1 . Beijing No 4 Intermediate People’s Court said on Thursday that it concluded 77 cases of smuggling (走私) precious animal products from the beginning of 2015 to June this year, with about 40 percent of defendants (被告) given prison terms of three or more years. The products were found to be frequently made of body parts of some endangered wild animals such as elephants, turtles, bears and wolves, Wang Jing, vice-president of the court, told a news conference.
“Most of the defendants were migrant workers, students and tourists coming back to China, “Wang said. “Some aimed to sell the products for profits or send to friends and family members as gifts, while they wanted to use them to help with diseases.”
Wang explained that some of the defendants received heavier penalties (惩罚), such as a long-term imprisonment and a high fine, because the animal parts they smuggled were from animals listed on the national key protection of wildlife or related to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). For example, a defendant surnamed Yan was sentenced to 10 years in prison, along with 200,000 yuan ($27, 968) in fines, for smuggling 393 fish bladder products, the court said. Yan was caught while arriving at the Beijing Capital International Airport from Mexico on March 21, 2018, and the suspected products were discovered by the customs staff members in Yan’s luggage. The products were later identified as being made of drum fish in Gulf of California, and the fish is listed on the CITES, the court said, adding that the products were worth of about 2.51 million yuan ($351,000).
To effectively fight the crime, the court has issued a guideline on the smuggling of precious animal products to help judges accurately apply laws and unify (统一) the standards of relevant case hearings.
On Thursday, the court also disclosed four other smuggling cases, showing its determination and effort to protect precious animals by rule of law.
1. What does Wang Jing mainly express in paragraph 2?| A．The diseases that the animal products can be used to cure people of. |
| B．The way the defendants managed to get the animal products abroad. |
| C．The reasons why the defendants brought the animal products from abroad. |
| D．The people who the defendants were supposed to sell the animal products to. |
| A．Yan was sentenced to one decade in prison without any fines. |
| B．Yan was caught when trying to make a deal with someone. |
| C．Yan’s products were made of a kind of endangered fish. |
| D．Yan was a migrant worker, who came from Europe. |
| A．Have some doubts about. | B．Feel a little upset about. |
| C．Try to hide the truth about. | D．Give people information about. |
| A．Beijing court handles 77 cases of smuggling animal products |
| B．Beijing court makes an effort to recognize wild animals products |
| C．Beijing court helps judges apply laws about smuggling animal products |
| D．Beijing court issues guideline on smuggling of precious animal products |
2 . People who cross the street while looking at their phones may be fined in the city of Xiamen, Fujian province, as traffic police officers are enforcing (施行) a local regulation that was put into effect on August 1st.
A pedestrian who was crossing the street on Tuesday while looking at their phone was given a warning, becoming the city’s first to receive a reprimand (训斥) for the behavior.
The Traffic Safety Regulation on Zebra Lines in Xiamen Special Economic Zone, made into a law on Tuesday, states pedestrians should not browse their electronic devices or engage in other activities that may end anger traffic safety while using crossing lanes. Those who violate this rule and delay or stop the progress of the normal passage of vehicles are supposed to be given a warning or a fine of 50 yuan($7).
The regulation was made in response to motions by legislators (立法委员) to the Xiamen people’s congress. “Through putting uncivilized behavior right via legal means, we hope to create a better environment for drivers and pedestrians to better understand and interact with each other,” said Wu Tao, an official at the local congress.
Su Guoqiang, a deputy to the congress among those who raised the motion, said more than 20 percent of traffic accidents in Xiamen happened on crosswalks. “We hope to use the punishment of the ‘small’ act of browsing phones as something to prevent people from doing such a thing,” he told China Central Television.
Peng Chong, a traffic police officer in Xiamen, told CCTV for the time being they will mostly educate and warn violators and make everyone involved in traffic aware of the rules.
1. What does the underlined word “motions” in paragraph 4 mean?| A．Formal invitations. | B．Formal features. |
| C．Formal proposals. | D．Formal apologies. |
| A．The concrete contents of the punishment. |
| B．The reason why the motion was put forward. |
| C．The reason why people browse phones on crosswalks. |
| D．The factors that have an influence on traffic on streets. |
| A．Mostly by giving them a ticket. | B．Mostly by giving them a warning. |
| C．Mostly by making them recite the law. | D．Mostly by making them catch another violator. |
| A．Pedestrians on crosswalk warned not to end anger traffic safety in Xiamen |
| B．Xiamen expects drivers and pedestrians to better understand each other |
| C．20 percent of traffic accidents in Xiamen happen on crosswalks |
| D．Xiamen regulation on crosswalk behavior enters force |
3 . 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. |
4 . Drinks Have No Wings
You may have heard that “Red Bull gives you wings”. But while most people take the advertising slogan as a metaphor(隐喻), some Americans seem to have taken it very seriously.
Benjamin Careathers had been drinking the drink for 10 years, expecting to at least feel more energetic, but nothing happened. Feeling fooled by the ad, he took the issue to court.
In October, the Austria-based company agreed to pay $ 6.5 million (39.7 million yuan) to customers who have bought the drink since 2002. People in the US can apply for a share through energydrinksettlement.com before March 2015.
But is the case really that ridiculous?
Red Bull said they had done nothing wrong and they only paid the money to save the cost and trouble of legal action.
However, the suit(诉讼) told a different story. Even though there is no evidence that Red Bull energy drinks provide more benefit for consumers than a cup of coffee, the company markets their products as a superior source of energy that costs little.
“Such conduct means that Red Bull’s advertising and marketing is not just ‘puffery’ (吹捧) but is misleading and therefore actionable (可诉讼的) ,” the suit said.
The company said that the drink could promote healthy joints and reduce the risk of eye diseases. However, according to the organization, the product contains a lot of sugar, which could actually lead to many health problems.
Coca-Cola agreed to pay $ 1.2 million in compensation in July. But to fully stop the company from linking the drink to health benefit, Truth in Advertising, another non-profit organization, took the issue to court again in late October.
False advertisements have become a common problem around the world. China changed its consumer rights last year to ban advertising companies and media from making or publishing false advertisements. Celebrities are also made responsible if they endorse (代言) false or substandard products.
1. Faced with the suit, the Red Bull company decided to _______________.| A．apologize to its customers and pay for their losses in health |
| B．take full responsibility for the bad effects it has caused to its customers |
| C．give no one but its American customers some money as a reward |
| D．spend some money to save the cost and trouble of legal action |
| A．One can really fly like birds, for it offers you wings. |
| B．Drink it, and one can be forever energetic and young. |
| C．As it contains a lot of sugar, it can make one more powerful. |
| D．Healthy joints can be promoted if one takes this drink. |
| A．in China more companies will be taken to court for failing to live up to their promises |
| B．both Red Bull and Coca-Cola are now winning the consumers’ trust and respect |
| C．Benjamin Careathers has benefited a great deal since he drank Red Bull |
| D．no puffery words have ever appeared in both Red Bull and Coca-Cola’s advertisements |
| A．Tolerant. | B．Favorable. | C．Unbearable. | D．Indifferent. |
5 . While the U.S. is still debating about getting rid of the penny, Sweden is rapidly moving towards abolishing currency(货币) altogether. Though this may sound radical(过激的), it is a natural evolution in this digital society.
Sweden, which was the first European country to introduce banknotes in 1661, has just been working harder to convince its residents that digital payments are a safer alternative to carrying cash.
Over the years, the idea has gained popularity with residents, especially the younger generation that is much more comfortable with technology. Today many banks don't even have ATMs and some have stopped handling cash altogether!
Tickets to ride public buses in most Swedish cities can only be purchased via cell phones. Numerous businesses are also moving towards accepting only digital payments. Even the homeless that sell street paper to make ends meet have to start accepting this mode of payment!
But despite its growing popularity, some people don't like this radical idea. They include the homeless, elderly people as well as those living in rural areas who are still uncomfortable with mobile phones and computers. But the officials are confident that in the very near future, they will be able to convince everyone to move this safe and more cost-effective payment system.
Sweden is not the only country trying to abolish paper currency and coins. The movement is rapidly gaining ground in Denmark and Finland as well. In 2014, Israel announced a three-step plan to go cashless and just last week the vendors(小贩)of a popular street in Sydney declared they would stop accepting currency from customers. Whether this phenomenon spreads remains to be seen. But one thing is for sure—With increasingly advanced payment systems being introduced every day, pulling out cash is rapidly becoming “uncool”.
1. What can we infer from Paragraph 3 and 4?| A．Many banks in Sweden don't have ATMs. |
| B．You don't have to buy tickets when riding buses. |
| C．People don't give the homeless money but food. |
| D．People can just take cell phones when shopping. |
| A．Sweden was the first country to get the idea to abolish currency. |
| B．The younger generation is opposed to the measures. |
| C．Bus fare can only be purchased via cell phones in most Swedish cities. |
| D．Banks in Sweden have stopped dealing with cash completely. |
| A．An Advanced Country –Sweden |
| B．A Controversial Government Policy |
| C．Sweden to Influence the World's Cash Payment |
| D．Sweden to Become the Cashless Society |
| A．Education. | B．Economy. |
| C．Travel. | D．Insurance. |
