1 . It is commonplace to come across instances of students or young professionals of the same age groups renting together.
Intergenerational housing whereby Gen Zers and Millennials rent a room from an elderly homeowner is not limited to a particular region.
In recent years, the high cost of living makes it nearly impossible for young adults to find affordable accommodations in major urban areas.
The elderly find renting their homes to young people a win-win proposition. They have someone able and energetic for company and the additional income helps them offset (抵消) the cost of home ownership.
| A．It is now widespread in many parts of the U.S. |
| B．Living with the elderly is challenging for the young. |
| C．However, recently, a different trend has been observed. |
| D．It drives the demand for intergenerational housing arrangements. |
| E．Nowadays, many young people prefer to live independently after finishing school. |
| F．The students find living with seniors better than sharing rooms with several roommates. |
| G．Another person in an empty home also relieves the loneliness many old people experience. |
2 . In recent years, cotton bags have risen to popularity as an eco-friendly alternative to single-use plastic bags. But the sudden increase in the use of the cotton bag as a basic accessory may actually have created a new problem.
An organic cotton bag needs to be used 20, 000 times to offset (抵消) its overall impact of production on the environment, according to a study by the Ministry of Environment and Food of Denmark. That is equal to daily use for 54 years for just one bag. According to this measure, for Venetia Berry, an artist in London who found she had at least 25 cotton bags in her closet, she would have to live for more than 1, 000 years to offset her current possessions if all her bags were organic.
According to the Circular Laboratory, it requires between 10, 000 and 20, 000 liters of water to produce one kilogram of cotton. And only 15 percent of the 30 million tons of cotton produced every year actually makes its way to textile (纺织品) warehouses. Even when a cotton bag does make it to a treatment plant, most logos printed on them are not recyclable. They’re extremely difficult to break down chemically.
That’s not to say cotton is worse than plastic, or that the two should even be compared. While cotton can use pesticides and has dried up rivers, lightweight plastic bags use fossil fuels that release greenhouse gases, never break down and block the oceans.
Buffy Reid, of the British knitwear label &. Daughter, stopped production of her cotton bags in April 2021. Skincare brand Aesop is changing the composition of their bags to a 60-40 mixture of recycled and organic cotton. Some brands are turning to other textile solutions. The British designer Ally Capellino replaced cotton with hemp (大麻), while Ms. Hindmarch introduced a new version of her original bag, this time made from recycled water bottles. In the end, the simplest solution may be the most obvious; Not every product needs a bag.
1. What do the figures in Paragraph 2 indicate?| A．Cotton bags are not all that perfect. |
| B．Cotton bags have quite a long service life. |
| C．Cotton bags are enjoying widespread popularity. |
| D．Cotton bags require a complex production process. |
| A．They are not recyclable and difficult to break down. |
| B．Their logos are made from planet-friendly materials. |
| C．They require high consumption of water resources. |
| D．Their production generates fossil fuel-related emissions. |
| A．Stopping producing cotton bags. |
| B．Reducing the use of shopping bags. |
| C．Replacing cotton with other materials. |
| D．Changing the composition of cotton bags. |
| A．The cotton bag crisis. |
| B．The rise of cotton bags. |
| C．The comparison between cotton and plastic. |
| D．The production and recycling of cotton bags. |
3 . Being in green spaces and connecting with nature is good for your physical and mental health. In Japanese natural healing, forest bathing has been used to decrease stress, anxiety, and even to treat mild depression. Now, scientists have discovered that blue spaces — natural waterways — are also connected to better mental health. A population-based study found that approach to water increased positive feelings of wellbeing.
Being near water gives people a sense of awe, because it gives people a consciousness of something greater than themselves. The sounds and movement of water gets people to focus their attention — like meditation — and this invites calm, You do not have to go to the coast to experience this well-being. Any waterway will do, including lakes, rivers, canals, or ponds. Even a flowing fountain will work.
The study also found that urban waterways were superior to feelings of well-being than just being near the ocean. Canals and rivers contain not only water but also an abundance of trees and plants, which means their capacity to improvement al well-being is likely to be due to the multiple benefits associated with both green and blue spaces.
Canals and rivers also provide homes to a range of wildlife, and we know that there is a notable association between encountering wildlife and mental well-being. Taken collectively, these findings provide an evidence base for what we thought about water and well-being.
These results are very exciting for urban citizens who have access to rivers and canals. The study also found that there were continuous improvements to mental well-being for up to 24 hours after visiting urban waterways. This is all good news. The availability of spaces to be in nature — both green and blue — will help calm their anxiety, stress, and help boost mental health.
1. Why does the author mention green spaces in paragraph 1?| A．To introduce the topic about blue spaces. |
| B．To tell the great benefits of forest bathing. |
| C．To tell us what works best in reducing stress. |
| D．To explain green spaces are unpopular now. |
| A．Your moods in the woods work quite differently. |
| B．Being near the ocean has the best function to you. |
| C．Green spaces have no capacity to improve well-being. |
| D．Combinations of green and blue spaces are more effective. |
| A．Slight. | B．Rare. | C．Significant. | D．Indistinct. |
| A．Intolerant. | B．Favorable. | C．Doubtful. | D．Unclear. |
4 . One third of adults over 65 in America have never used the Internet, and half don’t even have Internet access at home. In San Francisco, “the center of tech”, 40% of older adults do not have basic digital literacy skills.
This situation is becoming appalling as over 10,000 Americans turn 65 every single day. By 2050,22% of Americans will be 65 or older. Meanwhile, technology is developing very fast. This means that a large number of people will be unable to proficiently use emergent technology.
Many people believe that seniors aren’t required to participate in our tech future because they’ll be retired and relaxed soon. But this is the farthest thing from the truth. Baby boomers are currently experiencing a different boom: With more people getting older than ever before, their life expediencies are also increasing dramatically. With medical advancements, the number of American people projected to live into their 90’s has doubled since 1965.
However, they don’t have strong financial or educational support. This is not a problem; it’s a crisis. More than half of employees over 50 have been laid off in what’s being called ”forced retirement“. And few organizations are actively helping older employees make the transition from full-time jobs to part-time ones. For those fortunate enough to be employed, 3 out of 5 older workers experience prejudice.
The easiest solution is to teach digital literacy. If baby boomers want to survive the forthcoming retirement crisis, they should get enough digital knowledge and skills to operate today’s tools and tomorrow’s platforms. With every crisis comes an opportunity. Tutoring, customer service, editing, research, book-keeping, and other virtual assistance-based work open the doors. But again, digital knowledge is first required to live in our high-tech society and gig economy. So try to get more online and navigate the growing number of sites and apps.
1. What does the underlined word “appalling” probably mean in paragraph2?| A．Confusing. | B．Terrible. | C．Controllable. | D．Inspiring. |
| A．A crisis after retirement. | B．Being knocked out in the future. |
| C．Failing to receive good healthcare. | D．Tending to double their life expediencies. |
| A．The features of high-tech jobs. | B．The way out for baby boomers. |
| C．Potential industries in the future. | D．The importance of developing technology. |
| A．Have a good sense of crisis. | B．Avoid retiring at an early age. |
| C．Look for many part-time jobs. | D．Improve digital literacy actively. |
5 . Emerging economies struggled to grow through the 2010s and pessimism covers them now. People wonder how they will pay debts during the COVID-19 and how they can grow rapidly as they did in the past in an era of deglobalisation (去全球化).
The freshest of many answers to this issue is the fast-spreading digital revolution. The digital revolution is already as progressive in emerging economies as developed ones. Among the top 30 nations by income from digital services as a share of gross domestic product(GDP), 16 are in the emerging world. Indonesia, for example, is further advanced by this measure than France or Canada. And since 2017, digital income has been growing in emerging countries at an average annual pace of 26 percent, compared with 11 percent in the developed ones.
How can it be that poorer nations are adopting common digital technologies faster than the rich? One explanation is habit and its absence. In societies filled with physical stores and services, customers are often comfortable with them and slow to abandon the providers. In countries where people have difficulty even finding a bank or a doctor, they will jump at the first digital option that comes along. Outsiders have a hard time grasping the impact digital services can have on underserved (服务不足的)populations. Nations lacking in schools, hospitals and banks can quickly bridge these gaps by establishing online services. Though only 5 percent of Kenyans carry credit cards, more than 70 percent have access to digital banking.
It’s early days, too. As economist Carlota Perez has shown, tech revolutions last a long time. Innovations like the car and the steam engine were still transforming economies half a century later. Now, the fading era of globalisation will limit the number of emerging markets, but the era of rapid digitisation has only just begun. This offers many developing economies a revolutionary new path to catch up with the living standards of the developed world.
1. What can we know about the digital revolution?| A．It increases people’s debts in deglobalisation. |
| B．It prevents emerging economy from developing. |
| C．It advances in emerging and developed economies. |
| D．It develops most rapidly in Indonesia in terms of GDP. |
| A．In economies lacking in online services. |
| B．In countries short of basic physical facilities. |
| C．In nations with adequate stores and services. |
| D．In societies easy to access doctors and banks. |
| A．Stable. | B．Hopeful. | C．Depressing. | D．Challenging. |
| A．Digital technology saves emerging economies. |
| B．Deglobalisation limits technology revolutions. |
| C．Emerging economies struggle in the pandemic. |
| D．Digital revolution grows better in globalisation. |
6 . Back in the 1980s when monkeypox(猴痘)was still an extremely rare disease, scientists kept warning: Over time, the monkeypox outbreaks will increase. At that time, there were only about 50 monkeypox cases a year in West and Central Africa where people caught the disease mainly from direct contact with wild animals. Infection between humans was very limited. But in 2022, the world is facing the first international outbreak, with more than 5,000 cases reported in 44 countries within six months.
So how could the scientists know in the 1980s that monkeypox would grow in size and spread internationally?
Their warnings were based on the successful campaign against smallpox(天花), one of the deadliest diseases in human history, which killed up to 30% of the people infected. Thanks to a worldwide campaign, smallpox disappeared in the late 1970s. However, the end of smallpox opened the door for monkeypox to emerge.
Monkeypox, whose present version kills less than 1% of people infected, is closely related to smallpox. Having a smallpox infection-or a smallpox vaccine(疫苗)-offers really good protection against smallpox as well as monkeypox. Perhaps about 85% protection. But in the late 1970s, the world stopped vaccining people for smallpox. So over the past decades, human resistance to smallpox and monkeypox has dropped sharply.
“We’re actually at a point where our immunity against monkeypox is the lowest in thousands of years,” says Jo Walker of the Yale School of Public Health. Without some resistance against the disease, people are more likely to catch monkeypox from animals and spread it to someone else. So it is time that people who might come into contact with infected people were vaccined for monkeypox. Otherwise, it could become a permanent presence in the world, since every time there’s an outbreak the virus has a chance to figure out how to spread more quickly among people.
Indeed, this new outbreak in Europe may be a sign that the virus has changed-even if just a bit-and may be increasing its ability to spread among people.
1. What can be learned about monkeypox?| A．It can be more dangerous than smallpox. | B．It rarely spread from animals to humans. |
| C．The outbreaks were not serious in the 1980s. | D．Scientists are surprised by the present outbreaks. |
| A．The cause of the present outbreaks. | B．The disappearance of smallpox. |
| C．The potential danger of smallpox. | D．The treatment of monkeypox. |
| A．Kill all the infected wild animals. | B．Develop a special vaccine for treatment. |
| C．Lock down the infected countries. | D．Vaccine those in possible contact with the infected. |
| A．Skeptical. | B．Worried. | C．Overjoyed. | D．Uncaring. |
7 . In France, a lot of energy goes into one’s personal appearance. Clothing is a big part of Parisian culture; after all, this is one of the world fashion capitals.
Parisians like simple, classic pieces that are timeless. Must-have pieces such as a good pair of jeans, a trench coat, and basic knitwear are always good to have on hand. Parisians don’t really like clothing to be colorful or ostentatious, especially not something to be worn for an ordinary day out. Black, white and different shades of beige are common sightings around Paris’ streets.
Classic goes for shoes, too. A quality pair of leather boots, loafers (休闲鞋) or heels can be paired with anything, provided they are in a shade of black or brown. Comfort is key, since most Parisians do a lot of walking. However, you’ll rarely notice Parisians wearing open-toed shoes. Younger generation Parisians are becoming part of sports shoes culture, though it is unlikely to see an elder Parisian wearing any form of them in public.
Speaking of berets (贝雷帽), a decent beret is an important item for most Parisians. It would be far too general to say that all Parisians are fond of the beret, but the vast majority can appreciate their place in fashion history. They also love having a way of covering their hair when unexpected wind or rain happens in the city of light!
Parisians are not about logos (商标). Contrary to Italians, Parisians prefer not to see any kind of printed logo on clothing, handbags or shoes, unless it is extremely small and subtle. Hoodies with an oversized logo printed down the front is a no-no. Something to keep in mind is that just because Parisians are not into logos, this does not mean they are not into name brands (名牌). On the contrary, the French love luxury fashion and name branded clothing. Parisians know their brands, and they don’t need logos to tell them when something is of a particular fashion house, or when something is real or fake.
1. What does the underlined word “ostentatious” mean in the second paragraph?| A．Simple in design. | B．Of an old style. |
| C．Enhancing creativity. | D．Attracting attention. |
| A．White boots. | B．Black loafers. |
| C．Open-toed shoes. | D．Comfortable sports shoes. |
| A．Most of them like to have one. |
| B．They think it too old-fashioned. |
| C．They think it goes well with long hair. |
| D．Most of them wear it for an ordinary day out. |
| A．Parisians don’t like name brands. |
| B．Parisians aren’t into oversized logos. |
| C．Parisians don’t care about what is in fashion. |
| D．Parisians prefer not to see any logo on clothing. |
1. 倡议的目的；
2. 过度使用社交媒体的危害；
3. 发出倡议。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 可适当增加细节, 以使行文连贯；
3. 开头和结尾已给出, 不计入总词数；
4. 参考词汇：社交媒体social media.
Dear all,
I'm Li Hua, chairman of the Students' Union,
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Students' Union
9 . Parents can often be concerned about giving eggs to their babies, as they commonly cause food allergies. If you have a family history of allergies, you will need to be more cautious about the introduction of new foods. Always talk to your GP first if you have any concern.
However, it is best to offer your baby well cooked eggs before 12 months of age. A single egg contains essential minerals like copper, zinc, calcium and iron. It also has proteins, cholesterol, fat, fatty acids, vitamins D, B12 and E, chorine and foliate. All of the above nutrients are essential for the healthy growth and development of infants. Delayed introduction of these foods has been shown to increase the chance of developing a food allergy.
As the baby is around six months old, mash (捣碎) one hard-boiled egg and serve it to your baby. For a more liquid consistency, add breast milk or water. From the eight month mark, scrambled egg pieces make a fantastic finger food for your little one. When you’re offering new foods to kids, it’s a good idea to do it during the day instead of the evening, so you can keep an eye on response if they have an allergic reaction.
Food containing raw or minimally cooked eggs can contain salmonella (a type of bacteria), which is why it’s advised to wait until your child is 12 months or older before serving half cooked eggs. When starting solids, you should make the introduction of different foods gradually, both in terms of quantity and the speed of feeding. Ensure it consists of very basic, natural foods, such as fruit and vegetables, which can be managed by their still sensitive digestive system.
Remember that encouraging your little one to accept a wide variety of healthy foods early on in his or her life will have plenty of benefits later, when he or she begins to express his or her personal eating preferences.
1. Why are parents more cautious when feeding eggs to babies?| A．Babies may be allergic to them. |
| B．Babies are too young to digest them. |
| C．Parents have no other guidance. |
| D．Parents have a family history of allergies. |
| A．Enough energy. | B．Necessary nutrition. |
| C．Rare minerals. | D．Enough bacteria. |
| A．It will bring kids more nutrients. |
| B．It will decrease allergic reaction. |
| C．It sounds reasonable and safe. |
| D．It makes it easier to monitor the kids allergic reaction. |
| A．Children should take foods regularly. |
| B．Children’s eating habits should be regulated. |
| C．Eating has a great influence on children’s life. |
| D．Children’s personal preferences should be concerned. |
10 . Coming upon a clear - cut in an old forest is a shocking experience. Tees large and small are collapsed one above the other in pile, and the ground is covered with the tracks of heavy machinery. Such was the scene when forest activist Zack Porter and I hiked a newly built logging (伐木) road in Green Mountain National Forest.
Clear - cutting in the American forests has long been widespread. But now, the Forest Habitat Creation Project represents new reasoning which is hotly debated - that clear - cutting benefits native creatures. The thinking is that clear - cutting done wisely can mimic natural disturbances, for example, from insect invasions or from storms overturning older trees that produce what ecologists call Early Successional Habitats - places where young trees and bushes get the upper hand and animals that depend on such habitat thrive.
The project also states that forests “can only be saved by being destroyed” - by keeping them young. Timber (木材) interests are enthusiastic about the approach because it lets them profit from cutting trees while claiming the significance of conservation. Hunting groups favor it because a younger, less thick forest makes it easier to find the game and birds they're tracking.
Nevertheless, Porter says, “Allowing some of the oldest standing trees in New England to be removed is equal to dereliction of duty on the part of the government, who sees the forests as commodities (商品).” “Forests can produce clean water, clean air, carbon storage, and biodiversity that we need,” he continues as we walk among lovely mixed hardwoods and evergreens that are cut down for logging. “We shouldn't be removing them for short - term gain.”
In this sense, Zack Porter's description of logging for wildlife for short - term gain - the short - term gain of favoring habitat for species people today want to see and hunt - is reasonable.
1. How does the author start the text?| A．By presenting some ideas. | B．By listing some evidence. |
| C．By comparing different views. | D．By stating his own experience. |
| A．Profits can be made from logging. |
| B．Clear - cutting is beneficial to the wildlife. |
| C．The conservation of forest is of significance. |
| D．Clear - cutting can cause natural disturbances. |
| A．Fulfillment. | B．Promise. | C．Misconduct. | D．Exposure. |
| A．A New Approach to Forest Protection |
| B．A Hiking Experience in the Logging Road |
| C．How to Build Early Successional Habitats? |
| D．Is Clear - cutting Forests Good for Wildlife? |
