South Korean government has tried everything to persuade women to have babies. Among their initiatives: sponsored housing for new couples, discounted after-childbirth care for new mothers, even a “baby payment” for each new born. Corporate South Korea is also getting in action, trying to delay a population crisis that could see the country’s workforce halve within 50 years.
“We will continue to do what we can as a company to solve the low-birth issue,” Lee Joong-keun, the chairman of Booyoung Group, a Seoul-based construction company, said this month after awarding a total $5.25 million to his employees for babies born since 2021. Other companies are offering payments, too. This development has come about as South Korea’s fertility rate (生育率) — the average number of children a woman has over her lifetime — has decreased to 0.78 in 2022. That means the population is aging rapidly. “The main reasons behind the falling birthrate are the financial burdens of child care and challenges of balancing work and family,” Lee said.
South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol praised companies that came up with “tax benefits and other various support measures to boost child birth,” according to his spokes-woman. Despite aggressive efforts, South Korea’s fertility rate is on course to sink further to 0.65 by 2025. This is largely because of the stress put on women, who face fierce workplace discrimination if they want to pursue a career while having children, experts say. South Kore a ranked 105th out of 146 countries in gender equality last year, according to the Global Gender Gap Report.
Whether financial bonus can have a positive impact on fertility remains an unanswered question. “Cash payouts are not affordable nor sustainable options for many companies,” said Yoon In-jin, a sociology professor at Korea University. “More importantly, South Korea’s male-dominated corporate culture has to fundamentally change in favor of working women,” he said. “Korean women will start having more babies if they don’t have to sacrifice their career for it.” Nearly 50% South Korean companies punished workers using parental leave, especially on promotions, according to Labor Ministry statistics.
1. What population problem is South Korea very likely to face in the future?| A．Its fertility rate will continuously decline. | B．Its population will halve within 50 years. |
| C．There will only be the aged very soon. | D．New-born babies will make up 65% by 2025. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Critical. | C．Far-sighted. | D．Uncertain. |
| A．Provide equal career security to women as men are enjoying. |
| B．Improve South Korea’s global rank in gender equality. |
| C．Remove women’s financial burdens and home-work balancing challenges. |
| D．Offer couples with new born babies more tax benefits and other supports. |
| A．The reasons why South Korean women are not having babies. |
| B．The policies South Kare a government applies to persuade women to have babies. |
| C．The measures corporate South Korea takes to promote birthrate. |
| D．The severe discrimination South Korean women are facing. |
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【推荐1】China has announced that couples will be permitted to have up to three children in a major policy shift from the existing two-child limit, after recent data showed a dramatic decline in births in China, the world’s most populated country.
“To actively respond to the ageing of the population…a couple can have three children,” state media Xinhua reported on Monday, citing a committee meeting hosted by President Xi Jinping.
Early this May, China reported the slowest population growth since the early 1960s, despite scrapping its one-child policy in 2015 to encourage more births and avoid a potential population crisis.
A once-a-decade survey showed that the overall population of China grew to 1,41178 billion in the 10 years to 2020, up by 5.38%. The increase reflects an average annual rise of 0.53%, down from 0.57% reported from 2000 to 2010.
The announcement drew a chilly response (遇冷) on Chinese social media, where many people said they could not afford to have even one or two children. “I am willing to have three children if you give me 5 million yuan (£554,350),” one user posted on Weibo. As a matter of fact, experiment of the three-child policy in Heilongjiang province in the last few years also resulted less effectively than expected.
It is not only China that is facing such a population challenge. Across east Asia, governments have, for years, been struggling to persuade couples to have more babies. South Korea and Japan both have used allowance (津贴) to encourage.
The policy change will come with “supportive measures, which will be beneficial to improving our country’s population structure, fulfilling the country’s strategy of actively coping with an ageing population and maintaining the advantage of human resources”, Xinhua said.
1. What can we know about the current population of China?| A．China sees a huge increase in births because of the two-child policy. |
| B．China reported the smallest population since 1960s early this May. |
| C．China is now faced with the problem that its population is ageing. |
| D．China has adopted one-child policy in 2015 to reduce overpopulation. |
| A．Pursuing. | B．Changing. | C．Continuing. | D．Canceling. |
| A．China has a smaller population in 2020 than in 2010. |
| B．Many couples aren’t able to raise more children. |
| C．Hei Longjiang has the smallest population in China. |
| D．Korea and Japan manage to cope with ageing population. |
| A．Specific supportive measures in three-child policy. |
| B．Main reasons why the population is ageing. |
| C．Potential risks that ageing population will bring. |
| D．Various attitudes towards three-child policy. |
Brazil has become one of the developing world’s great successes at reducing population growth－but more by accident than design. While countries such as India have made joint efforts to reduce birth rates, Brazil has had better result without really trying, says George Martine at Harvard.
Brazil’s population growth rate has dropped from 2.99% a year between 1951 and 1960 to 1.93% a year between 1981 and 1990, and Brazilian women now have only 2.7 children on average. Martine says this figure may have fallen still further since 1990, an achievement that makes it the envy of many other Third World countries.
Martine puts it down to, among other things, soap operas (通俗电视连续剧) and installment (分期付款) plans introduced in the 1970s. both played an important, although indirect, role in lowering the birth rate. Brazil is one of the world’s biggest producers of soap operas. Globo, Brazil’s most popular television network, shows three hours of soaps six nights a week, while three others show at least one hour a night. Most soaps are based on wealthy characters living the high life in big cities.
“Although they have never really tried to work in a message towards the problems of reproduction, they describe middle and upper class values － not many children, different attitudes towards sex, women working,” says Martine. “They sent this image to all parts of Brazil and made people conscious of other patterns of behavior and other values, which were put into a very attractive package.”
Meanwhile, the installment plans tried to encourage the poor to become consumers (消费者). “This led to an enormous change in consumption (消耗、消费) patterns and consumption was incompatible (不相容的) with unlimited reproduction.” Says Martine.
1. According to the passage, Brazil has cut back its population growth ____.| A．by educating its citizens | B．by careful family planning |
| C．by developing TV programs | D．by chance |
| A．haven’t attacked much importance to birth control |
| B．would soon join Brazil in controlling their birth rate |
| C．haven’t yet found an effective measure to control their population |
| D．neglected the role of TV plays in family planning |
| A．they keep people sitting long hours watching TV |
| B．they have gradually changed people’s way of life |
| C．people are drawn to their attractive package |
| D．they popularize birth control measures |
| A．The increase in birth rate will increase consumption. |
| B．The desire for consumption helps to reduce birth rate. |
| C．Consumption patterns and reproduction patterns are contradictory (互相矛盾的) |
| D．A country’s production is limited by its population growth. |
【推荐3】People have always been defined by their generation. We had the baby boomers of the 1960s, followed by Generation X and then Generation Y, often referred to as millennials, and the new kids on the block are Generation Z - aged between 16 and 22. It's easy to classify these young people as all being the same, sharing the same attitudes towards life—but is that fair?
People from Generation Z, informally called "Z-ers", may be viewed by others as digital natives, incapable of real-world friendships. But they actually view themselves as hardworking, ambitious and about to change the world for the better. The previous generation, born between the mid-1980s and late 1990s - the millennials were also thought to have these characteristics. But many people view this new generation as “mini-millennials" because Z-ers are different and they have their own set of values and preferences which consumer brands need to cater for.
It's true to say that technology is playing an important part in the lives of Generation Z, particularly in the area of social media. In fact, they have not known life without it and using it to communicate, share ideas and campaign is second nature. It means they have more of a say on what we eat, drink and buy than any generation before them. These young people certainly need to be listened to by retailers （零售商） and businesses - they are the people with time on their hands and money.
But being a Z-er comes with pressure. One young person says "Many people in Generation Z have mental health issues because they're unsure what the future will bring." The future always brings uncertainties but maybe there is pressure for this generation to be the most successful ever.
1. When was a Z-er likely to be born?| A．In 1964. | B．In 1975. |
| C．In 1987. | D．In 1999. |
| A．Diligent and ambitious. | B．Hardworking and incapable. |
| C．Promising and different. | D．Stressed and successful. |
| A．Z-ers have known life without social media. |
| B．Z-ers pay too much attention to digital devices. |
| C．Z-ers and the millennials have the same personality. |
| D．Z-ers become a key driving force in the consumer market. |
| A．Their ambition to be the best. |
| B．Their uncertainty of the future. |
| C．Their addiction to digital devices. |
| D．Their lack of real-world friendship. |
【推荐1】There’s a child-like joy that comes with ordering something online. We sit refreshing the U. S. Postal Service or FedEx pages to see when our items will arrive and we become overly excited, hopeful and anxious. But why?
According to a psychotherapist Owen O’Kane, it’s anticipatory(预期的)pleasure that something positive and good is going to happen when we get this parcel. When our package finally arrives, many of us are satisfied. But that initial excitement has probably waned because our obsession(痴迷)with our parcel represents much more than the item we purchased. “What we’re talking about here is hope and having something to look forward to, but not the item itself.” O’Kane explains.
Anticipating good things is a formula that has fueled many helpful remarks through the years: Tomorrow is another day. However, anticipation isn’t always a good thing. In September, people went into a frenzy when it was announced that their mail delivery would become permanently slower. And now, many are worried about their items. This phenomenon is called pre-parcel anxiety. A delayed package may seem insignificant to some. But for others, getting your hopes up only for them to be thwarted(阻挠)is angering and anxiety-provoking.
O’Kane says these reactions are telling about more deep-rooted internal issues in our lives that go beyond a delayed package. “Anxiety is intolerance(不容忍)to uncertainty. So it’s really symbolic about something bigger, about that need to control and needing everything to be perfect. It’s important to practice self-care and treat ourselves with occasional gifts. However, O’Kane cautions comfort shopping is only a temporary fix. He adds many people often seek external solutions as a way of feeling better quickly, whereas a healthier long-term coping mechanism is to look inward and appreciate our life with “mindfulness, gratitude and savoring (鉴赏).” “We will find placing an order and receiving an item is stimulating on some level, but it is the most passive way to live. Challenge ourselves to take action in our life instead of waiting for it to arrive. ”
So the next time we feel the impulse to order and track something online, consider why.
1. What does the underlined word “waned” mean in paragraph 2?| A．Decreased. | B．Enforced. | C．Refueled. | D．Overwhelmed. |
| A．They are intolerant of waiting. | B．They are uncertain of delivery. |
| C．They want to stay in control. | D．They have internal issues in life. |
| A．We can seek external solutions to make us feel better. |
| B．Online purchases can solve our problems permanently. |
| C．We should find happiness and peace with what we have. |
| D．Online shopping is a positive way to distract us from sadness. |
| A．To weigh up the pros and cons(利弊)of online purchases. |
| B．To persuade us not to purchase online in the long run. |
| C．To analyze psychological happiness of online purchases. |
| D．To explain why we are so obsessed with online purchases. |
【推荐2】March 21 is World Sleep Day. How’s your sleep recently?
The Chinese Medical Doctor Association asked 8,200 people in China about their sleep. More than 36.3 percent of them said they often sleep badly. The study also finds that many students have only 5 hours of sleep a day. According to the US National Sleep Foundation, teenagers need 8.5 to 9 hours of sleep every night.
What cuts into their sleeping time? Homework. Also, school starts early in the morning. But bad sleeping habits also play a role.
Do you like to have a look at your mobile phone before going to bed? The survey finds that 60 percent of people check their phones before they sleep. They read news, check their WeChat (微信)and micro blog messages, or chat with QQ friends.
It’s important for us to get enough sleep. If we can’t get enough sleep, we’ll feel sleepy and think slowly. And sleepy kids are often unhappy, says a study by the US National Foundation.
We can’t change our school time. But there are still ways to get better sleep. Stay away from soda, coffee and tea at night. They make it hard to sleep well. Leave your mobile phone and computer on your desk. Watch less TV.
| 103 Dates 枣 70 Mashed potatoes 56 Boiled potatoes 52 Orange juice 49 Chocolate bar 30 Whole milk |
1. How many hours of sleep do teenagers need every night according to the passage?
| A．About 12 hours | B．About 9 hours |
| C．About 4 hours | D．About 5 hours |
| A．they play sports too much and feel excited |
| B．they use mobile phones during the day time |
| C．they drink too much soda, coffee and tea at night |
| D．they have too much homework and bad sleeping habits |
| A．feel sleepy and unhappy | B．go to bed earlier next day |
| C．change their school time | D．go to work late next day |
| A．chat with your friends | B．eat the right food |
| C．put your phone beside you | D．be away from drinks like coffee |
【推荐3】As I sat at school, my best friend grabbed my phone and tried to unlock it. After a few guesses she said “What’s your password?” “I’m not telling you, ” I responded. She begged, “I just want to look at your pictures.” She asked me why I was so protective of my phone. I tried to answer, but felt a little confused. No one else cared about that much, and it wasn’t like I had anything to hide. I realized that people could learn whatever they wanted about me from my phone because of all the pictures and information I stored in it.
On the new mobile phone，there’s a fingerprint scanner as an optional precaution (预防措施) for those who want to use it. When my dad got the phone，the first thing I did was to put my fingerprint into his phone when he didn’t notice. The added security technology gave my dad a false sense of security. When I picked up his phone，he said，“Your fingerprint won’t work, only mine” with a smug (自以为是的) look on his face，which quickly disappeared when his phone “magically” opened for me. He looked worried as though the privacy of his phone was violated (侵犯). Then I showed him how I put my fingerprint into his phone when he wasn’t looking. What it proved to me is that people are so worried about privacy that a phone can sell for much more just for better security.
Let’s go back to my original issue. I feel so protective of the information on my phone because we live in a world where we’re constantly connected, and anyone can learn whatever he or she wants about us in just a minute. Our privacy can be violated immediately. I didn’t believe my brother when he said "Welcome to the world of never being not connected" to me when I got my first phone, but that is exactly the world we live in today.
1. Why is the author so protective of her phone?| A．Her phone has no password. |
| B．Her phone had been stolen before. |
| C．She has something to hide in the phone. |
| D．She fears that her privacy will be violated. |
| A．she often plays a trick on her father |
| B．her father cares little about his privacy |
| C．people prefer to pay more for better security |
| D．a fingerprint scanner is a great invention |
| A．was confident of his phone’s security |
| B．made fun of his daughter |
| C．considered his fingerprint to be magical |
| D．didn’t want his daughter to play his phone |
| A．people should constantly change their phones |
| B．people are closely connected by technology |
| C．It’s good that your information is available |
| D．one needs to change his password daily |
【推荐1】Being a relatively new technology, VR technology is clearly just beginning to take off. There are companies producing their own VR headsets, but they are still not as big as other products that are meant to entertain. Apart from the limited choices, one more thing that is worth noting about the current state of VR is the fact that content is limited, as well as applications. Most of the products available on the market today are aimed at gamers and mostly special for high-end buyers because of its expensive price.
Despite being full of potential, however, there are also some challenges that should be dealt with in order to ensure the success of VR. Among others, one of the most significant would be the need for powerful devices that would complement the headsets. For Oculus Rift, for instance, a powerful video card is needed for a computer, something you might not have at home, making the VR technology inapplicable.
In addition, there are also challenges when it comes to beauty. Today's VR headsets look almost entirely the same-they are huge and heavy and they look silly. Producers must find a way in order to make the design more beautiful.
Producers will also be challenged to make VR headsets more affordable so that more people will be able to purchase them. Most of the models currently available are just too expensive for average buyers.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, the challenge is to find more applications. It is currently being centered on game paste applications. Producers are challenged to come up with creative ways in order to increase the usefulness of such a promising device.
In sum while it is undeniable that VR is big in today's time, there's a lot of room for improvement. There are limited choices when it comes to VR products available on the market, and for many, it is still a bit expensive. Others lack knowledge on how it works, which results in hesitation. There are also some problems that have yet to be solved and more opportunities to be uncovered. It would be safe to say that it is new, still in its infancy, but hopefully it is getting to the top.
1. What is needed for your computer when you use Oculus Rift?| A．A useful videotape. | B．A powerful video card. |
| C．A powerful video camera. | D．A useful video phone. |
| A．To lower its price. | B．To simplify its headset. |
| C．To widen its application. | D．To beautify its appearance. |
| A．Worried. | B．Concerned. | C．Confident. | D．Indifferent. |
| A．The Challenges of VR | B．The Development of VR |
| C．The Popularity of VR | D．The Importance of VR |
【推荐2】Technology is widely available to students in classrooms across the United States, a new study shows. Nearly nine in ten U. S. public school students say they use digital learning (数字化学习) tools at least a few days a week. And more than half of those who were questioned said they used digital technology to learn every day.
In the new survey, digital learning tools means technology. It includes websites, application software programs, and online classes, games, videos and programs. The survey found that classroom technology gets high marks from educators. At least eight in ten teachers and school leaders say they see great value in using classroom technology tools now and in the future.
When it comes to preparing students for future careers (职业), the study found that educators are likely to say technology is more effective than non-digital tools for connecting learning to students’ careers.
Derek Kelley of Virginia agrees. He manages technology for Fairfax County Public Schools, which serves nearly 200,000 students. He said, “The important thing is to help prepare the students for real world experience and knowledge about technology is something students need.”
In the report, more than half of the special education teachers questioned said technology could help their students. Tony Daniel, a special education teacher, agrees with that. He teaches children with learning difficulties at the Springfield Estates Elementary School in Springfield, Virginia.
Nearly all pupils say digital learning tools are fun. Most say the technology helps them learn things on their own and at their own speed.
Almost three-fourths of secondary students say the technology tools help them learn things on their own. Over 50% said they make school more interesting. 42% would like to use them more often at school, and only 8% said they would like to use them less. One thing everyone agrees on is that technology is here to stay in American classrooms.
1. What can we learn from the new research?| A．The schools have widely applied technologies in the US. |
| B．It is easy for the students to master new technology. |
| C．The power of technology will weaken in the future. |
| D．Most students don’t like to use digital learning tools in the US. |
| A．Special schools should provide the latest technology for students. |
| B．Special education is worth investing a lot of effort and money. |
| C．Digital learning tools are specially designed for special students. |
| D．It is useful to use technology to teach in special education. |
| A．Limiting their Internet time. | B．Learning at their own pace and level. |
| C．Giving lecture-based learning. | D．Improving their mental health. |
| A．By telling a story. | B．By analyzing causes and effects. |
| C．By listing various numbers. | D．By presenting the experimental steps. |
【推荐3】Americans have been calling on police to change how they deal with citizens in crises (危机), especially those with mental health problems.
Police are usually the first to arrive at a serious incident and are trained to deal with crime and violent behavior. But a law enforcement (执行) agency in the central state of Illinois has found a new way to handle mental health cases. It is using video calls to calm difficult situations.
Restrictions ordered to stop the spread of the new coronavirus have left many people alone in their homes without support. Many people are unable to find mental health services or unwilling to go out and risk being infected with COVID-19.
The Cook County sheriff’s (警长) office led by Sheriff Tom Dart has faced many emergency calls about mental health crises recently. Such calls have increased by 60 percent this year. Dart said police officers are being asked more and more to arrive first to mental health cases. He said officers are being asked to do things they are not trained for or for which they have little training.
Dart said some programs have mental health professionals riding in a vehicle with law enforcement officers. That works for smaller communities. But Cook County, which includes the city of Chicago, is very big.
“We wanted a tool for the officers to get that mental health expert on the scene immediately,” said Elli Petaque-Montgomery, a team director.
So far, the department has 70 personal electronic devices (设备). They are used to make video calls. The department bought 35 with aid money when the program began. It bought 35 more when it became clear the number of calls, which is now past 50, would increase.
Sometimes a lack of wireless service or another reason has not permitted a video call. The department said this has happened 20 times. In those cases, officers set up a telephone call between the person in crisis and a mental health professional.
Four mental health experts have been joined by four more to answer calls. Dart said the cost of the experts and the devices is much less than what it would cost to send out many mental health professionals with police.
1. What do you know about the emergency calls received?| A．The officers don’t want to take care of them. |
| B．They involve 60% of the American citizens. |
| C．No professionals are available for the cases. |
| D．They are mainly about mental health issues. |
| A．The contributor to the health crises. | B．The spread of the deadly virus. |
| C．The loneliness citizens suffer from. | D．The urgency to take measures. |
| A．It has had the officers trained. | B．It has introduced video calls. |
| C．It has narrowed down its duty. | D．It calls on citizens to stay fit. |
| A．Well-received and handy. | B．Ground-breaking but risky. |
| C．Efficient and cost-saving. | D．Functional but controversial. |
