“They’re harming your brain.” “They’re ruining your eyes.” “They’re turning you into a violent person.” The words said publicly against video games are so common, but are these worries founded on actual science? Countless studies have offered different opinions on whether video games are bad for you. We’ve rounded up the most notable reports and studies below, so you can weigh up the evidence for yourself.
In 2013, psychologist(心理学家) Simone Kuhn studied the influences of spending long hours on video games on the brains of young adults and found that several areas became bigger than before. These areas are connected with higher cognitive functions(认知功能), memory formation and fine motor(精细运动) function.
Last year, psychologists said that video game players who favour violent games are more likely to be violent when offline. Dr. Mark Appelbaum of the American Psychological Association said that there was a relation between violent video game use and increases in violent behaviour.
Dr. Daphne Bavelier is an expert in the field of Brain & Cognitive Sciences. Bavelier presented the audience with a colour-word test, where non-gamers are easily puzzled by the test, and those who spend long periods playing on their computers are more likely to pass the test with flying colours.
“Actually, those video game players have many other advantages in terms of attention,” said Bavelier, “and one part of attention which is also improved for the better is our ability to follow the movements of objects.”
“So, in a sense, when we think about the influence of video games on the brain, it’s very similar to the influence of wine on the health. There are some very poor uses of wine. There are some very poor uses of video games. But when drunk in reasonable amounts, and at the right age, wine can be very good for health,” said Bavelier.
1. What can be learned from Simone Kuhn’s study？| A．Video games make you happier. | B．Video games make your brain grow. |
| C．Video games play a key role in memory. | D．Video games teach you how to learn fast. |
| A．He was against them. | B．He was hopeful of them. |
| C．He was in favour of them. | D．He was uncertain about them. |
| A．Video games fix attention problems. |
| B．Video games make kids do well in exams. |
| C．Video games encourage violent behaviour. |
| D．Video games help increase colour knowledge. |
| A．To remind people to avoid video games. |
| B．To show the disadvantages of video games. |
| C．To help people learn more about video games. |
| D．To ask people to make good use of video games. |
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【推荐1】What do you do when you have a few minutes to spare? There are thousands of puzzles to choose from that can be worked on at your convenience. They all have something in common: they test your skills or knowledge. Here are four of the most common.
Word puzzles
One of the most popular word puzzles — the crossword — has been around for nearly 110 years. Crosswords can be done with paper and pencil or online. Sometimes word puzzles involve finding new words within a large group of letters. This type of word puzzle is called a word search. Word puzzles usually test your vocabulary. Knowing the language that the game is designed in is required for success, however.
Math puzzles
Math puzzles involve numbers, words or objects and the use of math. Surprisingly, the ever-popular Candy Crush is classified as a math puzzle. Math skills are required for players to successfully move and match colored candies.
Mechanical puzzles
Mechanical puzzles have pieces that must be arranged in some way. The world’s best-selling puzzle, the Rubik’s Cube, is a mechanical puzzle. As of 2020, over 450 million Rubik’s Cubes had been sold. Jigsaw puzzles also fall into the category of mechanical puzzles. They typically involve putting pieces in the right place to form a picture. Jigsaw puzzles have from two to over 550, 000 pieces — the largest one on record.
Logic puzzles
Figuring out the solution to a logic puzzle requires careful thought rather than guessing. Sudoku and Mine Finder are examples of logic puzzles. In Mine Finder players must determine where the mines are hidden in a grid.
1. Which puzzles contribute to word learning?| A．Word puzzles. | B．Math puzzles. |
| C．Logic puzzles. | D．Mechanical puzzles. |
| A．Both are best-selling puzzles. |
| B．Both have more than 550, 000 pieces. |
| C．Both have pieces that must be put in the right place. |
| D．Both test mechanical engineering skills or knowledge. |
| A．Life skills. | B．Pop culture. | C．Technology. | D．Games. |
【推荐2】April is Financial Literacy Month，when Americans of all ages are encouraged to learn how to be smart about money.And this year，fifthgrade Rachel Kelly from Naperville，Illinois，is already at the head of her class.Kelly,11, won a nationwide contest called the Stock Market Game.
Students who take part in the Stock Market Game，run by the SIFMA Foundation，a financialeducation organization，pretend to buy stocks (股票) worth $100,000.Then they have to read financial news over several days to see if their investments would have gained money or lost money and write an article explaining their choices.
“I wanted to choose a company that was wellknown，” writes Kelly.“I thought about products that I see every day，so cars came to my mind.” Kelly picked the Japanese car company Honda Motors.“Honda Motor Company is the No.1 producer of motorcycles in the world and the fifthlargest producer of automobiles behind Toyota，Volkswagen，General Motors and Hyundai，” says Kelly.
Honda makes many different kinds of cars，which Kelly thinks makes the company a safe investment.She explains that even if the cost of gas goes up，Honda has a good chance of staying in business because of the company’s fuelefficient cars，which run on less gas than most cars made today.
“If one of their departments is not doing so well，it won’t affect the overall company sales，” she writes.
Because the stock Kelly picked performed well and her article was persuasive，Kelly won this year’s contest.About 600,000 students from 4th to 12th grade competed.
1. What can we learn about Financial Literacy Month?| A．It introduces the history of money. |
| B．It falls on the eighth month of each year. |
| C．It is mainly aimed at young children. |
| D．It suggests that money be spent wisely. |
| A．pay attention to financial news |
| B．have gained a large amount of money |
| C．each buy stocks worth $10,000 |
| D．write an article about stocks every day |
| A．is famous for its fuelefficient cars |
| B．produces the safest cars in the world |
| C．is a good choice for investors |
| D．is the largest producer of automobiles |
| A．Financial Literacy Month in Europe |
| B．Rachel Kelly，a real winner! |
| C．Rules of the Stock Market Game |
| D．Honda Motors，a market leader! |
【推荐3】A children-raising game called “Chinese Parents” has gained popularity among Chinese players recently with its real-life setting and realistic plots. Released on September 29, this online game has received over 13,000 comments on Tencent WeGame and Steam, two popular gaming platforms in China, in less than a month, according to data from the two platforms.
“Why not re-experience the joy of changing your life through the game?” said Sun Shoubin, a 28-year-old in the city of Zibo in east China‘s Shandong Province. He spent almost all his spare time on the game as soon as he downloaded it.
Players are responsible for cultivating their fictitious children online. During the lifetime of these children, they must make vital choices for them just like Chinese parents do in real life, such as choosing extra-curricular classes, deciding their majors in universities, and even finding marriage partners for them. A “child’s” physical condition, IQ level, and imagination can be improved by attending courses arranged by the player “parents” in each round of the game.
“From the game, I also learned that ongoing efforts can bring about great changes to our lives,” Sun said. “I can understand my parents more, and show my appreciation for the hardships they have overcome for raising and training me.”
Chinese parents are more likely to plan almost everything for their children. Social issues about Chinese parents, families, and education of children tend to arouse heated discussions. “I integrated these ideas into the game, creating a sense of ‘rebirth’ for players and driving them to experience a virtual child-rearing life through entertainment,” said Yang Geyilang, the game producer.
Some negative comments were also made by the game players. “This game is somewhat controversial,” a player named Producer Kahn commented, highlighting that although exams are important, we cannot regard the scores as the only standard to judge a child, which has become a routine for many Chinese families.
1. Why is the game so popular?| A．Because the game can help players change life. |
| B．Because the setting and plots are real to life. |
| C．Because of the popular gaming platforms Tencent WeGame and Steam. |
| D．Because the game received many comments in a short time. |
| A．Organize classes for player “parents”. |
| B．Make vital choices like selecting their “children” majors. |
| C．Raising their own “children” in the virtual world. |
| D．Experience the joy of changing lives. |
| A．Objective | B．Subjective | C．Favorable | D．Negative |
| A．Players are given an opportunity to re-experience life. |
| B．Chinese games can also hit popular gaming platforms. |
| C．A game leads to new parent-teen relationship in China. |
| D．Chinese players test parental skills in the virtual world. |
【推荐1】Throughout history, music spread among people of different cultures. In today’s technological advanced society, however, people spread music online, sometimes without an artist’s permission. This can lead to many problems, and music companies are now cracking down on this practice. Sharing music online without permission is theft.
Sharing music online prevents recording companies from making money from their efforts. They say that sharing music online has resulted in a huge drop in profits and sales over the past 10 years. People who find music for free online are not paying for CDs or every piece of music downloaded. To truly understand the influence of music piracy (盗版行为) on creators, one must understand how many people are involved in the recording process. For the sale of each album, profits must be shared among musicians, sound engineers, music producers, managers, advertisers, and the company selling the product. Many people believe sharing music only affects the recording artist, but the reality is that sharing hurts business for all companies involved.
There are many people who don’t see the harm in sharing music online and even think they have the right to do it. One online blogger states that he originally paid for an entire CD and that he should be able to do with the material whatever he wants. While he may have legally paid for the music, he does not have the right to share it without permission, which means people like the blogger are thieves.
Although we don’t spread music the same way we did before, there’s no doubt that people around the world love to share music. However, Internet piracy will prevent musicians from continuing producing albums for fear of theft. Therefore, if people want to continue listening to their favorite artists, they need to buy their music so that artists will make enough profits to continue their music careers.
1. What does the underlined phrase “cracking down on” in Paragraph 1 most probably mean?| A．Bringing up carefully. |
| B．Speaking highly of. |
| C．Dealing seriously with. |
| D．Destroying completely. |
| A．All bloggers are acting like thieves. |
| B．Once paying for a CD, you can treat it at will. |
| C．Many people have difficulty understanding CDs. |
| D．People who share music online without permission can be called thieves. |
| A．Sharing music online affects a lot of people. |
| B．Artists are taking action to protect their right. |
| C．Sharing music online increases sales of music CDs. |
| D．A person who buys a CD has the right to share it online with others. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Favorable. | C．Disapproval. | D．Skeptical. |
【推荐2】Europe draws unnecessarily too much on the earth’s food resources, which is why researchers are calling for political actions to reduce food loss and waste on the continent.
According to researchers, “food loss” occurs from the primary agricultural sector to the food processing industry and the wholesale sector, while from the retail (零售) sector towards the service industry and households, we refer to it as “food waste”.
“Halving Europe’s food loss and waste could largely help solve the challenges of food shortages in the world,” says Marianne Thomson, research leader and professor of sustainable food systems at UCPH. The researchers’ calculations show halving food loss and waste in Europe equals saving 8% of the greenhouse gas, along with a saving of about 12% of agricultural areas. In addition, there is a saving of 7% of water consumption, and 14% of energy in the food production for the citizens of Europe.
The calculations apply a consumption-based approach. This includes the greenhouse gas from locally produced and imported food in European countries, while leaving out foods produced inside but exported to other countries.
This is why countries should take actions to reduce food loss and waste at all stages of the food supply chain. Marianne Thomson introduces monitoring and reporting of food loss and waste by all actors along the food supply chain as an important action.
Such an action, combined with other types of similar actions, may be a strong encouragement for companies and the rest of society to put in time and money for new technology and combined efforts to prevent food loss and waste along the food supply chain. Producing companies can cooperate on upcycling (升级改造) products. The service industry can apply upcycled materials produced from food not needed in the wholesale sector, and at the same time encourage costumers to take smaller portions by reducing the plate size.
“Cutting food loss and waste by 50% in Europe requires political actions, and also the actions need to adapt to national circumstances and specific regional and local challenges,” says Marianne Thomson.
1. What is the researchers’ ultimate aim?| A．To decrease food loss and waste. |
| B．To criticize Europe for overusing food. |
| C．To look for new products for Europeans. |
| D．To arouse people’s awareness of food shortage. |
| A．Possible causes. | B．Solving strategies. |
| C．Research findings. | D．Calculating methods. |
| A．It requires producing less food for citizens of Europe. |
| B．It gives no consideration to the food produced out of Europe. |
| C．It needs joint efforts of everyone along the food supply chain. |
| D．It costs too much time and money of food producing companies. |
| A．Food loss and waste appear at every stage of the supply chain. |
| B．Smaller sizes of plates lead to people’s eating more than they need. |
| C．Political actions to reduce food loss and waste meet with no difficulty. |
| D．Cutting food loss and waste in Europe by 50% means saving 14% agricultural lands. |
【推荐3】Are you afraid of sharks? What about snakes or spiders? Put those fears aside：because in the U.S. you’re far more likely to be killed or injured by a deer skipping across the road．
Deer cause more than 200 humans deaths each year, plus some 29,000 injuries，all because of l.2 million collisions between vehicles and deer．Most incidents occur in the eastern U.S. , where deer prosper without natural predators like wolves and mountain lions．
‘‘That’s the region in the U.S. where deer-vehicle collisions are such a problem，and where it seems like an effective large carnivore reintroduction could make a really big difference．’’ says wildlife biologist Laura Prugh from University of Washington．She thinks it would help to reintroduce predators like mountain lions，also known as cougars，pumas or panthers，to parts of their historic range from which they’ve been driven out．
The researchers say that bringing the predators back to the eastern U.S. would mean 22 percent fewer collisions between cars and deer over three decades．Each year would see five fewer human deaths，680 fewer injuries and a savings of some $50 million．Sophie L. Gilbert thinks there are great socioeconomic benefits of large predator restoration through reduced wildlife-vehicle collisions and she says，“Cougars have shown that they can coexist in short distance with people，with very few conflicts，in a lot of areas out west．”
Still，some folks might be understandably nervous about this kind of plan．After all , reintroducing predators doesn’t come without risks to pets and to livestock，and very occasionally to people．
“Our fear of large predators is so natural and intense that I don’t think it’s possible to just completely clear it with statistics…what I hope is that knowing that there actually can be some measurable benefits might make people a little more supportive and maybe balance that fear a little bit．”says Laura．
Indeed，the statistics show that cougars would prevent five times as many human deaths from deer-related accidents as they would cause by attacks．But it’ll be a tough sell：the press will cover cougar attacks，but a statistically prevented death does not make the news．Nevertheless，“If people in the west can put up with having mountain lions around．I would hope that New Yorkers would be up for the challenge as well．”
The underlined word in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to __________．
| A．a meat-eating animal | B．a grass-eating animal |
| C．a cat-like animal | D．a dangerous animal |
【推荐1】"Sorry, but I don't agree with you ..."This is usually followed by unbearable silence and angry tears. I've always found it difficult to disagree with someone, because I don't want to lose a friend. I've found it even harder to accept it when someone disagrees with me, because my ego（自尊心）is hurt.
Before the other person gets a chance to explain why she disagrees with me, my usual response would be," If you aren't able to see my point of view, then what you think isn't worth my time or consideration, either." But now I've come to realize that when a friend disagrees with me, sometimes she is simply saying, "I don't agree with the way things are done." She still respects me as a person, and is only pointing out a better way to look at a matter. However, there may be times when my friend disagrees with me because I'm against the truth. That's when need to listen to what she says.
I've learned that one way to help my friend is for me to be open and honest with the other to voice my thoughts and listen to the other carefully. While we can't control how a person will respond to our views, we must learn to disagree with our friends in love. We will never feel that we are better than the other person.And that will help us to be less emotional, and more objective in the way we express our opinions.In the same way, we can also stay open to feedback（反馈）from others,knowing that our friends may be correcting us in love.
Good friendships build each other up, sometimes through disagreements and honest opinions. Though I don't like being disagreed with, I'm starting to see the value of such disagreements.
1. The author has found it difficult to disagree with someone because .| A．he is a friendly person | B．he usually hides his ideas |
| C．he has no mind of his own | D．he wants to keep the friendship |
| A．be unhappy | B．argue with the friend |
| C．break up with the friend | D．explain things calmly |
| A．he is against the truth | B．he doesn't tell the truth |
| C．he is respected by a friend | D．he does things in the wrong way |
| A．How to keep friendship. | B．How to avoid hurting a friend. |
| C．How to express disagreements. | D．How to deal with disagreements. |
【推荐2】When we were very small, we realized that having friends was important. Some of us even had imaginary (想象中的)friends. The need for friends continued as we grew into our teens. Friends played a big part in forming our personalities (性格). As adults，it is still important for us to have friends.
True friends are people who like us though we made mistakes and who listen to us and tell us the truth. Friends support our decisions and tell us when we're foolish. They laugh with us and share our sadness. They are our partners and share interests with us. They stimulate us when we are feeling down. They are people we aren't afraid of telling our secret wishes to or what is really on our minds.
Friends are our supporters. When you can depend on friends, you feel safe and warm.
Friends offer acceptance and emotional (情感的) support. At times, they also help with our everyday lives, cooking a meal, doing chores, or giving us a lift when we need one. Friends also are there to offer advice, an ear to listen, or a shoulder to cry on.
Friends also help us reduce stress. Not only do they listen to us when we feel stressed, but they also discuss what is stressing us. Sharing interests and doing activities with friends help us forget about problems at work or at home. For a short time, we can lose ourselves in a pleasant activity and perhaps laugh and breathe more easily.
1. What is the best title for the passage?| A．How to Reduce Stress | B．How to Make New Friends |
| C．The Importance of Friends | D．The Qualities of Good Friends |
| A．educate | B．encourage |
| C．surprise | D．dislike |
| A．laugh at us when we're foolish |
| B．tell us other people's secrets |
| C．share our sadness and interests |
| D．support us when we need help |
a. Making more new friends
b. discussing stress with friends
c. ignoring our problems for a while
d. Sharing interests with friends
| A．a,b,c | B．b,c,d |
| C．a,b,d | D．a,c ,d |
【推荐3】Sport is not only physically challenging, but can also be mentally challenging. Criticism (批评) from coaches, parents and other teammates, as well as pressure to win can create too much anxiety or stress for young athletes. Stress can be physical, emotional, or psychological and research has indicated that it can lead to burnout. Burnout has been described as dropping out of or quitting an activity that was at one time enjoyable.
The early years of growth are important years for learning about oneself and the sport setting is one where valuable experiences can take place. Young athletes can for example, learn how to cooperate with others, make friends, and gain other social skills that will be used throughout their lives. Coaches and parents should be aware, at all times, that their feedback to youngsters can greatly affect their children. Youngsters may take their parents and coaches’ criticisms to heart and find faults in themselves.
Coaches and parents should also pay attention that youth sport participation does not become work for children. The outcome of the game should not be more important than the process of learning the sport an other life lessons. In today’s youth sport setting, young athletes may be worrying more about who will win instead of enjoying themselves and the sport. Following a game, many parents and coaches focus on the outcome and find faults with youngsters’ performances. Positive support should be provided regardless of the outcome. Research indicates that positive support encourages and has a greater effect on learning than criticism. Again, criticism can create high levels of stress, which can lead to burnout.
1. What is the main idea of the first paragraph?| A．Sport can be mentally challenging. |
| B．Stress should be made less. |
| C．Mental stress should be reduced. |
| D．Sport should be made less competitive. |
| A．It enables them to criticize themselves. |
| B．It can provide them with valuable experiences. |
| C．It can help them learn more about society. |
| D．It teaches them how to set realistic goals for themselves. |
| A．Train children to deal with stress. | B．Help children to win every game. |
| C．Make sure children enjoy sport. | D．Understand the meaning of sport. |
| A．To stress the importance of encouraging children in sport. |
| B．To persuade young children not to worry about criticism. |
| C．To teach young athletes how to avoid burnout. |
| D．To discuss the skill of combining criticism with encouragement. |
