 | Social Media Detox Today marks the last day of the Social Media Detox, Brenton High’s fundraising campaign for new sports equipment. At the start of the detox, over one hundred students had been persuaded to stop using social media, in ANY form, for seven days. This meant no messaging friends, no posting photos, no blogging — nothing. They had been promised money by family and friends for each day spent without using social media. They were excited. They were nervous. But could they do it? With the detox now finished, they’ve switched on their devices and they’re back online. I bet you’re as eager as I am to find out just how many have been motivated enough to last the full seven days! And what, if anything, has been learnt from the experience? | ||
 | I lasted two days. The detox was more difficult to tolerate than I had expected. I felt like I had lost an arm! Not eating for two days would have been easier! But on reflection, I can see how much of my time had been occupied with checking my phone. I’m now trying to spend less time online and more time picking up my hobbies. | ||
 | I lasted four days. On Monday, my classmate and I spoke about what we did at the weekend - it felt really strange not to already know what he had done. We would usually have posted pictures and updated our profiles. Doing the detox meant we had to talk and explain what we were doing and thinking! It made me realise the value of real contact that I had forgotten. | ||
 | I managed the whole week! At first, I really felt I was missing out. Then, instead of messaging my friend. I went round t her house. Without our phones, we had a proper conversation for over two hours, without being distracted by messages from other people. It felt so good! Then I decided to visit a different friend every day. By the fifth day, I wondered - was I really missing out by not constantly checking my phone to see what everyone else was up to? | ||
 | I did all seven days, too! To be honest, I didn’t find the detox too difficult, but I did give my phone to my dad to avoid giving in! My brother thought I should make full use of the time without my phone; so he took me to check out our local sports centre. An hour’s sport each day left me tired out and wanting to go to bed early. The detox made me healthier! | ||
 | I’m embarrassed to say that I threw in the towel on the first day! I knew there was a party happening that evening, but without access to social media I couldn’t remember where it was! In the end, I turned on my phone to check, but couldn’t resist having a quick look at my social media accounts. What’s worse, I then spent so much time catching up on news, I almost missed the party! | ||
 | The detox raised a total of $1,632.82 for new school sports equipment! Well done, everyone who took part! After reading the posts on this forum, it seems that something other than money has also been raised through the detox. Awareness of just how much we rely on social media can help us step away from it and communicate with each other better. | ||
| Reaction | Results | ||
| Anna 2 days | It was more difficult than she had expected. She felt like she had | She can now see how much time had been taken up with checking her phone. She is now trying to spend more time | |
| Devon 4 days | When he saw a classmate on Monday, he felt really strange | They had to talk and explain what they were doing and thinking! Devon eventually realised that | |
| Cindy | At first, she really felt she was missing out. | Without their phones, she and her friend bad a proper conversation for over two hours. By the fifth day, she realised that she hadn’t been | |
| George 7 days | He didn’t find the detox too difficult, but he did give his phone to his dad to prevent himself from | An hour’s sport each day left him tired out and ready for bed early. The detox made him | |
| Max 1 day | He stopped | He spent so much time using his phone to catch up on news on | |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】What is a fair wage?
With a global population of over seven billion, is it actually possible to measure an average amount?
This figure might seem very high because they calculated the amount using purchasing power parity dollars, which takes into account the fact that it is cheaper to live in some countries than others.
Calculating an average sum like this might not be a completely fair representation, but these figures do help us to understand how the world is developing, both economically, in the quality of life people are experiencing and their standard of living..
But the result shows that the average wage is still relatively low and there remains a huge difference in levels of affluence around the world.
| A．The ILO has now tried to work out the sums. |
| B．The ILO used statistics from over 70 different countries. |
| C．Why aren’t more people in the world offered pay equality? |
| D．That is approximately $75 a day for a 20-day working month. |
| E．Some people live on just two dollars a day, while others’ are earning more than a million dollars a year. |
| F．When someone works for themselves, what are they called? |
| G．The data also did not include the huge number of people who appear in poverty statistics or who are self-employed. |
【推荐2】If you're planning to get your teenager a present soon and that teen is a big science lover， we've got some great gift ideas to suggest. These aren't science toys but things to read and build and care about that will help your teen explore their universe，just like a scientist.
Most teenagers have probably outgrown their Lego sets， but the urge to build things is no less strong. One great choice: Give them the materials to build their own bicycle. How to Build a Bike will introduce kids to the principles（原则） of bicycle building， and with the help of beautiful photos teach them how to build their own single-speed ride. Help your teen pick out a steel frame， and then let them assemble it with new parts over the course of a month or two.
Think your teen would prefer to build something that requires a little less muscle power to move? A model rocket is a great option. Estes makes a number of great options for all skill levels， but determined teens might enjoy a rocket which flies up to 1，500 feet（457 meters） using a two-stage system.
Want to give your teen something a bit more practical than a model rocket? Hope to save money on laptops? Get them the tools and parts to build their own basic desktop computer. Tom's Hardware has a guide to this project. Get your teen to start with a nice clear case so they can watch all the parts and lights in action.
When I was younger， a friend of mine received a bonsai （盆景） tree as a gift from his parents. He's always been scientifically curious， and learning how to care for and shape the little tree quickly became an attraction for him. Now， he's in an big neuroscience（神经科学） program. Bonsai fans stress the opportunities to learn the difficulties of plants. Get your teen to t start with these well-reviewed: The Beginners Guide.
1. What's the main purpose of the passage?| A．To tell parents how to buy their teenagers science gifts. |
| B．To give parents advice on how to choose science toys. |
| C．To show teenagers how to become a big science lover. |
| D．To try a to . persuade kids to be scientists by themselves. |
| A．Young parents. |
| B．Any game lovers. |
| C．People in general. |
| D．Kids younger than teenagers. |
| A．It runs fastest among the four gifts. |
| B．It takes fewer efforts to move than bikes. |
| C．It is cheaper than any other science gifts. |
| D．It is more useful than a desktop computer. |
| A．Estes. |
| B．How to Build a Bike. |
| C．The Beginners Guide. |
| D．Tom's Hardware. |
【推荐3】Sweden and its Nordic neighbors have some of the highest literacy rates (识字率) in the world. The Swedes view equal access to knowledge as important to an individual’s future success. This is true regardless of economic background and, clearly, geographic location.
Sweden has a floating library — the bokbaten — that brings thousands of books to people on dozens of remote islands in the Stockholm archipelago twice a year. Every spring and fall since 1953, the Stockholm Library Service rents a boat for a week, loads it with books, and charts a course for about 23 inhabited (有人居住的) islands.
When the boat pulls in, people climb aboard to return books they borrowed during the last visit and check out the library’s newest offerings. The boat carries about 3,000 books, and people can put in requests ahead of time. The three or four volunteer librarians who take turns working on the ship say that, as you might expect, the latest best-sellers are in high demand. There are picture books for children, popular thrillers, texts about history and science, cookbooks, and audiobooks, etc.
In addition to a library boat, Sweden also has library buses that bring books to people in rural communities. They also develop temporary (临时的) libraries in places such as stores and social gathering spots. The boat starts as a service for fishermen and island workers but expands to serve people who prefer to read hard copies of books over e-books or audiobooks. Since island people can order copies in advance, boxes of books are piled up in the boat waiting to be delivered.
The book boat is of great positive value for children and adults because they can in this way take part in the modern public library. The book boat has an important function as good public relations for the library’s services and has the effect of promoting reading not only in the archipelago but elsewhere.
Even in a nation of book lovers, the future of the floating library remains uncertain. If the Regional Library cuts funding for the boat, the bokbaten will be no more.
1. What is the key to a person’s future success according to the Swedes?| A．Equal access to knowledge. |
| B．Economic background. |
| C．Geographic location. |
| D．Personal effort. |
| A．It has a promising future. |
| B．It is run by several official librarians. |
| C．It brings books to people many times a year. |
| D．It is popular among people of remote islands. |
| A．Its positive role. |
| B．Its uncertain future. |
| C．Its great effect on kids. |
| D．Its difference from public libraries. |
| A．Travel. | B．Lifestyle. | C．Business. | D．Art. |
【推荐1】Ask ChatGPT to write a five-paragraph essay on the symbolism of “The Great Gatsby” and it will produce a response within seconds. Plug in an algebra equation (代数方程式) and it can solve it almost instantly and even explain its process.
That’s not all. The capabilities of the artificial intelligence chatbot tool, launched in November 2022 by San Francisco-based startup OpenAI are vast. It can fix spelling and grammar errors, give feedback on writing, write poems and songs, create lesson plans for teachers and much more. It does it all in human-sounding text and with high efficiency.
But its presence has received mixed responses. Due to the probability for plagiarism and cheating, New York City Public Schools, the largest school district in the U.S., announced in early January 2023 that it was banning ChatGPT across all district devices and networks. Educators are concerned the application will fundamentally change how writing is taught and will impact students’ abilities to craft ideas on their own.
Some, on the contrary, say they are excited about its potential to advance learning for some students and become a valuable tool in education. Those teachers are envisioning ways to adapt their teaching to incorporate it in their lessons. Kelly Gibson, an English teacher in rural Oregon, is having her students analyze essays written by ChatGPT and find ways that they can be improved.
“It’s definitely scary. I understand the desire to panic.” says Torrey Trust, associate professor of learning technology at the University of Massachusetts. “Teachers and students should see ChatGPT as a helpful tool, much like a calculator might be in math class, but it cannot do a teacher’s job. It’s there to help teachers reach their learning aims. Whether it’s ChatGPT or another technology down the road, AI isn’t going away and, if anything, is likely to be more of a part of classrooms.”
1. What does the author most likely to tell in the first paragraph?| A．The tool is quick off the mark. |
| B．The tool is smarter than people. |
| C．The tool stores amounts of information. |
| D．The tool excels at writing and calculating. |
| A．Because of the quick calculation of the monthly cost. |
| B．Because of the probability of the cheating in the study. |
| C．Because of the application of changing the writing habits. |
| D．Because of the complicated responses of its present usage. |
| A．Skeptical. | B．Indifferent. | C．Objective. | D．Sensitive. |
| A．Almighty chatGPT. | B．Powerful OpenAI. |
| C．Confusing OpenAL | D．Controversial ChatGPT. |
【推荐2】Until the 1980s, the American homeless population comprised mainly older males. Today, homelessness strikes much younger part of society. In fact, a 25-city survey by the US Conference of Mayors in 1987 found that families with children make up the fastest growing part of the homeless population. Many homeless children gather in inner cities; this transient (变化无常的) and frequently frightened student population creates additional problems — both legal and educational—for already overburdened urban school administrators and teachers.
Estimates of the number of homeless Americans range from 350,000 to three million. Likewise, estimates of the number of homeless school children vary radically. A US Department of Education report, based on state estimates, states that there are 220,000 homeless school-age children, about a third of whom do not attend school on a regular basis, but the National Coalition for the Homeless estimates that there are at least two times as many homeless children, and that less than half of them attend school regularly.
One part of the homeless population that is particularly difficult to count consists of the “throwaway” youths who have been cast out of their homes. The Elementary School Center in New York City estimates that there are 1.5 million of them, many of whom are not counted as children because they do not stay in family shelters and tend to live by themselves on the streets.
Federal law, the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987, includes a section that addresses the educational needs of homeless children. The educational provisions of the McKinney Act are based on the belief that all homeless children have the right to a free, appropriate education.
1. It is implied in the first paragraph that____________.| A．the writer himself is homeless, even in his eighties |
| B．many older homeless residents are going on strike in 25 cities |
| C．there is a serious shortage of academic facilities |
| D．homeless children are denied the opportunity of receiving free education |
| A．350,000 | B．1,500,000 | C．440,000 | D．110,000 |
| A．the legal problems of the homeless children |
| B．the educational problems of homeless children |
| C．the social status of older males |
| D．estimates on the homeless population |
【推荐3】Fidget toys have been going viral recently, arousing safety concerns among parents and the whole society. To better protect the physical and mental health of young students, the Ministry of Education recently issued a notice, aiming to prevent fidget toys from presenting a risk to the health of the younger generations.
Fidget toys include inhaler nasal sticks and radish knives, which are popular as stress-relievers among students.
The “Energy Stick,” or inhaler nasal stick, has been selling well online recently on platforms such as Taobao. Some online shops have already sold nearly 100,000 sticks, whose prices range from 6 yuan to approximately 128 yuan. The product contains watermelon, tea and orange flavors and even alcohol to attract more customers. The online store salesperson responded by stating that the main ingredients of the product are camphor and mint (薄荷), which do not contain any addictive properties. Meanwhile, Zhao Ting, a medical expert, told the Global Times that some children are likely to get addicted to the “Energy Stick.”
The colorful plastic toy knife, a radish knife, nicknamed “Carrot Knife,” has also skyrocketed an astonishing selling online. “After her classmate had bought a Carrot Knife and said it was a fun toy to use, my daughter also bought one, which makes me anxious.” Julian, a father from Beijing told the Global Times on Saturday. Some of radish knives are so small that they can be gripped in the palm of a child’s hand while others are as long as one meter. There are various ways of playing with the radish knife, with some mimic (模拟) attack at friends as part of a game, according to media reports.
Experts warned that such toys could encourage violence and cause long-term mental harm to children. To change this situation, the government stressed the importance on maintaining strict management, and stopping harmful toys into campus. Schools should organize safety promotion activities to teach students to correctly identify and keep away from dangerous and harmful toys. Also, parents should teach their children to play with toys safely and correctly.
1. Why have fidget toys become popular recently?| A．They are beneficial to young students’ well-being. |
| B．They can help to reduce young students’ pressure. |
| C．Young students are allowed to use them at schools. |
| D．Young students can afford them at a suitable price. |
| A．Its high value. | B．Its plentiful nutrition. | C．Its rich contents. | D．Its effective sales. |
| A．It brings his daughter a lot of joy. | B．It might do harm to his daughter. |
| C．It has no effect on his daughter. | D．It helps his daughter realize her dream. |
| A．Different responses made to fidget toys. | B．Great importance attached to fidget toys. |
| C．Practical measures dealing with fidget toys. | D．Potential dangers brought about by fidget toys. |
