1. How many pieces of news were mentioned in this talk?
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. |
| A．To control birth rate. |
| B．To save money. |
| C．To make room for new buildings. |
| A．They are asking for it. |
| B．It’s a plan organized by the litter pickers. |
| C．To encourage people to clean up rubbish off themselves. |
| A．Liverpool was beaten. | B．Barcelona was beaten. | C．AC Milan was beaten. |
| A．Leaving his home. |
| B．Parting from his son. |
| C．Taking early retirement. |
3 . America’s youth is turning its back on tobacco. According to a study recently published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cigarette smoking among US high school students is at an all-time low. One in 5 US high school students in 2016 reported using a tobacco product within the past 30 days, an improvement from 1 in 4 students just one year before.
“These findings show the importance of continuing to implement the evidence-based strategies that we now work to reduce all forms of tobacco product use, including e-cigarettes, among our nation’s youth,” says Brian King, of the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health and senior author of the study.
And it’s not just tobacco: Drug use among US teens is down across the board. The National Institute on Drug Abuse has published annual reports on US teens’ drug use since 1996, and the 2016 survey shows the lowest rates of illegal drug and alcohol use. Marijuana (大麻) use remained “mostly steady”. “It is encouraging to see more young people making healthy choices not to use illegal substances,” says former National Drug Control Policy Director Michael Botticelli.
All individual forms of tobacco such as cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, and smoke-less tobacco saw declines in usage in 2016. Experts are especially encouraged by the decline in cigarettes, the most popular tobacco product among teens. In 2016, 11.3 percent of high school students reported using e-cigarettes, down from 16 percent in 2015.
Dr. King says adaptation is key to the decline of e-cigarettes. “We have over a half-century of science telling students about the harmful effects of tobacco use and what works best to prevent it,” says King. “E-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among our nation’s youth, and it’s critical that our proven strategies are modernized to keep pace with the changing tobacco product landscape.”
1. What does the underlined word “implement” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Delay. | B．Perform. | C．Schedule. | D．Control. |
| A．US teens’ drug use has decreased. |
| B．There are many forms of tobacco. |
| C．E-cigarettes are popular among US teens. |
| D．The strategies are put forward by experts. |
| A．Disapproving. | B．Suspicious. | C．Favorable. | D．Ambiguous. |
| A．US teen tobacco use declines. | B．High percent of teen tobacco use. |
| C．The harmful effects of tobacco use. | D．The strategies to reduce tabasco use. |
4 . Being an opinion writer and journalist, I was demanded that I make a public statement about hot issues online. The voices yelling at me and anyone else who failed to post seemed to believe that not making a statement was itself a statement — and an immoral one, at that.
On social media, people take a position that results in positive comments but reduces complex issues to a simple yes or no. Taking simplistic stands can also lead to twisting words. This kind of simple thinking is deeply unserious and further fuels hatred (敌意), changing personal opinions into extremism and mistaking the expressions of anger for brave action in the face of horror.
These loud, reductive declarations reflect genuine fear about horrors that lie beyond words. Simple binaries (二元对立) imply simple solutions. And it’s much more pleasant to tell yourself you stand on the side of good, against evil, than to question whether the lines of boundaries were drawn correctly.
Sitting with uncertainty is hard, especially when social media has urged us to expect perfect real-time information during unfortunate events and immediate answers and resolution. Moral certainty is a point we stand on when factual certainty is not possible. And the faster we express it, the more certain we appear.
Such thoughtless posts are not what bother me most, though. Instead, it’s the idea that not posting is wrong somehow — that everyone needs to speak, all the time. It discourages shutting up and listening and letting the voices that matter the most be heard over the noise. It suggests that having any doubts about what’s happening or forming moral conclusions that don’t make sense to share on social media is unacceptable.
I do have opinions, of course, but they don’t fit on social media. While I’ve regretted posting half-formed thoughts too quickly, I’ve never regretted waiting until I was less angry or not posting at all.
1. What does the author think of people’s quick posts on hot issues?| A．Positive. | B．Irresponsible. | C．Uncaring. | D．Unkind. |
| A．Reasons why people rush to post opinions. | B．Ways people use to express ideas. |
| C．Means by which people solve difficult problems. | D．Facts on which people base their judgement. |
| A．Too many posts online. | B．Too much false information. |
| C．People’s judgement on not posting. | D．People’s unawareness of current issues. |
| A．It’s useless to post ideas on social media. | B．It’s better to keep silent than blindly follow suit. |
| C．Everyone has the right to voice his opinion. | D．Everyone must guard network security. |
1. What is the speakers’ attitude towards the change of manners?
| A．Positive. | B．Unconcerned. | C．Dissatisfied. |
| A．Play outside. | B．Have a light sleep. | C．Look after their kids. |
| A．She can’t find good places for them. |
| B．She never knows who to invite. |
| C．She’s not sure who may come. |
6 . Most parents will remember their little ones grasping their leg or being unwilling to speak to someone new. But when does this stop being a natural part of a child’s growing up and become something to worry about?
Here, Heidi Gazelle, a senior lecturer in developmental psychology from the University of Melbourne, explains how shyness is of more concern if it is persistent rather than temporary.
Shyness with other children is of more concern than shyness with adults. It is common for children to be on the alert for adults, particularly men, but less common for children around their own age.
Children who engage in very little social interaction in comparison to children of their age are missing out on these important cumulative learning experiences. As a result, their social cognition, social skills and sense of self may be less mature than those of other children around their age.
Being excluded and bullied is damaging children’s emotional health and sense of self, especially when these conditions persist over time. Children need help from adults to stop exclusion and being bullied by other children. When parents become aware that their child is being excluded or bullied by other children at a childcare center or a school, they should contact the childcare center or school on their child’s behalf.
Shyness is of concern if it interferes with your child’s or family’s routines or activities, or if your child often appears miserable or complains of being lonely. For instance, if shyness prevents your child from attending other children’s birthday parties or school, or prevents your family from visiting friends, then you should consider seeking help from a child psychologist.
If a child is upset about a problem with a friend, parents can encourage the child to try to resolve the problem in a way that preserves the friendship, instead of ending the friendship, as well as encourage the child to develop other friendships.
1. What view does Heidi Gazelle hold with regards to shy children?| A．Persistent shyness is more worrying than temporary shyness. |
| B．Children’s shyness basically results from a disharmonious family. |
| C．They tend to have less shyness when meeting with unknown people. |
| D．It is more common for them to be alert when being with other children than adults. |
①Social skills. ②Sense of self. ③Overall intelligence. ④Power of observation. ⑤Social cognition.
| A．①③⑤ | B．②④⑤ | C．②③④ | D．①②⑤ |
| A．Consider transferring their child to another school or childcare center. |
| B．Get in touch with the childcare center or school. |
| C．Warn the children who bully their child. |
| D．Try to find his or her own faults. |
| A．Their child often complains about being lonely. |
| B．Their child is always ready to visit their relatives. |
| C．Their child wants to change the family’s original plan. |
| D．Their child is willing to attend other children’s birthday parties. |
7 . Laurie Santos, the psychology professor behind Yale University’s most popular course, recently launched a free six-week class aimed at teenagers, called “The Science of Well-Being for Teens”. It was developed to address rising rates of anxiety and depression and suicide (自杀) rates for kids between 9th and 12th grades, Santos says.
In the first lesson, she mentions one of the course’s pre-recorded lectures: Our brains lie to us about what makes us happy. “For adults, this may mean pursuing money or success at work, and for teens this might mean focusing on the perfect grades and getting into the best colleges,” Santos says. “The problem isn’t that we’re not putting work into feeling better—it’s that we’re doing the wrong things, prioritizing the wrong behaviors.”
Instead of focusing on reaching a financial milestone or perfect grades, aim to program your brain with thoughts and behaviors that make you feel better, Santos recommends. Regularly connecting with friends, taking care of your health and learning how to accept negative emotions all contribute more significantly to your well-being than having the right job, car or relationships, she adds in a course lecture.
The timing of the teen-specific course, which already has at least 17,000 members, is good, More than a third of teens self-report experiencing poor mental health, and nearly half feel constant sadness or hopelessness during the pandemic, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey that surveyed participants through mid-2021. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, those numbers had already increased by 40% from 2009 to 2019, the CDC noted. The agency’s survey also found that 20% of teens had seriously considered and 9% had attempted suicide.
Santos says she wants to help change those numbers by making the science of happiness accessible. “Happiness isn’t just about enjoying our day-to-day lives,” she adds. “It helps you land jobs and live longer, contributing to your success when you’re not really chasing it.”
1. Why did Laurie Santos start a free class?| A．To assist college students in finding good jobs. |
| B．To encourage young children to get perfect grades. |
| C．To attract more students to apply to Yale University. |
| D．To help teenagers deal with mental health problems. |
| A．People today know well how to be happier. | B．Today’s people don’t pursue happiness properly. |
| C．Adults do better in pursuing happiness than teens. | D．Rich people know how to accept negative emotions. |
| A．Teenagers were happier before mid-2021. | B．Few teenagers know their health problems. |
| C．Teenagers’ mental health issues are serious. | D．The teen-specific course has gained popularity. |
| A．To explore the factors for teenagers’ unhappiness. |
| B．To introduce an effective way to live a successful life. |
| C．To recommend a free course about happiness for teens. |
| D．To warn teenagers to pay more attention to their health. |
8 . In 2011, some students at the University of Maryland saw a large amount of food going to waste on their campus. They were so
Up to now, FRN has
The chapter of FRN at the University of Maryland works to
“Our
| A．relaxed | B．delighted | C．concerned | D．confused |
| A．label | B．replace | C．waste | D．redistribute |
| A．need | B．love | C．decline | D．check |
| A．came back | B．came down | C．came into being | D．came to an end |
| A．promising | B．challenging | C．limited | D．outdated |
| A．agreed | B．prepared | C．regretted | D．grown |
| A．donations | B．meals | C．chapters | D．teachers |
| A．supply | B．insecurity | C．recognition | D．disappearance |
| A．doubted | B．rejected | C．postponed | D．submitted |
| A．medicine | B．shelter | C．food | D．trip |
| A．aid | B．assess | C．identify | D．investigate |
| A．temporarily | B．smoothly | C．randomly | D．toughly |
| A．collect | B．eat | C．order | D．sell |
| A．priced | B．sorted | C．tasted | D．cast |
| A．bank | B．home | C．company | D．school |
| A．living | B．difference | C．fortune | D．profit |
| A．extra | B．dirty | C．purchased | D．expensive |
| A．blind | B．harmful | C．adaptable | D．friendly |
| A．allowed | B．promoted | C．decreased | D．received |
| A．side | B．double | C．opposite | D．individual |
9 . It’s perhaps the world’s most famous underwater attraction that remained in film and in legend: the Titanic. But now experts say the ocean liner, once a wonder of the high seas, is falling to pieces.
Capt. Alfred McLaren, the scientist who in July led the most recent expedition to the ship’s underwater grave, said his team saw clear signs of the accelerating damage of the wreck (残骸). There was damage likely caused by rust and sea life, and the captain’s cabin had collapsed.
“I was absolutely astonished,” McLaren said.
Worse still, the fallen mast (桅杆) that crushed the ship’s deck is believed by many to be the result of an unapproved salvage (打捞) operation. “It was almost depressing to see how quickly she was getting worse,” McLaren says. “I would be really surprised if there’s very much standing up from the bottom, two decades from now.”
Ed Kamuda, who runs the Titanic Historical Society in Springfield, Mass., says adventure tourists — who pay $36,000 each to visit the wreck — are also contributing to the destruction of it.
“This is something I expected. I just didn’t expect it to happen so quickly,” Kamuda said. “People are going down just as an ego trip to say ‘I was there.’ All this takes a fare on the ship.”
The Titanic has sat at the bottom of the Atlantic since it sank after hitting an iceberg on its maiden voyage on April 14, 1912. More than 1,500 people died that night. The ship came to rest at the bottom of the freezing North Atlantic, more than 2 miles beneath the waves. The wreck was discovered in 1985, and since then it has been repeatedly visited by treasure hunters.
But still some scientists say those divers, and other thrill seekers are not necessarily to blame for the Titanic’s current problems.
Capt. Craig McLean of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration went on an expedition to the Titanic in June as part of a government study that is monitoring the condition of the ship. He says it’s unclear what part of the damage is from Mother Nature and which is from human nature.
“It’s too early and there isn’t enough evidence to put our fingers on anything,” McLean said.
Regardless, most agree there’s little that can be done for this most famous of wrecks. And soon, the mighty Titanic could well be lost again.
1. McLaren expected that in twenty years _______.| A．Only a minor part of the wreck would remain as it is |
| B．The wreck would be getting worse at a faster speed |
| C．Only salvage operation with the purpose of research would be approved |
| D．The wreck would be completely destroyed by unapproved treasure hunters |
| A．To contribute to the breaking down of the Titanic. | B．To help finance the preservation of the Titanic. |
| C．To satisfy their curiosity and adventurousness. | D．To better understand the history of the Titanic. |
| A．Visitors should not be prohibited from the Titanic and other famous wrecks |
| B．The influence of the thrill seekers on the wreck will finally be determined |
| C．The government should contribute more to the monitoring of the Titanic |
| D．The damage of the Titanic is not necessarily attributed to the adventure tourists |
| A．promising | B．discouraging | C．controllable | D．vague |
1. Where does the man come from?
| A．Sweden. | B．Ghana. | C．Britain. |
| A．They are sent to nursing homes. |
| B．They live with their families. |
| C．They live in separate flats. |
| A．They’re mostly terrible. |
| B．They’re good in general. |
| C．They’re not allowed visitors. |
