A. stems B. insecure C. squeezed D. individual E. glued F. spreading G. head H. simply I. distracting J. spacious K. originally |
You’ll Often Walk Alone
There has been a quiet pandemic (流行病) developing while most people’s attention has been on Covid-19. The lockdown has worsened a problem that has been
Part of the problem
Perhaps loneliness relates to human history. Mass urbanization is a relatively recent development; if the history of human existence was
Some changes in behavior are owing to
A. public B. inadequate C. lowered D. released E. disappointment F. casting G. possibility H. objective I. desperately J. balance K. compared |
Why Aren’t Women Happier?
Why aren’t women happier these days?
That’s the question raised by a thought-provoking study, The Paradox of Declining Female Happiness,
The research, by University of Pennsylvania economists Stevenson and Wolfers, and made
One theory for the decline in happiness is that expectations for workplace and general advancement were raised too high by the women’s movement and women might feel
The researchers acknowledge that’s a
“If the women’s movement raised women’s expectations faster than society was able to meet them,” the paper says, “they would be more likely to experience
Readers, why do you think women are unhappier than in the past? Do you think that if expectations for “having it all” were
A. suffering B. intensive C. demanding D. adopting E. inactive F. adapting G. available H. guarantee I. distinctive J. discouraging K. distinct |
Health and diet
In recent cars, many Asian countries have noticed a worrying new problem: obesity, which is also very serious in China. More than a third of Chinese adults are overweight. Even more worrying is the level of obesity among Chinese children. It is estimated that the number of children in China
There are many reasons for this situation. The simplest explanation is that food is now
Increasing obesity is worrying for many reasons. The condition can lead to serious health problems, including increased risk of heart disease and even diabetes. Dealing with their health problems seems really costly and
The government in China is taking action to deal with obesity, however. In many primary and middle schools, young students are receiving low calorie lunches with more vegetables and less meat and fat. Also, parents are
It is not
A delivered B management C overlooked D.products E.rural F. shifted G.strategies H.sufficient I. tremendous J.urbanisation K.worst |
National governments neglecting development needs of cities
National governments around the world are neglecting the needs of their major cities with non-existent or inadequate development policies, a new report has found. National governments are key to making cities more sustainable, because cities are limited distinctly in the policy measures they can take for themselves, the report points out. However, only a quarter of the world’s governments have urban development policies at all, and most of those that do exist are far from
The report looks at the key measures of energy production, transport, waste
The report, from the Stockholm Environment Institute and the Coalition for Urban Transitions and funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, suggests national governments have
Cities around the world are facing rapid population growth, and are likely to be among the areas
A. advocates B. inevitable C. invest D. movement E. placed F. pointless G. present H. pressure I. progress J. recruiting K. through |
Bright Future for Girls
Worldwide, 130 million girls are out of school. At the United Nations two years ago, leaders promised to ensure every girl receives 12 years of education by 2030, but contributions from donor countries have declined. Some days are hard—but I refuse to believe the world will always be as it is;
At the Malala Fund, we are investing in educators in developing countries. These
I believe in girls like Najlaa, who are leading the fight for themselves and their sisters. I believe in the millions of people who support our
A. broadcast B. estimates C. involves D. performing E. barriers F. themes G. amateur H. hire I. boost J. demanding K. proving |
“MEN ARE adorable,” begins Yang Li in a sketch first aired last year. “But mysterious...After all, they can look so average and yet be so full of confidence.” It seemed a gentle dig by the newly crowned “punchline queen” of “Rock and Roast”, a television show starring
Long the stars of Chinese joke-making, men are unhappy about being the butt (笑柄) of it. Chizi, a popular male contestant on “Rock and Roast” with a special liking for boorish jokes, sniffed that Ms Yang was “not
Western-style stand-up comedy has taken off since it appeared in China a decade ago. It is
The show, which began in 2017, has been a(n)
Ms Yang has used the backlash against her gag to create a new one. It
A. addicted B. pleasing C. limited D. baggage E. conscious F. quotation G. operating H. imposed I. strings J. informative K. sinking |
Who’s in control of your life? Who is pulling your
So when people tell us how wonderful we are, it makes us feel good. We long for this good feeling like a drug—we are
But just as with any drug there is a price to pay. The price of the approval drug is freedom—the freedom to be ourselves. The truth is that we cannot control what other people think. People have their own agenda, and they come with their own
So how can we take back control? I think there’s only one way—make a(n)
A. approved B. violated C. existing D. drawn E. criticized F. strengthening G. going H. improved I. aroused J. concerns K. promoted |
Many people honor Guan Yu (or Guan Gong), a hero during the Three Kingdoms period. But recently, a statue of the ancient general has
In October, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said on its website that the construction of the Guan Yu statue in Jingzhou, Hubei province,
The monumental(极大的) statue, built in a Guan Yu-themed park, covers an area of 152,000 square meters and weighs more than 5,000 tons. At about 58 meters tall, the statue surpassed the 24-meter limit on structures in local areas, according to CCTV News.
Even the cost of building the statue, about 170 million yuan, far exceeds the
Due to recent media reports, the issue caught the public’s attention and
On Nov 17, the local authorities responded that experts have been organized to make a plan to relocate the statue. This announcement once again stirred discussion online.
Many asked to keep the statue, considering the cost and effort that had gone into the project. One internet user commented that “relocation would cost a lot of money. Why not just keep it and explore further development using
According to Hui Ming, from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, this should be a lesson for local decision-makers. Before
This is not the only case of such an extravagant landmark. The Shuisi Tower project in Dushan county, Guizhou province, was also
Limit size of structures
The MOHURD has issued a notice on
To protect historical and traditional buildings, the MOHURD announced in April that urban architectures cannot be built taller than 500 meters unless their plans are approved.
A. highlighting B. total C. enriched D. urgent E. relief F. perspective G. ignoring H. altered I. filling J. separate K. downgraded |
Chinese Women Bridging Gap
Zhang Jianli used to employ only male workers on his construction sites throughout Chifeng, Inner Mongolia. Now with large quantities of work but inadequate manpower, Mr. Zhang has
A labor shortage is pushing employers to hire more women to build high-rises, maintain rail tracks and drive trucks, among other roles. Chinese women are
Women’s presence on construction sites has grown a lot. As a consequence, employers have set up
State media, in recent years, have praised the roles of women working as truck drivers and construction workers,
A.tirelessly B. urgency C.concrete D.acknowledged E.roadmap F.call G committed H. intended I. update J. summed K.just |
The pressure for change is building: reactions to the Glasgow climate pact
The Glasgow climate package, aimed at ensuring the world limits global heating to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, was
"There is still a huge amount more to do in the coming years. But today's agreement is a big step forward and, critically, we have the first ever international agreement to phase down (逐步减少)coal and a
Al Gore,the former US vice-president,also praised the public pressure put on world leaders at the conference: “The Glasgow Climate Pact and the pledges made at Cop26 move the global community forward in our urgent work to address the climate crisis and limit global temperature rise to 1.5C, but we know this progress, while meaningful,is not enough. “We must move faster to deliver a
Many developed and developing countries nailed the progress it represented on the world's goals .But green campaigners warned that the
On the last-minute weakening of language about phasing out coal, Timmermans said: "Let's be clear, I'd rather not have the change. I was very happy with the language we had." But he added it was “like going from 24 carat gold to 18 carat, it's still gold...we are now making
Countries will have to return next year and the year after to