It is no secret that being able to speak more than one language can have a lot of benefits, from career advancement to cognitive development.
First and foremost, proficiency in a second language can be incredibly
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In addition, learning a second language can provide a greater understanding of other cultures and perspectives. It can help to break down language
Overall, learning a second language is a worthwhile endeavor that can lead to many benefits in both the short and long term. So, whether you are interested in career advancement, cognitive (认知的) development,
2 . Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing the world today. The scientific consensus (共识) is clear: the Earth’s climate is changing, and human activities are the primary cause. However, there is still debate among some politicians and members of the public about the reality of global warming and the extent to which humans are responsible.
One major source of controversy is the role of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases in causing global warming. Some skeptics (怀疑者) argue that other factors, such as changes in solar radiation or natural cycles of climate change, could be responsible for the warming trend observed in recent decades. However, the overwhelming majority of scientists agree that the evidence points to human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels, as the main driver of global warming.
Another point of contention is the potential impacts of climate change on the economy and society. While some argue that the costs of transitioning to cleaner energy sources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions would be too high, others point out that the costs of inaction could be even greater. Rising sea levels, more frequent and severe weather events, and damage to ecosystems could have significant economic and social consequences.
Despite the ongoing debate, many countries and international organizations have taken steps to address the threat of climate change. The Paris Agreement, signed by 195 countries in 2015, aims to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, with a goal of limiting the increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius. To achieve this, countries have pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase investments in renewable energy and other low-carbon technologies.
1. What do most scientists agree on about climate change?| A．The Earth’s climate is not changing and global warming is a false alarm. |
| B．The Earth’s climate is changing but humans are not to blame. |
| C．The Earth’s climate is changing and humans are the major reason. |
| D．The Earth’s climate is changing but the cause is unknown. |
| A．Changes in solar radiation. | B．Natural cycles of climate change. |
| C．Burning of fossil fuels. | D．Other greenhouse gases. |
| A．Reduced air pollution. | B．severe weather events. |
| C．Rising sea levels land. | D．damage to ecosystems. |
| A．A treaty to deal with the threat of climate change. |
| B．A global effort to increase greenhouse gas emissions. |
| C．An international plan to limit the use of fossil fuels. |
| D．An agreement to deny the problem of climate change. |
Many young people dream of having both a cat and a dog. However, they often have limited energy and financial resources at the present stage and have no choice
A new report
Liu Yi, the report’s chief editor, said that many city residents have busy lives and relatively smaller accommodations, thus
4 . Nowadays with the development of technology, people have gradually depended on the mobile phones seriously. Many people, especially young adults, like to use social media to connect with others. However, everyone takes no notice of an important point. That’s face-to-face communication between people is missing.
Social media is all about connecting with others. But a new study suggests that too much social media use makes people feel alone and lonely. The study finds that heavy use of platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram leads to isolation among young adults.
In the study Brian Primack and his team interviewed 1,787 U.S. adults aged 19 to 32 about their use of social media platforms. Surprisingly, people that spend more time on social media feel lonelier than others.
Tom Kersting，a psychotherapist(心理治疗师)，said “Although people think being on social media all the time makes them connected to others, they are actually disconnected, because the more time one spends behind a screen, the less time one spends face-to-face.”Kersting continued. “They are spending a lot of time looking at everyone else’s posts, where they are, where they are going and what they are doing. The constant connection to others’ perfect life experiences causes feelings of being left out, and of being lonely.”
So what’s the answer? “It’s simple,” says Kersting, “All you need to do is to have a strong will. The solution to this is to refuse the addiction to looking at everyone else’s life. Just focus on your own life, where you’re going, what you are grateful for, and what you want to achieve in this world. Then go out and do it, and stop wasting so much time comparing.”
1. What can be known about young adults in Paragraph 1?| A．They feel forgotten by their friends. |
| B．They lack face-to-face communication. |
| C．They depend too much on social media for learning. |
| D．They can’t keep up with the development of technology. |
| A．Addiction. | B．Loneliness. | C．Satisfaction. | D．Sadness. |
| A．Learn to improve one’s social ability. |
| B．Share one’s own perfect life with friends. |
| C．Cut down the time spent on social activities. |
| D．Concentrate on one’s own life rather than others’. |
| A．Social Media May Not be so Social |
| B．Others’ Perfect Life May Not be Perfect |
| C．Face-to-Face Communication Comes First |
| D．Our Life Will be Destroyed by Social Media |
1．分析使用电子产品的利与弊；
2．提出使用建议。
注意：
1．词数100字左右；
2．可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
How to use electronic devices wisely
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6 . A survey by the American Psychological Association shows that one in ten adults reads online news at least once an hour. A lot has been written about the mental health influence from news addiction, and in particular from reading negative reports. Just like junk food, “junk” news can be bad for our health.
In recent years, things have been getting increasingly more negative. A study of the content of New Zealand’s largest newspaper showed that while in 1973 the average number of stories about death on the front page was 0.75, by 2013 it was 4.1(and no, there weren’t five times more people dying).
What’s more, online news, and the stories we read on mobile phones in particular, tend to be even more negative than print. A 2019 study of 50 U.S. newspapers showed that mobile versions of newspapers report three times more stories about disasters and accidents than paper ones.
Such negative reports lead people to believe that things are worse than they really are. They can lead to stress, worry and lower spirits.
Experiments also suggest that loneliness and poor relationships have been connected with reading negative reports. After reading negative reports, people are less likely to help others. Even worse, when we check news on smart phones, we may “phub” our loved ones, which leads to lower relationship satisfaction.
Negative reports attract our attention far more than positive ones. That’s a global happening. I hope, however, that if we realize that negative news is spoiling our moods, we might all be more willing to change.
1. Why is “junk food” mentioned in the first paragraph?| A．To entertain readers. | B．To introduce the topic. |
| C．To make an advertisement. | D．To keep readers away from it. |
| A．The death rate in New Zealand is very high. | B．Print newspapers have become less popular. |
| C．Stories about death have become less popular. | D．Negative reporting has been increasing over years. |
| A．Live a hopeful life. | B．Become more careful. |
| C．Become less likely to help others. | D．Pay more attention to their physical health. |
| A．Ignore | B．Hate | C．Laugh at | D．Care about |
| A．A Survey on News Reading Habits | B．Negative Effects of Mobile Phones |
| C．Is Online News Better Than Print? | D．Is Junk News a Danger to Health? |
Liu Shuqi broke up with her boyfriend two months ago and has now found a new companion.
In a digital age
Lin Kaikai and Ye Youyou, two virtual beings,
8 . Faster, cheaper, better--technology is one field many people rely on to expect a brighter future. But as the 2020s dawn, optimism is in short supply. The new technologies seem to be making things worse. Social media were supposed to bring people together, but they are better known for leaking privacy. E-commerce, ride-hailing (网约车) and the gig economy (零工经济) may be convenient, but they are blamed for underpaying workers, worsening inequality and blocking the streets with vehicles.
Today’s pessimistic(悲观的) mood is centered on smart phones and social media, which took off( 兴起) a decade ago. Yet concerns that particular technologies might be doing more harm than good have happened before. The 1920s saw a criticism( 批判) against cars, which had earlier been seen as an answer to the problems caused by horse-drawn vehicles. And industrialization was criticized in the 19th century by Romantics who worried about the replacement of skilled workers, the robbing of the countryside and the suffering of factory hands.
However, that pessimism(悲观) can be overdone(过头). Too often, people focus on the disadvantages of a new technology. A further danger: Luddites (反对技术进步者) try to avoid the short-term costs of a new technology, and thus give up its long-term benefits--something that Carl Benedikt Frey, an Oxford professor, calls a “technology trap”, which will lead to the slowdown or even stop of the development of a new technology. For example, fears that robots will steal people’s jobs may discourage their use. Yet in the long term, nearly all countries will need more robots, not fewer.
Any powerful technology can be used for good or ill. It is people’s choices about it that shape the world. Perhaps the real source of anxiety is not technology itself, but growing doubts about the ability of societies to hold this debate, and come up with good answers. So as the decade turns, put aside the pessimism for a moment. To be alive in the tech-obsessed 2020s is to be among the luckiest people who have ever lived.
1. What phenomenon is described in Paragraph 1?| A．The seriousness of social inequality. |
| B．The rapid development of technology. |
| C．Problems brought by personal privacy leaks. |
| D．Worries about the influence of new technologies. |
| A．Negative. | B．Uncertain. | C．indifferent. | D．optimistic. |
| A．A lack of good jobs in the job market. |
| B．An increase in the number of Luddites. |
| C．A decrease in the number of skilled workers. |
| D．An interruption to the advancement of a new technology. |
| A．2020s: The Age of Technology | B．Technology vs Civilization |
| C．Pessimism vs Progress | D．Robots: Our Future Caretakers |
9 . A British energy supplier has apologized for the “poorly judged and unhelpful” advice sent to customers which suggested they could snuggle(依偎) up to their pets and exercise to cut back on their heating bills.
SSE,which is owned by OVO Energy, suggested 10 “simple and cost effective ways to keep warm this winter,” according to the Financial Times. Eating bowls of oatmeal, doing star jumps and cuddling(搂抱) pets were among the recommendations on the now-deleted web page.
In a statement sent to CNN Tuesday, a spokesperson for OVO Energy said, “Recently a link to a blog containing energy saving tips was sent to customers. We understand how difficult the situation will be for many of our customers this year.” The spokesperson added, “We are working hard to find meaningful solutions as we approach this energy crisis, and we recognize that the content of this blog was poorly judged and unhelpful. We are embarrassed and sincerely apologize.”
Some British businesses and households have seen their energy bills rise in recent months, as suppliers deal with a sharp rise in wholesale gas prices. British consumers will pay roughly 790 more to heat and light their homes this year, according to Bank of America. Wholesale European gas prices have jumped by 400% over the previous year and electricity prices have increased by 300%, the bank’s analysts said last week. The increases have been driven by cold weather, nuclear plant outages in France and reduced gas flow from Russia.
According to National Energy Action, more than 4 million UK households are facing fuel poverty—a figure which the charity believes could rise by 2 million in April when a cap(上限) on energy prices is expected to increase.
OVO Energy removed its advice after a wave of angry responses from lawmakers and campaigners(运动参与者). Following the apology, British lawmaker Darren Jones, who chairs Parliament’s business select committee, tweeted: “Good, I’m glad they apologized. I’m not sure who signed off a marketing campaign telling people to wear a jumper and eat porridge instead of turning on the heating if you can’t afford it.”
1. Why did OVO Energy apologize for its advice on the ways of keeping warm sent to customers?| A．The ways are too costly. |
| B．The ways are too simple. |
| C．The suggestions are difficult. |
| D．The suggestions are ineffective. |
| A．Energy bills rise too sharply in winter for most UK households. |
| B．All customers can afford the increasing price of coal. |
| C．The British government has found meaningful methods to face it. |
| D．The energy crisis have been driven by cold weather. |
| A．Nervous. | B．Angry. | C．Pleased. | D．Concerned. |
| A．A travel brochure. | B．A newspaper. | C．A health magazine. | D．A science fiction. |
10 . The sunk cost effect is the ongoing investment of time, money and effort that an individual makes in any attempt, even if rationally the results appear unpromising. When any individual has already made an investment of time, money or effort, it becomes difficult to withdraw from the task. An error of judgement occurs when we fail to cut our losses-the sunk cost.
The simplest method of beating this error of judgement is to simply stop investing when it’s not producing results. As the age-old proverb goes, “Why cry over spilt milk?”But we still can’t seem to do it! Why?
People perceive the same amount of losses and gains in a different light. This means that the same amount of losses will hurt more than an equal amount of gain. For example, if a business is going through heavy losses, one must decide to either shut it down or continue. Shutting it down is a definite loss of money, time and effort. People become risk-seeking when they are facing a definite loss. They will pump more money as a gamble to achieve a positive outcome. If there is a positive outcome and the business starts making a profit, this has given them a higher utility(效用) than simply making profits from the beginning. They managed to rise up from a heavy loss, thereby giving higher satisfaction about the decision to continue investing.
We, however, will not choose to honor sunk costs on every occasion. This is especially true in the case of insurance. Let’s say that you have taken home insurance and probably never used it. You are not going to burn your house down just so you can utilize your house insurance.
1. What does the underlined word “it“ in paragraph 2 probably refer to?| A．Crying over spilt milk. |
| B．Stopping investing. |
| C．Refusing judgement. |
| D．Keeping finishing the task. |
| A．Going on investing when your sales are increasing. |
| B．Breaking up with those who aren’t interested in you. |
| C．Continuing eating ordered food even if it tastes bad. |
| D．Keeping on working out when you’re a little thinner. |
| A．Fear of loss and expectation for better. |
| B．Spirit of adventure and wise decision. |
| C．Endless desire and ambition. |
| D．Positive attitude and behavior. |
| A．To describe. | B．To persuade. |
| C．To introduce. | D．To explain. |
