1 . A recent survey in the US found that Gen Z-ers and Millennials (千禧一代) visit libraries more often than their parents or grandparents. The young love libraries because they are secure, comfortable, free and — as my 11-year-old would say — “aesthetic”. This means they look good in the background of an Instagram post or TikTok video. It’s also a great place to meet people. If you’re both young and in a library, chances are you have similar interests.
And then, too, there are the books. Gen Z-ers are turning out to be big readers, especially of paper books. Even though, or perhaps because, they have in their pockets the most limitlessly distracting devices ever invented, many are deliberately choosing to pick up a piece of 15th-century technology instead. They like the fact that books are self-contained and require concentration.
There is, sometimes, a sense of nostalgic (怀旧的) cosplay in the way young people read. In New York, for example, the latest TikTok-fuelled craze is reading with strangers in bars. You have to buy a ticket in advance, and then you all gather and sit in silence for 30 minutes, reading whatever book you’ve brought along. Like an expensive version of going to the library, except that afterwards you all have a drink and talk about books.
The very thought of it makes me suffer, but that’s because I’m a child of the 1970s and 80s. To me, reading is a private pleasure, while screens — TV or cinema — are social. I did once, in a fit of ambitious parenting, introduce a “family reading hour”, during which my husband and children were pressed to join me at the fireside for some silent reading. It could not have felt more performative if we had dressed up in top hats and crinolines (旧时的衬裙). But still, I applaud these young readers — for knowing what is good for them, for seeking out human connection, for finding the beauty and pleasure in old institutions, and for bringing new life to the library.
1. Which of the following is a reason why the young love libraries?| A．They enjoy the sense of safety and freedom. |
| B．They are free to use social media in libraries. |
| C．They consider e-reading a way to discover beauty. |
| D．They expect to meet people with different interests. |
| A．It’s a trend of reading with the family in bars. |
| B．It’s a learning approach advocating silent reading. |
| C．It’s a gathering attended by strangers free of charge. |
| D．It’s a reading fashion integrating the old and the new. |
| A．It is a delightful social experience. | B．It is a way of personal enjoyment. |
| C．It is a significant parenting pattern. | D．It is a painful routine practice. |
| A．A Gen Z Way to Refresh Libraries |
| B．A Realistic Look of Library Reading |
| C．A Broad View of Libraries and Social Media |
| D．A New Way to See Human Connection with Libraries |
2 . It’s commonly acknowledged that our lives are ruled by algorithms (算法), but have we really collectively understood how they have transformed our culture and personality?
In Filterworld: How algorithms flattened culture, Kyle Chayka argues convincingly that the rise of algorithm-driven feeds, used everywhere online from Instagram to Spotify, has led to a more uniform culture. Our tastes and desires increasingly don’t belong to us, but to algorithms that are designed to keep people engaged at all costs. If the collection of our tastes truly shapes our entire personality, then this loss is more psychologically damaging than it first appears. Aimlessly scrolling (滚屏) through Netflix or TikTok may seem harmless, but over days, months or years, we lose touch with what we like and enjoy.
Taste-making algorithms are inescapable. Chayka shows this by working through all corners of life: what we wear(TikTok), where we eat(Google Maps), music we listen to(Spotify), even who we date or marry(Tinder). This universe of algorithm-driven decisions has society-wide implications: “It extends to influence our physical spaces, our cities, and the routes we move through…flattening them in turn.” No one gets out of the Filterworld untouched.
If you’re lucky enough not to need any sort of algorithm-based system for your work, then you have the option to step back from algorithms for a while. But if your friend suggests a film recommended on X/Twitter or you feel the need to buy those shoes suddenly everyone has started wearing after social media advertisements, what are you to do? It all feels fruitless.
This Filterworld may be inescapable, but there is hope. You can start by engaging more with the media you do choose to consume. This could mean reading up about a film you watched or paying artists you like directly. Even the thoughtful act of recommending an album (专辑) to a friend is more rewarding than a random TikTok feed. As Chayka says, resistance to algorithms “requires an act of willpower, a choice to move through the world in a different way.”
1. What is Kyle Chayka’s opinion on algorithms?| A．They improve our tastes. | B．They make our culture more alike. |
| C．They help to identify our personality. | D．They contribute to psychological problems. |
| A．The society with advanced technology. | B．The world without social media platforms. |
| C．The network of algorithm-driven decisions. | D．The community free from algorithmic influence. |
| A．Limiting the use of social media platforms. | B．Making choices based on friends’ suggestions. |
| C．Getting more involved with the selected media. | D．Disconnecting from social media advertisements. |
| A．Algorithms: Cultural Takeover | B．The Secret of Algorithms |
| C．Social Media: Cultural Messenger | D．The Rise of Digital Platforms |
3 . Stacy Dean, an official at the US Department of Agriculture, was inspired by a visit to Watkins Elementary, in Washington, D. C. Students grow vegetables in their school garden. They also roll up their sleeves in the school’s kitchen to participate in a FRESHFARM FoodPrints class, which integrates cooking and nutrition education.
“Who’s next?” asks instructional coach Regina Green, as kids throw vegetables into the pan and the smell of fresh ginger and onions fills the air. “We grew these in our garden,” Jessie Gibson, one of the students, says proudly. Then he measures and pours dry ingredients into a bowl.
“Our family has tried new things because of the program,” says Catie Kelley, whose two children have participated in the FRESHFARM program. “They come home with the recipes,” Kelley says. “It’s fun because it’s things that we don’t usually make at home,” so it has encouraged them to try novel combinations. She says the kids take more of an interest at the grocery store to identify foods they’ve tried in the program.
Dean wants to have the science around healthy eating integrated. A block to scaling up these types of programs is money. The program relies on grants and receives some federal funding, but it’s not enough to expand the program to all the schools that could benefit.
In fact, there are other problems. At a time when diet-related disease is a leading cause of death, and unhealthy eating habits are rooted in US culture, it’s unrealistic to think that a cooking curriculum could overcome such a sweeping, societal problem. “We know from years of evidence that we need multiple things to come together to support healthy eating,” says Angela Odoms-Young, a professor of maternal and child nutrition at Cornell University.
Despite these challenges, programs like FRESHFARM can help kids expand their choices by introducing them to new tastes. At first, many kids are turned off by the bitter taste of greens. But through the magic of cooking, processing the onions, and blending in fresh ginger, kids can be inspired.
1. What inspired Dean during the visit to Watkins Elementary?| A．The coach’s skillful performance. |
| B．Students’ getting more access to nature. |
| C．The integrated hands-on cooking. |
| D．Students’ gardening and cooking. |
| A．They pay more attention to healthy eating. |
| B．They have a more harmonious relation. |
| C．They show more interest in shopping. |
| D．They have enriched their recipes. |
| A．Advocating healthy eating needs joint efforts. |
| B．A cooking curriculum should be promoted. |
| C．Nutrition helps put students on a healthy path. |
| D．Food is fundamental to life and good health. |
| A．Complex. | B．Widespread. | C．Effective. | D．Easily-operated. |
Nowadays, we are used to opening an app to skim public review s for reference before going to a restaurant. If it has a score of 4.8 or above on a 5-point scale, the restaurant
In the past months, topics such as “Restaurants with low ratings may taste better”
For one thing, quite a few business runners rely so
5 . Are you happy with your appearance?
“Almost all the girls with single-fold eyelids (单眼皮) in our class have had double eyelid operations,” Zeng, a Senior 2 student from Chengdu, told Xinhua. Zeng had the same surgery done this summer.
From popular photo-editing apps to plastic surgery (整形手术), it seems that large eyes, pale skin and a skinny body are the only standard for beauty these days. But can following this standard really make us feel good about ourselves?
“Many teenagers are upset about their appearance because they believe in unrealistic standards of beauty,” experts say.
However, trying to live up to strict standards can make us feel anxious. What troubles us is not just our “imperfect” looks, but the fact that we criticize ourselves too much.
| A．Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. |
| B．Body image anxiety is common among teenagers. |
| C．Guys care just as much as girls do about their body image. |
| D．Some teenagers might feel negative about their appearance. |
| E．It’s common for teenagers to feel confident about their appearance. |
| F．She and many of her classmates believe bigger eyes look more beautiful. |
| G．Perfect faces and bodies are everywhere in advertising, TV shows and social media. |
6 . To build a prosperous (繁荣的) society, a fundamental understanding of the modern economy as a driving force in today’s world is essential.
What kind of prosperity have we achieved so far? The widespread definition of prosperity focuses on economic power and growth as measures of success. Let’s take a look at history. The Second Industrial Revolution enabled mass production and created a sufficient supply of goods. This has greatly increased the importance of money in its role as “a store of value, ” and “a medium of exchange. ”As a result, we have pursued economic power as the only indicator of prosperity, such as GDP. Waves of globalization and technological evolution have promoted overall economic growth, but have allowed the few who are strong to achieve greater power while exploiting the many who are weak. Consequently, inequality has worsened, and disunity has intensified.
The path to a truly prosperous world requires a shift in focus towards the most suitable happiness for all, in addition to economic power. Defining happiness, however, is a complex task. What makes people happy? The degree to which the same thing creates happiness differs from person to person. Happiness is subjective and complicated. This is a world of “multiple values” where each of us determines worth as opposed to “one fixed price” based merely on an economic perspective. Individuals shouldn’t be defined by a single identity or role but by multidimensional nature as well as multiple roles making independent choices and taking actions for their happiness in different aspects.
Businesses must be pioneers in pursuing not only economic growth but also the happiness of all citizens of society. Companies can contribute through the pursuit of social value as well as economic profit. At the heart of this lies “purpose”. A company’s purpose defines the value it brings to society. The true worth of a company should be determined not just by the return s it creates for shareholders but by the value it creates for society as a whole.
1. What is the author’s attitude to the widely accepted standard of prosperity?| A．Indifferent. | B．Critical. | C．Uncertain. | D．Approving. |
| A．The slower economic growth speed. |
| B．The sharp reduction of job opportunities. |
| C．The enlarged gap between the rich and the poor. |
| D．The increasing conflict between different nations. |
| A．Happiness is changeable and beyond control. |
| B．Happiness largely depends on economic power. |
| C．The pursuit of profit determines a company’s true worth. |
| D．A prosperous world should be measured by multiple values. |
| A．Social psychologists. | B．Enterprise administrators. |
| C．School educators. | D．Technological researchers. |
7 . Fragile. Oversensitive. Glued to their phones. Is this what comes to mind when we think of the teens of this generation? While there may be a grain of truth to these stereotypical (刻板印象的) characteristics, there might be more to this generation of teens than what is generally regarded.
Never before have the lives of any generation of teens been as overwhelmed with mobile technology and social media as the teens of this generation. It follows then that there will be unique mental and emotional problems resulting from this new age of technology. As compared to their parents or grandparents who were likely less connected and more isolated, these teens are constantly exposed to their social circles and beyond. It is no wonder then that the mental health of this generation’s teens have been badly affected.
Moreover, as many of the older generations complain, the teens today are more individualistic in contrast to the more community-centered attitude of their parents and grandparents. Gone is the closeness amongst neighbors who are friendly with one another and quick to offer a helping hand when they see another in need. In its place, we have teens who may not even have a clue as to who lives in the unit next to theirs, much less offer a friendly nod or wave when they happen to cross paths with a neighbour.
Yet, the effects of technology on this generation of teens are not all bad. Actually, the very connectedness that social media brings about has led to an opening of minds and a flourishing of dialogue among people of diverse cultures and backgrounds. In comparison, the parents or grandparents of this generation of teens probably did not have the same opportunity to get to know people outside of their social circles at their age, and are thus more likely to have fixed stereotypical opinions of people different from them.
To conclude, the teens of this generation differ in many ways from their past generations, in some ways more positive than others. Every generation is a product of the cultural, political and economic events of their time.
1. What can we learn about the teens of this generation?| A．They are open-minded and tolerant. |
| B．They enjoy the closeness with their neighbors. |
| C．They are a weak and oversensitive generation. |
| D．They dislike people different from themselves. |
| A．High pressure from their academic demands. |
| B．Great distance from their family and relatives. |
| C．Too much time spent on social networking online. |
| D．Huge influence from their parents and grandparents. |
| A．The sharp difference between generations. |
| B．The digital divide that is hard to be bridged. |
| C．The great benefits modern technology has brought. |
| D．The recognition of the community-centered attitude. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Concerned. | C．Objective. | D．Approving. |
8 . It’s no secret that reading good news feels a lot better than reading bad news. Like, would you rather bite into a lemon, or sip on a fresh glass of lemonade?
In fact, good news, known as solutions journalism, is becoming more popular, as publishers and news stations discover the benefits of sharing positive stories. Good Good Good is one of them.
“If it bleeds, it leads.” has long been a saying used in the media to describe how news stories about violence, death and destruction draw readers’ attention.
| A．Share good news with people around you. |
| B．It’s just that we don’t hear as much about them. |
| C．But the “bad news” has its place in the world. |
| D．It provides a more balanced view of the world. |
| E．And so, negative news stories are everywhere on news media. |
| F．Heartwarming stories make you cry and feel good. |
| G．The news media company is devoted to providing good news intentionally. |
9 . Is forgiveness against our human nature? To answer our question, we need to ask a further question: What is the essence of our humanity? For the sake of simplicity, people consider two distinctly different views of humanity. The first view involves dominance and power. In an early paper on the psychology of forgiveness, Droll (1984) made the interesting claim that humans’ essential nature is more aggressive than forgiving allows. Those who forgive are against their basic nature, much to their harm. In his opinion, forgivers are compromising their well-being as they offer mercy to others, who might then take advantage of them.
The second view involves the theme of cooperation, mutual respect, and even love as the basis of who we are as humans. Researchers find that to fully grow as human beings, we need both to receive love from and offer love to others. Without love, our connections with a wide range of individuals in our lives can fall apart. Even common sense strongly suggests that the will to power over others does not make for harmonious interactions. For example, how well has slavery worked as a mode of social harmony?
From this second viewpoint of who we are as humans, forgiveness plays a key role in the biological and psychological integrity of both individuals and communities because one of the outcomes of forgiveness, shown through scientific studies, is the decreasing of hatred and the restoration of harmony. Forgiveness can break the cycle of anger. At least to the extent the people from whom you are estranged accept your love and forgiveness and are prepared to make the required adjustments. Forgiveness can heal relationships and reconnect people.
As an important note, when we take a Classical philosophical perspective, that of Aristotle, we see the distinction between potentiality and actuality. We are not necessarily born with the capacity to forgive, but instead with the potential to learn about it and to grow in our ability to forgive. The actuality of forgiving, its actual appropriation in conflict situations, develops with practice.
1. What is Droll’s idea about forgiveness?| A．People should offer mercy to others. |
| B．Aggressive people should learn to forgive. |
| C．Forgiveness depends on the nature of humanity. |
| D．People who forgive can have their own welfare affected. |
| A．To forgive is to love. | B．To dominate is to harm. |
| C．To fight is to grow. | D．To give is to receive. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Reserved. | C．Objective. | D．Skeptical. |
| A．Forgiveness is in our nature. | B．Forgiveness grows with time. |
| C．It takes practice to forgive. | D．Actuality is based on potentiality. |
10 . I recently spent half a weekend sitting on the sofa watching the Davis Cup. I thought about going for a run, but I did not want to miss the rest of the match. Soon it was starting to get dark, so I did not bother (费神). Whenever I watch tennis, I think how nice it would be to play it regularly. But I have been thinking that for almost 20 years without actually setting foot on a court. The evidence would suggest that I’m not the only one.
When a country or city competes to host an international sporting event, it often promises that more people will take up sports as a result. London was no exception. Tessa Jowell, who helped to bid for (申办) the 2012 Olympics for London, said that by 2012 two million more people would be physically active. And 60 percent of young people would be doing at least five hours of sports per week.
In the end, just over one-third of people in Britain take part in sports once a week. A report on Olympic and Paralympic influences has said that a big change in participation levels simply has not happened.
Why isn’t there a big increase in people taking part in sports after most sporting events? Perhaps it is a mistake to assume a definite link between watching sports and playing it. While the games are on, they actually encourage people to do just the opposite — to spend whole sunny days not out playing sports, but inside sitting on the sofa with the curtains shut to stop the sun shining on the TV screen. We don’t expect half the audience of a hit musical to apply to drama school the next day, yet we seem to expect it of sporting events.
The high-level performances on show only remind people that they could never match the excellent athletes in their sporting achievements even if they trained full time.
Maybe participation in sports is not the right thing to expect after a major sporting event. The Olympics can do many things, but maybe this cannot necessarily be one of them.
1. How does the author introduce the topic?| A．By sharing experiences. | B．By asking questions. |
| C．By listing figures. | D．By analyzing causes. |
| A．Watching sports is closely linked with playing it. |
| B．Watching games discourages people from going out. |
| C．Watching games encourages people to take part in sports. |
| D．Half the audience of a hit musical will take part in drama soon. |
| A．Do people like participating in sporting events? |
| B．Do people prefer watching big sporting events? |
| C．Do the Olympics encourage people to match athletes? |
| D．Do big sporting events make us do more sport? |
| A．Positive. | B．Negative. |
| C．Uncertain. | D．Objective. |
