3 . Shrinkflation has made British shoppers unhappy. For years, producers have quietly shrunk product sizes rather than rise prices. A multipack(合装包)of Fazzles, used to cost £1 ($1.36) and contain eight bags. Now it contains six. Cadbury’s Creme Eggs used to come by the half-dozen; now they come in fives. Quality Street, a chocolate box, weighed 1.2kg in 2009; today, just 650g.

The logic of Shrinkflation is that consumers are less likely to notice it than its alternative: higher prices. For years, the government has worked on the same principle. Taxpayers paid roughly the same, but government services became worse. Now an era of price increases in the form of tax rises has begun. In a nasty combination of inflation and shrinkflation, voters will be expected to pay more for less.

It will be an awkward shift. Since coming to power in 2010, the Conservatives (保守党) have used shrinkflation just as retailers do. In the early austerity (财政紧缩) years, the government shrank (收缩，减少), but its cost did not. As a percentage of GDP, it fell from a peak after the financial crisis of 46% of GDP to 39%. Taxes stayed around their historic norm of about 32% of GDP. But citizens received fewer services.

And, as when shoppers fail to notice the missing packet of Frazzles, voters did not care much at first. Weekly bin collections became fortnightly or monthly. Once-generous legal aid became mean; in-work benefits fell; police solved fewer crimes. But eventually voters and shoppers start to feel confused. Was a box of Quality Street always so small? Were the police always so used to fraud (诈骗)? Moreover, shrinkflation cannot continue forever. Just as people will not buy an empty packet of Frazzles, taxpayers will not pay for government services that are not provided at all. Eventually prices must rise — as the Conservatives are discovering. By 2026 the tax burden will be 36% of GDP, the highest since the post-war era, under Clement Atlee. This will cause several problems such as one of expectations. Atlee’s government promised a new Jerusalem (耶路撒冷): voters accepted higher taxes in return for a welfare(福利)state. Similarly, when New Labour governments raised taxes in the 2000s, they provided more in return. They increased national insurance, in order to bring heath care spending in line with other European countries. Schools were rebuilt and repaired; civic art, though sometimes of questionable quality, appeared in town squares.

Unfortunately, this time higher spending will at best stop things getting worse. Sajid Javi, the health secretary, admits that the health-and social-care systems will struggle even after a 2.5 percentage-point rise in national insurance,

“Is that all we get for £12bn” asked the Daily Mail, a newspaper that lends to see eye-to-eye with the Conservatives, when the plan to cut hospital waiting-lists was announced. British voters are often said to want American taxes and a European welfare government. Instead, they face paying European taxes for services as insufficient as those in American.

1. Shrinkflation refers to the process of items ______.

A．shrinking in size or quantity while their prices remain the same

B．shrinking in size or quantity while their prices become higher

C．expanding in sire or quantity while their prices remain the same

D．expanding in size or quantity while their prices become lower

2. What can be learned about the consumer psychology in Britain nowadays?

A．Consumers will pay higher taxes for government services.

B．Consumers are more sensitive to price increases in products.

C．Consumers can hardly notice the changes in government services.

D．Consumers are unwilling to pay for government services.

3. What is the writer’s attitude toward New Labour governments in Para 4?

A．Critical.

B．Unconcerned.

C．Supportive.

D．Doubtful.

4. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Both inflation and shrinkflation exist in Britain.

B．The Americans pay high taxes for poor services.

C．The British government will be costlier with fewer services.

D．The Daily Mail is in favor of the current economic policy.

4 . Downey, a professor of sociology at The Ohio State University, had an argument with his son, Nick. “I explained to him how bad his generation’s social skills were because they spent so much time on screens,” Downey said. “Nick asked me how I knew that. And when I checked, there really wasn’t any solid evidence. It then occurred to me that something is needed.”

Downey, with his colleague, started to investigate before long. They used data from early childhood studies. They compared how teachers and parents rated social skills of children who started kindergarten in 1998 with data on those who started school in 2010, when the first iPad appeared. Downey was surprised to find despite the time spent on smartphones and social media, young people today are as socially skilled as those from the previous generation.

Results showed both groups of kids were rated similarly on interpersonal skills, such as the ability to form and maintain friendships and get along with different people. They were also rated similarly on self-control, such as the ability to control their temper (脾气). In fact, the evaluations of children’s interpersonal skills and self-control tended to be slightly higher for those in the 2010 group than those in the 1998 group. The results showed that even the children with the most screen exposure in both groups experienced similar development in social skills compared to those with less screen exposure. There was one exception: The skills were a bit lower for children who accessed online gaming and social networking sites many times a day. “But even that was a pretty small effect,” Downey said. In general, there was little evidence that screen time damages most children’s social skills.

There is a tendency for every generation at my age to worry about the younger generation. It is an old story. Now we know we really shouldn’t have been so,” said Maggie, one of the parents providing evaluation. Fears for screen-based technology represent recent panic in response to technological change. If anything, new generations are learning that having good social relationships means being able to communicate successfully both face-to-face and online, Downey said.

1. Why is Downey’s argument with his son mentioned?

A．To attract reader’s attention to kids’ social skills.

B．To explain the reason for Downey’s study.

C．To show the impact of screen time on children.

D．To introduce tension between parents and children.

2. Why was Downey surprised by the results?

A．They were bad news for new generations.

B．They were uncommon in the field of sociology.

C．They were different from his assumption.

D．They were opposite to findings of previous studies.

3. What did the study find about kids with screen exposure?

A．They were addicted to online games.

B．Their social skills were barely impacted.

C．They were more likely to lose their temper.

D．Their interpersonal relationship was damaged.

4. How does Maggie feel about the results of the study?

A．Worried.

B．Doubtful.

C．Disappointed.

D．Relieved.

5 . 假设你是南京一中李华，在某报纸上看到一则报道：一名老人因不会使用手机出示健康码而被拒绝上公交车。请你给该报社“读者回音”栏目写一封信，就如何让“银发族”跨越“数字化”鸿沟问题提些建议。内容包括：
1. 写信缘由；
2. 帮助老年人跨越“数字化”鸿沟的建议（至少两条）
注意：1. 词数80左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：健康码 health code 数字鸿沟 digital divide
Dear editor,

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours,

Li Hua

6 . Being in college, coupled with being immersed (沉浸的) in social media means students are constantly surrounded by peers and their profiles (个人资料). “I am so pleased to announce that I have received an internship (实习工作).” If I opened my LinkedIn（a social network for job seekers, professionals and business）right now, the probability of me seeing posts of this kind is 100 percent.

I know the idea of comparison via social media has been studied and discussed a lot, but what we don’t put enough emphasis on is the physical and personal impact it can have on students. When students look at achievements and positions held by their peers, it is easy to feel as though they are not doing enough. When we go to career fairs and stand in lines for hours to not receive an interview, it is easy to feel as though there isn’t a bright future ahead. When we study in the library to improve our GPA (Grade Point Average) so as to get a job, it is easy to feel as though we have no fun.

It is easy to feel this way when we are immersed in what we think our peers’ lives and achievements look like. It can be easy to assume that the girl, who is doing two jobs, is a leader in three clubs, is taking 22 credit s and has an awesome internship lined up for the summer, is so happy and it’s going to be successful. However, what we don’t see are the three hours of sleep she gets each night or the lack of nutrition in her meals or that she is unable to keep up with her social relationships.

“One of the people we judge the most is ourselves. When we compare, we build on that judgment we make on ourselves in a negative way,” says Teri Pipe, Arizona State University’s chief well-being officer. This is not to say that it is impossible to do all those things, but it also important to know yourself and what you value when deciding what you want to do. “We should come back to the balancing point to understand that each of us has something important to do and serve in the world, which is as unique as your fingerprint,” says Pipe. By removing yourself from other people’s lives and things that have happened in the past or could happen in the future, you can allow yourself to be fully immersed in the present to enjoy and cherish what you’re doing.

The mental impacts of stress can also lead to physical pain. “When you are comparing yourself to someone, you start questioning yourself, and so you either make some changes blindly or feel defeated, and stop doing critical thinking,” says Jamie Valderrama. She is a lecturer in the university’s Schools of Social Work, which is one of the largest and most diverse social work program s in the US. “You might start feeling happiness in your heart, or your breathing and heart rate might accelerate. By paying attention to the body, you can take a step back and take preventive measures to make sure you calm the reaction down to handle the issue quickly in a positive way.”

1. What do we know about the profiles the author often sees on LinkedIn?

A．They often contain false information.

B．They completely show the positive side.

C．They focus on one’s working experience.

D．They usually show a person’s uniqueness.

2. What makes students feel stressed on social media according to the author?

A．Their peers’ relaxed life.

B．Their peers’ high GPAs.

C．Their peers’ good luck.

D．Their peers’ success.

3. What is mainly discussed in Paragraph 3?

A．How your peers are misunderstood in general.

B．The price of looking perfect on social media.

C．What the average girl on social media is like.

D．The reasons why one can become successful.

4. Why does Teri Pipe suggest we keep away from other people’s lives?

A．They could be negative.	B．They are rather ordinary.
C．They could discourage us.	D．They tend to be unrealistic

7 . Does earning a higher salary make you happier?

It’s an issue that concerns many of us: the balance between a satisfying job and a satisfying paycheck.     1     Workers are concerned about when weighing a promotion that would bring longer hours and more stress along with higher pay.

    2    , reported by The Journal of Happiness Studies, while people for whom high income was not the most important were attracted to the liberal arts and social sciences.

It all depends on priorities, Mr. Lore said. Some people are willing to make lifestyle changes because the intrinsic (内在的) rewards of following a passion or making a difference are more important than a high salary in an unenjoyable career, he said.    3    

Looking at lists of careers with the highest salaries tends to be a fool’s game. Let’s say you see that accountants are getting decent salaries out of college, but you don’t really like accounting.     4     Generally, people succeed when they’re doing something they like and what they’re good at. For his part, Mr. Lore said he was concerned that current economic troubles might force people into poor career choices.

“I would prefer that the economy was doing better and people were more adventurous because it often has an enormous effect on the quality of life,” he said. “Many people think success equals a high income, but     5     To me, that’s not success.”

A．Therefore, people should pursue what they’re interested in.

B．Students have to think about the question seriously when considering a college major or start a career.

C．The selection suggests that most majoring in social sciences or liberal arts is likely to result in higher salaries.

D．People who sought high income are more likely to major in things like business, engineering and finance

E．How can someone say they’re successful if they’re not happy doing their work?

F．These days, of course, many people are worried about whether they will get a job at all.

G．Chances are you’re going to be very good at accounting and your salary will reflect that.

8 . Heritage sites of outstanding and universal value located along the African coast are at threat of rising sea levels, and increased climate change adaptation is urgently needed for the protection of the heritage sites, according to research.

The research, published last week by the University of Cape Town’s African Climate and Development Initiative, indicated that more heritage areas are exposed to flooding compared with erosion. Findings showed that 56 of 284 identified African heritage sites are at risk of a 100-year coastal extreme event. Furthermore, the researchers project the number of exposed sites to more than triple by 2050.

Michalis Vousdoukas, scientific officer at the European Commission and lead author of the report, said the Loss of forts and castles along the coast would have strong consequences not only for the people living in their neighborhood, but also the international community. He said many of the sites are deeply connected with peoples’ identity and tradition, and they are essential for social well-being, safe-guarding traditional knowledge and livelihoods.

The research findings highlight the urgent need for increased climate change adaptation for heritage sites in Africa, including governance and management approaches, site-specific vulnerability assessments, exposure monitoring and protection strategies. The findings also indicated that reducing greenhouse gas emissions would result in a 21 percent reduction of the median exposed area, as well as 25 percent fewer sites that would be highly exposed by the end of the century.

The National Museums of Kenya, a state corporation that manages cultural and natural heritage, is working with communities to conserve sites that are threatened by coastal flooding and erosion. Fatma Twahir, the chief curator （负责人） of heritage site Fort Jesus in Kenya’s coastal Mombasa city, told Kenya News Agency that the National Museums of Kenya has partnered with the cultural protection fund to train curators and communities living near the heritage sites to keep them safe.

1. What does the underlined word “event” refer to in the context?

A．the natural disaster	B．the loss of forts and castles
C．the international support	D．the environment adaptation measures

2. What did Michalis Vousdoukas say about those heritage sites along the coast?

A．Those forts and castles are of great economic value in terms of tourism.

B．The loss of those sites would conceal the identity of the people living nearby.

C．If the sites got damaged, the whole world would be influenced as well as the local.

D．The protection of those sites is necessary for the safety of the whole continent.

3. According to the research, what does increased climate change adaptation include?

A．Monitoring all the heritage sites.

B．Reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

C．Assessing the short-term climate change.

D．Developing new methods of governing their countries.

9 . Advertising uses repetition to increase consumers’preference for brands. Particularly for novel brands, much exposure and repetition is necessary to establish the brand name in the first place. Do you still remember your feeling when you see or hear the names YAHOO or GOOGLE for the first time? Now they are imprinted in your brain. Basic psychological research has already shown that repeatedly perceived (感知) information is easier to be remembered for the brain process.

Recent research has shown that repetition effects actually are originally caused from the mouth. Each time we come across a person’s or product name, the lips and the tongue automatically simulate (模仿) the pronunciation of that name. This happens without our awareness and without actual mouth movements. During inner speech, the brain attempts to say the novel name. When names are presented repeatedly, this simulation happens repeatedly. However, if this inner speech is disturbed, for instance during chewing gum or whispering another word, the repetition effect vanishes.

An interesting experiment was conducted in movie theaters. 96 participants were invited to a real movie theater and were presented a block of commercials and a movie later on. Half of the participants received popcorn to eat. For them, the mouth was occupied with chewing the popcorn so the mouth muscles could not engage in inner speech when watching the ads for the novel brands. The other half of the participants only received a small sugar cube, which dissolved quickly in their mouth so that the mouth muscles were free to simulate the pronunciation of the brand names. The participants were invited to the lab one week after the cinema session. They were presented with images of products. Half of these products had been advertised in the cinema session; the other half were completely novel products. Participants were asked to indicate the products that they liked, and their physiological responses were measured. Those participants who had only received a sugar cube proved that there was a clear advertising effect. They preferred advertised novel products and also showed positive physiological responses of familiarity for advertised products. However, those participants who had eaten popcorn while watching the commercials one week before showed no such advertising effect.

1. Why does the author mention Yahoo and Google in Paragraph One?

A．To remind readers of brand names.

B．To prove the influence of repetition.

C．To compare the effects of two brands.

D．To draw readers’ attention to the research.

2. What does the underlined word “vanish” probably mean?

A．Disappear.

B．Improve.

C．Reduce.

D．Occur.

3. One week after the cinema session,the participants who ate sugar cube ________.

A．held positive attitude toward movies

B．showed preference for advertisements

C．tended to choose the advertised products

D．felt familiar with the commercials and the movies

4. Where is the passage likely to have been taken from?

A．A psychological report.

B．An entertainment website.

C．A commercial advertisement.

D．A popular science magazine.