Raegan Byrd tries to complete her homework every night. But the high school student in Hartford. Connecticut, has to use her mobile phone to search for the necessary information because she does not have internet connection at home.
In May, the US Department of Education (DOE) published its findings that the number of homes without access (接入) to internet has been getting smaller, but 14 percent of homes in city areas and 18percent of homes in the countryside still do not have internet connections.
In some states, the problem is much more serious. For example, in the countryside of northern Mississippi, a third of the 294 homes in Maben do not have computers. And close to half have no access to internet whether they can pay for it or not.
Sharon Stidham, a mother in Maben, has to take her four boys to the school library at East Webster High School. Her husband works there, so the children can use the internet for their schoolwork. A signal tower can be seen through the trees from their home, but they could not put aside any money for the internet. Research results from the National Center for Education (NCE) have shown that students with internet at home get much better scores in reading, math and science than the ones who do not. Some teachers call this problem “the homework divide”. Jessica Rosenworcel, an NCE member, said, “The so-called homework divide is the cruelest part of the digital age and it is hurting the poor students and creating a big barrier to their dreams.”
Local communities (社区) have started to help. They made lists of restaurants and other businesses with Wi-Fi places where children are welcome to come and do their homework. And many public libraries have also planned to provide free access to the students next year.
1. What has DOE found out in its survey?| A．Students with internet at home are doing better at school. |
| B．About 33% of the students in Mississippi do not have internet at home. |
| C．An increasing number of students do not have access to internet at home. |
| D．4% more homes in the countryside don’t have internet access than those in the city. |
| A．Her sons have to use the internet for their schoolwork. |
| B．She wants her sons to study in a better environment. |
| C．She does not want to pay for the internet at home. |
| D．Her husband is a teacher in the library. |
| A．Unimportant | B．Useful | C．Harmful. | D．Positive |
| A．Helps are coming from the public and the local communities. |
| B．Libraries have opened their doors to the students for free. |
| C．Restourants have volunteered to take in the children. |
| D．to real communities are called on to take actions. |
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【推荐1】South Korea has the biggest rate of Internet addiction in the world and it is increasingly the country’s children who are spending every waking moment immersing themselves in fantasy role plays or gaming In the remote mountains of South Korea, teenage Internet addicts are turning up for a 12-day boot camp.
Kyle Won’s addiction is out of control. He spends 10 hours a day on the Internet. Now Kyle’s smartphone is taken away. The teachers here do what they can to get them socializing again; for many, the only friends they have had are online. “I have relationships on the Internet and a real distance has gown with my real-life friends and I know it’s not good,” Kyle said. The teachers show them other possibilities and bring back dreams and hopes that have been buried by their addictions. “We teach them methods of managing their desire to use the Internet so that they can continue to use it when they go back home,” Shim Yong-school, a teacher here, said. After just two days Kyle said It was helpful. He’s set a good example to others though he hasn’t reached the goal completely.
Sout Korean psychiatrists (精神病专家) are urging more/action as they are finding evidence that too much screen time is a barrier to the developing minds. Professor Kang Seak Young from Dankook, University said the addiction was damaging critical thinking. “It affects the frontal lobes (额叶) which are important to critical analysis” Professor Kang said. “Reading a book and guessing what happens in the story next show activity in frontal lobes but playing popular computer games for a long time shows no activity.”
South Korea is one of the most wired nations on Earth, but it does have a cost. One in every ten kids is an addict so the country is now learning how to manage its high-tech future to avoid more serious consequences.
1. What do the teachers in the camp teach teenagers to do?| A．Self-manage their smartphones. | B．Attain something beyond the Internet. |
| C．Make online friends more wisely. | D．Keep away from electronic products. |
| A．He faced the most serious addiction. | B．He has succeeded in kicking the addiction. |
| C．He’s the representative of the addicts. | D．He participated in the camp actively. |
| A．The importance of offline reading. | B．The effects of frontal lobes on thinking. |
| C．The popularity of kids’ Internet games. | D．The harm of Internet addiction to brains. |
| A．There are two sides to every coin. | B．No pain, no gain. |
| C．It’s good to learn at another man’s cost. | D．Prevention is better than cure. |
【推荐2】Chris Thomas used to think of Facebook as just a platform to get in touch with his friends. He now believes the social networking service with saving his life. The 28-year-old was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy(肌肉萎缩症)nine years ago and has relied on a wheelchair ever since.
On July 15,2017, Thomas was getting ready for bed in his apartment, when a shelving(架子)fell onto his wheelchair and knocked him over, causing him to fall on the floor and hit the back of his head. After waking up from a few minutes of coma(昏迷)，he realized he couldn’t reach the string used to get the doorkeeper’s attention.
His phone was nearby and had the Facebook application conveniently open, so he posted a status update that immediately got his friends worried—even some he hadn’t spoken to in years. “It was amazing, friends from six different states who didn’t know each other were connecting with each other to get me help,” Thomas said. “Now that’s the power of social media! You have hundreds of people at your fingertips.
Eight minutes after the status went up, an old friend, Leah, got in contact with Thomas’ friend Brad, whose wife was in the neighborhood, and before you knew it there were 12 Facebook friends in his apartment, who took him to the hospital at once. They showed up to the rescue at the perfect time. Minutes before they arrived, Thomas thought he was going to have a panic attack, which he often suffers from because of his illness, but he’s doing better now.
“It felt good to know that my friends, even those I haven’t spoken to in the past, came to save me,” Thomas said. “They all came together. I would’ve never imagined it.”
1. What did Chris Thomas do with Facebook in the past?
| A．To sell his products online. | B．To communicate with his friends. |
| C．To seek treatment for his illness. | D．To offer help to others. |
| A．He became seriously ill. | B．He was hit by a a shelving. |
| C．He fell off a shelving. | D．He feel to the ground. |
| A．connected with each other to offer help | B．came to his apartment at once |
| C．gave him some practical advice | D．took him to hospital immediately |
【推荐3】One of my earliest memories was watching my mom talk on our old phone. I was fascinated that she could talk to someone who wasn't actually in the room with her.
That was a long time ago. Later, we had mobile phones that could be carried around the room.
Don't let technology take our time and ruin our life. Make the time to communicate with each other. Take a walk on the beach with a friend. Have a long conversation with the phones off and the hearts on.
Remember that we are here to love each other,help each other and make this world a better place.
| A．Connect offline as well as online. |
| B．Then came computers and smart phones. |
| C．Smart phones have both advantages and disadvantages. |
| D．We should communicate with each other with phones off. |
| E．When your communication equipment can help to do these things, then use it. |
| F．However, what bothers me is that we rarely associate with each other nowadays. |
| G．When she left the room, I slowly walked over to the phone and stared at it for a while. |
【推荐1】Textile (纺织品) waste is a growing problem for our environment. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported the US throws away more than 11 million tons of clothing every year. That is why some small businesses spotting the problem are beginning to recycle in ways they haven’t before.
Create Good Company is a clothing company that tries to produce sustainable (可持续的) clothing and repurpose older clothing into updated fashionable items. Maggie. Hendricks, the owner of Create Good Company, said, “If you can revamp what you find, why wouldn’t you do that instead of buying new things? It’s a big issue not to create new waste. I would say we are 90%recycled materials.”
According to the EPA, the average consumer (消费者) throws away 81.5 pounds of clothes every year. “Anywhere between 10%-17%of the waste that’s going into landfills (废弃物填埋场) is made up of things like textiles and clothing,” said Danny Katz with the CoPIRG Foundation.” A lot of the clothing that we’re producing doesn’t even get worn, so it’s going right to the landfill or even being burned and contributing to pollution that way. It’s really worrying.”
This is why businesses like Create Good Company exist—to use outdated clothing and turn it into dresses or jackets.
“There’s just so much waste and so many big companies that might not think about it,” Hendricks said. “Just standing with other like-minded people who are interested in sustainability is important.”
Another important element Hendricks has focused on is creating these items and selling them at an affordable price.
“Sustainability sometimes is green washed in companies and they make things more expensive,” Hendricks said. “That’s not how we become a sustainable world. I think making products affordable is important to me. I want to buy things that are better for the environment without throwing my pocketbook in the fire.”
1. What does the underlined word “revamp” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Share. | B．Decorate. | C．Replace. | D．Improve. |
| A．The use of old clothing. | B．The cost of textile pollution. |
| C．The effect of clothing waste. | D．The future of the textile industry. |
| A．Its sales. | B．Its price. | C．Its producer. | D．Its quality. |
| A．The EPA’s measures to reduce textile waste |
| B．Small businesses working to prevent textile waste |
| C．Textile businesses’ social responsibility and their waste |
| D．Consumers being aware of the seriousness of textile waste |
【推荐2】More Americans expect to work past their 65th birthday and never retire (退休), says a recent study.
The Associated Press with the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research surveyed 1,075 people, aged 50 or older. One-fourth of them said they never plan to retire. Among low-income earners in that age group this is even truer than that for high-income earners.
In America，the age of 65 is the traditional age to retire. Sixty percent of people aged 50 to 64 said they expect to work past their 65th birthday. More than half of those who are already older than 65 said they plan to keep working, too. They said they are working an average of 31 hours per week.
Those 50 years of age or older said finances (财务情况) are the most important factor in the decision on when to retire. A majority of old workers — especially those who are 65 or older — plan to switch their employers, or move into an entirely new profession, as they head into the later years. One-third of people earning less than $ 50,000 a year said they will keep working. About 20 percent of those who earn more than $ 100,000 said they will never retire.
As baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, reach age 65, the United States’ general population will have more old people than ever before. The number of Americans 65 or older jumped by 21 percent — or to 35.5 million — between 2002 and 2012. That number is expected to reach 92 million by 2060.
1. What can we learn from Paragraph 2?| A．Low-income earners are more willing to continue working. |
| B．High-income earners are not willing to work past 65. |
| C．1,075 people aged 50 took part in the study. |
| D．Americans are not sure when to retire. |
| A．Request. | B．Assist. |
| C．Tell. | D．Change. |
| A．America will have more old people. |
| B．Old Americans have to work past 65. |
| C．American people will have new jobs after 65. |
| D．More Americans choose to work for more years. |
【推荐3】I’m confused (困惑的) these days. We are taught at home and at school that using violence (暴力) is the least civilized (文明的) way to solve problems. For example, last week I thought about hitting my friend for winning a beautiful shell while we were playing at the beach. But I talked with him instead and we came to an agreement. If two adults had a disagreement, and if they used violence towards each other in order to win, is it all right?
When two countries disagree, they often fight a war. Why is using violence not okay at home, at school, or in your country but okay between countries? Many people have been killed because of wars, not only soldiers (士兵) but ordinary people, even small children and babies. And refugees (难民) exist, too.
A war is a great violence, like two people fighting over a shell, just much bigger. Adults say they are fighting wars in order to solve problems and make peace. But can you really “make peace” by killing so many people? I don’t think bombs (炸弹) can reach people’s hearts and change them. Bombs can’t create love and caring, and that’s what we need in the world. Why do adults use violence so quickly? Why can’t they use their wisdom and talk it over?
Adults might say that things are not that easy. But they are the ones that teach us to be kind, not to hurt people, and not to kill. Why don’t they act as what they say?
A page from a 12-year-old boy, Joshua’s diary
1. At the beach, Joshua________.| A．hit his friend in the face |
| B．won a beautiful toy |
| C．played with a beautiful shell |
| D．came to an agreement with his friend |
| A．he knew little about wars |
| B．he doesn’t understand adults |
| C．wars create death and refugees |
| D．wars are not the only way to make peace |
| A．Love and care for each other. |
| B．Don’t use violence so quickly. |
| C．Stop using bombs in wars. |
| D．Don’t hurt or kill people in wars. |
【推荐1】The United States Department of Agriculture has a program called Wildlife Services.Its job is to help protect agriculture and other resources from threats and damage by wildlife.Often that means helping farmers deal with unwelcome visitors.This organization has experts from different fields and it has set up thousands of inquiry agencies all over the country where farmers can explain their difficulty and get practical help.
One example from Wildlife Services of its work involved a farmer in Washington State,in the Pacific Northwest.Several years ago,thousands of Canada geese landed on his fields.The geese began to eat his carrot crop.Biologists from the program suggested that the farmer use noise-making devices and other measures to scare the large birds away.These efforts apparently succeeded,which made the farmer quite happy.
Wildlife Services also has a livestock(牲畜)protection program.The program just offers suggestions to keep those unwelcome visitors away instead of killing them.Experts suggest providing secure shelter for chickens,sheep and other animals that could be attacked.They also suggest using lights above places where animals are kept.And they advise people who see coyotes around their property to chase them away by shouting,making loud noises or throwing rocks.For home gardeners,a two-meter fence might help keep out deer.To keep out rabbits,a wire fence has to be only about a half-meter high.It should extend fifteen centimeters underground to keep rabbits from digging under it.If snakes are a problem,remove dead trees and cut high grass to destroy their hiding places.And to protect livestock,consider using guard animals such as dogs and donkeys,which are very effective.Due to its effective work,ever since the Wildlife Services was started,it has been well received by farmers all over the States and neighboring countries such as Canada and Mexico.
1. The underlined phrase “unwelcome visitors” in the first paragraph refers to ______.| A．animals that attack the farmers |
| B．people who don’t care about wildlife |
| C．animals that do harm to the crops or livestock |
| D．people who pollute the environment of the farms |
| A．the farmer didn’t have a gun to kill those Canada geese |
| B．Wildlife Services involves some biologists in its group |
| C．the carrot crop was eaten up by the Canada geese |
| D．the farmers like to eat Canada geese very much |
| A．Ways to protect livestock. | B．Ways to deal with coyotes. |
| C．How to protect crops. | D．How to find wildlife. |
| A．It remains to be improved. |
| B．It is very popular among experts. |
| C．It is well received by the local government. |
| D．Farmers in the U.S.,Canada and Mexico think it effective. |
【推荐2】For many years, studies have shown that birth order affects personality, but new research confirms that whether you’re an older, middle or younger child bears an impact on career path too. Led by psychologist Emma Kenny, the researchers found significant evidence to support the theory that birth order has a clear and marked effect on career paths.
In order to reach their conclusions, a team of statisticians analyzed a random sample of over 500 of the most successful individuals from 11 different career groups to identify statistically significant patterns.
One of the most clear findings was that middle children are 30 percent more likely to become company CEOs than their siblings. The researchers suggested that this could be because having to fight for attention results in middle children developing personality features such as competitiveness, flexibility and diplomacy, which then makes them suited to high-flying roles which require thoughtfulness and high levels of management. Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates are all middle children. In encouraging news for middle children across the world, the study also found that they’re 41 percent more likely to be Olympic athletes.
Interestingly, the researchers found that the majority of astronauts are first-born children-Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong are prime examples. Eldest children are also most likely to become scientists or engineers like Stephen Hawking and Tim Berners Lee.
Youngest children like Johann Sebastian Bach and Mozart were found to be 50 percent more likely to have careers in classical music, possibly for their “sensitive and idealistic personality traits”, the researchers suggest.
As for only children, the study suggests they’re more likely to become artists due to their “Perfectionist and mature personality traits.”
Category | Sibling Type | Percentage of occurrence in the sample | Exceeds the ratio expected from Av Families by |
Politicians | Middle | 28% | 16% |
Rock Stars | Eldest | 48% | 25% |
Olympians | Middle | 34% | 41% |
CEOs | Middle | 31% | 30% |
Composers | Younger | 52% | 50% |
Astronauts | Eldest | 50% | 29% |
Explorers | Youngest | 43% | 12% |
Scientists and Engineers | Elder | 37% | 7% |
Authors | Middle | 40% | 66% |
Artists | Only | 18% | 181% |
Reality TV Stars | Elder | 46% | 32% |
The average UK family has 2.44 children, but the researchers found that family size does play a part - scientists were found to come from much larger families than average.
1. Which of the following is Emma Kenny’s latest finding?| A．Birth order may be connected to one’s career path. |
| B．The number of sibling decides the personality of each child. |
| C．Middle children are likely to have the brightest future. |
| D．Family size affects the development of each child. |
| A．They are more likely to become perfectionists. |
| B．They are more loved and protected than their siblings. |
| C．They are more willing to make new friends. |
| D．They are more used to a competitive environment. |
| A．Scientists. | B．Artists |
| C．Explorers. | D．Athletes. |
【推荐3】“We give our girls the power to believe in themselves, go to college, and become tomorrow's leaders,”says Felicia Gibson Jaycox, the founder (创立者) and chief executive officer of The Power of You Teens (POYT). The organization is based in Harlem, a historic African-American neighborhood in New York City.
Founded in 2014, POYT offers educational chances and positive (正面的) role models for teenage girls growing up in Harlem. These "Power Girls" take part in dance, summer camp, and STEAM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics), among other programs. The purpose, according to the group, is to empower teenage girls to help them "dream big and to inspire (激励) them to achieve the most that they are capable of.”
POYT held its sixth yearly Empowerment Event in the fall of 2019 in New York City. The theme of "Girl Boss" inspired girls to show their inner boss spirit. Miss Teen USA Kaliegh Garris was the keynote speaker.
Kaliegh said that she and other beauty competition winners are helping to reshape traditional images of beauty and showing that women of color are not just beautiful-they also are driven, wise women whom little girls can look up to.
I asked Ashley McFarlin Buie, POYT co-director, what inspired founder and CEO Felicia Gibson to start the organization. Gibson saw the plight that girls of color are in. For some historical reasons, many girls of color are growing up in terrible neighborhoods. They seldom see people like themselves showed positively in movies, books, TV shows, and other media.
"Powerful girls grow up to be dependable and confident women, preparing for their futures as creative leaders," Buie said. POYT centers on saving the mind, body, and spirit of Black girls through love and support, she added.
What do the girls get out of the group?" We offer chances,” Buie said." to break barriers (屏障).”
1. What do we know about POYT?| A．It was started about 7 years ago. |
| B．It was first started in African-American neighborhoods. |
| C．It provides services all around America. |
| D．It is run by teenage girls. |
| A．Speak for women of color. |
| B．Encourage girls to set an example to others. |
| C．Call on girls to find someone to look up to. |
| D．Change people's traditional ideas of beauty. |
| A．Sad feeling. | B．Difficult task. |
| C．Uncertain future | D．Bad situation. |
| A．Power Girls | B．Dream big |
| C．Teenage Power | D．Breaking barriers |
