1 . Wholesale prices for gas and electricity are increasing suddenly across Europe,raising the possibility of increases in already-high utility (公共事业)bills and further pain for people who have taken a financial hit fromCOVID-19.
Governments are struggling to find ways to limit costs to consumers as scant natural gas reserves present yet another potential problem, exposing the continent to even more price increases and possible shortages if it’s a cold winter.
In the U.K., many people will see their gas and electricity bills rise next month after the nation’s energy regulator approved a 12% price increase for those without contracts that lock in rates. Officials in Italy have warned that prices will increase by 40% for the quarter that will be billed in October.
There are multiple causes for the price increases, energy analysts say, including tight supplies of natural gas used to generate electricity, higher costs for permits to release carbon dioxide as part of Europe’s fight against climate change, and less supply from wind in some cases.
Analysts at S&P Global Platts say electricity prices have risen due to strong demand from places like data centers and electric cars, but above all because of the rise in the price of natural gas used in generating plants. Utility companies’ exposure to natural gas prices has increased as high-emission coal plants have been retired, while utilities face higher costs for carbon allowances required by the European Union’s emissions trading system, which is aimed at reducing emissions of greenhouse gases.
The tight gas market could bite even more sharply if there’s an unusually cold winter. That’s because European distributors did not refill reserves reduced during last winter as they typically had done in summer months. In March 2008, when the freeze named “the beast from the east” hit Europe, industrial users in the U.K got a notice that there was a risk of interruption, although it didn’t come to that.
Could Europe run out of gas? “The short answer is Yes, this is a real risk,” said James Huckstepp, an analyst at S&P Global Platts. “Storage stocks are at record lows and there isn’t currently any spare supply capacity that is exportable anywhere in the world.The longer answer is that it’s hard to predict how it will play out given that Europe has never run out of gas in two decades under the current distribution system.”
1. What does the underlined word “scant” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?A.Total. | B.Additional. | C.Limited. | D.Regular. |
A.The closure of some coal plants. |
B.The great demand for electric cars. |
C.The competition between utility companies. |
D.The change in the emissions trading system. |
A.More natural gas will be needed for industrial use. |
B.European distributors don’t make good preparations. |
C.It is not easy to fill reserves during the cold weather. |
D.Utility companies work can be easily interrupted. |
A.Europe is expected to seek help from other countries. |
B.It is hard to control the gas price in Europe at present. |
C.Europe might face a serious shortage of gas in the future. |
D.There’s something wrong with Europe’s distribution system. |
2 . Conflict (冲突) between teenagers and parents happens for a lot of reasons. Sometimes conflict happens between teenagers and parents just because conflict happens between human beings anyway. Humans have different needs, different feelings, different opinions about what they want, and the relationship with people can be really difficult. However, teenagers can cause further conflict because of the hormonal (生理的) changes that are happening and the stage of life that they're in.
Teenagers and parents have different understanding about rules and at times they find it difficult to look into the future. So parents and teenagers will often experience conflict about many things, do chores, homework, whether teenagers speak respectfully or not and about what they're allowed to do.
Before we think about rule boundaries (界线) for teenagers, we need to make sure that we have a really good relationship base. There's no point saying “From now on, you have to listen to me”: if you don't have a positive relationship with your teenager. We need to go back and make sure there is some degree of shared respect, and some degree of positive communication and enjoyment being together. you do that first, it means that rule boundaries are a lot easier to set up.
Often we're dealing with conflict on the fly. This is not the right time to be dealing with it. We really want parents and teenagers to sit down and think about the kinds of things that may happen in the house before the problems come. The more detailed your rule boundaries are for teenagers, the more likely it is that they are going to follow them. So this means we don't have rule boundaries like “Have the bathroom cleaned”. It needs to be “The floors mopped, nothing on the countertop and the mirrors cleaned by ten o'clock every Saturday”: Rule boundaries need to be written down, and set out ahead of time so the teenager knows exactly what's expected.
1. What's important to set up a rule boundary easily for teenagers?A.Being strict from the start. | B.Developing a good relationship with them first. |
C.Saying"No" to their requirements. | D.Avoiding close talks with them. |
A.Doing some housework. | B.Having a good reading habit. |
C.Cleaning the bathroom. | D.Finishing your homework by five. |
A.In a hurry. | B.On the plane. | C.By oneself. | D.Another day. |
A.Growing Pains | B.Teenage Problems |
C.Parent-Child Conflict and Solutions | D.Knowing the Conflict |
3 . Lithium (锂) is called “white gold” for good reason. The metal’s value has been growing sharply over the last several years, in a large part because it is an essential part of batteries as well as several key sustainable technologies where energy storage is of huge significance. As electric cars, wind and solar power have grown into major players in the energy industry, lithium has become key to engineering a future free of fossil (化石) fuels.
But acquiring lithium comes at an enormous cost. It often works like this: Water containing lithium is delivered to the surface from underground and mixed with fresh water. The mixture then sits in pools to get rid of water, leaving the rest of its contents behind as brightly colored “mud”. Then heat and chemical reactions are used to get lithium from that, changing it into powder which is then packaged and shipped to buyers around the world.
Any accident that releases mine contents into surrounding communities or the groundwater supply could have unimaginable long-term impacts. To be specific, indigenous (土著的) communities often bear the damage, and political leaders have typically given little weight to their concerns. In Arizona, for example, an expanding lithium mine is threatening the Hualapai Tribe’s cultural and historic sites. Recently, mining lithium and other precious metals has brought about conflict: How do you ensure the availability of materials essential to the future of renewables while protecting those communities’ rights?
Mining of the metal is expected to increase dramatically in coming years. Over time, experts say, that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions (排放) by making electric cars more affordable and, therefore, more popular. As environmentally conscious consumers buy electric cars in ever-greater numbers, it’s important to be aware of the dirty process that powers those clean air vehicles.
1. What does the author’s intention of writing Paragraph 1?A.To introduce the background of an event. | B.To explain a complex industrial theory. |
C.To describe a noticeable recent tendency. | D.To predict the future of a main technology. |
A.Unexpected material leak. | B.Violent chemical reactions. |
C.Wrong political decisions. | D.Lithium mine expansion. |
A.Intolerant. | B.Uncaring. | C.Favorable. | D.Objective. |
A.High Expense of Lithium Mining | B.Potential Benefit of Using Lithium |
C.Hidden Threat behind Clean Energy | D.Bright Future of Renewable Resources |
4 . We know it can be hard to put your phone to bed before you sleep. However, if you’re trying to improve your sleep, you really should ditch your phone at least an hour before bedtime. Luckily, our experts can help.
Scientific evidence suggests that the blue light emitted from your phone, tablet, computer, and TV suppresses (抑制) your body’s production of melatonin, a hormone (荷尔蒙) that plays an important role in your sleep cycle. Melatonin release in the evening helps you relax before bedtime. A 2013 study that analyzed technology use and sleep patterns with data from a National Sleep Foundation poll found that using devices like phones was tied to more sleep disruption than electronics that aren’t interactive.
Many of us use the excuse that our mobile devices serve as our wake-up calls, or keep them nearby to use meditation apps. If you want to use your phone as an alarm, consider setting it a couple of hours before you turn in for the night, and then setting the phone itself to bedtime mode for the rest of the evening.
Here’s another groundbreaking idea: You could get a real alarm clock. After reviewing them at Reviewed, we recommend the Sharp Dream Caster. Not only is it easy to set a wake-up time, the clock includes white noises and rain noises to help you sleep, plus a number of volume settings to pick what works best for you.
But an alarm clock won’t help you avoid doom-scrolling through social media. Take things a step further by avoiding using electronic devices. You can try reading a book (one made of paper), taking a bath or drinking a cup of chamomile tea.
Finally, if you want to keep up your meditation practice screen-free, consider the Morphée. It looks like a little music box and comes with a variety of breathing exercises and soundscapes to help you get to sleep.
1. What does the underlined word “ditch” in paragraph 1 probably mean?A.Set aside. | B.Pick up. | C.Show off. | D.Turn to. |
A.Relaxing yourself before bedtime. |
B.Sleeping less than you normally would. |
C.Adapting to your sleep cycle more easily. |
D.Reducing the pressure from screen use. |
A.It is sold at a lower price. | B.It can predict a heavy rain. |
C.It is controlled by cellphone. | D.It helps put your eyes together. |
A.Making the best of the eco-friendly products. |
B.Making a change according to circumstances. |
C.Establishing a bedtime routine without electronics. |
D.Keeping a consistent bedtime and wake-up time. |
5 . In our information-driven society, shaping our worldview through the media is similar to forming an opinion about someone solely based on a picture of their foot. While the media might not deliberately deceive us, it often fails to provide a comprehensive view of reality.
Consequently, the question arises: Where, then, shall we get our information from if not from the media? Who can we trust? How about experts—people who devote their working lives to understanding their chosen slice of the world? However, even experts can fall prey to the allure of oversimplification, leading to the “single perspective instinct” that hampers(阻碍)our ability to grasp the intricacies of the world.
Simple ideas can be appealing because they offer a sense of understanding and certainty. And it is easy to take off down a slippery slope, from one attention-grabbing simple idea to a feeling that this idea beautifully explains, or is the beautiful solution for, lots of other things. The world becomes simple that way.
Yet, when we embrace a singular cause or solution for all problems, we risk oversimplifying complex issues. For instance, championing the concept of equality may lead us to view all problems through the lens of inequality and see resource distribution as the sole panacea. However, such rigidity prevents us from seeing the multidimensional nature of challenges and hinders true comprehension of reality. This “single perspective instinct” ultimately clouds our judgment and restricts our capacity to tackle complex issues effectively.
It saves a lot of time to think like this. You can have opinions and answers without having to learn about a problem from scratch and you can get on with using your brain for other tasks. But it’s not so useful if you like to understand the world. Being always in favor of or always against any particular idea makes you blind to information that doesn’t fit your perspective. This is usually a bad approach if you would like to understand reality.
Instead, constantly test your favorite ideas for weaknesses. Be humble about the extent of your expertise. Be curious about new information that doesn’t fit, and information from other fields. And rather than talking only to people who agree with you, or collecting examples that fit your ideas, consult people who contradict you, disagree with you, and put forward different ideas as a great resource for understanding the world. I have been wrong about the world so many times. Sometimes, coming up against reality is what helps me see my mistakes, but often it is talking to, and trying to understand, someone with different ideas.
If this means you don’t have time to form so many opinions, so what? Wouldn’t you rather have few opinions that are right than many that are wrong?
1. What does the underlined word “allure” in Para.2 probably mean?A.Temptation. | B.Tradition. | C.Convenience. | D.Consequence. |
A.They meet people’s demand for high efficiency. |
B.They generate a sense of complete understanding. |
C.They are raised and supported by multiple experts. |
D.They reflect the opinions of like-minded individuals. |
A.Simplifying matters releases energy for human brains. |
B.Constant tests on our ideas help make up for our weakness. |
C.A well-founded opinion counts more than many shallow ones. |
D.People who disagree with us often have comprehensive views. |
A.Embracing Disagreement: Refusing Overcomplexity |
B.Simplifying Information: Enhancing Comprehension |
C.Understanding Differences: Establishing Relationships |
D.Navigating Complexity: Challenging Oversimplification |
6 . Recently, Facebook has changed its corporate name to Meta. The company said it would better include what it does, as it broadens its reach beyond social media into areas like virtual reality (VR). The CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the existing brand could not possibly represent everything that they’re doing today, let alone in the future. He also revealed the company’s plans to build a “metaverse (元宇宙)” — an online world where people can game, work and communicate in a virtual environment.
The term “metaverse” was invented by author Neal Stephenson in Snow Crash, a science fiction published in 1992. In the work, the metaverse is a sort of 3D virtual world. It’s not simply a virtual reality game but is a persistent and shared virtual world. Or rather, the metaverse is a whole universe of shared virtual spaces seemingly linked together — you could, essentially, teleport (瞬移) between them.
Metaverse combined at the very least five technologies — they are social media, online game, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR) and cryptocurrency (加密货币). Those technologies will bring users to an interactive world. AR and VR are vital for Metaverse. VR serves to present the virtual world visually and then AR will provide the audio and sensors for people to be able to interact. With Metaverse, Facebook will offer not only a texting service but also a multi-perspective virtual touch that feels like a real thing.
Facebook said that it plans to create 10,000 jobs in Europe over the next five years to work on metaverse-related endeavours (活动). The company also has introduced Oculus-branded virtual-reality headsets, and it joined with Ray-Ban to develop smart sunglasses that went on sale for $299. “Over time, I hope that we are seen as a metaverse company and I want to anchor our work and our identity on what we’re building towards,” Mark Zuckerberg said. “I view this work as critical to our mission because delivering a sense of presence — like you’re right there with another person — that’s the highest goal of online social experiences,” he said.
1. Why has Facebook changed its corporate name?A.To lead the gaming industry. |
B.To cover its extended business. |
C.To improve its corporate image. |
D.To attract investment for its new plans. |
A.The introduction to the VR game. |
B.The future with 3D virtual world. |
C.The origin of the word “metaverse”. |
D.The importance of the novel Snow Crash. |
A.It has a wide range of applications. |
B.It offers people deeply interactive experiences. |
C.It enables people to enjoy a free texting service. |
D.It uses the five technologies to explore the universe. |
A.There will be fierce competition in the metaverse market. |
B.Facebook will focus on designing virtual devices. |
C.Metaverse will be the center of online experience studies. |
D.Facebook will be devoted to developing the metaverse. |
7 . I ran into a friend a few days ago and greeted him in the familiar way. He gave the usual
In today’s world of fast and quickly
The
So, don’t admire other people’s near perfect sides any more. No matter how
A.point | B.description | C.response | D.goal |
A.added | B.created | C.wrote | D.spelt |
A.ridiculous | B.facial | C.lovely | D.grateful |
A.Obviously | B.Eventually | C.Gradually | D.Excitedly |
A.slipping | B.infecting | C.competing | D.struggling |
A.emerging | B.expanding | C.dismissing | D.disappearing |
A.impression | B.permission | C.pressure | D.affection |
A.staff | B.dialect | C.catalogue | D.stuff |
A.express | B.decide | C.believe | D.report |
A.asking | B.causing | C.damaging | D.losing |
A.idea | B.fact | C.hope | D.opinion |
A.panicked into | B.given up | C.tricked into | D.cleared up |
A.scale | B.occasion | C.level | D.course |
A.interesting | B.disappointing | C.developing | D.misleading |
A.successes | B.frustrations | C.setbacks | D.downsides |
A.perfect | B.poor | C.low | D.cold |
A.strengths | B.challenges | C.desires | D.influences |
A.obtain | B.possess | C.remove | D.sense |
A.react | B.exist | C.float | D.lift |
A.frequent | B.soft | C.evident | D.different |
8 . The kitchen is not just where we prepare meals. In many places, the kitchen is the heart of the home. It’s where we connect with our family and friends. We have open talks about our pleasures and problems we met during the day while we make dinner or have a bite to eat. So, it can be a very busy room in the house.
Sometimes you need order in the kitchen for things to run smoothly. And sometimes you need one person to be in charge. Imagine you are cooking dinner for your friends. As you are making the soup, your friend Sara tastes it and says, “This needs more salt.” So, she adds more salt. Harlan comes to taste your soup and throws some fresh black pepper into the pot and some dried herbs. Cecilia tastes the soup and pours in some vinegar. What will the soup be like?
You are happy to spend time with your friends. But, quite frankly, all their opinions about your soup are becoming annoying. Worst of all, you taste the soup and it’s awful! And that is where we get the expression “too many cooks spoil the soup”.
This expression describes an age-old problem: If too many people help to complete a task, it may not go very well. But, you may think, “If many people are trying to get something done, the task will get done faster.” After all, American English also has the expression “many hands make light work”.
To answer that point, I will draw your attention to the word “cook”. Now, the cook is the leader in the kitchen. They may have assistants to help them. But the cook has the final say. So, what if a kitchen has many cooks? Who is the leader? Everyone! And that’s where the trouble comes.
1. What does the author think of the kitchen according to the first paragraph?A.It is crowded in many houses. | B.It is where we feed our body and soul. |
C.It helps to brighten up people’s day. | D.It serves as the most useful place in a home. |
A.To describe a common phenomenon (现象). |
B.To vividly introduce a saying. |
C.To explain a way to be a good cook. |
D.To stress the importance of teamwork. |
A.A group of students get a task done together. |
B.Some volunteers discuss how to help others. |
C.Five designers want their own idea to be accepted. |
D.Many retired workers learn how to be a cook. |
A.What Happens with Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen? |
B.Should a Cook Be Open to Suggestions? |
C.What Could a Cook Do to Everyone’s Satisfaction? |
D.Why Will Too Many Cooks Work in the Kitchen? |
9 . In our modern world, when something wears out, we throw it away and buy a new one. The
How did we
Another cause is our
Our appetite for new products also
All around the world, we can see the
Maybe there is another way out. We need to repair our possessions
A.key | B.reason | C.project | D.problem |
A.gifts | B.rubbish | C.debt | D.products |
A.face | B.become | C.observe | D.change |
A.hide | B.control | C.replace | D.withdraw |
A.Thanks to | B.As to | C.Except for | D.Regardless of |
A.safe | B.funny | C.cheap | D.powerful |
A.love | B.lack | C.prevention | D.division |
A.sensitive | B.kind | C.brave | D.busy |
A.ways | B.places | C.jobs | D.friends |
A.donate | B.receive | C.produce | D.preserve |
A.adapts | B.returns | C.responds | D.contributes |
A.tired of | B.addicted to | C.worried about | D.ashamed for |
A.newer | B.stronger | C.higher | D.larger |
A.pick up | B.pay for | C.hold onto | D.throw away |
A.advantages | B.purposes | C.functions | D.consequences |
A.show | B.record | C.decrease | D.measure |
A.technology | B.environment | C.consumers | D.brands |
A.However | B.Otherwise | C.Therefore | D.Meanwhile |
A.by | B.in favour of | C.after | D.instead of |
A.spending | B.collecting | C.repairing | D.advertising |
10 . For Chinese students nowadays, no matter what kind of schools they’re going to, they have to face the problem of learning English. All examinations they want to pass require them to pass English. Examinations for entering further education, studying abroad and even graduating from college require scores in English examinations. English has become the most popular course in tutorial classes and even in the self-study classroom.
When nearly all students’ attention is focused on English, looking at the situation of our mother language, even Chinese linguists get confused about its use. Not only have many new words and phrases which are very popular on the Internet started to fill in every corner of the society, but common use of Chinese is full of mistakes and misunderstandings.
Under such urgent situation for the Chinese language, it’s time for every Chinese person to start protecting our mother tongue.
Chinese has the most speakers of any world language and also is one of the oldest in history. Around the world, many countries have started learning Chinese and Chinese has become one of the most important foreign languages in some foreign countries. Besides, there are 282 Confucius institutions in 88 countries and regions in the world that are teaching Chinese. The number of people learning Chinese is about 50 million outside China.
For those foreigners that are so crazy about Chinese language, what kind of attitude should the Chinese have? Honestly speaking, learning English itself shouldn’t be criticized, and we need to learn English to communicate with the world to show our culture and society.
However, it doesn’t make any sense that the importance of Chinese is replaced by a foreign language in a native’s mind. It’s really time to protect our Chinese language! Are you ready?
1. Which of the following best describes the main idea of the passage?A.Language study is a problem of the world. |
B.It’s time to protect Chinese language. |
C.Chinese is becoming more important than English. |
D.It’s unnecessary for Chinese people to learn English. |
A.more and more new words are used |
B.great changes have taken place in Chinese |
C.they could not understand network vocabulary |
D.there are too many mistakes and misunderstandings |
A.explain how popular English is |
B.prove the importance of English |
C.remind us to concern the situation of Chinese |
D.encourage us to use Chinese rather than English |
A.introduce our culture and society to the world |
B.build more Confucius institutions abroad |
C.study abroad to get further education |
D.get promoted in your favorite jobs |