1 . The idea of low material desire, low consumption and refusing to work, marry and have children, concluded as a “lying down” lifestyle, recently struck a chord with many young Chinese who are eager to take pause to breathe in this fast-paced and highly-competitive society.
Many millennials (千禧一代) and generation Zs complained to the Global Times that burdens, including work stress, family disputes and financial strains, have pushed them “against the wall”. They said they hate the “involution(内卷),” joking that they would rather give up some of what they have than get trapped in an endless competition against peers.
“Instead of always following the ‘virtues’ of struggle, endure and sacrifice to bear the stresses, they prefer a temporary lying down as catharsis (宣泄) and adjustment,” said a scholar. “It is no wonder that some young people, under the growing pressures from child-raising to paying the mortgage (按揭) today, would try to live in a simple way and leave the worries behind.”
Interestingly, the majority of millennials and Gen Zs reached by the Global Times, who claim to be big fans of the lying down philosophy, acknowledged that they only accept a temporary lying down as a short rest. It is true that with the great improvement of living conditions, some Chinese youth have partially lost the spirit of hardship and are not willing to bear too much hard work. But in fact, lying down is not entirely comfortable. Young people who lie down always feel guilty about their constant loss of morale (士气) far beyond their reach.
“Young people on campus have both aspirations and confusion about their future, but most of us have rejected setting ourselves up in chains to waste opportunities and challenges,” a postgraduate student told the Global Times. “It’s no use running away. I have to ‘stand up’ and face the reality sooner or later.”
1. What does the underlined phrase in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Warned. | B．Punished. | C．Amused. | D．Touched. |
| A．Improvements in living conditions. |
| B．Growing pressure from family and social life. |
| C．Increasing material possessions from families. |
| D．Temporary adjustment to failure in competitions. |
| A．Understanding. | B．Intolerant. | C．Supportive. | D．Unclear. |
| A．They never really drop their responsibilities. |
| B．They really enjoy the “lying down” lifestyle. |
| C．They find their dreams far beyond their reach. |
| D．They would rather escape than take challenges. |
2 . Like the move from horse-drawn carriages to vehicles (车辆) powered by internal-combustion engines, the change from cars powered by fuels like oil to electric vehicles (EVs) will have a great effect on personal transport. The COVID-19 virus disease worldwide caused a 20% drop to about 70m in global light vehicle sales in 2020, but they pick up in 2021. And the proportion of vehicles powered by electricity in the market will grow quickly.
The increasing share price (股价) of Tesla, provides a big motivation for newcomers to catch up. Tesla may lead in battery technology and software, but to make those advantages stick, it must prove that “production hell” is behind it. Raising manufacturing has caused Tesla its biggest headaches.
Big name carmakers face an equally discouraging challenge: learning how to write software. Electric cars require integrated software, not just to ensure that batteries and motors work together to provide the best performance, but to connect the car to the outside world.
And what of the Tesla followers, from China’s Li, Nio and Xpeng to American firms such as Fisker, Lucid and Nikola? Cash from excitable investors (投资者) has poured in and it is the same with big name carmakers — as are high-tech companies, keen to get involved as transport goes digital. Can the followers make investors believe that they have patent technology that will give them a long-term advantage?
Eye-catching Advertisements of vehicles are one thing, but as the industry’s trouble shows, working out how to make cars in large amounts, when softwares are as important as brakes and bodywork, is quite another. The coming year will make clearer which of Tesla’s competitors, new and old, can stay in race.
1. Which word best describes the trend of electric cars industry?| A．Uncertain. | B．Challenging. | C．Disappointing. | D．Promising. |
| A．Its production capacity has become a bottleneck. |
| B．It may lose its advantage in software writing. |
| C．Its advertising is considered to be better than it really is. |
| D．It has to compete with many capable newcomers. |
| A．Their share prices are catching up with those of Tesla. |
| B．They are all receiving money from eager investors. |
| C．Their problem lies in improving brakes and bodywork. |
| D．They are mostly well-established companies. |
| A．New EV Companies Are Catching up |
| B．The Battle Within the EV Industry |
| C．Electric Cars—Your Future Choice |
| D．Production Capacity—a Headache of EV Industry |
3 . When I zipped through elementary school way back in the 1950s, in English class we were encouraged to express ourselves through creative writing, public speaking or perhaps taking part in some form of drama. And as we shared our creativity we were improving our communication skills. The emphasis here was how best to convey our thoughts and talents as clearly as possible. Yet it seemed that all spoken word exercises were being taught only from the speaker’s point of view, with little or no time spent teaching the fine art of listening.
And that was a missed opportunity because young children are remarkable listeners. They take in words, ideas and speech patterns, quite often without our awareness. Yet somewhere along the way, we teach them to stop listening. Perhaps they would benefit from lessons in selective silence, concentration, while focusing on knowing how to process all incoming information. Sadly, to the best of my knowledge, no such programs are offered.
We seem to allocate less time to actually listening to one another. There is no question that we are a nation of bad listeners. One reason might be the fact that we have become a much more visual society as result of exposure to television, the Internet and all manner of hand-held wireless devices. We tend to be more self-absorbed and primarily focused on hearing ourselves talk rather than listening to others.
I attended a small family gathering a few years ago and almost everyone except my 86-year-old aunt was constantly texting or checking email on their iPhone. It made me wonder why we had bothered get together in the first place as we were paying so little attention to one another. We could just as easily have had an online get-together.
Listening is indeed a rare and special talent. And one that takes a lot of practice. But once you have gotten comfortable with the technique, you might find your next tete-a-tete a whole lot more meaningful. Simply listening for nuances in conversation will provide so much more context and substance for the words you are hearing. Remember, in order to be interesting, you must first be interested. And in conversation, you are supposed to be listening, not waiting to talk.
1. What is the author’s attitude toward the English class in the 1950s?| A．Carefree. | B．Tolerant. | C．Favorable. | D．Objective. |
| A．We have less time to communicate. | B．We have a sense of self-importance. |
| C．The rapid development of technology. | D．The lack of care and understanding for others. |
| A．His aunt wasn’t good at listening. |
| B．His aunt didn’t like attending family gatherings. |
| C．His family members were engaged in hot discussions. |
| D．His family members showed little interest in one another. |
| A．To lead discussions. | B．To give suggestions. |
| C．To create expectations. | D．To make comparisons. |
4 . Australian experts have expressed concerns that too many millennials(千禧一代) are hoping to use their social media accounts to build their careers. Their concerns follow the sudden rise in “insta-celebrities” who make money by posting sponsored(赞助的) photos online. For the lucky few who are not only talented photographers but also good-looking and business-savvy(有商业头脑的), making money off social media isn’t impossible.
Instagram is flooded with social media professionals paid to promote products and services. However, social scientist Lauren Rosewarne, from the University of Melbourne, says that in reality, there are far fewer people making money off the platforms than one may think. She said many young Australians were getting sucked in by the appeal of making money on platforms like Instagram, describing it as “totally unrealistic” and extremely difficult to do.
“Young people are hoping to be famous in numbers that were simply not there 20 years ago,” Rosewarne told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Saturday. “There are some people who can make fortunes out of monetizing(使具有货币性质) their Instagram posts, but that is not the norm.” She said it was up to parents and schools to discourage students from seeking Insta-fame, as many believe it is a possible career choice. “There’s the warning for parents; this is not a normal or even common occurrence that you can monetize your Instagram account.”
Meanwhile Toni Eager from Australian National University said social problems could arise from spending too much time with social media. “Where do the insta-celebrities go to separate the life people see on Instagram from their actual normal life?” Eager said. “All of a sudden, people own your private life.”
1. Why is there a rise in “insta-celebrities”?| A．Many young people are good at taking photos. |
| B．Many people see it as a shortcut to making money. |
| C．People want to socialize by sharing photos online. |
| D．Instagram offers a reliable career choice for millennials. |
| A．Becoming involved in something. | B．Benefiting from something. |
| C．Taking advantage of something. | D．Being satisfied with something. |
| A．Young people today are more business-savvy than ever. |
| B．Young people are becoming less interested in internet fame. |
| C．Instagram is not a good platform to promote new products. |
| D．It may not be a good idea for the young to try earning money on Instagram. |
| A．An over-reliance on Instagram. | B．Inability to appreciate life. |
| C．A loss of personal privacy. | D．An addiction to the virtual life online. |
5 . In the near future, daily newspapers and monthly magazines will probably disappear. Electronic media can provide the same information faster and cheaper. The Internet, together with laptops and mobile phones, makes it possible that almost everyone can at any time and in almost any place get some news for free or for few fees.
You’ll browse the computer newspapers or magazines just like turning on TV. An electronic voice will tell you stories about the latest events. You’ll even get to choose the kind of voice you want to hear. Want more information on the brief story? A simple touch makes the whole text appear.
There are the predictions from the experts working on the newspapers of the future. Imagined as part of home media and entertainment systems, computer newspapers and magazines would unite printed and broadcast news, offering information and analyzing video images of news events.
The continuing loss of readers will lead to a small number of advertisements in newspapers. It makes no sense to spend millions of dollars to print ads.
With the development of technology, more and more electronic media have been created until now, but replacing the traditional newspapers and magazines has a long way to go, because the resistance to computer newspapers and magazines from journalism may be much stronger. Since it is such a cultural change, it may be not until the present journalists, who aren’t used to it, die off that the newspaper industry is not considered as an industry any longer. Anyway, technology is making the traditional newspapers and magazines disappear gradually.
1. Computer newspapers and magazines have all the advantages EXCEPT that ________ .| A．you can choose the kind of voice you like to hear |
| B．they are more expensive than traditional newspapers |
| C．you can get more information from them easily |
| D．you can easily store information for the future use |
| A．all technological developments are very important |
| B．traditional newspapers and magazines will disappear soon |
| C．new things will replace the old ones in the future |
| D．traditional newspapers and magazines will be more popular |
| A．tell readers what newspapers and magazines are like in the future |
| B．let people know the great development of the journalism |
| C．prove newspapers and magazines are not welcomed any more |
| D．say traditional newspapers and magazines are better than before |
6 . A competition making up Versailles literature was launched on Sina Weibo recently. So what is Versailles literature?
Actually, the term has nothing to do with the French palace nor with literature. It came from The Rose of Versailles, a Japanese manga series about aristocratic life at the palace of Versailles in France in the late 18th century, and was coined by a Chinese influencer earlier this year. Known as humblebragging, it is a boast disguised as a complaint. “I have too many houses. How can I decide which one to decorate?” and “I thought I lost weight this morning. So disappointed when I realized it was because I took off the huge diamond ring my boyfriend gave me last night” are some examples of Versailles literature. The intention is to show off — usually things of materialistic values, yet one ought to pretend that’s not the point.
As the 19th century English author Jane Austen famously wrote, “Nothing is more deceitful than the appearance of humility.” The psychology behind humblebragging is to be recognized for one’s successes and be liked by others at the same time, according to scholars. In her article titled Why do people hate humblebragging? published in Psychology Today, psychologist Dr. Susan Krauss Whitbourne at the University of Massachusetts Amherst noted that humblebragging is a “strategy in pursuit of respect” because it draws attention to one’s accomplishments in a circuitous way.
However, studies on social media users show that humblebragging as a self-promotion strategy does not work. In the essay Humblebragging: A distinct and ineffective self-presentation strategy, the University of North Carolina researcher Ovul Sezer and Harvard University scholars Francesca Gino and Michael Norton concluded from their research that humblebraggers are perceived more negatively than straight braggers due to the former’s insincerity. “The critical factor differentiating the two groups of people is sincerity. People don’t like braggers, but they at least see them as more sincere than humblebraggers,” said Francesca Gino.
So, how can we annoy humblebraggers back? “Just pretend you don’t get whatever it is they try to show off,” a netizen advised. “And respond with genuine sympathy for their complaints.”
1. Which of the following statements is typical of “Versailles literature”?| A．You know who my father is? My father is Li Gang. |
| B．Got five offers to date. I’m at a loss which to choose. |
| C．It’s a headache how to make my son tidy up his room regularly. |
| D．I’m fed up with living in the countryside with no shopping malls around. |
| A．To win others’ sympathy. | B．To earn others’ admiration. |
| C．To show his/her sincerity. | D．To mask his / her complaint. |
| A．Indirect. | B．Straightforward. | C．Ambiguous. | D．Double-edged. |
| A．Braggers are relatively more sincere than humblebraggers. |
| B．Humblebragging is an artificial appearance of being humble. |
| C．To respond with real sympathy will discourage humblebraggers. |
| D．If you want to be perceived positively, try to use Versailles literature. |
In 2012, nearly one hundred million rural people lived in poverty,
establishment in poor areas, such as roads, communication, and electricity facilities, which will
1. 简述你周围浪费食物的现象。
2. 应当珍惜粮食, 杜绝浪费的原因。
3. 你的愿景。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 题目已为你写好。
Don't waste food
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9 . People who have children experience greater happiness and feel they find more meaning in life than those without kids , according to psychologist from the university of California and university of British Columbia and Stanford university. They also said that in spite of all kinds of pressure linked to parenthood, parents feel happier during the day hours when they are taking care of their kids than during other daily tasks. The report included three different studies , one from each university, and appeared in the journal psychological science .
The research was carried out in three stages, and in each of the parts psychologists interviewed about 190 people and asked them to describe how they felt during their daily activities which included cooking, changing diapers（尿布）, doing the dishes, going to work and playing with the kids. The authors wanted to figure out whether people who had children felt happier and evaluated（评估）their lives more positively when compared to those without kids. They were also interested in whether parents experienced more positive feelings while taking care of their kids than when doing some other day -to -day activities .
According to Elizabeth Dunn, psychology professor at the University of British Columbia and a co-author of the study, the results were quite a surprise for the researchers. All the people who had children reported that caring for their young ones was more meaningful and made their lives much happier than any other activity did.
These findings challenge the common belief that children are linked to reduced well-being, researchers said. The impression many people have now from the mass media and academic research is that being a parent seems to be quite a negative experience. Many previous studies on this topic linked parenthood to unhappy marriages, lower life satisfaction and even depression, Elizabeth Dunn, who was expecting her first child, said. In Dunn's personal opinion, parenthood is related to, but may not cause, happiness.
The results showed that age and marital status（婚姻状况）also played a role in parental happiness. The study found that older and more mature married couples who have higher social status and do not have financial problems are more likely to be happier if they have kids when compared to childless couples. Even single parents said that all the stresses linked to parenthood did not completely wipe out the feelings of satisfaction caused by caring for kids. On the other hand, young parents who were under the age of 26 were found to be significantly unhappier than their peers who did not have children. Interestingly, fathers in the study were reported to be particularly satisfied and experience only positive feelings compared to men without kids.
Sonja Lyubomirsky, professor of psychology at UC Riverside and a leading scholar in positive psychology, said that their study does not necessarily mean that parenting makes people happy; however, there is a clear connection to be taken into consideration. And while more research is needed on the matter, the new findings suggest that the responsibilities and all the work that arrives with parenthood may be offset （抵消）by the pleasure of having children, and childcare may actually be linked to feelings of happiness and meaning in life.
1. What does the passage mainly tell us?| A．What marriage and parenthood are. | B．How marriage is linked to parenthood. |
| C．Whether parenthood is beneficial. | D．Parenthood brings people more happiness . |
1. The findings of the research
2. The number of people involved in the research
3. The researchers’ expectation
4. Where the research was carried out
| A．1&3 | B．2&3 | C．2&4 | D．1&4 |
| A．Uninterested. | B．Curious. | C．Cautious. | D．Opposed. |
| A．the research about parental happiness wasn't totally convincing |
| B．marital status plays the most important role in parental happiness |
| C．fathers are more likely to feel happy about caring for a child than mothers |
| D．the younger parents have children, the happier they are |
A red panda climbs along the branch of a tree, placing one paw in front of
Red pandas and giant pandas share a similar name, but they are not closely related.
Red pandas are now in the
