3 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

In recent years, shared vegetable plots     1    (find) in the city’s suburban (郊区的) districts in Shanghai as more white-collar workers turn to farming     2    (escape) the pressures of city life.

Yang Hui is one of them. He has rented a 20-square-meter vegetable plot for 1600 yuan per year. The family tends radishes (白萝卜), lettuces and other vegetables they have planted. When they aren’t around during the week,     3    (professional) take over the work.     4     (found) by Chen Yougui     5     October 2022, the shared farm spans about 13.33 hectares (公顷) and comes with shared vegetable plots, barbecue pits and leisure areas. According to Chen, the monitoring system covers     6     entire farmland, allowing members to view their vegetables and fields remotely through their phones.

This farm has about 200 members, some of     7     even raise chickens and ducks running in the fields. Interestingly, each animal comes with its own QR code (二维码). The farm also uses technology to ensure that the chickens and ducks don’t go missing     8     run in someone else’s plot.

Those who wish to     9    (active) participate in the cultivation (种植) of their crops, mainly from the older generations, can opt (选择) for the package to plant by     10    (they). Meanwhile young customers, like Yang, usually choose a package that comes with additional services from the farm to care for their plants whenever needed.

4 . A recent report from a higher education advising organization says nearly 40 percent of American employers avoid offering jobs to recent college graduates.

They said members of Generation Z, or “Gen Z”, the group of Americans born between 1997 and 2012, make a lot of mistakes in job interviews. They say they would rather employ older workers who work harder and are dependable.

The report came out in December and noted that, of 800 directors, managers and executives asked questions, 38 percent said they favor older workers. About 20 percent of employers said young people brought a parent with them to a job interview. Almost 60 percent of those surveyed said recent college graduates are unprepared for work and about half said they had to dismiss, or fire, a recent college graduate. Others said the young workers do not take criticism well.

Because of bad experiences with younger workers, more than half of the business leaders said they are putting policies in place that older workers want. For example, they are offering benefits that are important to older workers, paying higher salaries and permitting older workers to work from home.

One respondent gave an example of a Gen Z job seeker who refused to turn on their camera during a video interview. Michael Connors is a recruiter in the Washington, D. C. area. He said he has not had a job candidate saying they will not use their camera for interviews. However, he has had some candidates choosing noisy places for calls.

Adam Capozzi is the career services director at Syracuse University in New York State. He said while many students are very good about online communication, and data management and have experience with spreadsheets, they need help with the “soft skills”. “You could be in an elevator at a specific office building or at a different establishment and bump into someone and strike up a 30-second conversation and not know who they are associated with and a positive first impression can lead to further conversation.”

1. Which of the following about some American employers’ opinions on Gen Z members is NOT true?

A．They don’t work as diligently as older employees.

B．They are less reliable than older employees.

C．They are not fully prepared in job interviews.

D．They make many errors in the workplace.

2. What can be inferred from paragraphs 3 to 5?

A．Of 496 directors, managers and executives are in favor of younger workers.

B．More than half of the business leaders are implementing policies older workers want.

C．Strange behavior of Gen Z job candidates in the interview s has dissatisfied recruiters.

D．Michael Connors doesn’t mind whether job seekers turn on their cameras.

3. Why “soft skills” are so important in the workplace?

A．Because there are many occasions where we need to use the skills.

B．Because the skills can help workers get promoted quickly.

C．Because the skills can establish a good relationship between you and others.

D．Because the skills can improve the workers’ experience in the workplace.

4. Which is the best title of the passage?

A．US Businesses Are Concerned about Hiring Young, “Gen Z” Workers.

B．“Gen Z” Workers’ Different Personalities in the Workplace.

C．Why Old Workers Are More Welcomed than “Gen Z” Workers?

D．American “Gen Z” Members Are Facing Unemployment Nowadays.

5 . Turning around corners, weaving through traffic, every second matters. It is neither a street race nor a 007 chase, but the risky journey of a sushi (寿司) roll.

The streets of China are filled with delivery drivers racing noodles, sandwiches and soups across cities. While the everyday consumer may find these services convenient, most do not realize the true cost of their delivery. How much is that late-night snack really worth?

Strict time limits are the main concern for delivery drivers. The Chinese delivery app Meituan decreased the maximum time allowance from 50 minutes to 30 or even 20. Time literally means money: Surpassing the limit can result in fines, which are paid to the firm rather than to the consumers. Yet, beyond fines, there is often a greater cost. According to Pandaily News, one delivery worker is injured or killed in accidents every 2.5 days in Shanghai and, sadly, companies seldom provide insurance claims when their time limits lead to these consequences. Drivers are pushed to break traffic rules and risk their lives so your sushi is not a minute late.

Furthermore, low wages and extensive working hours exacerbate these issues. Some companies in China take advantage of the economic inequalities between China’s large cities and less developed interior to offer extremely low pay to migrant delivery drivers while demanding long hours. Yet these long hours and low pay are common throughout the global delivery industry. In the United States, advertised earnings of $22 per hour are largely exaggerated while workers complain that food delivery apps rarely give them all their tips.

What is the solution? First, consumers should recognize what is behind their impossibly cheap and fast delivery: exploitation. We should expect more from the delivery app companies and less from their drivers. That is, we should pay more and wait longer while only ordering from companies who offer their drivers fair wages, insurance and a safe working environment. In the end, your sushi is just not worth it.

1. Who will be paid the fines for a delayed delivery?

A．The delivery firm.	B．The delivery worker.
C．The sushi restaurant.	D．The ordinary consumer.

2. What does the underlined word “exacerbate” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Integrate.

B．Comprise.

C．Worsen.

D．Alleviate.

3. Why does the author mention the “earnings of $22 per hour” in the US?

A．To indicate that delivery drivers shouldn’t expect much.

B．To emphasize that delivery companies should provide insurance.

C．To prove that the pay and working environment are better in the US.

D．To show that low pay and overwork are common issues in the industry.

4. Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A．The Harm of Delivery Services	B．The True Cost of Convenient Deliveries
C．The Overrated Popularity of Sushi	D．The Benefits and Problems of Delivery Apps

6 . Younger generations of Chinese citizens have developed new methods to relieve stress, which include raising unconventional “pets”, hugging trees, watching stress relief videos and so on.

On social media platforms, a new toy called “mango dog” recently emerged.     1     In the eyes of some netizens, the “mango dog” has special meanings. “Every time I see it, it heals me,” “It’s fluffy (毛茸茸的) and cute.”     2     For example, college students have shared online their experiences of raising stones and paper box “dogs”. These “pets” share similar characteristics—they don’t cry, make noise or get sick.

Tree hugging has also become a new stress relief for young people. “You may think you are hugging the tree, but in fact, the tree is embracing you,” this is a feeling shared by a netizen. Many netizens with such experiences have expressed that their anxiety has been reduced, and they feel a sense of communication with nature.     3    

“I came across the idea online. I tried it and felt truly relaxed,” said a young office worker. “In those brief seconds, it felt like the tree released a lot of pressure and stress from me.”     4     “I especially enjoy watching stress relief videos, like washing blankets and cutting soap. After watching them, I feel like the stress of the day is relieved and it’s easier to fall asleep.”

    5     According to public data, there are currently more than 800 companies in China with names, business scopes, products, services or trademarks containing the term “stress relief”. In 2023 alone, more than 70 new registered companies with this focus were added.

A．Various “pets” are made to cater to different people.

B．It is claimed to bring a sense of calmness and give a healing effect.

C．This is not the first time that young people have raised novel “pets”.

D．A young media worker also finds the relief in watching short videos.

E．In some cities people have even organized “tree hugging interest groups”.

F．Other toys such as squeeze balls have also gained popularity as a way to relieve stress.

G．The popularity of these methods reflects an increasing need to release people’s pressure.

7 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

When a person wakes up in the morning, seven items are necessary and unavoidable in his or her life: firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar and tea.

The saying     1     (update) recently, and it is now widely accepted     2     the seven items have been integrated into one thing-a parcel.

The     3     (adjust) saying illustrates the importance of parcels in Chinese people’s lives nowadays.

Although the delivery industry has boomed in the past decade, and many people rely     4     (heavy) on parcels to maintain their normal lives, it is easy     5     (forget) the most important part of the network-the millions of couriers who transport the items to their recipients.

In China, these essential people usually have busy schedules     6     handle heavy workloads. For example, in big cities such as Beijing, each courier usually collects and delivers 200 to 300 parcels a day, even during off - peak     7     (period).

They often wear colorful uniforms and ride electric bikes through the streets and communities. People call them “busy bees” in honor of       8     (they) hard work.

Sometimes, they rush to meet their schedules and aim to deliver     9     large number of parcels, raising the risk of traffic accidents. Sometimes they work overtime to complete deliveries. Occasionally, they are subject     10     unreasonable complaints.

8 . 听下面一段对话，回答以下小题。
1. Whom did people usually marry in Russia in the past?

A．Those with the same interests.

B．Those with the same background.

C．Those with the same profession.

2. What did the woman do when she met her husband?

A．She was a scientist.

B．She was a teacher.

C．She was a musician.

10 . In a new study, the researchers examined trends in subjective well-being (幸福) over the course of a lifespan based on 443 samples from a total of 460,902 participants. “We focused on changes in three central components of subjective well-being: life satisfaction, positive emotional states and negative emotional states,” explains Professor Susanne Bücker.

The findings show that life satisfaction decreased between the ages of 9 and 16, then increased slightly until the age of 70, and then decreased once again until the age of 96. Positive emotional states showed a general decline from age 9 to age 94, while negative emotional states fluctuated (波动) slightly between ages 9 and 22, then declined until age 60 and then increased once again. The authors identified greater median changes in positive and negative emotional states than in life satisfaction.

“Overall, the study indicated a positive trend over a wide period of life, if we look at life satisfaction and negative emotional states,” Susanne Bücker concludes. The researchers attribute (把……归因于) the slight decline in life satisfaction between the ages of 9 and 16 to, for example, changes to the body and to the social life that take place during puberty. Satisfaction rose again from young adulthood onwards. Positive feelings tended to decrease from childhood to late adulthood. In very late adulthood, all components of subjective well-being tended to worsen rather than improve. “This could be related to the fact that in very old people, physical performance decreases, health often worsens, and social contacts reduce; not least because their peers pass away,” calculates the researcher.

The study highlights the need to consider and promote subjective well-being with its various components across the life, as the authors of the study conclude. Their findings could provide significant guidance for the development of intervention programmes, especially those aimed at maintaining or improving subjective well-being late in life.

1. What is exactly the subject of the study?

A．Life satisfaction of the elderly.	B．Trends in lifelong subjective well-being.
C．Ways to control negative emotional states.	D．Factors affecting positive emotional states.

2. When do all components of subjective well-being go worse?

A．During childhood.

B．In late adulthood.

C．At middle age.

D．In young adulthood.

3. What is the positive significance of this study?

A．Teaching to improve physical performance.

B．Giving suggestions on the lifetime increase.

C．Providing a theoretical basis for healthy growth.

D．Guiding to improve the well-being of the elderly.

4. What’s the best title for the text?

A．When does happiness matter most to us?

B．What does subjective well-being consist of?

C．Why will we be more positive as we get older?

D．How does subjective well-being develop over the lifetime?