1 . When Lenore Skenazy let her 9-year-old son take the New York subway home by himself 10 years ago, you would have thought that she’d carried out a crime. Now Skenazy started the movement Free Range (放养的) Kids to bring up safe and independent children. Just this month, Utah became a free range state, changing its law to protect parents from being charged with neglect (疏忽)for letting their kids walk alone, or wait in a car for an adult.
Skenazy argues that the risks of giving children some freedom are exaggerated (夸大). Skenazy’s mother used to send her outside at 5 to walk to school. That was just normal back then. And suddenly we hear stories about parents getting punished for letting their 10-year-old son play outside.
We get so used to not knowing our neighbors, not letting our kids walk to school, or play outside, that nowadays, the kids are either in a car or in the backyard, and they don’t get to know the neighborhood. In fact, the world has become safer. We have the technologies to keep track of almost everything our kids do. And so you think you must control them, and you think your child is something that has to be tracked like a package.
The famous case for many parents was the Etan Patz case in New York in 1979. Patz’s parents gave him permission for the first time to walk to the bus stop nearby. He was killed. The story is so terrible that we remember it two generations later. And we don’t allow our kids to walk alone because of one terrible thing that happened 39 years ago. But we don’t say, “I want to drive you to the dentist, but what if we get in a car accident? Think of those people who died in a car accident 39 years ago. I don’t want to be like them. No, we’re not going.” And we recognize that it would be funny to think that way.
1. What do we know about Lenore Skenazy?| A．She used to have full control of her son. |
| B．She was in favor of Utah’s previous law. |
| C．She suggests kids be allowed more freedom. |
| D．She was once punished for neglecting her son. |
| A．People remain distant. |
| B．Kids dislike outdoor activities. |
| C．Parents know little about accidents. |
| D．The crime rate is slightly increasing. |
| A．Unclear | B．Supportive. | C．Indifferent. | D．Unfavorable. |
| A．To prove accidents are like crimes. |
| B．To warn parents of a terrible crime. |
| C．To argue against some parents’ worry. |
| D．To point out the real danger to children. |
2 . Drive through any suburb in the U. S. today, and it’s hard to miss the recycling bins that have become companions to America’s trash cans. Recycling has become common, as people recognize the need to care for the environment. Yet most people’s recycling awareness extends (延伸) only as far as paper, bottle, and cans. People seldom find themselves facing the growing problem of e-waste.
E-waste rapidly increases as the techno-fashionable frequently upgrade to the most advanced devices, and the majority of them end up in landfills (填埋). Some people who track such wastes say that users throw away nearly 2 million tons of TVs, VCRs, computers, cell phones, and other electronics every year. Unless we can find a safe replacement (替代品), this e-waste may get into the ground and poison the water with dangerous toxins (霉素), such as lead, mercury, and arsenic. Burning the waste also dangerously contaminates the air.
However, e-waste often contains reusable silver, gold, and other electrical materials. Recycling these materials reduces environmental problems by reducing both landfill waste and the need to look for such metals, which can destroy ecosystems.
A growing number of states have passed laws to ban (禁止) getting rid of e-waste. Still, less than a quarter of this waste will reach lawful recycling programs. Some companies advertising safe disposal (处理) in fact merely ship the waste to some developing countries, where it still ends up in landfills. These organizations prevent progress by unsafely disposing of waste in an out-of-sight, out-of-mind location.
However, the small but growing number of cities and corporations that do handle e-waste responsibly represents progress toward making the world a cleaner, better place for us all.
1. What can we know from the first paragraph?| A．E-waste cannot be put into trash cans in the U. S. |
| B．Many Americans now have access to recycling bins. |
| C．Most Americans have realized the dangers of e-waste. |
| D．Most of America’s trash cans are made of recycled material. |
| A．Pollutes. | B．Heats. | C．Attacks. | D．Reduces. |
| A．Much e-waste is still not properly handled. |
| B．Some developing countries welcome e-waste. |
| C．Laws have played a major role in getting rid of e-waste. |
| D．The e-waste buried in the landfills won’t destroy ecosystem. |
| A．To tell us how to recycle &waste. |
| B．To talk about the future of e-waste. |
| C．To discuss if it’s necessary to, recycle e-waste. |
| D．To encourage people to deal with e-waste properly. |
3 . ChatGPT, launched in November, 2022, has attracted over 100 million monthly users in just two months, which is considered the fastest-growing consumer app.
ChatGPT can write emails, computer code, even academic papers and poems.
So is ChatGPT a benefit or a trouble?
According to a survey covering more than 100 educators and over 1,000 students, one-third of the educators said they believe ChatGPT should be banned in schools and universities, while the rest supported students having access to it. The attitude of most students sees a distinct difference.
As a result, the observed value and usefulness of ChatGPT seem to outweigh the risks. What we should focus on has shifted to better deal with the chatbot and its development.
| A．The answers varies greatly across the world. |
| B．It is undoubtedly a shocking achievement. |
| C．Also, it has succeeded in passing different kinds of exams. |
| D．By comparison, others regard it as a blessing rather than a curse. |
| E．They admitted having sought help from ChatGPT to complete their homework. |
| F．The worry is that ChatGPT could change the basic training structure of higher education. |
| G．It is widely discussed whether and to what extent AI should be involved in a scientific article. |
4 . The “selfie” is not new; many people have always produced self-portraits (自画像). Personally I didn’t enjoy art at school, but I did remember that we were always drawing pictures of our faces. However, I think this shows just how old the self-portrait is. The only thing that has really changed is the technology which we use to create self-portraits. We have gone from pencil to the digital camera. The digital version has now become “selfie” (a word now so popular that it is named the Oxford English Dictionary Online’s “Word of the Year”).
Traditionally, the best way to take a selfie was to stand in front of a mirror. This was fine though it did look a little silly as, no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t hide the camera. Of course, phones now have cameras on both the back and the front so you don’t need a mirror to guide you. The drawback (缺点) to this more modern method is that you can usually see the photographer’s arm in the photo.
I don’t really understand the attraction of the selfie. Taking a photo of yourself in the bathroom doesn’t provide the best scenery (especially if you forget to put the toilet seat down, gentlemen).At famous tourist attractions, it always saddens me to see people take selfies; travelling on your own is fine, but are you so mistrustful of strangers that you cannot ask a passer-by to take the photo for you?
However, there have been a lot of arguments over the selfie. Recently, one New York tourist took a selfie with a man threatening to commit suicide (自杀) on the edge of a bridge behind her; and, even more recently, Barack Obama, along with David Cameron and the Danish prime minister, Thorning Schmidt, took a “group selfie at Nelson Mandela’s funeral.
1. Why is the word “selfie” named the Oxford English Dictionary Online’s “Word of the Year”?| A．It can be written in pencil easily. |
| B．It is very important in the dictionary. |
| C．It means the development of technology. |
| D．It is a new word used widely and popularly. |
| A．There are arms in the picture. |
| B．The camera is always in the picture. |
| C．The picture is often not very clear. |
| D．The mirror can hardly be avoided. |
| A．may lead to commit suicide |
| B．may bring unlucky things to us |
| C．is not suitable at some moments |
| D．is popular on the ledge of a bridge |
| A．Doubtful. |
| B．Negative. |
| C．Objective. |
| D．Optimistic. |
5 . Contrary to the impression that grandmothers are delighted to help their grown daughters and care for their grandchildren, a study of multigenerational families shows that many older women hate the frequent demands that the younger generations make on their time and energy.
“Young women with children are under a lot of pressure these days, and they expect their mothers to help them pick up the pieces,” noted Dr. Bertram J. Cohler, a behavioral scientist at the University of Chicago. “This is often the strongest source of complaint on the part of Grandmother, who has finished with child caring and now has her own life to live. Grandmothers like to see their children and grandchildren, but on their own time.”
Dr. Cohler is director of a study, sponsored by the National Institute of Aging, of 150 working class families that live in a Midwestern suburb. He and Dr. Henry U. Gruebaum of Harvard Medical School, have already completed their study of four such families in New England.
Dr. Cohler tells of a middle-aged Boston woman who works as a cook all week and for her parish (教区) on Sundays. Every Saturday, her one day off, her daughter and family visit, expecting mother to make lunch, shop, and visit. “That’s not how she wants to grow old,” said Dr. Cohler, who was told by the older woman, “My daughter would never speak to me if she knew how angry and unhappy I get.”
In all the four New England families studied, the older women disliked the numerous phone calls and visits from their grown daughters, who often turned to the mothers for advice, physical resources, love, and companionship as well as baby-sitting services. “American society keeps increasing the burdens for older people, particularly those in their 50s and 60s,” Dr. Cohler said in an interview here. “They’re still working and they’re taking care of their grown children and maybe also their aged parents. Sometimes life gets to be too much.”
1. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the expression “pick up the pieces” in the second paragraph?| A．Save a bad situation. | B．Put children’s toys in their proper places. |
| C．Gather up pieces of clothing. | D．Keep the room in good order. |
| A．expects her mother to cook lunch for her | B．enjoys the room in good order |
| C．visits an older woman every Saturday | D．works six days a week |
| A．young women’s inability to look after their children |
| B．Grandmothers’ attitudes toward helping their grown daughters |
| C．average American women’s family life |
| D．grandmother should give more help to their daughters |
| A．daughters should be independent of their old grandmothers |
| B．grandmother should give more help to their daughters |
| C．mothers and daughters should support each other |
| D．daughters should be more considerate toward their mothers |
6 . The Internet has led to a huge increase in credit card (信用卡) fraud. Your card information could even be for sale in an illegal web site. Web sites’ offering cheap goods and services should be regarded with care. Online shoppers who enter their credit card information may never receive the goods they thought they bought. The thieves then go shopping with your card number or sell the information over the Internet.
Computers hackers have broken down security systems, raising questions about the safety of cardholder information. Several months ago, 25,000 customers of CD Universe, an online music retailer (零售商) , were not lucky. Their names, addresses and credit card numbers were posted on a Web site after the retailer refused to pay US $157,828 to get back the information.
Credit card companies are now fighting against online fraud. MasterCard is working on plans for Web-only credit card, with a lower credit limit. The card could be used only for shopping online.
However, there are a few simple steps you can take to keep from being cheated.
Ask about your credit card company’s online rules: Under British law, cardholders have to pay the first US $78 of any fraudulent spending.
And shop only at secure sites; Send your credit card information only if the Web site offers advanced secure system.
If the security is in place, a letter will appear in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. The Web site address may also start https: //--the extra “s” stands for secure. If in doubt, give your credit card information over the telephone.
Keep your password safe: Most online sites require a user name and password before placing an order. Treat your passwords with care.
1. What do most people worry about the Internet according to this passage?| A．A lot of stolen credit-cards were sold on the Internet. |
| B．Fraud on the Internet. |
| C．Many Web sites are destroyed. |
| D．Many illegal Web sites are on the Internet. |
| A．Cheating. | B．Sale. | C．Payment. | D．Safety. |
| A．The customers give them the information. |
| B．The thieves steal the information from Web sites. |
| C．The customers sell the information to them. |
| D．The thieves buy the information from credit-card firms. |
| A．Four. | B．Three. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
| A．Order the TV set at once. |
| B．Do not buy the TV set on this site. |
| C．E-mail the site your credit card information. |
| D．Tell the site your password and buy the TV set for you. |
7 . After bikes and umbrellas are made sharable across China, some companies started eyeing the fitness market, so shared gym rooms have hit the streets in Beijing.
Unlike common gyms that provide large, open spaces for many members to share at the same time, the newly built shared gym rooms are small, stand-alone rooms for a person to use, often set up near living communities.
Every four-square-meter room is equipped with a treadmill (跑步机), an air cleaner, a mirror, a television and an air conditioner, and users can let down the curtains for privacy. When exercising, users can listen to music, watch movies and check emails by connecting to the Internet by the screen fixed on the treadmill. There’s no shower or washbasin.
Similar to using a shared bike, users can locate a shared gym room by smartphone application, book a room in advance and then need to scan a QR code for use. A refundable deposit (保证金) of 99 yuan is required, and users are charged 1 yuan every 5 minutes.
The shared gym rooms are created by Misspao, a Beijing-based technology company founded in July. Within several months since it was founded, the company has already raised over 100 million yuan, Yicai Global reports. The idea of the shared fitness experience is not entirely nascent. Last December, the Shanghai-based technology company VRUN set up shared treadmills in office and apartment buildings.
The sharing economy is still becoming popular in China. According to Yicai Global, confident investors are pouring millions into sharing start-ups. In March, the State Information Center published a report which predicts that the total value of China’s sharing economy will see a yearly growth of 40% in the coming years, and it is expected to make a great contribution to the country’s GDP.
1. What makes the shared gym room different from the common one?| A．Holding one person at a time. | B．Standing in the living zone. |
| C．Offering open spaces. | D．Having some advanced equipment. |
| A．Let down curtains for privacy. | B．Pay 100 yuan first. |
| C．Use a smartphone. | D．Have a shower before exercise. |
| A．Simple. | B．Popular. | C．Satisfying. | D．New. |
| A．To advertise a technology company. | B．To introduce shared gym rooms. |
| C．To support the shared gym rooms. | D．To predict the future of shared gym rooms. |
8 . The world itself is becoming much smaller by using modern traffic and modern communication means. Life today is much easier than it was hundreds of years ago, but it has brought new problems. One of the biggest problems is pollution. To pollute means to make things dirty. Pollution comes in many ways. We see it, smell it, drink it and even hear it.
Man has been polluting the earth. The more people, the more pollution. Many years ago, the problem was not so serious because there were not so many people. When the land was used up or the river was dirty in one place, man moved to another place. But this is no longer true. Man is now slowly polluting the whole world.
Air pollution is still the most serious. It’s bad for all living things in the world, but it is not the only one kind of pollution. Water pollution kills our fish and pollutes our drinking water. Noise pollution makes us angry more easily.
Many countries are making rules to fight pollution. They stop people from burning coal in houses and factories in the city, and from putting dirty smoke into the air.
Pollution by SO2 is now the most dangerous kind of air pollution. It is caused by heavy traffic. We are sure that if there are fewer people driving, there will be less air pollution.
The earth is our home. We must take care of it. That means keeping the land, water and air clean. And we must take care of the rise in pollution at the same time.
1. Hundreds of years ago, life was ________ it is today.| A．much easier than | B．as easy as |
| C．much harder than | D．as hard as |
| A．rubbish | B．noise pollution |
| C．air pollution | D．water pollution |
| A．it makes much noise | B．it makes us angry more easily |
| C．it makes our rivers and lakes dirty | D．it’s bad for all living things in the world |
| A．stopping people from burning coal. |
| B．stopping people from pouring dirty water into the ocean. |
| C．stopping people from moving to other places. |
| D．stopping people from putting dirty smoke in the air. |
| A．Many countries are making rules to fight pollution. |
| B．The pollution of the earth grows as fast as the world population does. |
| C．The problem of pollution is not so serious because there are not so many people living on the earth. |
| D．If people could go to work by bus or bike instead of car or motorbike, it would be helpful in fighting against the problem of SO2. |
9 . Culture shock occurs when people have been suddenly thrown into a new culture. Newcomers may be anxious because they don’t speak the language. Neither do they know the customs or understand the people’s behavior in daily life.
Quite often the visitor find that “yes” may not always mean “yes”, that friendliness does not necessarily mean friendship, or that statements that appear to be serious are really intended as jokes. The foreigners may be unsure as when to shake hands, when to start conversations, or how to approach a stranger. The idea of culture shock helps explain feeling of puzzlement and confusion.
Language problems do not lead to all the setbacks that people feel. When one has lost everything that was once familiar, such as understanding a transportation system, knowing how to register (注册，登记) for university classes, or knowing how to make friends, difficulties in coping with the new society may arise.
When an individual enters a strange culture, he or she feels like a fish out of water. Newcomers feel at times that they do not belong to the culture and feel deserted by the native members of the culture. When this happens, visitors may want to refuse everything about the new environment and may glorify and sing their own praises of the positive aspects of their own culture. On the other side, more visitors may sneeze at their native country by rejecting its value and instead choosing to approve of the value of the new country. This may occur as an attempt to accept the new culture in order to be taken in by the people in it.
1. The biggest barrier (障碍) people often meet with in a new country is____| A．the language | B．the transportation |
| C．the environment | D．the puzzlement |
| A．Excited. | B．Delighted. | C．Upset. | D．Hopeless. |
| A．it’s impossible to get used to a new culture |
| B．people feel confused due to culture shock |
| C．foreigners often don’t mean what they say |
| D．most foreigners are usually quite humorous |
| A．people away from their cultures can hardly survive in a new culture |
| B．a fish can not survive without water |
| C．people away from their culture experience mental loneliness. |
| D．people away from their culture have many difficulties in new environment |
10 . A new study shows girls and boys as young as seven have the choice of jobs with gender differences. Girls choose jobs based on care and love, while boys choose jobs based on money and power.
Professor Laura Scholes and Dr Sarah McDonald surveyed 332 Year 3 students from 14 Australian schools. They found that the top professions for boys included sports and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) related jobs, while girls, on the other hand, wanted to be teachers or nurses.
Professor Scholes said the influence of gender stereotypes (刻板印象) on such choices begins in early childhood. “Bright pink toys for girls and blue toys for boys are sold on store shelves around the world.” she said, “In the boys’ section, you’ll find science, construction and warfare toys—perhaps a robot or a telescope. In the girls’ section, you’ll see toys related to cleaning, dolls, kitchens, makeup, jewellery and crafts.”
“This results in lower numbers of girls taking STEM subjects at school. In turn, this means fewer women are going to work in the sciences.” Professor Scholes’s comments came as women make up only 2 percent of the STEM workforce, with the biggest gap in the highest-paid jobs of computer science and engineering.
In Australia, some brands are no longer targeting boys or girls with their toys. Danish toy giant Lego last week announced that they would remove gender stereotypes from their toys, after a global study found that 71 percent of boys feared being made fun of for playing with toys marketed at girls. Lego said its products were mainly used by boys, but it promised to work to remove gender preference from its toys and instead market them for both genders.
1. Which of the following jobs do the boys tend to choose?| A．Programmers | B．Teachers | C．Nurses | D．Dressers |
| A．Because of the influence of gender stereotypes. |
| B．Because of their desire to be teachers or nurses. |
| C．Because of their hobbies based on care and love. |
| D．Because the jobs concerned with sciences are low-paid. |
| A．Advertise their products for boys. |
| B．Advertise their products for both genders. |
| C．Target boys or girls with their products. |
| D．Using gender stereotypes from their toys. |
| A．Fewer girls choose STEM subjects |
| B．Clever children love STEM subjects |
| C．Brands target children with their toys based on gender |
| D．Gender differences affect job choosing for children |
