1 . Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you’re talking to someone but they keep looking at their phone? This is called “phubbing” — a mix of the words “phone” and “snubbing”, which is the act of ignoring someone in favor of the phone. It can happen in any conversation — whether it’s with a friend, family member, or even a business associate. When someone is “phubbing”, they’re using their phone to look through the online news, check messages, play games and so on, instead of focusing on the conversation or spending time with the people they’re with.
The word was first used back in 2012, when fewer people had smartphones. And now that most people have smartphones, phubbing is a common problem. Most people would agree that it’s rude to be focused on your phone when you’re spending time with another person. The expert William Hanson thinks so, too. “Phubbing is a no-no!” he says. “If you have planned to go out with friends, focus on them and not your friends on your phone.” Studies have found that phubbing can damage your relationships with others. Eye contact is super important in bonding and developing oxytocin, the chemical that builds trust and connection. A lack of eye contact due to phubbing can make people feel like you don’t care about them or value their time.
Phubbing can make people feel disregarded, and those who “phub” are thought of as less polite and caring. So science has shown that phubbing is not good for us — but why do we do it? It might be because we are feeling bored, worried or stressed. Or it might be because we are addicted to checking our phones, especially social media. Whatever the reason may be, phubbing is a bad habit and can make us miss out on real moments with the people around us. So the next time you’re spending time with a friend or family member, try and keep your phone out of sight!
1. What can we learn from the passage?| A．Phubbing dates from 2012. |
| B．Phubbing means using phone when necessary. |
| C．Phubbing only happens in business associates. |
| D．Phubbing is the act of focusing on people instead of phones. |
| A．Phubbing would benefit relationship. |
| B．It is polite to phub when meeting friends. |
| C．People don’t need eye contact to show their caring. |
| D．Phone should be put aside when they meet their friends. |
| A．They are bored. | B．They think it a fashion to phub. |
| C．They are addicted to their phones. | D．They want to check their social media. |
| A．Concerned. | B．Protested. | C．Focused. | D．Ignored. |
2 . Why do we find ugly-cute animals so attractive? And what makes odd-looking creatures so cute?
Evolution (进化) plays a role. According to Austrian zoologist Erin Fekete, human attraction to childish features, such as big eyes, large heads and soft bodies, is an evolutionary adaptation that helps ensure that adults care for the young, assuring the survival of their species. Odd-looking animals such as blobfish, pugs, aye-ayes and bulldogs all share these childish qualities that cause a loving response among humans and a nature to raise and protect. And these childish characteristics increase a person’s “protective behavior, attention and willingness” to care for the individual and reduce the “possibility of aggression towards a child”, says Cyril Drouet, a researcher.
Ugly-cute animals often have other value— some, like the blobfish, live in extreme environments that they have adapted to in remarkable ways. Scientists are keen to study these animals to understand whether their biology might provide fresh ideas that could lead to treatments for human health conditions such as cancer and heart disease.
But while many ugly creatures are strongly adapted to their life in the wild and can provide numerous benefits to the ecosystems they live in, they often still don’t get as much attention as more traditionally cute and beautiful animals, which leads to many of the ugly-cute species being ignored in terms of research.
There are other culture-led factors that also cause our attraction for ugly-cute animals. “The ugly-cute thing is very fashionable.” says Rowena Packer, a lecturer of animal behavior. “This is partly caused by social media, with many social media influencers showing off pet pugs and French bulldogs on Instagram.” she says.
But there are some serious worries around this trend. Veterinarians (兽医) are calling on people not to keep a flat-faced dog, because they suffer from serious health problems. Pugs and French bulldogs which have been selectively kept experience breathing difficulties, repeated skin problems and eye diseases. So while childish features such as big eyes may make us smile, we might want to reconsider our attraction for “ugly-cute” pets.
1. What does the underlined word “aggression” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Threatening behavior. | B．Strange behavior. | C．Friendly behavior. | D．Smart behavior. |
| A．They are of no interest to scientists. | B．They are less cute and attractive. |
| C．They do not have unique biological feature. | D．They are not well-adapted to their environments. |
| A．Influencers have started a campaign to raise awareness about ugly animals. |
| B．People prefer to post pictures of ugly animals on social media rather than cute animals. |
| C．Social media didn’t make it easier to spread information about animals. |
| D．The ugly-cute animals shared on social media could raise people’s attraction for them. |
| A．Encouraging. | B．Indifferent. | C．Concerned. | D．Excited. |
I’m the mother of a fifteen-year-old freshman. Recently I have found that my daughter stays up at night using mobile phones secretly. The other day her teacher called and told me that my daughter recently feels sleepy in class. What should I do?
写作要点：1.表明了解她的问题： 2.提出三条建议。
要求： 1.词数80左右;
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯;
3.书写需清晰、工整。
Dear Sad Mother,
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours truthfully,
Li Hua
4 . While waiting in bus stations, airports or parks, some people are busy with a friendly conversation, and others read newspapers, comics (漫画), novels and pocket books. That was many years ago.
Today everyone uses smartphones, desktop PCs and laptops at home, work and school. Exactly, it improves our communication, social media, entertainment and provides convenience to work. The computers, Internet, and smartphones have become part of our everyday life.
However, the publishing houses suffer terrible losses, and the comics industry is out of business, for everyone goes dependent on digital gadget (小玩意).
Especially in the COVID-19 times, the sales (销售) of PC, laptops and gadgets suddenly went up quickly. Because of health safety problems, people chose to shop online. Moreover, education happens through Online Distance Learning, which forced parents to buy desktops and smartphones. Yet behind the benefits and use of these modern gadgets is a sad reality. Many students lose the face-to-face conversation power, skills in public speaking, and social skills.
Another problem is health. The young generation today spends so much time on gadgets inside homes. They don’t live the traditional healthy outdoor life. The result is eyesight problems and enjoying very little sunlight.
For workers, too much exposure to video call meetings has damaged their health. What’s more, many of us are expected to continue working at home.
Modern information technology (IT) has really affected our way of life. In the COVID-19 times, these products of modern technology have protected us from public exposure and direct interaction with people. However, its continuous use can also harm people’s health and interest. Thus, we should take control of IT application in our life and not allow IT to endanger our health and safety.
1. What is the purpose of Paragraph 1?| A．To draw readers’ interest in traditional ways of life. |
| B．To provide readers with a typical life scene many years ago. |
| C．To give tips on how to make good use of our time while waiting for the bus. |
| D．To serve as the background information of the text and lead to the topic of the text. |
| A．Laptop is more useful than a desktop computer. |
| B．We are not able to work or study without computers. |
| C．Information technology brings people many benefits. |
| D．Without information technology, we can’t communicate. |
| A．Many students talk little face to face. |
| B．Many publishing houses turn to IT business. |
| C．Many parents are forced to learn to use IT gadgets. |
| D．Many workers are out of work and have to stay inside. |
| A．How did COVID-19 affect IT? |
| B．How do people make use of modern technology? |
| C．How does modern information technology affect us? |
| D．How did modern technology affect workers and our generation? |
5 . Throughout history, many species of animals have been threatened with extinction. When Europeans first arrived in North America, more than 60 million buffalo (水牛) lived on the continent. Yet hunting the buffalo was so popular during the 19th century that by 1900 the animal’s population had fallen to about 400 before the government stepped in to protect the species. In some countries today, the elephant faces a similar challenge, as illegal hunters kill the animals for the ivory in their tusks.
Yet not all animals with commercial value face this threat (威胁).The cow, for example, is a valuable source of food, but no one worries that the cow will soon be extinct. Why does the commercial value of ivory threaten the elephant. while the commercial value of beef protects the cow?
The reason is that elephants are a common resource, while cows are private goods. Elephants wander freely without any owners. The hunter has a strong motivation to kill as many elephants as he can find. Because illegal hunters are numerous, each has only a slight motivation to preserve the elephant population. By contrast, cattle live on farms that are privately owned. Each farmer makes great effort to maintain the cattle population on his farm because he harvests the benefit of these efforts.
Governments have tried to solve the elephant’s problem in two ways. Some countries, such as Kenya and Uganda, have made it illegal to kill elephants and sell their ivory. Yet these laws have been hard to put into effect, and elephant populations have continued to dwindle. By contrast, other countries, such as Malawi and Namibia, have made elephants private goods and allowed people to kill elephants, but only those on their own property.
With private ownership and the profit motive now on its side, the African elephant might someday be as safe from extinction as the cow. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle pointed out the problem with common resources: “What is common to many is taken least care of, for all men have greater regard for what is their own than for what they possess in common with others.”
1. Why does the author mention buffalo in paragraph 1?| A．To introduce a similar threat to elephants. |
| B．To provide an example of species extinction. |
| C．To offer an explanation for government policies. |
| D．To present the statistics of the buffalo in America. |
| A．They are under different law protection |
| B．They attract different groups of hunters |
| C．They contain different commercial value |
| D．They represent different ownership types |
| A．Bans on killing elephants for ivory |
| B．Effective laws for elephant protection. |
| C．Methods of making elephants private goods |
| D．Government policies on the elephant’s problem |
| A．People hold little regard for others’ property |
| B．People want to profit from common resources |
| C．People care more about their own possession |
| D．People tend to take what they own for granted |
6 . A hotel that calls itself the world's first "polar bear hotel" has opened in northeastern China. The Polar Bear Hotel is part of the Harbin Polarland amusement park in Harbin, the capital and largest city in Heilongjiang province.
It opened earlier this month and promised that guests would be able to see live polar bears from all 21 guest rooms. "Whether you're eating, playing or sleeping, polar bears will keep you company," Harbin Polarland said in a statement on the WeChat messenger service. Photos and videos from Chinese state media showed people watching two polar bears in a closed, indoor space with artificial ice and small pools of water.
Yang Liu is a spokeswoman for Harbin Polarland. She told Reuters that the indoor area is the only part of the bears' total living space. She said they are also let outdoors when temperature and air quality permits. Liu added there has been "very high" interest in staying at the hotel, where rooms cost from about $ 290 to $ 351 a night.
But some animal rights activists have criticized the hotel. Jason Baker is vice president at animal rights group PETA. He told Reuters, "Polar bears belong in the Arctic, not in zoos or glass boxes in aquariums - and certainly not in hotels." He added, "Polar bears are active for up to 18 hours a day in nature，roaming home ranges that can scan thousands of miles, where they enjoy a real life."
In 2016, a shopping center in the southern city of Cuangzhou drew worldwide criticism after videos showed a polar bear named Pizza lying on her side in a glass-walled area.
Harbin Polarland was established in 2005. It calls itself the world's first polar performing arts amusement park.
1. What makes the Polar Bear Hotel in Harbin unique?| A．Guests can watch polar bears in their room. |
| B．Polar bears will play with tourists. |
| C．Tourists have chances to film videos with polar bears. |
| D．Guests can touch polar bears in outdoor space. |
| A．Objective. | B．Critical. | C．Positive. | D．Favorable. |
| A．It's secure for them to stay in the zoo. |
| B．They can enjoy a happy life in glass boxes in aquariums. |
| C．They fall asleep in most of the time in nature. |
| D．The range of their activity can cover thousands of miles. |
| A．A science report. | B．A travel brochure. |
| C．A textbook. | D．A news report. |
7 . The thought of low material need and being unwilling to work, marry and have children, is described as a “lying down” lifestyle recently. It creates an emotional reaction among many young Chinese who are eager to take pause to breathe in this fast-paced and highly competitive society.
Many young people complained to the Global Times that duties, including work stress, family argument and financial pressure, have pushed them “against the wall”. They said they hate the “involution (内卷)”, joking that they would rather give up some of what they have than get stuck in an endless competition against peers(同龄人).
“Instead of always following the ‘good quality’ of struggle and sacrifice to bear the stresses, they prefer a temporary(暂时的) lying down as release and adjustment,” said an expert. “It is no wonder that some young people, under the growing pressures from child-raising to paying the mortgage (按揭) today, would try to live in a simple way and leave the worries behind.”
Interestingly, the majority of young people, who claim to be big fans of the lying down philosophy, admit that they only accept a temporary lying down as a short rest. It is true that with the great improvement of living conditions, some Chinese youth have partially lost the spirit of hardship and are not willing to bear too much hard work. But in fact, lying down is not entirely comfortable. Young people who lie down always feel ashamed about their constant loss of morale (士气).
“Young people have both ambition and confusion about their future, but most of us have refused to waste opportunities and challenges,” a postgraduate student told the Global Times. “It’s no use running away. I have to ‘stand up’ and face the reality sooner or later.”
1. Which of the following is NOT a “lying down” lifestyle according to the passage?| A．Being uninterested in material enjoyment and refusing to shoulder duties. |
| B．Being involved in various social activities. |
| C．Stopping to breathe in a stressful life. |
| D．Giving up struggle and sacrifice. |
| A．Poor health from working so hard. | B．Increasing material wealth from families. |
| C．Growing pressure from family and social life. | D．Temporary adjustment to failure in competitions. |
| A．Understanding. | B．opposed | C．Supportive. | D．Unclear. |
| A．They would rather escape than take challenges. | B．They really enjoy the “lying down” lifestyle. |
| C．They find their dreams far beyond their reach. | D．They never really drop their responsibilities. |
8 . US author Henry Rollins once wrote: “Loneliness adds beauty to life. It puts a special burn on sunsets and makes night air smell better.” Indeed, in the eyes of artists, loneliness never seems to go out of style. There are paintings that portray loneliness, songs that are inspired by loneliness, and many works of literature that center around this theme.
In the eyes of UK economist Rachel Reeves, however, loneliness is far from romantic (浪漫的). Instead, it’s a “giant evil” that’s become a serious problem in the country.
So just how serious is it? On Jan 17, UK Prime Minister Theresa May appointed politician Tracey Crouch as the country’s very first “Minister for Loneliness”. Her job is to tackle (处理) the loneliness that the country’s been feeling – a problem which, according to UK government research, is affecting more than 9 million people in the country, and is more harmful to one’s physical and mental health than smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
And the problem hasn’t just appeared recently. Back in 2014, the UK was given the title of the “loneliness capital of Europe” by The Telegraph. A survey carried out by the newspaper found that British people were less likely to get to know their neighbors or build strong relationships with people than those from other European countries.
“There is something British about wanting to deal with problems yourself,” Christian Guy, director of the Centre for Social Justice think-tank (智囊团), told The Telegraph.
But this doesn’t mean that the problem only affects Britons. In fact, we’re all suffering from loneliness now more than ever, in spite of most of the world now having access to the internet, which has enabled us to be more connected than ever.
What we need, according to Kim Leadbetter, sister of the late UK politician Jo Cox, is to have “proper human connections”. “Our lives nowadays are so busy. We spend the vast majority of our time on our phones, on our laptops. We need to press pause on that and actually sit down and speak to human beings,” Leadbetter said at an event last year.
But the first steps toward fighting this problem are to accept its existence and not be ashamed or intimidated (吓倒) by it. After all, without loneliness, many beautiful paintings, songs, and literary works wouldn’t even exist. And “evil” or not, being lonely is simply part of the experience of being human.
1. What can we learn about the UK’s loneliness problem?| A．The UK became the loneliest country in the world in 2014. |
| B．More than half of British people suffer from loneliness. |
| C．The government is working to solve the problem. |
| D．British people communicate less with their neighbors than ever. |
| A．has become a problem worldwide |
| B．didn’t attract the public’s attention until recently |
| C．is mainly caused by the wide use of the internet |
| D．does more harm mentally than physically |
| A．Making more phone calls to our friends. |
| B．Stopping the use of electronic products. |
| C．Interacting with the people around us face to face more often. |
| D．Accepting its existence calmly. |
| A．Loneliness is a giant evil of society. |
| B．Only artists can appreciate the beauty of loneliness. |
| C．It is hard to find a solution to social loneliness. |
| D．Loneliness is just a normal part of our life. |
9 . How would you like an easy way to earn $2,500? All you have to do is to sit around and wait for your meals. There’s a catch, however. You have to stay in a chicken cage with a stranger for a whole week. There are no books or television or radio for a whole week. There are no books or television or radio for amusement. You can’t leave until the week is up. And a camera will be recording your every move.
Two people actually took the job. The idea came from Rob Thompson, a video artist. He wanted to make film about the way animals are treated. His goal was to raise people’s awareness of the living conditions of animals that are raised for food. He decided to pay $5,000 out of his own savings to two people who were willing to live like chickens for a week.
To Rob’s surprise, quite a few people answered his advertisement. He had interviews and selected Eric, a 24-year-old restaurant worker, and Pam, a 27-year-old chemist. The plan was for them to spend seven days together in a chicken cage that was six feet long and three feet wide. A camera would record their experience, which would take place in an art museum.
The week was long and difficult. They slept on hard wooden floor. They couldn’t stand up without banging their heads. They ate mash (a kind of food for animals) and drink water from a garden pipe. Their only privacy was a toilet surrounded by a curtain, which was the most unbearable. There were no sinks, mirrors or toothbrushes in the cage. Visitors who came here were warned, “Do not feed the humans.”
Finally, it was over, and Pam and Eric came out of the cage. They had survived the week and they each had a $2,500 check in their hands. When Rob Thompson opened the cage, Eric came out, changed into clean clothes, and ate a chocolate bar right away. “It’s great for me to be able to stand up.” he said. Pam just changed her clothes and left. After a week of visitors and reporters watching her, she didn’t want to talk to anyone.
1. What’s Rob Thompson’s intention of offering the job?| A．Making some animals’ terrible living conditions seen. |
| B．Conducting an experiment about humans and animals. |
| C．Making a film about humans and animals. |
| D．Showing how terribly a human being is treated in a cage. |
| A．That they ate the food for animals |
| B．That they couldn’t stand up in the cage. |
| C．That they had to tolerate a week of visitors and reporters watching them. |
| D．That they had to wear dirty clothes and sleep on a hard wooden floor. |
| A．Getting Along Well with Animals | B．Living in the Cage Like a Chicken |
| C．An Easy Way to Earn $2,500 | D．Do Not Treat Animals Badly |
| A．In a business journal. | B．In a research report. |
| C．In a brochure. | D．In a newspaper. |
10 . My son is 7 years old, and since he was six months old, people have been asking us, “When are you having another?” first, I’d answer “we’ll see,” because at the time, we were undecided not financially stable, and just learning how to be parents. Over time we decided that one is good for us. “Poor baby he’s going to be so lonely!” I have grown accustomed to these remarks.
But this week, I read a post that made my head spin. Jean Leo, a blogger at The Stir, said, “Parents who choose to have one child are just being selfish.” He says, “I understand some people are unable to have more than one kid due to medical or financial circumstances. I’m not talking about them. I’m talking about the couple who decide it’s a lot of work and they like having their freedom, so they stop at one.”
I absolutely disagree. First, it is a very hard job to raise a child. Even in a two-income-earning household, the stress of having a child is huge just to meet a child’s basic needs. Let’s not get into all the extras that start piling on as they grow older. Second, and just as equally important, is time. Carving out time for just yourself is hard enough, but when you have a family, you want to be there for everything. If you are a working parent, it’s hard balancing act between career, play, kids, and also spending time with your partner. For me, wouldn’t be able to do half the things if I had more children. There are some parents that do this well, and I high five them. But that is not me.
Whether it be one child or twenty, this parenting business is no joke and not everyone can handle what comes in the job description. I believe recognizing that you only have the strength to raise one child, and raise that child to the best of your ability is actually something to be admired.
1. According to Jean Leo, all of the following statements are false EXCEPT ________.| A．some parents are not allowed to have more than one child |
| B．some parents choose to have more than one child for their own freedom |
| C．parents who choose to have one child are selfless |
| D．parents choose to have only one child for different reasons |
| A．complains about his or her headache | B．shows his or her anger |
| C．tells us his or her disapproval | D．expresses his or her unsatisfaction |
| A．The author’s son is very lonely as he is the only child in the family. |
| B．The author subscribes to Jean Leo’s view. |
| C．The author speaks highly of those parents who can carve out time well for the whole family. |
| D．The author wants to talk about the stress of all the extras that start piling on as the children grow older. |
| A．It is worth admiring if you try your best to raise the only child of you. |
| B．No one can deal with the trouble of raising twenty children. |
| C．If you have only one child, it is an easy job to be a parent. |
| D．It is less difficult to meet children’s basic needs in a two-income-earning household. |
