1 . 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. |
2 . 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. |
3 . 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 |
The Internet is an
5 . Have you ever taken a personality test and found the results to be scarily accurate, checked your horoscope and had everything come true or taken an online quiz that told you precisely what your favorite Disney princess means about you? Well, we certainly have done so too many times, so we decided to do a little investigation into how Internet -quizzes, magazines and horoscope books seem to know us so well.
We discovered that we’ve all been falling victim to the Barnum effect. The Barnum Effect is the phenomenon that occurs when individuals believe that personality descriptions apply specifically to them, despite the fact that the description is actually filled with information that applies to everyone. It was named after P. T. Barnum, a famous 19th century showman, who would famously say, “There’s a fool born every minute.”
Indeed, Barnum proved to be right, as pseudoscience —such as astrology and personality tests — remains popular to this day. The Bamum effect explains why extremely general statements, such as the results of your personality test, seem so specific to you. Don’t believe us? Well, late psychology professor Bertram Forer offered some proof.
In a historic study, Forer conducted a personality test to his students. Forer copied statements such as “You have a great need for other people to like and admire you.” and “You have a tendency to be critical of yourself.” from the newspaper’s horoscope column and gave a test to every student. Forer asked his students to rate the accuracy of the test from one to five, with “one” being the least accurate and “five” being the most accurate. The average rating was 4.26. The universally high ratings from students on the personality test supported the Barnum effect.
One of the most important factors when reproducing this study is to keep the statements as vague as possible, with a mix of mostly positive and some negative content. For example, using the phrase “at times” makes for a powerful Barnum Effect. See “At times you are outgoing and sociable, while at other times you are shy and reserved” who would not agree with that statement?
So, keep in mind that we are not immune to the Barnum effect. Take everything you hear with several grains of salt.
1. What is the purpose of Paragraph 2?| A．To present a controversial opinion. | B．To provide an example of an idea. |
| C．To offer a solution to a problem. | D．To define the meaning of a term. |
| A．Potential application of the Barnum effect. | B．Further explanation of the Barnum effect. |
| C．Supporting evidence for the Barnum effect. | D．A reasonable doubt of the research process. |
| A．They are so specific. | B．They are unclear. |
| C．They are positive. | D．They are believable. |
| A．Phenomenon—analysis. | B．Cause—effect. |
| C．Problem—solution. | D．Claim—counterclaim. |
6 . Every year around August, millions of teens take their parents to stores to buy new clothes for the start of the school year. Not every parent can afford this, and some teens are forced to go to school in the same clothes they wore last year. The obvious differences in clothes cause differences among students. There is a simple solution to this problem; school uniforms (校服).
I know from personal experience and surveys that wearing uniforms creates a sense of equality among peers (同龄人).
From sixth grade until I graduated from senior high school, I attended a school that required students to wear uniforms. The uniform was very simple: dark brown shoes, green-brown pants, and a white shirt. The uniform left little room for any kind of self-expression, especially through clothes.
However, I learned how to stand out by expressing myself through my personality, art, and sports. I did not know I could draw until the sixth grade. I also would never have learned of my musical abilities if it hadn’t been for my desire to find ways to express myself. Uniforms taught me that I was myself, except what I wore.
Uniforms also contribute to a much safer learning environment. I remember a particular event that happened in my junior high school. A man ran away from prison and wanted to hide in the gym of our school. Luckily, cameras all over the school quickly found the stranger before any danger could ever happen as he was out of place. School officials kept the man locked inside our gym until the police came to take him back to prison.
Uniforms help provide a better educational experience for all students no matter what race, culture, or economic class (经济阶层). In closing, wearing uniforms is good for both schools and students.
1. How does the author introduce the topic?| A．By explaining a basic rule. |
| B．By challenging others’ views. |
| C．By describing a common problem. |
| D．By sharing his parents’ experience. |
| A．Uniforms should be more modern. |
| B．Uniforms can help shape better students. |
| C．Uniforms are popular with students. |
| D．Uniforms are bad for self-development. |
| A．Dressing differently. | B．Standing straight. |
| C．Running fast. | D．Breathing heavily. |
| A．To record his high school life. |
| B．To show his supportive view towards uniforms. |
| C．To ask students to like what they wear. |
| D．To introduce high school uniforms. |
7 . Women in the UK are living shorter lives on average than most other countries in Europe, according to an analysis by Public Health England (PHE).
Spanish women have the highest life expectancy (预期) in Europe, at 86. 3 years in2016. The average for the UK is 83, taking 17th place out of 28 European nations. Men in the UK do better, in 10th place and with above-average life expectancy of 79. 4, but men in Italy, the leading nation, can expect to live to 81.
“We are in the middle of the pack and we would like to be at the top. There is no reason why we shouldn’t be as healthy as anywhere in Europe,” said Prof. John Newton, director of health improvement at PHE.
“It is certain of concern that we have worse outcomes than other European countries,” he added. “We tend to do badly in men with respiratory (呼吸的) diseased and in women with cancer, especially breast cancer. Many of the causes of long term diseases in the UK which shorten lives are preventable.” Obesity (肥胖) is causing a big increase in the numbers of people developing some illnesses. The report shows the numbers with the illness like diabetes are expected to rise swiftly, from just under four million last year to nearly five million in 2035. Along with alcohol, obesity is also one of the factors behind the rise in breast cancer.
Most of the strategies to combat obesity are aimed at children. “In many ways it is easier to intervene,” said Newton. “We have a duty to care for children. But it is equally important that adults are encouraged to eat a better diet.”
There is strong policy support for childhood obesity programs, he said, such as the sugary drinks tax, restriction on advertising junk food to children and pressures on food companies cutting the sugar, salt and calories in their products. There is little directed specifically at adults. However, Newton said, “Nearly all of the measures will also improve adult obesity.”
1. What does the analysis by PHE tell us?| A．British women have the lowest life expectancy in Europe. |
| B．Spanish women take the lead in life expectancy in Europe. |
| C．Men in Italy enjoy the highest life expectancy in the world. |
| D．British men live almost as long as British women on average. |
| A．Poorer living conditions. | B．More pressure from work. |
| C．Worse medical treatment. | D．Less effort in prevention. |
| A．Study. | B．Discount. | C．Fight. | D．Assess. |
| A．Adopt policies on unhealthy foods. | B．Pay due attention to adult obesity. |
| C．Try to regulate food companies by law. | D．Develop strategies on childhood obesity. |
A journey enriched with cuisine and culture
As reported by China Tourism News, the combination of culture and tourism has inspired several cities in China to explore their cooking heritage while transforming food tours into cultural experiences.
Recently the sharp increase in popularity of Zibo barbecue is a clear proof to this effort. Zibo,
“I never expected Zibo barbecue
Zhang is researching the Zibo barbecue craze to identify sustainable strategies
China boasts a diverse range of cuisine, and
Food plays a vital role in driving tourism spending and
9 . The topic of China’s “slash youth” has fueled heated debate on social media recently, drawing attention to the diverse pursuits of the younger generation.
The slash youth, which could also be called slashers or slash-generation — means those who refuse to be defined or bound by just one personal identity. They are keen to present themselves as multiple and sometimes distinct identities, such as a nurse and model, a teacher and stand-up comedian, and an engineer and band player. Rather than material comforts, they pursue meaningful achievement.
A diverse career can enable them to develop new experiences and talents as well as social and professional networks, leading to greater flexibility in life and work, recognition and satisfaction.
A study on “slash youth” published in the China Youth Research magazine analyzes the background of this phenomenon: with part of modern society’s structured organization and stability norms (规范) are broken, flexible labor markets and structural unemployment has emerged, dispelling the sense of job security of the young people in employment. Young people also face the dilemma of self-actualization (自我实现), including the sense of powerlessness, lost sense of value and lack of self- identity in the profession, which forces them to re-find the meaning of work.
“The ‘slash life’ shows that our society is becoming more and more diversified and inclusive (包罗万象的), and it welcomes everyone’s self- fulfillment,” said Shi Yanrong, an associate researcher from Tianjin Academy of Social Sciences. “Young people no longer have to rely on work and money for their sense of self-worth. They tend to create their own identities.” The researcher added that against the background that people have multiple interests and are willing to pay for these interests nowadays, the “slash life” of the youth would drive the growth of a new economy, just as animation culture affected the market.
1. What attracts younger generation to pursue multiple identities?| A．Meaningful self-fulfillment. | B．Public concern. |
| C．Booming job market. | D．Material comforts. |
| A．Highlighting. | B．Stimulating. | C．Removing. | D．Increasing. |
| A．It enables young people to earn high incomes. |
| B．It inspires young people’s creativity at work. |
| C．It increases people’s confidence in young generation. |
| D．It reflects the increasing tolerance of the society. |
| A．Slash Life: A flexible labor market |
| B．Slash Life: A journey of hunting for jobs |
| C．Slash Youth: A generation with diverse identities |
| D．Slash Youth: A generation lacking the sense of job security |
10 . Although they face the future with a certain degree of anxiety, more than 55 percent of Chinese young people believe that hard work and diligence can improve their prospects, according to a new survey.
Data for the Survey Report on the Social Mentality of Young Chinese Netizens (2022), which was published on Thursday, was abstracted from posts and comments by nearly 5,500 active young Internet users on social media website Sina Weibo and video-sharing website Bilibili over the past two years.It said that many young people devote a great deal of effort toward improving their situation and they prefer not to put too much peer pressure on their counterparts, while they like to offer each other encouragement in their online comments.
Among the youths who clearly expressed anxiety in their social media posts 77 percent of them said they were concerned about their studies and work, while 30 percent were anxious about their health and 18 percent expressed concerns about their appearance. Those with a postgraduate education expressed a higher level of anxiety than those without, according to the survey.
As uncertainties rose in the job market due to the impact of the pandemic over the past three years, many young people expressed concerns about their future career prospects. They hoped to make the right career choices in advance but lacked real experiences in the job market, which intensified their level of anxiety.
Bilibili data shows that videos about various work skills, guidance on writing an apressive resume, and sharing job interview experiences have become increasingly popular on the platform in recent years.
A 31-year old media worker in Shanghai, who wanted to be only identified by her name Hu, said that young people in her age group in big cities face huge pressure such as finding a job with a higher sense of accomplishment and better pay as they climb the career ladder.
“In the meantime, I’m afraid that a better job will scare some potential boyfriends away. This is a dilemma for me. Also, I found from my friends and colleagues that women shoulder higher pressure in terms of appearance compared to men,” she said.
1. What are the first two paragraphs mainly about?| A．The Chinese youth face the future with anxiety. |
| B．Chinese young people believe hard work pays off. |
| C．Chinese young people put pressure on their peers. |
| D．The Chinese youth find it hard to succeed in job market. |
| A．Studies and work. |
| B．Family background. |
| C．Health and appearance. |
| D．Real working experience. |
| A．Lowered. | B．Increased. | C．Contained. | D．Maintained. |
| A．Young men suffer no appearance anxiety in their career. |
| B．Most of her workmates are facing the same problems as her. |
| C．It’s difficult to feel a sense of achievement in the well-paid job. |
| D．Balancing career and relationship means a tough situation to her. |
