Nowadays, the world is slowly becoming a high-tech society and we are now surrounded by technology. Facebook and Twitter are innovative tools; text messaging is still a somewhat existing phenomenon and even e-mail is only a flashing spot on the screen when compared with our long history of snail mail. Now we adopt these tools to the point of essentialness, and only rarely consider how we are more fundamentally affected by them.
Social media, texting and e-mail all make it much easier to communicate, gather and pass information, but they also present some dangers. By removing any real human engagement, they enable us to develop our abnormal self-love without the risk of disapproval or criticism. To use a theatrical metaphor (隐喻), these new forms of communication provide a stage on which we can each create our own characters, hidden behind a fourth wall of tweets, status updates and texts. This unreal state of unconcern can become addictive as we separate ourselves a safe distance from the cruelty of our fleshly lives, where we are imperfect, powerless and insignificant. In essence, we have been provided not only the means to be more free, but also to become new, to create and project a more perfect self to the world. As we become more reliant on these tools, they become more a part of our daily routine, and so we become more restricted in this fantasy.
So it is that we live in a cold era, where names and faces represent two different levels of closeness, where working relationships occur only through the magic of email and where love can start or end by text message. An environment such as this reduces interpersonal relationships to mere digital exchanges.
Would a celebrity have been so daring to do something dishonorable if he had had to do it in person? Doubtful. It seems he might have been lost in a fantasy world that ultimately convinced himself into believing the digital self could obey different rules and regulations, as if he could continually push the limits of what’s acceptable without facing the consequences of “real life.”
1. Which word can replace the underlined word “innovative” in Paragraph 1?| A．Traditional. | B．Dangerous. | C．Useful. | D．New. |
| A．Sheltering us from virtual life. | B．Removing face-to-face interaction. |
| C．Leading to false mental perception. | D．Making us rely more on hi-tech media. |
| A．Technologies have changed our relationships. |
| B．The digital world is a recipe for pushing limits. |
| C．Love can be better conveyed by text message. |
| D．The digital self need not take responsibility. |
| A．Addiction to the Virtual World | B．Cost of Falling into Digital Life |
| C．Interpersonal Skills on the Net | D．The Future of Social Media |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】This spring, Facebook revealed that it’s developing a version of Instagram for children under 13 years old that gives kids the chance to connect with friends and family without seeing ads or being targeted by child predators(奴役儿童者).
But as any caregiver or parent knows, screens are addictive. Many adults can’t tear themselves away from their smartphones, computers, and televisions. And children are even less prepared to resist the lure. As is reported, kids between the ages of 8 and 12 already spend 1,200 hours a year in front of screens. What’s more, child-protection advocates also worry that Facebook, which owns Instagram, won’t be able to adequately protect young users’ privacy or stop them from cyberbullying.
Erin Wilkey Oh, content director at the nonprofit Common Sense Media, says, “Social media could benefit younger kids if it’s done thoughtfully. But Facebook’s track record shows the company may not really do what it promises. Plus, there are already ways for children to connect with family and friends online. Do they really need another app to make them spend more time on their devices?”
The relationship between kids and social media is more complicated than it seems. A 2020 survey conducted by Common Sense Media found that even though social media use was linked to depression and anxiety, many teens also saw social media as a way to access critical information about their mental and physical health and connect with their peers.
Despite the outcry(强烈抗议), Facebook doesn’t seem to slow its plans to roll out the app. So parents can minimize the potentially negative impacts. Parents can create a set of rules that details how much screen time kids are allowed each week and what they can watch. It’s not perfect, but it can help families balance screen time with exercise, and real-life social interactions that are vital to children’s well-being.
1. What does the underlined word “lure” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Suffering. | B．Connection. |
| C．Attraction. | D．Devotion. |
| A．Social media do good to little kids. | B．Apps intended for kids are necessary. |
| C．Facebook often breaks its promise. | D．Facebook doesn’t have to develop its new app. |
| A．Social media do harm to children. |
| B．Many kids benefit from social media in some way. |
| C．Children shouldn’t have access to social media. |
| D．More surveys should be done on social media. |
| A．Keep their kids off Facebook. |
| B．Show their kids real social skills. |
| C．Stress negative influences online. |
| D．Weigh their kids’ workout against online time. |
The Information Highway is the road that links computer users to a large number of on-line services: the Web, e-mail, and software, to mention just a few. Not long ago, the information Highway was a new road, with not many users. Now, everyone seems to want to take a drive, with over 30 million families connected worldwide. Not surprisingly, this well-traveled highway is starting to look like a well-traveled highway. Traffic jams can cause many serious problems, forcing the system to close down for repair. Naturally, accidents will happen on such a crowded road, and usually victims are some files, gone forever. Then, of course, there’s Mr. Cool, with his new broad-band connection, who speeds down the highway faster than most of us can go. But don’t trick yourself; he pays for that speeding.
Passage 2
Want to know more about global warming and how you can help prevent it? Doctor Herman Friedman, who is considered a leading expert on the subject, will speak at Grayson Hall next Friday. Friedman studied environmental science at three well-known universities around the world before becoming a professor in the subject. He has also traveled around the world observing environmental concerns. The gradual bleaching (变白) of the Grate Barrier Reef, which came into the public eye in 2002, is his latest interest. Signed copies of his colorful book, which was published just last month, will be on sale after his talk.
1. The Information Highway _________.
| A．appeals to a large number of users |
| B．is crowded with car drivers |
| C．offers just a few on-line services |
| D．is free from traffic accidents |
| A．By storing fewer files. |
| B．By repairing the system. |
| C．By buying a better computer. |
| D．By using a broad-band connection. |
| A．There will be a book show at Grayson Hall. |
| B．Friedman is now studying the Great Barrier Reef. |
| C．There will be a talk on global warming this week. |
| D．Friedman is a leading expert on computer science. |
| A．a poster about a lecture |
| B．an ad for a new book |
| C．a note to a doctor in a university |
| D．an introduction to a professor |
【推荐3】The way you use your cellphones around your family can have an effect on your relationships. Cellphones can make you feel more connected, but they can also distract (使分心) you and your family from connecting with each other in person. While some people need to check their phones for work or emergency (紧急情况) purposes, it’s important to make meaningful connections through face to face communication.
Some people have trouble putting away their cellphones. They might feel they can’t control how often they pick up their phones or how long they use them. They might feel the need to often check phones without a real reason or feel upset if they don’t have an opportunity to use their phones. Using cellphones for work purposes during family time can increase worries and unhappiness among family members. While using their cellphones, parents talk to their kids less, reply more slowly, and overreact to being interrupted. And ignoring their partner while on the phone is linked to lower relationship satisfaction among couples.
Once you’ve given some thought to your own cellphone use, think about the rules you want your family to follow when you’re together. To get your family on the same page, call a family meeting. Review each person’s current cellphone use and areas where you think some changes might help. It’s not just about simply cutting cellphone use down. Instead, consider what you’re using your phone for and what activities you want to carry out.
For example, are you or your children using phones to stay connected, learn something new, do school work, or do something else? If you have kids, ask their opinions on your own phone use. You might be surprised by what they have to share. Use good communication skills by practicing active listening and showing curiosity about what each family member has to say.
Less phone use also usually means less screen time, which enables kids to spend more time outdoors and be more physically active. When teens spend more time actively with their parents, they tend to set higher educational goals.
1. What’s the first paragraph mainly about?| A．Family members’ connections. | B．Cellphones’ new challenges at home. |
| C．One disadvantage of the cellphones. | D．People’s staying away from cellphones. |
| A．Uneasy. | B．Uncertain. | C．Curious. | D．Homesick. |
| A．To carry out activities. | B．To reach an agreement. |
| C．To share the latest news. | D．To set an example to others. |
| A．Are Cellphones Influencing Family Time? |
| B．Are Mobile Phones Changing People’s Life? |
| C．How Can People Get Along with Their Parents? |
| D．How Do Children Set Right Educational Goals? |
【推荐1】As the most significant and traditional festival in China, the Chinese New Year is associated with many traditions and customs. Some of these traditions are dying out, so people feel that the festival becomes less interesting and conventional.
Kowtowing to Elders
Chinese New Year traditions regarding greeting are not like kissing, embracing, and handshaking in western countries. In the past, the first thing for a Chinese New Year visit started with kowtowing to the elders. You need to kneel down to show respect and gratitude to the elders.
Staying Up on Chinese New Year’s Eve
According to a legend, the fierce monster Nian would come to harm people and livestock(牲畜) on Chinese New Year’s Eve, which would cause great damage to people’s efforts of a whole year.
No Sweeping or Dumping on the Lunar New Year’s Day
In the old days, it was considered improper to sweep the house, or dump rubbish on the first day of the lunar year, for it indicated that all the good luck and fortune would be driven far away.
Opening-door Firecrackers
People will set off firecrackers in the early morning of Lunar New Year’s Day.
| A．Once they wake up, it is the first thing they do. |
| B．To avoid its attack, people would shut doors and stay awake. |
| C．The Spring Festival is a good chance for separated friends and families to get together. |
| D．Well, let’s see the vanishing(消失) Chinese New Year traditions you may not know. |
| E．It is really physically challenging work if you have a big family and you happen to be the youngest. |
| F．However, people nowadays are likely to keep the house clean and tidy, especially when they have guests. |
| G．All the trash should be dumped afterwards, symbolizing all the poverty and hardship will be thrown away. |
【推荐2】Prolonging human life has increased the size of the human population. Many people alive today would have died of childhood diseases if they had been born 100 years ago. Because more people
live longer, there are more people around than at any other given time. In fact, it is a decrease in death rates instead of an increase in birthrates that has led to the population explosion.
Prolonging human life has also increased the dependency load. In all societies, people who are disabled or too young or too old to work are dependent on the rest of society to provide for them. In hunting and gathering cultures, old people who could not keep up might be left behind to die. In times of food shortage, babies might be allowed to die because they could not survive if their parents starved, whereas if the parents survived they could have another child. In most present societies, people feel a moral obligation to keep people alive whether they can work or not. We have a great many people today who live past the age at which they want to work or are able to work; we also have rules which require people to retire at a certain age. Unless these people were able to save money for their retirement, somebody else must support them. In the United States many retired people live on social security checks which are so little that they must live in near poverty. Older people have more illnesses than young or middle-aged people; unless they have wealth or private or government insurance, they must often “go on welfare” if they have a serious illness.
When older people become too weak and ill to care for themselves, they create serious problems for their families. In the past and in some traditional cultures, they would be cared for at home until they died. Today, with most members of a household working or in school, there is often no one at home who can care for a sick or weak person. To meet this need, a great many nursing homes and convalescent hospitals have been built. These are often profit-making organizations, although some are sponsored by religious and other nonprofit groups. While a few of these institutions are good, most of them are simply “dumping grounds” for the dying in which “care” is given by poorly-paid, overworked, and under-skilled personnel.
1. The author believes that the population explosion results from______.| A．an increase in birthrates |
| B．a decrease in death rates |
| C．the industrial development |
| D．human beings’ cultural advances |
| A．it was a moral responsibility for the families to keep alive the aged people who could not work |
| B．old people were given the task of passing on the cultural wisdom of the tribe to new generations |
| C．the survival of babies was less important than that of their parents in times of starvation |
| D．death was celebrated as a time of rejoicing for an individual freed of the hardships of life |
| A．When they reach a certain age, they retire and benefit from retirement. |
| B．A minority of them remain in a state of near poverty after their retirement. |
| C．With the rising prices, they must suffer more from unbearable burdens than ever. |
| D．Many of them live on social security money which is hardly enough. |
| A．Critical. | B．Approving. |
| C．Optimistic. | D．Sympathetic. |
【推荐3】Is there a single word that motivates us more than “weekend”？ It's like the promise of a sweet hereafter following what seems like a lifetime of toil (劳累). It's the spring in our step that gets bouncier with each passing day - until by Friday, we're practically bumping our heads against the ceiling.
The trouble is that the weekend is a rip-off. You think you're getting 48 hours of unconditional downtime, but reality takes a discount. In fact, it takes most of Sunday. That's when anxiety comes creeping in and another countdown begins: 12 hours until Monday. Sure, weekend is free time. But the mounting stress of an incoming Monday can erase any joy you might get from a Sunday evening.
That feeling is so common among the Monday-to-Friday crowd, there's even more than one name for it: the Sunday Scaries, or Sunday Fear Syndrome. Going from a countdown to the weekend to a countdown to Monday can be difficult. Even Monster.com - a website that specializes in yoking humans to the Monday-to-Friday cycle -admits it's a problem. In a survey, Monster found that 76% of Americans have “really bad” Sunday night blues.
For most people, Sunday is no holiday at all. It may all come down to the same problem: We can't stop thinking about tomorrow. Even worse, we may develop some downright unhealthy coping strategies for that transition from weekends to Monday. Some might resist - staying up late, milking every minute of a fleeting Sunday in the form of mind-numbing distractions.
But why should Monday cast such a long and fearful shadow on our lives? Maybe it's because the counter is reset, and the weekend, or happiness, seems at its furthest point. If, like most of us, you have a tolerable job, but don't much like the whole idea of working, there are plenty of ways to make Mondays a little less stressful. Most importantly, don't leave any unsettled Friday business hanging over the weekend. So, clear the decks and tie up loose ends.
1. What do we know about weekend in paragraph2?| A．It is hard-earned. | B．It doesn't bring joy as expected. |
| C．It adds to people's anxiety. | D．It provides good time to relax. |
| A．To support his idea. | B．To clarify a question. |
| C．To show its popularity. | D．To provide more information. |
| A．Tolerant. | B．Conservative. |
| C．Practical. | D．Unwise. |
| A．Why Monday Takes a Bite Out of Sunday |
| B．Why People Are Stressed Out on Fridays |
| C．Why a Countdown to the Weekend Is Difficult |
| D．Why Monday Casts a Fearful Shadow on Our Lives |
Graph can be a very useful tool for conveying information especially numbers， percentages, and other data . A graph gives the reader a picture to interpret. That can be a lot more pages and pages and pages explaining the data .
Graphs can seem frightening, but reading a graph is a lot like reading a story. The graph has a title ,a main idea ,and supporting details .You can use your active reading skills to analyze and understand graphs just like any other text .
Most graphs have a few basic parts: a caption or introduction paragraph, a title , a legend or key, and labeled axes. An active reader looks at each part of the graph before trying to interpret the data. Captions will usually tell you where the data came from (for example, a scientific study of 400 African elephants from 1980 to 2005). Captions usually summarize the author's main point as well. The title is very important. It tells you the main idea of the graph by stating what kind of information is being shown. A legend, also called a key ,is a guide to the symbols and colors used in the graph. Many graphs, including bar graphs and line graphs, have two axes that form a corner, Usually these axes are the left side and the bottom of the graph .Each axis will always have a label. The label tells you what each axis measures.
Bar Graphs
A bar graph has two axes and uses bars to show amounts. In Graph 1 ,we see that the x-axis shows grades that students earned, and the y-axis shows bow many students earned each grade .You can see that 6 students earned an A because the bar for A stretches up to 6 on the vertical measurement. There is a lot of information we can get from a simple graph like this(See Graph 1).
Line Graphs
A line graph looks similar to a bar graph ,but instead of Bars, it plots points and connects them with a line .It has the same parts as a bar graph – two labeled axes –and can be read the same way .To read a line graph, it’s important to focus on the points of intersection rather than the line segments between the points, This type of graph is most commonly used to show how something changes over time.
Here is a graph that charts how far a bird flies during the first Five days of its spring migration (See Graph 2).
The unit of measurement for the x-axis is days. The unit of measurement for the y-axis is kilometers. Thus we can see that ,on the first day, the pipit flew 20 kilometers. The line segment goes up between Day 1 and Day 2,which means that the bird flew farther on Day 2.If the line segment angled dawn, as between Day 4 and Day 5,it would mean that the bird flew fewer kilometers than the day before. This line graph is a quick, visual way to tell the reader about the bird’s migration.
Pie Graphs
A typical pie graph looks like a circular pie. The circle is divided into sections, and each section represents a fraction of the data. The graph is commonly used to show percentages; the whole pie represents l00 percent, so each piece is a fraction of the whole.
A pie graph might include a legend，or it might use icons or labels within each slice. This pie graph shows on month’s expense, (See Graph 3 ).
Food $ 25
Movies $ 12
Clothing $ 36
Savings $ 20
Books $ 7
1. When used in a graph，a legend is_____
| A．a guide to the symbols and colors |
| B．an introduction paragraph |
| C．the main idea |
| D．the data |
| A．4. | B．6. | C．10. | D．20 . |
| A．Day 1 | B．Day 2 | C．Day 3 | D．Day 4 |
| A．Food. | B．Books | C．Movies | D．Clothing. |
【推荐2】Jacques-Yves Cousteau, the French explorer, once pointed out, “Population growth is the primary source of environmental damage.” Many experts are calling the growing problem of global waste a worldwide health crisis in that pollution from trash is not only harming the world’s oceans, air and soil but also endangering people’s health as well as the livelihood of all living creatures.
Reduce, reuse, recycle
Such a dilemma raises the question, is there a more responsible way of dealing with trash? Fortunately, there is. Living a zero-waste lifestyle is the way to go. One example of this is what’s often called the three R’s: reduce, reuse, recycle. Reducing the use of plastic containers as well as reusing and recycling bottles and cans decreases the amount of garbage being sent to landfills. As a result, less money is spent on waste management, and countries’ financial burdens are significantly relieved. Such positive effects on an economy is known as a circular economy.
Circular economy
Traditionally, manufacturers would make a product to be used and disposed of by consumers. This linear model of production offered no help in the fight against global waste. Alternatively, a circular economy was introduced. Once a product’s value is exhausted, the materials are recycled and returned to manufacturers. The outcome is less waste. One large-scale example of this is happening on the island of Taiwan.
4-in-1 Recycling Program
In 1997, Taiwan established its signature 4-in-1 Recycling Program, consisting of communities, recycling companies, government cleaning teams and the Recycling Fund. Residents separate their recyclable waste. The local government collection teams collect it. Recycling companies buy waste materials from them to make profits. Importers and manufacturers who are responsible for the recyclable products pay a fee into the Recycling Fund. The Recycling Fund is an essential aspect of the program used to subsidize(补贴) the recycling disposal system, support education and research and development as well as finance recycling efforts in the future.
Turning garbage into gold
By following a circular system, more products than ever are being manufactured using recycled materials. Environmentally-friendly decisions like these help to conserve natural resources, reduce pollution, save landfill space and even create new job opportunities. Recycling can truly turn garbage into gold.
1. According to the passage, the biggest challenge facing the world today is________ .| A．the rapid growth of population | B．the overdeveloped manufacture |
| C．the world’s large amount of trash | D．inappropriate use of plastic products |
| A．To save land and create wealth. |
| B．To minimize waste and restore used materials. |
| C．To support research and speed development. |
| D．To rid poor habits and encourage a new lifestyle. |
| A．Zero-Waste, Full Recycle | B．Circular Economy In Action |
| C．The World’s Recycling Companies | D．A Worldsize Environmental Crisis |
【推荐3】Can you touch your belly button (肚脐) by reaching behind your back and around your waist?
A new social trend has started in China, with thousands of netizens facing the challenge and uploading photographs of themselves to show off their bodies. Popular among many young female users on Weibo, the top, which translate as “reaching your belly button from behind to show your good figure,” was mentioned more than130 million times among Weibo users.
It not only spawned over 104,000 active discussions, but also led to concern about what means a healthy body image. “Look! It has taken me more than four hours but I’ve finally reached my belly button,” said Weibo user GayleRabbit. Another user Lucky said, “Why does my belly button suddenly look and feel completely new?”
While the trend was popular with many female users on Weibo, a photo uploaded by a male blogger caught people’s eye. “Is this pose (姿势) really that difficult? I don’t think so,” Said Weibo user Sough Sa. His photo showing he was trying to touch his belly button was shared more than 8,452 times. It also drew over 2,000 comments from other users on Weibo. “Show the skinny girls how it’s done,” said one user.
Weibo user MedicalCream Tang Zhao said, “Now you did it! So you don’t have to lose weight and please stay the same.”
“I always support failures. Now I don’t feel so bad about not being able to touch my belly button,” said another user Jacket.
“Do we need to have flexible arms or a skinny waist to pull this off?” asked Weibo user Chantilly623.
But some experts argued that China’s new belly button trend was actually distorting (歪曲) society’s standards of beauty. “These poses and pictures can be fun but sometimes they also become an expression of competitiveness,” said Jolene Tan, Programmes and Communications Senior Manager in Singapore championing women’s rights. She also told the BBC that the trend seemed to be a way of examining women’s bodies to see whether they are good enough. However, experienced body trainers say the new trend is about flexibility of the arm and the size of the waist, rather than a good figure. A skinny person with fewer muscles has a better chance of achieving the pose.
1. The underlined word “spawned” in Paragraph 4 probably means “_____________”.| A．brought about | B．put off |
| C．commented on | D．resulted from |
| A．Boys show no interest in this new trend. |
| B．GayleRabbit reached her belly button on her first try. |
| C．Sough Sa’s photo of reaching his belly button was popular online. |
| D．Jacket felt sorry for not being able to touch his belly button. |
| A．Disbelieving. | B．Uncaring. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Worried. |
