1 . A University of Michigan (U-M) study has found that older adults’ regular visits to eateries such as fast food restaurants and coffee shops may be as protective of cognitive (认知的) health as marriage.
Lead researcher Jessica Finlay and her team interviewed 125 older adults aged 55-92 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and accompanied them on visits to their neighborhood places. Through analysis of her interviews, they found that older adults valued these types of eateries as places of familiarity and comfort, places that were physically and economically accessible, and places to socialize with family, friends, staff and customers.
“Traditionally, fast food has a negative relationship with cognition — we know that diets high in fat and salt are associated with increased risk of cognitive decline,” said Finlay. “But as a geographer, I’m interested in the places themselves and what those spaces mean for the everyday lives of older adults.”
There is one interviewee called Denise. “It was an expensive month with a wedding and two unexpected funerals (葬礼), and these events ate up her budget (预算),” the researchers wrote. “Though she could not afford restaurant meals regularly, Denise still enjoyed inexpensive coffee with her friends as a valued opportunity to socialize.”
Finlay’s research at U-M focuses on how neighborhoods may help reduce or increase risk for Alzheimer’s disease. She assumed that regular socialization and leisure activities that take place in these places might be linked to cognitive health.
Finlay and U-M researcher Michael Esposito tested this idea in a national cohort by drawing on the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke, or REGARDS, study, which collects information by mail and telephone from more than 30,000 aging individuals. The participants were an average age of 64 in 2003-2007.
REGARDS respondents living in the most limited retail food (零售食品) environments had cognitive scores that were modestly lower — about 0.1 points — than residents living in the highest density (密度) environments. The difference in cognitive well-being between individuals living in high-density and low-density neighborhoods was about a year difference in age, which is strongly linked to age-related cognitive decline in older adults.
“My side of the project was translating what Finlay found in her qualitative results over to the national level, blowing it up to see if some of those associations she inferred from her study in Minnesota held for the nation at large — and they did,” said Esposito.
1. What is the new study concerning seniors mainly about?| A．Their great love for fast food. |
| B．Their usual choices while eating outside. |
| C．The impact of marriage on their cognition. |
| D．The link between restaurant visits and their health. |
| A．They offer an affordable way to make social interactions. |
| B．They provide her with a lot of unexpected surprises. |
| C．She enjoys high-fat and salty foods served there. |
| D．She takes part in important activities there. |
| A．She interviewed its respondents. |
| B．She visited the places mentioned in it. |
| C．She reached a conclusion based on its data. |
| D．She compared it with her research at U-M. |
| A．Its results are applicable nationally. |
| B．It should be done outside Minnesota. |
| C．It offers a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. |
| D．Its respondents should cover other age groups. |
2 . There is a decades-long rise in Americans feeling socially isolated (孤独的). That may seem strange, in the light of all the ways we now have to connect electronically, from email and Facebook to Instagram and TikTok.
“Loneliness is strongly related to people’s health problems,” said psychologist Matt Johnson. And he pointed out: increasing loneliness also has a connection with the proliferation of social media platforms worldwide. “When this social need for interpersonal connections isn’t met in your organic social environment, the market converges on (趋同于) this,” said Johnson. “We see the rise of social media happening around the same time as this loneliness epidemic (流行病).” Johnson said that social media platforms can sometimes relieve loneliness — if you’re actually keeping in touch with others through them.
That’s the kind of social network that Deena Hindi has been trying to build for her 84-year-old mother. Hindi’s father passed away several years ago. Her mother was left living alone next door to Hindi, with few friends. Hindi figured, “There’s got to be a lot of lonely people. So that’s why I created a Meetup group, to see if I could get people together.” A group of older women found Hindi’s Meetup group online. They now go out regularly in person.
However, Johnson said, “More and more people, especially younger people, are engaging in the more follower-type of social media, where you’re engaging with people with massive followings, and you’re looking at their TikTok videos, their tweets and their Instagram content. You don’t know them personally; you’ll probably never meet them in real life: not really social connection.”
There are ways that employers can help fight the loneliness epidemic, according to Anne Bowers, who researches the workplace, mental health, and productivity. “Workers who have a good work-life balance, social companionship (友谊), and satisfying communications at work are 53% less likely to be lonely than other employees who don’t. Creating a healthy work-life balance for employees is very important — flexible work schedules can create better balance,” he said.
1. Which of the following can replace the underlined word “proliferation” in paragraph 2?| A．Decline. | B．Increase. | C．Importance. | D．Limitation. |
| A．To make online friends. |
| B．To learn about lonely people’s life. |
| C．To provide intelligent companionship for her mother. |
| D．To establish real-life social connections for lonely people. |
| A．To show how younger people behave in real life. |
| B．To recommend some ways to deal with loneliness. |
| C．To highlight great dangers of the loneliness epidemic. |
| D．To express his dissatisfaction with spending time on social media. |
| A．By reducing tasks. |
| B．By shortening working hours. |
| C．By allowing more flexible work time. |
| D．By promoting the use of social media platforms. |
3 . Just wanting a hamburger, Hembert Figueroa was surprised to learn the dollar bills in his pocket were no good at Dos Toros Taqueria in Manhattan.
Figueroa, an ironworker, had to stand to the side, holding his hamburger, until a cashier helped him find another customer willing to pay for his meal with a card in exchange for cash. “I had money but I couldn’t pay,” he said.
Cash-free stores are causing a backlash among some activists who say the practice looks down upon people like Figueroa, who either lack bank accounts or rely on cash for many transactions (交易).
Supporters for banning cashless stores worry that technology is moving too fast for the 6.5% of American households—8.4 million—that do not have a bank account.
Business owners who go cashless say they are following the lead of majority of customers who are abandoning cash payments. Retailers are under pressure to satisfy customers with higher expectations for fast and convenient service, driven by companies like Amazon and Uber.
Leo Kremer, co-worker of Dos Toros, said the amount of cash transactions at his stores fell from about 50% a decade ago to 15% last year. Cash transactions made handling cash especially troublesome. Before going cashless, Dos Toros locations were robbed twice.
Financial experts who work with low-income people caution against making assumptions about the shopping preferences or buying power of those who rely on cash. Justine Zinkin, CEO of Neighborhood Trust Financial Partners, said the greater urgency in the digital time is finding ways to better include low-income people in the banking system, such as urging banks to offer no-fee starter accounts and encouraging banks to open branches in underserved areas.
1. What trouble was Hembert Figueroa faced with at Dos Toros Taqueria?| A．He failed to find a cashier for help. | B．He couldn’t make a deal with cash. |
| C．He took no money or a card with him. | D．He was caught carrying false bank notes. |
| A．Strong disagreement. | B．Warm welcome. | C．Heated debate. | D．High expectation. |
| A．Making regulations to ban cashless stores. |
| B．Raising the buying power of low-income people. |
| C．Finding ways for banks to adapt with the digital time. |
| D．Making banks more accessible to low-income people. |
| A．An introduction of cashless stores, a new form of transaction. |
| B．An introduction of cashless stores, a production of new technology. |
| C．A discussion about whether cashless stores are lawful. |
| D．A discussion about whether cashless stores should be banned. |
Recent studies show that the amount of time people spend looking at screens is rising. We live in an era where mass media is
For example, advertisements often feature beautiful,
So be a critical mass media reader.
5 . People in most countries have stopped wearing masks (口罩). In Japan, many people are still covering up. Some of those who have gone maskless, or who want to, are taking lessons in how to smile. A lot of adults say they have “forgotten” how to smile naturally after three years of wearing a face covering. They are taking lessons from “smile coaches” to relearn how to smile with confidence. One coach, Keiko Kawano from a “smile education” company, spoke to the Asahi Shimbun newspaper about her work. She said: “Mask wearing became normal, so people had fewer opportunities to smile. Many people developed a complex (情结) about smiling. I want people to smile for their physical and mental wellbeing.”
Smile coaches in Japan may be busy for some time to come. A recent survey(调查) by Laibo Research found that 27.8% of company employees in their 20s to 50s would continue to wear masks. Just over two-thirds of people said they would wear a mask depending on the situation. Only 5.5% said they would go mask-free. Ms. Kawano is well known in Japan. She has coached more than 4,000 people in the art of smiling. She has also trained hundreds of “smile specialists”. She said: “Smiling makes a good impression on others and helps communication. It also has the effect of making yourself feel more positive.” She added: “Moving and relaxing the facial muscles is the key to a good smile.”
1. Who needs to take lessons in how to smile in Japan?| A．People who are still covering up | B．People who have gone maskless, or who want to |
| C．People who knows how to smile | D．People in most countries |
| A．A basketball coach | B．A football coach |
| C．A tennis coach | D．A smiling coach |
| A．1/3 | B．2/3 | C．27.8% | D．5.5% |
| A．Learn again | B．no more study | C．teach | D．rewrite |
| A．A good impression on others and helping communication. |
| B．The effect of making yourself feel more positive. |
| C．Moving and relaxing the facial muscles. |
| D．A complex about smiling. |
6 . On Indonesia’s eastern island of Sumba, a lack of electricity once left many communities in the dark at night. But off-grid(离网) solar energy programs are bringing people there limited electricity years before normal power systems reach them. Such small solar panels(电池板) mean a lot to them. They can work later in the evenings, help their kids with their homework and even hold more social gatherings. Besides, there are experts saying off-grid solar programs could be reproduced across the nation of thousands of islands and that the energy is renewable.
However, off-grid solar energy systems face problems too. Most villagers depend on donators, some international organizations, to pay most of the cost of solar panels, so, villagers without off-grid solar panels have to wait until there is enough money from the donators. And when solar systems break, imported parts are needed, which can be hard to find and costly. While the solar systems can power light bulbs and charge cellphones, they do not provide the same amount of power as a grid and thus cannot operate devices like a sound system for a church.
Despite these challenges, off-grid solar programs have proven successful in Indonesia and other places, such as Bangladesh and Africa, south of the Sahara Desert. These programs, offered by companies like Sumba Sustainable Solutions, help provide electricity for millions. The company has sent over 3,000 solar light systems across the island, reaching more than 3,000 homes. To continue the successful completion of off-grid solar projects, Sumba Sustainable Solutions is seeking support from Indonesia’s Just Energy Transition Partnership Deal, which involves loans and other money from developed nations and international financial companies. By increasing solar use in Indonesia, more people will have access to electricity and improve their livelihoods.
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?| A．The benefits such programs offer. |
| B．The future solar panels will hold. |
| C．The living conditions of people on Sumba. |
| D．The advantages of normal power systems. |
| A．2. | B．3. | C．4. | D．5. |
| A．Subjective | B．Favorable. | C．Doubtful. | D．Critical. |
| A．Joint efforts are being made to complete them. |
| B．It has bettered people’s lives across the country. |
| C．The government offers financial support for them. |
| D．Many companies are participating for huge profits. |
1. What percentage of seniors in the UK would talk with three people a week at most?
| A．About 55%. | B．Just 26%. | C．Over 20%. |
| A．Leaving their homes. | B．Parting from their children. | C．Taking early retirement. |
| A．A minority of them worried about their elder years. |
| B．One-third of them wanted to help seniors. |
| C．30% of them felt too shy to talk with seniors. |
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注意：
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Waste on Campus
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9 . Over the past few years, electric scooters have been brought to Paris and dozens of other c ties worldwide as an environmentally-friendly individual transport option. What cities have gotten instead is chaos-scooters shooting down sidewalks at dangerous speeds or laying abandoned on sidewalks. Both riders and pedestrians have been injured and sometimes killed.
The people of Paris have spoken loud and clear: get electric scooters off of our streets. Among the 100,000 people, nearly 90% of them vote in favor of s scooter ban. It’s easy to see why.
When it comes to scooters, there are often not many rules regulating them, and enforcement(执行) is far from per feet In Paris, for example, the city technically banned multiple riders on a single scooter and scooter son sidewalks, but it is not unusual in Paris to see couples on a single scooter, flying down a city sidewalk. In New York City, there is a scooter speed limit. But it’s pretty rare to see a New York City policeman doling out a ticket to a scooter rider. Other cities require scooter riders to obey standard traffic laws, but these regulations are often overlooked.
Another problem with scooters is that there is no obvious spot for them within urban infrastructure. They go far too fast to be safe on the sidewalk, which may bring potential risks to pedestrians. But scooters are also inappropriate for the bike lane—they don’t move like bikes, which makes them difficult to see and navigate around and can be dangerous for scooter drivers and cyclists. Scooters also aren’t suitable for the road, Scooters don’t go fast enough to share space with cars; and their riders are not protected against vehicles going 30 miles per hour or more.
In cities where public transport is solid and pedestrians fill the sidewalks, scooters should see themselves out or be regulated out. And in other cities where cars dominate and public transport is lacking, the priority should be to build new infrastructure to move people around efficiently and greenly.
1. What can we learn about electric scooters?| A．They are costly and noisy. | B．They are eco-friendly but risky. |
| C．They are deadly and abandoned. | D．They are convenient but inefficient. |
| A．Rarely do New Yorkers ride scooters on the street. |
| B．The larger the city is, the stricter the regulations are. |
| C．Relevant regulations have not been strictly enforced. |
| D．Parisians are more obedient to traffic regulations. |
| A．Scooters run at a low speed. |
| B．Scooters pose potential risks. |
| C．There is no navigation system on scooters. |
| D．There is no lane specially designed for scooters. |
| A．To define. | B．To advise. | C．To warn. | D．To compare. |
10 . My son’s seventh birthday is approaching, so conversation at my house has naturally turned to organizing his party.
For his sixth birthday, we booked the local trampoline(蹦床) park. This worked out well. But the whole event cost us hundreds of pounds. This year, I’m trying to convince him that the dinosaur-themed park down the road offers just as much fun—and you don’t even need to wear special socks! This will be cheaper, because we aren’t required to hire a space—we can simply buy tickets for his mates.
But I still keep pondering over one thing—party bags. Why should a bunch of seven-year-olds, who have already been treated to a day out and a mountain of sugar, also be handed a bag full of pound-shop gifts for simply bothering to show up?
Party bags are an environmental disaster. I reckon my son attends 20 parties per year, and at each party there are 20 kids in attendance, which means 400 plastic bags in total. Within these 400 bags are perhaps 800 plastic toys, almost all of which fall apart on the journey home and then get binned instantly. The waste is shocking, and I don’t want to be part of it.
I know there are some party bag alternatives: one couple I know covered a table with Mr. Men books and got the kids to choose one each. At another party, I saw the hosts fill a bucket with soft toys and crumpled newspaper, and do a lucky dip (抽奖). Admirable efforts.
Even if that is a nice try, and even if the contents in the party bags don’t fall apart, so what? Will our guests think more highly of our child because of the party bags from our party? Will my child’s ability to make and keep friends be improved?
Well, the tradition for kid’s party bags ends with me, and it ends here, and it ends now. Who’s with me?
1. Why does the author recommend the dinosaur-themed park?| A．Because it’s more enjoyable. | B．Because it provides socks. |
| C．Because it can reduce cost. | D．Because it offers free tickets. |
| A．Gifts brought by guests. | B．Gifts prepared by hosts. |
| C．Gifts distributed by parks. | D．Gift a donated by charities. |
| A．Intolerant. | B．Objective. | C．Favorable. | D．In different. |
| A．Be recycled. | B．Be repaired. | C．Be thrown away. | D．Be given away. |
