1 . A new study finds sales of sugary drinks obviously fell across several US cities, after they carried out soda taxes (汽水税) aiming those drinks — and those changes continued over time. Taxes ranged from 1 to 2 cents. For a 2-liter bottle of soda, that comes out to between 67 cents to $1.30 extra in taxes.
“While prior (先前的) studies have looked at the impact of soda taxes, they usually studied one city at a time. This new study looked at the overall effect of the taxes on several cities to get an idea of what might happen if these taxes were more widespread — or enlarged to the state or national level,” says Scott Kaplan, an economics professor and the study’s lead author.
Kaplan and his co-workers found that prices for sugary drinks went up by 33.1% and purchases (购买量) went down by basically the same amount. So when people had to pay more for sugary drinks, they reduced their purchases — the effect was large and continued.
As Kaplan notes, “Sugary drinks make up a quarter of all the added sugar we see in the average adult American diet. And that’s a really big amount.” Jennifer Pomeranz, a professor at the School of Public Health, says, “Taxes that aim sugary drinks are good public health policy because these drinks have no nutritional (营养的) value, but they are linked with diet-related diseases. Too much added sugar is linked to a host of poor health outcomes, including overweight and heart disease.” Last month, WHO called on countries to increase taxes on sugary drinks as a way to promote healthier diets.
Today, the sugary drink industry’s strategy of offering consumers more choices with less sugar is working, and nearly 60% of drinks sold have zero sugar. The calories that people get from drinks have decreased to the lowest level in decades.
1. What’s the difference between the new study and the prior ones?| A．The range. | B．The challenge. | C．The expense. | D．The benefit. |
| A．They bought them in overseas markets. |
| B．They turned to the government for help. |
| C．They cut down the drinks’ consumption. |
| D．They added sugar to drinks by themselves. |
| A．To better protect people’s health. |
| B．To encourage research into drinks. |
| C．To improve the nutrition of drinks. |
| D．To make more money for the government. |
| A．It is a short-sighted decision. |
| B．It is a success story. |
| C．It benefits sugary drinks industry. |
| D．It upsets customers. |
2 . My phone was an extension of myself. I couldn’t go anywhere
When I was watching TV shows or movies and there was a boring part, I
I have welcomed silence into my life with open arms and am enjoying the increased
As much as having a smartphone was
| A．through | B．without | C．despite | D．upon |
| A．updates | B．instructions | C．assessments | D．decisions |
| A．symbol | B．responsibility | C．reality | D．addiction |
| A．conscious | B．shameful | C．foolish | D．random |
| A．sell | B．pull | C．throw | D．mind |
| A．avoided | B．denied | C．missed | D．allowed |
| A．assist | B．improve | C．associate | D．occupy |
| A．requests | B．thoughts | C．directions | D．comments |
| A．instead of | B．regardless of | C．but for | D．apart from |
| A．creativity | B．productivity | C．knowledge | D．independence |
| A．routine | B．necessity | C．loneliness | D．temptation |
| A．genuine | B．grateful | C．direct | D．desperate |
| A．naturally | B．certainly | C．seemingly | D．gradually |
| A．wonder | B．imagination | C．interest | D．authenticity |
| A．depressive | B．comfortable | C．stressful | D．boring |
3 . Recently, a new kind of tourism has sprung up in China. Called “special forces style tourism”, this new kind of tourism features visiting as many scenic interests as possible in a short time and most of these visitors are college students.
A common student from Shanghai, Yu Yinghua, is one of them. The 22-year-old started the “special forces style tourism” in March after she was attracted by such experiences of Xiaohongshu travel bloggers. “Stuck in the school for almost three years due to the COVID-19, I’m hungry to take trips in my spare time,” said Yu.
“Making a plan carefully before hand is important,” Yu said. She added that as she selected every destination in the city, she was able to find a lot of information and learn more about these sites. That would help her save time when traveling on-site and enjoy the sites better. Her most recent trip was to Shanghai. Starting at 7 am, the 22-year-old visited nine local attractions. “That day, I walked almost 30,000 steps,” Yu said, “Though tired, I enjoyed the trip as much as days-long trips. It still lets me have a better understanding of the cities I go to.”
Unlike Yu who traveled in nearby cities, Chen Junjun, a doctoral student at Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, CAS, likes to travel far to free herself of academic stress. In April, the 24-year-old took a two-day trip to Xi’an, Shaanxi. During her trip, she visited all the scenic sites in the city. “With many academic responsibilities, such a trip can bring a splash of color to my stressful life!” said Chen.
Even so, the 24-year-old added that such tourism is not suitable for everyone. Chen said that it’s labor-consuming as visitors have to see so many sites in a short period. Such trips are not flexible as days-long trips in which you can change your plan as you like. “Thus, abundant energy and a calm mind are necessary for ‘special forces style tourism’,” said Chen.
1. Which statement about Yu’s trips is TRUE?| A．She likes to travel to faraway cities. |
| B．Her trips were limited due to the pandemic. |
| C．Having a careful plan in advance is not necessary. |
| D．Walking 30,000 steps a day is too much for her to finish. |
| A．It is more flexible than days-long trip. |
| B．It needs better physical and mental conditions. |
| C．It allows people to be under pressure of academy. |
| D．She encourages everyone to follow “special forces style tourism”. |
| A．Inspiring | B．Creative. | C．Pleasant | D．Tiring. |
| A．Sports. | B．Food. | C．Society. | D．Science. |
4 . In the days before the Internet, critical thinking was the most important skill of informed citizens. But in the digital age, according to Anastasia Kozyreva, a psychologist at the Max Planck Institute of Human Development, and her colleagues, an even more important skill is critical ignoring.
As the researchers point out, we live in an attention economy where content producers on the Internet compete for our attention. They attract us with a lot of emotional and eye-catching stories while providing little useful information, so they can expose us to profit-generating advertisements. Therefore,we are no longer customers but products, and each link we click is a sale of our time and attention. Toprotect ourselves from this, Kozyreva advocates for learning the skill of critical ignoring, in which readers intentionally control their information environment to reduce exposure to false and low-quality information.
According to Kozyreva, critical ignoring comprises three strategies. The first is to design ourenvironments, which involves the removal of low-quality yet hard-to-resist information from around. Successful dieters need to keep unhealthy food out of their homes. Likewise, we need to set up a digital environment where attention-grabbing items are kept out of sight. As with dieting, if one tries to bank onwillpower not to click eye-catching “news”, he’ll surely fail. So, it’s better to just keep them out of sightto begin with.
The next is to evaluate the reliability of information, whose purpose is to protect you from false and misleading information. It can be realized by checking the source in the mainstream news agencies which have their reputations for being trustworthy.
The last goes by the phrase “do not feed the trolls.” Trolls are actors who internationally spread false and hurtful information online to cause harm. It may be appealing to respond to them to set the facts straight, but trolls just care about annoying others rather than facts. So, it’s best not to reward their bad behaviour with our attention.
By sharpening our critical ignoring skills in these ways, we can make the most of the Internet while avoiding falling victim to those who try to control our attention, time, and minds.
1. What can we learn about the attention economy from paragraph 2?| A．It offers little information. | B．It features depressing stories. |
| C．It saves time for Internet users. | D．It seeks profits from each click. |
| A．To discuss the quality of information |
| B．To prove the benefits of healthy food. |
| C．To show the importance of environments. |
| D．To explain the effectiveness of willpower. |
| A．Reveal their intention. | B．Turn a deaf ear to them. |
| C．Correct their behaviour. | D．Send hard facts to them. |
| A．Reasons for critical thinking in the attention economy. |
| B．Practising the skill of critical ignoring in the digital age. |
| C．Maximizing the benefits of critical ignoring on the Internet. |
| D．Strategies of abandoning critical thinking for Internet users |
5 . The first cellphone was invented fifty years ago. The man who
In the early 1970s, Cooper worked for an American technology company. At the time the company and other manufacturers were
Cooper made the first public call from a handheld portable telephone on April 3, 1973. The device, called Dyna TAC,
Today while Cooper is pleased that his
The modern progress of cellphones is sure to continue long into the future. Cooper
Cooper also expressed
| A．operated | B．applied | C．built | D．showed |
| A．attempting | B．refusing | C．fearing | D．choosing |
| A．discussion | B．waste | C．competition | D．trade |
| A．available | B．suitable | C．changeable | D．portable |
| A．added | B．weighed | C．lost | D．remained |
| A．dream | B．advice | C．fame | D．invention |
| A．obsessed | B．satisfied | C．impressed | D．careful |
| A．thankful | B．excited | C．sad | D．lucky |
| A．turning off | B．aiming at | C．cleaning up | D．focusing on |
| A．predicts | B．disagrees | C．warns | D．doubts |
| A．consumption | B．behavior | C．experience | D．energy |
| A．plans | B．worries | C．surprises | D．decisions |
| A．users | B．students | C．designers | D．colleagues |
| A．show | B．progress | C．fight | D．decrease |
| A．individually | B．differently | C．effectively | D．constantly |
6 . The most obvious dog fetish (迷恋) today is the longing for cuteness. Almost every day you can see adorable pictures of dogs and other animals that will make you smile and say, “How cute!”
It is a cultural phenomenon that the media scholar James Meese calls the “cute economy” which exists primarily on social media, is user-generated, and is heavily dominated by pictures of animals, especially pets. The goal is to generate a positive response, probably followed by a tap on the screen to “like” and “share”. We can click through image after image of cute animals doing cute things, feeling a little boost of good cheer.
The marketing researchers have identified some of the most common categories of cuteness in online pet content: animals doing silly things; animals of extreme size; animals with unusual looks; and animals behaving in ways that seem human-like. Dogs and other animals in the “cute economy” are often further humanized by being dressed in clothing and accessorized (装饰) with hats, jewellery, nail polish and fur dyed a rainbow of colors. Users who post successfully and with some strategies can make money by doing so. Thus, certain dogs have become cuteness celebrities, with millions of devoted followers and paid content from advertisers.
Unfortunately, the price of the “cute economy” comes at a serious cost. The cutest and most popular breeds tend to be those with the most significant risk of health and behavioral problems. Cuteness is often coupled with their discomfort. People are drawn to the cuteness of dogs with extremely foreshortened skulls and extremely short legs and awkwardly long bodies, such as the French bulldog and the corgi.
Actually, there are well-established health issues. We should treat the “cute economy” with caution, like resisting the commodification (商品化) of appearance by opting out of social media channels promoting the “cute economy”. We can also choose not to “like” or “share” images of dogs whose cuteness is linked with discomfort. Although we are biologically attracted to dogs that are super cute, we should be mindful in our “impulses”.
1. What is the key to the “cute economy” according to the text?| A．Taking photos of different animals. |
| B．Cute animals’ attractive appearance. |
| C．Pets’ owners’ liking adorable pictures. |
| D．Posting cute animals’ pictures on social media. |
| A．A normal-sized dog is eating bones. |
| B．A white cat is quietly lying next to its owner. |
| C．A monkey is attentively taking care of its baby. |
| D．A parrot dressed in a suit is singing and dancing. |
| A．It will change the animals’ nature. |
| B．It may make the animals not so cute. |
| C．It may cause health problems to the animals. |
| D．It will result in a decline in animal population. |
| A．The Cute Economy and Its Price | B．Share Pictures or Not |
| C．Happiness from Pets | D．Marketing Strategy — Cuteness |
7 . Josie, who is 17 years old, said, “Why do my parents do the same things they tell me not to do? For example, my mum stops me from shouting through the walls and asks me to go and speak to her face-to-face, but she always shouts through the walls to me. What can I do?”
That is a very good point. Parents can be completely inconsistent (不一致), and usually they don’t realize it. You see this a lot in many things like smartphones. Parents always say to their kids, “Oh, you can’t use that. That device (设备) is bad for you, so stop using it at the table. It’s harmful.” But then they are on theirs continually. So what do you expect teenagers to do?
The whole “Do as I say, not as I do” thing is an annoyance, especially for a teenager who is dying for independence and respect but isn’t getting them.
What can teenagers do with it? I would say you should point it out by calmly saying something like “You tell me not to scream through the walls, but you do it to me, so you can understand where I’m coming from. That’s not ideal.” They might object to it, but I think most parents who care about being parents would logically say, “That’s a reasonable point.”
There are a lot of conflicts (矛盾) going on between teenagers and their parents, but a lot of studies show that the conflicts are resolved a lot more when they turn into a dialogue.
If you can talk at a time when you’re both feeling a bit calmer, like just in the kitchen or doing something unimportant, then go in and say, “Can I just mention it? You tell me not to do this, but you do it too.” If you can approach it in a more calm and stress-free manner, most parents will respond positively.
1. How did Josie feel according to her words in paragraph 1?| A．Hopeful. | B．Bored. | C．Proud. | D．Confused. |
| A．The parents’ smartphones. | B．The tables in the house. |
| C．The devices in the house. | D．The teenagers’ points. |
| A．Object to it personally. | B．Complain of it continually. |
| C．Talk with their parents calmly. | D．Do some studies differently. |
| A．To list a fact. | B．To offer a suggestion. |
| C．To show a result. | D．To ask a new question. |
8 . I’ll always remember a lesson that I learned as a boy growing up in New York City. One day, when I was perhaps six years old, I was walking with my father on a
Yet many years later I had a very different experience while visiting a market in Rangoon. I had spent the previous 12 months traveling in
I couldn’t help wondering, why people act differently at the similar
| A．silent | B．crowded | C．new | D．remote |
| A．backed up | B．looked up | C．put up | D．turn up |
| A．fright | B．sorrow | C．astonishment | D．delight |
| A．strong | B．caring | C．honest | D．indifferent |
| A．forced | B．persuaded | C．warned | D．allowed |
| A．poor | B．wealthy | C．fashionable | D．destroyed |
| A．Instead of | B．In addition to | C．Depending on | D．In spite of |
| A．everywhere | B．nowhere | C．somewhere | D．anywhere |
| A．Gradually | B．Absolutely | C．Immediately | D．Suddenly |
| A．jumped | B．fell | C．rolled | D．marched |
| A．beggars | B．judges | C．sellers | D．customers |
| A．doubted | B．named | C．explained | D．questioned |
| A．fetched | B．saved | C．removed | D．drank |
| A．brought in | B．settle in | C．joined in | D．put in |
| A．government | B．situation | C．appearance | D．performance |
9 . Many of us have a secret, internal timeline we’re always measuring ourselves against: the ideal age we’d like to get that degree, get married, reach a certain title at work. Our fantasy timetable hasn’t evolved much over the years. A 2018 Stanford University study found that all generations agreed around 26 is the right age to get married, 27 the time to buy a house and 28 the moment to start a family.
What if it’s not? Struggling to competing with the Boomers (生育高峰出生的人) in the job market and overwhelmed by rising social pressure, many millennials (千禧一代) just can’t reach the milestones as planned.
Younger generations are increasingly pushing back everything from the age they start a full-time job to when they begin saving for retirement, says Laura Carstensen, director of the Stanford Center on Longevity. There are some downsides to the delay. Give up buying a home and you could miss out on a massive house. Put off saving for retirement and you may face financial insecurity down the line. You body might not be suitable to have babies forever, and it will age.
However, we’re also living longer: 30 extra years, on average, over the last century. So, instead of rushing through all the big stuff, only to face a long period of stagnation at the end of our lives, why not spread out the milestones?
Working as a lawyer in Rochester, N.Y., Danielle Ponder would frequently Google, “Did anyone make it after the age of 35?” A gifted singer, she chose a career in law because she wanted the stability of steady work. She tried to make out some time for shows between court dates instead of committing to music full time.
Five days before her 40th birthday, she quit her job, which led to a bestselling solo album, television appearances and sold-out shows. “I don’t know if I could make this happen to me at 19,” she says.
1. Why does the author mention the study of Stanford University?| A．To illustrate a popular belief. | B．To recommend a study. |
| C．To support his argument. | D．To give a scientific theory. |
| A．A state without life goals. | B．A state without balance. |
| C．A state without leisure. | D．A state without limitation. |
| A．She became a lawyer at 35. | B．She misses her youthhood. |
| C．She regrets about her past life. | D．She is a successful singer now. |
| A．One should set life goals when young. | B．One should succeed the earlier the better. |
| C．One should not set time limits to life goals. | D．One should pursue a changeless life. |
10 . There are always unforeseen consequences when new technology is introduced. The truth is that the humans’ depending on machines is even increasing. I’ve spent much of my life analyzing through written and spoken words. Now I’m a technologist making use of natural language processing for human good. Given that I work in Artificial Intelligence, I’m realizing something dangerous happening. Machines are destroying the way we communicate.
AI voices allow you to communicate verbally with your phone, they are normalized and yet cold, no matter which accent you tune your Siri or Amazon Alexa into. It’s difficult to normalize language to be harmless and neutral because we all interpret meaning differently based on living experiences. Yet this is exactly what we’re asking artificial intelligence to do for us on a billion-person scale. Once these rules are regulated by machine, they’re inevitably create much bigger problems.
We noticed that there is an active desire to only neutral language in AI-powered tool. AI-powered recommendations let us autocomplete our thoughts in real-time. These functions are now key features in our emails, word processors and browsers. The machines are pushing us into a common tongue, and we accept it as a matter of convenience. You can press and hold the Power button for a second to wake up AI voice. But what’s the cost? We are trading uniqueness and precision for convenience. We’re also handing the power of acceptable speech to machine-controlled tools, not individuals.
In the physical world, we use words, phrases, tone, rhythm, humor and facial expressions to make us close and affective. We can tell where people were born based on their accents and phrasing. Humans are truly unique, and our communication is dynamic. So we should demand AI systems that promote individuality and uniqueness. The impact of AI voice will depend not just on what they can do, but also on how they make people feel.
1. What is the major problem of AI voice?| A．AI voice is not precise enough. | B．AI voice is unique and dynamic. |
| C．AI voice is not accepted by the public. | D．AI voice is normalized but not flexible. |
| A．Incomparably. | B．Impossibly. | C．Unavoidably. | D．Dishonestly. |
| A．Humorous. | B．Concerned. | C．Supportive. | D．Indifferent. |
| A．AI: Destroy Our Communication | B．AI: Applied to Communication |
| C．AI: Modern Communication Tools | D．AI: Deep Combination with Language |
