In the film Forrest Gump, there's a famous saying: “Life is like a box of chocolates, and you never know what you're going to get.” It's the same with blind boxes.
Each of these small, sealed boxes has one of many toy figures in a series(系列). The buyer doesn't know which figure they've gotten until they cut the packaging with scissors. The start of blind boxes can date back to lucky bags sold in Japan from the late 1860s. In recent years it has become big business in China.
During the Double 11 shopping day, a leading blind box company in China sold 55,000 Labubu dolls on a shopping platform in just 9 seconds, according to a report.
One reason for their popularity is the fascinating appearance of the figures inside the boxes. They're like mini cartoon characters. They can be placed anywhere in your home as a decoration(装饰). But another more important reason is the fun of being surprised.
“The most interesting thing about blind boxes is the difference between what you expect and what you get,” said Wen Xi, a blind box collector from Beijing. The excitement of getting the exact figure you want is like winning a lottery ticket(彩票).
While the boxes are certainly making some people happy, others worry that children might spend too much money on these toys.
“The blind box business takes advantage of gambling psychology(赌博心理),” said Liu Chunsheng, a teacher at Central University of Finance and Economics. “Young people are likely to look for the excitement brought by uncertainty and higher risks, which leads to impulse buying(冲动消费).”
Last year, over 200,000 Chinese customers spent more than 20,000 yuan collecting blind boxes. Most of them were Generation Z, or those born after 1995, according to a report.
()1. When did blind boxes come out?
A. In 1995.
B. Last year.
C. In the late 1860s.
D. On the Double 11 shopping day.
()2. What does the underlined word “sealed” mean?
A. Closed.
B. Light.
C. Magical.
D. Fashionable.
()3. What can we learn from the passage?
A. The youth after 1980s are especially interested in the blind boxes.
B. Liu Chunsheng is happy to see the popularity of blind boxes.
C. People seldom buy blind boxes to decorate their homes.
D. The blind boxes attract lots of buyers with people's gambling psychology.
()4. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. A life like chocolates
B. The risk of impulse buying
C. Finding a surprise inside
D. Enjoying the unknown figures
()5. (创新考法·篇章结构)What would be the best structure of the passage?
A. ①/②③④⑤⑥⑦/⑧
B. ①②③/④⑤/⑥⑦/⑧
C. ①/②/③④⑤/⑥⑦⑧
D. ①②/③④⑤/⑥⑦/⑧
B
On December 30, 2025, the Duxiu Shufang Reading Center was officially opened by the Confucius Institute at the State University of Malang (UM) in the university's library, located in Malang, East Java, Indonesia. The opening ceremony attracted many teachers and students, creating a warm atmosphere for cultural exchange.
Duxiu Shufang is a well-known university bookstore brand under Guangxi Normal University Press Group. This new branch is a joint effort of Guangxi Normal University, the State University of Malang, and the publishing group. It is the third overseas location following two reading centers in Vietnam and Thailand.
As a comprehensive space combining reading, cultural exhibitions and academic exchanges, the center has prepared more than 1,000 carefully selected books and over 100 cultural and creative products. These materials cover various fields such as Chinese literature, social sciences, arts, and Chinese language learning, providing rich resources for teachers and students to understand Chinese culture.
Looking ahead, the center plans to hold a series of cultural activities, such as Chinese book clubs, traditional Chinese craft workshops, and lectures on Chinese culture. These events will help further strengthen cultural communication on campus.
Gong Min, the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at UM, stated that establishing (建立) Duxiu Shufang at the university matches the common goal of building a peaceful and prosperous(繁荣的) world. It will play an important role in promoting cultural exchange and mutual(相互的) understanding between China and Indonesia.
Hariyono, president of UM, said in his speech that the reading center is a valuable platform for teachers and students to learn and communicate and will soon become a new cultural landmark on campus.
Huang Xuanzhuang, president of Guangxi Normal University Press Group, expressed his hope that this reading space will turn into a “cultural laboratory”. It will encourage idea exchanges and emotional connections among young people from both countries, helping them build closer ties.
()6. (创新考法·行文方式)How does the writer start Paragraph 1?
A. By asking some questions that are related to our daily life.
B. By stating an event that makes Chinese culture more famous.
C. By giving some examples that make the topic more specific.
D. By comparing the cultures from other countries with Chinese culture.
()7. What brand does Duxiu Shufang belong to?
A. Guangxi Normal University Press Group.
B. The State University of Malang.
C. The Confucius Institute at the State University of Malang.
()8. People may do the following except at the reading center.
A. reading books
B. visiting cultural exhibitions
C. joining in academic exchange activities
D. writing articles about Western culture
()9. What can we infer according to Paragraph 5?
A. Building the reading center may prevent the communication between China and Indonesia.
B. The reading center can make Indonesian students move to China.
C. Promoting cultural understanding will make people cleverer.
D. Duxiu Shufang at the university makes the world more peaceful and more prosperous.
()10. What's the purpose of writing the last paragraph?
A. To introduce a person named Huang Xuanzhuang.
B. To show the number of books in the reading center.
C. To show that the center can improve the relationship between China and Indonesia.
D. To describe the location of the new Duxiu Shufang branch.