1 . As a worrying number of youngsters take up vaping (电子烟), the Government has announced a crackdown on laws to stop kids from becoming addicted to the dangerous habit.
Disposable (一次性的) vapes are now set to be banned in the UK as part of the Prime Minister’s new legislation (立法) to “stop youth vaping in its tracks”. Recent research shows that one in five teens has now tried vaping, despite it being illegal for under-18s, and half of those who vape between 18 and 24 do so despite having no history of smoking.
Last year, figures showed the number of adults using e-cigarettes in the UK had risen to the highest rate on record at roughly 4.3 million Brits. According to the charity Action on Smoking and Health, almost 1,000 serious adverse reactions to vapes were logged, including five deaths linked to e-cigarettes in the last decade.
And it’s not just over-the-count er vapes at the center of the country’s vaping crisis — fake e-cigarettes with deadly chemicals have sparked concerns. An investigation by the Mirror in 2023revealed one man’s fears for his life after he suffered a collapsed lung as a result of a fake, unlicensed pack of vapes purchased from a corner shop in County Durham.
Alex Gittins,31, thought he bagged himself a bargain but ended up in hospital just hours later. He said: “I noticed an awful chemical taste in the back of my throat, then five to 10minutes later I felt what was like a stitch. I’m lying in A&E thinking I was going to die.”
A regular vaper was told he had just a one percent chance of survival after being left in need of a double lung transplant. Jackson Allard, 22, underwent the life-saving operation on January 1, putting an end to a series of serious health issues.
Medical expert Stephanie Hansen has voice d concerns about the unknown long-term effects of e-cigarettes. She said: “Vaping or e-cigarette use is relatively new, so we don’t necessarily know a lot of the long-term effects of vaping and that’s honestly one of the scariest things about it.”
1. What has the recent research found?A.20 percent of UK teenagers have once vaped. | B.It’s against the law for teens to buy vapes. |
C.Vaping is commoner than smoking in the UK. | D.5 people died because of vaping last year. |
A.To suggest it’s easy to be addicted to vaping. | B.To state vaping ruins people’s health seriously. |
C.To indicate it’s illegal to buy fake e-cigarettes. | D.To show the number of people vaping is on the rise. |
A.It remains to be seen in what way vaping affects people. |
B.It will be long before people know the bad effects of vaping. |
C.It matters to inform people of the potential danger of vaping. |
D.It is difficult to prohibit adults from buying e-cigarettes. |
A.Research into the habits of smokers in Britain. | B.Causes of teens’ addiction to vaping in Britain. |
C.British health issues drawing public attention. | D.British government prohibiting disposable vapes. |
2 . It has become easy for students to find and copy published material. But copying another person’s writing without giving them credit can get students and other scholars into big trouble.
American copyright law protects original works of authorship including books, movies, music, images and artworks.
The idea is that copyright helps society. If people can gain from their own creations, which are called their intellectual property (知识产权), then more people will want to create original works. The law, however, permits the unlicensed use of copyrighted works under what is called fair use. Fair use can include criticism, comment, news reporting, education and research.
Just as it is easy to copy, it is also easy for professors to know if a student has plagiarized. First, there are computer programs and artificial intelligence, tools that compare students’ papers to large databases of published writing.
A.This behavior is called plagiarism. |
B.However, there are some limitations. |
C.Plagiarism is punished in different ways. |
D.Students must follow university policies on academic behavior. |
E.They can identify whether students have copied published writing. |
F.For example, it can automatically create citation s and combine them into a list. |
G.The protection extends to computer software and the design of buildings and structures. |
3 . Generally, most people feel delighted when birthday comes, especially children. They count the days and can’t wait to send
This may be common in those who are in their 50’s or older. For some people in this age, life becomes a
Some people do not like to come to the notice of others due to any possible reason on this earth. They just don’t want to be the
There is also another part of the population that thinks it is a
A.blessings | B.greetings | C.invitation | D.gratitude |
A.Anyway | B.Besides | C.Therefore | D.Nevertheless |
A.long | B.refuse | C.remember | D.manage |
A.normal | B.active | C.exciting | D.busy |
A.leisure | B.celebration | C.sympathy | D.admiration |
A.reality | B.dream | C.story | D.journey |
A.consistent | B.slower | C.faster | D.steadier |
A.cuts up | B.builds up | C.takes up | D.breaks up |
A.help | B.get | C.make | D.put |
A.wonderful | B.awful | C.unexpected | D.rare |
A.pride | B.example | C.focus | D.burden |
A.familiar | B.fundamental | C.similar | D.contrary |
A.shelter | B.attention | C.sign | D.appearance |
A.budget | B.collection | C.waste | D.lack |
A.reputation | B.rest | C.time | D.salary |
4 . People don’t usually become homeless suddenly. It’s a chutes-and-ladders (阶梯状) process. A large new statewide study takes a closer look at the period just before homelessness, by asking a representative sample of almost 3,200 homeless people from all over the state about the dilemma they fell into, and what would have helped.
Some of the findings were unsurprising: in the state with the nation’s largest homeless population, people are unhoused because they don’t have enough money, or have experienced trauma (创伤). A quarter of all survey participants had experienced family violence, and their lives and health get much worse once homelessness strikes. But some of the report’s data run counter to popular perception: for example, most homeless people are not from out of state, contrary to the common belief that homeless people move to California for the weather and policies.
The study’s lead author, Dr. Margot Kushel, says there’s a “doom loop” of homelessness, where people have jobs that don’t cover living expenses, so they lose their homes, and the resulting instability makes it harder to keep their jobs.
Kushel points to really exciting models of homelessness prevention, where in low-income communities, they’ll have subway and bus posters saying, “Are you at risk of becoming homeless? Call us.” These programs might offer anything from cash to finding landlords or roommates. “What was really striking to us was how little money people thought it would have taken,” says Kushel. Most participants suggested that less than $500 a month, or a onetime payment of $10,000, would have kept them housed. Kushel cautions that the vast majority of mental health issues among the study participants are anxiety and depression. It’s likely that the lack of resources results in those conditions, rather than the illness causing the homelessness. “The driving issue is clearly the deep poverty,” Kushel says.
1. What does the study focus on?A.The homeless’ nationalities. | B.The current situation of the homeless. |
C.Homeless people’s previous experiences. | D.The solution to wiping out homelessness. |
A.Deep poverty gives rise to homelessness. |
B.Most participants have experienced domestic violence. |
C.The majority of homeless people are native Californian. |
D.Homeless people move to California for the weather and policies. |
A.A terrible circle. | B.A different situation. |
C.An improved condition. | D.An unpredictable future. |
A.Anxiety and depression caused homelessness. | B.People expected a very low charge of housing. |
C.Homeless prevention exists in all communities. | D.The program offers accommodation free of charge. |
1.休假学年的好处;
2.休假学年的弊端;
3.假如你有休假学年,你打算做什么?
注意:1.词数80左右;
2.可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
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6 . “Her Education, Our Future” is a documentary film produced by CGTN in partnership with UNESCO. It tells the story of four girls on three continents. All the girls have been involved in UNESCO programmes aimed at widening their access to education, enhancing their skills for life and work, and expanding their educational and career opportunities.
Anee is from Gilgit-Baltistan, a remote area in the north of Pakistan. She dropped out of school as her parents couldn’t afford her education — only that of her brothers. Her father also didn’t believe that girls should be educated but rather stay home and help their mothers. Anee was reached out to through UNESCO’s Girls’Right to Education programme, originally funded by the Government of Pakistan with additional support from Italy, Korea, Norway and the Qatar Foundation, which is UNESCO’s largest programme on girls’ education, and has covered 19 of Pakistan’s most isolated districts. UNESCO assisted Anee’s family to overcome the financial barriers to her education. Her parents have re-enrolled her in school, and are supporting her to continue her education.
Mkasi is from Pemba, a Tanzanian island. Mkasi is the sixth of eleven children. She left school in 2014, as she didn’t score well enough on her exams to continue to high school. Mkasi was connected by a District Social Welfare Officer to a UNESCO program, funded by Korea. She enrolled into a community-based entrepreneurship (企业家职能) and alternative (可供选择的) education programme supported by UNESCO that enabled her to gain new vocational (职业的) skills. She now works as a seamstress (裁缝), and makes handicrafts and soap which she sells at the market. Economically independent now, She wants to become a designer and to open a clothing store — the first in her area — and sell her soap locally and abroad.
Fabiana and Taina are from Brazil. They both have a keen interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education but have faced different barriers to pursuing (追求) studies in these fields. Fabiana must rise at four every morning to go to school on a road which is bothered with robberies targeting students and passengers. Taina has faced racism and discrimination, and went through a rebellious phase (叛逆阶段) in her teenage years which took her away from her studies and down a harmful path before finding her way back. Both have been engaged in UNESCO’s EDUCASTEM2030 programme, which aims to close gender gaps in STEM education. Through this initiative (倡议), Fabiana and Taina have expanded their skills and gained confidence in their abilities. Fabiana has a full scholarship to study production engineering in the Fall — the same studies that Taina is currently pursuing. Tania is also a student leader now, sharing her own story and building more pathways for girls in STEM in Brazil.
1. What is the purpose of UNESCO’s EDUCASTEM2030 programme?A.build more pathways for girls in STEM in Brazil |
B.enlarge gender gaps in STEM education |
C.fight against racism in STEM education |
D.widen girls’ access to STEM education |
A.reminded | B.re-registered | C.recalled | D.reopened |
A.Anee dropped out of school for financial reasons |
B.Mkasi enhanced her skills for work with the help of UNESCO |
C.Fabiana and Taina faced similar barriers to pursuing studies in STEM fields |
D.Tania is making efforts to help girls in STEM in her motherland. |
A.The future of girls’ education | B.The transformative power of education |
C.The shooting of a documentary film | D.The course of UNESCO programmes |
7 . In a fast developing world, many old-fashioned skills seem to be disappearing. It’s hard to find people who know such skills as sewing, but a few decades ago, it was common for every person to learn them.
Now many would think sewing isn’t as useful today. The garment (服装) industry is producing clothing that is cheaper, faster and more fashionable than ever, making it possible to buy a suit for less than $10 at home.
However, that doesn’t mean clothing isn’t indestructible (破坏不了的). Garments with simple tears that could be fixed in seconds with a needle are just thrown away. This causes more than 26 billion pounds of garbage and millions of dollars wasted because of a tear. Even dirty or worn clothing that still has plenty of usable cloth is being thrown away.
The ability to create hand-made clothes doesn’t only reduce waste. It is also tailor-made just for you. Most buy clothes made for a general body type, and to get it tailored by a professional is expensive. So why not do it yourself?
Perhaps the greatest problem of sewing is simply the time involved. Buying a skirt online takes a few seconds. Making a skirt can take weeks. But learning to sew doesn’t always involve complicated projects. Instead they might just be simple adjustments to help the garments fit or match your style.
Schools could easily teach sewing. Yet, they focus more on college preparations, ignoring traditional skills. Actually sewing is a valuable skill to be used in daily life. It wouldn’t take much time to teach children how to sew.
So, instead of letting old things die in this new age of the Internet, how about learning some of the lost skills that helped us for so long?
1. Why do some people think the sewing skill is less useful?A.Because cloth is too expensive. |
B.Because sewing is a bit boring to learn. |
C.Because hand-made things are easily broken. |
D.Because clothes are cheaper and convenient to buy. |
A.It contributes to creativity. | B.It’s environmentally-friendly. |
C.It pushes the garment industry. | D.It gives costumers a typical look. |
A.They make the skills easy to learn. | B.They set the skills as basic subjects. |
C.They make every effort to teach the skills. | D.They fail to give the skills enough attention. |
A.Supportive. | B.Doubtful. | C.Uncaring. | D.Opposing. |
The tourism phenomenon
Diligent
Starting from January 9th
9 . When people think of word innovators throughout history, male writers likely come to mind. Shakespeare is credited with inventing more than 1,700 words, including “bedroom”, “courtship” and “swagger”. Charles Dickens is said to have first used the words “butterfingers” and “doormat”, and Dr. Seuss reportedly came up with “nerd”.
But despite contributions from famous writers, historians say another group has an even greater impact on the development of language: teenage girls. Women lead up to 90 percent of linguistic (语言的) changes, as sociolinguist William Labov observed in the early 2000s. In fact, he wrote, women are often linguistically ahead of men “by a full generation”.
Now women are leading the charge online. Though Oxford University Press’2023 word of the year, “rizz”, meaning charm, was coined by a man, several runners-up, including “situationship” and “swiftie” were inspired or first used by women. The term “goblin mode”, which refers to lazy behavior, was Oxford’s 2022 word of the year and appears to have been first used by a woman on Twitter in 2009.
It’s often impossible to tell who first used new words. But whether or not young girls invent new phrases, they are more likely to be early adopters of the latest lingo (术语), says University of Toronto linguist Sali Tagliamonte, “They’re pushing changes forward.”
There are a handful of possible reasons why girls lead lexical (词汇的) innovation. According to Gretchen McCulloch, author of Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language, women tend to be more socially aware. They have larger social circles and may be exposed to more language diversity. And because women tend to be caregivers, boys usually learn language from their mothers, whereas women and girls learn words from other women.
1. Why does the author mention some words coined by male writers?A.To compare male and female writers. |
B.To introduce some well-known writers. |
C.To lead in the topic to be talked about. |
D.To put forward a point to be proved. |
A.Rizz. | B.Situationship. | C.Swiftie. | D.Goblin mode. |
A.Dr. Seuss. | B.William Labov. |
C.Sali Tagliamonte. | D.Gretchen McCulloch. |
A.New Words Are Added to English Dictionaries |
B.Female Teens Take a Lead in Linguistic Changes |
C.Women Are More Sensitive to Language Diversity |
D.New Terms Make Communication More Colorful |
10 . The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences was awarded to Claudia Goldin, a Harvard professor, for advancing the world’s understanding of women’s progress in the work force. She is the third woman to have won the Economics Nobel, which was first awarded in 1969, and the first one to be honored with it solo rather than sharing in the prize.
Dr. Goldin, 77, was the first woman to be offered tenure (终身职位) in Harvard’s economics department in 1989. Dr. Goldin’s research on female employment and the gender wage gap over the past 200 years showed that employment among married women decreased in the 1800s, as the economy moved away from agriculture and toward industry. Women’s participation then increased in the 1900s, as the service industry began to expand as a part of the economy. Dr. Goldin has described the 1970s in particular as a “revolutionary” period when women in the US began to marry later, pursue higher education, and make major progress in the labor market.
Dr. Goldin has also illustrated how the process of closing the gender wage gap has been uneven over the course of history. In the past, gender wage gaps could be explained by education and occupation. But Dr. Goldin has shown that most of the earnings difference is now in the same jobs. Notably, it kicks in after the birth of a woman’s first child. Goldin and her colleagues once found the gap in pay started to widen a year or two after a woman had her first baby.
She hoped people would learn from her work how important long-term changes are for understanding the labor market. “We’re never going to have gender equality until we also have couple equality, ” she said. While there has been “monumental progressive change, at the same time there are important differences” which often tie back to women doing more work in the home.
1. What can be learned about Dr. Goldin in the passage?A.She set out to research female employment in 1989. |
B.She is the first woman to receive the prize alone. |
C.She redefined women’s role in employment in the 1970s. |
D.She is devoted to inspiring women to step outside to work. |
A.Because the economy depended more on industry. |
B.Because men wanted to obtain higher education then. |
C.Because women were not eager for marriage at the time. |
D.Because the service industry offered more opportunities. |
A.Regular. | B.Promising. | C.Tough. | D.Unchanging. |
A.Women should be judged by their education. |
B.Couple equality should be a goal to work for. |
C.Gender wage gaps should be addressed soon. |
D.Men would take on all the housework at home. |