of their thinking. | D.To improve their own mental well-being. |
A.Idle Time Makes Creative People |
B.Creative Thoughts Appear in Idle Time |
C.Creative People Are Less Affected by Distraction |
D.Creative People Enjoy Idle Time More Than Others |
3 . BE A GOOD TOURIST
Tourism can be both good and bad.
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.
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.Be smart, curious and creative tourist. |
B.Be the best, kindest, and most considerate tourist possible. |
C.Here are examples of traveling without permission |
D.Thousands of tourist sites are being destroyed by tourists who love them to death. |
E.I have some words for tourists like this: please be considerate towards the local people. |
F.Another big problem in some places has been tourists disturbing the local people and life. |
G.Yes, it brings in money for the local economy and creates lots of jobs for locals, but it may also bring some problems. |
4 . Lake Mary Jane in central Florida, where people living along the lake like to go boating and swimming and watch the wildlife, is under pressure from development. Orange County, which surrounds the lake, is one of the fastest-growing counties in Florida. A development planned for a site just north of Mary Jane would transform nineteen hundred acres of wetlands and cypress forest into homes.
In an effort to protect herself, Mary Jane is suing (起诉). The lake has filed a case (立案) in Florida state court, stressing that the development would negatively impact the lake, causing concrete, distinct, and visible injuries. Mary Jane’s case is the first in American history. Never before has a lifeless slice of nature tried to defend its rights in the court. “It is long past time to recognize that we are dependent on nature and the continued destruction of nature needs to stop,” Mari Margil, director of the Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights, said in a statement.
The concept that natural objects like woods and streams should have rights was first put forward half a century ago, by Christopher Stone, a law professor who was assigned to teach University of Southern California’s introductory course on property law in 1971. He explained how ownership rights had developed over time and why our natural objects like trees or even rocks should also be given rights. This little thought experiment set off a heated debate nationwide.
Each time there is a movement to give rights to some new things, the proposal is bound to sound odd or frightening or laughable. However, this extension of rights, Stone argued, was needed to address an unavoidable problem. So long as natural objects were valued only in terms of their worth to humans — for the use of humans they could, quite legally, be destroyed.
Despite the fact that the developer is pushing to have Mary Jane’s case dismissed, arguing that the rights the lake wants do not — and cannot — exist, people are starting taking Stone’s words seriously. Even Stone’s critics had fun with his idea. There’s no way to get back to the past. The lake’s wish is pretty clear: It just wants to be left alone.
1. What challenge is Lake Mary Jane facing?A.The negative effect of the locals’ leisure activities. | B.The loss of the wetlands due to the climate change. |
C.The ever-increasing wildlife population in the area. | D.The housing development affecting its environment. |
A.Intolerant. | B.Unclear. | C.Approving. | D.Doubtful. |
A.To inspire his students’ curiosity. | B.To evaluate the value of natural things. |
C.To avoid being laughed at by his critics. | D.To keep people from destroying nature. |
A.Stone will face more criticisms. |
B.The influence of the case is great. |
C.Lake Mary Jane is bound to win the case. |
D.The claim of Lake Mary Jane is ridiculous. |
5 . The sharing economy is an economic model known as a peer-to-peer(P2P)based activity of getting, providing, or sharing goods and services that is often promoted by on-line platforms (平台) It allows persons and groups to make money from the assets (资产) which is not
Concerns about the sharing economy often includes the uncertainty about
Another
There is also a fear that lots of information shared on online platforms can create racial or sex bias (偏见) among users. This can happen when users are allowed to
A.in danger | B.in use | C.in order | D.in hand |
A.taken out | B.picked out | C.rented out | D.sold out |
A.services | B.supplies | C.gifts | D.goals |
A.values | B.customers | C.markets | D.rules |
A.managed | B.punished | C.provided | D.judged |
A.offer | B.order | C.accept | D.stop |
A.higher | B.lower | C.full | D.right |
A.case | B.opinion | C.topic | D.concern |
A.impolite | B.impatient | C.improper | D.impossible |
A.highly | B.widely | C.narrowly | D.deeply |
A.official | B.special | C.unfair | D.equal |
A.which | B.who | C.where | D.when |
A.formal | B.unique | C.dishonest | D.specific |
A.cheat | B.choose | C.impress | D.recognize |
A.errors | B.styles | C.details | D.records |
6 . As a young girl growing up in France, Sarah Toumi dreamed of becoming a leader who could make the world a better place. Her passion to help others was awakened when, from the age of nine, she accompanied her Tunisian father to his birthplace in the east of the country during holidays. There she organized homework clubs and activities for children.
Toumi witnessed first-hand the destructive effect of desertification (沙漠化). “Within 10 years rich farmers became worse off, and in 10 years from now they will be poor. I wanted to stop the Sahara Desert in its tracks.” A decrease in average rainfall and an increase in the severity of droughts have led to an estimated 75 percent of Tunisia’s agricultural lands being threatened by desertification.
Toumi recognized that farming practices needed to change. She is confident that small land areas can bring large returns if farmers are able to adapt by planting sustainable crops, using new technologies for water treatment and focusing on natural products and fertilizers rather than chemicals.
In 2012, Toumi consolidated (巩固) her dream of fighting the desert. She moved to Tunisia, and set up a programme named Acacias for All to put her sustainable farming philosophy (理念) into action. “I want to show young people in rural areas that they can create opportunities where they are. Nobody is better able to understand the impact of desertification and climate change than somebody who is living with no access to water.”
By September 2016, more than 130, 000 acacia trees had been planted on 20 pilot farms, with farmers recording a 60 percent survival rate. Toumi estimates that some 3 million acacia trees are needed to protect Tunisia’s farmland. She expects to plant 1 million trees by 2018. In the next couple of years, Toumi hopes to extend the programme to Algeria and Morocco.
1. How did Toumi’s holiday trips to Tunisia influence her?A.They made her decide to leave the country. |
B.They helped her better understand her father. |
C.They aroused her enthusiasm for helping others. |
D.They destroyed her dream of being a teacher. |
A.Low rainfall. | B.Soil pollution. | C.Cold weather. | D.Forest damage. |
A.To create job opportunities for young people. |
B.To help the children obtain a basic education. |
C.To persuade the farmers not to use fertilizers. |
D.To promote the protection of their farmland. |
A.Saving Water in Tunisia | B.Holding back the Sahara |
C.Planting Trees of Native Species | D.Fighting Poverty in North Africa |
7 . Emoji (表情符号) may be a fun form of communication but it is destroying the English language, a study has shown.
Smiling faces, love hearts, thumbs up and so on--rather than words--are the preferred way of communication by teenagers, who are considered the worst offenders in grammar and punctuation.
More than a third of British adults believe emoji is the reason for the fall in proper language usage. Of the two thousand adults, aged 16 to 65 who were asked their opinions, 94 percent thought English was in a state of decline, with 80 percent thinking youngsters as the worst offenders.
The most common mistakes made by British people are spelling mistakes (21 percent), followed closely by apostrophe (撇号) placement (16 percent) and the misuse of a comma (16 percent). More than half of British adults are not confident with their command of spelling and grammar. Furthermore, around three-quarters of adults rely on emoji to communicate.
The use of emoji has affected our culture so much that the Oxford Dictionary’s “Word of the Year’ in 2015 wasn’t actually a word at all--it was the “face with tears” emoji. That shows just what a great effect emoji has.
Meanwhile, research earlier showed that using emoji in emails when delivering bad news can soften the blow. It could help workplace communication, even though it could be seen as unprofessional.
The study found that emoji clearly increased the level of understanding in a message. Emoticons like the “smiling face” or “face with tears imitate (模仿)expressions and gestures and add a new layer of meaning. Interestingly, this only worked for positive emoji. The “sad face” had little or no effect on how people responded to the meaning.
1. What’s the author’s attitude to the effect of emoji?A.Positive. | B.Concerned. | C.Surprised. | D.Indifferent |
A.Most British people make spelling mistakes. |
B.Few British people misuse emoji. |
C.Most adults are unsure about grammar. |
D.Less than half of adults depend on emoji. |
A.The use of emoji. |
B.The “face with tears” emoji. |
C.The effect of emoji. |
D.Emoji being 2015 “Word of the Year”. |
A.Emoji makes emails look unprofessional. |
B.Emoji imitates people’s expressions and gestures. |
C.Emoji helps receivers understand his messages better. |
D.It’s embarrassing to deliver bad news face to face. |
8 . On the eve of this week’s rail strikes, it was reported that the industry bosses are planning to weed out paper train tickets and close almost 1,000 station ticket offices in England. The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, has made no secret of his desire to see costs saved in this way. Some stations sell only a handful of tickets each week and the vast majority of transactions (交易) have moved online.
In the name of cost-cutting, station ticket offices are likely to follow the telephone booth on the corner and become memory. For those who have grown used to the benefits of organizing travel via smart phones, there will be little to feel sorry for. But for people without online access or skills, who tend to be older, poorer, and more fragile, another social barrier will have been built.
From medical appointments to payment apps for parking, more and more key services are now delivered digitally. As this revolution takes place, the interests of a significant minority are being ignored to some extent. In the case of health and social care, for example, it will often be those most in need of assistance who are least able to employ electronic devices.
The debate over ticket offices offers an opportunity to reflect more broadly on the increasing role of technology in our social landscape. The unavoidable trend towards technology is predictable, but its possible consequences need to be managed with more care. With the expanding range and increasing complexity of digital requirements, the aged are gradually withdrawing from increasing social services in their lives. Ros Altmann, the former pensions minister, recently wrote of being contacted by an elderly woman who no longer drives to her local park, because she cannot download the car parking app required.
Much more needs to be invested in helping gain easy online access. Alternative offline options must be maintained for important services. Contactable telephone numbers of relevant staff should always be available. These will cost more. But that is the price of digital transformation.
1. What does the underlined “weed out” mean in the first paragraph?A.Pass on to. | B.Give in to. | C.Get rid of. | D.Put up with. |
A.The aged. | B.The young. | C.The rich. | D.The strong. |
A.It will meet the demand of consumers. | B.It will cost much less than planned. |
C.It will need to be updated constantly. | D.It will result in new social problems. |
A.The accessibility of important offline services. | B.The attitudes of the elderly towards technology. |
C.The barriers caused by digital transformation. | D.The pros and cons of marketing tickets online. |
“A barbecue restaurant owner I know told me to come back on Monday, so as to leave the weekends to out-of-town visitors.” said Huang Yang, a native of Zibo city in Shandong province
Thanks to social media recommendations, Zibo has gone viral on Chinese social media platforms.
Taking advantage of the barbecue craze, Zibo has gone all out to promote local tourism resources, while
According to data from on-demand service platform Meituan, Zibo has seen an 800 percent increase in accommodation bookings for the upcoming holiday
10 . Going against the tide of flocking to well-known tourist destinations on vacation, a growing number of holidaymakers in China tend to spend their leisure time at lesser-known resorts. Reverse tourism has appeared as a new trend among young holidaymakers in China.
According to data from an online travel agency, the number of rooms booked at hotels in less-traveled cities during the holiday was up 30 percent year-on-year. Bookings for four-star or five-star hotels in less-traveled places all increased at least 10-fold. Some lesser-known scenic spots posted double-digit growth during the holiday. Baimaiquan Park in Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province, received 52,100 visits in the seven days, up 15.78 percent year-over-year.
Besides crowds, some vacationers chose less-traveled places to save on the cost of trips to popular destinations. In addition, lesser-known attractions are not as “commercial” as developed ones and are able to offer more actual experiences and environmental encounters. Essentially speaking, total relaxation is becoming a real expectation for many people when they travel. Changes in demand may be the fundamental reason for the popularity of reverse tourism. Travelers tend to choose local attractions or places with fewer tourists.
“The rise of reverse tourism is not a bad thing,” said Zhengzhou Daily. It means that vacationers now have more options, which brings more possibilities to the tourism market. More importantly, it noted, the trend is set to force popular destinations to improve themselves instead of resting on their past honor.
Jiang Han, a senior researcher, said that reverse tourism will become one of the future directions for the market. To give a real boost to the tourism market, Jiang suggested that more efforts be made to tap the potential of underrated, lesser-known destinations. It is necessary to dig deeper into the local customs and highlight the local characteristics to improve the quality of local tourism.
1. What are the statistics in paragraph 2 mainly about?A.The increasing trend of reverse tourism in China. |
B.The contributions of tourism to Chinese economy. |
C.The popularity of travel to well-known destinations. |
D.The difficulty of bookings for hotels during holidays. |
A.The impact of tourist crowds. | B.The low cost of local travel. |
C.The attraction of new resorts. | D.The changing needs for travel. |
A.Doubtful | B.Objective | C.Supportive | D.Critical |
A.Finding the potential and features of lesser-known attractions. |
B.Improving the management rules of tourist attractions further. |
C.Promoting the local places of interest through online media. |
D.Upgrading the supporting’ facilities in lesser-known resorts. |