1 . Today, many people are turning to social media for their fitness routines, with TikTok, one of the most popular platforms. Indeed, its fitness category has some 300 billion views. But are the posted works, exercises and challenges really safe and effective?

While fitness influencers can encourage people to become more physically active, which is a positive, the quality and accuracy of their content is a concern, according to a 2023 review in Frontiers in Public Health.

“There are a lot of unsustainable and unrealistic workouts on TikTok, and even some dangerous advice,” said Jess Brown, a certified personal trainer in Westchester, New York. “What’s more, much of the fitness information on TikTok isn’t backed by science or posted by fitness professionals. The workouts are usually generalized to anyone, too, and don’t take into account your health, your family history, your flexibility, your range of motion—the list goes on,” said Monica Jones, a certified personal trainer in Washington, DC.

One of the more popular TikTok fitness trends involves developing your abdominal muscles. These challenges often show an influencer doing one exercise or series of movements that, if repeated daily for a week or two, is promised to result in a sexy six-pack. “No way,” Brown said. “We’ve proven again and again that spot reduction isn’t a thing.”

“Unfortunately, there will always be trends centered around getting fast results, because those grab people’s attention. But it’s important to look at your fitness and health as a lifelong journey, not something you can achieve within 10 to 90 days,” Jones said.

How can you separate quality workouts from dangerous ones? First, check the information of the posters. They should be certified fitness professionals who have experience working with people. You also want a coach who emphasizes improving strength and health, not one who focuses on body type. A quality influencer should encourage mental well-being, self-care and the importance of listening to your body in addition to physical fitness.

1. What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A．The problems of fitness content on TikTok.

B．The lack of sustainability on TikTok workouts.

C．The needs for personalized workout on TikTok.

D．The absence of scientific backing in fitness information on TikTok.

2. What do fitness influencers often promise in popular TikTok trends?

A．Sustainable workout routines.	B．Long-term health improvement.
C．Certified fitness professional guidance.	D．Easy exercise with immediate results.

3. Which of the following statements may Jones agree with?

A．Fitness should be a lifelong journey, not a quick achievement.

B．Fitness training should be specific to body type and flexibility.

C．Fitness influencers must prioritize fast results over long-term health.

D．TikTok workouts must promote mental well-being over physical fitness.

4. What does the author think important to evaluate a quality fitness influencer?

A．Personalized workout plans.	B．Paying attention to detail in exercises.
C．Taking a balanced approach to fitness.	D．Certification and reputation in fitness training.

2 . Marketers assume the more choice they offer, the more likely customers will be able to find just the right thing. For instance, offering fifty styles of jeans instead of two increases the chances that shoppers will find a pair they really like. Nevertheless, research now shows when there is too much choice, consumers are less likely to buy anything at all, and if they do buy, they are less satisfied with their selection.

It all began with jam. In 2000, psychologists Sheena Iyengar and Mark Lepper published a remarkable study. On one day, shoppers saw a display table with 24 varieties of jam. Those sampling the jam received a coupon for $1 off any jam. On another day, shoppers saw a similar table, but only six varieties of jam were on display. The large display attracted more interest than the small one. But when the time for purchase came, people seeing the large display were one-tenth as likely to buy as people seeing the small one.

Other studies have confirmed this result that more choice is not always better. As the variety of snacks, soft drinks and beers offered at convenience stores increases, for instance, sales volume and customer satisfaction decrease. These results challenge our opinions about human nature and the determinants of well-being.

Choice is good for us, but its relationship to satisfaction appears to be more complicated than we assumed. What’s more, psychologists and business academics have largely ignored another outcome of choice: More of it requires increased time and effort and can lead to anxiety, regret, excessively high expectations and self-blame if the choice doesn’t work out.

Without doubt, having more options enables us, most of the time, to achieve better objective outcomes. Again, having fifty styles of jeans rather than two increases the likelihood that customers will find a pair that fits. But the subjective outcome may be that shoppers will feel dissatisfied, which creates a significant challenge for retailers and marketers. Choice can no longer be used to justify a marketing strategy. More isn’t always better, either for the customer or for the retailer.

1. How does the author mainly support the topic?

A．By quoting sayings.	B．By giving examples.
C．By stating arguments.	D．By making comments.

2. Why does too much choice sometimes bring challenges to customers?

A．It always wastes customers’ time.	B．It’s difficult to accept the bad results.
C．It may result in some negative feelings.	D．It makes the business more complicated.

3. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．More choice leads to shopping themselves.

B．Choice plays an important role in marketing strategies.

C．Having fifty styles of jeans is extremely better than two.

D．More choice causes the decline in consumption to some degree.

4. What may be the best title for the text?

A．Less choice does harm	B．More isn’t always better
C．More purchase is better	D．Less choice favors consumption

3 . You may hear the awful saying “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”, which speaks to a common belief about older adulthood that it’s a time when we’ve become so set in our ways that we’re not likely to change.

Psychologists used to follow the same line of thinking: After young adulthood, people tend to become stabler as people age. However, more recent studies suggest that something unexpected happens to many people as they reach and pass their 60s: Their personality starts changing again. People’s personality can change in response to their circumstances, adapting to a changing life. These developments clarify personality is not a permanent state but an adaptive way of being.

We can’t say with certainty what factors are driving these shifts, but a few theories exist. One possibility is that personality is shaped by specific life events that tend to happen in older age: retirement, empty nesting or widowhood (丧偶). But such milestones aren’t very reliable sources of change. They affect some people deeply, but have no impact on others. Any one event could mean many different things, depending on its context. Jenny Wagner, a psychologist at the University of Hamburg, in Germany, gave an example. Losing a partner could be a great loss, but for some it could be a bit of a relief at the same time-say, for someone who’s been caring for their ill partner for years.

Granted, old-age personality changes don’t always result from a sense of helplessness or an endlessly shrinking life. Research has shown that when people get older, they commonly recalibrate their goals; though they might be doing less, they tend to prioritize what they find meaningful and really appreciate it. That may involve adjusting to what they can’t control, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re reacting to a bad life—just a different one.

At the same time, not all of the changes coming with old age are unavoidable. And if old adults had more support from their communities and society, perhaps they’d be better able to command their circumstances—rather than having to make up for factors slipping out of their grasp.

1. Why is the saying in paragraph 1 mentioned?

A．To lead in the topic.	B．To explain a reason.
C．To show an attitude.	D．To offer a suggestion.

2. What do we know about old-age personality changes?

A．They can’t be avoided or prevented.	B．They will happen to most old people.
C．They may vary from person to person.	D．They put elders in a terrible situation.

3. Which can replace the underlined word “recalibrate” in paragraph 4?

A．establish

B．adjust

C．pursue

D．reach

4. What should we do in response to old-age personality changes?

A．Give old people help and care.	B．Help communities and society.
C．Teach old people to adapt to such changes.	D．Study more about the change of circumstances.

4 . Delivery workers will finally be able to charge their electric bicycles — and themselves — at new stations created out of repurposed news stands in New York City, Senator (参议员) Chuck Schumer announced on Monday.

The repurposed news stands, the first of their kind in the nation, will feature charging stations safe for e-bike batteries, bike parking, and a place for delivery workers to rest or ride out bad weather.

“You’ve been riding this bike a long time. You need a break. Maybe you’ve got to make a phone call. Maybe you have to take care of your personal needs, any of these things,” Schumer said. “They’re constantly out on the street, no place to rest, no shelter to protect them — imagine it’s pouring rain, or even snow and you still got to do this,” he said. “And so we’re going to take underutilized (未利用的) public space on our streets like this news stand right behind us. Very simple.”

And the stations, which will be designed by Manuel Mansylla, will not contain bathrooms — which were once a flashpoint (焦点) for delivery workers who were banned from using the restrooms at some of the very restaurants from which they were delivering food.

But thanks to new city laws that went into effect at the start of this year, including requiring restaurants to allow delivery workers to use their restrooms, that’s thankfully not the main concern anymore, said Gustavo Ajche, a delivery worker. “The bathroom is different. There’s no problem with that any more what we need here is more parking spaces,” he said.

Not everyone loves the idea of news stands being repurposed for e-bike charging stations. “After car chargers on the sidewalk, this is another facility of the city taking pedestrian (行人) space to create charging stations,” said Christine Berthet of CHEKPEDS, the pedestrian advocacy group that has long called for the creation of more public space for pedestrians.

1. What service can delivery workers expect from the repurposed news stands?

A．Charging their phones.	B．Selling them e-bike batteries.
C．Repairing their bikes.	D．Offering them shelter.

2. What do Schumer’s words in paragraph 3 highlight about the repurposed news stands?

A．They are underutilized.	B．They are necessary.
C．They are simple to construct.	D．They are gaining popularity.

3. How do the new city laws issued this year affect delivery workers?

A．They get more parking spaces.	B．They can use car chargers on the sidewalk.
C．They can use restaurant bathrooms.	D．They get extra pay for working in bad weather.

4. What is Berthet’s attitude toward the repurposed news stands?

A．Critical.

B．Unclear.

C．Tolerant.

D．Favorable.

5 . People these days are posting about their lives on social media. But what if you’re a private and introverted person like me? What if you want to live in the moment instead of sharing every bit of your life? To be honest, it’s nobody’s business but your own.     1    

Escaping stalkers (跟踪者).

I’ve been a public person as a jazz vocalist for years. It exposed me to stalkers who felt they knew me, just because I was present everywhere. Needless to say, it brought me much anxiety and stress. At some point I asked myself-is being visible more important than my peace of mind?     2     The answer is a clear NO. I just want to spend life doing what I love with the people I love.

Protecting privacy

    3     I need alone time to process what I’m struggling with and honest real talks with the people I trust. I might share a lesson learned from an experience, but now I won’t. I know that by keeping my life private on social media I may miss out on some connections, but I honor and respect the people in my life who value their privacy, so I am being mindful and protect that.

    4    

Another reason I keep my life private is that I prefer to be in the present moment and appreciate it fully. To be on your phone constantly, or to film everything you do, can be quite disrespectful to the people you spend your time with. You lose out on those spontaneous(自发的) moments and a deeper connection. I choose what I share and when I share it, and the rest is for experiencing life without expectations.

Live your life fully, regardless of whether the world knows it or not!     5     I just want you to know it’s OK if you don’t.

A．Experiencing life

B．Living in the moment

C．Don’t I really care about privacy?

D．Are my followers more important than my friends and family?

E．If you feel like sharing your life openly without hesitation, go for it.

F．Here are my reasons for not sharing my personal life on social media.

G．It can be quite challenging to go through tough moments with everyone watching.

6 . For night owls like Chen Danhong, 28, who works for a technology company in Beijing, the day really just begins after about 8 pm, a psychological hint that she can relax. “When I get home, I’m feeling worn out and tired, but that suddenly turns to excitement and I go on the Internet, read novels or watch movies. I’ll be playing video games and continually saying to myself, ‘OK, this is the last one’ before I eventually realize that it’s 2 o’clock,” says Chen.

Common symptoms (症状) include falling asleep later than 2 am, with the average time taken to fall asleep being more than one hour. Young people in cities are most vulnerable to such symptoms, according to the 2020 Chinese National Healthy Sleep White Paper. Common causes are loneliness, overtime sequelae (后遗症), excessive stress and emotional disorders. On March 21, World Sleep Day, a newspaper, Nanguo Morning News, conducted a survey that attracted 2,000 interviewees.

According to the survey, the reasons for going to bed late vary widely, with overtime work or taking care of a baby accounting for just five percent of the interviewees’ answers on this question. Sixty-four percent said they sleep late because they watch dramas, various shows, read books or play with their mobile phones. Fourteen percent said they do not want to go to bed too early even if they have nothing to do.

Many interviewees said they have had experience of the dangers of going to be late. Twenty-three percent said they have no serious physiological problems, but they can feel weak, are easily fatigued and have a poor complexion. Twenty-one percent said they are forgetful and find it hard to concentrate on work. More worrying is that an unwillingness to sleep can lead to a vicious circle (恶性循环), and15 percent of the respondents said they cannot fall asleep even if they want to.

1. Why does the author mention Chen Danhong’s situation in the first paragraph?

A．To lead in the topic.	B．To present an argument.
C．To shock the reader.	D．To raise a question.

2. What makes young people tend to go to bed late?

A．Unwillingness to sleep.	B．The various entertainments.
C．Caring for their family.	D．The frequent overtime.

3. What does the underlined word “fatigued” in the last paragraph mean?

A．Concerned.

B．Exhausted.

C．Focused.

D．Sleepy.

4. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Young people are more strong enough to sleep late.

B．Young people can fall asleep anytime they want to.

C．Going to bed late affects many people’s health or work.

D．Sleeping late occasionally isn’t harmful to our health.

9 . Journal editors decide what gets published and what doesn’t, affecting the careers of other academics and influencing the direction that a field takes. You’d hope, then, that journals would do everything they can to establish a diverse editorial board, reflecting a variety of voices, experiences, and identities.

Unfortunately a new study in Nature Neuroscience makes for disheartening reading. The team finds that the majority of editors in top psychology and neuroscience journals are male and based in the United States: a situation that may be amplifying existing gender inequalities in the field and influencing the kind of research that gets published.

Men were found to account for 60% of the editors of psychology journals. There were significantly more male than female editors at each level of seniority, and men made up the majority of editors in over three quarters of the journals. Crucially, the proportion of female editors was significantly lower than the overall proportion of women psychology researchers.

The differences were even starker in the neuroscience journals: 70% of editors were male, and men held the majority of editorial positions in 88% of journals. In this case, the proportion of female editors was not significantly lower than the proportion of female researchers working in neuroscience—a finding that reveals enduring gender disparities in the field more broadly.

Based on their results, the team concludes that “the ideas, values and decision-making biases of men are overrepresented in the editorial positions of the most recognized academic journals in psychology and neuroscience.”

Gender inequality in science is often attributed to the fact that senior academics are more likely to be male, because historically science was male-dominated: it’s argued that as time goes on and more women rise to senior roles, the field will become more equal. Yet this study showed that even the junior roles in psychology journals tended to be held disproportionately by men, despite the fact that there are actually more female than male junior psychology faculty.

This implies that a lack of female academics is not the problem. Instead, there are structural reasons that women are disadvantaged in science. Women receive lower salaries and face greater childcare demands, for instance, which can result in fewer publications and grants—the kinds of things that journals look for when deciding who to appoint. Rather than simply blaming the inequality of editorial boards on tradition, we should be actively breaking down these existing barriers.

A lack of diversity among journal editors also likely contributes to psychology’s WEIRD problem. If journal editors are largely men from the United States, then they will probably place higher value on papers that are relevant to Western, male populations, whether consciously or not.

1. What would we expect an editorial board of an academic journal to exhibit in view of its important responsibilities?

A．Insight	B．Diversity
C．Expertise	D．Integrity

2. What do we learn from the findings of a new study in Nature Neuroscience?

A．The majority of top psychology and neuroscience journals reflect a variety of voices, experiences and identities.

B．The editorial boards of most psychology and neuroscience journals do influence the direction their field takes.

C．The majority of editors in top psychology and neuroscience journals have relevant backgrounds.

D．The editorial boards of the most important journals in psychology and neuroscience are male-dominated.

3. What can we infer from the conclusion drawn by the team of the new study on the basis of their findings?

A．Male researchers have enough representation in the editorial boards to ensure their publications.

B．Male editors of top psychology and neuroscience journals tend to be biased against their female colleagues.

C．Women’s views are underrepresented in the editorial boards of top psychology and neuroscience journals.

D．Female editors have to struggle to get women’s research articles published in academic journals.

4. What does the author suggest we do instead of simply blaming the inequality of editorial boards on tradition?

A．Strike a balance between male and female editors	B．Implement overall structural reforms
C．Increase women’s employment in senior positions	D．Enlarge the body of female academics

10 . For those of us who grew up watching Star Trek, exploring space has been about discovering strange new worlds. And there are plenty of worlds to explore in time, but we still need major technological advancements to reach planets that are light years away.

What we are doing in space today is providing unbelievable benefits right now, right here on Earth. From space, we can monitor, manage and care for our planet. Satellite-based sensors show us the short- and long-term effects of human activity on our environment. Many companies are using their interest in space to help solve problems here, from using hyperspectral imaging(高光谱成像), which enable us to map vegetation(植被) and rain forests, to microsatellites that provide global connectivity for the network of things.

My company, OneWeb, is focusing on what I believe is one of the world’s most important issues: the need for equal access to the Internet. The Internet has become our economic lifeblood. And yet, nearly half of the world’s population doesn’t have Internet access. Space is playing a key role in bridging this digital divide. OneWeb is launching 1,980 satellites to help bring Internet access to people everywhere, and our first production satellites are already flying in space and have shown very high download speeds.

Fiber and cable Internet access technologies already cover most financially viable(可行的) major cities. Similarly, these regions will also be the first to be served with 5G. Poor communities are the last to get connected, and without connectivity, those communities have no chance to lift themselves from poverty. OneWeb’s satellites will reach every community in the world and enable equal access to the Internet for the world’s less developed places.

Fifty years from the day when man first walked on the moon, we are still only approaching the possible. There will be tens of thousands of new satellites, space stations and factories in the coming years to bring advancements in communications, scientific research, monitoring the earth, exploring space and more. This is exciting, but we must take action carefully.

1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?

A．Benefits space exploration can bring to us.

B．Problems space exploration leads to.

C．Steps of space exploration requires.

D．Equipment space exploration needs.

2. What is OneWeb aiming to do?

A．Increase download speeds.

B．Narrow the gap in Internet learning.

C．Help people set up and maintain a website.

D．Enable people to make use of the Internet equally.

3. What can be inferred from the text?

A．More than six decades ago, man first walked on the moon.

B．More than half of the world’s people have no access to the Internet.

C．OneWeb’s satellites will make it possible for most people to be served with 5G.

D．Without the Internet, poor communities can hardly help themselves out of poverty.

4. What will the writer probably continue to write about in the following paragraph?

A．The risks of furthering space exploration.

B．The value of setting up space stations.

C．The way we could monitor our earth.

D．The features of microsatellites.