1 . One single night every January, volunteers all over America search parks, woodlands and pavements to count those without shelter. After seeing their own figures for homelessness increase by 20%between 2022 and early 2023. Jersey officials were shocked into action. Officials spent more on rental assistance for those at risk of becoming homeless. More services for people living rough have led to a rise in sheltered homelessness. The state also gathers real time data. In November New Jersey’s Office of Homelessness Prevention released its own figures , showing unsheltered homelessness falling across the state by 23% year on year.
Newark, New Jersey’s largest city and home to the state’s largest homeless population, recorded a 58% reduction in unsheltered homelessness since the start of the year due to the government’s financial support to reduce street homelessness, improve the shelter system and expand housing and prevention services.
Luis Ulerio, the director of Newark’s Office of Homeless Services, says “there’s just been a lot of hard work behind that number.” Mr. Baraka, the mayor (市长)，converted a local primary school into a 166-bed facility. He built temporary housing out of shipping containers. A second cluster (群) of containers with supportive services, called Hope Village II, will open soon. The containers have been altered to look like little cottages. A third cluster is in the works Mr.Baraka wants to create a pipeline from shelters to transitional housing and then to getting long-term homeless people into permanent housing.
More services for people living rough have led to a rise in sheltered homelessness. The city also provides money for overdue rent to prevent homelessness. Beth Shinn of Vanderbilt University points out that it’s cheaper to give $ 200 to help make due rent for the poor than to pay thousands later. The city also relies on data , updated daily by those working with Newark’s homeless people. Real-time data is crucial , he says , in order to carry out interventions in state policy all on the frontline.
1. What can we learn about homelessness in New Jersey from paragraph 1?| A．It has greatly affected people’s lives. | B．Official efforts are lacking to address it. |
| C．Great progress has been made to ease it. | D．It is the most serious all over America. |
| A．He designed and built the Hope Village series for them. |
| B．He turned a school and shipping containers into o homes. |
| C．He joined a permanent pipeline to the homeless houses. |
| D．He led the volunteers to count people without shelter. |
| A．Extended. | B．Donated. | C．Distributed. | D．Changed. |
| A．Rent should be provided for the poor when it’s due. |
| B．No rent should be charged to stop overdue rent. |
| C．Real-time data should be in place to spot overdue rent. |
| D．A limit should be set to avoid large sum of overdue rent. |
2 . A vague image shows a nearly naked (赤裸的) man in a vast field of rainforest, spear (矛) held up to the sky and pointed at both the helicopter and photographer circling above him – a man defending his territory and people from outside influence.
This very scene made headline news some years ago in the UK. It instantly addressed the loss of ancestral homelands some tribal (部落的) communities face as a result of ever-expanding plantations. However, bad news has a way of dominating the front pages, so we’re of the opinion that all aboriginal (原始的) communities are in decline --- and that’s not true.
During my travel through Inda, Afghanistan and Pakistan in the early 1990s, I spent some time living with the Kalash, a tribe that inhabits three valleys in the Hindu Kush mountains range. I became frim friends with Saifullah, the chief spokesperson, and we’re still in touch to this day.
Back then I remember talking to a very serious aid worker in the American Club in Peshawar who told me straightly the Kalash, surrounded by conservative Islam, had no chance of survival and would be gone in 10 years. That was 25 years ago. When I caught up with Saifulluah recently, I asked what his response was to those who claim Kalash culture is dying.
“It’s not true,” he exclaimed, “The Kalash culture and community is as strong today as it was when you first came. We still have our festivals. We still have a shaman, bow shakers, and Qazis – people, who are holding the culture, the religious ceremony. Our younger people are not becoming more proud of their culture – they know they are different and they appreciate it. Many are learning the old ways from their seniors,” he added, “There are now over 4,000 Kalasha. Back in the 1970s they were maybe 2,500.”
Will Millard, a TV presenter who spent a year living with the Korawai of West Papua, agrees, “Perhaps tribal communities aren’t in decline, but just in transition,” he told me. “As a human society, we are in constant state of shift. We charge them of losing their culture because they’re wearing clothes, or using a gun instead of arrows, but a T-shirt doesn’t make them any less of a Korawai man. Culture was kept alive below the surface.” added Millard.
1. What is the purpose of paragraph 1?| A．To give a defintion. | B．To introduce an argument. |
| C．To make a comparison. | D．To demonstrate a fact. |
| A．Sceptical. | B．Objective. |
| C．Dismissive. | D．Disapproving. |
| A．Kalash people have increased awareness of their unique culture. |
| B．The young generation has lost their traditions. |
| C．The Kalash culture has been declining. |
| D．Original culture has made Kalash people richer. |
| A．Tribal culture is worth preserving. |
| B．Tribal communities have been damaged. |
| C．“Disappearing” culture remains the same as before. |
| D．Traditional communities’ lives are changing. |
3 . New Yorker writer Kyle Chayka came of age alongside the internet. As a teen, he published his own blog and joined forum (论坛) for pop music. He discovered one of his favorite Jazz songs --- John Coltrane’s full version of “My Favorite Things” – driving around at night, listening to the local radio station.
Chayka misses the time ---and the ways, then, that personal discoveries like these were made. In his new book, Filterworld: How Algorithms (算法) Shaped Culture, Chayka says he never would have fallen in love with Coltrane’s songs if he’d heard it on Spodify. He says he doubts Spodify’s algorithm would even suggest it, because the song is so long. And that, even if it did, he wouldn’t have learned anything about Coltrane as an artist, because the Spodify interface doesn’t provide the same context that a radio DJ does, sharing details between songs. The person behind the song choice, he argues, made his emerging interest in Coltrane possible in a way modern recommendation system cannot.
This is one of many “back in my day” stories Chayka uses to illustrate his argument that algorithms have “shaped culture”. Thanks to recommendation generators like Tiktok’s top picks and Spodify’s autoplay suggestions, “the least troublesome and perhaps least meaningful pieces of culture are promoted,” Chayka argued. He admits that quality is subjective when judging these things, and instead argues that recommendation systems undermine personal taste. Taste, he writes, was once a combination of personal choices and popular influence --- but now algorithms rely more on choices of the masses. Developing taste requires effort and active engagement, but what we see now are algorithms turning taste into consumerism.
A central point of the book, in fact, is that people today are not only well aware of the power of algorithms, they can’t escape them. He interviews a young woman who wonders if “what I like is what I actually like,” worried that her taste is so shaped by algorithms that she can’t trust herself. The book may be most useful in these sections, where Chayka and his interviewees attempt to make sense of how internet algorithms have shaped their own lives and work.
1. What causes Chayka to be interested in John Coltrane’s music?| A．The details provided by algorithm. | B．Listening to the local radio station. |
| C．Recommendation of Spodify. | D．The charm of John Coltrane. |
| A．How early internet shapes our culture. |
| B．How technology impacts our personal taste. |
| C．How social media changes our view of reality. |
| D．How digital platform redefine mass consumption. |
| A．underestimate. | B．enhance. |
| C．transform. | D．disturb. |
| A．Show the highlights of the book. | B．Comment on the structure of the book. |
| C．Encourage the use of internet. | D．Praise Chayka’s writing styles. |
4 . Think what the places you go to for nature was like in your parents’ or grandparents’ time. In many cases, the natural places of today are more developed or surrounded by more development, than they were decades ago. But to you, they still feel like nature.
That’s what psychology professor Peter Kahn calls “environmental generational amnesia (失忆症)”. What each generation comes to think of as “nature” is relative, based on what they’re exposed to.
In early research, Kahn studied children’s concepts of the environment in Houston, one of the largest and most polluted cities in the country. He found that, when children were asked about air pollution, most could explain it and point out other cities that were polluted — but not their own. “Each generation tends to see that degraded condition as the nondegraded condition, as the common experience,” Kahn wrote.
Interacting with nature makes a difference in how people view and move in the world, Kahn said. He turned to a preschool in Seattle and observed children developing skills in nature there. “The skills are not given,” Kahn said. “We have an entire generation that spends so much time in front of screens that, when they do go out into nature, they don’t know how to interact with it, or handle themselves.”
Meaningful interactions with nature not only can teach, but also help people revive, reflect and recognize the importance of the outdoors. Developing a “nature language” — meeting the environment in ways large and small that result in positive feelings — can begin to overturn environmental generational amnesia.
Here in Seattle, the city’s largest park can serve as a laboratory for how people interact with nature. “A park of that size allows for interactions with nature that are almost impossible to have in the city. It’s not enough, but it’s better than not having it.” Kahn said. “A bigger park is better than a smaller park, and a smaller park is better than no park. You can’t take nature for granted anywhere.”
1. What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?| A．Deforestation goes better. | B．Nature disappears quickly. |
| C．The concept of nature changes. | D．Environmental amnesia worsened. |
| A．Comfortable. | B．Sustainable. | C．Accessible. | D．Acceptable. |
| A．offer positive feelings | B．improve people’s memory |
| C．make surroundings greener | D．develop cities’ economy |
| A．Seattle’s parks aren’t natural. | B．Seattle’s nature is well-preserved. |
| C．More parks should be encouraged. | D．People can enjoy nature in the laboratory. |
1. 漫画内容；2. 你的看法。
注意：
1. 词数80左右；2. 短文的题目已给出。
A Different Angle
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1. What does the speaker mainly talk about?
| A．Advertising benefits. | B．Consumer habits. | C．Unnecessary spend. |
| A．For more purchase. | B．For better service. | C．For higher price. |
| A．Physical cash. | B．Credit card. | C．Digital wallet. |
注意：1．词数80左右；2．请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
Museum Fever
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8 . At the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Romanian gymnast Nadia Comǎneci made history. She performed a routine
Perfectionism is generally appreciated as a good quality. Therefore, it’s not
Aiming for a high degree of success isn’t necessarily
Maladaptive perfectionism, which involves an intense
| A．randomly | B．temporarily | C．faultlessly | D．repeatedly |
| A．talent | B．discoveries | C．transformation | D．achievements |
| A．interesting | B．necessary | C．apparent | D．surprising |
| A．professions | B．experiences | C．advertisements | D．agreements |
| A．theory | B．tendency | C．measure | D．difficulty |
| A．insist | B．confirm | C．worry | D．regret |
| A．detail | B．interaction | C．instruction | D．recognition |
| A．miss out | B．hold onto | C．set aside | D．rely on |
| A．beneficial | B．reliable | C．harmful | D．significant |
| A．avoid | B．tolerate | C．identify | D．forget |
| A．argument | B．competition | C．desire | D．strategy |
| A．indicate | B．weaken | C．stress | D．inspire |
| A．shift | B．adopt | C．accept | D．strengthen |
| A．realistic | B．cautious | C．decisive | D．helpful |
| A．challenge | B．mention | C．evaluate | D．prioritize |
9 . In recent years, aggression on social media have become commonplace. More than half of the victims said they didn’t know the identity of the perpetrator (作恶者). Most people agreed that the anonymity (匿名) of the Internet provides cover for nasty and harassing (骚扰) behavior.
Does this growing aggression on social media give us a glimpse of our real human nature? Are we-at our core-aggressive beasts? It’s true that hate crimes are on the rise, and political divisions app ear to be growing. The level of public bitterness-especially online-is substantial. But I don’t believe that’s because social media has unlocked our cruel human nature.
As an evolutionary anthropologist, I have spent years researching our transformation as a species. Over the past two million years, we have evolved from groups of apelike beings armed with sticks and stones to the creators of cars, rockets, and nations. Our bigger brains have allowed us to bond and cooperate in more complex and diverse ways than any other animal. Meanwhile, “you are whom you meet.” How we perceive, experience, and act in the world is shaped by who and what surround us on a daily basis. This process has deep evolutionary roots and gives humans what we call a shared reality.
I would argue that the rise in online aggression is a product of our evolutionary social skills, the social media boom, and the specific political, economic and social context where we find ourselves. This explosive combination has opened up a space for increasingly more people to fan the flames of aggression and insult online. Aggressive behavior-especially to those you don’t have to confront face-to-face-is easier than it’s ever been. And for the aggressor, there are often no consequences.
Yes, it seems that the world is getting more aggressive, but that’s not because we are more aggressive at our core. It’s because we haven’t been standing up against bullying, abuse, and aggressive harassment, and promoting pro-social attitudes and actions our contemporary world demands. In person and on social media, we must do both.
1. What does the underlined word “that” in paragraph two refer to?| A．Hate crimes on the rise. | B．Growing political divisions. |
| C．Considerable online bitterness. | D．The transformation of humans. |
| A．Critical. | B．Objective. | C．Approving. | D．Ironic. |
| A．Embracing our aggressive nature to compete in today’s world. |
| B．Strengthening laws to hold perpetrators responsible for their online actions. |
| C．Promoting positive behaviors and interactions in both real-life and digital spaces. |
| D．Focusing only on reducing anonymity on the internet to reduce offensive behavior. |
| A．The impact of social media on society. |
| B．The influence of evolution on our behavior. |
| C．The reasons behind rising online aggression. |
| D．The factors in the social media development. |
10 . I’m always cautious of the tired saying, “If it doesn’t kill you, it’ll make you stronger.” I mean, what about polio (小儿麻痹症)? Or loads of other horrible things that if you survive, you’re left scarred in one way or another.
For many years I worked in a specialist NHS clinic for people with eating disorders, which are greatly misunderstood and connected with vanity (虚荣) when instead it’s usually about control or even profound trauma (精神创伤). Eating disorders have the highest mortality of any mental illness, with one in five of those with an eating disorder dying from it. Treatment for it is long, tough and tiring. So, it’s fair to say it’s not something to be taken lightly.
Yet I was often surprised by how many patients-patients with all sorts of other conditions too, from depression to cancer -would tell me how the experience had changed them for the better after receiving treatment. It’s not so much that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger; more, it might make you more understanding of yourself and more sensitive to the battles and struggles of others. It can also give people a sense of determination and perseverance they never had before.
I had one patient who was an addict and alcoholic besides suffering eating disorder. She was frequently rushed into hospital and was sometimes at a real risk of dying. However, after years of hard work, she stopped drinking, stopped using drugs and her eating disorder improved. She got back into work and started doing several courses to get promoted. Actually, she had gone through numerous intense and exhausting interviews before landing a job, but she said whenever she felt she couldn’t handle it or doubted her capabilities, she reminded herself that nothing would ever be worse or harder than what she had already gone through. She managed to make the most of her life and turn her life around.
1. What does the author think of the old mantra?| A．Always applicable. | B．Totally absurd. |
| C．Partially right. | D．Quite misleading. |
| A．The number of deaths. |
| B．The possibility of being cured. |
| C．The rate of getting mentally hurt. |
| D．The chance of having mental illness. |
| A．It leads to a changeable attitude. |
| B．It makes no noticeable difference. |
| C．It builds up their physical strength. |
| D．It fosters self-awareness and sympathy. |
| A．She continued harmful habits. | B．She relied only on medication. |
| C．She always believed in herself. | D．She became stronger and tougher. |
