1 . Over the years, April Fools’ Day has become larger than life. While it may be seen as just a bit of fun, there is more to jokes and humour than may be obvious, begging the question: are the jokes on the 1st of April a good or a bad idea?

Every year, individuals and newspapers present jokes on the 1st of April that may be funny, yet sometimes causing an unexpected upheaval. One radio announcement made in 1949, that a mile-wide swarm of wasps (一群黄蜂) was heading for Auckland, was taken a bit too seriously. The news even came with advice on how to prepare for the incoming insects, resulting in all residents walking outdoors tucking (塞) their trousers into their socks, wearing masks (面罩) as well as setting honey traps outside their doors.

What makes things funny? This is a million-dollar question and one that’s not easily answered. First, it’s influenced by the context, the culture, and personal opinions, meaning that it’s not consistent (一致的) across populations. Besides, if a joke is violating (违反) a norm or rule, it’s more likely to be regarded as funny. Such violations need to be harmless, as they can otherwise be considered unpleasant. In terms of personal experience, serious events may be considered funnier over time, while stubbing (踩) a toe, considered a small violation, would lose its comedic effect over time. Interestingly, people, children, in particular, have been found to be more likely to laugh when they are near others compared to when alone.

Jokes may not seem serious but can actually serve social functions like managing emotions and also be used to deal with matters in work. For example, studies have found that there is a meaningful function of humour in healthcare settings, as it strengthens the connection between medical staffs and patients as well as relieves stressful situations linked to end-of-life care among nursing professionals.

However, it’s suggested that jokes be used cautiously. For example, David Letterman gained reputation (名声) for an interview he had done with Lindsay Lohan in 2013, when the audience had laughed loudly at his repeated questions about her going to receive treatment. However, 8 years later, his comments were seen as offensive (冒犯的). So it’s important to ensure that any violations made are not significant enough to damage your future fame.

2 . Are you one of those people who like spending time alone? If so, you probably already know that there are some people who will scold you for it. They think you are alone because you are anxious around other people and just don’t have very positive relationships with humans.     1    

This is a common phenomenon of being alone for too long. Recently, scholars have increasingly recognized the value of spending time alone.     2     They believe that spending time alone is good for creativity, self-insight, self-development, relaxation, and spirituality.

    3     One of the most important facts is whether you choose to be alone. If you are spending time alone because that’s what you want, then that will probably be a psychologically healthy experience. If instead you are home alone feeling despondent because you really want to be with other people, that’s much more problematic.

As important as that distinction is, some scholars believe it is not enough. Even people who choose to be alone, they point out, can do so for different reasons.     4     Others, however, are more likely to be indicative of good psychological health.

For young people, spending time al one for positive reasons is associated with a number of healthy psychological experiences. Those who are alone for negative reasons are worrying. However, wanting to be alone for positive reasons and wanting to be alone for negative reasons are not completely separate.     5     Some people want to be alone for two reasons.

5 . The Ministry of Public Security has exposed a video that sparked a nationwide search after it was universally viewed on social media.

The video, describing homework booklets supposedly lost by a Chinese first grader in Paris, was revealed to be a carefully crafted play for online attention. The local ministry also presented details of 10 relevant highly-concerned cases, highlighting the Paris homework incident as a typical example.

The video was uploaded in February by a blogger surnamed Xu, from Zhejiang province. It showed a Parisian restaurant worker supposedly returning homework found in a restroom. The video said the homework belonged to Qin Lang from Class Eight, without specifying the school. That sparked a social media craze, with many netizens attempting to locate the child.

However, the narrative quickly unfolded. A user claiming to be Qin Lang’s uncle appeared in the comments section. Following investigations revealed the person making the comment, a person surnamed Yang from Jiangsu province, was another participant in the play to gain online attention and was not related to Xu.

Further investigation by authorities exposed the entire act. Police discovered that Xu, along with her company director scripted the video, purchased a homework booklet online and staged the entire scene.

Facing administrative punishments and demands for public apologies, Xu admitted her initial lack of “legal awareness” but expressed regret for the widespread attention and disturbance caused by the video. Her social media accounts, with millions of followers across many platforms, have been canceled.

In December, the ministry launched a nationwide campaign against online rumors, targeting individuals who spread rumors, fake news or utilize trending topics for personal gain. Law enforcement authorities will increasingly monitor major social media, live-streaming and short video platforms to identify and address malicious(恶意的) online activity.

7 . Stacy Dean, an official at the US Department of Agriculture, was inspired by a visit to Watkins Elementary, in Washington, D. C. Students grow vegetables in their school garden. They also roll up their sleeves in the school’s kitchen to participate in a FRESHFARM FoodPrints class, which integrates cooking and nutrition education.

“Who’s next?” asks instructional coach Regina Green, as kids throw vegetables into the pan and the smell of fresh ginger and onions fills the air. “We grew these in our garden,” Jessie Gibson, one of the students, says proudly. Then he measures and pours dry ingredients into a bowl.

“Our family has tried new things because of the program,” says Catie Kelley, whose two children have participated in the FRESHFARM program. “They come home with the recipes,” Kelley says. “It’s fun because it’s things that we don’t usually make at home,” so it has encouraged them to try novel combinations. She says the kids take more of an interest at the grocery store to identify foods they’ve tried in the program.

Dean wants to have the science around healthy eating integrated. A block to scaling up these types of programs is money. The program relies on grants and receives some federal funding, but it’s not enough to expand the program to all the schools that could benefit.

In fact, there are other problems. At a time when diet-related disease is a leading cause of death, and unhealthy eating habits are rooted in US culture, it’s unrealistic to think that a cooking curriculum could overcome such a sweeping, societal problem. “We know from years of evidence that we need multiple things to come together to support healthy eating,” says Angela Odoms-Young, a professor of maternal and child nutrition at Cornell University.

Despite these challenges, programs like FRESHFARM can help kids expand their choices by introducing them to new tastes. At first, many kids are turned off by the bitter taste of greens. But through the magic of cooking, processing the onions, and blending in fresh ginger, kids can be inspired.

9 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式.

For thousands of years, Chinese people     1     (value) the large family with three, four, or even five generations living under the same roof. In this way of life, the older generation can enjoy a happy and easy late life with their children, grandchildren or great-grandchildren growing up beside them and keeping them     2     being lonely. However, as society advances and people enjoy a     3     (comfortable) life, the big families begin to break up. Along with the growth of so-called “empty nestles”, which means the young birds have flown away and only     4     old are left alone, young parents are living with their own nuclear families. It goes without saying     5     the collapse of big families and the popularity of smaller ones are the result of our times.

It is a time when people think highly of individual freedom     6     happiness. Young people like to have a space all alone to themselves, which helps avoid conflicts     7     (cause) by different living habits from their parents. It’s also a time when problems of old age and childcare have been socialized gradually. Senior citizens can live together and     8     (take) good care of by specialized nurses.

Therefore, there is every reason to believe that this trend of families in reduced size is     9     (agree) to our times. To create a brighter future, we should do our best to build our society into one in     10     every member lives healthily and harmoniously.

10 . I came across an image recently of a distance runner with a message that told readers to persevere (坚持) at all costs. It reminded me of a conversation I had. My colleague’s teaching assistant was asking for my advice. He wanted to know when to quit something. He described how he’d been playing an online game with people for some time. It hadn’t been very fun lately, but there was always that small chance of a reward (upgraded equipment, etc).

I inquired further about his relationship with the players and his gains from the game. I then discussed the sunk cost dilemma, a concept I studied in advanced school due to its personal impact. In high school, I applied to five universities, planning to choose the cheapest one. SUU offered the best scholarship, and after paying a $100 commitment fee, I heard back from another school with an even better scholarship. Despite the new offer, I stayed committed to SUU, believing that switching schools, even if it meant acknowledging the “wasted” $ 100, would have been the wiser financial choice.

A rational (理性的) decision maker is not ruled by past investments, but weighs future outcomes. I didn’t focus on future outcomes when weighing colleges. I focused on the money I sunk into SUU. Rather than evaluating future career options, I focused on the fact that I’d already taken elementary education courses.

I’m not the only one that’s fallen prey to this. I wear clothes I dislike simply because I spent money on them (and that money won’t come back). Unhealthy relationships last because of the invested time (leading to more unhappy years). However, time, effort, or money that you’ve invested doesn’t mean you should continue. Society often stresses perseverance — never quit, never give up, don’t waste. However, only you know your right path. Walking away can be the toughest choice. You might realize a path you’re on is no longer the right one or never was.