1 . There are two types of people in the world. Although they have equal degree of health, wealth and other comforts of life, one becomes happy and the other becomes unhappy. This arises from the different ways in which they consider things, persons, events and the resulting effects upon their minds.
People who are to be happy fix their attention on the convenience of things: the pleasant parts of conversation, the well prepared dishes, the goodness of the wine and the fine weather. They enjoy all the cheerful things. Those who are to be unhappy think and speak only of the opposite things. Therefore, they are continually dissatisfied. By their remarks, they sour the pleasure of society, offend many people, and make themselves disagreeable everywhere. If this turn of mind was founded in nature, such unhappy persons would be the more to be pitied. The intention of criticizing and being disliked is perhaps taken up by imitation. It grows into n habit, unknown to its possessors. The habit may be strong, but it may be cured when those who have it realize it had effects on their interests and tastes. I hope this little warning may be of service to them, and help them change this habit.
Although in fact it is chiefly an act of the imagination, it has serious results in life since it brings on deep sorrow and bad luck. Those people offend many others; nobody loves them, and no one treats them with more than the most common politeness and respect. This frequently puts them in bad temper and draws them into arguments. If they aim at getting some advantages in social position, or fortune, nobody wishes them success. Nor will anyone start, step or speak a word to favor their hopes. If they bring on themselves public objections, no one will defend or excuse them, and many will join to criticize their wrong doings. These should change this bad habit and be pleased with what is pleasing, without worrying needlessly about themselves and others. If they do not, it will be good for others to avoid any contact with them. Otherwise, it can be disagreeable and sometimes very inconvenient, especially when one becomes mixed up in their quarrels.
1. People who are unhappy .| A．always consider things differently from others |
| B．usually are affected by the results of certain things |
| C．usually misunderstand what others think or say |
| D．always discover the unpleasant side of certain things |
| A．have a good taste with social life |
| B．make others unhappy |
| C．tend to scold others openly |
| D．enjoy the pleasure of life |
| A．we should pity all such unhappy people |
| B．such unhappy people are dangerous to social life |
| C．people can get rid of the habit of unhappiness |
| D．unhappy people cannot understand happy persons |
| A．prevent any communication with them |
| B．show no respect and politeness to them |
| C．persuade them to recognize the bad effects |
| D．quarrel with them until they realize the mistakes |
| A．describes two types of people in our 1ife who have negative effect on others |
| B．give some examples to laugh at the unhappy people in our society |
| C．suggests the unhappy people should get rid of the habits of unhappiness |
| D．tells people get away from unhappy people and how to be happy in life |
As for virtual reality, concerned critics have warned that there could be dangers in this powerful new medium. Will we have VR games in which people can commit virtual crimes（犯罪）? After people get used to VR, will they want to return to reality? Will we forget how to live and work with real people? On the other hand, some people think that VR will help us improve the world. By experimenting harmlessly inside a VR world, we will be able to see the dangers we may face in the future. Then we will be able to avoid them in real life.
Answer:
3 . The designer, Charles Frederick Worth (1825-95), was the first to sew labels into the clothes that he created. Because of this and his international fame, Worth is generally considered to be the father of
An article in The Economist suggests labelled clothes really do
The research concluded that like a peacock’s tail, designer labels are seen as
| A．luxury industry | B．modern art | C．fashion design | D．market economy |
| A．influential | B．famous | C．creative | D．unknown |
| A．appealing to | B．persisting in | C．complaining of | D．experimenting on |
| A．exclusive | B．latest | C．complicated | D．delicate |
| A．In addition | B．For example | C．On the whole | D．After all |
| A．applied | B．queued | C．looked | D．walked |
| A．solution | B．opposition | C．devotion | D．restriction |
| A．benefit | B．impact | C．confuse | D．please |
| A．understandable | B．fashionable | C．reliable | D．visible |
| A．stored | B．improved | C．developed | D．altered |
| A．special | B．luxurious | C．wrong | D．untold |
| A．suitable for | B．keen on | C．satisfied with | D．independent of |
| A．classes | B．signs | C．advantages | D．principles |
| A．change | B．fake | C．regain | D．show |
| A．elevate | B．neglect | C．assess | D．imitate |
4 . Since apps like Uber and Lyft came on the scene, ridesharing services have dramatically changed the way people get around. A new study out of Columbia University reveals a downside of these services. It turns out that ridesharing trips cause an increase in the number of accidents involving motorists and pedestrians at pick-up and drop-off locations.
Previous studies on the relationship between ridesharing services and vehicle crashes compare cities where ridesharing services are available with cities where they are not, and this makes results somewhat ambiguous. In this study researchers analyze individual trips to make the picture a little clearer.
Researchers analyzed data from 372 million ridesharing trips in New York City between 2017 and 2018. Whenever a crash occurred in the city, they calculated the number of ridesharing trips that began or ended in the area at the time of the accident. They compared this with the number of trips that took place in the same location one week before and one week after the crash. Researchers did the same calculations for regular taxi rides as part of their analyses. Also, separate analyses were performed based on the type of people injured in the crash: pedestrians, motorists or cyclists.
The results of the analyses show that the rise in ridesharing trips is associated with an increase in the number of accidents involving pedestrians and motorists, but not cyclists. Furthermore, they did not find this same association between taxi trips and accidents.
“Ridesharing is changing the way we move around cities.” says first author Christopher Morrison. “It is becoming clear that the technology reduces alcohol-related crashes, but these benefits do not seem to extend to the overall number of crashes. These findings help explain why that might be---- because the reductions in alcohol-related crashes are offset (抵消) by increases in other types of crashes.”
Researchers hope that cities and ridesharing services will use the results of this study to take measures that might reduce the number of crashes. “In crowded areas with large numbers of rideshare pick-ups and drop-offs, cities could consider building taxi-rank style infrastructure (基础设施) to protect pedestrians and prevent crashes, ”concludes Morrison.
1. What do we know about previous studies on ridesharing services?| A．Their analysis is hardly reliable. |
| B．Their findings are rather ridiculous. |
| C．Their research method is out-of-date. |
| D．Their research sample is not wide enough. |
| A．The increase in ridesharing trips can lead to an increase in accidents between cyclists and pedestrians. |
| B．When there is a high number of ridesharing trips, there is usually an increase in the number of accidents. |
| C．Ridesharing is changing the way we move around cities. |
| D．Cyclists are always safe. |
| A．Ridesharing reduces alcohol-related crashes. |
| B．Ridesharing doesn’t increase accidents involving cyclists. |
| C．Various types of crashes increase with ridesharing services. |
| D．Overall crashes don’t decrease along with alcohol-related crashes. |
| A．Improving infrastructure to expand taxi services. |
| B．Banning ridesharing services in crowded places. |
| C．Constructing some stops for ridesharing vehicles. |
| D．Reducing the number of pick-ups and drop-offs. |
5 . After the season for giving, it is the one for throwing away. Each year in late December and early January a massive amount of plastic packaging is discarded (丢弃) worldwide. In Britain alone households generate 30% more waste, an extra 3m tonnes, in the month over Christmas. Most is destined for landfill. Lithuania will do less damage than many, though. The country now recycles at a record level. Almost three- quarters (74%) of plastic packaging waste was recycled there in 2017, the highest proportion in Europe.
Much of Lithuania' s success is due to a deposit refund scheme (方案). Customers pay €0.10 extra when buying drinks containers. After use, these can be fed into reverse vending machines (反向自动售货机) installed in shops, which spit the deposit back out. The machines’ contents are sent directly to recycling centers. By the end of 2017, 92% of all bottles and cans sold in Lithuania were being returned. The overall plastic packaging recycling rate increased by almost 20%.
The Lithuanian government says the scheme has fueled a potential love for recycling in its citizens. Nearly 90% of Lithuanians have used the machines at least once. However, Lithuanians do not generally describe themselves as eco-fighters. A 2017 survey by the European Commission found they were less likely than most other Europeans to regard environmental issues as “very important”.
The eagerness of Lithuanian recyclers may stem not from a love of the Earth but from a low net worth(资本净值). A tenth of the population live on less than €245 a month. In big cities it is common to see people scooping recyclable items out of bins to take to the machines.
Less litter and money for people who need it seems like a win-win. But it might not in fact be best for the environment in the long run. In Germany ----where a similar, widely used refund deposit scheme has been in place since 2003 --- the earnings from keeping the deposits from unreturned bottles seem to have discouraged producers from switching to more sustainable packaging.
1. What might most Lithuanian customers do under the deposit refund scheme?| A．They send their drinks containers directly to recycling centers. |
| B．They spend more on drinks than other European customers. |
| C．They return their used drinks containers. |
| D．They use vending machines to buy drinks. |
| A．Lithuania beat many countries in plastic recycling. |
| B．Lithuanians were less aware of environmental conservation. |
| C．Lithuanians made much money from recycling. |
| D．Lithuania had an unequal income distribution. |
| A．Positive. | B．Unfavorable. |
| C．Ambiguous. | D．Uninterested. |
| A．How and why Lithuanians recycle their trash. |
| B．How waste turns into treasure in Lithuania |
| C．Who are recycling plastic bottles in Lithuania |
| D．Where Lithuanians throw away their plastic packaging |
6 . A 17-year-old boy, caught sending text messages in class, was recently sent to the vice principal's office at Millwood High School in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The vice principal, Steve Gallagher, told the boy he needed to focus on the teacher, not his cellphone. The boy listened politely and nodded, and that's when Mr. Gallagher noticed the student's fingers moving on his lap. He was texting while being scolded for texting. “It was a subconscious act,” says Mr. Gallagher, who took the phone away. “Young people today are connected socially from the moment they open their eyes in the morning until they close their eyes at night. It's compulsive.”
A study this year by psychology students at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Ga., found that the more time young people spend on Facebook, the more likely they are to have lower grades and weaker study habits. Heavy Facebook users show signs of being more sociable, but they are also more likely to be anxious, hostile or depressed. (Doctors, meanwhile, are now blaming addictions to 'night texting' for disturbing the sleep patterns of teens.)
Almost a quarter of today's teens check Facebook more than 10 times a day, according to a 2009 survey by Common Sense Media, a nonprofit group that monitors media's impact on families. Will these young people get rid of this habit once they enter the work force, or will employers come to see texting and 'social-network checking' as accepted parts of the workday?
Think back. When today's older workers were in their 20s, they might have taken a break on the job to call friends and make after-work plans. In those earlier eras, companies discouraged non-business-related calls, and someone who made personal calls all day risked being fired. It was impossible to imagine the constant back-and-forth texting that defines interactions among young people today.
Educators are also being asked by parents, students and educational strategists to reconsider their rules. “In past generations, students got in trouble for passing notes in class. Now students are adept at texting with their phones still in their pockets,” says 40-year-old Mr. Gallagher, the vice principal, “and they're able to communicate with someone one floor down and three rows over. Students are just fundamentally different today. They will take suspensions rather than give up their phones.”
1. The underlined word “a subconscious act” refers to an act ________.| A．on purpose | B．without realization | C．in secret | D．with care |
| A．are good at dealing with the social relationships and concentrate on their study |
| B．have high spirits and positive attitudes towards their life and work |
| C．have been influenced mentally in the aspects of behaviors and habits |
| D．are always in bad mood and have poor performance in every respect |
| A．like to break rules and have the same means of sending messages |
| B．are always the big problem for the educators and their parents |
| C．like sending text messages but those today do it in a more secret and skillful way |
| D．cannot live without a cellphone |
| A．Teenagers and Cellphones |
| B．Teenagers’ Texting Addiction |
| C．Employers and Teenagers |
| D．Teenagers’ Education |
7 . New Zealand plans to forbid foreigners to buy existing homes. The ban is expected to become law this year. It aims to slow the rising housing prices and protect New Zealanders interested in buying a home.
The Labour Party government believes that foreign investors have pushed many possible first-time home buyers and families out of the housing market. Last year, housing prices across the country rose by 5.8 percent, to over $405,000. Housing prices rose even more in New Zealand’s capital city, Wellington. Price there rose by more than 18 percent over a 12-month period that ended in June 2017.
The rising prices have pushed home ownership outside the reach of many possible buyers. One home owner told VOA he feels sorry for the younger generation. “I just believe the market has made it impossible for them to get into the housing.” Just 25 years ago, three out of every four New Zealanders lived in their own homes. Now the rate is 64 percent — and falling.
The ban on forbidding foreigners to buy existing homes has yet to be approved. But the measure, called the Overseas Investment Amendment Bill, passed its first reading in parliament (国会)in December. Limiting foreign ownership of housing has been tried in other countries, including Switzerland, “ If foreign investors are looking to put their cash into New Zealand, if it then forces up the price of property, people cannot afford to live anymore.” says Norman Gemmell, chair of public finance at Victoria University.
Critics say foreign investors have had only a small effect on the cost of housing. Low interest rates, limited supply and immigration have also driven up house prices.
Housing prices continue to rise across the country. And for many New Zealanders, the dream of owning a home is as distant as ever.
1. Which is the main factor of the high housing prices, according to the Labour Party government?| A．Low interest rates. | B．Investors at home. |
| C．Immigration. | D．Foreign buyers. |
| A．Housing prices rose by over 18 percent over a year. |
| B．The housing prices of the capital city rose the least. |
| C．The rate of New Zealanders living in their own houses is decreasing. |
| D．The country has witnessed the highest rise in housing prices up to now. |
| A．has been approved in New Zealand |
| B．will encourage foreigners to buy a house |
| C．has been tried in other countries |
| D．will make local people harder to own a home |
| A．It is hard for the locals to buy a house in New Zealand. |
| B．New Zealand will prevent foreign buyers from buying a house. |
| C．The prices of houses in New Zealand have been rising sharply. |
| D．There are many reasons for high housing prices in New Zealand. |
8 . The term “boomerang kids” refers to adult children who move back into their parents’ house after a period of living on their own.
Traditionally, Americans expect to finish their schooling, get a job, and then move out of their parents’ home as soon as they become financially independent. Unlike in other countries where it is common for adult children to live with their parents until they marry, or even after they are married, in the U.S., adults living with their parents after graduating and getting a job is not the typical pattern.
However, things may be changing. The current generation of young adults are being called the “boomerang generation” because the lack of jobs has driven many of them to move back in with their parents, after having lived on their own while in college or after getting a full-time job. Fewer parents are experiencing what we sometimes call an “empty nest”, a home where the adult children leave and only the parents remain.
In a study conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2011, about 30% of people aged 25 to 34 reported that they had moved back with their parents at one time or another. While many of these adult children say that this is a satisfactory situation, with over 75% of these young adults saying they like their living arrangement, sometimes it’s not easy for the parents. 65% parents say that it is difficult to adjust to the return of their children, especially when deciding how much help to give them.
How does this living arrangement affect the relationships between parents and adult children? About a quarter of the young adults say that their relationship with their parents has improved, a quarter say it has worsened, and about 50% say it hasn’t had any effect either way.
1. What does the underlined phrase “boomerang kids” in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．People who are adults but mentally childish. |
| B．People who can save little money every month. |
| C．People who live on their parents when they’ve grown up. |
| D．People who take care of their parents by living with them. |
| A．Young adults live with their parents after graduation. |
| B．Young adults find a full-time job with their parents’ help. |
| C．Young adults go to college to get a degree. |
| D．Young adults live on their own and support themselves. |
| A．Parents’ overprotection. | B．The tight employment market. |
| C．Lack of life experience. | D．Parents’ fear for the “empty nest”. |
| A．About two thirds of the parents found it hard to live with their adult kids. |
| B．All the kids in the study wanted to live with their parents. |
| C．Roughly 30% of people moved back with their parents. |
| D．65% of the parents gave financial aid to their kids. |
9 . A campaign in the United Kingdom that seeks to pressure publishers to stop labeling children’s books according to gender(性别) is being given a push, with leading writers and at least one newspaper expressing support.
“We’re asking children’s publishers to take the ‘Boys’ and ‘Girls’ labels off books and allow children to choose freely what kinds interest them.” says the statement by the Let Books Be Books campaign. The organizers of the campaign say, “Such labels send out very limiting massages to children about what kinds of things are appropriate for girls or for boys.”
On Sunday, the movement got an important advance when the newspaper The Independent announced it would no longer comment on such books, or even blog about them. “Happily, as the literary editor of The Independent, there is something that I can do about this. So I promise now that the newspaper and this website will not be reviewing any book which is aimed at just girls, or just boys. Nor will The independent’s books section.” wrote editor Katy Guest.
The Guardian reports that one of Britain’s biggest bookstore chains, Waterstones, as well as U.K. Children’s Laureate Malorie Blackman, and U.K. Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy have also announced their support. “The campaign is attacking titles such as Usborne’s Illustrated Classics for Boys, described by the publisher as ‘a collection of action, adventure and daring-do stories suitable for boys,’ while its Illustrated Stories for Girls contains ‘brand new stories about princesses and dolls,’ ” The Guardian wrote.
But such a movement would also affect many popular and beloved books, such as the best selling The Dangerous Book for Boys. It’s clear not everyone thinks removing “for boys” and “for girls” from book titles is such a good idea. Many of The Independent’s readers are criticizing the newspaper’s announcement that it is banning reviews of such books.
“This is just stupidity,” wrote one reader on The Independent’s website. “The Independent has been an intelligent publication in my mind since I was a very young boy. So sad to see that change.”
1. What is The Let Books Be Books campaign?| A．It teaches kids about appropriateness. |
| B．It opposes gendered children’s books. |
| C．It aims to offer help to writers and newspapers. |
| D．It advises publishers to help children choose books. |
| A．Stop reviewing books labeled with “Boys” or “girl”. |
| B．Publish more children’s books on its website. |
| C．Provide more book reviews every Sundays. |
| D．Encourage children to review books. |
| A．They aren’t suitable for children. |
| B．They shouldn’t have similar titles. |
| C．They include too many adventure stories. |
| D．They should be open to kids of either gender. |
| A．To comment on some popular children’s books. |
| B．To report the recent progress of a cultural campaign. |
| C．To discuss some big changes in the world’s book market. |
| D．To explain the differences between books for boys and girls. |
10 . At one point in June last year, Zeng Jiapeng was more than 10,000 yuan in debt to a smart phone app. The 23-year-old Shanghai citizen pays for his online purchases of food, clothes, and travel with Huabei, a virtual credit card that's part of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s spreading stable of e-commerce. His spending often used to go beyond his only source of income: the 8,000-yuan monthly allowance from his parents. He tried to repay the debt in installments(分期), even borrowing from Jiebei, another Alibaba-owned credit service, but eventually his mother and father had to help him out.
Zeng’s story is typical of members of China’ Generation Z. These young consumers, born from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, have little income and therefore actually no credit history. Yet they have easy access to credit from a variety of banks, financial-tech companies, and peer-to-peer (P2P) Lenders(网络借贷平台), plus other channels that are unregulated. The spending habits of the young in particular are causing concern. In some cases the younger generation is being tempted to overconsume via credit secured through technology. Unsecured consumer lending has expanded 20% a year in China since 2008. The amount of consumer finance available through the Internet will more than double, to 19 trillion yuan, by 2021, from 7.8 trillion yuan last year. Official data showed that almost 70% of China’s 50 million P2P borrowers were younger than 40.
As for Zeng, he’s trying to be a little more frugal, even though he is now trying to earn a little by himself. “I deliberately set the credit limit at a lower level,” he says, “so that hopefully I can better match my income with spending.”
Regulators(监管部门)last year launched a breakdown on peer-to-peer lending, which, besides being a source of easy credit, had also become a popular investment vehicle. The sector has shrunk to less than half its peak size as a result of forced shutdowns.
1. What can we learn about Zeng Jiapeng from the first paragraph?| A．He was in debt because he bought smart phone app. |
| B．He likes purchasing goods on the app Huabei of Alibaba Group. |
| C．He always spent more than he earned from his salary in the past. |
| D．He depended on his parents to support him to repay his debt. |
| A．Impractical | B．Hardworking | C．Avoiding waste | D．Relying on others |
| A．hopeless | B．unreasonable | C．controlled | D．sensible |
| A．Overconsumption—A Bad Habit |
| B．China’s Generation Z—Hooked On Credit |
| C．Chinese Youth In the E—commerce Age |
| D．Zeng Jinpeng’s Financial Crisi |
