考前押题07 六选四（期中复习专项训练）高二英语下学期沪外版

考前押题07 六选四题 话题1 社会服务 话题4 研究发现 话题2 环境保护 话题5 社会发展 话题3 心理健康 话题6 学习教育 话题1 社会服务 Passage 1 From an airplane, cars crawling down the highway look like ants. But actual ants — unlike cars — somehow manage to avoid the problem of stop-and-go traffic. Researchers are now studying these insects’ cooperative strategies to learn how to program self-driving cars that don’t jam up. The free flow of traffic becomes unstable as the density of cars increases on a highway. At 15 vehicles per mile per lane, one driver tapping their brakes can trigger a persistent wave of congestion (拥堵). “____1____” says Katsuhiro Nishinari, a mathematical physicist at the University of Tokyo, who studies these jamming transitions. Nishinari’s previous research had shown that foraging (觅食) ants can maintain their flow even at high densities. In a recent study published in Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, researchers recorded Oche tell us ants on searching trails. ____2____ They found that the ants don’t jam at rush hour because they travel in groups of three to 20 that move at nearly constant rates while keeping good distances between one another and they don’t speed up to pass others. ____3____ But self-driving cars, if they one day become widespread, could have more cooperative programming. In one vision of this future, autonomous vehicles would share information with nearby cars to optimize traffic flow-perhaps, the researchers suggest, by prioritizing constant speeds and head ways or by not passing others on the road. This vehicle network would be similar to ants on a trail, which use scent to coordinate behavior while interacting with one another. “There is no leader but this organization emerges anyway,” says Noa Pinter-Wollman, a behavioral scientist currently studying ants at the University of California, Los Angeles. And in both ant and vehicle traffic, this type of distributed system can be“very, very strong and resilient”, Nishinari says. Today’s drivers can learn from ants to avoid causing a traffic jam, Nishinari says: “don’t tailgate (尾随).” By leaving room between their car and the one ahead, drivers can absorb a wave of braking in heavy traffic. ____4____ “Just keeping away,” he says, can help traffic flow smoothly. A. It’s a kind of phase transition, like water turning from liquid to solid. B. They then used traffic-engineering models to analyze how the ants moved. C. Drivers often follow ants’ behavior when the highway is busy. D. However, human drivers at rush hour are unlikely to follow such rules. E. Ants communicate through a centralized leader that directs the group. F. Without this space, the wave would grow into a full “fake” traffic jam. Passage 2 Tech companies want your kid’s birth date. Should you tell them? Technology companies already know all about you and your family, including your location, interests and other details. But recently they have been asking a question that can feel a little too personal. Streaming services, games and social media companies want to know young children’s birth dates. 1 . The app often knows a child is watching thanks to built-in settings that let you set up profiles for kids. Families are faced with a hard choice: share a sensitive piece of information about their child, lie or find a new way to watch “Bluey.” “It makes me uncomfortable, and obviously my children cannot agree to that profile being created,” said Dan Raile, a stay-at-home parent in San Francisco. The company declined to comment on the policy but pointed to an explanation on its website that says in part that birth dates are used to improve its services and “deliver targeted advertising.” In the past, most apps and services asked you to confirm you were over a certain age — typically 13 in the United States-when creating a new account, but not to give a birth date. 2 . “There is more legal requirement to treat people in age-appropriate ways, and to do that correctly, you need to have a pretty good idea of how old someone is,” said Josh Golin, executive director at Fairplay, a nonprofit children’s safety group. A birth date is considered a piece of personal identifying information. For most adults online, this type of information is already available. Many parents, are worried their children’s information being used for anything from marketing to identify theft, are reluctant to hand over the date to tech companies. “ 3 . Companies are already collecting so much information on their users that they should be able to infer what ages they are,” said Irene Ly, policy counsel at Common Sense Media. What can you do instead? The solution, if you’re comfortable, could be to lie, some experts said. But just a little. “Generally, lie with some caution,” said Hayley Tsukayama, a senior legislative activist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital civil liberties group. 4 . That would be inaccurate data if it fell into the wrong hands. “It’s a shame because we should be able to trust that these platforms are only collecting our child’s birthday and using it for exactly the reason they say. But we can’t really trust that, so I think lying is okay,” Golin said. A．It’s understandable that parents feel hesitant. B．But for some parents, that degree of detail is a step too far. C．Now, more tech companies are trying to confirm the exact ages of their users, including those who are under 18. D．She recommended entering your child’s birthday as a month earlier or a month later so the general age is the same. E．Disney Plus, on the other hand, says it can use the information to personalize content and recommendations and to deliver targeted ads. F．When Disney Plus started demanding that existing users enter their children’s exact birth date to continue streaming, many parents were alarmed. Passage 3 Time, What is it? If I were to stop you on the street and say,“ Excuse me, what time is it?” what would you do? You’d probably look at your watch and say, “ It’s a quarter to three,” or some such thing. 1 But if I were to stop you on the street and say the same words but in a different order, “ Time, what is it?” you’d probably look at me as if I were crazy. What is time? How would you define it? For centuries, philosophers and wise men have tried to explain time. Saint Augustine once tried to answer this question. He said: “For what is time? Who is able easily and briefly to explain it? …Surely we understand well enough when we speak of it. What then is time? If nobody asks me, I know; but if I were desirous to explain it to someone — plainly I know not.” 2 Sir Isaac Newton said that time was absolute, that it occurred whether the universe was here or not. Leibnitz came along and turned Newton’s definition upside down. He said, “ Time is merely the order of events, not an entity itself.” Albert Einstein followed Leibnitz, and made the statement that “ Time has no independent existence apart from the order of events by which we measure it.” 3 He said the train does not arrive at the station at 7 :00 PM; the train arrives at the station at the same moment the little hand reaches seven. 4 Everything is an event. Reading this book is an event. Getting out of bed this morning is an event. Driving your car is an event. Arriving at work is an event. Your phone ringing is an event. Eating lunch is an event.  I was in New York doing a time management seminar for Merrill Lynch executives, when a fellow handed me a card on which he had written his definition of time: “Time is what keeps one damned thing after another from becoming every damned thing at once.” Ben Franklin said, “ Dost thou love life? Then do not squander (挥霍) time, for that’s the stuff life is made of.” If this is true, then controlling your life means controlling your time, and controlling your time means controlling the events in your life. A．The astute Augustine obviously wasn’t much help on this matter. B．The definition from the dictionary says: “Time is the occurrence of events in sequence, one after the other.” C．He then developed an idea called “simultaneous events.” D．Time is what is happening now and will happen in the future replace what happened in the past E．In America we don’t usually stop people on the street and ask them philosophical questions. F．If we waste time, how can we say we love our lives? 话题2 环境保护 Passage 1 Microplastics in the Wilderness Soft trail shoes (越野鞋) and hiking clothing “appear to be significant contributors to microplastics finding their way into these remote, otherwise extremely clean waters”, said Tim Keyes, a Sacred Heart University data scientist. Microplastics are tiny bits of plastic that are either intentionally added to consumer products or formed when larger plastics break down. The particles (微粒) may contain any of about 16,000 plastic chemicals, of which many present serious health risks. ____1____ In 2023, Keyes took samples from Lake Tear of the Clouds, about 1,300 meters high. It sees heavy hiker traffic because it is close to a trail. ____2____ Because the area only had hiker traffic, it was assumed that microplastic pollution was being brought to the area largely by environmental water, especially as rain or snow. ____3____ The researchers returned two years later in early 2025 to sample Lake Tear again and also another lake, Moss Pond, at a similar height but far from human activity. The lab found about 0.73 pieces per mL in Moss Pond and about 16.54 pieces in Lake Tear—a big difference suggesting that hiker traffic plays a major role. Trail shoes with soft soles (鞋底) can drop small plastic pieces just as car tires do, Keyes said. The authors say the findings are meant to generate awareness and underscore why industry should produce clothing and shoes that will shed fewer microplastics. ____4____ A. It’s a reasonable explanation that’s supported by the data. B. He sent the samples to an independent laboratory that found 9.45 particles per mL. C. To minimize their environmental impact,hikers are encouraged to avoid water-rich areas along the trail. D. Now they suspect they were wrong. E. Hikers should also consider wearing less-polluting shoes or clothing made with natural fibers F. They have been found throughout the human body and can cross the brain barriers. Passage 2 Deadly Heat Domes Still Confuse Forecasters Last month, record-high temperatures swept across the eastern US, leading to power emergencies. The cause was a huge high-pressure zone known as a heat dome. This summer, it also hit Europe and China, leading to the temporary closure of the Eiffel Tower and worries about dying rice crops. ____1____ “Unlike larger-scale patterns such as El Niño, which can be forecast months in advance,” said Scott Handel, lead forecaster at the US Climate Prediction Center. “Heat domes have a much shorter lead time and are more complex.” Zach Zobel, a scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, said “heat dome” is a term to describe dangerous heat waves for the public. It happens when a large high-pressure system sits over an area, heating it with still air and unstopping sunlight. ____2____ Heat domes cause huge harm including wildfires, droughts, stressed crops, higher electricity demand and prices. They even cut airliners’ transport capacity and damage railroad tracks. The US EPA said over 14,000 Americans died directly from heat-related causes between 1979 and 2022. Climate change is making heat domes more common and stronger. The Arctic is warming faster than other parts of the world, which weakens the jet stream — a strong wind that keeps weather moving. ____3____ Although scientists are still studying how this works, it is clear that better forecasts and earlier warnings are needed to protect people and reduce damage. ____4____ Measuring how fast the jet stream moves can be a predictor. When the speed is low, it can be an indicator of widespread heat domes. Weather forecasters also rely on measures like soil moisture (湿度) since drier land means higher temperatures, which is direct evidence for heat domes. “The weather event that kills more than anybody else on the planet is heat,” Zobel said, “It is silently a big human impact, making the need for more accurate forecasts with longer lead times all the more important.” A. This traps more heat and makes the high pressure stronger. B. The result: heat domes can’t be driven away and thus stay longer over certain areas. C. However, predicting heat domes remains a significant challenge. D. Now, scientists are opening their toolboxes to try and figure out where and when heat domes will strike. E. To make things worse, forecasting heat domes is hard — a big worry as the world gets warmer. F. That influences heat domes in two ways. Passage 3 Amid the turmoil of the Second World War, a visionary group assembled with a uniquely optimistic mission: to plan for the preservation of Britain’s natural landscapes after the conflict. A key figure among them was John Dower, an architect and civil servant from Ilkley. ____1____ He advocated for public access for open-air enjoyment, alongside safeguards for wildlife, farming, and historic buildings. Tragically, Dower died from tuberculosis in 1947 at the age of 47, just four years before his dream was realized with the establishment of Britain’s first national park in the Peak District in 1951. Eighty years on, Dower’s legacy is profound. There are now 15 national parks across Great Britain, covering roughly 10% of its land surface, with potentially three more in development across England, Scotland, and Wales. ____2____ They are living, working landscapes that are both empty and bustling, home to isolated farmsteads and thriving communities. This complex mix of private ownership, public interest, and natural beauty means park authorities must act as both planning officers and wardens of nature. ____3____ Questions persist about balancing the needs of visitors and locals: Is it right for quarrying to scar areas of natural beauty? Should the excesses of rural tourism be reined in before they degrade the landscape? How can affordable housing be provided in areas where park designation inflates property prices? Despite these ongoing and legitimate challenges, the national parks are a cherished part of the national heritage. The process of adding new ones, whether in the Chilterns, Galloway, or north-east Wales, is slow, but their cultural value is undeniable. Although recent government grants offer some relief, charities warn that real-term funding has fallen significantly. ____4____ They stand as a lasting testament to John Dower’s campaigning belief that they are “for all who come to refresh their minds and spirit and exercise their bodies in a peaceful setting of natural beauty.” A. Unlike the vast wildernesses of the American model, British national parks are a unique tapestry of the wild and the cultivated. B. Nevertheless, these landscapes are now forever interwoven with British culture. C. The very concept of a ‘national park’ was imported from the United States, where the establishment of Yellowstone in 1872 created a template for the world. D. This very complexity inevitably sparks passionate debate about their purpose and management. E. The post-war period also saw a revolution in agricultural technology, with the widespread adoption of tractors fundamentally changing the face of British farming. F. His great vision was for beautiful landscapes to be strictly preserved for the nation. 话题3 心理健康 Passage 1 How to Live a Happy Life Happiness is what we need most with the increase of pressure in modern life. However, sometimes it seems far away from us. Fortunately, this is not the case. Everyone has the ability. to hang on to happiness with his own efforts. The following methods may lead you to long- lasting happiness. ·Take exercise. Other than health benefits that are too numerous to mention, exercise makes you smarter, happier, improves sleep, and makes you feel better about your body. 1 Keeping in touch with nature can help you reduce stress, make you more creative, improve your memory and may even make you a better person. · 2 Relationships are worth more than you think. Not feeling socially connected can make you stupider and kill you. Loneliness can lead to heart attack, stroke (中风) and diabetes (肥胖症) . On the other hand, studies have shown that the longest lived people on the planet all place a strong cmphas is on social engagement. ·Challenge yourself. 3 Music lessons increase intelligence. Challenging your beliefs strengthens your mind. Increasing willpower just takes a little effort each day and it's more responsible for your success than IQ. Not getting an education or taking advantage of opportunities are two of the things people look back on their lives and regret the most. ·Laugh. Laughter has similar effects to physical exercise. It increases blood pressure, the heart rate and the rate of breathing; it also works several groups of muscles in the face, the stomach, and the feet. It can even reduce the effect of pain on the body. Humor is a good way to cause laughter. 4 A．Life is always full of hope. B．Do something kind for the people you care about. C．Learning another language can keep your mind sharp. D．It would be better if you take exercise in nature. E．Spend time with friends and family. F．Just thinking about funny moments or things can help a lot. Passage 2 Food & Health Myths Every day there is new information about food and health products. Newspapers regularly have articles that discuss how certain foods or drinks are good or bad for you, Some television shows often deal with new stories about how consuming certain substances can affect your body 1 One myth about food and health is that eggs are bad for your heart. Although they are indeed high in cholesterol(胆固醇)and fat, it's not true that eating eggs every day will damage your heart. 2 As far as fat goes, it's the yellow part of the egg that contains all the fat. So if you're worried about the fat content of eggs, go ahead and just eat the whites. You might also choose to buy certain kinds of eggs that have less fat content depending on the diet of the animal. Check your local supermarket for more information. 3 Although it was once thought to have unique properties, other types of alcohol can have the same effects. A study conducted recently revealed that people who drank red wine did not live any longer than those who drank other kinds of spirits, such as beer or white wine. It seems that the alcohol itself improves an individual's health by raising the levels of good cholesterol and decreasing bad cholesterol. The alcohol also serves to increase blood flow and assist in blood clotting (凝结). 4 Consumers who are especially concerned about their health should think carefully about new information they read about or see on television. A．Another popular belief is that red wine, like other drinks, may be harmful to you if consumed too much. B．Apart from that, many people believe drinking red wine is especially good for your heart C．Eggs are high in cholesterol and fat despite the fact that they are a nutritious source of energy D．There are many other myths common is our society about food and health. E．This is because the body can deal with the extra cholesterol by reducing the amount it produces F．With such a steady stream of information, it's understandable that a few popular myths about food and health are floating around. Passage 3 Many of our most worrying problems, from overeating to not saving enough for retirement to not working out enough have something in common: lack of self-control. Self-control is what gives us the capacity to say no to choices that are immediately satisfying but costly in the long term — that a piece of chocolate cake (instead of an apple), that afternoon in front of the couch (instead of a visit to the gym). 1 The problem of self-control has puzzled psychologists and behavioral scientists for decades. A great deal of research has identified situations in which self-control failures are likely to happen and tools to help people exercise better control. 2 These motivating incentives can increase our self-control, at least up to a point. Entrepreneurs have also become interested in self-control, as is evident from the many diet and exercise apps and gadgets on the market. To take one notable example, on the commitment contract website stickK.com, users put down some money (say, $200) and state a goal they want to achieve (such as to lose ten pounds in a month). 3 If they meet their goal, they earn their money back. If they don’t, they lose the money. Tools like stickK.com can be effective, but they are often difficult to implement. My colleagues and I conducted a new research to point to a different solution that may be easier to carry out: using rituals. 4 Players in all sorts of sports have rituals that involve actions such as eating the same foods in exactly the same order before a game. From the way some prepare their coffee to the way people celebrate important life events, like weddings or graduations, rituals are a part of our daily life. And though they may seem useless, or even silly, research has found that rituals are powerful. A．They have to point out someone to monitor them and ensure they reach the goal or donate the money. B．Despite our best intentions, we often fail to meet our goals. C．Rituals are series of steps we take while attaching some kind of symbolic meaning. D．In the past, my colleagues and I have found that rituals reduce anxiety before stressful tasks, and improve performance. E．They also need to state what will happen to the money if they don’t stick to their commitments (e.g., it’ll go to a friend or to a charity they do not like). F．For instance, research has found that people persist for longer on tasks that require self-control when they know they’ll be paid for their efforts, or when they are told that their work will benefit others. 话题4 研究发现 Passage 1 Power Causes Brain Damage If power were a drug, it would come with a long list of known side effects. It can intoxicate. It can corrupt. It can even cause brain damage. Dacher Keltner, a psychology professor at UC Berkeley, found in studies spanning two decades that subjects under the influence of power acted as if they had suffered a brain injury: 1 Sukhvinder Obhi, a neuroscientist at McMaster University, recently described something similar. 2 And when he put the heads of the powerful and the not-so-powerful under a transcranial-magnetic-stimulation machine, he found that power, in fact, damages a specific neural (神经系统的) process, “mirroring,” that may be an important part of empathy. This gives a neurological basis to what Keltner has termed the “power paradox”: Once we have power, we lose some of the capacities we needed to gain it in the first place. 3 A 2006 study asked participants to draw the letter E on their forehead for others to view — a task that requires seeing yourself from an observer’s vantage point. Those feeling powerful were three times more likely to draw the E the right way to themselves — and backwards to everyone else. (This calls to mind George W. Bush, who memorably held up the American flag backwards at the 2008 Olympics.) Other experiments have shown that powerful people do worse at identifying what someone in a picture is feeling, or guessing how a colleague might interpret a remark. People tend to mimic the expressions and body language of their superiors, but the powerful stop mimicking others. 4 It helps trigger the same feelings those others are experiencing and provides a window into where they are coming from. Powerful people “stop simulating the experience of others,” Keltner says, which leads to what he calls an “empathy deficit.” This is a depressing finding, but is there nothing to be done? No and yes. It’s difficult to stop power’s tendency to affect your brain. What’s easier — from time to time, at least — is to stop feeling powerful. Power is not a post or a position but a mental state. Recount a time you did not feel powerful, Keltner suggests, and your brain can empathize with reality. A．Unlike Keltner, who studies behaviors, Obhi studies brains. B．It’s what Obhi and his team were trying to activate when they had their subjects watch a video of someone’s hand squeezing a rubber ball. C．That loss in capacity has been demonstrated in various creative ways. D．The historian Henry Adams described power as “a sort of tumor that ends by killing the victim’s sympathies.” E．Laughing when others laugh or tensing when others tense matters. F．They become more impulsive, less risk-aware, and, crucially, less capable of seeing things from other people’s point of view. Passage 2 Ants Best Humans at Test of Collective Intelligence When people work together, they can achieve great things. But if they can’t talk, they’re not necessarily smarter than ants, at least according to a study published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Both longhorn crazy ants and humans can figure out how to work together to move a large and heavy object through a series of obstacles. ____1____ They had individuals and groups of different sizes of both species move a T-shaped object through a tricky series of openings in walls, both of which were scaled to the body size of the participants. This kind of puzzle is hard for ants because their pheromone-based (基于信息素的) communication doesn’t account for the kind of geometry (几何) needed to get the object through the doors._____2_____ In some of the trials, they made the humans wear sunglasses and masks and forbade talking and gestures. So the people, like the ants, had to work together without language. They could only rely on the forces generated by their fellow participants to figure out how to move the T-shaped piece. ____3____ They exhibited what the researchers described as “emergent” collective memory, an intelligence greater than the sum of its parts. The groups of humans, on the other hand, often didn’t do better when working together, especially if they weren’t allowed to talk. In fact, multiple people sometimes performed worse than individuals — and worse than the ants. The researchers assume that, in the absence of the ability to discuss and debate, individuals attempt to reach an agreement quickly rather than fully assessing the problem. This group think, they suggest, leads people toward fruitless “greedy” efforts where they directly pull the T-shaped object toward the gaps in the wall, rather than the less obvious, correct solution of pulling the object into the space between first. ____4____ A. So scientists made the two compete against each other. B. The groups of ants were much better at solving the puzzle than individual ants. C. It was a bit like moving an awkwardly large couch through a narrow hallway or stairwell. D. To make the experiments even more comparable, the team also took away the humans’communication. E. Furthermore, when allowed to communicate, human groups performed about as well as the average individual in the group, so there was no advantage to teaming up. F. The ants “excel in cooperation,” they write, while humans need to be able to talk through their reasoning to avoid simply going with what they think the crowd wants. Passage 3 A new technique to work out a corpse’s time of death In fiction, forensic (法医的) experts presented with a corpse are able to take a bite of their sandwich and instantly pronounce a time of death. Reality is, of course, a lot messier, and the results — or lack of them — can make or break a case. Now artificial intelligence is offering a helping hand. By analyzing thousands of deaths and what follows, the technology can offer the best estimates so far of PMI, Post-Mortem Interval (尸体死后间隔). 1 For decades these specialists have had to rely on intuition, combined with observations of the state of the deceased and clues such as temperature, both of the dead body and the environment. Different bodies decay at different rates, however, and individual circumstances can throw off the most careful PMI calculations. A body found in a ditch in northern England in 2004, for example, was given a wrongly late time of death because the ditch was sheltered from sunlight and the colder-than-expected conditions had helped preserve the corpse. Forensis-science journals are full of such cases while the potentially useful details of thousands more investigations are buried in case files around the world. 2 . The result is an AI-powered tool, called geoFOR, that could offer the most reliable estimates of PMI so far. Sandwiches are not included. Developed by a research team led by Katherine Weisensee at Clemson University in South Carolina, the model is based on data pooled from more than 2,500 death investigations, with more added each week. About 1,800 of these are real-world cases involving the discovery of a body. 3 . Corpses here are left to decay for weeks and months under varied circumstances. With their precise PMI known, photos and descriptions of their various states of decomposition over time, along with information about temperature, humidity, wind, soil type and other conditions, have all helped train the AI model. The results could be used to check alibis and help solve crimes, but they have other uses too. Madeline Atwell, a forensic anthropologist at Clemson University who works on the project, says the model has already helped close several missing-person cases. 4 “You match it with missing-person records, and that helps narrow your time frame,” she says. A．With more cases and examples added to the database, the results will be more reliable. B．Entering the location allows the AI model to take local weather conditions into consideration. C．The rest are drawn from forensic experiments at so-called “body farms” in Texas and Tennessee. D．Combining time of death with when people were last seen alive is very useful in identifying human remains. E．Working out when a person has died is the most basic but frustratingly imprecise part of a forensic investigator’s work. F．Now forensic researchers in America are working to collect and access these valuable papers, and to use machine learning to analyze them. 话题5 社会发展 Passage 1 Crazy Laws It seems that the Greek philosopher, Aristotle, was right when he said, “Even when laws have been written down, they ought not always to remain unaltered.” 1 Some of them were strange right from the start! Did you know, for example, that London taxis (officially called Hackney carriages) are still legally required to carry hay and oats for their horses to eat? And in England, it is illegal to stand within 100 yards (91 metres) of the queen, without wearing socks? If you live in Scotland, however, it’s important to know that if someone knocks at the door of your house, and needs to use your toilet, you are legally required to let him in. 2 There, it is perfectly legal to shoot a Scotsman with a bow and arrow, unless it is a Sunday! 3 In France, you cannot call your pig Napoleon, and in Italy, a man can be arrested for wearing a skirt. That’s not all. In Alaska, US, while it’s legal to shoot bears, waking a sleeping bear to take its photo is prohibited. Still in Alaska, it is considered an offence to push a live moose out of an aeroplane. Lots of the craziest laws seem to involve animals. 4 And in Florida, if an elephant is left tied to a parking meter, the parking fine must be paid, just as it would for a vehicle. Last, children are forbidden from going to school with their breath smelling of wild onions in West Virginia. And in Arkansas, teachers who have a certain hairc ut (a bob) will not be given a pay-rise. In Florida, a woman can be fined for falling asleep under the hair-dryer and unmarried women must not parachute on a Sunday. If they do, they might be arrested, receive a fine or be put in jail. A．But if you are Scottish you should stay away from the city of York. B．Never should a Scotsman leave his own country. C．But strange laws don’t just exist in the UK. D．England is the place where craziest laws have been in existence for centuries. E．Laws in some parts of the world haven’t changed for centuries. F．In Hollywood, it is illegal to take more than 2,000 sheep down Hollywood Boulevard at any one time. Passage 2 How Young Americans Spend Their Money Young people have always puzzled their elders. Today’s youngsters are no different; indeed, they are confusing. They have thin wallets and expensive tastes. They prize convenience and a social conscience. They want shopping to be personal. 1 As they start spending in earnest, brands are trying to understand what these walking paradoxes with conflicting features want and how they shop. The answers will define the next era of consumerism. Their absolute numbers are impressive. The European Union is home to nearly 125m people between the ages of ten (the youngest will become consumers in the next few years) and 34. America has another 110m of these Gen-Zs and millennials, a third of the population. The annual spending of households headed by American Gen-Zs and millennials hit $2.7trn in 2021, around 30% of the total. 2 Forrester, a market-research firm, found that most users of “buy now, pay later” apps are around 20. Megan Scott, a 20-year-old student from London, speaks for many of her peers by admitting that, when shopping, she has no self-control—until the bill arrives. The light-speed online world also appears to have lowered tolerances for long delivery times. A study by Salesforce, a business-software giant, found that Gen-Z Americans, who prefer to use their phones to pay for shopping, are the likeliest of all age groups to want their groceries delivered within an hour. 3 The Internet has also changed how the young discover brands. Print, billboard or TV advertising has given way to social media. Instagram, part of Meta’s empire, and TikTok, a Chinese-owned app, are where the young look for inspiration, particularly for goods where looks matter such as fashion, beauty and sportswear. 4 Such apps are increasingly adding features that allow users to shop without ever leaving the platform. According to McKinsey, six in ten Americans under the age of 25 had completed a purchase on a social-media site. A．They desire genuineness while constantly immersed in a digital world. B．TikTok’s user-generated videos can lead even tiny brands to speedy viral fame. C．The lifestyle of the “moonlight clan” has made many young people feel overwhelmed. D．Easy access to means of spreading payments may encourage spending money like water. E．A heightened expectation of convenience comes with being raised in the age of Amazon. F．These “always-on purchasers” often shift from a weekly shop to quicker fixes of everything from fashion to furniture. Passage 3 How long should my novel be? This is a question I’m often asked, and it’s certainly not the same answer as how long a piece of string is! So, how long should your book actually be? If we work backwards, from a production department point of view, a book of approximately 100,000 words will come in somewhere between 300 to 400 pages. 1 I’d suggest that 80,000 words up works well, occasionally stretching to 120,000 words on rare occasions. Shorter texts are less daunting (使人气馁的) for an agent to submit rather than a block of manuscript so aim to make your publication path easier. There’s an implication that a standard book length should have a tighter handle on pacing, with the reader more readily drawn in. In turn, an overlong novel often indicates to a publisher that there’s potentially extensive editing work to be done by them. 2 For example, historical fiction could more comfortably sit near the 120,000 mark. Literary fiction can head in the other direction, with 60,000 words still offering a feeling of fundamental worth to the publisher and reader, with an implication that the text is highly developed. More commonly, issues over length tend to highlight that pacing is an issue, be it too long or too short. Overwriting, in particular, can be an issue for many authors, who might struggle to express their ideas clearly, using complex language that play down the flow of the book. Successful writing contains a clarity of thought that enables the writer to connect with the reader for maximum impact, allowing the story, characters and setting to shine through. In terms of content, it’s important for an author to prioritise the key themes in the book. 3 Allow your reader to piece together information you delicately work through your text and avoid excess scenes and information, revealing instead what’s needed to keep that tension pulsing. Be brave as you cut back on the unnecessary, keeping a backup copy of your novel just in case you change your mind. Work intuitively, from the heart, keeping secrets for as long as possible so the reader is forced to read on. In this way, a reader will readily connect with your words. 4 A．Books do have different thresholds (门槛) according to genre. B．This is plenty for a typical author’s book, particularly the first one. C．Yes, there are exceptions to every genre but these are generally rare. D．Is everything of equal importance and does everything need to be included? E．Longer books are more expensive to produce and harder to sell in, so it increases their risk. F．With a firm handle on length, your novel will have increased its chances of commercial publication. 话题6 学习教育 Passage 1 Money Matters Parents should help their children understand money. The best time to teach a child anything about money is when he shows an interest.So you may start talking about money when your child shows an interest in buying things, candy or toys, for example. 1.The basic function of money Begin explaining the basic function of money by showing how people trade money for goods or services. It is important to show your child how money is traded for the things he wants to have. If he wants to have a toy, give him the money and let him hand the money to the cashier. 1 When your child grows a bit older and understands the basic function of money, you can start explaining more complex ways of using money. 2. Money lessons Approach money lessons with openness and honesty. 2 If you must say no to a child’s request to spend money, explain, “You have enough toy trucks for now.” Or, if the request is for many different things, say, “You have to make a choice between this toy and that toy.” 3. 3 Begin at the grocery store. Pick out two similar brands of a product — a name-brand butter and a generic, for example. You can show your child how to make choices between different brands of a product so that you can save money. 4 If he chooses the cheaper brand, allow him to make another purchase with the money saved. Later, you may explain how the more expensive choice leaves less money for other purchases. A．Wise decisions. B．The value of money. C．Permit the child to choose between them. D．Tell your child why he can—or cannot—have certain things. E．Ask yourself what things that cost money are most important to you. F．Talk about how the money bought the thing after you leave the toy store. Passage 2 The Most Important Skill Nobody Taught You Before dying at the age of 39, Blaise Pascal made huge contributions to both physics and mathematics, notably in fluids, geometry, and probability. 1 Many fields that we now classify under the heading of social science did, in fact, also grow out of the foundation he helped lay. Interestingly enough, much of this was done in his teen years, with some of it coming in his twenties. As an adult, inspired by a religious experience, he actually started to move towards philosophy and theology (神学). Right before his death, he was discussing thoroughly fragments of private thoughts that would later be released as a collection by the name of Pensees. While the book is mostly a mathematician’s case for choosing a life of faith and belief, the more curious thing about it is its clear and comprehensible reflection on what it means to be human. 2 There is enough thought-provoking material in it to quote, and it attacks human nature from a variety of different angles, but one of its most famous thoughts aptly sums up the core of his argument: “ 3 ” According to Pascal, we fear the silence of existence, we dread boredom and instead choose aimless distraction, and we can’t help but run from the problems of our emotions into the false comforts of the mind. The issue at the root, essentially, is that we never learn the art of solitude. Today, more than ever, Pascal’s message rings true. 4 Information technologies have dominated our cultural direction. From the telephone to the radio to the TV to the internet, we have found ways to bring us all closer together, enabling constant worldly access. I can sit in my office in Canada and transport myself to practically anywhere I want through Skype. I don’t think I need to highlight the benefits of all this. But the downsides are also beginning to show, including leaks of privacy, unauthorized data collection and most importantly, our inability to sit quietly in a room by ourselves. A．All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone. B．Solitude (独处) may not be the solution to everything, but it certainly is a start. C．If there is one word to describe the progress made in the last 100 years, it’s connectedness. D．It’s a blueprint of our psychology long before psychology was regarded as a formal discipline. E．These dedications, however, would influence more than just the realm (领域) of the natural sciences. F．Never facing ourselves is why we feel lonely and anxious in spite of being connected with everything else. Passage 3 How to improve efficiency when working at home? Distinguish between work and home mode One of the biggest merits about working from home-slowly moving from bed to the sofa five minutes before you start-can also be your biggest challenge, says Eyre-White. Don’t forget that you are there to work — 1 “Switch from home to work mode,” she says, by having something you physically do to “flip the switch”. “Maybe it’s walking round the block, making a special kind of tea, or lighting a candle at your desk. It doesn’t matter what it is but do it without fail to create a strong association in your mind,” she says. Be realistic about what you can achieve “A wide, open day working from home can feel full of possibilities. 145 things on the to do list? No problem! Don’t fall into the trap of being over-ambitious,” says Eyre-White. Instead, she recommends being realistic and then possibly achieving more than you set out to; and feeling satisfied, rather than feeling disappointed you didn’t do everything. She suggests choosing three to five things to do and aim to get the majority done before lunch. “ 2 .”she recommends. Work in short bursts In the office your day is broken up by everything from meeting s to water-cooler chats, lunch breaks and even toilet breaks, but when you are sat at home on your own with no face-to-face interaction planned it can be easy to just work for long, unbroken periods. “ 3 Although this can be frustrating, they divide the day up and create natural chunks of time,” explains Eyre-White. “In contrast, a day at home can be very unstructured.” In order to be productive, she recommends imposing structure on yourself. For example, working in 45-60 minute chunks of focused work followed by a short break. “This can be an effective way to break the day up and maintain your concentration levels,” she says. Manage distractions Being in an office gives us a limited number of ways to get distracted but when you start working in a new environment (especially a very familiar one) it can be easy to let yourself get distracted. “ 4 ” says Byre-White. “So proactively manage things which might interrupt your focus.” She explains: “Keep them limited to short breaks in between chunks of focused work. A change of scene is all we need to give our brain a break, and it’s the perfect time to put a load of washing on or empty the dishwasher.” A．There are a lot of potential distractions when we work from home. B．Unless you’re self-isolating, working from home shouldn’t mean that you don’t leave the house at all or don’t see anyone for two weeks. C．We all slowdown in the mid-afternoon and having a lot of your list under your belt will give you the motivation to power through. D．Leave your desk for lunch and take advantage of being at home to walk the dog and blow the cobwebs away for half an hour in the afternoon. E．When we’re in the office our day is normally broken up with meetings. F．So set yourself up the right way, get dressed and brush your teeth at the start of the day rather than sitting in your pyjamas for eight hours. 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $考前押题07 六选四题 话题1 社会服务 话题4 研究发现 话题2 环境保护 话题5 社会发展 话题3 心理健康 话题6 学习教育 1 / 1 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 话题1 社会服务 Passage 1 From an airplane, cars crawling down the highway look like ants. But actual ants — unlike cars — somehow manage to avoid the problem of stop-and-go traffic. Researchers are now studying these insects’ cooperative strategies to learn how to program self-driving cars that don’t jam up. The free flow of traffic becomes unstable as the density of cars increases on a highway. At 15 vehicles per mile per lane, one driver tapping their brakes can trigger a persistent wave of congestion (拥堵). “____1____” says Katsuhiro Nishinari, a mathematical physicist at the University of Tokyo, who studies these jamming transitions. Nishinari’s previous research had shown that foraging (觅食) ants can maintain their flow even at high densities. In a recent study published in Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, researchers recorded Oche tell us ants on searching trails. ____2____ They found that the ants don’t jam at rush hour because they travel in groups of three to 20 that move at nearly constant rates while keeping good distances between one another and they don’t speed up to pass others. ____3____ But self-driving cars, if they one day become widespread, could have more cooperative programming. In one vision of this future, autonomous vehicles would share information with nearby cars to optimize traffic flow-perhaps, the researchers suggest, by prioritizing constant speeds and head ways or by not passing others on the road. This vehicle network would be similar to ants on a trail, which use scent to coordinate behavior while interacting with one another. “There is no leader but this organization emerges anyway,” says Noa Pinter-Wollman, a behavioral scientist currently studying ants at the University of California, Los Angeles. And in both ant and vehicle traffic, this type of distributed system can be“very, very strong and resilient”, Nishinari says. Today’s drivers can learn from ants to avoid causing a traffic jam, Nishinari says: “don’t tailgate (尾随).” By leaving room between their car and the one ahead, drivers can absorb a wave of braking in heavy traffic. ____4____ “Just keeping away,” he says, can help traffic flow smoothly. A. It’s a kind of phase transition, like water turning from liquid to solid. B. They then used traffic-engineering models to analyze how the ants moved. C. Drivers often follow ants’ behavior when the highway is busy. D. However, human drivers at rush hour are unlikely to follow such rules. E. Ants communicate through a centralized leader that directs the group. F. Without this space, the wave would grow into a full “fake” traffic jam. 【答案】1. A 2. B 3. D 4. F 【导语】这是一篇说明文。介绍了研究人员通过研究蚂蚁的协作策略，探索解决自动驾驶汽车拥堵问题的方法。 【1题详解】 上文“The free flow of traffic becomes unstable as the density of cars increases on a highway. At 15 vehicles per mile per lane, one driver tapping their brakes can trigger a persistent wave of congestion (拥堵). (随着高速公路上车流量密度增加，交通的顺畅流动会变得不稳定。当每车道每英里有15辆车时，一名司机踩刹车就能引发持续的拥堵波)”描述了交通拥堵的形成过程，下文是东京大学数学物理学家Katsuhiro Nishinari对这种拥堵转变的解读。A选项“这是一种相变，就像水从液态变成固态”承接上文的“拥堵波”，用类比解释了这种交通状态的转变，符合语境。故选A。 【2题详解】 上文“In a recent study published in Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, researchers recorded Oche tell us ants on searching trails. (在《交通研究跨学科视角》上发表的一项近期研究中，研究人员记录了觅食蚂蚁的行进轨迹)”介绍了研究中“记录蚂蚁轨迹”的步骤，下文“They found that the ants don’t jam at rush hour (他们发现蚂蚁在高峰时段不会拥堵)”是研究发现。B选项“然后他们用交通工程模型分析蚂蚁的移动方式”衔接上文的“记录轨迹”和下文的“得出结论”，补充了研究的中间步骤，符合语境。故选B。 【3题详解】 下文“But self-driving cars, if they one day become widespread, could have more cooperative programming. (但如果自动驾驶汽车有朝一日普及，它们可以有协作性更强的程序设计)”通过but转折，引出自动驾驶汽车的优势。D选项“然而，高峰时段的人类司机不太可能遵守这样的规则”先说明人类司机的不足，与下文自动驾驶汽车的“协作性”形成对比，符合语境。故选D。 【4题详解】 上文“By leaving room between their car and the one ahead, drivers can absorb a wave of braking in heavy traffic. (通过在车与前车之间留出空间，司机可以在拥堵交通中缓冲刹车波)”强调留空间的作用，下文““Just keeping away,” he says, can help traffic flow smoothly. (他说：“保持距离”有助于交通顺畅)”进一步说明该做法的效果。F选项“没有这个空间，刹车波会演变成一场完全的“假性”拥堵)”从反面补充了“不留空间”的后果，呼应上文“留空间”的重要性，符合语境。故选F。 Passage 2 Tech companies want your kid’s birth date. Should you tell them? Technology companies already know all about you and your family, including your location, interests and other details. But recently they have been asking a question that can feel a little too personal. Streaming services, games and social media companies want to know young children’s birth dates. 1 . The app often knows a child is watching thanks to built-in settings that let you set up profiles for kids. Families are faced with a hard choice: share a sensitive piece of information about their child, lie or find a new way to watch “Bluey.” “It makes me uncomfortable, and obviously my children cannot agree to that profile being created,” said Dan Raile, a stay-at-home parent in San Francisco. The company declined to comment on the policy but pointed to an explanation on its website that says in part that birth dates are used to improve its services and “deliver targeted advertising.” In the past, most apps and services asked you to confirm you were over a certain age — typically 13 in the United States-when creating a new account, but not to give a birth date. 2 . “There is more legal requirement to treat people in age-appropriate ways, and to do that correctly, you need to have a pretty good idea of how old someone is,” said Josh Golin, executive director at Fairplay, a nonprofit children’s safety group. A birth date is considered a piece of personal identifying information. For most adults online, this type of information is already available. Many parents, are worried their children’s information being used for anything from marketing to identify theft, are reluctant to hand over the date to tech companies. “ 3 . Companies are already collecting so much information on their users that they should be able to infer what ages they are,” said Irene Ly, policy counsel at Common Sense Media. What can you do instead? The solution, if you’re comfortable, could be to lie, some experts said. But just a little. “Generally, lie with some caution,” said Hayley Tsukayama, a senior legislative activist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital civil liberties group. 4 . That would be inaccurate data if it fell into the wrong hands. “It’s a shame because we should be able to trust that these platforms are only collecting our child’s birthday and using it for exactly the reason they say. But we can’t really trust that, so I think lying is okay,” Golin said. A．It’s understandable that parents feel hesitant. B．But for some parents, that degree of detail is a step too far. C．Now, more tech companies are trying to confirm the exact ages of their users, including those who are under 18. D．She recommended entering your child’s birthday as a month earlier or a month later so the general age is the same. E．Disney Plus, on the other hand, says it can use the information to personalize content and recommendations and to deliver targeted ads. F．When Disney Plus started demanding that existing users enter their children’s exact birth date to continue streaming, many parents were alarmed. 【答案】1．F 2．C 3．A 4．D 【导语】本文是议论文。文章围绕科技公司要求用户提供孩子的出生日期这一做法展开讨论，分析了家长对此的担忧、科技公司的解释以及专家对此的看法和建议。 1．根据后文“The app often knows a child is watching thanks to built-in settings that let you set up profiles for kids.(由于内置设置允许您为孩子设置个人资料，该应用程序通常知道孩子正在观看。)”可知，此句提到一款应用允许为孩子设置个人资料，所以空处应是说明具体应用及其要求，F项“When Disney Plus started demanding that existing users enter their children’s exact birth date to continue streaming, many parents were alarmed.(当Disney Plus开始要求现有用户输入孩子的确切出生日期才能继续流媒体时，许多家长都感到震惊)”符合文意，提到Disney Plus这款应用，引出下文。故选F项。 2．根据前文“In the past, most apps and services asked you to confirm you were over a certain age--typically 13 in the United States-when creating a new account, but not to give a birth date.(过去，大多数应用程序和服务在创建新账户时都会要求你确认自己已超过一定年龄——在美国通常是13岁，但不会提供出生日期)”可知，此处讲述过去应用程序的情况，所以C项“Now, more tech companies are trying to confirm the exact ages of their users, including those who are under 18.(现在，越来越多的科技公司正试图确认其用户的确切年龄，包括那些未满18岁的用户)”讲述现在的情况，和前文形成对比。故选C项。 3．根据前文“Many parents, are worried their children’s information being used for anything from marketing to identify theft, are reluctant to hand over the date to tech companies.(许多家长担心孩子的信息被用于从营销到身份盗窃等各种用途，因此不愿将数据交给科技公司)”可知，此处讨论父母的担心信息被泄露，根据后文“Companies are already collecting so much information on their users that they should be able to infer what ages they are(公司已经收集了如此多的用户信息，他们应该能够推断出用户的年龄)”可知，公司已经收集了如此多的用户信息，A项“It’s understandable that parents feel hesitant.(家长们感到犹豫是可以理解的)”承接上文，引出下文。故选A项。 4．根据前文““Generally, lie with some caution,” said Hayley Tsukayama, a senior legislative activist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital civil liberties group.(数字公民自由组织电子前沿基金会（Electronic Frontier Foundation）的资深立法活动人士Hayley Tsukayama说：“一般来说，说谎要谨慎一些。”)”可知，此处提到在填写资料的时候说谎，所以D项“She recommended entering your child’s birthday as a month earlier or a month later so the general age is the same.(她建议将孩子的生日提前一个月或晚一个月填写，这样一般年龄是一样的)”承接上文，说明具体资料填写建议，其中she指的就是Hayley Tsukayama。故选D项。 Passage 3 Time, What is it? If I were to stop you on the street and say,“ Excuse me, what time is it?” what would you do? You’d probably look at your watch and say, “ It’s a quarter to three,” or some such thing. 1 But if I were to stop you on the street and say the same words but in a different order, “ Time, what is it?” you’d probably look at me as if I were crazy. What is time? How would you define it? For centuries, philosophers and wise men have tried to explain time. Saint Augustine once tried to answer this question. He said: “For what is time? Who is able easily and briefly to explain it? …Surely we understand well enough when we speak of it. What then is time? If nobody asks me, I know; but if I were desirous to explain it to someone — plainly I know not.” 2 Sir Isaac Newton said that time was absolute, that it occurred whether the universe was here or not. Leibnitz came along and turned Newton’s definition upside down. He said, “ Time is merely the order of events, not an entity itself.” Albert Einstein followed Leibnitz, and made the statement that “ Time has no independent existence apart from the order of events by which we measure it.” 3 He said the train does not arrive at the station at 7 :00 PM; the train arrives at the station at the same moment the little hand reaches seven. 4 Everything is an event. Reading this book is an event. Getting out of bed this morning is an event. Driving your car is an event. Arriving at work is an event. Your phone ringing is an event. Eating lunch is an event.  I was in New York doing a time management seminar for Merrill Lynch executives, when a fellow handed me a card on which he had written his definition of time: “Time is what keeps one damned thing after another from becoming every damned thing at once.” Ben Franklin said, “ Dost thou love life? Then do not squander (挥霍) time, for that’s the stuff life is made of.” If this is true, then controlling your life means controlling your time, and controlling your time means controlling the events in your life. A．The astute Augustine obviously wasn’t much help on this matter. B．The definition from the dictionary says: “Time is the occurrence of events in sequence, one after the other.” C．He then developed an idea called “simultaneous events.” D．Time is what is happening now and will happen in the future replace what happened in the past E．In America we don’t usually stop people on the street and ask them philosophical questions. F．If we waste time, how can we say we love our lives? 【答案】1．E 2．A 3．D 4．B 【导语】这是一篇说明文。主要介绍了时间的定义以及我们该如何控制时间。 1．根据上文“If I were to stop you on the street and say,“ Excuse me, what time is it? ””（如果我在街上拦住你说：“对不起，现在几点了？”“你会怎么做？”）引出话题，提到在街上拦住你问你时间。以及下文“But if I were to stop you on the street and say the same words but in a different order, “ Time, what is it? ””（但是如果我在街上拦住你，用不同的顺序说同样的话：“时间，它是什么？”）转折提到在街上拦住你的另外一种情况。结合选项E项In America we don’t usually stop people on the street and ask them philosophical questions.（在美国，我们通常不会在街上拦住人，问他们一些哲学问题。）可知，起到上下文的承上启下作用，上下文语意连贯。故选E项。 2．根据上文“Saint Augustine once tried to answer this question. He said: “For what is time? Who is able easily and briefly to explain it? …Surely we understand well enough when we speak of it. What then is time? If nobody asks me, I know; but if I were desirous to explain it to someone — plainly I know not. ””（圣奥古斯丁曾经试图回答这个问题。他说：“时间是为了什么？谁能简单扼要地解释一下？当然，当我们谈论它的时候，我们是很清楚的。那么时间是什么呢？如果没有人问我，我知道；但如果我想要向别人解释的话——老实说，我不知道。”）提到圣奥古斯丁也不知道如何向别人解释。结合选项A项The astute Augustine obviously wasn’t much help on this matter.（精明的奥古斯丁显然在这件事上帮不上什么忙。）可知，和上文内容意思相关，承接上文内容，为对上文内容的语意递进。故选A项。 3．根据上文“Albert Einstein followed Leibnitz, and made the statement that “ Time has no independent existence apart from the order of events by which we measure it. ””（阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦遵循莱布尼茨的说法，他说：“除了我们衡量时间的事件顺序之外，时间没有独立的存在。”）提到时间的事件顺序。以及下文“He said the train does not arrive at the station at 7 :00 PM; the train arrives at the station at the same moment the little hand reaches seven.”（他说火车晚上7点还没有到站；火车到达车站的同时，指针小手也到达了7。）说明时间是现在和将来发生的事情。结合选项D项Time is what is happening now and will happen in the future replace what happened in the past.（时间是现在和将来发生的事情，而不是过去发生的事情。）可知，和上下文内容意思一致，都是讲的时间的顺序性，上下文紧密连接，符合语境。故选D项。 4．根据下文“Everything is an event.”（一切都是事件。）以及“I was in New York doing a time management seminar for Merrill Lynch executives, when a fellow handed me a card on which he had written his definition of time: “Time is what keeps one damned thing after another from becoming every damned thing at once.””（我在纽约为美林(Merrill Lynch)的高管们举办时间管理研讨会时，一位同事递给我一张卡片，上面写着他对时间的定义：“时间是阻止一件该死的事情接着另一件该死的事情同时变成另一件该死的事情的东西。”）可知，该段主要讲的是时间是事件相继发生的顺序。结合选项B项The definition from the dictionary says: “Time is the occurrence of events in sequence, one after the other.”（ 字典上的定义是：“时间是事件相继发生的顺序。”）可知，和该段意思一致，为总结该段内容。故选B项。 话题2 环境保护 Passage 1 Microplastics in the Wilderness Soft trail shoes (越野鞋) and hiking clothing “appear to be significant contributors to microplastics finding their way into these remote, otherwise extremely clean waters”, said Tim Keyes, a Sacred Heart University data scientist. Microplastics are tiny bits of plastic that are either intentionally added to consumer products or formed when larger plastics break down. The particles (微粒) may contain any of about 16,000 plastic chemicals, of which many present serious health risks. ____1____ In 2023, Keyes took samples from Lake Tear of the Clouds, about 1,300 meters high. It sees heavy hiker traffic because it is close to a trail. ____2____ Because the area only had hiker traffic, it was assumed that microplastic pollution was being brought to the area largely by environmental water, especially as rain or snow. ____3____ The researchers returned two years later in early 2025 to sample Lake Tear again and also another lake, Moss Pond, at a similar height but far from human activity. The lab found about 0.73 pieces per mL in Moss Pond and about 16.54 pieces in Lake Tear—a big difference suggesting that hiker traffic plays a major role. Trail shoes with soft soles (鞋底) can drop small plastic pieces just as car tires do, Keyes said. The authors say the findings are meant to generate awareness and underscore why industry should produce clothing and shoes that will shed fewer microplastics. ____4____ A. It’s a reasonable explanation that’s supported by the data. B. He sent the samples to an independent laboratory that found 9.45 particles per mL. C. To minimize their environmental impact,hikers are encouraged to avoid water-rich areas along the trail. D. Now they suspect they were wrong. E. Hikers should also consider wearing less-polluting shoes or clothing made with natural fibers F. They have been found throughout the human body and can cross the brain barriers. 【答案】1. F 2. A 3. D 4. E 【导语】这是一篇说明文。主要介绍了微塑料危害大，凯斯团队研究发现，徒步者的软底越野鞋和服装是偏远水域微塑料污染主因，呼吁企业与徒步者采取对应减排措施。 【1题详解】 根据前文“The particles (微粒) may contain any of about 16,000 plastic chemicals, of which many present serious health risks.( 这些颗粒可能含有大约16000种塑料化学物质中的任何一种，其中许多具有严重的健康风险。)”提到微塑料可能含 16000 种塑料化学物质，其中许多存在严重健康风险，空格需承接“健康风险”展开。F项“They have been found throughout the human body and can cross the brain barriers.( 它们存在于人体的各个部位，并能穿过脑屏障。)”具体说明健康危害，与前文“serious health risks”形成逻辑衔接，符合“提出风险→解释风险”的行文逻辑。故选F项。 【2题详解】 根据上文“In 2023, Keyes took samples from Lake Tear of the Clouds, about 1,300 meters high. It sees heavy hiker traffic because it is close to a trail.( 2023 年，凯斯从海拔约 1300 米的云之泪湖采集了样本。该湖泊因靠近一条徒步路线，徒步客流量很大。)”提到凯斯在云之泪湖采集样本。以及下文“Because the area only had hiker traffic, it was assumed that microplastic pollution was being brought to the area largely by environmental water, especially as rain or snow.( 由于该地区只有徒步旅行的交通，人们认为微塑料污染主要是由环境水，特别是雨水或雪带来的。)”提到该区域只有徒步者活动，推测微塑料污染主要来自环境水。A项“It’s a reasonable explanation that’s supported by the data.( 这是一个有数据支持的合理解释。)”起到上下文的承上启下作用，上下文语意连贯。故选A项。 【3题详解】 根据前文“Because the area only had hiker traffic, it was assumed that microplastic pollution was being brought to the area largely by environmental water, especially as rain or snow.( 由于该地区只有徒步旅行的交通，人们认为微塑料污染主要是由环境水，特别是雨水或雪带来的。)”推测微塑料污染来自环境水，后文“The researchers returned two years later in early 2025 to sample Lake Tear again and also another lake, Moss Pond, at a similar height but far from human activity. The lab found about 0.73 pieces per mL in Moss Pond and about 16.54 pieces in Lake Tear—a big difference suggesting that hiker traffic plays a major role. (两年后的 2025 年初，研究团队再次返回云之泪湖采集样本，同时还对另一个湖泊 —— 莫斯池塘进行了采样。该池塘海拔相近，但远离人类活动。实验室检测结果显示，莫斯池塘每毫升水中约含 0.73 个微塑料颗粒，而云之泪湖每毫升约含 16.54 个 —— 这一巨大差异表明，徒步客流量是主要影响因素。)”提到两年后再次采样，发现远离人类活动的莫斯池塘微塑料含量远低于云之泪湖，说明“徒步者活动是主要原因”，与前文推测矛盾。D项“Now they suspect they were wrong.( 现在他们怀疑之前的推测是错误的。)”起到转折作用，衔接 “旧推测”与“新发现”，符合逻辑转折关系。故选D项。 【4题详解】 根据前文“The authors say the findings are meant to generate awareness and underscore why industry should produce clothing and shoes that will shed fewer microplastics.( 研究作者表示，这项研究结果旨在提高人们的意识，并强调行业为何应生产微塑料脱落量更少的服装和鞋子。)”提到研究结果旨在提高意识，并强调企业应生产微塑料脱落更少的服装和鞋子，空格需补充“徒步者可采取的措施”，形成“企业责任 + 个人行动”的完整建议。E项“Hikers should also consider wearing less-polluting shoes or clothing made with natural fibers.(徒步者也应考虑穿污染更少的鞋子或天然纤维制成的衣物。)”与前文“industry should produce...”呼应，提出个人层面的解决方案，逻辑连贯；且“also”体现与前文建议的并列关系。故选E项。 Passage 2 Deadly Heat Domes Still Confuse Forecasters Last month, record-high temperatures swept across the eastern US, leading to power emergencies. The cause was a huge high-pressure zone known as a heat dome. This summer, it also hit Europe and China, leading to the temporary closure of the Eiffel Tower and worries about dying rice crops. ____1____ “Unlike larger-scale patterns such as El Niño, which can be forecast months in advance,” said Scott Handel, lead forecaster at the US Climate Prediction Center. “Heat domes have a much shorter lead time and are more complex.” Zach Zobel, a scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, said “heat dome” is a term to describe dangerous heat waves for the public. It happens when a large high-pressure system sits over an area, heating it with still air and unstopping sunlight. ____2____ Heat domes cause huge harm including wildfires, droughts, stressed crops, higher electricity demand and prices. They even cut airliners’ transport capacity and damage railroad tracks. The US EPA said over 14,000 Americans died directly from heat-related causes between 1979 and 2022. Climate change is making heat domes more common and stronger. The Arctic is warming faster than other parts of the world, which weakens the jet stream — a strong wind that keeps weather moving. ____3____ Although scientists are still studying how this works, it is clear that better forecasts and earlier warnings are needed to protect people and reduce damage. ____4____ Measuring how fast the jet stream moves can be a predictor. When the speed is low, it can be an indicator of widespread heat domes. Weather forecasters also rely on measures like soil moisture (湿度) since drier land means higher temperatures, which is direct evidence for heat domes. “The weather event that kills more than anybody else on the planet is heat,” Zobel said, “It is silently a big human impact, making the need for more accurate forecasts with longer lead times all the more important.” A. This traps more heat and makes the high pressure stronger. B. The result: heat domes can’t be driven away and thus stay longer over certain areas. C. However, predicting heat domes remains a significant challenge. D. Now, scientists are opening their toolboxes to try and figure out where and when heat domes will strike. E. To make things worse, forecasting heat domes is hard — a big worry as the world gets warmer. F. That influences heat domes in two ways. 【答案】1. E 2. A 3. B 4. D 【导语】这是一篇说明文。本文介绍热穹顶引发多国高温灾害，指出其预报难度大、成因与气候变化相关，科学家正探索通过监测急流等方法提升预报准确性。 【1题详解】 根据上文“Last month, record-high temperatures swept across the eastern US, leading to power emergencies. The cause was a huge high-pressure zone known as a heat dome. This summer, it also hit Europe and China, leading to the temporary closure of the Eiffel Tower and worries about dying rice crops.(上个月，美国东部地区遭遇了创纪录的高温天气，引发了电力供应危机。其原因是一个被称为“热穹顶”的巨大高压气团。今年夏天，这一现象还出现在欧洲和中国，导致埃菲尔铁塔暂时关闭，并引发了人们对水稻歉收的担忧)”可知，前文列举了热穹顶在美、欧、中造成的灾害（美国电力紧急、埃菲尔铁塔临时关闭、水稻作物受威胁），后文转而论述热穹顶预报的难度。E选项“更糟的是，热穹顶的预报难度很大 —— 在全球变暖的背景下，这是一大隐患”起到承上启下的作用，既衔接前文的灾害影响，又引出后文对预报难题的讨论，符合段落逻辑。故选E。 【2题详解】 根据上文“Zach Zobel, a scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, said “heat dome” is a term to describe dangerous heat waves for the public. It happens when a large high - pressure system sits over an area, heating it with still air and unstopping sunlight.(伍德维尔气候研究中心的科学家扎克·佐贝尔表示，“热穹顶”这一术语用于向公众描述危险的热浪现象。当一个大型高压系统笼罩在一个区域上时，就会形成“热穹顶”，这种情况下，静止的空气和持续的阳光会使该区域升温)”可知，前文解释了热穹顶的形成原理（大型高压系统盘踞某地，静风与持续日照导致升温），A选项“这会困住更多热量，让高压系统变得更强”是对形成过程的递进说明，进一步阐释高压系统如何强化、热穹顶如何持续发展，且与后文热穹顶的多重危害形成因果衔接。故选A。 【3题详解】 根据上文“Climate change is making heat domes more common and stronger. The Arctic is warming faster than other parts of the world, which weakens the jet stream — a strong wind that keeps weather moving.(气候变化使得热穹顶现象愈发常见且愈发强烈。北极地区的气温上升速度比世界其他地区更快，这导致了高空急流（一种维持天气流动的强风）的减弱)”可知，前文提到北极变暖削弱了急流（维持天气系统移动的强风），B选项“结果就是：热穹顶无法被驱散，因此会在特定区域停留更长时间”是急流减弱带来的直接后果，既呼应前文的气象机制，又为后文“需加强预报预警”的结论铺垫，逻辑连贯。故选B。 【4题详解】 根据后文“Measuring how fast the jet stream moves can be a predictor. When the speed is low, it can be an indicator of widespread heat domes. Weather forecasters also rely on measures like soil moisture (湿度) since drier land means higher temperatures, which is direct evidence for heat domes.(测量急流的移动速度可以作为一种预测指标。当速度较慢时，这可能表明存在大面积的热穹顶现象。气象预报员还会依据诸如土壤湿度等指标来进行预测，因为干燥的土壤意味着温度升高，这是热穹顶存在的直接证据)”可知，后文具体介绍了预报热穹顶的两种方法（测量急流速度、监测土壤湿度），D选项“如今，科学家们正拿出各种手段，试图预判热穹顶会在何时何地出现”是对后文内容的总起，明确段落核心是科学家的预报探索，起到引领下文的作用。故选D。 Passage 3 Amid the turmoil of the Second World War, a visionary group assembled with a uniquely optimistic mission: to plan for the preservation of Britain’s natural landscapes after the conflict. A key figure among them was John Dower, an architect and civil servant from Ilkley. ____1____ He advocated for public access for open-air enjoyment, alongside safeguards for wildlife, farming, and historic buildings. Tragically, Dower died from tuberculosis in 1947 at the age of 47, just four years before his dream was realized with the establishment of Britain’s first national park in the Peak District in 1951. Eighty years on, Dower’s legacy is profound. There are now 15 national parks across Great Britain, covering roughly 10% of its land surface, with potentially three more in development across England, Scotland, and Wales. ____2____ They are living, working landscapes that are both empty and bustling, home to isolated farmsteads and thriving communities. This complex mix of private ownership, public interest, and natural beauty means park authorities must act as both planning officers and wardens of nature. ____3____ Questions persist about balancing the needs of visitors and locals: Is it right for quarrying to scar areas of natural beauty? Should the excesses of rural tourism be reined in before they degrade the landscape? How can affordable housing be provided in areas where park designation inflates property prices? Despite these ongoing and legitimate challenges, the national parks are a cherished part of the national heritage. The process of adding new ones, whether in the Chilterns, Galloway, or north-east Wales, is slow, but their cultural value is undeniable. Although recent government grants offer some relief, charities warn that real-term funding has fallen significantly. ____4____ They stand as a lasting testament to John Dower’s campaigning belief that they are “for all who come to refresh their minds and spirit and exercise their bodies in a peaceful setting of natural beauty.” A. Unlike the vast wildernesses of the American model, British national parks are a unique tapestry of the wild and the cultivated. B. Nevertheless, these landscapes are now forever interwoven with British culture. C. The very concept of a ‘national park’ was imported from the United States, where the establishment of Yellowstone in 1872 created a template for the world. D. This very complexity inevitably sparks passionate debate about their purpose and management. E. The post-war period also saw a revolution in agricultural technology, with the widespread adoption of tractors fundamentally changing the face of British farming. F. His great vision was for beautiful landscapes to be strictly preserved for the nation. 【答案】1. F 2. A 3. D 4. B 【导语】本文是一篇说明文，主要讲的是英国国家公园的发展历程、现状、面临的挑战以及其重要意义。 【1题详解】 空后“He advocated for public access for open-air enjoyment, alongside safeguards for wildlife, farming, and historic buildings.(他倡导公众能自由享受户外活动，同时保护野生动物、农业和历史建筑。)”说的是他的倡议，是关于保护环境的，F选项“His great vision was for beautiful landscapes to be strictly preserved for the nation.(他的伟大愿景是为国家严格保护美丽的风景。)”说明他的愿景是要保护风景，也就是保护环境，因此引起下文，符合语境，故选F。 【2题详解】 空前“There are now 15 national parks across Great Britain, covering roughly 10% of its land surface, with potentially three more in development across England, Scotland, and Wales.(现在英国有15个国家公园，大约占其陆地面积的10%，在英格兰、苏格兰和威尔士还有3个正在开发中。)”说明了英国有很多的国家公园，下文“They are living, working landscapes that are both empty and bustling, home to isolated farmsteads and thriving communities.(它们是生活、工作的乡村风景画，既空旷又熙熙攘攘，有孤立的农场和繁荣的社区)”提到英国国家公园包含人群的热闹和自然的空旷，A选项“Unlike the vast wildernesses of the American model, British national parks are a unique tapestry of the wild and the cultivated.(与美国模式中广袤的荒野不同，英国国家公园是自然与人文交织而成的独特画卷。)”承接上文“英国国家公园”的话题，说明了其特点，并引出下文，故选A。 【3题详解】 空后“Questions persist about balancing the needs of visitors and locals: Is it right for quarrying to scar areas of natural beauty? Should the excesses of rural tourism be reined in before they degrade the landscape? How can affordable housing be provided in areas where park designation inflates property prices?(在平衡游客与当地居民的需求方面，仍存在诸多问题：采石作业是否应该破坏自然美景区域？在乡村旅游过度发展致使景观退化之前，是否应加以管控？在因划定为公园而推高房价的地区，又该如何提供经济适用房？)”提出了一些关于国家公园的一些问题，D选项“This very complexity inevitably sparks passionate debate about their purpose and management.(这种复杂性不可避免地引发了关于它们的目的和管理的激烈辩论。)”说明出现了一些关于它们的目的和管理的激烈辩论，引出下文辩论的具体内容，因此引起下文，符合语境，故选D。 【4题详解】 空后“They stand as a lasting testament to John Dower’s campaigning belief that they are “for all who come to refresh their minds and spirit and exercise their bodies in a peaceful setting of natural beauty.”(它们长久地见证着John Dower积极倡导的信念，即它们“是为所有前来在宁静优美的自然环境中放松身心、陶冶情操、强健体魄的人而设”。)”说明了它们的价值，B选项“Nevertheless, these landscapes are now forever interwoven with British culture.(然而，如今这些景观已永远与英国文化紧密交织在一起。)”说明这些景观与英国文化紧密交织在一起，体现了它们在文化方面的价值，因此引起下文，符合语境，故选B。 话题3 心理健康 Passage 1 How to Live a Happy Life Happiness is what we need most with the increase of pressure in modern life. However, sometimes it seems far away from us. Fortunately, this is not the case. Everyone has the ability. to hang on to happiness with his own efforts. The following methods may lead you to long- lasting happiness. ·Take exercise. Other than health benefits that are too numerous to mention, exercise makes you smarter, happier, improves sleep, and makes you feel better about your body. 1 Keeping in touch with nature can help you reduce stress, make you more creative, improve your memory and may even make you a better person. · 2 Relationships are worth more than you think. Not feeling socially connected can make you stupider and kill you. Loneliness can lead to heart attack, stroke (中风) and diabetes (肥胖症) . On the other hand, studies have shown that the longest lived people on the planet all place a strong cmphas is on social engagement. ·Challenge yourself. 3 Music lessons increase intelligence. Challenging your beliefs strengthens your mind. Increasing willpower just takes a little effort each day and it's more responsible for your success than IQ. Not getting an education or taking advantage of opportunities are two of the things people look back on their lives and regret the most. ·Laugh. Laughter has similar effects to physical exercise. It increases blood pressure, the heart rate and the rate of breathing; it also works several groups of muscles in the face, the stomach, and the feet. It can even reduce the effect of pain on the body. Humor is a good way to cause laughter. 4 A．Life is always full of hope. B．Do something kind for the people you care about. C．Learning another language can keep your mind sharp. D．It would be better if you take exercise in nature. E．Spend time with friends and family. F．Just thinking about funny moments or things can help a lot. 【答案】1．D 2．E 3．C 4．F 【导语】这是一篇说明文。作者就如何快乐的生活，提供了一些实用的方法。 1．根据下文“Keeping in touch with nature can help you reduce stress, make you more creative, improve your memory and may even make you a better person. (与大自然接触可以帮助你减轻压力，使你更有创造力，提高你的记忆力，甚至可能使你成为一个更健康的人。)”可知，设空处要说明人应该在大自然中锻炼会更好， 然后紧接着说在大自然中锻炼对人产生的积极影响。故D选项It would be better if you take exercise in nature.(如果你在大自然中锻炼会更好)，符合句意，其中exercise与上文对应。故选D项。 2．此处是本段小标题，根据本段“Relationships are worth more than you think. Not feeling socially connected can make you stupider and kill you. Loneliness can lead to heart attack, stroke (中风) and diabetes (肥胖症) . On the other hand, studies have shown that the longest lived people on the planet all place a strong cmphas is on social engagement.(关系比你想象的更有价值。没有社交联系会让你变得更愚蠢，甚至致命。孤独会导致心脏病发作、中风和糖尿病。另一方面，研究表明，地球上寿命最长的人都非常重视社会参与。)”可知，本段主要在讨论和朋友、家人在一起的重要性，也就是设空处所要说的内容。故E选项Spend time with friends and family.(花时间与朋友和家人在一起)符合句意。故选E项。 3．根据本文标题Challenge Yourself.(挑战自己)，再根据下文“Music lessons increase intelligence. Challenging your beliefs strengthens your mind. (音乐课程增加智慧。挑战你的信念会增强你的心智。)”可知，此处以上音乐课为例说明要挑战自己，挑战自己能给自己带来好处，C项Learning another language can keep your mind sharp.(学习另一种语言能让你思维敏捷。)符合语境，因为这也是挑战自己的一种方式。故选C项。 4．根据上文“Humor is a good way to cause laughter.(幽默是引起笑声的一种好方式。)”可知，设空处与上一句为并列关系，所以F选项Just thinking about funny moments or things can help a lot.(想想有趣的时刻或事情也会引起笑声)，符合句意，其中funny moments和上文 laughter对应。故选F项。 Passage 2 Food & Health Myths Every day there is new information about food and health products. Newspapers regularly have articles that discuss how certain foods or drinks are good or bad for you, Some television shows often deal with new stories about how consuming certain substances can affect your body 1 One myth about food and health is that eggs are bad for your heart. Although they are indeed high in cholesterol(胆固醇)and fat, it's not true that eating eggs every day will damage your heart. 2 As far as fat goes, it's the yellow part of the egg that contains all the fat. So if you're worried about the fat content of eggs, go ahead and just eat the whites. You might also choose to buy certain kinds of eggs that have less fat content depending on the diet of the animal. Check your local supermarket for more information. 3 Although it was once thought to have unique properties, other types of alcohol can have the same effects. A study conducted recently revealed that people who drank red wine did not live any longer than those who drank other kinds of spirits, such as beer or white wine. It seems that the alcohol itself improves an individual's health by raising the levels of good cholesterol and decreasing bad cholesterol. The alcohol also serves to increase blood flow and assist in blood clotting (凝结). 4 Consumers who are especially concerned about their health should think carefully about new information they read about or see on television. A．Another popular belief is that red wine, like other drinks, may be harmful to you if consumed too much. B．Apart from that, many people believe drinking red wine is especially good for your heart C．Eggs are high in cholesterol and fat despite the fact that they are a nutritious source of energy D．There are many other myths common is our society about food and health. E．This is because the body can deal with the extra cholesterol by reducing the amount it produces F．With such a steady stream of information, it's understandable that a few popular myths about food and health are floating around. 【答案】1．F 2．E 3．B 4．D 【导语】这是一篇说明文。讲述生活中一些关于食物和健康存在着一些“神话”宣传的现象。 1．根据前文“Every day there is new information about food and health products. Newspapers regularly have articles that discuss how certain foods or drinks are good or bad for you, Some television shows often deal with new stories about how consuming certain substances can affect your body(每天都有关于食品和保健品的新信息。报纸上经常有文章讨论某些食物或饮料是如何对你有益或有害的，一些电视节目经常处理关于摄入某些物质如何影响你的身体的新故事)”提到了电视和报纸讨论某些食物或饮料是如何对你有益或有害的信息，说明媒体宣传的方式，所以空处应该承接前文，讲述媒体宣传的作用。选项 F.“With such a steady stream of information, it's understandable that a few popular myths about food and health are floating around.(有了这样源源不断的信息，一些关于食物和健康的流行神话就流传开来了，这是可以理解的。)”，说明因为这些源源不断的信息，一些关于食物和健康的流行神话就流传开来，符合题意，故选F项。 2．根据前面的“Although they are indeed high in cholesterol (胆固醇) and fat, it's not true that eating eggs every day will damage your heart. (虽然鸡蛋的胆固醇和脂含量确实很高，但并不是说每天吃鸡蛋就会损害你的心脏。)”，可知接下来应该描述的是吃鸡蛋不会损害心脏的原因，选项 E.“This is because the body can deal with the extra cholesterol by reducing the amount it produces(这是因为身体可以通过减少胆固醇的产生来处理多余的胆固醇)”，符合题意，故选E项。 3．根据后面的内容“Although it was once thought to have unique properties other types of alcohol can have the same effects. A study conducted recently revealed that people who drank red wine did not live any longer than those who drank other kinds of spirits, such as beer or white wine.(尽管它一度被认为具有独特的特性但其他类型的酒精也有相同的效果。最近进行的一项研究表明，喝红酒的人并不比喝啤酒或白葡萄酒等其他烈酒的人长寿。）”可知这一段与喝红酒有关，且此句说的是喝红酒可能会有好处，所以空处应作为总括句，讲述人们对喝红酒带来的好处的认识。选项B.“Apart from that, many people believe drinking red wine is especially good for your heart.”(除此之外，许多人认为喝红酒对心脏特别有好处)。符合题意，故选B项。 4．根据最后一句“Consumers who are especially concerned about their health should think carefully about new information they read about or see on television.(特别关心自己健康的消费者应该仔细考虑他们在电视上读到或看到的新信息。)”，提到关注健康的消费者要对电视上看到或了解到的新信息要持谨慎态度，同时结合第一段中提到报纸和电视节目有讨论食物或饮料是如何对你有益或有害的信息，第二段和第三段中提到报纸上关于食物和饮料的一些传言，可推知，空处中应该讲述，除了报纸之外，在生活中关于食物和健康还有其它的神话。 选项D.“There are many other myths common is our society about food and health.”(在我们的社会中，关于食物和健康还有许多其他常见的神话)。下文提到消费者需要对电视上的信息要谨慎，和空处呼应，故选D项。 Passage 3 Many of our most worrying problems, from overeating to not saving enough for retirement to not working out enough have something in common: lack of self-control. Self-control is what gives us the capacity to say no to choices that are immediately satisfying but costly in the long term — that a piece of chocolate cake (instead of an apple), that afternoon in front of the couch (instead of a visit to the gym). 1 The problem of self-control has puzzled psychologists and behavioral scientists for decades. A great deal of research has identified situations in which self-control failures are likely to happen and tools to help people exercise better control. 2 These motivating incentives can increase our self-control, at least up to a point. Entrepreneurs have also become interested in self-control, as is evident from the many diet and exercise apps and gadgets on the market. To take one notable example, on the commitment contract website stickK.com, users put down some money (say, $200) and state a goal they want to achieve (such as to lose ten pounds in a month). 3 If they meet their goal, they earn their money back. If they don’t, they lose the money. Tools like stickK.com can be effective, but they are often difficult to implement. My colleagues and I conducted a new research to point to a different solution that may be easier to carry out: using rituals. 4 Players in all sorts of sports have rituals that involve actions such as eating the same foods in exactly the same order before a game. From the way some prepare their coffee to the way people celebrate important life events, like weddings or graduations, rituals are a part of our daily life. And though they may seem useless, or even silly, research has found that rituals are powerful. A．They have to point out someone to monitor them and ensure they reach the goal or donate the money. B．Despite our best intentions, we often fail to meet our goals. C．Rituals are series of steps we take while attaching some kind of symbolic meaning. D．In the past, my colleagues and I have found that rituals reduce anxiety before stressful tasks, and improve performance. E．They also need to state what will happen to the money if they don’t stick to their commitments (e.g., it’ll go to a friend or to a charity they do not like). F．For instance, research has found that people persist for longer on tasks that require self-control when they know they’ll be paid for their efforts, or when they are told that their work will benefit others. 【答案】1．B 2．F 3．E 4．C 【导语】这是一篇说明文。缺乏自制力往往让我们无法达成目标，文章对如何提高自制力进行了一些介绍。 1．根据前文“Many of our most worrying problems, from overeating to not saving enough for retirement to not working out enough have something in common: lack of self-control. Self-control is what gives us the capacity to say no to choices that are immediately satisfying but costly in the long term — that a piece of chocolate cake (instead of an apple), that afternoon in front of the couch (instead of a visit to the gym). (我们最担心的问题，从暴饮暴食到没有足够的退休储蓄到没有足够的锻炼，都有一个共同点：缺乏自制力。自我控制是让我们有能力拒绝那些能让我们立刻感到满足，但从长远来看代价高昂的选择——一块巧克力蛋糕（而不是一个苹果），一个下午躺在沙发前（而不是去健身房）。)”可知，此处是讲缺乏自制力让我们往往无法达成目标，所以选项B“尽管我们的意愿是最好的，但我们经常无法实现我们的目标。”切合文意。故选B。 2．根据后文“These motivating incentives can increase our self-control, at least up to a point. (这些激励可以提高我们的自制力，至少在一定程度上是这样。)”可知，此处是指有自制力的人往往很有动力点，所以选项F“例如，研究发现，当人们知道他们的努力会得到回报，或者当他们被告知他们的工作将使他人受益时，他们会坚持更长的时间来完成需要自我控制的任务。”切合文意。故选F。 3．根据前文“To take one notable example, on the commitment contract website stickK.com, users put down some money (say, $200) and state a goal they want to achieve (such as to lose ten pounds in a month). (举一个著名的例子，在承诺合同网站stickK.com上，用户先投下一些钱（比如200美元），然后陈述一个他们想要实现的目标（比如一个月减掉10磅）。)”和后文“If they meet their goal, they earn their money back. If they don’t, they lose the money. (如果他们达到了目标，他们就能赚回自己的钱。如果他们不这样做，他们就会失去这笔钱。)”可知，此处是指用户需要陈述没有达成目标会受到的惩罚，所以选项E“他们还需要说明，如果他们不遵守承诺，这笔钱会怎么处理（例如，这笔钱会捐给他们不喜欢的朋友或慈善机构）。”切合文意。故选E。 4．根据前文“My colleagues and I conducted a new research to point to a different solution that may be easier to carry out: using rituals. (我和我的同事进行了一项新的研究，指出了一个可能更容易实施的不同解决方案：使用仪式。)”和后文“Players in all sorts of sports have rituals that involve actions such as eating the same foods in exactly the same order before a game. (参加各种运动的运动员都有一些仪式，比如在比赛前按照完全相同的顺序吃同样的食物。)”可知，此处是介绍“仪式”是什么，所以选项C“仪式是我们采取的一系列步骤，同时附加某种象征意义。”切合文意。故选C。 话题4 研究发现 Passage 1 Power Causes Brain Damage If power were a drug, it would come with a long list of known side effects. It can intoxicate. It can corrupt. It can even cause brain damage. Dacher Keltner, a psychology professor at UC Berkeley, found in studies spanning two decades that subjects under the influence of power acted as if they had suffered a brain injury: 1 Sukhvinder Obhi, a neuroscientist at McMaster University, recently described something similar. 2 And when he put the heads of the powerful and the not-so-powerful under a transcranial-magnetic-stimulation machine, he found that power, in fact, damages a specific neural (神经系统的) process, “mirroring,” that may be an important part of empathy. This gives a neurological basis to what Keltner has termed the “power paradox”: Once we have power, we lose some of the capacities we needed to gain it in the first place. 3 A 2006 study asked participants to draw the letter E on their forehead for others to view — a task that requires seeing yourself from an observer’s vantage point. Those feeling powerful were three times more likely to draw the E the right way to themselves — and backwards to everyone else. (This calls to mind George W. Bush, who memorably held up the American flag backwards at the 2008 Olympics.) Other experiments have shown that powerful people do worse at identifying what someone in a picture is feeling, or guessing how a colleague might interpret a remark. People tend to mimic the expressions and body language of their superiors, but the powerful stop mimicking others. 4 It helps trigger the same feelings those others are experiencing and provides a window into where they are coming from. Powerful people “stop simulating the experience of others,” Keltner says, which leads to what he calls an “empathy deficit.” This is a depressing finding, but is there nothing to be done? No and yes. It’s difficult to stop power’s tendency to affect your brain. What’s easier — from time to time, at least — is to stop feeling powerful. Power is not a post or a position but a mental state. Recount a time you did not feel powerful, Keltner suggests, and your brain can empathize with reality. A．Unlike Keltner, who studies behaviors, Obhi studies brains. B．It’s what Obhi and his team were trying to activate when they had their subjects watch a video of someone’s hand squeezing a rubber ball. C．That loss in capacity has been demonstrated in various creative ways. D．The historian Henry Adams described power as “a sort of tumor that ends by killing the victim’s sympathies.” E．Laughing when others laugh or tensing when others tense matters. F．They become more impulsive, less risk-aware, and, crucially, less capable of seeing things from other people’s point of view. 【答案】1．F 2．A 3．C 4．E 【导语】本文是一篇说明文。文章介绍了研究表明拥有权力会引起人脑损伤。 1．空前说“Dacher Keltner, a psychology professor at UC Berkeley, found in studies spanning two decades that subjects under the influence of power acted as if they had suffered a brain injury (加州大学伯克利分校的心理学教授Dacher Keltner在长达20年的研究中发现，受权力影响的受试者表现得就像遭受了脑损伤一样)”，空前有个冒号，说明空格处要解释说明这些受试者像遭受了脑损伤一样的具体表现是什么，F选项“They become more impulsive, less risk-aware, and, crucially, less capable of seeing things from other people’s point of view. (他们变得更冲动，更缺乏风险意识，至关重要的是，更无法从别人的角度看问题。)”陈述的是像脑损伤一样的表现，因此承接上文，符合语境。故选F。 2．空前说“Sukhvinder Obhi, a neuroscientist at McMaster University, recently described something similar. (麦克马斯特大学的神经科学家Sukhvinder Obhi最近也描述了类似的情况。)”，空格处应该介绍Sukhvinder Obhi是干什么的，A选项“Unlike Keltner, who studies behaviors, Obhi studies brains. (与研究行为的Keltner不同，Obhi研究的是大脑。)”说明了Obhi是研究大脑的人，因此承接上文，符合语境。故选A。 3．空前说“Once we have power, we lose some of the capacities we needed to gain it in the first place. (一旦我们拥有了权力，我们就会失去一些最初获得权力所需的能力。)”，空格处应该说这种能力的丧失会有什么影响，C选项“That loss in capacity has been demonstrated in various creative ways. (这种能力的丧失已经以各种创造性的方式表现出来。)”中的“That loss in capacity”和空前的“we lose some of the capacities”呼应，且说明了这种能力的丧失有各种表现，因此承接上文，引出下文具体的实验和研究结果，符合语境。故选C。 4．空前说“People tend to mimic the expressions and body language of their superiors, but the powerful stop mimicking others. (人们倾向于模仿上级的表情和肢体语言，但有权有势的人不会模仿别人。)”，说明有权有势的人不会模仿别人，空后说“It helps trigger the same feelings those others are experiencing and provides a window into where they are coming from. (它有助于触发其他人正在经历的同样的感觉，并提供了一个窗口，了解它们来自哪里。)”，说明了某个事情的好处，而这个事情应该出现在空格处，因此空格处应该会说其实模仿他人是有好处的，E选项“Laughing when others laugh or tensing when others tense matters. (别人笑的时候笑，别人紧张的时候紧张，这很重要。)”中的“Laughing when others laugh or tensing when others tense”就是模仿，说明模仿别人是有好处的，因此承上启下，符合语境。故选E。 Passage 2 Ants Best Humans at Test of Collective Intelligence When people work together, they can achieve great things. But if they can’t talk, they’re not necessarily smarter than ants, at least according to a study published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Both longhorn crazy ants and humans can figure out how to work together to move a large and heavy object through a series of obstacles. ____1____ They had individuals and groups of different sizes of both species move a T-shaped object through a tricky series of openings in walls, both of which were scaled to the body size of the participants. This kind of puzzle is hard for ants because their pheromone-based (基于信息素的) communication doesn’t account for the kind of geometry (几何) needed to get the object through the doors._____2_____ In some of the trials, they made the humans wear sunglasses and masks and forbade talking and gestures. So the people, like the ants, had to work together without language. They could only rely on the forces generated by their fellow participants to figure out how to move the T-shaped piece. ____3____ They exhibited what the researchers described as “emergent” collective memory, an intelligence greater than the sum of its parts. The groups of humans, on the other hand, often didn’t do better when working together, especially if they weren’t allowed to talk. In fact, multiple people sometimes performed worse than individuals — and worse than the ants. The researchers assume that, in the absence of the ability to discuss and debate, individuals attempt to reach an agreement quickly rather than fully assessing the problem. This group think, they suggest, leads people toward fruitless “greedy” efforts where they directly pull the T-shaped object toward the gaps in the wall, rather than the less obvious, correct solution of pulling the object into the space between first. ____4____ A. So scientists made the two compete against each other. B. The groups of ants were much better at solving the puzzle than individual ants. C. It was a bit like moving an awkwardly large couch through a narrow hallway or stairwell. D. To make the experiments even more comparable, the team also took away the humans’communication. E. Furthermore, when allowed to communicate, human groups performed about as well as the average individual in the group, so there was no advantage to teaming up. F. The ants “excel in cooperation,” they write, while humans need to be able to talk through their reasoning to avoid simply going with what they think the crowd wants. 【答案】1. A 2. D 3. B 4. F 【导语】本文是一篇说明文。文章主要讲述了蚂蚁和人类在集体合作移动重物通过障碍的测试中的表现，发现蚂蚁在没有语言交流的情况下比人类更擅长合作。 【1题详解】 上文“Both longhorn crazy ants and humans can figure out how to work together to move a large and heavy object through a series of obstacles.(长角狂蚁和人类都能想出如何合作将一个又大又重的物体通过一系列障碍物)”说明长角狂蚁和人类都能协作移物过障碍。下文“They had individuals and groups of different sizes of both species move a T-shaped object through a tricky series of openings in walls, both of which were scaled to the body size of the participants.(他们让两种物种（长角狂蚁和人类）中不同规模的个体和群体移动一个T形物体，使其穿过墙壁上一系列复杂的开口，这些开口的尺寸均根据参与者的体型进行了调整)”说明对前面描述的事情做了实验研究，空处和前文为顺接关系，引出研究的具体实验方式。所以A项“于是科学家让两者进行比拼”承接上文，开启下文对实验的描述。故选A。 【2题详解】 上文“This kind of puzzle is hard for ants because their pheromone-based communication doesn’t account for the kind of geometry needed to get the object through the doors.(这种难题对蚂蚁来说十分棘手，因为它们基于信息素的交流方式，并不能解决物体穿过洞口所需的几何形状相关问题)”说明蚂蚁的交流方式有局限。空处和前文为递进关系，说明研究人员如何让人类和蚂蚁的实验条件更具可比性。所以D项“为了让实验更具可比性，研究团队还剥夺了人类的交流能力” 符合语境，且下文“forbade talking and gestures(禁止说话和做手势)”是对D项的具体解释。故选D。 【3题详解】 下文“They exhibited what the researchers described as “emergent”collective memory an intelligence greater than the sum of its parts. The groups of humans, on the other hand, often didn’t do better when working together, especially if they weren’t allowed to talk. In fact, multiple people sometimes performed worse than individuals — and worse than the ants.(它们展现出了研究人员所描述的“突现”集体记忆——一种比其各部分总和还要强大的智慧。而另一方面，人类群体在合作时往往表现不佳，尤其是在他们不被允许交流的情况下。事实上，多人合作时的表现有时比个人单独行动还要差——甚至比蚂蚁还要差)”说明将蚂蚁群体和人类群体的表现进行对比。空处应先介绍蚂蚁群体的表现，为下文对比做铺垫。B项“蚂蚁群体比单个蚂蚁更擅长解决这个难题”引出下文的对比内容，符合语境。故选B。 【4题详解】 上文“The researchers assume that, in the absence of the ability to discuss and debate, individuals attempt to reach an agreement quickly rather than fully assessing the problem. This group think, they suggest, leads people toward fruitless “greedy” efforts where they directly pull the T-shaped object toward the gaps in the wall, rather than the less obvious, correct solution of pulling the object into the space between first.(研究人员推测，在缺乏讨论和辩论能力的情况下，个体倾向于迅速达成一致，而非全面评估问题。他们指出，这种“群体思维”会使人们做出徒劳无功的“短视”尝试——直接将T形物体拉向墙上的缝隙，而非先将其拉入中间空间这一不那么显而易见却正确的解决方案)”分析了无交流时人类表现差的原因。空处和前文为总结关系，归纳蚂蚁和人类在协作能力上的差异。F项“研究人员写道，蚂蚁“擅长协作”，而人类需要通过语言梳理思路，才能避免盲从大众的想法”总结全文，符合语境。故选F。 Passage 3 A new technique to work out a corpse’s time of death In fiction, forensic (法医的) experts presented with a corpse are able to take a bite of their sandwich and instantly pronounce a time of death. Reality is, of course, a lot messier, and the results — or lack of them — can make or break a case. Now artificial intelligence is offering a helping hand. By analyzing thousands of deaths and what follows, the technology can offer the best estimates so far of PMI, Post-Mortem Interval (尸体死后间隔). 1 For decades these specialists have had to rely on intuition, combined with observations of the state of the deceased and clues such as temperature, both of the dead body and the environment. Different bodies decay at different rates, however, and individual circumstances can throw off the most careful PMI calculations. A body found in a ditch in northern England in 2004, for example, was given a wrongly late time of death because the ditch was sheltered from sunlight and the colder-than-expected conditions had helped preserve the corpse. Forensis-science journals are full of such cases while the potentially useful details of thousands more investigations are buried in case files around the world. 2 . The result is an AI-powered tool, called geoFOR, that could offer the most reliable estimates of PMI so far. Sandwiches are not included. Developed by a research team led by Katherine Weisensee at Clemson University in South Carolina, the model is based on data pooled from more than 2,500 death investigations, with more added each week. About 1,800 of these are real-world cases involving the discovery of a body. 3 . Corpses here are left to decay for weeks and months under varied circumstances. With their precise PMI known, photos and descriptions of their various states of decomposition over time, along with information about temperature, humidity, wind, soil type and other conditions, have all helped train the AI model. The results could be used to check alibis and help solve crimes, but they have other uses too. Madeline Atwell, a forensic anthropologist at Clemson University who works on the project, says the model has already helped close several missing-person cases. 4 “You match it with missing-person records, and that helps narrow your time frame,” she says. A．With more cases and examples added to the database, the results will be more reliable. B．Entering the location allows the AI model to take local weather conditions into consideration. C．The rest are drawn from forensic experiments at so-called “body farms” in Texas and Tennessee. D．Combining time of death with when people were last seen alive is very useful in identifying human remains. E．Working out when a person has died is the most basic but frustratingly imprecise part of a forensic investigator’s work. F．Now forensic researchers in America are working to collect and access these valuable papers, and to use machine learning to analyze them. 【答案】1．E 2．F 3．C 4．D 【导语】本文是一篇说明文，主要讲的是人工智能在法医学领域，特别是在估计尸体死亡时间（PMI）方面的应用。 1．空后“For decades these specialists have had to rely on intuition, combined with observations of the state of the deceased and clues such as temperature, both of the dead body and the environment. (几十年来，这些专家不得不依靠直觉，结合对死者状态的观察和温度等线索，尸体和环境)”提到了这些专家，空格处应该会出现“专家”，空后这句话说明了专家确认人死亡时间的困难，空格处应该说出他们工作困难，E选项“Working out when a person has died is the most basic but frustratingly imprecise part of a forensic investigator’s work.(确定一个人的死亡时间是法医调查工作中最基本但又令人沮丧的不精确的部分。)”提到了确定一个人的死亡时间是法医调查工作中最基本但又令人沮丧的不精确的部分，引出了后面的困难，因此E选项引起下文，符合语境，故选E。 2．空后“The result is an AI-powered tool, called geoFOR, that could offer the most reliable estimates of PMI so far.(结果是一个名为geoFOR的人工智能工具，它可以提供迄今为止最可靠的PMI估计)”说明了一个名为geoFOR的人工智能工具的诞生，空格处应该说研究者们在努力研究，F选项“Now forensic researchers in America are working to collect and access these valuable papers, and to use machine learning to analyze them.(现在，美国的法医研究人员正在努力收集和访问这些有价值的文件，并使用机器学习来分析它们。)”说明了美国的法医研究人员正在努力收集和访问这些有价值的文件，并使用机器学习来分析它们，进而引出研究的结果，即geoFOR，因此F选项引起下文，符合语境，故选F。 3．空前“Developed by a research team led by Katherine Weisensee at Clemson University in South Carolina, the model is based on data pooled from more than 2,500 death investigations, with more added each week. About 1,800 of these are real-world cases involving the discovery of a body. (该模型是由南卡罗来纳州Clemson大学的Katherine Weisensee领导的一个研究小组开发的，该模型基于从2500多起死亡调查中收集的数据，每周都会增加更多的数据。其中约有1800起是涉及发现尸体的真实案例)”说明了该模型收集的数据的数量，2500多起中有1800起是涉及发现尸体的真实案例，空格处应该交代其余的是哪里来的数据，C选项“The rest are drawn from forensic experiments at so-called “body farms” in Texas and Tennessee.(其余的则来自德克萨斯州和田纳西州所谓的“尸体农场”的法医实验。)”交代了其余的数据的来源，其中的““body farms” in Texas and Tennessee”和空后的“here”相一致，因此C选项承上启下，符合语境，故选C。 4．空前“Madeline Atwell, a forensic anthropologist at Clemson University who works on the project, says the model has already helped close several missing-person cases.(Clemson University的法医人类学家Madeline Atwell参与了这个项目，她说这个模型已经帮助结案了几起失踪人口案件)”说明了这个模型已经帮助结案了几起失踪人口案件，空格处应该说这个模型是如何帮助结案的，D选项“Combining time of death with when people were last seen alive is very useful in identifying human remains.(将死亡时间与人们最后一次活着被看到的时间结合起来，对辨认遗骸非常有用。)”说明这个模型是通过将死亡时间与人们最后一次活着被看到的时间结合起来辨认遗骸的，因此承接上文，符合语境。故选D。 话题5 社会发展 Passage 1 Crazy Laws It seems that the Greek philosopher, Aristotle, was right when he said, “Even when laws have been written down, they ought not always to remain unaltered.” 1 Some of them were strange right from the start! Did you know, for example, that London taxis (officially called Hackney carriages) are still legally required to carry hay and oats for their horses to eat? And in England, it is illegal to stand within 100 yards (91 metres) of the queen, without wearing socks? If you live in Scotland, however, it’s important to know that if someone knocks at the door of your house, and needs to use your toilet, you are legally required to let him in. 2 There, it is perfectly legal to shoot a Scotsman with a bow and arrow, unless it is a Sunday! 3 In France, you cannot call your pig Napoleon, and in Italy, a man can be arrested for wearing a skirt. That’s not all. In Alaska, US, while it’s legal to shoot bears, waking a sleeping bear to take its photo is prohibited. Still in Alaska, it is considered an offence to push a live moose out of an aeroplane. Lots of the craziest laws seem to involve animals. 4 And in Florida, if an elephant is left tied to a parking meter, the parking fine must be paid, just as it would for a vehicle. Last, children are forbidden from going to school with their breath smelling of wild onions in West Virginia. And in Arkansas, teachers who have a certain hairc ut (a bob) will not be given a pay-rise. In Florida, a woman can be fined for falling asleep under the hair-dryer and unmarried women must not parachute on a Sunday. If they do, they might be arrested, receive a fine or be put in jail. A．But if you are Scottish you should stay away from the city of York. B．Never should a Scotsman leave his own country. C．But strange laws don’t just exist in the UK. D．England is the place where craziest laws have been in existence for centuries. E．Laws in some parts of the world haven’t changed for centuries. F．In Hollywood, it is illegal to take more than 2,000 sheep down Hollywood Boulevard at any one time. 【答案】1．E 2．A 3．C 4．F 【导语】这是一篇说明文。短文介绍了世界上一些疯狂的法律。 1．根据上文“It seems that the Greek philosopher, Aristotle, was right when he said,“Even when laws have been written down, they ought not always to remain unaltered.”（似乎希腊哲学家亚里士多德说得很对，“即使法律已经写下来，它们也不应该永远保持不变。”）可知，选项承接上文，说的都是法律是否改变的话题。故E选项“世界上有些地方的法律几个世纪以来都没有改变过。”切题。故选E项。 2．根据下文“There, it is perfectly legal to shoot a Scotsman with a bow and arrow, uniess it is a Sunday!”（在那里，用弓箭射击苏格兰人是完全合法的，除非是在星期天!）可知，设空处提到一个地方，在这个地方用弓箭射击苏格兰人是完全合法的；A选项“但如果你是苏格兰人，你应该远离约克市”指出，苏格兰人应该远离约克市；下文解释了苏格兰人应该远离约克市的原因，下文中的“There”指代选项中的“the city of York”。故选A项。 3．上面两段介绍了英国的一些奇怪的法律；下文“In France, you cannot call your pig Napoleon, and in Italy, a man can be arrested for wearing a skirt. That's not all. In Alaska, US, while it's legal to shoot bears, waking a sleeping bear to take its photo is prohibited.”（在法国，你不能叫你的猪拿破仑，在意大利，一个男人可能会因为穿裙子而被捕。这还不是全部。在美国阿拉斯加，虽然射杀熊是合法的，但叫醒熟睡的熊拍照是被禁止的。）介绍了法国、意大利和美国阿拉斯加的一些奇怪的法律。C选项“但奇怪的法律并不只存在于英国”承上启下，指出奇怪的法律不只局限于英国，符合语境。故选C项。 4．根据上文“Lots of the craziest laws seem to involve animals.”（许多最疯狂的法律似乎都与动物有关）以及下文“And in Florida, if an elephant is left tied to a parking meter, the parking fine must be paid, just as it would for a vehicle.”（在佛罗里达州，如果一头大象被绑在停车计时器上，就必须支付停车罚款，就像对一辆汽车一样。）可知，设空处承接上文具体说明与动物有关的法律，且与下文为并列关系。故F选项“在好莱坞，任何时候在好莱坞大道上牵着超过2000只羊是违法的。”切题。故选F项。 Passage 2 How Young Americans Spend Their Money Young people have always puzzled their elders. Today’s youngsters are no different; indeed, they are confusing. They have thin wallets and expensive tastes. They prize convenience and a social conscience. They want shopping to be personal. 1 As they start spending in earnest, brands are trying to understand what these walking paradoxes with conflicting features want and how they shop. The answers will define the next era of consumerism. Their absolute numbers are impressive. The European Union is home to nearly 125m people between the ages of ten (the youngest will become consumers in the next few years) and 34. America has another 110m of these Gen-Zs and millennials, a third of the population. The annual spending of households headed by American Gen-Zs and millennials hit $2.7trn in 2021, around 30% of the total. 2 Forrester, a market-research firm, found that most users of “buy now, pay later” apps are around 20. Megan Scott, a 20-year-old student from London, speaks for many of her peers by admitting that, when shopping, she has no self-control—until the bill arrives. The light-speed online world also appears to have lowered tolerances for long delivery times. A study by Salesforce, a business-software giant, found that Gen-Z Americans, who prefer to use their phones to pay for shopping, are the likeliest of all age groups to want their groceries delivered within an hour. 3 The Internet has also changed how the young discover brands. Print, billboard or TV advertising has given way to social media. Instagram, part of Meta’s empire, and TikTok, a Chinese-owned app, are where the young look for inspiration, particularly for goods where looks matter such as fashion, beauty and sportswear. 4 Such apps are increasingly adding features that allow users to shop without ever leaving the platform. According to McKinsey, six in ten Americans under the age of 25 had completed a purchase on a social-media site. A．They desire genuineness while constantly immersed in a digital world. B．TikTok’s user-generated videos can lead even tiny brands to speedy viral fame. C．The lifestyle of the “moonlight clan” has made many young people feel overwhelmed. D．Easy access to means of spreading payments may encourage spending money like water. E．A heightened expectation of convenience comes with being raised in the age of Amazon. F．These “always-on purchasers” often shift from a weekly shop to quicker fixes of everything from fashion to furniture. 【答案】1．A 2．D 3．F 4．B 【导语】这是一篇说明文。文章主要说明了年轻人的购物方式和影响。 1．由上文“They have thin wallets and expensive tastes. They prize convenience and a social conscience. They want shopping to be personal. (他们的钱包很薄，品味很贵。他们看重便利和社会良知。他们希望购物是个性化的。)”和后文“As they start spending in earnest, brands are trying to understand what these walking paradoxes with conflicting features want and how they shop.  (随着他们开始认真消费，各大品牌正试图了解这些特征相互矛盾的“行走悖论”想要什么，以及他们的购物方式。)”可知，本句也和上下句一样，以“They”为主语，论述年轻人的特点，故A选项“They desire genuineness while constantly immersed in a digital world. (他们渴望真诚，同时不断地沉浸在数字世界中。)”能承上启下，符合题意。故选A。 2．由下文“Forrester, a market-research firm, found that most users of “buy now, pay later” apps are around 20. Megan Scott, a 20-year-old student from London, speaks for many of her peers by admitting that, when shopping, she has no self-control—until the bill arrives. (市场研究公司Forrester发现，大多数使用“先买后付”应用程序的用户年龄在20岁左右。来自伦敦的20岁学生梅根·斯科特(Megan Scott)道出了许多同龄人的心声，她承认，在购物时，她没有自制力——直到账单来了。)”可知，本空要说跟“‘先买后付’导致花钱多”有关的话题，故D选项“Easy access to means of spreading payments may encourage spending money like water. (易于获得分散支付的手段可能会鼓励像喝水一样花钱。)”能概括下文，符合题意。故选D。 3．由上文“The light-speed online world also appears to have lowered tolerances for long delivery times. (光速的网络世界似乎也降低了对长时间递送的容忍度。)”和“who prefer to use their phones to pay for shopping, are the likeliest of all age groups to want their groceries delivered within an hour.(更喜欢用手机支付购物费用的人，是所有年龄段中最有可能在一小时内送达食品杂货的人。)”可知，本空要说跟“在线购物”有关的话题，故F选项“These “always-on purchasers” often shift from a weekly shop to quicker fixes of everything from fashion to furniture. (这些“永远在线的购买者”经常从每周的商店转向更快地修复从时尚到家具的一切。)”能承接上文，符合题意。故选F。 4．由上文“Instagram, part of Meta’s empire, and TikTok, a Chinese-owned app, are where the young look for inspiration, particularly for goods where looks matter such as fashion, beauty and sportswear. (Meta帝国的一部分Instagram和中国拥有的应用TikTok是年轻人寻找灵感的地方，尤其是在时尚、美容和运动服等外观重要的商品上。)”可知，本空要说跟“TikTok”有关的话题，故B选项“TikTok’s user-generated videos can lead even tiny brands to speedy viral fame. (TikTok的用户生成视频甚至可以让小品牌迅速走红。)”能承接上文，符合题意。故选B。 Passage 3 How long should my novel be? This is a question I’m often asked, and it’s certainly not the same answer as how long a piece of string is! So, how long should your book actually be? If we work backwards, from a production department point of view, a book of approximately 100,000 words will come in somewhere between 300 to 400 pages. 1 I’d suggest that 80,000 words up works well, occasionally stretching to 120,000 words on rare occasions. Shorter texts are less daunting (使人气馁的) for an agent to submit rather than a block of manuscript so aim to make your publication path easier. There’s an implication that a standard book length should have a tighter handle on pacing, with the reader more readily drawn in. In turn, an overlong novel often indicates to a publisher that there’s potentially extensive editing work to be done by them. 2 For example, historical fiction could more comfortably sit near the 120,000 mark. Literary fiction can head in the other direction, with 60,000 words still offering a feeling of fundamental worth to the publisher and reader, with an implication that the text is highly developed. More commonly, issues over length tend to highlight that pacing is an issue, be it too long or too short. Overwriting, in particular, can be an issue for many authors, who might struggle to express their ideas clearly, using complex language that play down the flow of the book. Successful writing contains a clarity of thought that enables the writer to connect with the reader for maximum impact, allowing the story, characters and setting to shine through. In terms of content, it’s important for an author to prioritise the key themes in the book. 3 Allow your reader to piece together information you delicately work through your text and avoid excess scenes and information, revealing instead what’s needed to keep that tension pulsing. Be brave as you cut back on the unnecessary, keeping a backup copy of your novel just in case you change your mind. Work intuitively, from the heart, keeping secrets for as long as possible so the reader is forced to read on. In this way, a reader will readily connect with your words. 4 A．Books do have different thresholds (门槛) according to genre. B．This is plenty for a typical author’s book, particularly the first one. C．Yes, there are exceptions to every genre but these are generally rare. D．Is everything of equal importance and does everything need to be included? E．Longer books are more expensive to produce and harder to sell in, so it increases their risk. F．With a firm handle on length, your novel will have increased its chances of commercial publication. 【答案】1．B 2．A 3．D 4．F 【导语】这是一篇应用文。文章主要以“一本书应该有多长的篇幅”为话题进行了讲述，提出了出版对于字数的基本要求，同时分析了不同类型的小说书籍在篇幅上的基本要求，以及书籍在内容方面如何安排。 1．根据前文“If we work backwards, from a production department point of view, a book of approximately 100,000 words will come in somewhere between 300 to 400 pages.(如果我们倒推，从生产部门的角度来看，一本约10万字的书将有300至400页。)”提到了可出版的书籍的字数，那么设空句紧跟其后，应就其字数或篇幅进行评价。选项B“This is plenty for a typical author’s book, particularly the first one.(这对于一个典型的作者的书来说已经足够了，尤其是第一本。)”中的“This”对应了前文内容，且在句意上是对前文的评价，符合分析。故选B项。 2．分析可知，设空句为该段的中心主旨句。根据后文内容“For example, historical fiction could more comfortably sit near the 120,000 mark. Literary fiction can head in the other direction, with 60,000 words still offering a feeling of fundamental worth to the publisher and reader, with an implication that the text is highly developed.(例如，历史小说可以更轻松地接近12万字大关。文学小说可以朝着另一个方向发展，6万字仍然给出版商和读者带来一种基本价值感，这意味着文本高度发达。)”可知，该段主要讲述了不同类型的书籍在字数上的要求不同。选项A“Books do have different thresholds according to genre.(书籍确实根据类型有不同的门槛。)”贴合该段主旨。故选A项。 3．根据前文“In terms of content, it’s important for an author to prioritise the key themes in the book.(就内容而言，作者在书中优先考虑关键主题是很重要的。)”可知，该段的主题是书本内容的安排。由此可知，设空句同样讲述“书本内容的安排”。选项D“Is everything of equal importance and does everything need to be included?(每件事都同等重要吗？每件事是否都需要包括在内？)”讲到了内容安排时的疑惑，贴合该段主题，在表达方面与前文内容衔接紧密。故选D项。 4．分析可知，设空句为文章末段末尾句内容，既是该段内容的总结升华，也应是对全文的话题总结。前文“Work intuitively, from the heart, keeping secrets for as long as possible so the reader is forced to read on. In this way, a reader will readily connect with your words.(凭直觉，发自内心，尽可能长时间地保守秘密，这样读者就会被迫继续读下去。这样，读者就会很容易与你的文字产生共鸣。)”提到了如何获得读者，由此推知，设空应是提到如何会被出版，选项F“With a firm handle on length, your novel will have increased its chances of commercial publication.(如果对篇幅把握得当，你的小说将增加商业出版的机会。)”提到了篇幅得当，就是增加出版的机会，既衔接了前文内容，也在话题上呼应全文话题“篇幅得当”。故选F项。 话题6 学习教育 Passage 1 Money Matters Parents should help their children understand money. The best time to teach a child anything about money is when he shows an interest.So you may start talking about money when your child shows an interest in buying things, candy or toys, for example. 1.The basic function of money Begin explaining the basic function of money by showing how people trade money for goods or services. It is important to show your child how money is traded for the things he wants to have. If he wants to have a toy, give him the money and let him hand the money to the cashier. 1 When your child grows a bit older and understands the basic function of money, you can start explaining more complex ways of using money. 2. Money lessons Approach money lessons with openness and honesty. 2 If you must say no to a child’s request to spend money, explain, “You have enough toy trucks for now.” Or, if the request is for many different things, say, “You have to make a choice between this toy and that toy.” 3. 3 Begin at the grocery store. Pick out two similar brands of a product — a name-brand butter and a generic, for example. You can show your child how to make choices between different brands of a product so that you can save money. 4 If he chooses the cheaper brand, allow him to make another purchase with the money saved. Later, you may explain how the more expensive choice leaves less money for other purchases. A．Wise decisions. B．The value of money. C．Permit the child to choose between them. D．Tell your child why he can—or cannot—have certain things. E．Ask yourself what things that cost money are most important to you. F．Talk about how the money bought the thing after you leave the toy store. 【答案】1．F 2．D 3．A 4．C 【导语】本文是一篇说明文。文章提出了家长如何帮助孩子们理解有关金钱的问题，并从三方面提供了解决问题的方法：解释钱的基本功能，教会孩子理性花钱和做出明智的选择。 1．根据上文“If he wants to have a toy, give him the money and let him hand the money to the cashier. (如果他想要玩具，就把钱给他，让他把钱交给收银员)”可知，此处在讲关于买玩具的事情。故F选项“离开玩具店后，谈谈钱是如何买来这个东西的”符合语境，故选F。 2．根据后文的两个假设“If you must say no to a child’s request to spend money, explain, “You have enough toy trucks for now.” Or, if the request is for many different things, say, “You have to make a choice between this toy and that toy.”(如果你必须拒绝孩子花钱的要求，解释说：“你现在有足够的玩具卡车了。”或者，如果要求有很多不同的东西，你可以说：“你必须在这个玩具和那个玩具之间做出选择。”)”可知，两个if引导的从句来看，此处应是对后文意义的概括，即告诉孩子为什么能或者不能买某些东西。故D选项“告诉你的孩子为什么他可以或不可以拥有某些东西”符合语境，故选D。 3．此处是小标题，根据下文“Begin at the grocery store. Pick out two similar brands of a product—a kind of name-brand butter and a generic, for example. You can show your child how to make choices between different brands of a product so that you can save money.(从杂货店开始。挑选两种类似品牌的产品，例如一种名牌黄油和一种普通品。你可以向孩子展示如何在不同品牌的产品之间做出选择，这样你就可以省钱)”可知，这一段主要讲的是家长在商店如何帮助孩子做出明智的选择。故A选项“明智的决定”符合语境，故选A。 4．根据下文“If he chooses the cheaper brand(如果他选择了更便宜的品牌)”可知，此处应说明允许孩子在不同的品牌之间做出选择。故C选项“允许孩子在它们之间做出选择”符合语境，故选C。 Passage 2 The Most Important Skill Nobody Taught You Before dying at the age of 39, Blaise Pascal made huge contributions to both physics and mathematics, notably in fluids, geometry, and probability. 1 Many fields that we now classify under the heading of social science did, in fact, also grow out of the foundation he helped lay. Interestingly enough, much of this was done in his teen years, with some of it coming in his twenties. As an adult, inspired by a religious experience, he actually started to move towards philosophy and theology (神学). Right before his death, he was discussing thoroughly fragments of private thoughts that would later be released as a collection by the name of Pensees. While the book is mostly a mathematician’s case for choosing a life of faith and belief, the more curious thing about it is its clear and comprehensible reflection on what it means to be human. 2 There is enough thought-provoking material in it to quote, and it attacks human nature from a variety of different angles, but one of its most famous thoughts aptly sums up the core of his argument: “ 3 ” According to Pascal, we fear the silence of existence, we dread boredom and instead choose aimless distraction, and we can’t help but run from the problems of our emotions into the false comforts of the mind. The issue at the root, essentially, is that we never learn the art of solitude. Today, more than ever, Pascal’s message rings true. 4 Information technologies have dominated our cultural direction. From the telephone to the radio to the TV to the internet, we have found ways to bring us all closer together, enabling constant worldly access. I can sit in my office in Canada and transport myself to practically anywhere I want through Skype. I don’t think I need to highlight the benefits of all this. But the downsides are also beginning to show, including leaks of privacy, unauthorized data collection and most importantly, our inability to sit quietly in a room by ourselves. A．All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone. B．Solitude (独处) may not be the solution to everything, but it certainly is a start. C．If there is one word to describe the progress made in the last 100 years, it’s connectedness. D．It’s a blueprint of our psychology long before psychology was regarded as a formal discipline. E．These dedications, however, would influence more than just the realm (领域) of the natural sciences. F．Never facing ourselves is why we feel lonely and anxious in spite of being connected with everything else. 【答案】1．E 2．D 3．A 4．C 【导语】这是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍Blaise Pascal在文章表明，人类的很多问题都是因为人类无法独自安静地坐在房间里而产生的，而信息技术的发展也阻碍人们学习独处的艺术。 1．根据上文“Before dying at the age of 39, Blaise Pascal made huge contributions to both physics and mathematics, notably in fluids, geometry, and probability.(在39岁去世之前，布莱斯·帕斯卡在物理学和数学方面做出了巨大贡献，尤其是在流体、几何和概率方面)”和下文“Many fields that we now classify under the heading of social science did, in fact, also grow out of the foundation he helped lay.(事实上，我们现在归类为社会科学的许多领域也都是在他帮助奠定的基础上发展起来的)”可知，布莱斯·帕斯卡的贡献不止在物理和数学领域。E项“These dedications, however, would influence more than just the realm (领域) of the natural sciences.(然而，这些奉献将不仅仅影响自然科学领域)”符合语境，选项中these dedications指代上文提到的huge contributions。故选E。 2．空处位于段末应承接上文。根据上文“While the book is mostly a mathematician’s case for choosing a life of faith and belief, the more curious thing about it is its clear and comprehensible reflection on what it means to be human. (虽然这本书主要是数学家选择信仰生活的案例，但更令人好奇的是，它对人到底意味着什么作出了清晰的反思)”可知，这本书还是人类意味着什么的反思，由此推知，空处陈述这本书在心理学的作用。D项“It’s a blueprint of our psychology long before psychology was regarded as a formal discipline.(早在心理学被视为一门正式学科之前，它就已经是我们心理学的蓝图)”符合语境。故选D。 3．根据上文“There is enough thought-provoking material in it to quote, and it attacks human nature from a variety of different angles, but one of its most famous thoughts aptly sums up the core of his argument: (其中有足够多发人深省的材料可以引用，它从各种不同的角度攻击人性，但它最著名的思想之一恰当地总结了他的论点的核心：)”推知，空处应陈述核心论点的具体内容。结合下文“According to Pascal, we fear the silence of existence, we dread boredom and instead choose aimless distraction, and we can’t help but run from the problems of our emotions into the false comforts of the mind. The issue at the root, essentially, is that we never learn the art of solitude.(根据帕斯卡的说法，我们害怕存在的沉默，我们害怕无聊，而是选择漫无目的的分心，我们忍不住从情绪的问题中逃到精神的虚假安慰中。从根本上讲，问题的根源在于我们从未学习过独处的艺术)”推知，核心论点是人类无法独处。A项“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.(人类的所有问题都源于人类无法独自安静地坐在房间里)”符合题意。故选A。 4．根据上文“Today, more than ever, Pascal’s message rings true.(今天，帕斯卡的信息比以往任何时候都更加真实)”和下文“Information technologies have dominated our cultural direction. From the telephone to the radio to the TV to the internet, we have found ways to bring us all closer together, enabling constant worldly access. I can sit in my office in Canada and transport myself to practically anywhere I want through Skype.(信息技术主导了我们的文化方向。从电话到收音机，从电视到互联网，我们找到了让我们更紧密地联系在一起的方法，使我们能够不断地接触世界。我可以坐在加拿大的办公室里，通过Skype把自己带到几乎任何我想去的地方)”可知，今日，人们无时无刻想要联通，不想独处的情况证实了帕斯卡的说法。由此推知，空处应陈述现在人们的状态——无时无刻联通。C项“If there is one word to describe the progress made in the last 100 years, it’s connectedness.(如果用一个词来形容过去100年取得的进步，那就是连通性)”符合题意，下文是对选项的具体说明。故选C。 Passage 3 How to improve efficiency when working at home? Distinguish between work and home mode One of the biggest merits about working from home-slowly moving from bed to the sofa five minutes before you start-can also be your biggest challenge, says Eyre-White. Don’t forget that you are there to work — 1 “Switch from home to work mode,” she says, by having something you physically do to “flip the switch”. “Maybe it’s walking round the block, making a special kind of tea, or lighting a candle at your desk. It doesn’t matter what it is but do it without fail to create a strong association in your mind,” she says. Be realistic about what you can achieve “A wide, open day working from home can feel full of possibilities. 145 things on the to do list? No problem! Don’t fall into the trap of being over-ambitious,” says Eyre-White. Instead, she recommends being realistic and then possibly achieving more than you set out to; and feeling satisfied, rather than feeling disappointed you didn’t do everything. She suggests choosing three to five things to do and aim to get the majority done before lunch. “ 2 .”she recommends. Work in short bursts In the office your day is broken up by everything from meeting s to water-cooler chats, lunch breaks and even toilet breaks, but when you are sat at home on your own with no face-to-face interaction planned it can be easy to just work for long, unbroken periods. “ 3 Although this can be frustrating, they divide the day up and create natural chunks of time,” explains Eyre-White. “In contrast, a day at home can be very unstructured.” In order to be productive, she recommends imposing structure on yourself. For example, working in 45-60 minute chunks of focused work followed by a short break. “This can be an effective way to break the day up and maintain your concentration levels,” she says. Manage distractions Being in an office gives us a limited number of ways to get distracted but when you start working in a new environment (especially a very familiar one) it can be easy to let yourself get distracted. “ 4 ” says Byre-White. “So proactively manage things which might interrupt your focus.” She explains: “Keep them limited to short breaks in between chunks of focused work. A change of scene is all we need to give our brain a break, and it’s the perfect time to put a load of washing on or empty the dishwasher.” A．There are a lot of potential distractions when we work from home. B．Unless you’re self-isolating, working from home shouldn’t mean that you don’t leave the house at all or don’t see anyone for two weeks. C．We all slowdown in the mid-afternoon and having a lot of your list under your belt will give you the motivation to power through. D．Leave your desk for lunch and take advantage of being at home to walk the dog and blow the cobwebs away for half an hour in the afternoon. E．When we’re in the office our day is normally broken up with meetings. F．So set yourself up the right way, get dressed and brush your teeth at the start of the day rather than sitting in your pyjamas for eight hours. 【答案】1．F 2．C 3．E 4．A 【导语】本文是说明文，针对如何提高在家工作效率提出建议。 1．根据下文““Switch from home to work mode,” she says, by having something you physically do to “flip the switch”. (她说，“从家庭模式切换到工作模式”，你可以做点什么来“拨动开关”)”可知，下文建议人们在家的时候要切换到工作模式。选项F“So set yourself up the right way, get dressed and brush your teeth at the start of the day rather than sitting in your pyjamas for eight hours. (所以，让自己以正确的方式，在一天的开始就穿好衣服并刷牙，而不是穿着睡衣坐八个小时。)”建议人们穿好衣服办公，所以是一种工作模式的切换，能引起下文，符合题意。故选F项。 2．根据上文“She suggests choosing three to five things to do and aim to get the majority done before lunch. (她建议选择三到五件事来做，目标是在午餐前完成大部分工作。)”可知，上文Eyre-White建议人们午餐前完成大部分工作。选项C“We all slowdown in the mid-afternoon and having a lot of your list under your belt will give you the motivation to power through. (我们都会在下午的时候放慢脚步，有很多事情要做会给你动力去完成。)”解释了为什么人们要在上午完成大部分工作，能承接上文，符合题意。故选C项。 3．根据后文“Although this can be frustrating, they divide the day up and create natural chunks of time,” explains Eyre-White. (Eyre-White解释说：“虽然这可能令人沮丧，但它们把一天分开，创造出自然的大块时间。”“相比之下，在家的一天可能会非常散漫。”)”此处说工作时会有一些事情分散了整天的时间。选项E“When we’re in the office our day is normally broken up with meetings. (当我们在办公室的时候，我们的一天通常被会议所分割。)”选项提到会议分割时间，此处照应后文“divide the day up”。故选E项。 4． 根据后文“So proactively manage things which might interrupt your focus (因此，主动管理那些可能会打断你注意力的事情。)” 建议人们处理干扰事项。选项A“There are a lot of potential distractions when we work from home. (当我们在家工作时，有很多潜在的干扰因素)”，能引起下文，符合题意，此处“distractions”对应后文的“interrupt”，故选A项。 $