The buzzwords (时髦术语) “brittle college students” have gone viral on the Internet recently among mounting concerns over
Such comments have caused heated discussions over the declining physical
“These young people were mainly diagnosed (诊断) with trauma, abdominal pain, chest tightness, hyperventilation, acute alcoholism, and cholecystitis. Most cases were caused by
A report pointed out that unhealthy lifestyle is common
2 . Survivor bias (偏见，偏差), occurs when you tend to assess successful outcomes and disregard failures. This sampling bias paints a more promising or even misleading picture of reality.
Survivor bias is a sneaky problem that tends to slip into analyses unnoticed. For starters, it feels natural to emphasize success, whether it’s entrepreneurs, or survivors of a medical condition. We focus on and share these stories more than the failures.
Think about the famous college dropouts who became highly successful, such as Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, and Bill Gates. These successful examples might make you think a college degree isn’t beneficial. However, that’s survivor bias at work! These famous individuals are at the forefront of media reports. You hear more about them because they are extraordinary. You’re not considering the millions of other college dropouts that aren’t rich and famous. You need to assess their outcomes as well.
Survivor bias has even occurred in medical studies about severe diseases. Younger, healthier, and more fit patients tend to survive a disease’s initial diagnosis more frequently. Hence, they are more likely to join medical studies. On the contrary, older, weaker patients are less likely to survive long enough to participate in studies. Consequently, these studies overestimate successful disease outcomes because they are less likely to include those who die shortly after diagnosis.
Undeniably, successful cases are usually more visible and easier to contact than unsuccessful cases. However, focusing on the high-performing successes and disregarding other cases introduces survivor bias. After all, you’re leaving out a significant part of the picture as it’s harder to collect data from the less successful members of a population. Incomplete data can affect your decision-making process. Put simply, survivor bias produces an inaccurate sample, causing you to jump to incorrect conclusions.
To minimize the impact of survivor bias, you should find ways to draw a representative sample from the population, not just a few of successful samples. That process might call for more expense and effort, but you’ll get better results.
1. What writing technique is used in Paragraphs 3 and 4?| A．Making comparisons. | B．Giving examples. |
| C．Describing facts. | D．Analyzing data. |
| A．You will take all factors into account before making a final analysis. |
| B．You will overestimate the failure rate so you may quit your project. |
| C．You will only have partial data and reach an incorrect conclusion. |
| D．You will be more likely to survive in unfavorable circumstances. |
| A．People tend to lose sight of the overall statistics. |
| B．People are unwilling to read unsuccessful stories. |
| C．Doctors don’t have enough expense to collect abundant samples. |
| D．The media should be responsible for kids’ dropping out of school. |
| A．Leave out the famous historic cases. |
| B．Collect a wide enough range of samples. |
| C．Focus on those most mentioned examples. |
| D．Select some successful and inspiring tales. |
3 . In 2022, campaign group Fashion Revolution Chelsea dye a garden for its Chelsea Flower Show presentation. An ancient craft, natural dyeing is a practice whose time has come again, with hand tie-dyed fashion also making a comeback in recent years.
The revival has been encouraged by Covid lockdowns, “which allowed people to explore the craft at home, says natural-dyeing enthusiast and teacher Susan Dye. It’s unlikely, though, that the practice would have caught on in quite the same way if not for a continually growing discomfort about fashion’s heavy footprint. From carbon emissions to animal cruelty, fashion is under considerable inspection. “Put it this way, 97% of dyes used in the industry are petrochemically (石油化学产品) based,” says sustainable fashion consultant Jackie Andrews, who helped advise the UN Ethical Fashion Initiative. We’ve got net zero targets which mean we’re going to have to remove all those petrochemicals from the manufacturing cycle.
Fashion is a huge polluter. According to the UN Environment Program, the industry is responsible for up to one-fifth of all industrial water pollution—due to the fact that most clothes today are produced in poorer countries where regulation is weak and enforcement weaker. Waste water is dumped directly into rivers and streams, poisoning the land as well as the water sources of people and animals who rely on them.
It’s easy to see why someone who cares about people, planet and animals, as well as clothes, might turn to natural plant dyeing. From the beauty of the raw materials—often wild plants-to the property of only bonding with natural fiber like cotton and linen (亚麻布) from the minor footprint of recycling old clothing that has grayed or faded over time to the vibrant and long-lasting dyeing results, plant dyeing feels like a quiet act of rebellion. This is why, while beginners start with simply changing their clothes’ color, new worlds open. Many of today’s natural dyers grow their own dye plants, run local community workshops, and advocate for change in industrialized fashion systems and beyond.
1. What is the main reason for the growing discomfort mentioned in paragraph 2?| A．The adoption of petrochemical-based dyes |
| B．The disturbing consequences of the fashion industry. |
| C．The fashion industry’s focus on luxurious designs. |
| D．The challenging net zero targets to be achieved. |
| A．By making a comparison. | B．By listing numbers |
| C．By giving examples. | D．By introducing a new topic |
| A．A protest against turning to natural fiber. |
| B．An objection to recycling old clothing |
| C．A resistance to vibrant colors in natural dyeing |
| D．A struggle for a sustainable fashion industry |
| A．The Environmental Impact of Natural Dyeing |
| B．The Return of Natural Dyeing with Ethical Appeal |
| C．Fashion Revolution’s Dye Garden Presentation |
| D．The Petrochemical Dye Industry and Its Challenges |
4 . Comparison is the thief of joy, which has become more pronounced with the rise of social media. In the past, you may have envied your neighbour when they bought a new car. Today, the rise of social media has had many benefits but also given rise to social media envy when users perceive the perfect lives of others.
Research has shown that social media users post carefully chosen information to present a better image of themselves and social media allows them to do so. This can lead to social comparison, which is where we think about information about other people in relation to ourselves. Our own lives are for the most part ordinary, but social media can make it appear that everyone else’s are not. This can make us feel different emotional responses.
These emotions can be positive or negative. For example, sometimes envy can lead to self-improvement. Researchers have found that students studied for longer, and their academic performance improved, when they were envious of their successful peers.This is referred to as benign envy. But some envy can lead to negative emotions. You might feel low and have negative thoughts towards the envied person who you perceive to be in a better position than you. This is referred to as malicious envy.
As envy is a natural response, it is important to allow yourself to feel the emotion. The real trick is making sure you stop malicious envy and harness benign envy. By accepting that you are envious of someone when you have viewed a post on social media, you have made the first step to adopt a healthier response. You can then make the decision to use this feeling to fuel self improvement.
Therefore, try to identify role models as well as people to avoid or unfollow. Role models can be anyone that encourages a sense of benign envy and promotes wanting to improve. This could be friends, family or a celebrity. Identifying those that you feel malicious envy towards is equally as important. Unfollowing these people may be beneficial.
1. How does the author introduce the topic?| A．By giving a definition. |
| B．By explaining a theory. |
| C．By making comparisons. |
| D．By justifying assumptions. |
| A．Freedom of expression. |
| B．Selected information online. |
| C．Social media users' preference. |
| D．Widespread use of social media. |
| A．Post your envy online. |
| B．Acknowledge your envy. |
| C．Stop viewing harmful posts. |
| D．Reject this negative emotion. |
| A．Comparison—the thief of joy |
| B．Stay away from social media |
| C．Envy—a barrier to progress |
| D．Get over social media envy |
5 . Cruise and Waymo are two companies that have been developing self-driving taxis, sometimes called “robotaxis” (robot + taxi). Until recently, the cars have had a human in the driver’s seat, ready to take over if there was a problem. But the newest self-driving cars don’t have anyone in the driver’s seat. They are programmed to do everything on their own, including obeying the rules of the road, following speed limits, and avoiding people and other cars.
In early August, Waymo and Cruise were given full permission to operate their robotaxis. The companies were allowed to run as many driverless cars as they wanted, 24 hours a day. And the companies weren’t required to have safety drivers in their cars. The move was a big step for self-driving cars, and many people were excited about the change. The new rules also allowed the companies to charge for every ride, which meant that the robotaxis could finally start to earn money.
But almost immediately, there were problems. A Cruise car crashed into a fire truck, sending a person to the hospital. Later, a Cruise car stopped working in the middle of a crossroad, causing a traffic jam. As a result, Cruise was told to take half of its robotaxis off the roads.
In one recent example, a self-driving car got stuck in wet concrete because it didn’t know that wet concrete was different from a road. In another case, a robotaxi killed a dog. The self-driving system knew the dog was there, but didn’t know how to avoid it. One group that is upset about self-driving cars has found an unusual way to protest: putting traffic cones (圆锥体) on the robotaxis. The cone confuses the car’s driving system and leaves them unable to move.
In spite of the problems, both Waymo and Cruise are planning to expand their self-driving car service to other cities. Cruise has plans to bring their robotaxis to at least 15 cities. Waymo says its driverless system will soon be able to work “in any city, on any kind of vehicle”. Though the quality of self-driving cars is improving, it’s likely to be a while before most people view them as safe.
1. What was the latest change to the robotaxis recently?| A．They were able to really make money. |
| B．They could obey the traffic rules by itself. |
| C．They could run 24 hours on the road a day. |
| D．They didn’t have a human driver any more. |
| A．They killed a person in an accident. |
| B．They couldn’t avoid the traffic cones. |
| C．They sometimes broke down on the roads. |
| D．They couldn’t recognise the concrete road. |
| A．It is very convenient to take robotaxis. |
| B．The safety of robotaxis is still a problem. |
| C．Robotaxis should be expanded in the cities. |
| D．The driverless system of robotaxis is perfect. |
| A．Robotaxis Will Expand to More Cities |
| B．Robotaxis Has a Perfect Self-driving System |
| C．Robotaxis Move Forward, but Face Problems |
| D．Robotaxis Cause Many Accidents on the Roads |
6 . Only 12% of a poll’s (民意调查) 1,000 respondents answered that improper grammar in a text message would bother them “A lot”, while 24% thought “Somewhat”, 29%responded “Not very much”, 30%believed “Not at all”, and 5% answered “Not sure”. These findings were fairly consistent across age, income and region. Obviously, there was a difference between men’s and women’s grammar preferences: Women were 6% more likely to respond that improper text grammar bothers them “A lot”. The language used in an email was only a slightly different story.
A similar study conducted earlier this year showed that caring about grammatical errors was independent of age or education level. The study found that introverts (性格内向的人) were more likely to view a peer who misspelled something as a bad roommate.
However, while respondents were accepting of improper grammar, most of them reported using proper grammar themselves when texting and emailing. 48%answered“I may use improper grammar” when asked about their texting habits, while 52% said they used proper grammar when sending emails. So, it was not that everyone who made an effort to use correct grammar wouldn’t forgive those who were more creative in their textual communication.
This is great news, as no negative links have been made between using improper grammar when texting and literacy scores. In fact, the link between “improper” language use and language learning is proven to be positive. Keep that in mind next time you find yourself shaking your head at a text message with improper grammar. Using improper grammar when sending text messages or emails does not mean a lack of writing skills. However, young learners are supposed to separate schoolwork from media communication. After all, it is one thing to write schoolwork, but it is another to communicate on social media platforms.
1. What was the finding of the poll about improper grammar in media communication?| A．6% didn’t know about it. | B．24% considered it unacceptable. |
| C．Most people didn’t mind it much. | D．Less than 10% were totally against it. |
| A．Use emails rather than text messages. | B．Make more grammar mistakes. |
| C．Be more likely to comment on improper grammar. | D．Be more concerned about improper grammar. |
| A．Age. | B．Personality. | C．Region. | D．Education level. |
| A．Optimistic. | B．Critical | C．Negative. | D．Unconcerned. |
7 . It was a quiet morning in the library, and we librarians were enjoying a rather loud chat. Suddenly, a patron (常客) marched up to us, gave us an annoyed “Shush!” and went back to her seat. How strange for a group of librarians to be shushed by a patron! Shouldn’t it be the other way around?
Well, it’s complicated. If you’re like me, a middle-aged woman, you probably remember libraries as places of silent reading. These days, however, libraries are more like active community centers.
In the past, most libraries didn’t focus much on programs for kids whose age made it impossible for them to be quiet on demand. But growing knowledge about the importance of kids and teens learning through hands-on experiences has since caused a sea change in how libraries connect with young readers. Now libraries begin offering interactive programs for kids, including crafts, board games, and story times. These types of programs certainly aren’t designed to be silent.
Along with more programs for ever-younger children, technology today has played a part in the transformation of libraries into places where both kids and adults can use computers, make something on a 3D printer and more. In addition, many libraries now offer programs for adults, who can participate in in book discussion, learn calligraphy, and even take college classes.
Of course, libraries still need peaceful phones. These days, many libraries have glassed-off study rooms or quiet areas. They are also less noisy in the early afternoons, after morning children’s programs and before the after-school kid crowd arrive.
It’s clear to me now that on the day my colleagues and I were shushed by a patron, we should have been using our “library voices” as we talked. Still, it’s unlikely that libraries will ever return to the days when they were places of silence. There’s just too much fun and learning happening.
1. How did the author respond to the patron’s behavior?| A．She approved of it. | B．She was disappointed at it. |
| C．She hesitated about it. | D．She was astonished at it. |
| A．The past and the present of libraries. | B．The reason for the change of libraries. |
| C．The activities for young children in libraries. | D．The connection between libraries and readers. |
| A．They heavily depend on technology. | B．They offer online programs for adults. |
| C．They still provide silent reading places. | D．They care much about time arrangement. |
| A．Libraries Should be Loud | B．Reading Can be Fun in Libraries |
| C．Libraries Make Learning Happen | D．Library Programs Target Children |
8 . The term “digital equity (公平)” has been talked about for several years, but school closures during the COVID-19 epidemic have brought increased attention to the issue. However, while much focus has been on improving access to technology for students, an area of digital equity that often gets neglected is how parents are expected to engage with their children’s schools.
Research shows that students with engaged families earn higher grades, adapt more quickly, have better behavior and social skills. Parents who know what is happening in the classroom are better equipped to help their children succeed and can combine learning at home with learning at school. That’s why equitable communication with parents needs to be part of a district’s overall equity goals.
Equitable parent communication requires schools to meet parents where they are, especially considering that nearly 1 in 4 US homes live with no Internet access. Parents who do not have smart phones or personal computers should have the same access to their children’s teachers as parents with the latest technology.
Often districts use communication platforms that require parents to log into a website, choose a messaging service, or download software. Each of these obstacles restricts communication pathways for parents who do not have access to the required technology. Districts should consider platforms that enable parents to receive phone calls to fixed-line telephones and SMS messages to standard cellphones.
In addition, platforms that focus on “blast” and “mass” types of messaging are sufficient for distributing information related to an entire classroom or school but miss the mark on developing meaningful relationships with individual parents and creating real engaging opportunities. Districts should opt to use tools that create digital equity for parents and create an environment where meaningful conversations can take place.
To conclude, good school-home relationships are a crucial factor in children’s education. Positive school-home relationships must get supported as equitable communication is the pathway to engaging all parents in helping students achieve more success.
1. What does the underlined word “neglected” in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．Mentioned. | B．Ignored. | C．Explored. | D．Stressed. |
| A．Students can adapt to school life easily. |
| B．Students can deal with challenges on their own. |
| C．Parents’ habits significantly affect their children. |
| D．Parents’ involvement in children’s schooling is rewarding. |
| A．Make environment more friendly |
| B．Provide free cellphones for parents. |
| C．Popularize communication websites |
| D．Find ways to provide equitable communication. |
| A．Digital equity can help students succeed. |
| B．Parents should value communication platforms. |
| C．School-home relationships are important in children’s education. |
| D．Meaningful conversations will benefit children’s education greatly. |
9 . In 2020, Pink launched the world Regret Survey, the largest survey on the topic ever undertaken. With his research team, Pink asked more than 15, 000 people in 105 countries, “How often do you look back on your life and wish you had done things differently?” Most of them said regret was at least an occasional part of their life. Roughly 21 percent said they felt regretful all the time. Only 1 percent said they never felt regretful.
If you are of the “no regrets” school of life, you may think that all this regret is a recipe for unhappiness. But that isn’t the case. Letting yourself be overwhelmed by regret is indeed bad for you. But going to the other extreme maybe even worse. To extinguish your regrets doesn’t free you from shame or sadness but causes you to make the same mistakes again and again. To truly get over our guilt requires that we put regret in its proper place.
Uncomfortable as it is, regret is an amazing cognitive (认知的) feat. It requires that you go back to a past scene. Imagine that you acted differently to change it, and with that new scene in mind, arrive at a different present — and then, compare that fictional present with the one you are experiencing in reality. Not all regrets are the same, of course. Pink says they come in four basic varieties, and an instance of regret may involve just one combination.
Many connection regrets overlap (重叠) with moral regrets, which can come about after you go against your own values. For example, you may pride yourself on being a loving person, and thus regret not living up to this image in the relationship you harmed. Moral regrets can also involve (涉及) just yourself. Maybe you regret not living up to your commitment (承诺、保证) to your health when you ate a whole pizza or skipped the gym.
If not analyzed and managed, any variety of regret can be harmful to your health. Regret is linked to depression and anxiety, and excessive regret can have a bad effect on your immune system. But regret doesn’t have to be put aside and ignored.
1. What could be concluded from Pink’s research ?| A．Half of the people felt regretful. |
| B．Most people lived without regrets. |
| C．None could live a life without regrets. |
| D．The majority of the people had regrets. |
| A．Admit. | B．Destroy. | C．Treasure. | D．Advance. |
| A．The harm of moral regrets. |
| B．The importance of commitment. |
| C．The relationship between regrets and values. |
| D．The connection between reality and imagination. |
| A．Types of regrets. | B．Causes of regrets. |
| C．Benefits of experiencing regrets. | D．Ways of dealing with regrets. |
10 . On a soulless roundabout at a motorway crossroads, next door to a Burger King and opposite McDonald’s, stands a newcomer to the world of fast-food in France: a boulangerie, or French bakery. With sufficient parking, the Boulangerie offers its car-borne customers a variety of choices. The boulangerie is traditionally a feature of the village square or high street. Yet now, it is taking off as an out-of-town drive-in or drive-to experience.
It is an unexpected time for the baguette (法式面包) to spread, let alone on the country’s city edges. Rising energy and flour prices have pushed the price of the humble stick over the symbolic one euro in some places. Older folks still recall the time in the 1970s when it went for one French franc. Yet in 2022 more new boulangeries opened their doors in France than closed, according to Altares, a research group. Across the country 2,538 new bakeries set up shop last year. In the Paris region, the fastest growth has taken place not in the capital’s built-up walkable centre, but its low-density (低密度) outer suburbs — meeting the need of the motorist.
Marie Blachere, a chain of boulangeries which started their business on car-accessible edge-of-town sites, now has over 700 outlets across France; 70 opened last year alone. It provides industrial-scale kitchens for hand-made baguettes, made from dough prepared, kneaded and baked on the site, a condition in France for use of the label boulangerie. With turnover of over €550m, it ranks as one of the top ten fast-food chains in France. In the city of Chartres, Cyril Avert boulangerie serves baguettes to motorists at the wheel, as a pure drive-through service. So does Jules & John, in over 20 towns in France.
The drive-in or drive-to fashion is not welcome news for the boulangeries on narrow town-centre streets, many of which are struggling with rising costs. But it does reflect a stubborn fact about France, which those who govern from its city centres ignore. In 2021, 82% of French households owned at least one vehicle, and many in outer suburbs and semi-rural parts depend on it for work. The French remain as attached to their daily, or even twice-daily, baguette as they do to their use of the car.
1. Who are the recently-opened baguette bakeries targeted for?| A．New arrivals. | B．Hurrying drivers. |
| C．Leisurely tourists. | D．Fashionable youths. |
| A．Brands of boulangeries. | B．Profits from boulangeries. |
| C．Examples of boulangerie expansion. | D．Conditions for opening a new boulangerie. |
| A．Objective. | B．Approving. | C．Dismissive. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．Baguette and vehicle: hand in hand |
| B．Boulangeries: suffering rocketing price |
| C．Boulangeries: springing up in unlikely places |
| D．Baguettes: the symbol of traditional French cuisine |
