Last week Meituan co-published a suggestion with a number of business organizations, calling on restaurants
On Friday the China Cuisine（餐饮）Association
Across the country, about 40% of all the food
The state of Vermont has long been a
2 . The automobile（汽车）has many advantages. Above all, it offers people freedom to go where they want to go, when they want to go there. The basic purpose of a motor vehicle is to get from point A to point B as cheaply, quickly, and safely as possible.
In addition, much of the world's economy is built on producing motor vehicles and supplying roads, services and repairs for those vehicles. Half of the world's paychecks are auto related. In the United States, one of every six dollars spent and one of every six nonfarm jobs are connected to the automobile or related industries, such as oil, steel, rubber, plastics, automobile services, and highway construction.
In spite of their advantages, motor vehicles have many harmful effects on human lives and on air, water, land, and wild life resources. Since Karl Benz built the first automobile, almost 18 million people have been killed by motor vehicles. In addition to the tragic loss of life, these accidents cost American society about $60 billion annually in lost income and in insurance, administrative, and legal expenses.
Los Angeles is a global symbol of urban sprawl（城市扩张）built around a vast network of freeways. An estimated one third of the city's total metropolitan（大都市的）area and two thirds of its downtown area are devoted to roads, parking lots and other automobile related uses. Each day, its network of streets and freeways is crowded with more than five million vehicles, which are responsible for 85% of both the air pollution and the noise in this urban area.
If present trends continue, U. S. motorists will spend an average of two years of their lifetimes in traffic jams. Streets that used to be for people are now for cars. Pedestrians and people riding bicycles in the streets are subjected to noise, pollution, stress, and danger.
Motor vehicles are the largest source of air pollution, producing a haze of smog over the world's cities. In the United States, they produce at least 50% of the country's air pollution.
What do you think should be done?
1. Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Automobile develops slowly in style. |
| B．Automobile brings us little convenience. |
| C．Automobile causes no harm to wildlife. |
| D．Automobile is an important part of the world's economy. |
| A．To give an example of automobile's influence. |
| B．To show the benefits of the automobile. |
| C．To provide some useful advice for the readers. |
| D．To introduce readers a new topic for discussion. |
| A．Subjective. | B．Objective. |
| C．Indifferent. | D．Supportive. |
| A．Advantages of the Automobile |
| B．Disadvantages of the Automobile |
| C．Double-edged Sword of the Automobile |
| D．The automobile is Responsible for Traffic Accidents |
3 . Some people like modern art, while others say that it is rubbish. But a cleaner who works in the Tate Britain Gallery in London isn’t able to tell the difference. The woman, whose name isn’t known, mistook a work of art by the German painter Gustav Metzger for a bag of rubbish, and threw it out with other bags. The plastic bag, which contained pieces of paper and cardboard, was later recovered outside the gallery, but the artist thought that it was too badly damaged to be put on show again, and so he found another bag. 78-year-old Mr. Metzger explained that the exhibit, which he said was a copy of a similar work he had created in 1960, was meant to show that all art is temporary (暂时的).
Embarrassed officials at the museum said that they had had to call a meeting with cleaners to explain which things should not be touched. They would not say whether Mr. Metzger would be paid for the incident. However, to make absolutely sure the same thing would not happen again, they decided to cover Mr. Metzger’s work every evening with a coloured cloth. In this way cleaners arriving after the gallery had closed to the general public would realize that they should not touch it.
This is not the first time that museum cleaners have had trouble distinguishing exhibits from rubbish. In 2001, in another London gallery, a cleaner threw away a work by the well-known British artist Damien Hirst. It was an arrangement of empty beer bottles, coffee cups, and ashtrays (烟灰缸), which were meant to show the disorder in the life of an artist.
However, cleaners don’t always throw things away—sometimes they clean them! This was the case with a dirty bath, which was on show in a gallery in Germany. Without asking what the bath was doing in the gallery, the cleaner simply cleaned it.
1. The woman cleaner threw away the plastic bag because__________.| A．the plastic bag was badly damaged |
| B．she didn’t recognize it was a work of art |
| C．she hated modern art and considered it rubbish |
| D．The exhibit on show was taken the place of by another bag |
| A．collecting | B．replacing | C．telling | D．exchanging |
| A．Mr Metzger would be paid some money for the incident. |
| B．Tate British Gallery will be closed to avoid the same mistake. |
| C．Artists often use rubbish to show how content they feel with life. |
| D．More than one cleaner threw away works of art in galleries. |
| A．Cleaner Mistakes Modern Art for Rubbish | B．Good Cleaners Make Mistakes |
| C．Damaged Modern Art Works | D．Dangerous Galleries and Cleaners |
4 . It's likely that you don't think you've invited a spy into your home when setting up a new TV. But new Samsung, LG, and Vizio smart TVs can record and share everything that's viewed, whether it's a broadcast or something streaming from the Internet. And some smart TVs can even track what DVD you're watching.
Your viewing habits are valuable information for marketers who might want to use the information to advertise new shows and products, offer extra content on shows you want to watch. The advertisements are like the ones you see on your computer.
You might not realize that you allowed TVs to collect your viewing habits when you agreed to the long privacy policy during setup. With Samsung, there are 47 screens of text. LG and Vizio also ask you to agree to the privacy policy in thousands of words in fine print.
When Consumer Reports emailed the makers to ask how they are using the technology, representatives for Samsung and Vizio didn't say anything. An LG representative said that the company isn't using any data to send personalized ads and has no plans to do so. But Consumer Reports says that could change at any time.
You might think, “How can I turn those advertisements off?" It's not always so easy. To stop tracking, you have to fight your way through menu settings. On an LG set, go to settings , then options, then Live plus, click off, then close. With Vizio, it's like a long tour through three menus to turn off the advertisements. With Samsung, it's a similar trip to find the box "SyncPlus and Marketing” to disable it.
Consumer Reports says that countermanding the marketing feature may cause you to lose some extra services from makers, but it's more important to protect your privacy.
1. What will the marketers use customers' viewing habits to do?| A．Build a good relationship with customers. | B．Collect some suggestions about shows. |
| C．Advertise new shows and products. | D．Improve the quality of smart TVs. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Doubtful. | C．Reasonable. | D．Believable. |
| A．How we learn to use TVs’ settings. |
| B．How we can get more shows from TV. |
| C．How we send personal information to others. |
| D．How we stop advertisements from appearing on the screen. |
| A．cancelling | B．reading | C．researching | D．learning |
5 . When you walk into your place of work in the morning, are you walking in as yourself or as a stranger? While the workplace is a place to wear your professional face, it's also a place where you should feel comfortable and connected to your coworkers. There's a good reason for this: A new study finds that hiding your true self at work is not good for your career and your sense of belonging in the workplace.
"When someone hides their true identity, their social connections suffer and this has an impact not just on the individual, but also on the organization they work for," says co-author Professor Manuela Barreto."Our findings suggest openness about one's identity is often beneficial for individuals, the group and their workplace."
When employers fail to create this sense of belonging among their employees, it's difficult for the individuals to find their purposes in work. This then impacts their ability to be productive. More specifically, the researchers found that hiding these characteristics from coworkers reduces their self-respect, job fulfillment and job commitment.
For the study, researchers at University of Exeter focused on commonly stigmatized(感到羞耻的) characteristics, like having a history of poverty or mental or physical illnesses. They sought to see how hiding such conditions could affect one's ability to grow.
The findings were based on multiple studies they analyzed from the Netherlands and the USA.In one.of the experiments, they had 95 men and women describe a time when they either hid or revealed(展现) a stigmatized characteristic about themselves, In another one, the researchers offered imaginary scenarios(情景) to 303 participants that again either hid or revealed themselves.
In both experiments, participants were then asked how they'd feel after hiding or sharing the stigmatized characteristic. The answers of those who hid themselves resulted in the conclusion stated above: lower sense of belonging and job fulfillment and commitment.
So we need environments where people don't need to hide. Encouraging complete openness can turn the office into a more comfortable place that allows employees to enjoy working.
1. Why is Professor Manuela Barreto mentioned?| A．To clarify the process of the study. | B．To explain the findings of the study. |
| C．To state the purposes of the study. | D．To show the influence of the study. |
| A．They always look down upon others. |
| B．They are often content with their work. |
| C．They are likely to get tired of their work. |
| D．They can ruin their coworkers ' confidence. |
| A．To tell their stigmatized memories. | B．To participate in real scenarios. |
| C．To describe others' characteristics. | D．To report their true feelings. |
| A．Openness is beneficial to your job promotion. |
| B．Stigmatized characteristics need hiding properly. |
| C．Hiding who you are is harmful in the workplace. |
| D．The sense of belonging benefits employees a lot. |
As a new study suggests, the average woman cannot keep a secret for
Three quarters say they are capable of keeping quiet about a secret, and 83 percent consider
7 . How do you usually spend your spare time? Many people choose to be couch potatoes, but not Luo Han, a 9-year-old from Changsha, Hunan.
Luo Han completes at least two hours of outdoor activities every day and has raised a wave of discussion online. Although he is in primary school, he has already mastered sports like kayaking and paddling. His aptitude for outdoor sports is from his father Luo Ge, who actively encourages him to enjoy nature, rather than focusing only on his learning. After noticing that Luo Han did not go out for enough exercise after school, his father took him to do outdoor activities every day.
Many applauded them. “Exercise can ease brain fog and improve memory. Many students feel stressed about school work, so outdoor activities can help us keep our moods uplifted and improve our learning efficiency.” said Liu Yu, 18, a university freshman. Wang Tao, a parent of a 16-year-old, showed her support for the father. “It’s more than a way to relax. It’s a training of willpower,” she said. Her son He Xin, from Hefei Thomas School, Anhui, is a fan of outdoor sports. Although facing increasing pressure in his studies, he has joined the school’s athletic programs.
However, some have also expressed their concerns. “Two hours isn’t too much for a 9-year-old, but it might be difficult for high school students to guarantee this block of time when school becomes more demanding,” said Huang Xi, 16, from Liyang High School of Jiangsu province.
Ms. Zhu, who has a daughter in middle school, also agreed that two hours is too much for the majority of parents, especially on weekdays. “When I am off duty, I need to do housework. After my daughter finishes her homework, she prefers to watch TV. Neither of us would think of going outside for exercise,” Zhu said.
Other parents are concerned about the safety of outdoor activities. Zhang Zhijin has a son in high school. “Sometimes, teenagers can do crazy and risky things. We worry about accidents,” Zhang said.
1. Which of the following is true?| A．Liu Yu thinks outdoor activities can improve our learning. |
| B．Outdoor playing is only good to relaxation. |
| C．Luo Han ’s father thinks learning is more important than exercising. |
| D．Luo Han’s father thinks exercise on campus is enough for him. |
| A．annoyed | B．excited | C．anxious | D．frightened |
| A．Huang Xi | B．Liu Yu | C．Wang Tao | D．Luo Han |
| A．Please go out for exercise | B．Daily outdoor play and working |
| C．People’s concerns | D．Parent’s views on after-class work |
8 . The year 2020 will mark the beginning of the decade of the yold, or the “young old”, as the Japanese call people aged between 65 and 75. The traditional retirement age is 65. One might therefore expect peak retirement. By continuing to work, and staying socially engaged, the yold will change the world, as they have done several times before at different stages of their lives.
The yold are more numerous, healthier and wealthier than previous generations of seniors. The yold are busier, too. In short, the yold are not just any group of old people. They are challenging the traditional expectations of the retired as people who wear slippers and look after the grandchildren. That will influence consumer, service and financial markets.
The over-60s are one of the fastest-growing groups of customers of the airline business. The yold are vital to the tourism industry because they spend much more, when taking a foreign holiday, than younger adults.
But for all this to happen,three big things will have to change, under pressure from the yold themselves. The most important is public attitudes towards older people, and in particular the expectation that the old ought to be putting their feet up and quietly retiring into the background. Then, government policies will have to change, too. The retirement age in many rich countries is still below the age to which many people want to work. The effective retirement age (the age at which people actually leave the workforce) is usually even lower. Third, higher numbers of healthy yold people will require drastic changes in health spending. Most diseases of ageing are best met with prevention and lifestyle changes. But only about 2%~3% of most countries’ health-care spending goes on prevention. That will have to rise, because although the yold will constitute a bulge of comparative health and activity over the next decade, by 2030 they will hit 75 and enter a long period of decline for which few rich countries are ready.
1. What kind of people are the yold exactly?| A．They are workaholics. | B．They are full of energy. |
| C．They enjoy being focused on. | D．They like staying socially engaged. |
| A．They like traveling more. | B．They have more money. |
| C．They consume more on travel. | D．They have much free time. |
| A．Unsatisfied. | B．Subjective. | C．Neutral. | D．Active. |
| A．dealt with | B．come across | C．satisfied | D．experienced. |
9 . Back in Brisbane, Australia, for the Christmas break, I found myself in a public transport dead zone. Bikeless, 7 kilometers from where I was meeting friends and unwilling to get a taxi, I decided to borrow an electric scooter. The trip took far longer than it would have by bike, mainly because of a major spill halfway there. A rock, hit at speed, is a terrible thing: weeks later, I still had the red knees of a primary schooler.
E-scooters have appeared in Brisbane like a rash. In the UK, they are legal only on private land, but the Department for Transport is discussing how to regulate them on public roads and pathways, with the potential for legalisation later this year.
Other cities that have e-scooter rental programs have had teething problems. In Paris, mayor Anne Hidalgo described the situation last year as messy. She has announced that the city is reducing its number of e-scooters to 15,000 and plans to create laws banning them from pavements (人行道). France has put into force laws limiting e-scooter speeds to 25 kilometres per hour.
Similar to dockless (无桩的) hire bicycles, e-scooters are parked on pavements and people leave them up trees or throw them into rivers. Rough handling shortens their lifetime, which is bad for both profitability and the environment. Analysis suggests that the average e-scooter’s lifetime is just three months.
I think e-scooters are an essential part of the effort to make city transport greener. They are seen as a solution to the “last mile” problem — a potential way to reduce transport jam by rapidly getting someone to their final destination. Cars can take up 28 times the space of a person riding a bicycle.
As far as the environmental effect goes, recent research suggests that e-scooters are not as green as walking or cycling, but they are still better than cars. And despite numerous reports of serious accidents, scooting is about as safe as cycling.
Stephen Gossling at Lund University in Sweden has suggested we build car-free “micromobility” streets, where cyclists, pedestrians (行人) and e-scooters could share the road. He thinks this will reduce accident risks and invite more vulnerable (易受伤害的) traffic participants, such as children, to become active transport users.
If more e-scooters mean fewer cars on roads, an improvement in local air quality is also a likely outcome. When 20 kilometers of roads in central London closed for World Car-Free Day last September, a temporary air quality monitor in Regent Street reportedly registered a 60% drop in nitrogen dioxide.
1. What does the underlined part “a major spill” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．A serious fall. | B．A sudden illness. |
| C．A legal defense. | D．A terrible breakdown. |
| A．They are illegal on pavements. | B．They are already out of fashion. |
| C．They are facing more restrictions. | D．They are more common on private land. |
| A．They are not as safe as cycling. |
| B．They stand up to rough handling. |
| C．They are as green as cycling or walking. |
| D．They play a big role in the “last mile” problem. |
| A．To set up more care-free days. |
| B．To invite more cyclists to use e-scooters. |
| C．To get vulnerable pedestrians off the road. |
| D．To separate cars from e-scooters on the road. |
10 . Four employees of Haier Group, China’s largest home appliances manufacturer, were fired for taking a nap during working hours, which caused heated discussions online. Should employees be fired for taking a nap at work? Readers share their opinions.
Vivianwang(China).
Why is a short nap seen as such a terrible offense? I always feel extremely sleepy after lunch. After I take a nap during lunch break I feel more energetic. Instead of firing the workers dozing off, employers should address the problem and adopt a routine that works best for them.
Sakura(Japan)
This is the opposite of how it is in Japan, where sleeping at your workplace is often seen as a sign that you've been working hard. So people in Japan nod off whenever and wherever they can.
Thunderbird(Canada)
Napping at work time shall be punished. In some severe cases, repeated misconduct may lead to the end of employment in some Canadian government establishments.
Crystal (UK)
I experienced the power of naps myself when I was writing my new book, The Way Were Working Isn't Working. I wrote at home, in the mornings, In three separate, highly focused 90-minute sessions. By the time I finished the last one, I was usually exhausted—physically, mentally and emotionally. I ate lunch and then took a 20-to 30-minute nap. When I awoke, I felt incredibly refreshed. Where I might otherwise have dragged myself through the afternoon, I was able to focus effectively on work until 7 pm or so.
Eric (USA)
Years ago, Craig Yarde, founder of Yarde Metals in Bristol, CT, noticed his employees napping on the job. So when he built a new office space in 1995, he built a nap room, with couches. Fifteen years later, Yarde Metals has grown to nearly 700 employees, with $500 million in annual revenue(收入) and locations up and down the east coast—each with its own dedicated napping room.
1. Who is in favor of Haier Group’s decision?| A．Vivianwang. | B．Sakura. | C．Thunderbird. | D．Crystal. |
| A．acceptable | B．lazy | C．embarrassing | D．improper. |
| A．By making comparisons. | B．By asking questions. |
| C．By listing statistics. | D．By telling his own experience. |
