One form of social prejudice (偏见) against older people is the belief that they cannot understand or use modern technology. Activities like playing computer games, going on the Net and downloading MP3s are only for the youngsters. Isn’t it unfair that older people enjoying a computer game should be frowned upon (反对) by their children and grandchildren?
Nowadays older people have more control over their lives and they play a full part in society. Moreover, better health care has let more people in their sixties and seventies feeling fit and active after retirement. Mental activity, as well as physical exercise, can contribute to better health. Playing computer games is a very effective way of exercising the brain. So that’s why grey gamers are often seen now.
When personal computers were first introduced, most older people didn’t believe they would ever get familiar with them. Now computers have been around for a few generations and retired people have gradually become more relaxed about using them for fun. Gamers over 65 prefer playing puzzle games and card games. Kate Stevens, aged 72, says, “I find it very relaxing. It’s not very demanding, but you still need to concentrate.”
Another development that has favored “grey games” is a change in the type of video games available on the market. There’s a greater variety of games to choose from, including more intellectual and complex strategy and simulation (模拟) games. For example, Internet Chess and Train Simulator are among the most popular of these. Train Simulator is based on real — world rail activities. Players can choose from a variety of challengers, such as keeping to a strict timetable and using helper engines during a winter storm.
Some people argue that “grey gamers” simply don’t have the skills required for computer games, and that teenagers are better. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Most computer games require the kind of analytical thinking that improves with practice, which means that the “grey gamers” may well be far better than the young. In games where speed is the main consideration, older people would be at a disadvantage because they may have slower reaction. time. On the other hand, “grey gamers” have a preference for slower — paced, mind challenging games.
1. The second paragraph is intended to___________.| A．show the best way to exercise the brain | B．stress the importance of good health |
| C．explain why grey gamers exist | D．teach how to play video games |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Concerned. | C．Enthusiastic. | D．Supportive. |
| A．offering numbers | B．giving examples | C．making comparisons | D．providing details |
| A．mind challenging games are not suitable for older people |
| B．teenagers should improve their skills with practice |
| C．playing computer games requires analytical thinking |
| D．older people may perform well in computer games |
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【推荐1】For the past 3000 years, when people thought of money, they thought of cash. From buying food to paying bills, day-to-day dealings involved paper or metal money. Over the past decade, however, digital payments have taken off—tapping your credit card on a machine or having the QR Code (二维码) on your smart phone scanned has become normal. Now this revolution is about to turn cash into an endangered species in some rich countries. That will make the economy more efficient, but it also brings new problems.
Countries are getting rid of cash at different speeds. In Sweden the number of retail cash transactions (交易) per person has fallen by 80% in the past ten years. Cash accounts for just 6% of purchases by value in Norway. Britain is probably four or six years behind it. America is perhaps a decade behind. Outside the rich world, cash is still king. However, in China, digital payments rose from 4% of all payments in 2012 to 34% in 2017.
Cash is dying out because of two forces. One is demand—younger consumers want to enjoy their digital lives with payment systems. But equally important, suppliers such as banks and tech firms are developing fast, easy-to-use payment technologies from which they can pull data and pocket fees.
In general, the future of a cashless economy is excellent news. When cash payments disappear, people and shops are less likely to be stolen. Besides, digitalisation greatly expands the playground of small businesses by enabling them to sell beyond their borders. It also creates a credit history, helping consumers borrow. Yet it is not without problems. Electronic payment systems may suffer technical failures, power blackouts and cyber-attacks. What’s more, in a cashless economy, the poor, the elderly and country folk may be left behind.
1. What do we know about digital payments in paragraph 1?| A．They've been used in daily dealings for 3000 years. |
| B．They have become popular in the past ten years. |
| C．They can only be made on the smart phones. |
| D．They are leading to cash's dying out worldwide. |
| A．America. | B．Britain. | C．Sweden | D．Norway. |
| A．Cash payments are less likely to disappear. |
| B．Digitalisation enables small businesses to sell nationally. |
| C．Customers can have their credit history built through digital payments. |
| D．Digital payments may benefit the poor, the elderly and country folks. |
| A．have fallen off | B．have become a trend |
| C．have been out of fashion | D．have been substituted |
【推荐2】Some people all over the world enjoy an alcoholic drink, such as wine or beer, during dinner. Some people raise a glass of alcohol to celebrate a wedding or a birthday. And having drinks after work with friends and co-workers is called “happy hour”. All these situations are considered “social drinking” because they happen at social events.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), alcohol abuse kills 3.3 million people each year.
WHO Mental Health and Substance Abuse Director Shekhar Saxene says the organization is concerned about drinking among young people between the ages 15 and 19.
High income countries have the highest prevalence (流行) of binge-drinking. The report finds that the highest rates of alcohol-linked deaths are in Europe.
| A．So, how can we protect teenagers from alcohol abuse? |
| B．But when does “social drinking” become problem drinking? |
| C．WHO suggests ways countries can protect people from alcohol abuse. |
| D．This is followed by the West Pacific and then the Americans. |
| E．High income countries have the highest alcohol consumption. |
| F．That is six percent of all deaths around the world. |
| G．And it is more concerned about “binge-drinking”—an extended period of heavy drinking. |
【推荐3】The topic of “hard work vs talent” has been researched by many scientists and even they do not have the only right conclusion.
Ericsson, Krampe, and Tech-Romer have pointed out that talent is irrelevant in distant 1993 yet. They connected success with a deliberate practice that lasts for over 10 thousand hours.
However, recent studies support another viewpoint. Both Malcolm Gladwell (2008) and David Brooks (2011) agree that there is no guarantee that a person with a higher IQ level will be more successful in life. And several dozen years ago Stephen King expressed the thought that talent meant nothing without hard work.
It goes without saying that there are no equal people in the world. Even siblings (兄弟姐妹) may look absolutely the same but be different in character and preferences. That means that their inborn talents are various as well. For example, if you gather 10 children in one classroom and teach them the same information using a single approach, the results of this study will be very different. Not only talent will play a significant role in that but also attention, desire, and even upbringing(家庭教育). Of course, it has been confirmed that intelligence is inherited(遗传的) but upbringing is no less important. Some parents work with their kids from the first day of pregnancy and these children will show better results than ones left on their own.
If you wish to become the best of the best like an Olympic Games champion, talent appears to be a necessity here. But if you desire to get promotion and win the competition among young colleagues, hard work and desire are your keys to success even if you are not lucky to have been born talented.
1. In Ericsson’s view, which factor contributes to success?| A．Talent. | B．Hard work. | C．Upbringing. | D．Desire. |
| A．Talent is of no use without effort. |
| B．Talent is useless without a desire for success. |
| C．People should attach more importance to effort. |
| D．Smarter people are not necessarily more successful. |
| A．By telling stories. |
| B．By listing numbers. |
| C．By giving examples. |
| D．By raising questions. |
| A．Talent can make a world champion. |
| B．Talent is the decisive factor in success. |
| C．Essential factors for success vary with goals. |
| D．Hard work is enough for promotion in the workplace. |
【推荐1】When you turn on the lights in your house, plug in your smartphone charger,or even charge your electric car, do you know where your power is coming from?
In the United States.there are a number of different sources of energy.The biggest sources of energy are fossil fuels like coal and natural gas.
And at the smaller end of the scale, hydropower(水力发电), which comes.from things like the Hoover Dam, is responsible for 7% of power generation.
We don’t just use electricity at home.
So when you hear that people want to raise the cost of using fossils fuels to make electricity and force people to switch to even more expensive options like renewable sources wind and solar, realize that it will have a very real effect on your pocketbook and the economy
| A．There are also many other sources of energy. |
| B．They account for two-thirds of the electricity we use. |
| C．Wind power accounts for 4% and solar, for less than 1%. |
| D．We need to switch to renewable sources as soon as possible. |
| E．Businesses and factories all use electricity to make goods and provide services. |
| F．Depending on what part of the country you live in, the mix of energy sources can look very different. |
| G．And if the switch to renewable sources is too fast, we could even get to the point where the costs could soar. |
【推荐2】If you find yourself checking your phone first thing in the morning, if you find you're text-messaging while walking, checking your phone instead of working on an important assignment—you are addicted.
Don't worry. The new NoPhone might be just the thing you need, It looks and feels exactly like a smart phone, but it does nothing. It's just a piece of plastic that you can carry around in your hand to fool yourself.
Nophone is currently a prototype (手机模型) that will cost only $12 once it hits the market. Its makers are trying to raise $30,000 in order to cover the production and marketing costs.
Dutch designer Ingmar Larsen, who helped create the NoPhone, said that he had the idea as a joke along with his friends Van Gould and Ben Langveld. To their great surprise, the idea received a lot of attention online and people from all over the world started placing requests for NoPhone of their own, so that's when the three friends decided to raise money for mass production.
David H said, “I used to sleep with my phone in my hand, but my night terrors would cause me to throw it across the room in an unconscious panic. With the NoPhone, I can still enjoy the comfort of holding a phone in my sleep, without waking up to a broken screen. Thanks, NoPhone.”
If you're interested in NoPhone, but concerned about not being able to take selfies anymore, don't worry. The makers do have an update at no extra charge—the mirror sticker. That way, they say, you can enjoy “Yreal-time” selfies with your friends when they're standing right behind you.
1. From the third paragraph we can infer that ________.| A．the users can stay away from the real world |
| B．NoPhone is a device made of high technology |
| C．NoPhone has not been on the market at present |
| D．the makers are raising money to improve their technology |
| A．people worldwide were interested in NoPhone |
| B．many people thought of the idea as a joke at first |
| C．people worldwide began to fund mass production |
| D．people in Dutch began to make NoPhone of their own |
| A．By updating at an extra charge. | B．By standing with your friends. |
| C．By taking a photo of yourself with an APP. | D．By catching sight of yourself in a pasted mirror. |
【推荐3】“It’s raining, it’s pouring. The old man is snoring (打鼾). He bumped his head when he went to bed, and he couldn’t get up in the morning.” Why couldn’t the old man in the children’s song get up? (Let’s kindly suppose that he just didn’t want to get up.) This was possibly because in the absence of sunlight, the body was still producing the hormone melatonin (褪黑素), which makes people sleepy.
There are many ways that rainfall affects human behavior. But how much does rain really affect people’s moods and behavior?
In 2008, researchers from the University of Minnesota and Lanzhou University published a paper. They proposed that decreased rainfall was influential in social upheaval (社会动荡) and the downfall of the Tang, Yuan and Ming dynasties in ancient China. This is thought to be related to reduced rice cultivation.
But how might rain affect social behavior in the modern world? A 2009 New York Times investigation found that murder rates in New York drop significantly on rainy days. Meanwhile, in Britain, Dr. Peter Langmead-Jones of Greater Manchester police published a study in 2015 detailing an analysis of 6.6 million police records over one decade in Manchester. “The research showed that the heavier the rainfall, the lower the recorded crime,” he said.
Langmead-Jones also found that there is a strong association between heavy rain and relatively few violent crimes recorded including domestic abuse. This might be because heavy rain stops people from going out to buy alcohol and the reduced alcohol consumption results in fewer crimes.
It’s not all good news though. One study in 1997 concluded that the behavior of children can predict oncoming storms — they were observed to exhibit their worst behavior when barometric pressure (气压) fell. Another study in 2012 found that women are much more likely to be affected psychologically by rain and that they report much lower levels of life satisfaction than men on rainy days.
For all the complaints about rain, it does have some characteristics that hold broad appeal. The sound of raindrops can be very comforting and often features in sleep-inducing relaxation apps. The theory behind this is that the pitter-patter of raindrops is a form of “pink noise.” It can decrease brain activity and consequently improves the quality of sleep. So if it’s raining where you are, the best thing to do may be to have a nap.
1. The author uses the lyrics of a song in the first paragraph to _______.| A．introduce the interesting song to readers |
| B．voice his understanding of why the old man couldn’t get up in the morning |
| C．illustrate one way that wet weather influences human behavior |
| D．explain why people often get up late on rainy days |
| A．people prefer to take a nap at home when it’s raining |
| B．most people are depressed on rainy days |
| C．people are too lazy to go out when it’s raining |
| D．alcohol consumption is reduced due to wet weather |
① decreased grain output
② relatively few criminal records
③ higher chance of feeling low in spirits
④ more possibility of feeling sleepy
| A．①②③ | B．①②④ |
| C．①③④ | D．②③④ |
| A．The sound of raindrops helps people sleep better. |
| B．On rainy days, all people can get more sleep. |
| C．It offers a good chance to listen to relaxing music. |
| D．People feel more satisfied with themselves when it’s raining. |
