1 . What comes to mind when you think about chocolate? A candy bar at Halloween? Ice cream on a hot day?

For Ibrahim, a 12-year-old boy from the West African country of Ghana, chocolate is not about sweet treats; it is about bitter work.     1     But if they did, we would learn that Ibrahim spends his days growing and harvesting cocoa beans, from which chocolate is made. We would also learn that he is just one of more than two million children who perform this difficult labour instead of attending school.

To change the harmful practices like this, some farms use an approach called Fairtrade.     2     It aims to create a different relationship between buyers (chocolate companies) and sellers (cocoa farmers) by encouraging farmers to join together to form a shared business called a cooperative. Because farmers work together instead of competing with each other, they can demand a higher price from the buyers.     3    

Consumers like you can play a role as well. You can buy Fairtrade chocolate if possible, pressure candy companies to change their labour practices, or ask local stores to sell Fairtrade products.     4     It is a programme recognizing schools that provide Fairtrade products in cafeterias or include related lessons in curriculum (课程).

Chocolate has a hidden story that affects children like Ibrahim—children who want a happy future just like you do.     5     By enjoying Fairtrade products or simply spreading the word, you can make chocolate as sweet for all children as it is for you.

A．You have the power to change the story.

B．The labels on chocolate do not tell his story.

C．Fairtrade is a way of doing business that prohibits child labour.

D．You can also take action through the Fairtrade Schools network.

E．On many farms, children like Ibrahim perform difficult farming tasks.

F．Cocoa trees grow in the tropical climates of Africa, Latin America and South-East Asia.

G．With more income, farmers can pay adult workers and can send their children to school.

2 . Hiring processes can be thought of as a battle between integrity and dishonesty. You might imagine this is a simple fight between truth-seeking firms and self-promoting candidates, and to a certain extent it is. But companies themselves are prone (有倾向的) to bend reality out of shape in ways that are self-defeating.

Start with the obvious wrongdoers: job applicants. When it comes to writing the resume (简历), they tend to massage (美化) reality into the most appealing shape possible. Everyone beyond a certain level of experience is a transformational leader personally responsible for generating millions income; the world economy would be about 15 times bigger than it actually is if all such claims were true. The average British spends four and a half hours a day watching TV and online videos. But each average job candidate is an enthusiast for public welfare, using their spare time only for worthy purposes, like volunteering in soup kitchens.

But the tendency to stretch the truth infects companies as well as applicants. The typical firm will write a job description that invariably describes the work environment as fast-paced and innovative, and then lays out a set of improbable requirements for the “ideal candidate”, someone who almost by definition does not exist. Sometimes, the requirements include an ability to go back and change the course of history.

Too few firms offer an accurate account of what a position actually involves in their job previews, which are supposed to give prospective employees a genuine sense of the negatives and positives of the job, as well as a clear idea of the company’s corporate culture. One effective strategy is to lay out in text or video, what a typical day in the role would look like.

Such honesty can be its own reward. Research has long suggested that realistic job previews lead to lower turnover and higher employee satisfaction. A paper in 2011 by David Eamest of Towson University and his co-authors concluded that favourable perceptions of the organisation’s honesty are the best explanation for why. So a process designed to uncover the truth about job applicants would run a lot more smoothly if firms were also honest about themselves.

1. Why are “leader” and “enthusiast” mentioned in paragraph 2?

A．To present a rule.	B．To clarify a fact.
C．To make a comparison.	D．To explain a phenomenon.

2. What does the underlined word “stretch” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Overstate.

B．Overturn.

C．Overlook.

D．Overestimate.

3. What are job previews expected to be like in paragraph 4?

A．They show a position as it is.	B．They are made either in text or video.
C．They are favorable for bigger firms.	D．They mainly contain negatives of a job.

4. What does the text mainly talk about?

A．Pains and gains of employees.	B．How to get the lying out of hiring.
C．How to be more appealing in hiring.	D．A wrestle between applicants and companies.

3 . “Shuan Q” is a meme(网络流行语)which can be used as a popular way to say “I’m speechless” with a matching emoji(表情包)at ached behind. No-one can deny the power of the Internet. Some believe it makes language weaker but some see a brighter side, believing it makes online communication easier between strangers.

An elementary school teacher in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, says that the evolution of Internet slang is not all fun and carefree. From his daily observations, he believes the “geographic boundary” between Internet slang and formal language is disappearing. On many occasions, the composition she has received from pupil have been flooded with abbreviated slangs(网络梗).

During last year’s Two Sessions, several representatives put forward proposals such as “regulating online language” and “banning vulgar(粗俗)words”, specifically to address this issue, expressing the need to reduce online language misuse and strengthen the protection of Chinese.

However, many experts and scholars of linguistics and communication including Feng Zhiwei disagree. Feng, believes that Internet language is a natural product of the dynamic development of language, and it is not necessary to ban it.

1. What made the meme “Shuan Q” become popular?

A．The power of internet	B．The protection of Chinese
C．Geographic boundary	D．Strangers’s communication

2. What can we learn about internet slangs from paragraph 2 and 3?

A．They are formal.	B．They are funny and carefree.
C．They are flooded among pupils.	D．They were supported by all people.

3. What is Feng Zhiwei’s opinion about internet slangs?

A．They are natural.	B．They are misused.
C．They should be banned.	D．They are disappearing.

4. Which word best describe the authors attitude to internet slangs?

A．Doubtful

B．Objective

C．Indifferent

D．Favorable

5 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

South Koreans have enjoyed their first close-up look of new baby giant pandas at a name-revealing ceremony that is also     1     early celebration of the 100 days since the twins’ birth.

What to name the twin sisters was widely discussed among netizens after they were born on July 7 in theme park Everland. The names were     2     (ultimate) decided on through two public voting     3     (procedure). One is named Rui Bao, which means wise treasure, and the other is Hui Bao or shining treasure. Half a million panda lovers helped choose their names with a handful of lucky fans     4     (invite) to the ceremony. “They are even     5     (cute) in real life than they appear on screen,” said a college student in attendance.

The baby pandas,     6     have just begun teething and crawling, are very healthy. Everland has shared videos documenting the pandas’ growth online. The twins’ birth has gained 640,000 views since it     7     (upload). “This feels like a great opportunity to call for better     8     (preserve) of pandas,” said Donghee Chung, head of the park’s zoo. Chung noted that between 40% and 50% of panda births result     9     twins.

Everland said it would monitor the twins’ health     10     (determine) when the twins are ready to be open to the public.

6 . To build a prosperous (繁荣的) society, a fundamental understanding of the modern economy as a driving force in today’s world is essential.

What kind of prosperity have we achieved so far? The widespread definition of prosperity focuses on economic power and growth as measures of success. Let’s take a look at history. The Second Industrial Revolution enabled mass production and created a sufficient supply of goods. This has greatly increased the importance of money in its role as “a store of value, ” and “a medium of exchange. ”As a result, we have pursued economic power as the only indicator of prosperity, such as GDP. Waves of globalization and technological evolution have promoted overall economic growth, but have allowed the few who are strong to achieve greater power while exploiting the many who are weak. Consequently, inequality has worsened, and disunity has intensified.

The path to a truly prosperous world requires a shift in focus towards the most suitable happiness for all, in addition to economic power. Defining happiness, however, is a complex task. What makes people happy? The degree to which the same thing creates happiness differs from person to person. Happiness is subjective and complicated. This is a world of “multiple values” where each of us determines worth as opposed to “one fixed price” based merely on an economic perspective. Individuals shouldn’t be defined by a single identity or role but by multidimensional nature as well as multiple roles making independent choices and taking actions for their happiness in different aspects.

Businesses must be pioneers in pursuing not only economic growth but also the happiness of all citizens of society. Companies can contribute through the pursuit of social value as well as economic profit. At the heart of this lies “purpose”. A company’s purpose defines the value it brings to society. The true worth of a company should be determined not just by the return s it creates for shareholders but by the value it creates for society as a whole.

1. What is the author’s attitude to the widely accepted standard of prosperity?

A．Indifferent.

B．Critical.

C．Uncertain.

D．Approving.

2. What is the side effect of technological evolution?

A．The slower economic growth speed.

B．The sharp reduction of job opportunities.

C．The enlarged gap between the rich and the poor.

D．The increasing conflict between different nations.

3. Which statement will the author agree with according to the passage?

A．Happiness is changeable and beyond control.

B．Happiness largely depends on economic power.

C．The pursuit of profit determines a company’s true worth.

D．A prosperous world should be measured by multiple values.

4. Who are the main intended readers of the text?

A．Social psychologists.	B．Enterprise administrators.
C．School educators.	D．Technological researchers.

7 . Kids are begging parents for cell phones at younger and younger ages, leaving families with tough choices to make. It might take some time to teach kids how to use phones as tools, not toys. Here are a few ways to get the message across.

Tell them not to use phones at school. Phones can be a distraction (干扰) from learning when used in the classroom.     1    In fact, 43% of teens admit that they often or sometimes use their phones as a way to avoid face-to-face communication with others.

Encourage them to contact long-distance relatives.     2     They’re also for keeping in touch with people who you may not get to talk to as often. If you have families who live in another city or state, ask your kids to strike up a conversation.

Lead by example. Setting an example is not only about how you use your phone, but also about how much you use it. When you feel bored and expect to glance over social media, fight it by taking a short walk.     3    

Advise them not to use phones at the dinner table. For many families, the only time they truly get together is breaking bread at tbe end of a long day.     4     Asking your children to leave their phones far from the dinner table is a great way to solve the problem.

    5     Sometimes, kids need a little push in order to make better choices about their phones. If they’re struggling with healthy habits, put some real-world events on the calendar. Good options include going to an amusement park, working together on a craft project or signing your kids up for sports.

A．Plan other forms of entertainment.

B．Prepare a dinner together with your children.

C．Screen time before bed reduces sleep quality.

D．They can also prevent students from connecting with one another.

E．So it is wise of parents to stress the importance of parent child time.

F．Also, instead of reading a headline, why not pull out a book to read?

G．Phones aren’t just for texting the best friend who lives two blocks away.

8 . Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo has long worked to make her city less dependent on cars. She wanted to see more people using bicycles to get around. Over a number of years, the city government set limits on cars and increased the amount of bike paths from 200 kilometers to over 1,000 kilometers.

This year, Parisians are not complaining about too much automobile traffic. Instead, they say there are too many bikes. “Now, it’s really like a bike traffic jam(阻塞),” Thibault Quere, a spokesperson for France’s Federation of Bicycle Users, said. ”It’s kind of a good difficulty to have, especially when we think about what Paris used to be.”

Some famous roads along the River Seine are completely closed to cars. Now you see people riding bikes, running and walking with their families along the river. In another part of Paris, a bike path on Sebastopol Boulevard is one of the busiest in Europe, after opening in 2019. In one week in early September, it reached a record high of 124,000 riders.

The city will host the Summer Olympics in 2024 and plans to add more bike paths by then. Paris wants to reduce its pollution by half during the games, even as visitors from around the world will be in the city for the event. Organizers say all of the competition sites will be reachable by bike through a 60-kilometer network of bike paths.

The change to Paris, however, has not been easy. With more people using bikes, more people are making mistakes. Some of them are new to cycling and disobey traffic rules. But the environment may be improving. Cycling is good exercise and helps reduce pollution, which is still a problem for the large city. The French government blames atmospheric pollution for 48,000 early deaths in the country each year.

Hidalgo was re-elected in 2020 and plans to keep making what she calls a “Paris that breathes”. Her newest five-year bike plan includes over $250 million for more bike paths and bike parking. The new budget is an increase of over $100 million from her first five-year plan.

1. What can be learned from the second paragraph?

A．Hidalgo’s effort has paid off.	B．Parisians prefer to travel by car.
C．Parisians find it difficult to ride bikes.	D．Quere disagrees with Hidalgo.

2. Why does the author mention the data in paragraph 3?

A．To compare the famous roads in France.

B．To praise people enjoying riding bicycles.

C．To stress the importance of France in Europe.

D．To show how busy a cycle path is in Paris.

3. What do the organizers probably wish visitors to do during the Summer Olympics in 2024?

A．Tour local bike shops.	B．Ride to competition sites.
C．Promote the sights in France.	D．Support the athletes around the world.

4. Which word can best describe Anne Hidalgo?

A．Friendly.

B．Helpful.

C．Determined.

D．Honest.

9 . Proper questioning has become a lost art. The curious four-year-old asks a lot of questions-incessant streams of “Why?” and “Why not?“ might sound familiar-but as we grow older, our questioning decreases. In a recent survey of more than 200 of our clients, we found that those with children estimated that 70-80% of their kids’ dialogues with others were comprised of questions. But those same clients said that only 15-25% of their own interactions consisted of questions. Why the drop of?

Think back to your time growing up and in school. Chances are you received the most recognition or reward when you got the correct answers. Later in life, that motivator continues. At work, we often reward those who answer questions, not those who ask them. Questioning conventional wisdom can even lead to being distanced, or considered a threat.

Because expectations for decision-making have gone from ”get it done soon“ to ”get it done now“ to ”it should have been done yesterday, “ we tend to jump to conclusions instead of asking more questions. And the unfortunate side effect of not asking enough questions is poor decision-making. That’s why it’s vital that we slow down and take the time to ask more and better questions. At best, we’ll arrive at better conclusions. At worst we’ll avoid a lot of rework later on.

Aside from not speaking up enough, many professionals don’t think about how different types of questions can lead to different outcomes. We should lead a conversation by asking the right kinds of questions, based on the problem we’re trying to solve. In some cases, we’ll want to expand our view of the problem rather than keeping it narrowly focused. In others, we may want to challenge basic assumptions or confirm our understanding in order to feel more confident in our conclusions. Therefore, asking the right kinds of questions is what counts in achieving a goal.

1. What does the underlined word ”incessant“ in paragraph 1 most probably mean?

A．Constant.

B．Random.

C．Noisy.

D．Innocent.

2. What accounts for the decline of questioning in adulthood?

A．One poses a threat to the company if they ask questions.

B．Those who ask questions don’t necessarily get positive feedback.

C．One doesn’t have as many opportunities as they did in childhood.

D．Those who question popular beliefs don’t have interpersonal skills.

3. What can we infer from paragraph 3?

A．Redoing is unavoidable despite thoughtful questions.

B．Better questions can surely result in desirable outcomes.

C．Some people think it can’t be too fast to make a decision.

D．We’ll make reasonable decisions as long as we ask questions.

4. What might the author continue talking about?

A．Proper questions that should be raised.

B．Important goals that we are to achieve.

C．Right kinds of answers to the questions.

D．The reasons for the loss of questioning art.

10 . When social media filled with images makes you question your appearance, opinions or ability, for it’s so easy for people to get caught in a whirlwind (旋流) of comparison, remember to look up and out and appreciate there’s a world of beauty in difference.     1    

Dare not to compare.

No matter how many followers, comments, likes or views you have, if you get trapped in a competitive mindset, it can turn into a bottomless pit (无底洞) . That’s because there’ll always be someone gaining more positive responses. Think of fun times and kind things with families and friends, which are important and won’t fade from screen.     2    

Be authentic (真实的).

Even if it seems the rest of the world isn’t showing their true selves, you can be different.     3     Share your real, kind voice with the rest of the world, just as you do at home and with friends, and you might just inspire others to do the same.

    4    

Give your time and attention to people doing inspiring things, spreading uplifting messages and sharing unique and beautiful ideas. Be selective. If someone’s posts make you feel bad about yourself, click unfollow or hide.

Take time out.

For those times when social media makes you unhappy or full of self-doubt, pause and step away, even if it’s only for a short time.    5     For example, writing in a diary, drawing in a sketchbook or painting a picture will give your mind a different focus.

A．Keep it positive.

B．Search for inspiration.

C．You can try doing something creative.

D．Turn over for four ways to get rid of the troublesome comparison.

E．Make your social media channels a reflection of who you really are.

F．Use them as a reminder that you don’t need to prove anything to anyone.

G．Try spending time with a close friend who’ll remind you of all your good qualities.