1 . The recent reports of a 4-year-old girl on a Shanghai beach have gone viral on social media platforms, provoking debate about whether China should criminalize negligence in child supervision.
The father of the little girl claimed that he left her alone on the beach for about 12 minutes to fetch his phone. However, she was nowhere to be found when he was back. Surveillance (监控) videos show that she waited for about 10 minutes before walking toward the water’s edge alone, and then disappeared into the water. Two weeks later, her body was discovered about 100 kilometers away in neighboring Zhejiang Province.
The core issue in this case is the father’s leaving his young daughter unattended on the beach, causing her tragic death. Should such behavior, when it causes harm to a child, be seen as a criminal act? In an online survey, more than 90 percent of respondents insisted that the father be held legally responsible and face criminal punishments.
Nevertheless, according to Liu Chunquan, a lawyer, it may not satisfy the criteria for criminal negligence, since the primary focus of Chinese criminal law is on extreme cases of parental neglect, such as physical abuse and mental torture. Rarely do legal authorities charge parents; instead, they are just likely to face penalties consisting of warnings and fines.
In 2022, a 2-year-old baby drowned in a cesspool while in the company of his father. The court ruled shared responsibility between the father and the cesspool’s owner, with a 7:3 proportion. The owner was ordered to pay 20,000 yuan to the child’s family. Unluckily, similar cases do exist nationwide. Roughly, 100,000 children lose their lives in accidents annually in China, which is largely due to negligence, such as parents leaving their children unattended, either in locked cars or at home. Besides, drowning is now the main cause of death for children aged 1 to 14 years old.
It is no wonder that an increasing number of netizens request that specific laws and regulations be passed to ensure the safety of children and their well-being. Hopefully, criminalizing child supervision negligence in China can serve as a warning and precaution.
However, downsides of introducing such legislation may also emerge. For instance, it’s difficult to distinguish between a regrettable accident and criminal negligence, so that over-criminalization can be triggered, in which well-meaning parents making honest mistakes are charged with a crime.
Therefore, a more balanced approach to addressing the issue of infant safety should involve a combination of new legislation, education and support services. The ultimate objective is to prevent similar catastrophes in the future. We must recognize that children are not only their parents’ offspring, but also the nation’s future.
1. What can we infer from the tragedy of the 4-year-old girl?A.Her father’s carelessness and negligence should be to blame. |
B.The beach in Shanghai should not be open to small children. |
C.Her father has been sentenced to severe penalties by the police. |
D.She would have survived if she had not waited in the water for a long time. |
A.Irresponsible adults contribute to children’s death. | B.People can’t be too concerned about child safety. |
C.Kids shouldn’t be allowed to swim alone. | D.Parents’ constant monitoring is a must. |
A.the mild penalties in the existing laws | B.parents’ ignorance of potential dangers |
C.frequent occurrence of such incidents | D.masses of netizens’ urgent appeals |
A.Indifferent. | B.Negative. | C.Objective. | D.Supportive. |
2 . Are you the only child in your family? If so, do you enjoy it or do you want more siblings(兄弟姐妹)?
On May 31, a key meeting of the Communist Party of China unveiled a policy that would allow all couples to have up to three children.
The move is expected to maximize the population's role in driving economic and social growth, since this is a critical time for China to transform the world's most populous country into a powerhouse(强国)with a quality workforce, according to the National Health Commission.
The three-child policy is also expected to prevent the decline in the nation's birthrate and address the challenge of a rapidly aging population, China Daily reported.
China's annual number of newborns has fallen for four years in a row. The country's total birthrate—the average number of children born to each woman—stood at 1.3 in 2020. The number is below the rate of 2.1 that would maintain a stable population, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
The declining birthrate has also brought a sharp increase in the proportion of the population aged 60 or above, rising from 10.3 percent to 18.7 percent in the past decade. An increasingly elderly population will increase the cost of labor and the pressure on the social security net. It also means there will be a lack of young labor force. Therefore, it's not good for economic growth, according to Chen Youhua, a professor at Nanjing University.
In fact, the new birth policy is a step to further relax the family planning policy. The one-child policy was introduced in the 1970s and aimed to control the fast-growing population. Then in 2013, China allowed couples to have a second child if either parent was an only child, and in 2016, all couples were allowed to have two children.
However, not all people have shown their support for this latest policy. Many couples complained about the rising costs of raising a child. A netizen named Qinfeng commented, "High cost of education and both the physical and mental exhaustion stopped me from having more than one child." Also, many women are reluctant(不情愿的)to give birth because that could mean sacrificing their career prospects, according to Mu Guangzong, a professor at Peking University.
In that case, Mu noted that it is better to implement supporting measures with the three-child policy, such as more preferential(优惠的)policies for couples that would ease their parental burden.
1. What might NOT be the main cause for the new policy?A.To increase the population's role. |
B.To stop the declining birthrate. |
C.To improve the child- care service system. |
D.To address the challenge of the aging population. |
A.China's annual number of newborns has fallen for decades. |
B.The government will protect the legal rights of women in employment. |
C.Measures will be taken to improve the high-quality education. |
D.The new policy allows couples to have up to three children. |
A.To carry out. | B.To get along with. |
C.To make use of. | D.To have a command of. |
A.To show his love of children healthcare. |
B.To introduce the new family size policy. |
C.To share his concerns about birthrate. |
D.To emphasize the physical and mental exhaustion. |
3 . California will be the first state to ban the sale and manufacture of new fur products.
California’s fur law was one of several bills designed to prevent cruelty to animals. “California is a leader when it comes to animal protection and today that leadership includes banning the sale of fur, ” said Governor Newsom in a news report. “
Many retailers are also ending fur sales. In mid-October, Macy’s (American’s department store) announced it will stop fur from all its stores by the end of 2020. The stores will also close all fur vaults and salons. Other fashion brands such as Prada, Gucci, Michael Kors and Burberry have taken similar steps in recent years.
A.But we are doing more than that. |
B.California is taking the lead in protecting animals. |
C.Similar laws have been carried out globally already. |
D.And that in turn will leave many people unemployed. |
E.Two other California cities had already banned fur sales. |
F.Not surprisingly, the ban is welcomed by animal rights activists. |
G.The ban applies to clothing, shoes, handbags and other things that contain fur. |
4 . We all know that some things are obviously right. For example, it is right to be
Rules can help the public make the right
If people follow rules without taking other matters into consideration, it will be
Sometimes it may not be so easy to know
A.kind | B.sensitive | C.fair | D.generous |
A.equally | B.slightly | C.clearly | D.increasingly |
A.suggestion | B.conclusions | C.turns | D.choices |
A.accidents | B.mistakes | C.falls | D.deaths |
A.interesting | B.vital | C.easy | D.valuable |
A.seldom | B.rarely | C.merely | D.never |
A.trouble | B.power | C.prison | D.control |
A.roughly | B.eventually | C.deliberately | D.exactly |
A.awful | B.cruel | C.unhealthy | D.unnecessary |
A.still | B.even | C.later | D.somehow |
A.nervous | B.anxious | C.afraid | D.guilty |
A.begging | B.starving | C.growing | D.wandering |
A.follow | B.instruct | C.treat | D.protect |
A.disgusting | B.confusing | C.unsafe | D.unimportant |
A.predict | B.explain | C.decide | D.consider |
5 . A teenager of 17 walks into a corner store and grabs a Coca-Cola, but the cashier refuses to sell it to him because he is underage. That rule is expected to soon become reality in parts of Mexico, as lawmakers in several states push legislation (立法)to keep junk food away from children. know it can sound a bit difficult but we have to take action now," says Lopez, a lawmaker in Oaxaca's Congress.
More than 70,000 Mexicans have died from COVID-19, the world's fourth-highest recorded death toll, tracked by Johns Hopkins University. 89% of those who died in Mexico had an underlying medical condition such as obesity, diabetes (糖尿病),high blood pressure and heart problems. That has led to a new urgency to change diets so that the younger generation doesn't suffer those illnesses.
The critics, however, say the leaders are using preexisting health conditions in COVID-19 patients to distract from a weak government response to the virus outbreak. Yet few people would deny that the country consumes large amounts of sugar-sweetened drinks and processed snacks with little nutrition --- or that Mexico has a major weight problem.
Oaxaca's governor approved the state's junk food prohibition last week. Legislators still have to complete the legal systems, and punishment could include fines and even jail. Lopez says legislators from all over the country have called her for advice. Many other states are debating a junk food ban. However, a nationwide law would not be easy. "There are powerful commercial interests that least want it to happen, but we must prioritize the well-being of our children," Lopez says.
1. What is Lopez 's attitude towards the junk food?A.Negative. | B.Neutral. |
C.Positive. | D.Indifferent. |
A.Keep distance. | B.Avoid illnesses. |
C.Break away. | D.Shift attention. |
A.Selling children junk food has been banned nationwide in Mexico. |
B.Most Mexicans who died of COVID-19 had other health problems. |
C.The younger generation doesn't suffer any weight problems. |
D.People who break the prohibition in Oaxaca will only be warned. |
A.Teenagers. | B.Legislators. |
C.Soft drink companies. | D.State governors. |
6 . The sudden death of the 23-year-old female emplovee of Pinduoduo has sparked a heated debate, with many criticizing the overwork culture. Three experis share their views. Excerpis (节选) follow:
Labor laws compatible (兼容的) with digital era needed
This case should inspire society to reflect on how to better protect employees’ rights in the digital era. The relevant clauses in the Labor Law cannot be specifically applied to charge internet companies suspected of violating laborers' rights and interests.
The blurring (模糊) of the line between social and economic activities in the digital era makes it difficult to define fixed working hours.
Lawmakers should find out the new factors affecting labor relations due to the rapid development of internet and communications technology. This can pave the way for law-making on working hours in the digital era. “996” working schedule is against labor laws.
More than one year ago, it was shocking to hear e-commerce tycoons (巨头) Liu Qiangdong and Jack Ma publicly support the "996" working schedule to push their employees to work harder. A growing number of companies have been using different methods to exercise ever-increasing control over their employees.
To correct the situation, it is vital that the country bring in specific law on internet enterprises, especially in terms of labor contracts and work schedules, and make it clear that the “996” working schedule is illegal.
Death due to overwork needs legally definition
Work pressure and long working hours can seriously affect workers' physical and mental health, making. them more easily hurt by occupational and stress-related diseases.
But it is difficult to prove that a person dies of overwork. Only a person who dies at the workplace or of a sudden illness within 48 hours of getting off work is considered a victim of work.
China should issue guidelines explaining in detail what leads to death due to overwork.
1. What do the three experts agree on?A.The Labor Law in China is non-effective. |
B.It is difficult to define fixed working hours. |
C.Supervision on companies should be tightened. |
D.Improvement should be made to the current laws. |
A.To highlight the models of e-commerce. |
B.To introduce tycoons' attitudes to overwork. |
C.To confirm their efforts to protect employees. |
D.To express disagreement on “996” working schedule. |
A.To make somebody anxious. | B.To do sports or other physical activities. |
C.To use your power to achieve something. | D.To test or make experimental use of something. |
A.Someone dies on his way to office. | B.Someone dies of a heart attack in his office. |
C.Someone dies three days after work. | D.Someone dies after work without symptoms. |
7 . A measure in the House’s $ 2 trillion economic bill would require states to cut greenhouse gas emissions (排放) promising rewards for transportation departments that post reductions and “consequences” for those that don’t.
Peter A. DeFazio, chairman of the Transportation Committee, said the proposal is designed to push states to act. “We’re going to give them very large motivation to actually make those meaningful targets and deliver on those targets,” he said. According to the proposal, states that cut emissions could get a $ 1 billion pot of money and potentially receive other bonus funding from the federal government. The bill doesn’t spell out potential consequences for not reducing emissions, leaving the decision to national transportation officials. Experts say they could include barriers to accessing highly prized grant funds (拨款).
Much of the attention on cutting emissions from the transport industry-the nation’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases-has focused on the adoption of electric vehicles by putting money in charging factories and supporting battery-powered cars. The new measure sides with environmental advocates who argue the nation can’t battle a changing climate without changing how Americans move around. Environmentalists say the nation’s changing to electric vehicles probably won’t happen quickly enough to limit temperature rises unless Americans can be convinced to drive less, and that would mean building new networks focused on walking, cycling and transit (运输).
Opposition to the emission measure is deep-seated. The heads of five western state transportation departments wrote a letter to Capitol’s committee last month saying the proposal would harm rural areas because options such as heavy-traffic pricing are not well-suited to places which are populated in few people, and it doesn’t make sense to target those state agencies when there are multiple reasons that influence emissions, including fuel economy standards for cars and local decisions about where to build stores and homes.
Kevin DeGood, a transportation researcher, said basic construction shape how people can get around. “It is funny that the state transportation departments suggest in the letter that they do not deeply influence greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation industry,” he said.
1. How does the government provide motivation?A.By praising. | B.By punishing. |
C.By financing. | D.By restricting. |
A.Greatly changed climate. | B.More convenient stores. |
C.Stable fuel economy standards. | D.Eco-friendly transport system. |
A.To oppose the emission measure. | B.To introduce solutions to emission. |
C.To call for attention to rural areas. | D.To list several reasons for emission. |
A.Supportive. | B.Disapproving. |
C.Shocked. | D.Confident. |
8 . Food brings us together and connects us to our families, friends, nature and to foreign cultures. Food is universal. Food waste, on the other hand, has become a universal problem, as it significantly contributes to climate change. Luckily, there are countries that have laws to require supermarkets or other businesses to donate unsold food.
About one third of all food grown for human consumption is thrown out or wasted according to the Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO). This creates both environmental and financial problems, since traditional agriculture requires large amounts of resources including land and water. Food production is also a major cause of greenhouse gases and climate change.
Food waste occurs at every step of food production from the field to the store. In fact, fruits, vegetables, and roots have the highest waste. Donating food that is unusually wasted does not mean giving away damaged food. Sometimes it is simply a case of food being mislabeled, a can that has a torn label, or slightly bruised fruit.
To reduce both the financial and environmental pressure, Italy passed a law to encourage businesses and farmers to donate unsold food to charities. Companies that donate their leftovers will pay lower taxes on waste removal.
Waste management is also a very costly thing for governments. In fact, according to Global Citizen, in 2016, Italy spent over $13.3 billion on waste management. The idea behind the law is that when it is economic and convenient, companies will happily follow the law.
France was the first country to pass a food donation law in 2016. It required supermarkets that are at least 4,300 square feet to donate unsold food to charity. Since then, 90 percent of supermarkets began donating food, the number of which was 66 percent before the law.
To increase food donations, Israel passed a law in 2018 to ensure that unused food from restaurants, hotels and other places goes to the people that need it most.
1. What does paragraph 2 focus on?A.FAO's guidelines. | B.Human eating diets. |
C.Global climate change. | D.Food waste problems. |
A.Heavily broken canned food. | B.Unhealthy vegetables. |
C.Slightly bruised fruit. | D.Damaged food. |
A.It will sell donated food to make money. | B.It will ask companies to pay higher taxes. |
C.It will save money on waste management. | D.It will attract more international companies. |
A.It seems difficult to pass in Israel. | B.It takes effect gradually in France. |
C.It is just applied in supermarkets. | D.It is an unsuccessful try in France. |
9 . They hide in trees, hang from helicopters, even follow people down on motorcycles—all so that they can snap a shot of a celebrity. They are paparazzi—photographers who make a living by taking pictures of the rich and famous.
This September, California, a state with plenty of celebrities, passed a law aimed at taking action against paparazzi. The law forbids photographers from entering private property to take pictures, from using high-tech devices to take pictures of people on private property, and from “persistently following in order to take a picture.” Violators can be fined or spend time in prison. The United State Congress is considering passing a similar law.
Supporters of the California law say it will protect the privacy of celebrities, whom paparazzi have been bothering for years. Opponents (反对者) say the law restricts photojournalists from doing their job.
Most celebrities seem to like having their pictures taken when they are in public at award shows or other events. After all, it’s free publicity. But when they’re not in public, they say, photographers should leave them alone. Yet paparazzi have been known to secretly look in windows and worse. Actor Michael J. Fox said that paparazzi have even “tried to pretend to be medical personnel at the hospital where my wife was giving birth to our son.”
Celebrities have as much right to their privacy as anyone else, supporters of the law state. Supporters further argue that the California law is a fair way to keep the press at bay, because the law still allows photographers to do their job. It only punishes them, supporters say, when they violate celebrities’ privacy.
Opponents of the law say it violates the First Amendment to the United States Constitution (美国宪法第一修正案), which guarantees that no laws will be made to limit “the freedom of speech, or of the press.”Although some people might not consider paparazzi a part of the legal press, the California law does not single out paparazzi. It applies to photographers working for any publication.
Opponents of the law are also concerned about its wording. “Does ‘persistently’ mean following someone for six minutes, six seconds, or six days?” asked lawyer Douglas Mirell. The wording of the law is too vague, critics complain, and could be used to punish almost any news photographer.
The United States needs a free press to keep the public informed about important news, paparazzi law opponents say. Limiting the press in any way, they argue, limits the freedom of all.
1. Which of the following will be considered illegal by the new California law?A.Paparazzi slipping into the house of a famous person to take a shot. |
B.Paparazzi taking photos of famous people with high-tech cameras. |
C.Paparazzi hiring helicopters as a fast means of transportation. |
D.Paparazzi rushing towards filming sites on motorcycles. |
A.it prevents the media from getting worse |
B.it gives photographers a fair way to compete |
C.punishment forces paparazzi to quit their job |
D.privacy of famous people needs special protection |
A.it will violate paparazzi’s privacy |
B.the First Amendment will be changed |
C.some photographers will be wrongly accused |
D.people will not be informed of important news |
A.Critical. | B.Neutral. | C.Approving. | D.Skeptical. |
10 . How often are students absent from school? Are they ready for college? Is their school a welcoming place? States are beginning to plan new ways to grade their schools. Under the new law, states are paying more attention to whether students are getting better at school. They will not only look at whether students have achieved a certain level of understanding in reading and maths, but also see whether students have improved over time.
Mike Petrilli, the president of an organization that supports education, said the new law was different from the No Child Left Behind Act, the earlier education law. “It will be a fairer way to measure school quality,” he said. With the No Child Left Behind Act, schools were measured(评价)by how well students did on tests. If students did not do well, their schools would often get less money from the government. The new law gave states more choice about how their schools should be measured.
So far, nine states have given their plans to the National Education Department, while seven other states are completing them. When checking school quality, states are experimenting with new measures. Almost all of the early states have considered absences as a key measure, which counts how many students are absent from school more than one-tenth of the school year.
Connie and Delaware will track college preparation. They will see whether high school students are taking advanced classes. At the same time, they will also see how well students do on tests to get into college. Tennessee wants to give every public school a grade from A to F, and the grade will consider how well English learners are doing. It also will look at whether disabled students are being served. In addition, the schools will also be graded by whether students are ready for college, as well as how many students graduate.
Marc.Magee, an official of an education group, said, “there are so many differences in how states want to examine their schools. Then comparing states to each other could be difficult.”
1. According to the passage, the No Child Left Behind Act_______.A.doesn’t care about the quality of education |
B.pays more attention to students’ scores |
C.forces schools to give up students’ physical practice |
D.encourages the government to give schools more money |
A.Students’ scores are not important. |
B.Schools have to provide Chinese lessons. |
C.Schools’ grades are related to college preparation. |
D.The more students graduate, the more money schools will get. |
A.Comparison among schools should be called off. |
B.Students may be doubtful about the new law. |
C.The new law will have a long way to go. |
D.States should be given equal rights. |
A.Objective(客观的) | B.Hopeful | C.Doubtful | D.Uninterested |