1 . Uninvited opinions about someone’s marriage, their constant failures or whatever just happened in the bathroom are all clues you’ve got an Oversharer on your hands. Whether they’re telling too much or asking for details you’re not comfortable sharing, this all-too common persona has no boundaries.

“The discomfort you feel comes from a difference of standards about what topics of conversation are OK,” says Wisner. “What they consider to be acceptable, need-to-know information is different from what it is for you.”

At the same awkward time, the Oversharer is only trying to get closer to you by revealing more about themselves — and hoping you’ll do the same. “We tend to label these people as overly-curious, invasive(侵入的) or rude,” notes Gerber, “but they really just want to be liked and accepted.”

To satisfy the Oversharer, and meanwhile reject endless TMI (too-much-information), consider sharing something else — still personal but less invasive — that satisfies their urge to connect. When they really cross the line, don’t be shy. Say something that indicates your boundary is being crossed. But you don’t have to declare them to be rude or insist them change their ways immediately. “OMG, that’s private!” says everything, and you’ll never have to bring it up again.

A compliment (称赞) also works wonders with an Oversharer, adds Gerber, because it refocuses the conversation in their direction while subtly resetting your boundary.

To my nosy friend who asks me when I plan to have a baby, for example, I will give this wise response next time: “You made having kids look so easy! How’d you do it?” Then nod and smile, nod and smile. Maybe I won’t have another baby in this life, but at least I’ll be ready to face an Oversharer — or any of the challenging people it takes to make a world.

1. What is the function of the first paragraph?

A．Shaping the image of an Oversharer.

B．Stressing the importance of boundaries.

C．Identifying the clues of an unpleasant talk.

D．Presenting different opinions about sharing.

2. Why are Oversharers so interested in talking about private issues?

A．They want sympathy from others.

B．They see it as a way to break the ice.

C．They are curious about others’ sufferings.

D．They long for closer connections with others.

3. What is suggested if Oversharers cross your line?

A．Ignore their comments.	B．Demanding an apology.
C．Declaring your boundaries.	D．Criticizing their rudeness.

4. What is the purpose of the author’s response in the last paragraph?

A．To check her friend’s boundary.	B．To show admiration for her friend.
C．To learn from her friend’s experience.	D．To shift the topic to her friend’s direction.

2 . Did you grow up in one culture, your parents came from another, and you are now living in a totally different country?     1    

The term “third-culture kids” was invented in the 1960s by U.S. sociologist Dr. Ruth Hill Useem. She first encountered this phenomenon when she researched North American children living in India.     2     Caught between two cultures, they form their own. While growing up as third-culture kids may sound challenging, these children often benefit from their multicultural background. In general, they often reach excellent academic results.     3    

Ginny, aged 20, was born in the U.K. Since her early childhood, she had lived abroad moving around with her parents every few years, before she returned to the U.K. to study. When returning to the U.K. to go to university, she realized she had benefited a lot from her years overseas.     4     While many other undergrads seemed unable to cope on their college life, she was easy to adjust to it.

Yet being a third-culture kid is not always easy. In fact, many hardships may arise from this phenomenon. A third-culture kid may not be able to adapt themselves completely to their new surroundings as expected.     5     Besides, when they return home, the home country can prove to be more foreign than anything they came across before. The peer group they face does not match the idealized image children have of “home”. This often makes it hard for them to form their own identity.

As a part of the growing “culture”, TCKs may find it a great challenge for them to feel at home in many places.

A．If so, then you are a third-culture kid!

B．About 90 percent of them have a university degree.

C．The languages picked up abroad were really useful.

D．The only problem was that she caught the travel bug.

E．After many years, these kids still could not adapt to their host culture.

F．Instead, they may always remain an outsider in different host cultures.

G．These children often get along well with those who suffer from the same confusion.

3 . What are the most important factors that distinguish NBA legends from the rest? When scoping out talent, scouts (星探) look for two main things: outstanding previous performance and “unexploited potential”. There is an assumption that physical stature and athleticism (e.g., arm span, flexibility, swiftness, etc) are markers of unexploited potential, and will therefore continue predicting success in the NBA. But is this assumption correct?

A new study sheds some new light on the issue. Unsurprisingly, measures of physical makeup and athleticism clearly influence selection into the NBA draft. But they did not distinguish productive NBA players from unproductive players after taking into account prior performance. In fact, the only variables that predicted NBA success were youth, college performance, and college quality. Of course, the researchers didn’t analyze every possible measure of skill, such as passing, defense and shooting. Also, many external factors could also have played a role, such as coaching and team social dynamics. But none of them may be as important as the biggest elephant in the room. Let’s turn to Michael Jordan, the basketball legend.

A lot has been made of Jordan’s “cut” from his school basketball team in Grade Two in high school. In reality, Jordan wasn’t cut, but just placed elsewhere: on the junior team. The school team really needed size, and at the tryouts Jordan was 5feet 10 inches. He didn’t have his big growth shoot until the following year, when he was placed on the school team. What’s more, at the tryouts, Jordan didn’t really stand out on any of the characteristics the coaches were looking out for.

Well, except one: “If Jordan distinguished himself at all during the tryout, it was through his extreme effort.”

What truly saddens me is that professionals judge the “natural” performer who demonstrates early evidence of ability to be more talented, and more hirable than the “striver”, who shows early evidence of high motivation and perseverance. Maybe it’s time to completely rethink this whole belief of unexploited potential. Perhaps we should think about early ability as merely potential that was realized earlier than others. Nothing more, nothing less.

1. According to the passage, what do team managers generally value in players?

A．Athletic skills and training experiences.	B．Motivation and team social dynamics.
C．Physical makeup and athletic competence.	D．Early performance and professional spirit.

2. What does “the biggest elephant in the room” in paragraph 2 refer to?

A．The most efficient training program.

B．The most essential quality as a player.

C．The greatest NBA legend Michael Jordan.

D．The most obvious factor but one that is ignored.

3. Why did Jordan fail to make the school team as a Grade Two student?

A．He lacked talent for the sport.

B．He was too short to win the coach’s favor.

C．He was needed more by the school’s junior team.

D．He didn’t make enough efforts to impress the coach.

4. What message does the writer want to convey in the passage?

A．Super efforts can make up for the lack of athleticism.

B．The concept of “unexploited potential” doesn’t make sense.

C．Those who show early evidence of ability are not truly talented.

D．Passion and dedication are as worth considering as athletic characteristics.

4 . Many economists predict 2024 will be the time shoppers tighten their belts. That doesn’t mean people will stop spending, say retail (零售) analysts. But it will change what they choose to buy. With a slowing job market, global consumers are likely to move away from more high-priced purchases and focus instead on smaller, less expensive treats.     

The economic uncertainty means that consumers are becoming more discriminating about their purchases, says Ethan Chermofsky, senior vice president of marketing at intelligence platform Placer. ai. “There are the things we decide are necessary, and then there’s another category of things that aren’t necessary but that we consider affordable luxuries, he says. This desire for these “affordable luxuries” is common in difficult economic times. Some economists refer to the phenomenon as the “lipstick index”: a small economic increase led by budget-minded consumers seeking out relatively affordable splurges (挥霍), like small cosmetics (化妆品).

Analysts at Deloitte say consumers will spend on little luxuries like specialty coffees and snacks as well. Additionally, stressed-out shoppers are prioritizing small splurge purchases for wellness and personal care.

As retailers see shoppers turning to little luxuries, they’re offering more and more of them. Target, for example, has staked a flag in what they refer to as “affordable joy”, which includes a selection of self-care and cosmetic products, along with wellness-centric beauty products. Beyond diversifying their offerings, stores are also bringing in luxury-feeling products at lower price points to appeal to more consumers.

Ethan says not every shopper will shift their spending to little luxuries-but even those who are still longing for the “must-haves” of social media will also look to get a deal. They want the feeling of purchasing lower-priced affordable treats. To get these goods, shoppers are likely to tap into the re-sale market for designer items at a more reasonable price. They want things that make them feel good about themselves-they just want to do it without breaking the bank.

1. What can affordable luxuries be?

A．Inexpensive daily necessities.	B．High-end products.
C．Reasonably-priced designer items.	D．High-priced purchases.

2. What is paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．The strategies retailers use.	B．The joy businesses offer.
C．The competition stores face.	D．The products consumers buy.

3. What do most shoppers seek according to Ethan?

A．Social-media deals.	B．World-famous brands.
C．Second-hand bargains.	D．Budget-friendly pleasures.

4. Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A．Lipstick Index: Where Does It Lead Us?	B．Must-have Treats: A Future Spending Trend
C．Affordable Joy: Will We Fall Into The Trap?	D．Little Luxuries: A Driving Force Behind Consumption

5 . If you’ve scrolled through your Facebook feed recently, you may have noticed something surprising: lots and lots of short videos.

What makes this “Reels” feature strange is that it is hugely addictive, which I know quite well from my own personal experience. Last Friday, I took a break and hit on one short clip of someone making dinner and, well, the next time I looked up it was 20 minutes later and the blank document on my computer monitor was confirming to me that my work was still not done.

However, as silly as it seems, Reels-is actually super important, and is at the centre of a major battle between the world’s largest tech firms. The format (格式) was first pioneered by TikTok-the Chinese-owned video app that has taken the world by storm since it launched in 2016. Today, TikTok has around 23 million UK users every month-including basically every person you know under the age of 25. And that fact has made Facebook and its parent company, Meta, very nervous indeed. As TikTok has continued to boom, Facebook has actually fallen in popularity among “Gen Z”. The reason Tik Tok has proven such a powerful challenger to Facebook’s social media dominance is almost entirely down to these sorts of short-form videos.

The format is almost perfectly optimised to be as addictive as possible: Tik Tok’s app shows you a short-form video, and if you don’t like it, you can simply swipe it away and another one will start playing instantly. And because it is portrait, not landscape, videos look “right” when viewed on your phone. What’s also smart is that TikTok’s algorithm (算法) picks videos for you based on what you actually watch, and not what you say you want.

Facebook isn’t the only app trying to do what TikTok does so well. Instagram, which is owned by Facebook’s parent company Meta, has integrated Reels even more aggressively into its app. And even Google is nervous, launching its own TikTok-style video section of YouTube(which it owns)a couple of years ago. As things stand, though TikTok currently maintains a healthy lead in the category, both YouTube and Facebook have deep pockets-so expect to see even more Reels and Shorts popping up in your feed as this intense battle continues to rage. You won’t be able to take your eyes off them.

1. Why did the author mention his own experience in paragraph 2?

A．To illustrate the feature of short videos.

B．To stress the importance of short videos.

C．To prove his preference to short videos.

D．To introduce the functions of short videos.

2. What do we know about TikTok according to the passage?

A．It has shown the trend of the fall in popularity among “Gen Z”.

B．It is perceived as a potential threat to Facebook’s social media dominance.

C．Its number of registered UK users has reached 23 million since it launched in 2016.

D．It underestimates the essential role of short videos in competition with large tech firms.

3. What makes the short videos on TikTok App so popular?

A．The beautiful visual effects.

B．The high video quality.

C．The random recommendation.

D．The quick switch between videos.

4. What is the message conveyed in the last paragraph?

A．The short videos have a profound impact on our daily life.

B．TikTok seems to be losing its advantage over short videos in the short run.

C．YouTube and Facebook may encounter financial difficulties in developing Shorts.

D．A growing number of tech firms have engaged in fierce competition for the short video market.

6 . In recent years, aggression on social media have become commonplace. More than half of the victims said they didn’t know the identity of the perpetrator (作恶者). Most people agreed that the anonymity (匿名) of the Internet provides cover for nasty and harassing (骚扰) behavior.

Does this growing aggression on social media give us a glimpse of our real human nature? Are we-at our core-aggressive beasts? It’s true that hate crimes are on the rise, and political divisions app ear to be growing. The level of public bitterness-especially online-is substantial. But I don’t believe that’s because social media has unlocked our cruel human nature.

As an evolutionary anthropologist, I have spent years researching our transformation as a species. Over the past two million years, we have evolved from groups of apelike beings armed with sticks and stones to the creators of cars, rockets, and nations. Our bigger brains have allowed us to bond and cooperate in more complex and diverse ways than any other animal. Meanwhile, “you are whom you meet.” How we perceive, experience, and act in the world is shaped by who and what surround us on a daily basis. This process has deep evolutionary roots and gives humans what we call a shared reality.

I would argue that the rise in online aggression is a product of our evolutionary social skills, the social media boom, and the specific political, economic and social context where we find ourselves. This explosive combination has opened up a space for increasingly more people to fan the flames of aggression and insult online. Aggressive behavior-especially to those you don’t have to confront face-to-face-is easier than it’s ever been. And for the aggressor, there are often no consequences.

Yes, it seems that the world is getting more aggressive, but that’s not because we are more aggressive at our core. It’s because we haven’t been standing up against bullying, abuse, and aggressive harassment, and promoting pro-social attitudes and actions our contemporary world demands. In person and on social media, we must do both.

1. What does the underlined word “that” in paragraph two refer to?

A．Hate crimes on the rise.	B．Growing political divisions.
C．Considerable online bitterness.	D．The transformation of humans.

2. What’s the author’s attitude toward social media?

A．Critical.

B．Objective.

C．Approving.

D．Ironic.

3. What does the author propose to address the issue of growing aggression?

A．Embracing our aggressive nature to compete in today’s world.

B．Strengthening laws to hold perpetrators responsible for their online actions.

C．Promoting positive behaviors and interactions in both real-life and digital spaces.

D．Focusing only on reducing anonymity on the internet to reduce offensive behavior.

4. What is mainly discussed in this passage?

A．The impact of social media on society.

B．The influence of evolution on our behavior.

C．The reasons behind rising online aggression.

D．The factors in the social media development.

7 . I’m always cautious of the tired saying, “If it doesn’t kill you, it’ll make you stronger.” I mean, what about polio (小儿麻痹症)? Or loads of other horrible things that if you survive, you’re left scarred in one way or another.

For many years I worked in a specialist NHS clinic for people with eating disorders, which are greatly misunderstood and connected with vanity (虚荣) when instead it’s usually about control or even profound trauma (精神创伤). Eating disorders have the highest mortality of any mental illness, with one in five of those with an eating disorder dying from it. Treatment for it is long, tough and tiring. So, it’s fair to say it’s not something to be taken lightly.

Yet I was often surprised by how many patients-patients with all sorts of other conditions too, from depression to cancer -would tell me how the experience had changed them for the better after receiving treatment. It’s not so much that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger; more, it might make you more understanding of yourself and more sensitive to the battles and struggles of others. It can also give people a sense of determination and perseverance they never had before.

I had one patient who was an addict and alcoholic besides suffering eating disorder. She was frequently rushed into hospital and was sometimes at a real risk of dying. However, after years of hard work, she stopped drinking, stopped using drugs and her eating disorder improved. She got back into work and started doing several courses to get promoted. Actually, she had gone through numerous intense and exhausting interviews before landing a job, but she said whenever she felt she couldn’t handle it or doubted her capabilities, she reminded herself that nothing would ever be worse or harder than what she had already gone through. She managed to make the most of her life and turn her life around.

1. What does the author think of the old mantra?

A．Always applicable.	B．Totally absurd.
C．Partially right.	D．Quite misleading.

2. What does the underlined word in paragraph 2 possibly mean?

A．The number of deaths.

B．The possibility of being cured.

C．The rate of getting mentally hurt.

D．The chance of having mental illness.

3. How does the experience influence patients according to paragraph 3?

A．It leads to a changeable attitude.

B．It makes no noticeable difference.

C．It builds up their physical strength.

D．It fosters self-awareness and sympathy.

4. What can we learn about the patient mentioned in the last paragraph?

A．She continued harmful habits.	B．She relied only on medication.
C．She always believed in herself.	D．She became stronger and tougher.

8 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What was Prof. Stone’s grandfather afraid of?

A．Leaving his home.

B．Parting from his son.

C．Taking early retirement.

2. What does old age mean to many elderly Americans?

A．Lack of moral support.

B．Loss of self-worth.

C．Change of living habits.

3. What will Prof. Stone talk about next concerning elderly people?

A．Public services they ask for.

B．Health care available to them.

C．Contributions they can make.

9 . In the late nineteenth century, art critics regarded seventeenth-century Dutch paintings as direct reflections of reality. The paintings were discussed as an index of the democracy of a society that chose to represent its class, action, and occupations exactly as they were, wide-ranging realism was seen as the great accomplishment of Dutch art. However, the achievement of more recent study of Dutch art has been the recovery of the fact that such paintings are to be taken as symbolizing mortality, the renaissance of earthly life, and the power of God, and as message that range from the mildly moralizing to the firmly didactic. How explicit and consistent the symbolizing process was intended to be is a much thornier matter, but anyone who has more familiarity than a passing acquaintance with Dutch literature or with the kinds of images used in illustrated books (above all emblem books) will know how much less pervasive was the habit of investing ordinary objects than of investing scenes with meaning that go be-y ond their surface and outward appearance. In the mid-1960s, Eddy de Jongh published an extraordinary array of material — especially from the emblem books and vernacular literature — that confirmed the unreliability of taking Dutch pictures at surface value alone.

The major difficulty, however, with the findings of critics such as de Jongh is that it is not easy to assess the multiplicity of levels in which Dutch viewers interpreted these pictures. De Jongh’s followers typically regard the pictures as purely symbolic. Not every object within Dutch paintings need be interpreted in terms of the gloss given to its equivalent representation in the emblem books. Not every foot warmer is to be interpreted in terms of the foot warmer in Rowmer Visscher’s Sinnepoppen of 1614, not every bridle is an emblem of restraint (though many were indeed just that).

To maintain as Brown does, that the two children in Netscher’s painting A Lady Teaching a Child to Read stand for industry and idleness is to fail to understand that the painting has a variety of possible meanings, even though the picture undoubtedly carriers unmistakable symbolic meanings, too. Modern Art historians may well find the discovery of parallels be-tween a painting and a specific emblem exciting, they may, like seventeenth-century viewers, search for the double that lie behind many paintings. But seventeenth-century response can hardly be reduced to the level of formula. To suggest otherwise is to imply a laboriousness of mental process that may well characterize modern interpretations of seventeenth-century Dutch Art, but that was, for the most part, not characteristic in the seventeenth century.

1. The passage is primarily concerned with which of the following?

A．Reconciling two different points of view about how art reflects.

B．Criticizing a traditional method of interpretation.

C．Describing and evaluating a recent critical approach.

D．Describing a long-standing controversy and how it was resolved.

2. The author of the passage mentions bridles in the highlighted portion of the passage most likely in order to ______.

A．Suggest that restraint was only one of the many symbolic meanings attached to bridles

B．Provide an example of an everyday, physical object that was not endowed with symbolic meaning

C．Provide an example of an object that modern critics have endowed with symbolic meaning different from the meaning assigned it by seventeenth-century Dutch artists

D．Provide an example of an object with symbolic meaning that was not always used as a symbol

3. Which of the following best describes the function of the last paragraph of the passage?

A．It provides specific applications of the critical approach introduced in the preceding paragraph.

B．It present a caveat about the critical approach discussed in the preceding paragraph.

C．It presents the research on which a theory presented in the preceding paragraph is based.

D．It refutes a theory presented in the preceding paragraph and advocates a return to a more traditional approach.

4. The passage suggests which of the following about emblem books in seventeenth-century Holland?

A．They confirm that seventeenth century Dutch painting depict some objects and scenes rarely found in daily life.

B．They are more useful than vernacular literature in providing information about the sym-bolic content of seventeenth-century Dutch painting.

C．They have been misinterpreted by art critics, such as de Jongh, who claim seventeenth-century Dutch paintings contain symbolic meaning.

D．They contain material that challenges the assumptions of the nineteenth-century critics about seventeenth-century Dutch painting.

10 . I am always confused when reading statements like “Princeton University is the number one college in the United States.” Are those who attend Princeton inherently brighter than their peers?     1     Or is Princeton the best across all academic subjects overall?

I didn’t care about college rankings for years until I recently saw something different. This past October, Shanghai Ranking Consultancy unveiled the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2023, which assesses universities worldwide across 55 subjects in five disciplines.     2     And this makes it easier for prospective students to choose the best college for their specific subject.

    3     When I delved deeper into the methodology behind these rankings, I discovered a complex web of criteria, including academic reputation, research output, and international collaboration.     4     However, they do not capture the entirety of the college experience. Factors like campus culture, extracurricular opportunities, and faculty-student interactions can profoundly shape your undergraduate years, yet they often remain unquantifiable in ranking systems.

    5     What may be the ideal environment for one student pursuing engineering might not suit another studying literature. It’s crucial to consider your personal preferences, career aspirations, and learning style when evaluating potential colleges. While prestigious universities may offer unparalleled resources and networking opportunities, a smaller, lesser-known college might provide a more nurturing and supportive environment for your individual growth and development. Ultimately, the best college for you is the one that aligns with your values, ambitions, and vision for the future.

A．The value of a university education goes beyond its ranking.

B．Is Princeton the most beautiful campus all around the world?

C．Is Princeton able to produce more geniuses upon graduation?

D．That being said, how much weight should be given to these rankings?

E．Actually, the concept of a “best” college is subjective and context-dependent.

F．These measures provide valuable insights into the academic strength of universities.

G．It is said to employ a more in-depth approach to evaluate the performance of universities.