一、单选题
根据以下材料，回答1-20题
Harlan Coben believes that if you’re a writer, you’ll find the time; and that if you can’t find the time, then writing isn’t a priority and you’re not a writer. For him, writing is 1 job—a job like any other. He has 2 it with plumbing, pointing out that plumber doesn’t wake up and say that he can’t work with pipes today.
3 , like most writers these days, you’re holding down a job to pay the bills, it’s not 4 to find the time to write. But it’s not impossible. It requires determination and single-mindedness. 5 that most bestselling authors began writing when they were doing other things to earn a living. And today, even writers who are fairly 6 often have to do other work to 7 their writing income.
As Harlan Coben has suggested, it’s a 8 of priorities. To make writing a priority, you’ll have to 9 some of your day-to-day activities and something you really enjoy. Depending on your 10 and your lifestyle, that might mean spending less time watching television or listening to music, though some people can write 11 they listen to music. You might have to 12 the amount of exercise or sport you do. You’ll have to make social media an 13 activity rather than a daily, time-consuming 14 . There’ll probably have to be less socializing with your friends and less time with your family. It’s a 15 learning curve and it won’t always make you popular.
There’s just one thing you should try to keep at least some time for, 16 your writing—and that’s reading. Any write needs to read as made and as widely as they can, it’s the one 17 supporter—something you can’t do without.
Time is finite. The older you get, the 18 it seems to go. We need to use it so carefully and as 19 as we can, that means prioritizing out activities so that we spend most time on the things we really want to do. If you’re a writer, that means— 20 —writing.
1、第1题答案是_______.
A、difficult
B、normal
C、steady
D、pleasant
解析：
对Harlan Coben来说，写作是一个平常的工作，与其他工作没有区别。根据语境，B选项“normal”（正常的）最符合描述。
根据以下材料，回答21-25题
We have all encountered them, in both our personal and professional lives. Think about the times you felt tricked or frustrated by a membership or subscription that had a seamless sign-up process but was later difficult to cancel. Something that should be simple and transparent can be complicated, intentionally or unintentionally, in ways that impair consumer choice. These are example of dark patterns.
First coined in 2010 by user experience expert Harry Brignull, “dark patterns” is a catch-all term for practices that manipulate user interfaces to influence the decision-making ability of users. Brignull identifies 12 types of common dark patterns, ranging from misdirection and hidden costs to “roach motel”, where a user experience seems easy and intuitive at the start, but turns difficult when the user tries to get out.
In a 2019 study of 53,000 product pages and 11,000 websites, researchers found that about one in 10 employs these design practices. Though widely prevalent, the concept of dark patterns is still not well understood. Business and nonprofit leaders should be aware of dark patterns and try to avoid the gray areas they engender.
Where is the line between ethical, persuasive design and dark patterns? Businesses should engage in conversations with IT, compliance, risk, and legal teams to review their privacy policy, and include in the discussion the customer/user experience designers and coders responsible for the company’s user interface, as well as the marketers and advertisers responsible for sign-ups, checkout baskets, pricing, and promotions. Any or all these teams can play a role in creating or avoiding “digital deception.”
Lawmakers and regulators are slowly starting to address the ambiguity around dark patterns, most recently at the state level. In March, the California Attorney General announced the approval of additional regulations under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) that “ensure that consumers will not be confused or misled when seeking to exercise their data privacy rights.” The regulations aim to ban dark patterns—this means prohibiting companies from using “confusing language or unnecessary steps such as forcing them to click through multiple screens or listen to reasons why they shouldn’t opt out.”
As more states consider promulgating additional regulations, there is a need for greater accountability from within the business community. Dark patterns also can be addressed on a self-regulatory basis, but only if organizations hold themselves accountable, not just to legal requirements, but also to industry best practices and standards.
2、It can be learned from the first two paragraphs that dark patterns______.
A、improve user experiences
B、leak user information for profit
C、undermine users’ decision-making
D、remind users of hidden costs
解析：
根据文章第一段和第二段的描述，dark patterns是指那些操纵用户界面以影响用户决策能力的行为。这些模式可能会使一些本应简单透明的事情变得复杂，从而损害消费者的选择。因此，正确答案是C，即dark patterns会损害用户的决策能力。
根据以下材料，回答26-30题
More Americans are opting to work well into retirement, a growing trend that threatens to up end the old workforce model.
One in three Americans who are at least 40 have or plan to have a job in retirement to prepare for a longer life, according to a survey conducted by Harris Poll for TD Ameritrade. Even more surprising is that more than half of “unretirees”—those who plan to work in retirement or went back to work after retiring—said they would be employed in their later years even if they had enough money to settle down, the survey showed.
Financial needs aren’t the only culprit for the “unretirement” trend. Other reasons, according to the study, include personal fulfillment such as staying mentally fit, preventing boredom or avoiding depression.
“The concept of retirement is evolving,” said Christine Russell, senior manager of retirement at TD Ameritrade. “It’s not just about finances. The value of work is also driving folks to continue working past retirement.”
One reason for the change in retirement patterns: Americans are living longer. The share of the population 65 and older was 16% in 2018, up 3.2% from the prior year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That’s also up 30.2% since 2010.
Because of longer life spans, Americans are also boosting their savings to preserve their nest eggs, the TD Ameritrade study showed, which surveyed 2,000 adults between 40 to 79. Six in 10 “unretirees” are increasing their savings in anticipation of a longer life, according to the survey. Among the most popular ways they are doing this, the company said, is by reducing their overall expenses, securing life insurance or maximizing their contributions to retirement accounts.
Unfortunately, many people who are opting to work in retirement are preparing to do so because they are worried about making ends meet in their later years, said Brent Weiss, a co-founder at Baltimore-based financial-planning firm Facet Wealth. He suggested that preretirees should speak with a financial adviser to set long-term financial goals.
“The most challenging moments in life are getting married, starting a family and ultimately retiring,” Weiss said. “It’s not just a financial decision, but an emotional one. Many people believe they can’t retire.”
3、The survey conducted by Harris Poll indicates that _____.
A、over half of the retirees are physically fit for work
B、the old workforce is as active as the younger one
C、one in three Americans enjoy earlier retirement
D、more Americans are willing to work in retirement
解析：
根据哈里斯民意调查的结果，三分之一的美国人至少已经四十岁并且有计划在退休后继续工作以准备更长的生活。更令人惊讶的是，调查显示超过一半的“未退休人员”（即那些计划在退休后继续工作或重新工作的人）表示，他们愿意在晚年继续工作，即使他们有足够的钱安定下来。因此，调查结果表明更多的美国人愿意在退休后继续工作，选项D正确。
根据以下材料，回答31-35题。
On a recent sunny day, 13,000 chickens roam over Larry Brown’s 40 windswept acres in Shiner, Texas. Some rest in the shade of a parked car. Others drink water with the cows. This all seems random, but it’s by design, part of what the $6.1 billion U.S. egg industry bets will be its next big thing: climate-friendly eggs.
These eggs, which are making their debut now on shelves for as much as $8 a dozen, are still labeled organic and animal-friendly, but they’re also from birds that live on farms using regenerative agriculture—special techniques to cultivate rich soils that can trap greenhouse gases. Such eggs could be marketed as helping to fight climate change.
“I’m excited about our progress,” says Brown, who harvests eggs for Denver-based NestFresh Eggs and is adding more cover crops that draw worms and crickets for the chickens to eat. The birds’ waste then fertilizes fields. Such improvements “allow our hens to forage for higher-quality natural feed that will be good for the land, the hens, and the eggs that we supply to our customers.”
The egg industry’s push is the first major test of whether animal products from regenerative farms can become the next premium offering. In barely more than a decade, organic eggs went from being dismissed as a niche product in natural foods stores to being sold at Walmart. More recently there were similar doubts about probiotics and plant-based meats, but both have exploded into major supermarket categories. If the sustainable-egg rollout is successful, it could open the floodgates for regenerative beef, broccoli, and beyond.
Regenerative products could be a hard sell, because the concept is tough to define quickly, says Julie Stanton, associate professor of agricultural economics at Pennsylvania State University Brandywine. Such farming also brings minimal, if any, improvement to the food products (though some producers say their eggs have more protein).
The industry is betting that the same consumers paying more for premium attributes such as free-range, non-GMO, and pasture-raised eggs will embrace sustainability. Surveys show that younger generations are more concerned about climate change, and some of the success of plant-based meat can be chalked up to shoppers wanting to signal their desire to protect the environment. Young adults “really care about the planet,” says John Brunnquell, president of Egg Innovations. “They are absolutely altering the food chain beyond what I think even they understand what they’re doing.”
4、The climate-friendly eggs are producted_____.
A、at a considerably low cost
B、at the demand of regular shoppers
C、as a replacement for organic eggs
D、on specially designed forms
解析：
根据文章中的描述，气候友好型鸡蛋的生产是在专门设计的农场上进行，使用特殊的农业技术来培育富含养分的土壤，这种土壤可以吸收温室气体。因此，这些鸡蛋是在专门设计的农场上生产的，答案为D。
根据以下材料，回答36-40题
Although ethics classes are common around the world, scientists are unsure if their lessons can actually change behavior; evidence either way is weak, relying on contrived laboratory tests or sometimes unreliable self-reports. But a new study published in Cognition found that, in at least one real-world situation, a single ethics lesson may have had lasting effects.
The researchers investigated one class session’s impact on eating meat. They chose this particular behavior for three reasons, according to study co-author Eric Schwitzgebel, a philosopher at the University of California, Riverside: students’ attitudes on the topic are variable and unstable, behavior is easily measurable, and ethics literature largely agrees that eating less meat is good because it reduces environmental harm and animal suffering. Half of the students in four large philosophy classes read an article on the ethics of factory-farmed meat, optionally watched an 11-minute video on the topic and joined a 50-minute discussion. The other half focused on charitable giving instead. Then, unknown to the students, the researchers studied their anonymized meal-card purchases for that semester—nearly 14,000 receipts for almost 500 students.
Schwitzgebel predicted the intervention would have no effect; he had previously found that ethics professors do not differ from other professors on a range of behaviors, including voting rates, blood donation and returning library books. But among student subjects who discussed meat ethics, meal purchases containing meat decreased from 52 to 45 percent—and this effect held steady for the study’s duration of several weeks. Purchases from the other group remained at 52 percent.
“That’s actually a pretty large effect for a pretty small intervention,” Schwitzgebel says.
Psychologist Nina Strohminger at the University of Pennsylvania, who was not involved in the study, says she wants the effect to be real but cannot rule out some unknown confounding variable. And if real, she notes, it might be reversible by another nudge: “Easy come, easy go.”
Schwitzgebel suspects the greatest impact came from social influence—classmates or teaching assistants leading the discussions may have shared their own vegetarianism, showing it as achievable or more common. Second, the video may have had an emotional impact. Least rousing, he thinks, was rational argument, although his co-authors say reason might play a bigger role. Now the researchers are probing the specific effects of teaching style, teaching assistants’ eating habits and students’ video exposure. Meanwhile Schwitzgebel—who had predicted no effect—will be eating his words.
5、Scientists generally believe that the effects of ethics classes are______.
A、hard to determine
B、narrowly interpreted
C、difficult to ignore
D、poorly summarized
解析：
：根据文章第一段提到的，虽然伦理课程在世界各地很普遍，但科学家们不确定这些课程是否能真正改变行为，证据要么依赖于人为设计的实验室测试，要么依赖于不可靠的自我报告。因此，科学家普遍认为伦理课程的作用很难确定，答案为A。
根据以下材料，回答41-45题
How to Get Active Again After a Break
Moving your body has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression, lower rates of many types of cancer and the risk of a heart ¬attack, and improve overall immunity. It also helps build strength and stamina. Getting back into exercise can be a challenge in the best of times, but with gyms and in-person exercise classes off - limits to many people these days because of COVID-19 concerns, it can be tricky to know where to start. And it’s important to get the right dose of
activity. “Too much too soon either results in injury or burnout,” says Mary Yoke, PhD, a faculty member in the kinesiology department at Indiana University in Bloomington.
The following simple strategies will help you return to exercise safely after a break.
41.____________________
Don’t try to go back to what you were doing before your break. If you were walking 3 miles a day, playing 18 holes of golf three times week, or lifting 10-pound dumbbells for three sets of 10 reps, reduce activity to half a mile every other day, or nine holes of golf once a week with short walks on other days, or use 5-pound dumbbells for one set of 10 reps.
Increase time, distance, and intensity gradually. “This isn’t something you can do overnight,” Denay says. But you will reap benefits such as less anxiety and improved sleep right away.
42.____________________
If you’re breathing too hard to talk in complete sentences, back off. If you feel good, go a little longer or faster. Feeling wiped out after a session? Go easier next time. And stay alert to serious symptoms, such as chest pain or pressure, severe shortness of breath or dizziness, or faintness, and seek medical attention immediately.
43.____________________
Consistency is the key to getting stronger and building endurance and stamina.
Ten minutes of activity per day is a good start, says Marcus Jackovitz, DPT, a physical therapist at the University of Miami Hospital. All the experts we spoke with highly recommend walking because it’s the easiest, most accessible form of exercise. Although it can be a workout on its own, if your goal is to get back to Zumba classes, tennis, cycling, or any other activity, walking is also a great first step.
44.____________________
Even if you can’t yet do a favorite activity, you can practice the moves. With or without a club or racket, swing like you’re hitting the ball. Paddle like you’re in a kayak or canoe. Mimic your favorite swimming strokes. The action will remind you of the joy the activity brought you and prime your muscles for when you can get out there again.
45.____________________
Exercising with others “can keep you accountable and make it more fun, so you’re more likely to do it again,” Jackovitz says.
You can do activities such as golf and tennis or take a walk with others and still be socially distant. But when you can’t connect in person, consider using technology. Chat on the phone with a friend while you walk around your neighborhood. FaceTime or Zoom with a relative as you strength train or stretch at home.
You can also join a livestream or on-demand exercise class. SilverSneakers offers them for older adults, or try EverWalk for virtual challenges.
A. Make it a habit
B. Don’t go it alone
C. Start low, go slow
D. Talk with your doctor
E. Listen to your body
F. Go through the motions
G. Round out your routine
6、第(41)题选_____.
A、Make it a habit
B、Don’t go it alone
C、Start low, go slow
D、Talk with your doctor
E、Listen to your body
F、Go through the motions
G、Round out your routine
解析：
题目中提到的是如何重新开始锻炼后的恢复策略，提到了从低强度的活动开始并逐渐增加时间、距离和强度，这与选项C的描述“Start low，go slow”（从低处开始，慢慢来）相符。因此，正确答案是C。
二、简答题
7、Although we try our best, sometimes our paintings rarely turn out as originally planned. Changes in the light, the limitations of your painting materials and the lack of experience and technique mean that what you start out trying to achieve may not come to life the way that you expected. Although this can be frustrating and disappointing, it turns out that this can actually be good for you. Unexpected results have two benefits: you pretty quickly learn to deal with disappointment and realise that when one door closes, another opens. You also quickly learn to adapt and come up with creative solutions to the problems the painting presents and thinking out side the box will become your Second nature. In fact, creative problem-solving skills are incredibly useful in daily life, with which you’re more likely to be able to find a solution when problem arises.
解析：
这段文字主要描述了绘画过程中遇到的不如意结果及其带来的好处。尽管画作有时不能达到最初预期的效果，但意外结果带来的好处是令人意想不到的。首先，人们学会面对失望并适应这种情况，意识到事情可能会有转机。其次，人们会学会适应并想出创造性的解决方案来解决绘画中出现的问题，跳出思维定势进行问题思考。最后，这种创造性解决问题的技巧在日常生活中非常有用，有助于人们在面对问题时找到解决方案。因此，这段文字可以提炼出的答案是：绘画中的不如意结果可以培养人们面对失望、适应变化、创造性解决问题的能力，这些能力在日常生活中同样非常有用。
8、Suppose you are planning a campus food festival, write an email to international students in your university to
1) introduce the food festival
2) invite them to participate
You should write about 100 words on the ANSWER SHEET.
Do not use your one name. Use “Li Ming” instead. (10 points)
解析：
这封邮件的目的是向国际学生介绍即将到来的校园美食节并邀请他们参加。邮件中详细介绍了美食节的目的、活动安排以及可以品尝到的美食。最后，提供了联系方式以便感兴趣的学生获取更多信息和申请参加。邮件遵循了邀请信的基本格式，清晰、礼貌、友好。
9、Write an essay based on the chart below. In your writing you should
1) interpret the chart, and
2) give your comments
解析：
{答案中首先解读了图表，总结了快递业总量和农村快递量的变化趋势。然后，从社会和经济发展的角度、人们价值观的改变以及政府政策的角度进行了评论。最后，得出了这是社会和经济发展的自然结果的结论，并预测了未来快递业的发展趋势。}
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