1 . We live in a world where we are usually exposed to (接触) news on social media that can be scary, upsetting, or confusing.
One of the places where we can look for “the helpers” is on social media platforms.
Looking for helpers on social media can be a valuable way to find hope and comfort in difficulty.
A.We’d better find some topics to talk about with the helper. |
B.Exercising, reading, and learning art are all good choices. |
C.Phones and computers have made information easier to gain. |
D.They offer a lot of content that can educate or support young viewers. |
E.It enables us to see things from different viewpoints and learn new things. |
F.However, looking for helpers on social media also comes with some challenges. |
G.Sometimes, it can be hard to deal with the negative thoughts that these events cause. |
2 . In a normal year, Dayna Reber, a business analyst for a technology consulting firm in Camp Hill, Penn., would finish reading around three books. Thanks to the way Covid-19 has completely changed her daily routine, however, Ms. Reber, 30— who now works from home and rarely socializes offline — has polished off 46 volumes so far in 2020. And that count doesn’t include the bedtime stories she reads to her 4-year-old.
For Ms. Reber and others, lockdown has brought back a passion for reading, both as beneficial time-filler when stuck at home and as a trusty escape. “When the coronavirus hit, I just felt a need to get away from TV and screens.”
If binge (放纵地) reading hasn’t fully replaced binge-watching Netflix shows quite yet, the trend is certainly making strides. In August 2020, year-over-year sales of print books in the U.S. were up 13%, according to NPD BookScan, which tracks book sales across the U.S. Publishers also report a notable increase in purchases of e-books, as well as all books about politics or related to civil rights, racism and diversity.
Independent booksellers, as well as publishers and authors, deserve considerable credit for fueling the page-turning trend. In March, Octavia Books introduced free shipping or delivery within New Orleans on orders of $25 or more. The bookstore also hosts author events via Zoom. And in Illinois, Page 1 Books established a subscription service, where customers fill out an online profile, noting their literary tastes, and then receive a package each month, a mix of hardcovers and paperbacks.
Jamie Miller, 34, a book blogger and “book-stagrammer” who lives in Harleysville, Penn, has long been a committed reader, but she says the hobby has meant far more importance this year. She now schedules a block of time every morning to read, typically a love or vivid novel. “Everything became so chaotic around me that it was just like what can I control?” said Ms. Miller. “My brain just wants something guaranteed to be a happy ending.”
1. What was a cause of Reber’s achievement in book reading?A.Work requirement. | B.Pandemic lockdown. |
C.Parenting experience. | D.Online recommendation. |
A.On the way. | B.Keeping pace. |
C.In great progress. | D.Drawing attention. |
A.Opening new branches. | B.Offering sales promotions. |
C.Mailing books for free. | D.Providing lending service. |
A.Reasons behind a book reading hit. | B.Influence of lockdown on people. |
C.Trend of video watching on Netflix. | D.Secret to offline bookstore success. |
3 . In the eyes of many environmentalists, the world appears to be getting worse. They believe, the natural resources are running out and the air and water are becoming ever more polluted. But if we check the facts, things look different. Energy has become more abundant, not less so. Fewer people are starving. What seems to cause this gap between perception and reality?
One factor is the prejudice in scientific research. Scientific funding goes mainly to areas with many problems. That may be wise policy, but it will also create an impression that there are more potential problems than actually exist.
Secondly, environmental groups seek attention from the mass media. They also need to get continuous financial support. Understandably, perhaps, they sometimes exaggerate (夸大) their arguments. In 1997, for example, the World Wide Fund for Nature issued a statement titled: “Two thirds of the world’s forests lost forever”. The truth turns out to be near 20%.
The media can add to confusion too. People tend to be more curious about bad news than good. Newspapers and broadcasters are there to provide what the public wants. That, however, can lead to significant misinterpretations. For example, when a natural disaster happens, the media usually highlights the negative parts, giving more attention to the disaster’s details and what happens afterward. This flood of bad news can make people think that such events are more frequent or serious than they actually are. Consequently, people may develop a sense of insecurity, despite statistically low probabilities of similar events happening to them.
Another factor is people’s poor perception. People worry that vaccines can cause severe side effects or long-term health problems. Despite extensive scientific evidence demonstrating their safety and effectiveness, some individuals remain hesitant due to unfounded fears.
It is crucial that we look at the facts if we want to make the best possible decisions for the future. It may be costly to be overly optimistic – but more costly still to be too pessimistic.
1. What aspect of scientific research does the writer worry about in paragraph 2?A.The need to produce results. | B.The selection of research areas. |
C.The lack of financial support. | D.The desire to solve research problem. |
A.To show how influential the mass media can be. |
B.To show how effective environmental groups can be. |
C.To show how the mass media can help groups raise funds. |
D.To show how environmental groups overstate their claims. |
A.educate readers | B.mislead readers |
C.meet readers’ expectations | D.encourage readers’ feedback |
A.Making decisions based on reality. | B.Balancing optimism and pessimism. |
C.Being optimistic to avoid costly mistakes. | D.Addressing the environmental crisis gradually. |
4 . For most of history, people lived in small groups of up to 150 people. Then villages and small towns developed, offering safety and support through the sharing of resources. As time passed, urban living brought additional advantages such as better jobs, schools and healthcare. Larger towns also gave people more chances to meet and interact. This is important.
Today, over half of the world’s population currently lives in towns and cities. But this has resulted in a strange paradox (悖论). Although social opportunities are one reason people choose to live in large cities, research suggests that city life can be lonely.
The development of virtual communities can be traced back to the 1860s. Back then, telegraph operators exchanged messages and gradually formed friendships over long distances.
These days, there are thousands of virtual communities and that number keeps growing. Many people believe they will become more important.
A.This trend, however, is not likely to continue. |
B.As Aristotle said, the nature of humans is to be social. |
C.That may explain why virtual communities are so popular. |
D.The first popular online communities developed in the 1980s. |
E.Before cell phones existed, radio was an easy way to communicate. |
F.Nevertheless, others worry about problems with these communities. |
G.This is among the earliest examples of virtual community interactions. |
5 . “Sating from now on, to be healthy, I will NOT eat any snacks besides granola bars (燕麦棒),” is what I told myself yesterday, and yet here I am today chewing a Chocopie. I’m aware that I’m breaking my own promise to myself. Instead of eating this, I should be working out or something. But the thing is, chocolate is too good at this moment for me to refuse it!
As I type this, I’m experiencing what’s called instant gratification — the desire to experience pleasure or fulfillment without delaying it for a future benefit. Essentially, when you want it, you get it.
Instant gratification is also the exact opposite of what we’re taught to do-delayed gratification: deciding to put off satisfying our current want to gain something better in the future. We’ve all encountered instant gratification before. Should I sleep in or wake up early to work out? When I get home, should I rest and watch TV first or get started on my homework?
All humans have the tendency to seek pleasure and avoid pain, which is a basic but fundamental concept known as the pleasure principle. Originally coined by Sigmund Freud, it clearly states that all humans are driven, to some extent, by pleasure.
Constantly seeking quick pleasure may bring subsequent troubles. However pleasant not doing your homework may seem pleasant right now, it only results in pleasure plagued by guilt and last-minute panicking late at night. An inability to resist instant gratification may result in underachieving in the long term and failure to meet certain goals.
Instant gratification, however, is not necessarily a bad thing. You don’t always have to say no to things you want at that moment, and it’s good to treat yourself when you need it. In other words, times where you “treat yourself” are only valuable in combination with delayed gratification. While my Chocopie may taste good now, it’ll taste even better if I only eat it after I’ve worked out or done something healthy.
1. How does the author introduce the topic?A.By making a contrast. | B.By giving a definition. |
C.By citing a personal case. | D.By listing detailed problems. |
A.Purchasing items regardless of budgets. | B.Exercising regularly for long-term health. |
C.Limiting time on social media platforms. | D.Finishing homework before watching TV. |
A.Reminded. | B.Highlighted. | C.Introduced. | D.Bothered. |
A.Delayed gratification is pointless. |
B.Instant gratification should be prioritized. |
C.Enjoying the moment brings in endless pleasure. |
D.Instant treats paired with delayed gratification are sweeter. |
6 . Is art boring? It’s not, really. I don’t think so, at least. But there’s a problem with how we look at art, how we approach it.
Museums are formal and strangely dry. There’s no embrace. Barriers prevent us from leaving the path set by the curator (馆长). Glass traps the paintings permanently in their frames – an invisible barrier that prevents us from ever getting close to the art, from touching it, feeling it. Guides and guards are constantly observing us, stopping us from taking photos, or using selfie sticks, or talking too loud. Museums have too many rules. And they’ve made our art boring.
We should be able to see art, to sometimes touch it. How can we feel any connection to the world? Art is a way to connect to the world, and yet so much of our art (and it is our art, not theirs, not yours — but ours) is unreachable.
Why can’t we laugh in museums? Why can’t we take silly selfies in front of art, our tongues sticking out, our hands in the air? Art is not boring and yet, we as a society, have made it so. We’ve trapped incredible artists behind glass boxes, with random rules governing noise levels, lights, flashes, sounds, photos, selfies, pens & pencils.
I love art. I think it has this incredible power to change our world. It can move us — as individuals, or as a collective society. Art is so often a window to something else. And yet we’ve allowed museums and galleries and collectors to prevent us from ever opening those windows.
Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy art museums. There are many fantastic ones around the world. And without so many wonderful curators and collectors, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy much of the art that is created -the masterpieces and the newer, more contemporary (and sometimes crazy) art. But at the same time, we’ ve allowed museums too much control.
They’ve taken our art. They’ve controlled our world. And our world, our art — it’s not meant to be controlled. It’s meant to be experienced — however that may be. It’s an individual, personal choice. Let’s take back our art, our museums. And take some selfies.
1. According to the writer, how may visitors to museums feel?A.Interested. | B.Unwelcome. | C.Excited. | D.Ashamed. |
A.The writer believes that art should never be kept in museums. |
B.The writer is losing his love of art due to museums’ policies. |
C.The writer believes museums are taking away the power of art. |
D.The writer believes that art should be replaced by something else. |
A.Help me. | B.Control me. | C.Misunderstand me. | D.Frighten me. |
A.All of us can create art. | B.Museums are of little use. |
C.Admission to museums should be free. | D.Museums should give visitors more freedom. |
7 . A new study shows that female academics are significantly underrepresented in winning academic prizes and having awards named after them. Analysis of nearly 9,000 awardees and 346 scientific prizes and medals published in Nature Human Behaviour has found that men win eight prizes for every one won by a woman if the award is named after a man. These awards represent almost two-thirds of all scientific prizes. Female academics are, however, more likely to win awards that have been named after other notable female scientists, with 47% of those awards going to women and 53% to men.
Dr Katja Gehmlich, Associate Professor in the Institute of Cardiovascular Science at the University of Birmingham and joint lead author of the study, said, “The gender gap between awardees in scientific prizes is sadly a product of a long, systematic issue of poor representation of women in sciences. Despite decades of efforts to rebalance this issue, our study shows that women are still poorly recognized for their scientific contributions, and men are far more likely to win prizes and awards, in particular, if those awards are named after other men.
“It seems particularly shocking to me that awards named after women still see more than half of prizes going to men. We further propose a list of actions to address and overcome these issues but are aware this will be a long process. The Nominate Her movement is one way that the scientific community can begin to address this,” said Dr Gehmlich.
Prof Stefan Krause from the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Birmingham and joint lead author of the study said, “Our data is indicative of much wider issues of gender inequality within sciences. Our current publication is an initial attempt to understand the causes of such striking gender inequality and to promote discussion on the subject within our scientific communities.”
“Research culture has a lot to do to improve the gender prize gap, as well as efforts to address the inequality that sees almost two-thirds of prizes currently named after men. More pathways may also be needed, such as renaming or getting rid of gender names associated with some awards,” added Prof Krause.
1. How are awards named after female scientists distributed between genders?A.Males are in the majority. |
B.Females take up a bit more than half. |
C.They are almost entirely awarded to females. |
D.They are evenly distributed between males and females. |
A.Doubtful. | B.Tolerant. |
C.Uncaring. | D.Disappointed. |
A.Establishing gender rates for awards. |
B.Increasing the number of female judges. |
C.Encouraging more women to enter scientific fields. |
D.Renaming or removing gender names from awards. |
A.Achievements of women in science |
B.The role of men in the scientific world |
C.Gender inequality in scientific awards |
D.Future of gender equality in academia |
8 . Wellness for Younger Tastes
Wellness, or yangsheng in Mandarin, is no longer a term exclusive to the middle-aged and elderly. Faced with intense competition in education and their careers, those born in the 1990s and 2000s have already started a journey to safeguard their health. As the pursuit of wellness becomes an essential pastime for many young people, a trend known as “New Chinese-style Wellness” has taken over social media platforms.
Given the long hours facing a computer for work, young people often experience muscle discomfort in their shoulders and neck. Besides using a meridian massage (按摩) device, they may also get regular professional massages at hospitals to ease these issues.
A.Many young people are riding the trend |
B.Furthermore, it advocates for light exercise |
C.There is a reflection of young people’s consumption trends |
D.Having a balanced and healthy diet has always been important |
E.“New Chinese-style Wellness” emphasizes the idea of dietary therapy |
F.Modern young people have a different lifestyle from the older generation |
G.The demand for health and wellness among modern individuals is significant |
9 . All forms of tobacco — cigarettes, pipes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco — are dangerous. It doesn’t help to substitute products that seem like they’re better for you than regular cigarettes, such as filtered or low-tar cigarettes.
The only thing that really helps a person avoid the problems associated with smoking is staying smoke free. This isn’t always easy, especially if everyone around you is smoking and offering you cigarettes. It may help to have your reasons for not smoking ready for times you may feel the pressure, such as “I just don’t like it” or “I want to stay in shape for soccer (or football, basketball or other sport)”.
The good news for people who don’t smoke or who want to quit is that studies show that the number of teens who smoke has dropped evidently. Today, about 23% of high school students smoke.
If you do smoke and want to quit, you have lots of information and support available. Different approaches to quitting work for different people. For some, quitting cold turkey is best. Others find that a slower approach is the way to go. Some people find that it helps to go to a support group especially for teens. These are sometimes sponsored by local hospitals or organizations like the American Cancer Society. The Internet offers a number of good resources to help people quit smoking.
When quitting, it can be helpful to realize that the first few days are the hardest. So don’t give up. Some people find they have a few setbacks before they manage to quit for good.
Staying smoke free will give you a whole lot more of everything — more energy, better performance, better looks, more money in your pocket, and, in the long run, more life to live!
1. What will be the best title of the passage?A.Staying smoke free | B.Live a long life |
C.The smoking problems | D.The good news for smokers |
A.Sports activities. | B.Finding no reasons. |
C.Cigarettes offered around you. | D.The pressure from your work. |
A.Walking slowly. | B.Eating cold turkey. |
C.Staying in hospital. | D.Finding a suitable approach. |
A.have no cancer | B.be more attractive |
C.run for a long time | D.get more opportunities |
10 . Ask most people which day of the week they fear the most and the answer is likely to be Monday. The first day of the working week can make us experience a sense of tiredness or fatigue.
Some consider the term, pseudo-science, saying that there is no such thing as a 24-hour depression.
Fortunately, we don’t have to suffer that on Monday, not if we remember: we all have our good days and our bad days, and those aren’t for the calendar (日历) to decide.
A.The most depressing day of the year is the third Monday in January. |
B.Actually it’s common to feel a bit depressed for several times in a year. |
C.But most people know that the Monday blues can be very real. |
D.That’s why the feeling is described as the Monday blues. |
E.The term is not even scientifically true, with basically no evidence. |
F.These can have a negative impact on our performance, productivity and the people around. |
G.In fact, it’s actually a good opportunity to check in on our mental health. |