1 . Smoking is even a tradition in Chinese celebrations. At my wedding, we handed out the traditional candies to people who came. I had said to my wife, Ellen, that handing out packets of cigarettes was wrong, as it just encouraged people to continue a deadly habit. “But it’s traditional,” she replied, “People would think we were mean if we don’t!”
Over the years I’ve been given cigarettes as gifts and have always handed them straight back. This might make me look ungrateful in Chinese eyes, but I can’t understand the logic behind handing someone a gift that will cause them to smell terrible, have awful breath, and even worse, kill them.
This year the university I work at has taken the bold step of making the entire campus “smoke free”. As my students are either doctors doing postgraduates studies, or medical students on their way to being doctors, I thought they would be in favor of such a move, but I was wrong. Many of them have complained to me that they see this as depriving them of their civil rights and that they should be allowed to smoke when and where they like.
When I pointed out to them that cigarettes do harm not only to those smoking themselves, but even to those breathing in second hand smoke, the argument was dismissed with a wave. “Those studies aren’t conclusive”, one doctor replied. “Besides, my grandmother told me that smoking is manly.” Tempting(诱人的) as it was to ask if she was also a doctor, I let the argument go and went off in search of some fresh air.
1. Which of the following is a consequence of smoking according to the author?| A．It will leave you breathless. | B．People believe you are mean. |
| C．People think you are ungrateful. | D．It will make your smell unpleasant. |
| A．Objective. | B．Unconcerned. | C．Negative. | D．Positive. |
| A．Robbing. | B．Accusing. | C．Informing. | D．Reminding. |
| A．Technology. | B．Entertainment. | C．Art. | D．Life. |
2 . Mental Health Crisis Among Teens Demands a New Approach
Since the CDC released its survey results last month showing alarmingly high rates of sadness and depressive thoughts among teens, fingers have been pointed from two sides at the causes of this crisis.
According to the CDC’s findings, more than one in five of the 17,000 high school students surveyed reported mental breakdown. Their rates of sadness and hopelessness are the highest in a decade, reflecting an increasing trend exacerbated by society’s isolation(隔离)and stress.
Parents as well as teachers and others who have direct contact with children must accept this preventive approach. It is crucial that they not be afraid to ask direct questions about depressive thoughts.
| A．And they should resist the false idea that raising a question creates a risk that was not there before. |
| B．This means that we must put aside our disagreements and approach this issue as a matter of life and death. |
| C．Some have argued that the climate issue has created an existential threat and accompanying anxiety. |
| D．Hospitalization may also be appropriate when the person in question shows an immediate danger to themselves. |
| E．At the macro(宏观的)level, our country can do so much more to help people struggling with mental health problems and their families. |
| F．It’s time to stop blaming and turn our attention to this generation of struggling teenagers. |
| G．It’s time for those who have the power to amplify(放大)their voices and drive change to focus on helping teenagers and families access the help they need. |
3 . A spoonful of pickles(榨菜) can sometimes make a meal taste way better. Recently, a new type of pickle is being discussed: “digital pickled vegetables”. It refers to the videos people watch while eating. Many people think that the videos can make their food more appetizing.
The topic received more than 16 million clicks on Sina Weibo and about 100,000 people participated in the discussion. Instead of having meals with friends and family members, many young people in China are kept company by TV shows or short videos. Many believe that their food is tastier with the “digital pickles”.
Can this habit affect your diet? According to a research paper published in 2019, you may eat more unconsciously. The international research team asked 62 volunteers to follow different eating patterns on four different days. The patterns included eating while looking at the mobile phone, reading magazines and without distraction. After analyzing their diets, the team discovered that eating with a distraction increased caloric ingestion(卡路里摄入) by about 15 percent.
To explore the reason, the team also invited two groups of people: one group ate while listening to an audio clip about another person eating and the other listened to a clip that helped them imagine themselves eating. The results showed that the second group ate less since they were more focused on their meals. When we eat with the “digital pickles”, our attention can be distracted, which leads to eating more than expected.
This works not only for eating meals but other demanding tasks as well. A research project led by the University of Sussex, UK, pointed out that activities which require lots of attention trick many participants into overeating. The team invited 120 participants to do various tasks while providing them with drinks and snacks. “Our study suggests that if you’re eating or drinking while your attention is distracted by a highly engaging task, you’re less likely to be able to tell how full you feel,” one of the authors Martin Yeomans explained.
1. What do “digital pickles” refer to?| A．Anew type of vegetables. | B．Electronic products popular online. |
| C．Videos people watch while eating. | D．Digital games suitable for families. |
| A．The research was conducted in 2019. |
| B．62 people in total participated in the entire research. |
| C．It showed that eating with a distraction decreased caloric ingestion by 15 percent. |
| D．The group listening to a clip about another person eating ate more than the other group. |
| A．They are more focused on their meals. |
| B．They are distracted by “digital pickles”. |
| C．The food tastes better with “digital pickles”. |
| D．The “digital pickles” make them feel hungrier. |
| A．To give another case that causes overeating. |
| B．To describe the effects of “digital pickles”. |
| C．To explain how to judge you are full. |
| D．To present how to avoid being distracted. |
4 . While some may complain about the possible death of the English language because of texting abbreviations like LOL, teenagers all over the world have actually kept endangered languages intact through SMS (short message service) messages.
Text messages written in regional, endangered languages by teens in Mexico and the Philippines are examples of languages reborn. Research into language renewal was carried out by Samuel Herrera, head of the linguistics laboratory at the Institute of Anthropological Research in Mexico City.
“Almost as soon as text messaging exploded on the world stage as a means to reach anyone, anywhere and anytime, young people began to find a way to make it more exclusive and develop their own code to use on the popular devices,” he wrote.
Professor Adam Michaelson, the director of the Institute for Endangered Languages of Corban University in Salem, Oregon, says that somewhere between the ages of six and twenty-five, people make a definitive decision as to whether or not they will stay or break with a language. The fact that they have taken the old and changed it into the new is something that not only makes sense, but also drives the continuation of culture. In fact, according to Dr Gregory Anderson, who is a researcher in the same department, young people need to be the ones reviving a dying language. This is, of course, the language that they will nurture and use as their own. For this reason, he has high hopes for the future.“If the language isn’t being used by their peer group, then they reject it outright,” Anderson concluded.
So, while some text messages may seem like a foreign language — like “nom nom” — some may actually be in languages considered nearly gone. Who knows, maybe Latin will become popular? Only time will tell.
1. As soon as text messaging became popular, young people ____.| A．stopped using SMS | B．developed their own way of using it |
| C．changed it into something new | D．refused to abandon their own languages |
| A．use an old language by changing it |
| B．use a language that is not used by their friends |
| C．send text messages in dying languages |
| D．help researchers preserve endangered languages |
| A．forbidden in text messages |
| B．suited to communicating by SMS |
| C．that might grow to be fashionable |
| D．used at the Institute for Endangered Languages |
| A．Will SMS make language disappear or revive? |
| B．The future of language is decided by texting and teenagers. |
| C．Teens texting bring back languages from the edge of extinction. |
| D．Teenagers take responsibility for the protection of endangered languages. |
5 . Ever wondered why your hotel pool seems overly small compared to its website picture? A new graph reveals just how far companies will go to make their products seem more appealing, from replacing actual ice cream with mashed potato for a more solid appearance, to using motor oil for honey. One of the most common examples is that of advertised images of hamburgers, which show items between the bun to be larger and brighter than they really are, leading consumers to think the food is fresher than it really is.
Frozen food packages are repeat offenders which show the meals perfectly plated with fresh ingredients. Where an image includes ingredients not included in the purchase, a “serving suggestion” disclaimer is a legal requirement. However, if a customer fails to notice the tiny caption, they often incorrectly assume that all illustrated items are included.
Deception in advertising is not just limited to food products. Hotels and resorts often alter images or use deceptive angles to manipulate the building’s real surroundings. For example, one hotel advertisement used a cleverly positioned low angle to feature what appears to be an endless pool. In truth, the pool is simply round in shape.
Children are also often cheated by commercials. When they finally receive that toy or outdoor paddling pool, they find that the product is far smaller than advertised. With nearly half of American consumers believing advertising to be “fairly honest”, it seems they will continue to be tricked into buying disappointing products.
1. The writer writes the first paragraph in order to ____.| A．inform an issue | B．introduce the topic |
| C．catch readers’ attention | D．deliver some phenomena |
| A．The food is not healthy enough. |
| B．It is difficult to know how to serve a frozen meal. |
| C．Some items shown on the box disappear. |
| D．The burger bun is smaller than they were expecting. |
| A．do not trust advertising companies |
| B．believe that advertising is not honest enough |
| C．think that the products are disappointing |
| D．will continue being deceived by false advertising |
| A．persuade people to boycott advertising |
| B．praise advertising companies for their creativity |
| C．raise public awareness regarding unreliable advertising |
| D．promote the use of advertisements and marketing material |
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