1 . The traditional handwritten “thank you” letter is no longer the most popular way to express gratitude, with digital methods such as instant messages and emails favored instead, according to a recent research.

A survey of 2,000 adults finds just 9 percent send a letter of thanks nowadays—a decline of 11 percent in the past ten years—while messages via WhatsApp, SMS text, email and Facebook, have become some of the most common ways to show appreciation.

Despite this, handwritten notes of gratitude are in fact considered to be among the top most meaningful ways to say thank you—close behind heartfelt phone calls and visiting someone to show appreciation in person. Further highlighting the influence of the personal touch, the M&S Club Rewards research finds hand-delivering flowers or treating someone to a coffee are also among the truest ways to show thanks.

The research also finds 58 percent think it is more essential than ever to say thank you to loved ones, with 28 percent admitting the last couple of years have helped them appreciate the little things. And 29 percent think it’s really necessary to show others just how much they mean to them so they realize how loved they are.

However, in our digital age—and with all these new and simple ways to communicate and show our gratitude—saying a quick thank-you via instant message has become the habit for many. But if you really want to share a meaningful thank-you, giving someone your time or adding an element of a personal or more human touch will go a long way and have a much bigger impact.

Paul Stokes, from M&S Club Rewards, says: “Our research shows that while the art of saying thank you may have changed over the years, the significance of showing our appreciation has never been higher.”

Over the last few years, we have had to come together and support each other perhaps more than ever, so it’s great to see so many of us are taking the time to share a thank-you.

1. What was the percentage of traditional letters of thanks a decade ago?

A．20%.

B．11%.

C．9%.

D．2%.

2. What does the underlined word “this” refer to in Paragraph 3?

A．The change in contents.	B．The similarity in surveys.
C．The advantage of thank-you letters.	D．The popularity of digital methods.

3. How can we make modern communication more meaningful?

A．By sending more instant messages.	B．By saying more thanks to the beloved.
C．By bringing in more personal touches.	D．By delivering each other more gratitude.

4. What does Paul Stokes want to tell us most?

A．Their research is a great breakthrough.

B．The influence of art is beyond expectation.

C．There are many ways to express our appreciation.

D．Showing our thanks is more important than ever before.

3 . Newly published Federal Trade Commission data shows that consumers reported losing more than $5.8 billion to scams (欺诈) in 2021, an increase of more than 70 percent over the previous year.

Of the losses reported by consumers, more than $2.3 billion of losses reported were due to imposter (假冒者) scams—up from $1.2 billion in 2020, while online shopping accounted for about $392 million in reported losses from consumers—up from $246 million in 2020. Prizes, internet services and job chances followed closely behind.

The FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network (Sentinel ) is a database that receives reports directly from consumers, as well as from federal, state, and local law enforcement(执行) agencies, industry members, and non-profit organizations. It received more than 5.7 million reports in 2021; these include the scam reports detailed above, as well as identity theft reports and complaints related to other consumer problems, such as problems with banks and lenders. These reports are a key resource for FTC studies that stop illegal activities and, when possible, provide aids to consumers.

The FTC uses the reports it receives through Sentinel as the starting point for many of its law enforcement studies, and the agency also shares these reports with approximately 2, 800 federal, state, local, and international law enforcement professionals.

The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition and protect and educate consumers. The FTC will never demand money, make threats, tell you to transfer money, or promise you a prize. Learn more about consumer topics at consumer.ftc.gov, or report scams, and bad business practices at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Follow the FTC on social media, read consumer warnings and the business blog, and sign up to get the latest FTC news and warnings.

1. How much was lost to scams in 2020?

A．About $3.4 billion.	B．About $ 4.1 billion.
C．About $5.8 billion.	D．About $9.8 billion.

2. Which scams ranked second in 2021?

A．Prize scams.	B．Imposter scams.
C．Online shopping scams.	D．Internet service scams.

3. What does paragraph 3 focus on?

A．Relations between the FTC and Sentinel.	B．Introductions to Sentinel’s primary work.
C．Problems to be worked out by Sentinel.	D．Expectations for setting up Sentinel.

4. What are consumers advised to do?

A．Make donations to the FTC.	B．Educate consumers with the FTC.
C．Publicize the FTC on social media.	D．Value the FTC warning information.

5 . While an analysis of the Global Dietary Database for the years 1990, 2005, and 2018 found overall consumption of sweetened drinks increased—by nearly 16% worldwide over the 28-year period studied—regional intake widely varied, researchers say.

Sugary drinks have been widely associated with overweight and heart related diseases, which are among the leading causes of death and years lost to disability globally. Many national guidelines recommend limiting added sugars to less than 5% to 10% of daily calories, and because sodas (汽水) add no nutritional value, some countries tax their consumption to help their residents meet this goal.

The study, published in Nature Communications, is the latest presentation of how adults in 185 countries drink sugar-sweetened beverages (饮料). Intakes varied widely by world region. In 2018, the average person consumed 2.7 servings of sugary drinks per week, but this ranged from 0.7 servings per week in South Asia to 7.8 servings per week in Latin America. And some of the highest sugary drink intakes in the world were among urban, highly educated adults in Sub-Saharan Africa (12.4 servings per week) and in Latin America (8.5 servings per week). “We were struck by the wide variations by world regions in 2018; that Latin America had the largest intakes at all time points despite an overall decrease overtime; and that Sub-Saharan Africa had the greatest increases across all time points,” says Laura Lara-Castor, a PhD candidate at Tufts University.

“These results suggest that more work is needed such as marketing regulations, food labeling, and soda taxes.” Information from the Global Dietary Database, which gathers hundreds of survey results, also revealed a relationship between sugary beverages and socio-economic status. “Sugar-sweetened beverage intake has increased in the past few decades despite efforts to decrease their appeal,” says researchers. “Some populations are especially easily affected, and our findings provide evidence to inform the need and design of national and more targeted policies to reduce their intake worldwide.”

1. What is the main concern about sugary drinks?

A．They are just a barrier to weight loss.	B．They are linked to health issues.
C．They are far from nutrition standard.	D．They are a total waste of money.

2. Why do some countries tax the consumption of sodas?

A．To increase income for the government.	B．To promote the sales of healthier drinks.
C．To discourage people from drinking sodas.	D．To set a limit to the price of sugary drinks.

3. What is the primary focus of the study published in Nature Communications?

A．Sugary drink consumption trends.	B．Impact of soda taxes on purchases.
C．Regional variations in dietary habits.	D．Global dietary information analysis.

4. What can we infer from the results of the study?

A．Sugary drinks have nothing to do with economic status.

B．The appeal of sugary drinks cannot be underestimated.

C．Some people are very particular about the sugary drinks.

D．National policies on sugary drinks are more than enough.

6 . Each food product in the United States must show a “best before” date on its container. The goal is to tell the buyer when the food will be at its freshest. Most people believe it is unsafe to use the food product after that date. But some observers say “best before” labels have nothing to do with safety. They worry that the information will lead consumers to throw away food good to eat.

Some food sellers in Britain recently removed “best before” labels from prepackaged fruit and vegetables. The European Union may soon announce changes to its labeling laws. It may even end the requirement to include a date.In the US, there is no similar effort. Some big food store owners and food companies are pushing for the US Congress to pass new laws on the subject.

Studies have found as much as 35% of available food goes uneaten in the United States.That adds up to a lot of wasted energy. It also means more greenhouse gases coming from landfills. 7% of US food waste comes from people’s misunderstanding of “best before” labels. That percentage is equal to about 3. 6 million tons each year.

Richard Lipsit owns a store called Grocery Outlet in Pleasanton, California. He said we can safely eat canned goods and many other packaged foods for years after their “best before”date. People should look for changes in color, thickness, or feel to learn if foods are all right to eat. “Our bodies are very well equipped to recognize the signs of decay,” Lipsit said. “We’ve lost trust in those senses and we’ve replaced it with trust in these dates.”

If new laws are approved in Congress, food could be donated to food rescue organizations even after its quality date has passed. Food rescue is making efforts to find uses for outdated food. Currently, at least 20 states ban the sale or donation of food after its quality date has passed.

1. What do most people think of the food out of   “best before” date?

A．It is a threat to their health.	B．It is still fresh enough.
C．It should be donated to food rescue organizations.	D．It should be sold at a lower price.

2. Why did the author mention what Britain and the European Union have done?

A．To point out the mistake they have made.	B．To show the necessity for US to take similar measures.
C．To stop US Congress from passing new laws.	D．To praise their efforts on the subject.

3. What can be inferred from the third paragraph?

A．There is an energy crisis in US nowadays.

B．Food industry is polluting the country.

C．The misunderstanding of “best before” labels is one cause of waste.

D．People know nothing about “best before” labels.

4. What does the underlined word “decay” refer to in paragraph 4?

A．Food that has gone bad.	B．Food that is out of date.
C．Food that is not expensive.	D．Food that has a rare color.

7 . Improved mental health is on the agenda for many people in 2024 and being organized is the preferred method of realizing it.

Disorganization is often considered to have a negative impact on the way we see ourselves and the lives we lead. The studied downsides of living in a disorganized environment include memory problems, poor eating habits, and decreased self-control. “There’s an obvious link between increased stress and anxiety disorders and living in a messy space,” says Daniel Levitin, a behavioral neuroscientist (行为神经科学家) at McGill University.

“Disorganization brings a loss of productivity that is difficult to quantify,” says Levitin. He points to the amount of time people lose looking for lost items, missing appointments, or falling behind at work or school because of disordered living. “The average person likely loses 5 percent of their time due to disorganization,” he says. “Take your annual salary, multiply that by 5 percent, and you can measure what disorganization may be costing you.”

Joseph Ferrari, one of the most recognized scholars on disorganization research, says that nearly every mental health downside that comes from disorganization can be improved by getting organized. “You’ll feel more energetic, enhance your productivity in the office, and greatly improve the quality of your life,” he says.

Tidy homes have been found to be a predictor of physical health. “Those whose houses are cleaner are more active and physically healthy,” says Libby Sander, an assistant professor of organizational behavior. Part of this is due to organized people being better at managing their time, but it's also because research demonstrates that less clutter (杂乱) can help improve one's diet. “Studies show an association between clutter and overweight,” says Libby.

Getting organized has also been shown to decrease one's stress levels, increase personal efficiency, and even improve sleep. Another studied advantage of getting organized may be improving the quality of one's relationships. Libby explains that relationships can be negatively impacted when too much clutter affects communication or distracts one's brain from noticing important message from their partner. Research shows this can cause others to feel ignored, misunderstood, or unimportant.

1. What does Levitin say concerning living a disorganized life?

A．It has been well realized. by people.

B．It's many people’s New Year resolution.

C．It has an obvious impact on mental state.

D．It's closely related to the living environment.

2. How does Levitin support his opinion?

A．By giving examples.	B．By making comparisons.
C．By citing other experts' words.	D．By referring to previous studies.

3. What might help people avoid overweight according to paragraph 5?

A．High productivity.	B．Good management of time.
C．Ignorance about others' feeling.	D．An organized home.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．The Neuroscience Behind Healthy Minds

B．The Cost of Chaos—How Disorganization Affects Your Life

C．Mental Health in 2024—Self-control as a Priority

D．Organize for Success—Boosting Health and Productivity

8 . Moving around Bogota can be a bit of a Jekyll-or-Hyde experience. On the one hand, the city is infamous (声名狼藉的)for having the world’s worst traffic. Yet, on the other, its cycling infrastructure is considered a good model of sustainable urban mobility, according to the Copenhagenize Index, which ranks bike-friendly cities. The Colombian capital generated a now-international movement in the 1970s called Ciclovia, which sees 1.5 million people cycle across 128km of car-free streets each Sunday morning.

So, when the pandemic reached its shores in mid-March, Bogota Mayor Claudia Lopez, an avid cyclist herself, introduced one of the world’s first plans to encourage bike travel, using traffic cones to create 76 km of temporary lanes.

“Everyone started using a bicycle, and they already knew how to get around on one because we have this bike culture thanks to the Ciclovia,” says Carlos Pardo, a local cycling advocate and senior advisor at the New Urban Mobility Alliance. Pardo got involved at the beginning of the pandemic by partnering with a local bikeshare company to provide 400 free e-bikes to health workers. Now, he’s busy persuading the public that the government’s new bike lanes should become permanent fixture (固定设施).

“Some drivers say, ‘you took away our lane’, but we’re saying, we took one car lane and made a two-lane bidirectional bike lane,” he explains. “So, you’re duplicating the effectiveness of the space, and moving more people per hour, per direction.”

Biking has enjoyed a renaissance (复兴) around the world as urban citizens avoid public transport for the relative safety of a two-wheeled commute. Now, many advocates like Pardo are working with local governments in the hope of turning these pandemic-response measures into lasting changes—ones that are more plausible now than ever after lockdowns provided an unprecedented (空前的)opportunities to fast-track infrastructure trials. The results of these urban planning experiments could not only radically shape the way we commute across global cities, but also make them more adaptable to future shocks.

1. What can best illustrate the underlined sentence?

A．Much knowledge that is of help in learning about a new place.

B．A mixed feeling that is too confusing to express themselves.

C．An understanding that everything has both advantages and disadvantages.

D．An idea that human beings are born somewhere between good and evil.

2. What was NOT the cause of the popularity of cycling in Bogota?

A．The outbreak of the pandemic in mid-March.

B．The worldwide bike culture dating back to the 1970s.

C．The government’s support for the temporary bike lanes.

D．The local bike company’s contribution to health workers.

3. What factor is likely to stop the change of bike-friendly, slow streets?

A．The increasing number of cyclists.	B．Duplicated effectiveness of road use.
C．A well-rounded city expansion plan.	D．The growth of car ownership.

4. Which section of the newspaper includes articles of this sort?

A．Urban life.

B．Politics.

C．Sports

D．Advice column.

10 . Each year, more than 27 million U.S. and Canadian kids get to school by bus. Most of those buses run on diesel (柴油) fuel, which give out pollution that riders can take in. Pollution levels can be several times higher inside a diesel school bus than outside it. Why? Pollution can leak in from the floor or blow in through windows.

A U.S. government program started in 2012 offered schools’ money spent on cleaner school buses but not all schools could get it. Five years later, emissions from buses in the winning districts fell. And a year after getting new buses, student attendance had improved in those districts. For an average district of 10, 000 students, about six more students attended ‘school each day’ in the winning districts, compared to the losing districts. Winning schools with higher rates of bus-riding kids had an average of 14 more students in class each day. And winning districts that replaced the oldest school buses? They had an average of 45 more students in school each day.

Those numbers may sound small, but they add up. And school attendance matters for student achievement. Almost 3 million U. S. kids ride school buses more than 20 years old. If U. S. school districts had replaced all of those older buses, there would have been 1. 3 million fewer student absences each year.

There might be other reasons for better attendance. For example, maybe kids preferred new buses. However, the most-likely reason for fewer student absences was better health. A study done on adults showed that a brief exposure to diesel emissions reduced “network connectivity” in the brain. In other studies, such network-connectivity changes have been linked to worsened memory and mental tasks. A Washington State program upgraded pollution controls in old diesel buses. Afterward, fewer kids were hospitalized in those districts than in schools without bus upgrades.

Almost all U. S. school districts can apply for the program. But schools in low-income areas, in tribal areas and, in rural areas will get priority. Kids in these areas tend to face the most health risks from older buses.

1. What can we infer about diesel school buses from the first paragraph?

A．They have a short service life.

B．They operate cost-effectively.

C．They accommodate few passengers.

D．They do much harm to school children.

2. Why is the increase in school attendance small but important?

A．It is a long accumulation.	B．It is a winning condition.
C．It is a measuring standard.	D．It is a student achievement.

3. How does the bus replacement bring better student attendance?

A．By reducing the network connectivity.

B．By bettering the health state of students.

C．By improving student satisfaction with schools.

D．By meeting students’ demand for school bus drivers.

4. What does the text mainly talk about?

A．The “network connectivity” in the brain.

B．The great work on cleaner school buses.

C．A U. S. government program for education.

D．Better attendance due to new school buses.