Time to end loneliness US author Henry Rollins once wrote： "Loneliness adds beauty to life．It puts a special burn on sunsets and makes night air smell better．" Indeed，in the eyes of artists，loneliness never seems to go out of style．There are paintings that portray loneliness，songs that are inspired by loneliness，and many works of literature that center around this theme．
In the eyes of UK economist Rachel Reeves，however，loneliness is far from romantic．Instead，it's a "giant evil" that's become a serious problem in the country．
So just how serious is it？On Jan 17，UK Prime Minister Theresa May appointed politician Tracey Crouch as the country's very first "Minister for Loneliness"．Her job is to address the loneliness that the country's been feeling - a problem which，according to UK government research，is affecting more than 9 million people in the country，and is more harmful to one's physical and mental health than smoking 15 cigarettes a day．
And the problem hasn't just appeared recently．Back in 2014，the UK was given the title of the "loneliness capital of Europe" by The Telegraph．A survey carried out by the newspaper found that British people were less likely to get to know their neighbors or build strong relationships with people than those from other European countries．
"There is something British about wanting to deal with problems yourself，" Christian Guy，director of the Centre for Social Justice think-tank （智囊團(tuán)），told The Telegraph．
But this doesn't mean that the problem only affects Britons．In fact，we're all suffering from loneliness now more than ever，in spite of most of the world now having access to the internet，which has enabled us to be more connected than ever．
What we need，according to Kim Leadbetter，sister of the late UK politician Jo Cox，is to have "proper human connections"．
"Our lives nowadays are so busy．We spend the vast majority of our time on our phones，on our laptops．We need to press pause on that and actually sit down and speak to human beings，" Leadbetter said at an event last year．
But the first steps toward fighting this problem are to accept its existence and not be ashamed or intimidated by it．After all，without loneliness，many beautiful paintings，songs，and literary works wouldn't even exist．And "evil" or not，being lonely is simply part of the experience of being human．
（1）What can we learn about the UK's loneliness problem？AA
A．The government is working to solve the problem．
B．More than half of British people suffer from loneliness．
C．The UK became the loneliest country in the world in 2014．
D．British people communicate less with their neighbors than ever．
（2）According to the text，social lonelinessDD．
A．does more harm mentally than physically
B．didn't attract the public's attention until recently
C．is mainly caused by the wide use of the internet
D．has become a problem worldwide
（3）What does Leadbetter suggest doing to cope with loneliness？CC
A．Making more phone calls to our friends．
B．Stopping the use of electronic products．
C．Interacting with the people around us face to face more often．
D．Accepting its existence calmly．
（4）Which of the following would the author probably agree with？CC
A．Loneliness is a giant evil of society．
B．Only artists can appreciate the beauty of loneliness．
C．Loneliness is just a normal part of our life．
D．It is hard to find a solution to social loneliness．
【答案】A；D；C；C
【解答】
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發(fā)布：2024/5/27 14:0:0組卷：1引用：2難度：0.5
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1．The best-loved pig in Hong Kong is called McDull．His mom makes a wish that he would look like Chow Yun-fat or Tony Leung，two movie heartthrobs，but he is distinguished only by a birthmark around his right eye．
The cartoon piglet is not smart，either．Everything he tries，he fails．He wants to be an Olympic champion of qingbaoshan，but the sport of grabbing the most steamed buns from a pile doesn't really exist，of course．He dreams of going to the Maldives，but ends up on a one-day tour of a Hong Kong landmark instead．
However，the slow，dumb pig has won over Hong Kong people，often stereotyped as eager to quick success．So far，there are five McDull movies showed in both the mainland and Hong Kong．
The popularity of McDull occasionally confounds his creator Alice Mak．
"Maybe people see themselves and their friends in McDull，" she says．
Mak had never seen a real pig before she drew McDull．She was born and spent most of her life in Tai Kok Tsui，an ordinary Hong Kong community where she can still buy cheap food．It is also where McDull grows up．
Like McDull，Mak moves and speaks slowly．She describes herself as a simple person，who does not try to draw too much meaning from the McDull stories．As a Christian，she has some simple beliefs，such as God creates humans because he loves them and wants them to be happy．
In the late 1980s Mak worked at a press company as a summer intern．The company boss，Brian Tse，later became her husband and scriptwriter of all McDull movies and books．
McDull was at first a supporting character in a story about his cousin McMug，a smart piglet and "what parents expect of their children"．But it turned out that the woodenheaded McDull was more appealing．
When McMug promises his classmates that if he becomes the class president he will treat everyone to strawberry cakes，McDull struggles to utter one sentence in his speech： "If you choose me，you will be …painful．"
He gives up his favorite chicken thigh to his mom and practices sports he dislikes to make her happy．He has many dreams，most of which end up in disappointment．He is still happy，however．When he gets an "H"，he thinks it looks "only a bit different" from an "A"．According to his headmaster，he isn't that stupid，and he is just too kind．
"McDull reminds people they used to be as simple and happy as him，" Mak says． "If there is a theme in all the McDull movies，it is about how a simple person keeps his or her simplicity in a complicated world．"
Although many children love McDull，the story is far more than its surface funniness．It is delightful and acidic at the same time．
In one of the McDull movies，he talks to the audience： "I suddenly realized that there is something you just cannot have．No noodles，no Maldives，no golden medal，no treasure …it turns out that being stupid is not funny，it could mean failure．Disappointment is not funny，fat is not funny，fat does not even mean you have more strength When I grow up，when I face the stern world that is not funny，what should I do？"
"What he has been doing in the movies is to find new dreams．Most of them keep failing him，but he always starts again with a new one，" Mak says． "Maybe that's why both children and adults find him adorable．"
（1）Which of the following is TRUE？
A．McDull's mom expect him to be handsome like some famous actors．
B．McDull is quick and smart．
C．McDull is a leading character in the story about his cousin McMug．
D．McDull's dream of going to the Maldives comes true at last．
（2）The underlined word "confounds" most probably means？
A．contents
B．confuses
C．convinces
D．confirms
（3）What can we infer form the passage？
A．HongKong people like McDull very much．
B．There're five McDull movies showed in HongKong．
C．The popularity of McDull is quite beyond the expectation of Mak．
D．Both Mak and McDull move and speak slowly．發(fā)布：2024/12/27 8:0:2組卷：1引用：1難度：0.5 -
2．Each year on Halloween，children look forward to trick-or-treating （不請(qǐng)客就搗亂） for candies．But for some kids，eating Halloween candies can be dangerous．
That's because one out of every 13 kids in the Us have a food allergy（過(guò)敏癥）．They are allergic to ingredients（成分）in many Halloween candies，such as peanuts，tree nuts，milk，eggs，and beans．If they eat these foods，they will get sick or even die．
"I had to throw away all my candies with tears，" eight-year-old Conlen said．Conlen is allergic to peanuts，tree nuts，and dairy．Twelve-year-old Kylie is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts．She has been trick-or-treating only twice． "I brought my candies home and gave them to the neighbors，" Kylie said． "It felt terrible．"
But this year，Conlen，Kylie and other kids with food allergies will have a chance for a happy Halloween．That's because nearly 100，000 households across the US have promised to take part in the Teal Pumpkin Project（TPP），which was started last year by Food Allergy Research & Education（FARE）．FARE is an organization that works to improve the lives of people with food allergies．Through the project，the households agree to have nonfood items for trick-or-treaters，including trinkets（小飾品） and toys．
To take part in the project，people buy a teal（藍(lán)綠色） pumpkin or paint a pumpkin teal and place it in front of their house．The painted pumpkins let trick-or-treaters know that nonfood items are available there．The households also add their home addresses to an online map，making it easier for trick-or-treaters to find them．
Kylie loves the idea．"The TPP makes Halloween fun and safe，" she said．"It makes me feel like a normal kid，and it makes everyone feel included．"
（1）To Conlen and Kylie，the past Halloween were．
A．upsetting and dangerous
B．interesting and special
C．sick and terrible
D．important and exciting
（2）According to the passage，we know that FARE．
A．helps people with food allergies recover
B．helps the households take part in the TPP
C．takes action to change kids' bad eating habits
D．helps kids with food allergies have a happy Halloween
（3）The households help kids with food allergies by．
A．giving them teal pumpkins as gifts
B．offering them all kinds of food except candies
C．providing them with trinkets and toys as treats
D．a(chǎn)sking them for home addresses and sending them gifts
（4）Where is the passage most probably taken from？
A．A magazine about the history of festivals．
B．A news report on cultures and customs．
C．An advertisement for an organization．
D．A research paper on kid's health．發(fā)布：2024/12/19 20:30:1組卷：36引用：3難度：0.7 -
3．Besides the excitement of travel，one reason to study abroad is that you will experience new customs，holidays，foods，art，music，and politics first-hand.
"I learned the language and am now fluent，but perhaps what's more important is how much I learned about cultures，people，and myself.I learned this from the viewpoint of an active member of the community and my host family，not from the tourist's point of view，" says Andrew，who studied in Poitiers，F(xiàn)rance.
Another reason for studying abroad is that you'll gain self-confidence.Christina studied in Caracas，Venezuela，a city of more than 3 million people and a huge change from her hometown of 35，000!Christina says she learned how to better stand up for herself and her beliefs and to express herself in another language.What could make you more confident than that？
Living away from home can also help you adjust in the transition（過(guò)渡）to college and adulthood.Mathew says he returned from studying in Australia with confidence and a real interest in international affairs that made him different from his peers（同齡人）. "After having gone abroad in high school，I found the transition to college a breeze—moving 560 miles from home didn't seem particularly frightening after having lived thousands of miles away."
Most of all，it's fun while you're studying in a different learning environment.
（1）What is the passage mainly about？
A．Learning a language.
B．The excitement of travel.
C．Living in a foreign country.
D．The benefits of studying abroad.
（2）What did Andrew pay special attention to while studying abroad？
A．Host families.
B．The foreign cultures.
C．Places of interest.
D．Community problems.
（3）According to the example of Christina，what do we know about studying abroad？
A．It can change our habits.
B．It can offer us opportunities.
C．It can increase our knowledge.
D．It can build our confidence.
（4）What do the underlined words "a breeze" in paragraph 4 probably refer to？
A．Something very important.
B．Something very interesting.
C．Something very easy.
D．Something very soft.發(fā)布：2024/12/19 17:0:2組卷：5引用：2難度：0.5
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