1 . The summer holidays have just begun, but it is a busy morning at Cadoxton Primary School, in Barry, an industrial town in Wales. It runs a summer programme for hard-up (拮据的) children, providing meals and activities over the holidays with the aim of helping kids to spend the time more meaningfully. As young people run laughing and screaming into the school cafeteria for breakfast, their parents hung out, some visibly relieved. Just three days into the six-week school holidays one mother says her nine-year-old daughter has already asked five times to go bowling. “Without the school’s help,” she says, “it would be a long and expensive six weeks.”
In the popular imagination, school summer holidays conjure up (使……呈现于脑际) a picture of carefree youthful exploration. But many parents rely on the term-time services that schools give their kids, such as tutors and meals. If the holidays approach, they can suddenly find their schedules and budgets stretched. Researchers also say that the long break often sets back children’s learning, and that children from poorer backgrounds are desperately affected due to their shortage of money.
Many poor children fall behind their wealthier peers over the holidays. “Summer is the most unequal time of the year,” says Matthew Boulay of the National Summer Learning Association. “Well-off parents can fill the gap left by school and consolidate (使巩固) their children’s unfamiliar knowledge well, keeping their children stimulated with summer camps, trips abroad or private tutors. Poorer families, apparently, find this harder, since their income is relatively low and demand for sponsored activities offered by governments,” he adds.
Holidays can be a financial stress, which is absolutely true. In countries where some children receive free school meals, summer means bigger grocery bills for hard-up families. Households where both parents work have to pay for extra childcare, too. The Family and Childcare Trust, a charity, says that in Britain, where childcare costs are the highest in the OECD, a club of mostly rich countries. Parents will spend an average of 33 per child per week on childcare this summer, mainly because of the sharp shortage of governmental funding sponsor.
1. What is the purpose of the summer programme?| A．To lengthen students’ school life. | B．To keep students busy all the time. |
| C．To provide students with free meals. | D．To enrich students’ summer holidays. |
| A．Rich. | B．Tight. | C．Reasonable. | D．Affordable. |
| A．Badly-off parents are likely to give up sponsoring their kids. |
| B．Well-off parents are unwilling to offer their kids extra tutors. |
| C．Students from poor family can well deal with the peer pressure. |
| D．Students from rich family can strengthen their learned knowledge. |
| A．Because of insufficiency of free tutors. | B．Because of shortage of social sponsor. |
| C．Because of shortage of free school meals. | D．Because of lack of governmental support. |
2 . Asia’s centuries-long fascination with fair skin has deep roots and, even today, is influenced by Eurocentric (以欧洲为中心的) beauty standards linking paleness with charm. The questioned concept dating from colonial history is continued through media channels.
This fascination is vividly reflected in the make-up industry, leading to a multi-billion-dollar market for skin-whitening products across Asia. A striking survey conducted by WHO revealed 40% of women in countries such as China, Malaysia, the Philippines, and South Korea routinely use skin-whitening products. It was also found that 75% of men believed their partners would be beautiful with lighter skin. Such a deep-rooted relation between fairness and beauty continues to fuel the thriving skin-whitening industry. The industry’s value is estimated to reach a breathtaking $8.9 billion by 2027.
The historical preference for lighter skin in Asian culture is also closely tied to socio-economic status. Historically, having fair skin indicated higher social status, as individuals engaging in physical labor often had darker skin from being in the sun. The upper class, meanwhile, enjoyed a sheltered indoor life due to their wealth, translating into fairer skin. Consequently, those with darker skin remained in a lower status, fueling the favor for fairer faces.
Colonialism (殖民主义) has also affected the beauty standards in Asian countries. Many nations across the continent were once colonized by white powers from the US and Europe. Eventually, their fair skin symbolized the power and wealth of the colonizers. Even in Japan, never colonized, noblewomen during the Edo period adopted white makeup to copy the luxurious image related to lighter skin. These historical factors continue to shape modern beauty standards in Asia.
In recent years, such Eurocentric beauty standards have been receiving widespread criticism. A growing movement has come up, promoting the beauty of darker skin tones and advocating accepting all skin colors. While the preference for pale skin remains universal in many Asian countries, the tendency is slowly turning as new standards of beauty pop up. Hopefully, we will see a society that celebrates inclusivity and the beauty of all skin tones.
1. What’s the common beauty standards in Asian countries?| A．They include a person’s charm. |
| B．They relate to a person’s makeup. |
| C．They are measured by a person’s fair skin. |
| D．They refer to the color of a person’s skin. |
| A．European colonizers in Japan. |
| B．Exposure to the sun and physical labor. |
| C．Socio-economic status and colonialism. |
| D．The use of white makeup by noblewomen. |
| A．A growing preference for pale skin. |
| B．A rejection of Eurocentric beauty ideals. |
| C．No change in traditional beauty standards. |
| D．Increasing acceptance of diverse skin tones. |
| A．They are unique to Asian culture. |
| B．They are set to remain unchanged. |
| C．They are rooted in biological differences. |
| D．They are being questioned and changing gradually. |
3 . A certain item is being stolen more than ever in Japan. Rather than the usual luxury watches, cars, or jewelry, thieves in Japan are picking fruits as their target. There is a thriving market for quality fruits which are grown by hand to ensure they reach high standards for appearance and taste. Japanese individuals and companies often buy them as gifts for special occasions.
One softball-sized strawberry, for instance, can cost as much as ¥500,000 JPY ($3,346 USD). Several districts have recently witnessed an alarming rise in fruit theft. Yamanashi Prefecture, for instance, lost an shocking ¥8,500,000 JPY ($56,890 USD) from 40 cases of missing fruit in the last four months. It is so bad, in fact, that local firefighters and private security guards are going around and checking the area at night to ensure the safety of the fruits.
The same thing happened to another peach farm located in Fuefuki City when farmers were aware that 1,400 peaches went missing out of the blue. Another top farming company in Yamanashi City lost 1,500 peaches just two days later. Peaches were not the only luxury fruit being targeted in the past few months. Just last September 28,400 bunches of grapes went missing in the Yamanashi Prefecture. The total loss amounted to ¥350,000 ($2,343 USD).
Farm owners are now increasing their security measures to prevent this rise in theft. They are paying a fortune to employ local private security guards to patrol around the clock when fruits are ripe. Even they are about to install a monitoring system to watch over the farm at all times, which serves as a threat to thieves. If thefts do happen, they can call the police.
1. What unusual item is currently being stolen more frequently in Japan?| A．Quality fruits. | B．Watches. | C．Luxury cars. | D．Jewelry. |
| A．They have unique flavors. |
| B．They are always given as gifts. |
| C．They are less expensive than other luxury items. |
| D．They are grown by hand to meet high quality standards. |
| A．To highlight the size of the stolen fruits. |
| B．To provide an example of a stolen fruit. |
| C．To emphasize the high cost of luxury fruits. |
| D．To explain the popularity of strawberries in Japan. |
| A．To stress the value of luxury fruits in Japan. |
| B．To show the rise in theft of luxury items in Japan. |
| C．To describe the efforts to fight fruit thefts in Japan. |
| D．To promote the growth of the quality fruit market in Japan. |
4 . Going against the trend of going to well-known yet crowded tourist destinations on vacation, a growing number of holidaymakers in China are spending their holidays at less-known places to look for unique and relaxed holiday experiences. “Reverse tourism” (反向旅游) has appeared as a new trend among young holidaymakers in China.
During the weeklong public holiday, which ended on Oct 7, large numbers of vacationers, especially youth who long to escape their busy city lives, avoid popular holiday destinations in order to get off the beaten track and enjoy some peace and quietness.
According to data from online travel agency Qunar, the number of rooms booked at hotels in less-traveled cities during the holiday was up 30 percent year-on-year. Bookings for four and five-star hotels in less-traveled places, including Linxia in Gansu province and Shizuishan in Ningxia, all increased at least 10 times from the same period of 2021. Even 12.5 percent of youth who normally have little time for themselves simply had a time in a hotel to make the much-awaited holiday more relaxing.
Besides crowds, some vacationers chose less-traveled places to save on the cost of trips to popular destinations, which often involve expensive tickets, meals and hotel stays. What’s more, less-known attractions are able to offer more natural experiences, according to social media posts. And unlike popular destinations, some undeveloped places with little online attention can offer more surprises.
Jiang Han, a senior researcher at the Beijing-based public policy think tank Pangoal (盘古智库), said that reverse tourism will become one of the future directions for the market and is an opportunity for growth which can match the camping economy.
1. If you support “reverse tourism”, you will probably choose ________.| A．a famous tourist destination on holidays |
| B．a cheap and popular vacation |
| C．a developed destination to enjoy yourself |
| D．a less-known place for relaxed experiences |
| A．By giving numbers. | B．By listing reasons. |
| C．By comparing opinions. | D．By giving definitions. |
| A．Negative. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Positive. | D．Unconcerned. |
| A．Vacationers can save money while travelling. |
| B．More and more people accept less-travelled destinations. |
| C．People prefer to spend their holidays by travelling. |
| D．Young people often have little time to travel around. |
5 . After working an extra shift, Dr. Jessica Gold returned home feeling burned out and submitted herself to the urge to watch TV and sleep most of the day. As Generation Z would say, she was “bed rotting”. The phrase describes staying in bed all day, just like “rotting” (腐烂) there, according to Gold, a professor at Washington University. It is similar to having a lazy day, but it is more of an immobile term with less activity. She said, “It is OK as long as you understand why you are doing it and turn to other activities as well.
“Lying in bed for more than a day is concerning and could lead to different mental health issues, ”Gold added, “The urge to rot in bed all day, especially if it happens more seriously, is likely about something more than just catching up on sleep or needing a day to do nothing, but avoiding the feelings, stress or pain of being awake. This sort of behavior has been linked to symptoms (症状) of depression and anxiety.”
Bed rotting could be affecting more than just your mental health — it could also have a negative impact on your sleep. “Bed rotting is exactly the opposite of what we want people to do,” said Baron, associate professor of family and preventive medicine. “As a general guideline, if you are not asleep within 30 minutes during the night, you should get out of bed, ” said she.
Bed rotting after a long day is normal, but if it is affecting your work, social life or other important activities, then you should turn to professionals, Gold suggested, because they can help you get to the root cause and get you to learn to do something that you may think of as hobbies.
Recharging activities can energize us and better prepare us for the unavoidable stress we face daily. “Some options include hanging out with a friend, seeing a film or exercising, said Rego, a psychologist from New York, “If you don’t want to leave the house, try activities like reading a book or journaling instead of just lying down.
1. What can we learn about ”bed rotting“?| A．It is favoured by Generation Z. | B．It is an active attitude toward life. |
| C．It is acceptable if it is controllable. | D．It is the same with having a lazy day. |
| A．The impact of bed rotting. | B．The trend of bed rotting. |
| C．The cure for bed rotting. | D．The prevention of bed rotting. |
| A．Bed rotting makes for stress relief. | B．Bed rotting results from lack of sleep. |
| C．Bed rotting contradicts good sleep habits. | D．Bed rotting refers to part of the sleep cycle. |
| A．Adopting a regular exercise routine. |
| B．Engaging in some relaxing activities. |
| C．Seeking professional mental health services. |
| D．Watching other digital devices rather than TV. |
6 . Want to know what is coming soon to a cinema near you? Probably not a 1.5-hour-long movie, as in the old days. On October 20th comes Killers of the Flower Moon. At nearly three and a half hours, its length is nearly double that of the average film last year. Even movie fans struggle to concentrate for that long and some viewers even nod off. Afterwards there is a mad dash for the toilets. When does watching a film become such a slog?
The Economist analyzed over 100,000 feature films released internationally since the 1930s, the start of Hollywood’s golden age, using data from IMDb, a movie database. The average length of productions rose by around 24%, from one hour and 21 minutes in the 1930s to one hour and 47 minutes in 2022. For the ten most-popular titles, the average length grew to around two and a half hours in 2022, nearly 50% higher than in the 1930s.
One driver of this trend is that studios want to squeeze the most out of their costly intellectual property (知识产权), but they are competing with streaming platforms for eyeballs. The hope is that a spectacular, drawn-out “event” movie will draw audiences away from the small screen and into cinemas. This approach has often paid off: Avengers: Endgame Marvel’s three-hour superhero masterpieces, was the highest-grossing (票房最高的) film in 2019. Last year long movies series made up most of the highest-grossing films in America.
Another explanation for longer films has to do with directors’ growing influence. Who would dare tell the likes of Mr. Nolan to cut out his masterpieces? Moreover, streaming platforms, which do not have to worry as much about the length because viewers can pause whenever they like, may attract big names by promising them sufficient fund and creative freedom. Netflix funded and released three-hour The Irishman in 2019, a film that would have benefited from a decisive editor, Irish or otherwise.
1. The underlined part “a slog” in paragraph 1 refers to a(n)___.| A．pleasure | B．effort | C．conflict | D．feast |
| A．The average length affects the popularity of films. |
| B．Great advances have been made in film industry. |
| C．Hollywood starts a golden age of feature films. |
| D．The average duration of movies has stretched. |
| A．Competition for the target audience. | B．Thirst for more classic productions. |
| C．Influence of streaming platforms. | D．Preference for decisive editors. |
| A．Movie Enthusiasts | B．Movie Marathons |
| C．Movie Production | D．Movie Influence |
Live streaming (直播) has gone popular in China. Many have turned
Chinese authorities have introduced a set of updated regulations (管理) on live streaming industry
The document also calls for cooperation to carry
It all began with a video showing a professor at a Chinese university several months ago. Standing before a classroom which
Actually, the word “princess” carries much
“The popular phrase, ‘Princesses, please xx’, was appreciated by the youth, not only for its humor but for the
While many of recent Chinese Internet phrases
Chinese coffee giant Luckin Coffee hit 10,000 stores in China in June, surpassing (超过) Starbucks
Founded in 2017, Luckin Coffee burst onto the Chinese coffee scene to challenge Starbucks through
In the quarter ended June 30, Luckin Coffee opened 1,485 new stores,
The Chinese coffee chain expanded to Singapore in its first international attempt and has opened 14 stores in the city-state so far.
10 . Housing officials say that lately they are noticing something different: students seem to lack the will, and the skill, to deal with ordinary conflicts. “We have students who are mad at each other and they text each other in the same room,” says a teacher. “So many of our conflicts are because kids don’t know how to solve a problem by formal discussion.”
And as any pop psychologist will tell you, bottled emotions lead to silent discontent (不满) that can boil over into frustration and anger. At the University of Florida, emotional conflicts occur about once a week, the university’s director of housing education says, “Over the past five years, roommate conflicts have increased. The students don’t have the person-to-person discussions and they don’t know how to handle them.” The problem is most dramatic among freshmen; housing professionals say they see improvement as students move toward graduation, but some never seem to improve, and they worry about how such students will deal with conflicts after college.
Administrators guess that reliance on cell phones and the Internet may have made it easier for young people to avoid uncomfortable encounters. Why express anger in person when you can vent (发泄) in a text? “Things are posted on someone’s wall on Facebook like: Oh, my roommate kept me up all night studying,” says Dana Pysz, an assistant director at the University of California, Los Angeles. “It’s a different way to express their conflict to each other, consequently creating even more conflicts as complaints go public.” In recent focus groups at North Carolina State University, dorm residents said they would not even deal with noisy neighbors on their floor.
Administrators point to parents who have fixed their children’s problems in their entire lives. Now in college, the children lack the skills to attend to even modest conflicts. Some parents continue to interfere (干涉) on campus.
1. What is the main reason for many roommate conflicts?| A．Students are not good at reaching an agreement about the problems. |
| B．Students are not satisfied with each other. |
| C．Housing directors are not responsible for them. |
| D．Students are not strong-willed. |
| A．Students, especially freshmen, should bottle up their dissatisfaction. |
| B．Students in Florida sit down and have a person-to-person talk once a week. |
| C．Not all students are able to handle conflicts by the time they graduate. |
| D．The number of conflicts among roommates has decreased in the past five years. |
| A．Disapproving. | B．Indifferent. | C．Supportive. | D．Unclear. |
| A．They should be involved in their children’s life on campus. |
| B．They should deal with their children’s problems in their whole lives. |
| C．They should constantly contact the administrators of the college. |
| D．They should teach their children the skills to tackle the conflicts. |
