1 . In the late nineteenth century, art critics regarded seventeenth-century Dutch paintings as direct reflections of reality. The paintings were discussed as an index of the democracy of a society that chose to represent its class, action, and occupations exactly as they were, wide-ranging realism was seen as the great accomplishment of Dutch art. However, the achievement of more recent study of Dutch art has been the recovery of the fact that such paintings are to be taken as symbolizing mortality, the renaissance of earthly life, and the power of God, and as message that range from the mildly moralizing to the firmly didactic. How explicit and consistent the symbolizing process was intended to be is a much thornier matter, but anyone who has more familiarity than a passing acquaintance with Dutch literature or with the kinds of images used in illustrated books (above all emblem books) will know how much less pervasive was the habit of investing ordinary objects than of investing scenes with meaning that go be-y ond their surface and outward appearance. In the mid-1960s, Eddy de Jongh published an extraordinary array of material — especially from the emblem books and vernacular literature — that confirmed the unreliability of taking Dutch pictures at surface value alone.
The major difficulty, however, with the findings of critics such as de Jongh is that it is not easy to assess the multiplicity of levels in which Dutch viewers interpreted these pictures. De Jongh’s followers typically regard the pictures as purely symbolic. Not every object within Dutch paintings need be interpreted in terms of the gloss given to its equivalent representation in the emblem books. Not every foot warmer is to be interpreted in terms of the foot warmer in Rowmer Visscher’s Sinnepoppen of 1614, not every bridle is an emblem of restraint (though many were indeed just that).
To maintain as Brown does, that the two children in Netscher’s painting A Lady Teaching a Child to Read stand for industry and idleness is to fail to understand that the painting has a variety of possible meanings, even though the picture undoubtedly carriers unmistakable symbolic meanings, too. Modern Art historians may well find the discovery of parallels be-tween a painting and a specific emblem exciting, they may, like seventeenth-century viewers, search for the double that lie behind many paintings. But seventeenth-century response can hardly be reduced to the level of formula. To suggest otherwise is to imply a laboriousness of mental process that may well characterize modern interpretations of seventeenth-century Dutch Art, but that was, for the most part, not characteristic in the seventeenth century.
1. The passage is primarily concerned with which of the following?| A．Reconciling two different points of view about how art reflects. |
| B．Criticizing a traditional method of interpretation. |
| C．Describing and evaluating a recent critical approach. |
| D．Describing a long-standing controversy and how it was resolved. |
| A．Suggest that restraint was only one of the many symbolic meanings attached to bridles |
| B．Provide an example of an everyday, physical object that was not endowed with symbolic meaning |
| C．Provide an example of an object that modern critics have endowed with symbolic meaning different from the meaning assigned it by seventeenth-century Dutch artists |
| D．Provide an example of an object with symbolic meaning that was not always used as a symbol |
| A．It provides specific applications of the critical approach introduced in the preceding paragraph. |
| B．It present a caveat about the critical approach discussed in the preceding paragraph. |
| C．It presents the research on which a theory presented in the preceding paragraph is based. |
| D．It refutes a theory presented in the preceding paragraph and advocates a return to a more traditional approach. |
| A．They confirm that seventeenth century Dutch painting depict some objects and scenes rarely found in daily life. |
| B．They are more useful than vernacular literature in providing information about the sym-bolic content of seventeenth-century Dutch painting. |
| C．They have been misinterpreted by art critics, such as de Jongh, who claim seventeenth-century Dutch paintings contain symbolic meaning. |
| D．They contain material that challenges the assumptions of the nineteenth-century critics about seventeenth-century Dutch painting. |
China is now pursuing high-quality development, which has been boosted by “new quality productive forces” and new innovations. This is not a bolt from the blue; instead, it has been conditioned by internal and external
Internally, China is pursuing high-quality, innovation-driven development. From the 1980s to the 2010s, China’s GDP grew at
Externally, global tensions have motivated China
From 2021 onwards, China
The previous five-year plans
China is aware of the importance of boosting domestic
3 . The original Chick-fil-A location holds a special place in the company’s history. symbolizing innovation and the birth of a brand that would eventually expand to serve customers across 47 states and Washington, D.C.
Chick-fil-A, a company that has grown from a small outlet in Arlanta’s Greenbriar Mall to a fast-food giant, yet now faces the closure (关闭) of its original store. The reason behind the closure of Chick-fil-A’s original location is symbolic of the changes sweeping through retail (零售) and consumer habits. Reports indicate that the decline in foot traffic at Greenbriar Mall, attributed to the loss of customers, has made it challenging to sustain the restaurant.
This trend is reflective of a broader shift in consumer behavior, with traditional shopping malls facing declining footfalls as online shopping gains popularity.
The closure of Chick-il-A’s first location is not just about the end of a physical space. It represents the development of a brand and the bittersweet reality of growth and change.
Each business, in its journey towards success, often outgrows its origins. This transition, while a sign of progress, can also be a moment of reflection on the roots and values that laid the foundation for future achievements.
Interestingly, Chick-fil-A is not alone in this journey. Other big brands like Starbucks, Dunkin (formerly Dunkin Donuts), McDonald’s, and KFC have also followed similar paths. While some of their original locations have become museums or maintained as historic sites, others have adapted or closed in response to changing times and consumer needs.
The original Starbucks in Seattle, Dunkin’s first store in Massachusetts, and one of the earliest McDonald’s in California are examples of how these brands have preserved their heritage (遗产). In contrast, Chick-fil-A’s decision highlights the reality that not all beginnings can be physically preserved.
This narrative around Chick-fil-A’s original store closure serves as a good lesson for companies and business leaders. It’s a reminder of the importance of remembering and honoring one’s origins while supporting growth and change.
1. What does the closure of Chick-fil-A’s first location mean?| A．The end of the food industry. | B．The change of the food industry. |
| C．The beginning of a new brand. | D．The innovation of store management. |
| A．To prove a common occurrence. | B．To reduce people’s anxiety. |
| C．To arouse the readers’ sympathy. | D．To raise a new problem. |
| A．Heart-broken. | B．Overjoyed. | C．Indifferent. | D．Bittersweet. |
| A．Try to keep it physically forever. | B．Redecorate it for further use. |
| C．Never forget its historical significance. | D．Never care about its future. |
Nowadays, Tianshui in Northwest China’s Gansu Province
The growing
The successful tourism experience earned by the cities of Zibo and Harbin have paved the way for Tianshui,
5 . In the summer of 2019, Tomas Quinones was undertaking a “bikepacking” trip, covering some remote desert in Southern Oregon. His trip had been marked with usual minor setbacks. He’d lost shoes. His water supply was sometimes uncertain. But there had also been moments of unexpected kindness: A couple parking beside offered to share their lunch; or the guy in the truck asked if he needed help. On the last day of Quinones’ trip, he was riding down a dusty track when he came upon a man lying unconscious on the ground, who was clearly dehydrated (脱水的). Quinones tried to give some water and waited until the ambulance arrived.
Quinones, who’d received help over the course of his trip, paid it forward. The odds are, if you’ve spent any time in the wild, you’ll have experienced these gestures of kindness from strangers or given them yourself too as Quinones did.
So what is it about being outside in nature that makes people want to help others?
The first explanation is that in the wild, there may not be any other help. According to the “bystander effect” (旁观者效应), the more people who are in the presence of someone needing help, the less likely any of those are to actually provide it. But another idea is that there is something about nature itself that seems to promote “prosocial (亲社会)” attitudes. As a recent study suggests, exposure to nature can stimulate feelings of transcendence — a sense of connection to other people, to the world around us and to the universe.
When we get into the wild, we become weaker. And being in an easily-hurt position makes us look at the world differently. So, in the wild, where we are removed of normal possessions, surroundings and identities, we seem more willing to go the extra mile for someone. It’s in nature, ironically, that we can learn new things about humanity.
1. What can we know about Quinones’ trip?| A．Pretty constant water supply was available. |
| B．Food was frequently provided from other strangers. |
| C．He’d usually encountered dramatic troubles. |
| D．He’d travelled to some remote desert on bicycle. |
| A．To give further details of Quinones’ trip. |
| B．To show the difficulty of Quinones’ trip. |
| C．To provide an example for the topic. |
| D．To stress the importance of strangers’ help. |
| A．It explains people’s getting help easily in nature. |
| B．It demonstrates people’s prosocial attitudes. |
| C．It reveals people’s indifference in crowds. |
| D．It stimulates people’s connecting to people and the world. |
| A．We can only learn about people’s personality in the wild. |
| B．It is a pity that people don’t often help others in daily life. |
| C．It is ironic to help strangers in need when in nature. |
| D．We can obtain new knowledge when in nature. |
6 . In the fevered world of diet and nutrition, the past year has been dominated by heated arguments about the evils (or not) of ultra-processed foods (UPFs). So are they as bad for health as many claim?
The processing of food is as ancient as humankind. But the modern-time UPFs are different—they are the products of industrial processing methods that allow cost-effective mass production. More than half of the calories an average person in the UK consumes today come from UPFs. That’s not surprising as these foods can be convenient and inexpensive.
There is more than ample evidence that consumption of too much UPSs is linked to poorer health outcomes. They often contain high levels of fat, salt and sugar and when we eat them, we leave less room for more nutritious foods. It’s also believed that the additives in these foods could be responsible for negative health effects.
But the way we currently talk about UPFs strikes me as unhelpful. The term covers such a broad range of different foods, from those that have been almost completely reconstructed from their base constituents (成分) like packaged snacks, to otherwise minimally processed foods with a few industrial additives, such as a natural yogurt, with a small amount of UPF jam.
I can absolutely understand how eating too much of the former can lead to poorer health outcomes. The latter, however, includes mass-produced supermarket bread, where a large proportion of consumed UPF calories come from. Sure, you can go to a quality bakery and purchase an organic product that will cost much more than a supermarket loaf. But ultimately, bread is made from flour, salt, water and yeast. Taste aside, supermarket bread is no worse for you than fancy bread.
I fear that the UPF concept is too imprecise to be an arbiter (权威) of how healthy or unhealthy a particular food might be, and even worse, that it is currently being used as another cudgel (棍棒) to food—shame others.
1. What’s special about today’s UPFs?| A．They are as old as humankind. |
| B．They are unaffordable for the public. |
| C．They are produced in large quantities. |
| D．They contain many harmful additives. |
| A．To clarify a concept. | B．To present a fact. |
| C．To make a comparison. | D．To explain a rule. |
| A．It contains plenty of calories. | B．It’s only minimally processed. |
| C．It tastes as good as fancy bread. | D．It’s heavily reconstructed for quality. |
| A．It’s a shame to consume UPFs. |
| B．UPFs may lead to poorer health outcomes. |
| C．The UPF concept tends to cloud people’s judgment. |
| D．Supermarket products are no worse than the organic ones. |
7 . Josefa Marin went to New York from Mexico in 1987, supporting her daughter back home with the $140 a week she earned at a sweater factory. With that small income, she had to collect recyclables, trading in cans for five cents each.
When the clothing factory closed down in the late 2000s, she became a full-time recycler, picking up cans and bottles to make ends meet.
Marin’s story is not unique. Millions around the world make a living from picking through waste and reselling it — a vital role that keeps waste manageable. In New York City, the administrative department collects only about 28 percent of the cans that could be recycled. Rubbish collectors, however, keep millions of additional recyclables out of landfills every year.
Yet collectors are ruled out by government policies. The United States Supreme Court in 1988 stated that household garbage is public property once it’s on the street. That enables police to search rubbish for evidence, but that protection hasn’t always been extended to recyclers. And in places like New York City, which is testing city-owned locked containers to hide garbage from rats, containers are made clearly inaccessible for collectors.
“There’s value in the waste, and we feel that value should belong to the people, not the city or the corporations”, says Ryan Castalia, director of a nonprofit recycling and community center in Brooklyn.
Recognized or not, waste pickers have long been treated with disrespect. Marin recalls an occasion when someone living next to a building where she was collecting cans threw water at her. “Because I recycle doesn’t mean I am less of a person than anyone else,” she says. It’s a pity to see that the government doesn’t stand by the garbage collector’s side, either.
Fortunately, some governments are starting to realize that protecting the environment and humanity go hand in hand. Brazil classified waste picking as an official occupation in 2001. In 2009, Colombia’s government granted the right to collect valuable garbage. The U.S. is slowly catching on too. After all, to the government, the garbage is garbage, but to the collectors, it’s something they make a living on.
1. What is the author’s purpose of telling about Marin?| A．To highlight waste collectors’ role. |
| B．To reflect the unemployed’s hardship. |
| C．To praise her devotion to her daughter. |
| D．To show the seriousness of unemployment. |
| A．By citing reference. | B．By contrasting. |
| C．By giving definitions. | D．By cause-effect analysis. |
| A．No job is noble or humble. | B．Business is business. |
| C．The early birds catches worms. | D．One good turn deserves another. |
| A．Who owns our garbage? | B．How can we end poverty? |
| C．Who takes blame for waste? | D．How should we recycle rubbish? |
A man looking at his smart phone while walking across a railway crossing in Nanjing
The smart phone
Some people blame the smart phone for the tragedy, yet in fact people’s weakening self-control and self-discipline are
9 . Ariel Procaccia has thought a lot about how to cut a cake over the last 15 years. As the father of three children, he knows how hard it is to divide a birthday cake to everyone’s satisfaction. But it’s also because Procaccia’s work focuses on exploring the mathematical rules for dividing stuff up fairly. One way to do that is to think abstractly about dessert.
For decades, researchers have been asking the seemingly simple question of how to cut a cake fairly. The answer reaches far beyond birthday parties. A mathematical problem at its heart, cake cutting connects strict reasoning to real-world issues of fairness, and so attracts not only mathematicians, but also social scientists, economists and more. “It’s a very elegant model in which you can distill what fairness really is, and reason about it,” Procaccia says.
The simplest approach is called the “divider-chooser” method, where one person cuts the cake into two equal pieces in his view, and the other person picks first. Each receives a piece that they feel is as valuable as the other’s. But when personal preferences are taken into account, even the easiest rule becomes complicated. Suppose Alice and Bob are to divide a cake, and Alice knows Bob prefers chocolate, she may knowingly divide the cake unequally so the smaller piece contains more chocolate. Then Bob will choose according to his preference, and Alice will get the larger piece. Both of them are satisfied with what they get, but the meaning of fairness changes in this situation.
The cake is a symbol for any divisible good. When cake-cutting principles are employed to settle disagreements, they are potentially helping the world find solutions. Procaccia has used fair division algorithms (算法) to model food distribution. Social scientist Haris Aziz is exploring situations ranging from how to divide up daily tasks to how to best schedule doctors’ shifts in hospitals.
Even after decades of investigation, cake cutting isn’t like a simple jigsaw puzzle (拼图) with a well-defined solution. Instead, over time, it has evolved into a kind of mathematical sandbox, a constructive playground that brings together abstract proofs and easy applications. The more researchers explore it, the more there is to explore.
1. What does the underlined word “distill” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Get the essence of. | B．Find the opposite of. |
| C．Keep the focus on. | D．Reduce the impact on. |
| A．Its standard is stable. | B．It prevents unequal division. |
| C．Its concept is complex. | D．It dominates personal preferences. |
| A．The application of its rules. | B．The details of its process. |
| C．The problems it produces. | D．The harmony it symbolizes. |
| A．Who benefits most from fairness? |
| B．How has fairness changed over time? |
| C．What method works best in cake-cutting? |
| D．Why are researchers so interested in cake-cutting? |
10 . In Favour of Simple Writing
Do you edit text messages carefully before sending them? If so, you may be the kind of person who takes pride in
People are constantly receiving messages, from the mailbox to the inbox to the text-message alert. What to read, what to skim (略读) and what to ignore are decisions that nearly everyone has to make dozens of times a day. A new book titled All Readers are Busy Nowadays makes the argument for being the careful kind of
Take “less is more”. Most books on writing well advocate the advice to
Keeping messages to a
Syntax (句法) and
If everyone is a busy reader, everyone is a busy writer, too. That may make it tempting to sent as many messages as
| A．conveying | B．understanding | C．crafting | D．sending |
| A．care | B．quantity | C．simplicity | D．technology |
| A．reader | B．poster | C．learner | D．writer |
| A．structures | B．principles | C．aims | D．alternatives |
| A．remove | B．ignore | C．reconsider | D．interpret |
| A．conveyed | B．translated | C．tested | D．shaped |
| A．lowered | B．affected | C．doubled | D．maintained |
| A．basic | B．positive | C．definite | D．single |
| A．Recording | B．Reducing | C．Counting | D．Estimating |
| A．in comparison | B．after all | C．for instance | D．in particular |
| A．word-choice | B．pattern-design | C．target-setting | D．platform-selection |
| A．difficult | B．suitable | C．challenging | D．common |
| A．carefully | B．often | C．politely | D．quickly |
| A．outcomes | B．points | C．figures | D．benefits |
| A．received | B．written | C．read | D．answered |
