1 . How to deal with decision paralysis (瘫痪)

If you’ve ever gone online to order something during a work break-let’s say a new electric toothbrush-expecting it to be fairly easy, but instead you found yourself overwhelmed by the huge number of choices available, you’ve experienced decision paralysis.

You’re shocked that there are so many factors to consider; not only the basics, such as price and delivery time, but there are many other factors like battery duration, warning lights for too much pressure and even fancy apps.     1    

This is just one example of decision paralysis-when the huge number of choices and the difficulty of weighing the supermarket up-leads you to freeze. It used to be thought that increased choice could only be a good thing for consumers and they would welcome it, but actually it can bring the opposite effect and cause people to walk away.     2     Perhaps you only have two or three choices, but the risk of making the wrong decision can be paralysing, such as choosing between university places and job offers.

    3     One is to recognise that there is rarely any such thing as the perfect decision. Another is to acknowledge that not making a decision is actually a decision-so don’t kid yourself that endlessly procrastinating(拖延)is the easy solution.

If you’re willing to put in the effort, a practical approach is to reduce the mental complexity involved in a decision by doing a little research.     4     In the case of the toothbrush, this might be price first and then battery duration; in the case of choosing a university it might be fame first, then friends who are also planning to study there, and lastly the distance to home. Score the available choices against those factors, giving greater weight to those that are higher priority.     5    

A．You could always make a random choice.

B．Make some brief notes about the prior factors to you.

C．There are various ways to overcome decision paralysis.

D．You’ll end up with a score showing you the most favourable decision.

E．The clock is ticking on your break and it’s impossible to make a decision.

F．This is all that you’ll miss out on once you choose to go down a particular path.

G．In other life situations, it might be the weight of the decision that bears down on you.

3 . 阅读下面短文,在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

This year’s winter has proven an important season for Harbin, the capital city of Heilongjiang province, as interest     1     the icy destination greatly increased after social media posts showed many citizens from the     2     (warm) south flooding into the snowy city. It     3     (welcome) nearly 3.05 million visitors, taking in $832.39 million of tourism revenue (收入), during the three-day New Year holiday.

To facilitate the consumption of Harbin’s popular frozen pears, the city has even introduced frozen pear plates, making     4     easier for tourists to enjoy the delicacy. Moreover,     5     (attract) more tourists and improve overall services, Harbin has rolled out a     6     (vary) of activities, including live performances on New Year’s Eve, firework displays, theme parks, intangible heritage culture shows and concerts. A series of     7     (measure) have also been introduced to enhance the visitor experience in Harbin, covering areas such as dining, accommodation, travel, shopping and entertainment.

It is these careful and considerate details     8     make sure that tourists feel warmly embraced, cared for and respected. Consequently, their positive experiences are     9     (wide) shared on the internet,     10     (contribute) to Harbin’s “internet celebrity” city status.

4 . China’s generation-Z is not “lying flat”, a phrase for giving up on hard work, as is often claimed, and making constant efforts to do everything is still the mainstream of a group who believes success should be achieved by constant efforts, Chinese officials said at a press briefing on Thursday, in response to a question on how younger generations should achieve balance between a lifestyle of “lying flat” in face of high pressure and involution.

“Most Chinese youth hold an optimistic view on the future, and the saying ‘lying flat’ is more of a joke to release pressure and express their feelings,” He Junke, the First Secretary of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of Communist Youth League of China (CYLC), said at a press briefing of the State Council Information Office on Thursday.

At the press briefing, China released the first nationwide white paper on youth development titled “Youth of China in the New Era,” which showed achievements linked to the country’s youth development in the new era and reflected the spirit of younger generation. The white paper was also released ahead of the 100th anniversary of the founding of CYLC.

He said China has attached great importance to deeper issues reflected in the talk of “lying flat” among young generation, a result of increasing pressure from work, study and life caused by China’s unique demographic structure and highly competitive labor market.

“Some in the younger generation feel confused or lost. In response, authorities have scaled up (扩大) the amount of support available to help solve their issues in education, employment, marriage and child raising,” He noted, while urging the whole society to support the mental development and psychology of generation-Z.

He Junke pointed out that it is also important for certain young people to realize that it is unrealistic to build a career without taking responsibility and making efforts. “All happiness is achieved through devoted efforts, and making constant efforts is also a kind of happiness,” He stressed.

1. What does the underlined word “involution” in paragraph 1 mean?

A．The cruel external competition.

B．The healthy external competition.

C．A great change in conditions.

D．A complete circular movement.

2. What can we infer from He Junke’s words in paragraph 2?

A．He thinks that “lying flat” is useful to release pressure.

B．He laughs at most Chinese youth who give up hard work.

C．He thinks that “lying flat” is fun to express their feelings.

D．He disagrees that most Chinese youth is giving up working hard.

3. Why does the Chinese government attach great importance to the problem of “lying flat”?

A．Problem of “lying flat” reflected deeper issues.

B．More and more young people choose to lie flat in China.

C．Young people face great pressure in their study and work.

D．China’s population structure affects the supply of labor market.

4. Why has China increased support for the younger generation?

A．To encourage them to “lie flat” and avoid hard work.

B．To create a highly competitive labor market for the younger generation.

C．To push them to take on more responsibility and make concrete efforts.

D．To help them solve their issues in education, employment, marriage, and child raising.

6 . Greece has criticized the United Kingdom for canceling (取消) a planned meeting between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, apparently so that Sunak could avoid talking about ancient artefacts (历史文物) that Greece says were taken illegally. Mitsotakis and Sunak were set to meet on Tuesday, but Sunak canceled it on Monday, reportedly after learning that Mitsotakis planned to talk about the Parthenon sculptures.

The UK government initially believed Mitsotakis would not talk about the sculptures, which are now in the British Museum. The sculptures were once part of the Parthenon in the Greek capital Athens. The row (纠纷) became more serious after Mitsotakis told the BBC on Sunday the UK’s offer to store some of the sculptures in London and some in Athens was akin to cutting the Mona Lisa in two. He also said the sculptures had been essentially stolen.

Mitsotakis said he was deeply disappointed by the abrupt cancellation of the meeting. “Those who firmly believe in the correctness and justice of their positions are never hesitant to engage in constructive argument and debate,” he was quoted by The Associated Press as saying. The BBC reported that sources in the Greek government were puzzled and annoyed by the meeting cancellation.

Greece has long criticized the way in which the Parthenon sculptures ended up in London, after they were bought by British diplomat Lord Elgin and shipped to the UK between 1801 and 1804. Because the two nations disagree on the legality of the deal and have firm positions, they have tended to avoid talking about the issue during high-level diplomatic meetings.

The UK’s Transport Secretary Mark Harper said on the BBC’s Breakfast program on Tuesday that it was regretful that the prime ministers would not meet during Mitsotakis’UK visit. He said Mitsotakis had been offered the chance to meet instead the UK’s deputy prime minister, Oliver Dowden, but he had refused the meeting. “The views of Greece on the Parthenon sculptures are well known,” Mitsotakis was quoted by The Guardian as saying. “I had hoped to have the opportunity to discuss them with UK Prime Minister along with other international challenges. ” The UK’s opposition Labour Party criticized Sunak for canceling the meeting and said his behavior appeared disrespectful.

1. Which can replace the underlined phrase “akin to” in paragraph 2?

A．Contrary to.

B．Similar to.

C．Relevant to.

D．Adapted to

2. How did the Parthenon sculptures end up being in Great Britain?

A．An Englishman purchased them and sent them there.

B．Some stole them and sold them to a British diplomat.

C．The then Greek government presented them to the UK as a gift.

D．The then British army took them by force and transported them there.

3. Why did Mitsotakis refuse to meet the UK’s deputy prime minister, Oliver Dowden?

A．He was too occupied with other affairs.

B．He was supposed to meet UK Prime Minister.

C．He didn’t approve of his words and behaviors.

D．He had arranged for another official to meet him.

4. What is the best title for the news report?

A．Sunak and Mitsotakis set to meet on Tuesday

B．Mitsotakis thinks highly of Greece artefacts stored in UK

C．Mitsotakis plans to take back Parthenon sculptures from UK

D．Greece’s arguing with UK about artefacts sparks diplomatic row

8 . The World Health Organisation has produced a report predicting that 9.8 billion of us will be living on this planet by 2050. Of that number,72 percent will be living in urban areas. Presented with this information, governments have a duty to consider how best to meet the needs of city residents.

Take New York City, a place where I frequently meet up with other researchers in my field. Luckily for me, I do not need to navigate the crowded streets. Admittedly my experience of the urban lifestyle here is limited to the hotels I stay in, and the blocks within a three-kilometre walk. But whenever I leave my room in search of a store providing fruit or anything with nutritional value, none can be found. New York has made great advances in redeveloping its museums and arts centres, but authorities must recognise that people’s basic needs must be met first.

Sometimes these basic needs are misunderstood. In some urban areas, new residential developments are provided with security features such as massive metal fences in the belief that these will make residents safer. There is little evidence that such steps make a difference, but we do know they make residents feel unwilling to go outside and walk around their neighbourhood. This adds up to a feeling of being cut off from others.

So where are planners and developers going wrong? Inviting a group of locals to attend a consultation event is the conventional method for discovering what a community might want. The issue here is that it often attracts the same few voices with the same few wishes. Successful development is taking place in many urban areas around the world. There is no better way for city planners to do this than to visit these places in person.

1. What are governments expected to do in the near future?

A．Plan cities well to benefit their citizens.

B．Lower the population in urban areas.

C．Provide their citizens with more information.

D．Predict the population on earth.

2. What does the writer complain about New York?

A．Certain venues cannot be reached on foot.

B．Museums and arts centres are pretty old.

C．There are a limited number of hotels.

D．Healthy food is not easy to obtain.

3. What is the writer’s attitude towards the use of security features?

A．Doubtful.

B．Tolerant.

C．Unconcerned.

D．Appreciative.

4. Which can be a suitable title for the text?

A．The Process of Urbanization	B．The Increasing Population on Earth
C．The Management of Cities	D．The Work of Developers

9 . “Few articles change owners more frequently than clothes. They travel downwards from grade to grade in the social scale with remarkable regularity,” wrote the journalist Adolphe Smith in 1877 as he traced a coat’s journey in the last century: cleaned, repaired and resold repeatedly; cut down into a smaller item; eventually recycled into new fabric. But with the improvement in people’s living standards, that model is mind-boggling in the era of fast fashion. The average British customer buys four items a month. And it is reported that 350,000 tonnes of used but still wearable clothes go to landfills in the UK each year.

Yet the gradual revival of the second-hand trade has gathered pace in the past few years. At fashion website Asos, sales of vintage clothes (古董衫) have risen by 92%. Clothing was once worn out of necessity, and now it is simply a way of life. Busy families sell used items on eBay, teenagers trade on Depop and some fashion people offer designer labels on Vestiaire Collective. Strikingly, it has become big enough business that mainstream retailers (零售商) want a slice of the action.

For some buyers and sellers, the switch to the second-hand is born of financial difficulties. Only a few have become worried about the impact of their shopping habit on the planet. But the shift is only a partial solution. Some people worry that some mainstream brands may “greenwash” — using second-hand goods to improve their image, rather than engaging more seriously with sustainability.

However, the biggest concern may be that people keep buying because they know they can resell goods, still chasing the pleasure of the next purchase but with an eased conscience (愧疚). Boohoo, a powerful fast fashion company, has seen sales and profits rise, despite concerns about environmental problems in its supply chain that led to an investigation last year.

A new Netflix series, Worn Stories, documents the emotional meanings that clothes can have: Each old item is full of memories. Actually, a handbag from a grandmother and a scarf passed on by a father are both valuable for us. A love of style is not a bad or an unimportant thing. But a committed relationship is better than a quick flash. Can we learn to appreciate our own old clothes as well as others’?

1. What does the word “mind-boggling” underlined in paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．Unbelievable.

B．Popular.

C．Reasonable.

D．Influential.

2. With the business mentioned in paragraph 2, the author wants to show _______.

A．old clothes are more popular than new pieces

B．the online second-hand markets are booming

C．the fashion world begins to favor vintage clothes

D．many clothing brands are innovative in their new products

3. How does the second-hand trade impact people according to paragraph 4?

A．It makes people feel free to pursue fast fashion.

B．It makes people more cautious about their budgets.

C．It encourages people to choose eco-friendly clothes.

D．It pushes people to be more engaged with sustainability.

4. Which of the following views does Worn Stories advocate?

A．Old items have lost favor with the public.

B．Old items are worthy of being long cherished.

C．Older generations attach great importance to old items.

D．Older generations care about the quality of their clothes.

10 . There’s a part of your brain that processes faces. It’s located, according to scientist Nancy Austen, in the area “just behind and underneath, and a bit from your right ear.” It’s called the fusiform gyrus (梭状回).     1    . You’ll tell yourself, “That’s Bob.” It also sends out messages to other parts of the body that add emotions to the information, such as “I like him. He’s my friend.”     2     when an accident, illness, or hereditary gene (遗传基因) breaks the connections between the fusiform gyrus and other parts of the brain?

There are people who may see a particular person’s face every day of their lives and still not recognize it. They see a nose, teeth, and cheeks, but when these are put together, they cannot keep a memory of it.     3    . Researchers say that as many as 1 in 50 people suffer from some form of the condition.

    4    . Another best known sufferer of prosopagnosia is the neurologist and psychiatrist Dr Sacks, a famous author of the best-selling books, one of which was made into an Oscar-nominated film. As a lifelong sufferer of extreme face blindness, Sacks has said that his condition is so severe that he often doesn’t recognize his own face.

Sufferers of face blindness must develop other ways of recognizing coworkers, friends, and family.     5    . Jane Goodall says, “I usually make up for it by pretending to recognize everybody. And then, if they say, ‘But we haven’t met before,’ I say, ‘Well, you look just like somebody I know.’ ”

A．But what happens

B．So what can people do

C．Whenever you see someone you know, it tells you who he is

D．Jane Goodall has spent all her time in studying chimps in the wild

E．Jane Goodall, the world’s leading expert on chimps (黑猩猩), has it

F．The medical term for this condition is prosopagnosia, more commonly called face blindness

G．They remember single feature s instead, such as a specific style of clothing, or an extra toothy smile