It is widely thought that smartphones and laptops show the progress of society. For example, a proper amount of online searching can be good for your brain, and there are apps that can promote brain function. Yet tech advances also come with some unexpected consequences.
Studies have shown that blue-enriched light from electronic things like smartphones can disturb the body’s internal clock and makes it impossible for you to stick to a proper sleep schedule. Losing sleep has negative effects on your brain, such as bad moods, decreased focus and problems with memory.
Technology makes it much easier to get distracted, for example, you step away from an important project to check your smartphone. Teens, in particular, are more distracted than ever. A recent survey of 2, 400 teachers found that most educators feel students are more distracted than previous generations. Some 64 percent agreed with the idea that today’s digital technologies distract students more than to help them academically.
And technology makes people much more forgetful than they used to be. The new generation are actually more likely to forget what day it is or where they put their keys than people over the age of 55, according to a survey. In a press release for the survey, one of the leading researchers said technology was to blame. “This is a population that has grown up multitasking using technology, often accompanied by lack of sleep, which causes high levels of forgetfulness,” she said.
People who depend on GPS to get around have less activity in the hippocampus (海马体), an area of the brain involved in both memory and direction. Another study found that taxi drivers had a more developed hippocampus than non-taxi drivers, because they are so accustomed to using spatial (空间的) memory, rather than relying on GPS.
Now that you’re probably horrified by the effects of technology, let us remind you that you do have the power to prevent it. Just log off every once in a while!
1. How does digital technology affect students according to teachers?| A．It upsets the new generation. |
| B．It makes students more forgetful. |
| C．It takes the students’ attention away. |
| D．It fails to aid students with their lessons. |
| A．was responsible. | B．was realistic. |
| C．was advanced. | D．was practical. |
| A．They often depend on GPS. | B．They use spatial memory more. |
| C．They do more mental exercise. | D．They have a better sense of space. |
| A．People are horrified by the effects of technology. |
| B．People are reminded to stop using smartphones. |
| C．It’s necessary to log everything once in a while. |
| D．It’s necessary to stop using smartphones for some time. |
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【推荐1】Virtual reality gamers (VR game) who finished it faster than their fellow gamers also have higher levels of general intelligence and processing capacity. This was the result of a study conducted by Markus Weinmann from the University of Cologne. The results also indicate that virtual reality games can be useful supplementary (补充) human resource management tools in companies for predicting the job performance of an applicant.
Several studies have already shown that video games may indicate or even help to develop intellectual and cognitive abilities. As intelligence is one of the most commonly used predictors for job performance, video games could be interesting for the human resource management. Although many companies are increasingly using VR technology to recruit (招募) candidates, only few studies have specifically investigated whether and how VR games can be used to draw conclusions about intelligence in this area. The study contributes to bridging the gap between research and practice.
Weinmann invited 103 participants to their lab. Under controlled laboratory conditions, they played the commercial VR game “Job Simulator”and completed the short version of the intelligence test BIS-4. The researcher’s analyses show that an increase of 17% in processing capacity correlated with less time spent playing the game (by an average of 3.7 minutes).
The results are a scientific novelty, as it has hardly been possible to conduct VR studies with state-of-the-art VR hardware. There are thus few studies that have investigated the correlation between behavior in VR and intelligence, “There are already some companies that use games, so-called ‘serious games’, for recruiting. The new results are in line with this specific application of VR games and show that they can be used for recruiting,” said Weinmann.
The scientists intend to continue their research on the potential of video games for practical applications. Among other things, they are investigating how people behave in virtual world.
1. What can we learn from Weinmann’s study?| A．The results are far from satisfactory. |
| B．The participants can play the game freely. |
| C．It aims to develop intellectual ability. |
| D．It helps to combine research with practice. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Intolerant. | C．Favorable. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．Limitations of the study. |
| B．Possible directions for future study. |
| C．The present situation of the study. |
| D．The explanation of the research method. |
| A．VR games can be used in recruitment |
| B．VR games can indicate intelligence level |
| C．VR games improve applicants’ performance |
| D．VR games have gain popularity in management |
【推荐2】The American space agency’s Mars explorer, Perseverance, successfully landed on the Red Planet Thursday after a seven-month trip. The six-wheeled explorer, or rover (探测器), is on a NASA mission to collect Martian soil and rocks as part of the search for signs of ancient life. Ground controllers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California cheered after receiving confirmation of the landing on Mars. It took 11.5 minutes for the confirmation signal to reach Earth. Moments later, controllers received the rover’s first pictures of Mars.
Perseverance is NASA’s largest, heaviest and most technology-loaded vehicle ever sent to Mars. It has 19 cameras, two microphones and a two-meter-long robotic arm. A machine connected to the arm will dig into the ground to gather rock and soil samples. The rover is equipped with X-ray and imaging systems to study Martian chemistry and identify possible organic compounds (化合物). It also has a small experimental flyer called Ingenuity, which NASA says will attempt its first flight in the coming months. Officials hope it will be the first vehicle to fly on a planet other than Earth.
Perseverance landed in an area of Mars called Jezero Crater, just north of the planet’s equator. The area contains a large ancient lakebed, which NASA considers a promising place to find possible signs of life. Scientists believe if life ever existed on Mars, it would have been present 3 to 4 billion years ago, when water flowed on the planet.
The successful landing marked the third recent visit to Mars. Last week, spacecraft from the United Arab Emirates and China entered the planet’s orbit. All three of the missions were launched in July, when Mars is closer to the Earth. This closeness between the planets happens every two years.
Perseverance is NASA’s fifth rover to explore Mars. With previous missions all obtaining valuable information about the Red Planet, NASA says Perseverance “aims to take the next step” in searching for signs of ancient microbial life.
1. What is the task of Perseverance?| A．To prove life exists on Mars. |
| B．To achieve a soft landing on Mars. |
| C．To gather some samples from Mars. |
| D．To record changes in Mar’s appearance. |
| A．The function of Ingenuity. |
| B．The advantage of the rover. |
| C．The introduction to Perseverance. |
| D．The expectation of NASA officials. |
| A．Its similarity to the Earth. |
| B．Its unique landforms. |
| C．Its special geographical location. |
| D．Its potential for finding life signs. |
| A．To make use of the shorter distance between the planets. |
| B．To accomplish missions on Mars through cooperation. |
| C．To take advantage of climate conditions in summer. |
| D．To compete against each other to land on Mars first. |
【推荐3】About a century ago, the average life-span (寿命) for Americans was about 50 years. Today, the typical American lives for around seventy-eight years.
According to a German aging study, the maximum life span in industrialized countries has increased by two years every decade since the mid 19th century. What accounts for such increased longevity? Between 1900 and 1950, inventions such as refrigeration（制冷技术）and sewage treatment（污水处理） meant that young people were able to survive longer. Moreover, medical breakthroughs helped contain diseases such as polio（小儿麻痹症）, which killed many children. These advances helped increase the average life span.
Medical discoveries after World War II tended to benefit older people. Treatments for heart disease, for example, have allowed the elderly to live longer on average. So does this mean that future medical breakthroughs will result in even longer average life spans, or have we reached our limit? Scientists disagree.
Some argue that if science is one day able to remove disease and old-age infirmity, there will be virtually no limit on how long humans can live. Some even predict that by the year 2150, the average life span will have increased to around 120 years.
Other life-expectancy researchers find that scenario(假设) highly unlikely. Our bodies’ cells can keep reproducing for only so long before they peter out（分裂）. Only when science finds a way to keep our cells dividing longer will we see another significant leap in life expectancy.
Still, with plenty of exercise and a healthy diet, those who hold the view can always hope that they’ll live long enough to break the record held by Jeanne Louise Calment of France, who lived to be 122.
1. Compared with the average life-span about a century ago, the typical American lives about________ years longer at present.
| A．50 | B．78 | C．28 | D．42 |
| A．refrigeration and sewage treatment | B．medical breakthroughs |
| C．keeping the cells dividing longer | D．reducing polio |
| A．supportive | B．objective | C．optimistic | D．disapproving |
| A．impossible | B．possible | C．exciting | D．concerning |
【推荐1】The Internet has become part of teenager’s life. There’s a report on 3375 students aged from 10 to 18 in seven Chinese cities. It says that 38 percent of them believe they use the Internet often. While most of them get useful information and use the Internet to help in their studies, some are not using it in a good way. Many are playing online games too much. A few even visit Web sites they should not look at. Bad things can happen if young people spend too much time on the Internet.
In order to help young people use the Internet in a good way, a textbook on good Internet behavior has started to be used in some Shanghai middle schools this term. It uses real examples to teach students all about good ways of using the Internet. It gives useful advice such as it’s good to read news or find helpful information to study. Some students also make online friends. But if you are meeting a friend online, let your parents know.
Teachers and parents all think the book is a very good idea. It will teach students how to be a good person in the online world. It will be a guide for teens to use the Internet and keep students away from the bad sites.
1. The underlined word “it” means______.| A．the book | B．report |
| C．the Internet | D．useful information |
| A．3375 | B．1280 |
| C．2100 | D．3000 |
| A．To make online friends |
| B．To play online games |
| C．To get useful information to help in their studies. |
| D．To visit Web sites they should not look at. |
| A．Because it helps with the students studies. |
| B．Because it gives useful information for studying. |
| C．Because it is used in Shanghai middle schools. |
| D．Because it deals with how to behave well on the internet. |
【推荐2】Economic growth is often considered as a sure way of increasing the well-being of people in low-income countries, and global surveys in recent decades have supported this strategy by showing people in high-income countries tend to report higher levels of life satisfaction than those in low-income countries. This strong connection might suggest that only in rich societies can people be happy. However, a recent study conducted by ICTA-UAB and McGill University in Canada suggests that there may be good reasons to question whether this link is universal.
While most global surveys gather thousands of responses from the citizens of industrial and urban societies, they tend to ignore people in simple-and-tiny societies on the fringe, where social group has a limited number of members and where the exchange of money plays a minimal role in everyday life with natives and local communities depending directly on nature.
The research, published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), consisted of a survey of 2,966 people from local communities in 19 globally distributed sites. Only 64% of surveyed households had any cash income. The results show that “surprisingly, many populations with very low incomes report very high average levels of life satisfaction, with scores similar to those in wealthy countries,” says Eric Galbraith, researcher at ICTA-UAB and McGill University and lead author of the study.
The average life satisfaction score across the studied simple-and-tiny societies was 6.8 on a range of 0-10. Although not all societies reported high satisfaction levels, four of the sites reported average scores higher than 8, despite many of these societies having suffered histories of neglect and control. The results are consistent with the opinion that human societies can support very satisfactory lives for their members without necessarily requiring high degrees of material wealth.
“While the reasons behind these findings remain unclear, the study provides valuable insights into how diverse communities achieve satisfying lives. It offers hope that understanding these factors can help others improve their well-being while addressing sustainability concerns.” Galbraith concludes.
1. What does the research focus on according to the passage?| A．The impact of cash income on locals’ well-being. |
| B．Income-satisfaction connection in industrial societies. |
| C．Economic growth’s concerns in low-income countries. |
| D．Relation between wealth and happiness across societies. |
| A．Edge. | B．Surface. | C．Horizon. | D．Scene. |
| A．To indicate the research’s limitations. |
| B．To prove the reliability of the findings. |
| C．To emphasize high satisfaction scores. |
| D．To show the number of people surveyed. |
| A．Unconcerned. | B．Unclear. | C．Promising. | D．Critical. |
【推荐3】The US Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) recently asked scientists, lawyers, social scientists and other experts to consider some of these ethical dimensions. To give two examples: on privacy, as we let more listening devices into our homes, how do we prevent the data they collect falling into the wrong hands through hacking (黑客) or simply being sold between companies without us receiving any money? Another example: mixed reality, including virtual reality, will become pervasive in the next few years. As we move from headsets to what the IEEE committee describes as “more subtle and integrated sensory enhancements” we will use technology to live in an illusory world in many aspects of our lives. How do we balance the rights of the individual, control over our virtual identity, and the need to live and interact on a face-to-face basis while being empowered to live rich lives in mixed reality?
There is, of course, always a tension between innovation and regulation. But it can often seem that giant steps are taken in technology with minimal public discussion. Take the self-driving car: although it may be safer than human drivers and is likely to save more than a million lives a year worldwide, it will also take jobs from drivers, traffic police, sign-makers, car-repair companies, carmakers and more. Is this a bargain we want to make? In taking that decision, have we given thought to a car that knows everywhere we go, decides routes, perhaps, based on paid advertisements from shops along the way—and listens and sees everything we do on board? What will happen to that data and can it be kept safe?
Additionally, while some worry about the uncommon “trolley problem” of whom the car should choose to hit in a freak accident—an old lady or a mother and baby—perhaps the more frequent issue will be how we find out what the algorithm (算法) was thinking at the time of an accident, because AIs (Artificial Intelligence) are self-learning and devise their own strategies.
Similar concerns are emerging over the internet of things. Robot vacuum-cleaners already plot cleaning cycles using computer-aided vision that, for some models, is relayed to their manufacturers. As more things at home become connected, they will be hackable and the data they collect sellable.
It’s time for some messy, democratic discussions about the future of AI.
1. What is the purpose of the two examples in Paragraph 1?| A．To cast some light on hacking in our modern life. |
| B．To lead the reader to think of ethical issues brought by hi-tech. |
| C．To lead in the following example concerning the self-driving car. |
| D．To list the existing problems that caught the attention of experts. |
| A．Intelligent. | B．Powerful. | C．Widespread. | D．Skillful. |
| A．Positive. | B．Negative. | C．Cautious. | D．Unclear. |
| A．By exposing some underlying problems in high-tech. |
| B．By calling on people to move away from innovation. |
| C．By illustrating AI’s abilities in self-learning strategies. |
| D．By displaying our computer-aided life in future. |
【推荐1】The dangers of sitting all day are obvious. Researchers have shown that remaining sitting for extended periods of time (like at your 9-to-5 desk job) can do harm to your health. While exercise is a big part of reducing the harmful effects of sitting, it was unclear how many gym periods were needed to help – until now.
A new study, published in The Lancet, shows the ideal formula for reducing the negative effects of a sedentary（久坐的）job. Instead of a fixed number of hours spent exercising, the ratio（比率）depends on how much you sit: people who work a typical eight-hour day should spend at least one hour each day moving. If you sit six hours a day, you should spend half an hour exercising. The research also indicates that the exercise doesn’t have to be all once – or rigorous（严格的）. It can be spread throughout the day and be as simple as walking.
The team behind the study analyzed data from a pool of a million adults over the age of 45 in Western Europe, the United States, and Australia. Using previous data, the researches examined data from 16 published studies and used it to determine how much exercise is required to compensate for sitting. Their recommended daily exercise goal is higher than previous advice but not necessarily less achievable, given it can be completed throughout the day.
Fitting in an hour of exercise a day sounds especially discouraging if you have a desk job, but there are plenty of workouts you can complete before and after work. Even if it means taking a 10-minute walk during lunch, your body will thank you in the long run.
1. The underlined words “compensate for” can be best replaced by ________.| A．make up for | B．break away from |
| C．give up | D．take the place of |
is that ________.
| A．workouts may reduce the harm of sitting for long |
| B．the harm of sitting for long has been proved |
| C．they don’t have to exercise as long as suggested previously |
| D．the time spent on exercise is flexible |
| A．The best form of workouts is walking. |
| B．The longer you exercise, the better. |
| C．The new exercise goal is practical though higher. |
| D．A desk job makes it impossible to exercise regularly. |
| A．by example | B．by process |
| C．by comparison | D．by contrast |
【推荐2】What are dreams for? Sigmund Freud famously claimed that they reveal hidden truths and wishes. More recent research suggests that they may help us process intense emotions, or perhaps classify(分类) and consolidate(巩固) memories, or make sense of random neuron(神经) activity, or rehearse(排练) responses to threatening situations. Other believe that dreams have no evolutionary(进行的) function, but simply dramatize personal concerns.
Despite being largely unsupported by evidence, Freud’s view maintains a strong following around the world. Researchers found that students in the U.S., South Korea, and India were much more likely to say that dreams reveal hidden truths than to endorse better-substantiated(证实的) theories. In the same study, respondents said that dreaming about a plane crash would cause them more anxiety than an official warning about a terrorist attack.
Even if dreams can't foretell(预知) the future, they seem to expose our shared fascinations. The majority of dreams occur during REM sleep cycles(快速动眼期), of which the average person has four or five a night. A study of Canadian university students found the most common dream topics to be school, falling, being chased, and arriving too late for something.
For all the commonalities dreams exhibit, they vary across time—people who grew up watching black-and-white TV are more likely to dream in black and white—and culture. A 1958 study determined that compared with Japanese people, Americans dreamed more about being looked up, losing a loved one, finding money, being inappropriately dressed, or encountering an insane person. Japanese people were more likely to dream about school, trying repeatedly to do something, being paralyzed with fear, or "wild, violent beasts."
But even negative human dreams can have positive effects. In a study of students taking a French medical-school entrance exam, 60 percent of the dreams they had beforehand involved a problem with the exam, such as being late or leaving an answer blank. But those who reported dreams about the exam, even bad ones, did better on it than those who didn't.
So the next time you dream about an education-related experience in which you are both falling and being chased, don’t worry: It’s probably totally meaningless. Then again, your brain might be practicing so you’ll be ready if such an event ever comes to pass.
1. According to different theories mentioned in the passage, dreams may help people in various aspects EXCEPT ________.| A．healing the body | B．memory classification |
| C．preparation for a dangerous situation | D．understanding random neuron activity |
| A．check | B．advertise |
| C．support | D．measure |
| A．People all dream in black and white without any other color. |
| B．Humans have the longest REM sleep cycles among all animals. |
| C．Our dreams often reflect our emotions or anxieties in many forms. |
| D．People feel more stressed when encountering emergencies in reality than in dream. |
| A．what you experience in dreams usually turns out to be the opposite |
| B．bad dreams can help us prepare beforehand to perform better in reality |
| C．it is a kind of comfort and relief to think dreams are usually meaningless |
| D．dreaming about bad things enhances(提高) our bravery and helps to drive away our fears |
【推荐3】Young children don’t get sarcasm (冷嘲热讽) — but by the time they’re teens, it can be their default (默认的) mode. Here’s what science tells us about the mental skills behind that ironic expression. If I were to tell you that sarcasm is one of our most powerful linguistic tools, your first response might reasonably be, yeah right! Perhaps you’d even simply assume that I was sinking into a little irony myself. Parents or teachers of teenagers, in particular, may find it hard to believe that this annoying linguistic habit is a sign of a flexible and inventive mind. Yet that is exactly what psychologists and neuroscientists have been arguing. Psychologists and neuroscientists have found that sarcasm requires the brain to jump through numerous hoops to arrive at a correct interpretation, requiring more brainpower than literal statements.
And although it’s often dismissed as childish comments, sarcasm is actually evidence of maturity — as it takes years for a child’s developing brain to fully grasp and master it. An understanding of sarcasm’s use in humour develops particularly late--at around nine or ten years of age on average.
As a form of humour, sarcasm may also help us to deal with frustration or stress. It can be a way of letting off steam. Interestingly, studies have found that depressed and anxious individuals’ use of sarcasm increased over the Covid-19 pandemic — which may reflect this coping mechanism. In general, though, the primary motivation of sarcasm will be linguistic — to add colour to the messages that we hope to convey.
It may initially feel like a shock when parents notice their children deploying sarcasm. Parents may feel particularly helpless when dealing with a teenager who injects it into almost all interactions, as if they struggle to express any sincere emotions. But should we blame teens for employing this versatile tool? Perhaps it’s better seen as the useful practice of a vital ability.
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?| A．Young children are born with sarcasm. |
| B．The writer was addicted to getting sarcasm. |
| C．The brain needs to complete many difficult steps before getting sarcasm. |
| D．People might believe it right that sarcasm is one of our most powerful linguistic tools. |
| A．Making teens become mature. |
| B．Coping with difficult situations. |
| C．Overcoming Covid-19. |
| D．Adding more messages. |
| A．It’s easy for them to get sarcasm. |
| B．They are to blame for using sarcasm. |
| C．They are lacking in sincere emotions. |
| D．They use sarcasm so often. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Intolerant. | C．Doubtful. | D．Unclear. |
