Embodiments provide a secondary battery and a preparation method thereof, and a battery module, battery pack, and apparatus containing such secondary battery. In those embodiments, a negative electrode plate includes a negative-electrode current collector and a negative-electrode film layer that is disposed on at least one surface of the negative-electrode current collector and that includes a negative-electrode active material. The negative-electrode active material contains graphite, and the negative electrode plate satisfies that, when the negative electrode plate and a lithium metal sheet constitute a button battery which is discharged to 5.0 mV at 0.05 C, a capacity increment curve V-dQ/dV of the button battery has a third-order lithiation phase transition peak of graphite at position 0.055V-0.085V.