1 . Lin Hanxing is a 30-year-old girl who lives in Beijing. She owns just five shirts, two pairs of pants, four pairs of shoes and a few other things.     1     Back then, she had more than 400 pieces of clothing and handbags.

But that was before she saw an online challenge in 2014, introduced by Joshua Becker, a blogger in the United States who was promoting a minimalist lifestyle (极简生活方式).He encouraged people to reduce the number of their belongings to fewer than 100. Lin decided to give it a try.

    2     She also deleted 120 contacts she never spoke to from her social networking account. After doing all that, Lin said she felt “lighter”.

We used to think owning more was the way to lead a rich life. But now many people tend to believe that the opposite is also true - and perhaps truer.    3    These people are making the statement: “I can afford to have less.”

But leading a minimalist lifestyle doesn’t mean spending less. A report by UK market research company Euromonitor found young Chinese people spend less on possessions, but more on short holidays and visits to the movies.     4    

    5     Is wealth in life about buying more and owning more, or is it about learning more and experiencing more?

A．She got rid of 90 percent of her stuff.

B．They are looking for a life that is all about culture.

C．So perhaps it all comes down to how we define “rich”.

D．It was a challenge she took part in five years ago that changed her life.

E．Do you know what is rich in life?

F．It’s hard to believe that only five years ago, Lin was one of those people who couldn't stop buying stuff.

G．People who are educated and well-off are more likely to have a minimalist lifestyle.

2 . Removing gender bias

Tailors worked out long ago that men and women have different shapes. Yet this message has failed to enter many other areas of design. Car seat belts, for example, which date back to the 1880s, are often still more suitable for men, who tend to sit farther back than women when driving. And today the most forward-looking tech companies on Earth are still placing old-school bias (偏见；成见) into new products. Consider smart phones. Most are too big to fit comfortably into the average woman’s hand, as are many video-game controllers.

An obvious part of the explanation for their design problem is that men control most of its companies—male-run firms receive 82% of venture-capital (VC) funding. Male bosses may be unaware of the problems women face. They may not flag up obvious areas of concern, or ask the right questions when doing their research for a new product design. And once an idea gets the green light, it will then be handled by product-design and engineering teams, three-quarters of whose members are men. These teams often use data to make decisions, but mixing all users together means they may fail to spot trends based on sex differences. Dependence on historical data, and the lack of data on underrepresented groups, can also create bias in algorithms (算法).

Next comes testing. Naturally, designers test original models on their intended customers, but they may not get feedback from a broad enough group of people. There is also the risk of confirmation bias—designers may listen to what they want to hear, and ignore negative reactions from some groups of users.

Tech’s design bias needs fixing for moral, safety and business reasons. The ethical importance is obvious: it is wrong that women have to make do with a “one-size-fits-men” world, as Caroline Criado Perez, a writer, puts it. As for safety, regulators can tackle that by banning things that are dangerous to women—including seat belts—because they are no! designed properly.

But there is also a powerful business case for avoiding design bias, because huge opportunities are being missed. Women are 50% of the population, and make 70—80% of the world’s consumer-spending decisions.

Change is coming. The first voice-recognition systems struggled to understand female voices, but most now manage just fine. “Femtech” start-up companies, which focus on women’s health and well-being, may raise MYM 1 billion by the end of this year. VC funds and tech firms are hiring more women. Ensuring that products are designed for everyone would lead to happier and safer customers. For the companies that get it right, that means higher profits. What is holding them back?

1. The underlined part in Paragraph 2 means ________.

A．hits the market	B．gets approval
C．becomes successful	D．comes into being

2. What is discussed in Paragraphs 2 and 3?

A．Why tech’s design bias needs to be fixed.

B．How gender bias is affecting tech companies.

C．Where gender bias in product design is rooted.

D．Who is to blame for gender bias in tech companies.

3. We can learn from the passage that ________.

A．tech companies are unwilling to change

B．design bias may result in missed opportunities

C．male workers benefit more in engineering teams

D．tech companies are poor at making user-friendly products

4. How does the author feel about the future of bias-free product design?

A．Uncertain.	B．Sceptical.
C．Positive.	D．Negative.

3 . China dropped its decades-long, one-child policy several years ago to allow each family to have two children. This change has put 270 million married women of childbearing age in the position of choosing between family and work. The employers also face big challenges as more female workers will have two maternity leaves(产假）for a total of seven to eight months.

In a survey published by classified advertising website Ganji.com, career women who might be considering having a second child were asked what kinds of pressure they might expect. More than 76 percent of the women who were questioned mentioned concerns about the financial burden of raising two children, while more than 71 percent said it would be difficult to balance career and family. In addition, nearly 56 percent said that having a second child would definitely have a negative effect on their career.

Another survey conducted by Chongging-based human resources website job.cg.qq.com found that over 70 percent of job seekers believe that having a second child would make females less popular in the job market, although two-thirds of the employers said the policy will make no difference in their employment of staff.

Feng Lijuan, a senior expert on human resources at 51 job. com, a leading Chinese job finding platform, said she would not say “there is prejudice against career women”. Feng said Chinese women shoulder more family responsibility. “It is not only about maternity leave; a female employee might only fully get back to work after three to five years after having her first child.”

Wang Yixin, a senior employment adviser, said the positive side is that more companies are trying to attract more talents by providing support to career women: “Different from before, it is not only employers choosing employees. Many talents, including professional career women, also choose employers,” said Wang. “According to our survey, many large companies are very open to their employees’ choice of. having a second child.”

1. In Paragraph 1, the end of one-child policy has great effect on ________.

A．women	B．women and families
C．bosses	D．women and employers

2. According to the second survey, most people think having a second child would ________.

A．have no effect on career women

B．have a positive effect on women's career

C．have a negative effect on women's career

D．have both positive and negative effects on career women

3. Which of the following sentences agrees with Feng Lijuan?

A．There isn't prejudice against career women.

B．The effect is only limited to maternity leave.

C．There is much more prejudice against career women.

D．Women can't fully come back to work for a long period.

4. Which is the best title for the passage?

A．Responsibilities of Career Women

B．Effects of Two-child Policy on Women

C．Disadvantages of Raising Two Children

D．Different Attitudes of Employers to Women

4 . Life can be challenging for teens. They must deal with schoolwork, family life and friends at the same time to fit. Feelings of sadness, frustration and irritability are common.     1     Their negative feelings don't come and go. Instead, those intense feelings can point to a disease called depression—one that may require treatment.

It's easy to think that depressed people simply feel sad or hopeless. For many teens that may be true.     2     Some kids withdraw from friends and family. Others respond with angry outbursts. Some teens may skip school or stop eating or sleeping. Teachers, parents or even a teen's close friends may find it hard to tell whether these behaviors are just part of being a teens or signs of something truly serious.

Even depressed teens may not realize they have this problem.     3     More than three million Americans between the ages of 12 and 17 experienced depression in 2019. However, a study by researchers at Harvard and Yale universities found that half of all teens with depression don't get help until they become adults. And only one in three will have been diagnosed by their doctor.

    4     "I can only work with what you give me," Dee says, the mental-health professional in Lincoln, Neb.

Dee says, peers should also seek for signs of depression. Keep an eye on your friends, she recommends. Watch for symptoms of isolation (孤立) or hopelessness.     5     Any of these behaviors could be a symptom of depression.

Overall, knowing who—and how—to help is essential for successfully treating depression in teens.

A．And the share of those affected is high.

B．Some may start abusing alcohol or drugs.

C．Teens should be honest with their answers.

D．The problem is that depression in teens can be hard to spot.

E．There is a link between mental illness and suicide in teens.

F．But for some teens, those emotions take a more extreme turn.

G．Even skipping classes can be a sign that something serious is going on.

5 . 假设你是李华, 为了减少舌尖上的浪费，你校英语俱乐部拟举办有关“爱惜食物，从我做起”的英语演讲活动。请你写一篇演讲稿，内容包括：
1. 食物浪费的现象及危害；
2. 你爱惜食物的做法；
3.   你的倡议。
注意1．词数100左右；
2.   可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6 . Since Peter Singer published Animal Liberation in 1975, animal rights activists thought animals should be granted the same rights as humans. Referring to scientific studies showing animals_______“human characteristics”, they argue animals should be protected with the same rights. So why don’t animals have the same legal status (身份) as humans？

The line of reasoning in favor of granting animals equal rights to humans_______the fact that scientists have found characteristics in animals we normally_______with humans. A group of scientists showed monkeys demonstrate self-consciousness at the same level as humans. This has usually served as a justification for human rights, so why don’t we grant equal rights to monkeys？

The truth is,_______convincing scientific evidence, the argument for granting at least some animals the same rights as humans can’t be justified philosophically. An adequate argument for animal rights would require further philosophical inquiry and not just descriptive_______. We can feel pity for animals being treated badly and strive to protect them from such treatment. This,_______, doesn’t mean animals should enjoy the same legal status as humans.

There is a strong reason for_______that rights only apply to humans. While fundamental rights surely are valuable in their nature, they would be worthless without a system to_______them. That is why we expect other people to respect our rights.

The system that defends our rights is the fact that other people are obliged by_______in their behaviors towards us. In our daily life, we experience numerous situations in which bad guys could________from violating (侵犯) our rights. Nevertheless, we see, of course, with some exceptions, that individuals cooperate and respect other people’s rights. Rights and duties are two sides of the same coin, and one cannot________to have certain rights without having to observe the duties.

If it is my claim to live freely on my property without being bothered, my neighbor’s duty prevents him from violating my right to property and life. Suppose, however, he breaks in and damages my property. He will then be held responsible in a court of law, for he has________his duty to respect my rights. This is completely reasonable, but we will certainly face________if my property was violated by an elephant.

If we assume that animals are granted the same legal status as humans,________requires that we now drag he elephant into court. Remember, if an animal were to have such rights, it would logically also have social duties. Therefore, it is now________to the same legal procedures as humans. This raises practical questions: Who will defend the animal in court？And will the animal be able to comprehend what is going on？

1.

A．acquiring

B．desiring

C．displaying

D．respecting

2.

A．explores

B．challenge

C．overlooks

D．emphasizes

3.

A．treat

B．associate

C．deal

D．bear

4.

A．considering

B．despite

C．instead of

D．according to

5.

A．conclusions

B．performances

C．experiments

D．messages

6.

A．in return

B．for instance

C．therefore

D．however

7.

A．denying

B．maintaining

C．recognizing

D．suggesting

8.

A．approve

B．demand

C．ensure

D．reserve

9.

A．contracts

B．possession

C．faith

D．duties

10.

A．profit

B．keep

C．learn

D．result

11.

A．afford

B．claim

C．pretend

D．determine

12.

A．assigned

B．declared

C．failed

D．fulfilled

13.

A．dangers

B．questions

C．charges

D．obstacles

14.

A．agreement

B．justice

C．criticism

D．frustration

15.

A．open

B．addicted

C．subject

D．relevant

7 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

According to a new research, humans' attention time is getting shorter and it's all because of technology.

"We move quickly from one site     1     another on the website,” says Dr. Ted Selker, a computer scientist from Massachusetts." And we are losing the     2     (able) to concentrate." With millions of websites to choose from, the attention time of the average Internet users     3     (be) just seconds.

Some people are worried about it."You need time     4     (understand) and think about what you read," says Julia Wood, from London." Young people search online all the time and their brains become full of useless information but there is no time to     5     （true） make sense of it." To improve her students' concentration, Julia plays music during her science lessons. "It has amazing effects. The music made them     6     （calm）, and their concentration was much better," said Julia.

But not everyone believes there is a problem. Ray Cole,     7     is an educational psychologist, says, “On the website, young people learn to make quick decisions about what is and isn't worth     8     （read）. They might look at five unhelpful websites very quickly, before stopping and reading a     9     （six） useful website more carefully. With so much information available, this is     10     important skill."

8 . 阅读下面短文,从短文后各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。

Have you seen people who take pictures of food for more than 10 minutes before eating? How about those who beautify their selfie (自拍) so much that they can’t be____? There must be one or more who ____ in your social media. No matter _____they choose to share, they share the best but the most unreal.

Take my friend Chen for example. Every time we went to a restaurant, she would not take a _____ until all the dishes we ____were on the table. Then, she would spend five minutes on______the dishes in a seemingly random but in fact ____ order. Then the most important part: taking pictures. After that, she would choose one of the ____ and click in the filter(滤镜) app. The food eventually looked 10 times more delicious than it really was, but we had no ____ to really enjoy it — it all went cold. Actually Chen's real life is much less elegant. For example, she hates to wash the dishes, so she leaves them in the sink for____.

Many people care too much about others’ opinions and try too hard to ___ others. They find it hard to be ____ and to accept themselves, and thus they are afraid to show their ____ life on social media. What they are trying to prove is____what they lack in reality. But this will not bring any_____ to reality, as they still____ the same old pattern of life.

If they really want an elegant life, they should put more____ into achieving it_____fabricating(伪造) it. Being more confident, _____themselves and trying their best to be better is much more meaningful than_____ their life on social media.

1.

A．envied

B．admired

C．defeated

D．recognized

2.

A．survive

B．exist

C．flood

D．spot

3.

A．how

B．what

C．where

D．whom

4.

A．bow

B．bite

C．breath

D．break

5.

A．offered

B．served

C．ordered

D．prepared

6.

A．cooking

B．washing

C．setting

D．collecting

7.

A．arranged

B．messy

C．casual

D．correct

8.

A．dishes

B．restaurants

C．pictures

D．tables

9.

A．choice

B．chance

C．excuse

D．reason

10.

A．months

B．years

C．weeks

D．days

11.

A．comfort

B．inspire

C．please

D．discourage

12.

A．independent

B．generous

C．responsible

D．confident

13.

A．secret

B．healthy

C．peaceful

D．real

14.

A．rarely

B．hardly

C．exactly

D．nearly

15.

A．change

B．difficulty

C．guidance

D．harm

16.

A．question

B．dislike

C．follow

D．doubt

17.

A．effort

B．ambitions

C．feelings

D．money

18.

A．other than

B．more than

C．rather than

D．less than

19.

A．identifying

B．amusing

C．persuading

D．accepting

20.

A．simplifying

B．ruining

C．beautifying

D．worsening

9 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

The Chnise President Xi Jinping has expressed high expectations for art teachers and students to inherit （继承）and develop traditional Chinese opera. Xi made the remark in a letter     1    （ date） Oct 23 to teachers and students from the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts. Learning about the achievements made     2     the academy, Xi said he was very pleased and extended his sincere greetings to all teachers, students and staff     3    （member）.

Stressing that traditional Chinese opera     4    （ be） the treasure of Chinese culture, Xi encouraged the teachers and students     5     （explore） the true meaning of art through teaching and studying and constantly pursue （追求）art through serving the people. He also called on them to make     6    （ great） contributions to passing on the fine traditional Chinese culture and building China into a country with a strong socialist culture.

    7     （see） the reply from Xi, Chen Zhu, 18, studying Peking Opera at the academy's affiliated （附属的）middle school, said she was proud to be a   young representative among the four generations of teachers and students     8     wrote to Xi. She will keep Xi's     9    （instruct） in mind, do     10    best to carry on traditional Chinese culture and make more people know about Peking Opera, Chen said.

10 . Are people less or more happy when they get older? A study in 2018 found that people generally become/happier and experience less worry after age 50. In fact, it found that by the age of 85, people are happier with their life than they were at 18.

Arthur Stone in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Stony Brook University in New York led the-study. His team found that levels of stress were the highest among adults between the ages of 22 and 25.    1    

Happiness was the highest among the youngest adults and those in their early 70s. But the people least likely to report feeling negative emotions were those in their 70s and 80s.

The survey also found that men and women have similar emotional patterns as they grow older.    2    

The researchers also considered possible influences like having young children, being unemployed or being single. But, they found that influences like these did not affect the levels of happiness and well-being related to age.

    3     One theory is that, as people get older, they become more than thankful for what they have and have better control of their emotions. They also spend less time thinking about bad experience.

    4     In another study, people in their 80s reported the fewest problems with the quality of their sleep. The original goal was to confirm the popular belief that aging is connected with increased sleep problems.    5    But except for that, people reported that they felt their sleep quality improved as they got older.

A．Stress levels dropped sharply after people reached their 50s.

B．So why will happiness increase with age?

C．Researchers surveyed more than 150,000 American adults.

D．At that time, the people were between the ages of 18 and 85.

E．However, women at all ages reported more sadness, stress and worry than men.

F．Happiness is not the only thing that apparently improves with age.

G．The survey did find an increase during middle age, especially in women.