Nowadays we feel that we have become dependent on our computers, mobile phones and other media, and that we need these things to think and act creatively. But a recent study seems to indicate that the best thing we might be able to do for our creativity is to leave all of these high-tech (高科技) toys at home and just take a walk in the woods.
In the study, David L. Strayer and his fellow researchers worked with 30 men and 26 women who were about to go on a four-day hike, during which they would be taken away from all of the creative toys mentioned above. Before the hike began, Strayer gave the participants (参与者) a standardized Remote Associates Test, which is often used to test creativity and creative problem-solving abilities. After the hike, they were given the test again. The result showed that there was a 50% improvement in the participants’ creative problem-solving abilities. As Strayer says, “This is a great effect.”
This study is the first to document systematic changes in higher-level cognitive (认知的) function connected with entering nature. The researchers suggest that the effect nature seems to have on improving creative thinking is due to the lack of distractions (分心的事) in the natural environment — there are no ringing phones, noisy computers, etc. Other studies have shown that the colour green — the colour of much of nature — is felt by the brain as relaxing, and that increased relaxation may be one of the factors that improve creativity.
None of this is exactly news. The benefits of nature for the mind have been known for centuries. The philosopher and author Henry David Thoreau spoke eloquently (富于表现力地) about the two years he spent in the countryside. The experience certainly seemed to develop his creativity — he went on to write almost 50 books. Given this recent study, it looks as if his advice in Walden to “simplify, simplify, simplify” is good — if you want to relax your mind and make it become more creative, take a walk in the woods, and leave your cellphone behind.
1. What can we learn from the passage?| A．High-tech toys are useless for creativity. |
| B．There is much news about nature’s effect on human mind. |
| C．Participants were asked not to take their cellphones during the hike. |
| D．Strayer’s study is the first to deal with nature’s effect on creativity. |
| A．The colour green. |
| B．Feeling relaxed in nature. |
| C．The silence in the natural environment. |
| D．Learning more knowledge about nature. |
| A．live a simple life |
| B．throw away their high-tech toys |
| C．take a walk in the woods every day |
| D．live in the countryside rather than the city |
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【推荐1】The coronavirus has been a catalyst for change in many areas of our lives. As things return to normal, one thing that is likely to remain for many is the practice of working from home, known as telecommuting.
Much like the cloud classroom, the cloud office enables employees to cooperate, access resources and operate software from any location. Without doubt, communication tools play an important role. Video and voice chat allow a team, regardless of location, to work together as if they're in the same office.
The rise of telecommuting is due in part to time-tracking applications and software that allows employers to monitor productivity. Wechat Work and Work Examiner are all popular options that have been adopted by thousands of companies. These tools make employers feel secure that remote workers are staying on task. As an increasingly popular approach to work, the objective of the cloud office is to find the ideal balance between home and office work.
According to CNBC, a study showed that 85 percent of millennials（千禧一代）preferred working from home as it gives them a healthier work-life balance, flexible hours and more autonomy. It also showed that firms could save $ 11,000per person each year by allowing employees to work from home.
However, not everyone sees this revolution as positive. According to Bloomberg, in a survey of 1,001 US workers, 45 percent felt burnt out due to the increased workload, decreased communication and the requirement to juggle（兼顾）professional and personal life.
There has indeed been a mixed reaction to the move amid the pandemic.
It's believed that it will become more manageable once lockdown measures are fully lifted worldwide. And by then, who knows what tasks we could all achieve from the comfort of our sofas?
1. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word in the first paragraph?| A．disaster. | B．motivation. |
| C．cause. | D．disease. |
| A．Employers hold different opinions towards telecommuting. |
| B．The purpose of working from home is to help achieve work-life balance. |
| C．Working from home can help employers spend less on human resources. |
| D．Software that enables workers to monitor work gains increasing popularity. |
| A．Positive. | B．Negative. |
| C．Neutral. | D．Unclear. |
【推荐2】Teenagers who spend more than three hours a day on social media may have double the risk of mental health problems as those who shun it, research suggests. The study of more than 6,000 children aged 12 to 15 found those who used social media more heavily were more likely to report issues such as depression, anxiety and loneliness, as well as aggression and anti-social behavior, than teenagers who did not use social media. The findings held true even when researchers took into account mental health problems experienced by any young person in the year before they used social media. The recent research, from a team at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Maryland, was published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.
Some previous studies have suggested no link between poorer mental health and screen time. Dr. Rina Dutta, senior clinical lecturer at King’s College London, said, “A major strength of this study compared to previous research is that the researchers take into account mental health problems the young people already had a year prior to the measurement of social media use. This largely overcomes the ‘what came first—mental health problem or high social media use?’ question.”
Lead author Kira Riehm said, “Many existing studies have found a link between digital or social media use and adolescent health, but few look at this association across time. We cannot conclude that social media causes mental health problems, but we do think that less time on social media may be better for teens’ health.”
The study found that fewer than 17 percent of adolescents did not use social media. Of those who did, 32 percent spent less than 30 minutes a day, 31 percent spent 30 minutes to three hours, 12 percent spent three to six hours and 8 percent spent more than six hours per day.
Ms. Riehm said, “Social media has the ability to connect adolescents who may be excluded in their daily life. We need to find a better way to balance the benefits of social media with possible negative health outcomes.”
1. What does the underlined word “shun” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Slightly hate. | B．Are doubtful about. | C．Are crazy about. | D．Avoid on purpose. |
| A．People from all walks of life were involved. |
| B．It allowed for previous mental health problems. |
| C．Advanced equipment was used to measure screen time. |
| D．It is the first to find the existence of the link. |
| A．academic performance | B．mental health problems |
| C．social media use | D．social skills |
| A．We should use social media in our favour. |
| B．Importance should be attached to mental health problems. |
| C．More related researches should be carried out. |
| D．Teenagers should get more engaged in their daily life. |
【推荐3】Michelle Phan says she had to quit making her popular “makeup and beauty” YouTube videos because she was burned out.
“It became harder and harder for me to pretend to be happy,” she says. “And I had become unpleasant with my relationships and friendships. I was on the edge of collapse.”
As a so-called social media influencer or creator, she says she needed time off from the constant pressure to upload ever more content, and try to chase (追求) more and more views and likes.
But what exactly is a social media influencer?
There is no hard and fast definition, but in essence it is someone who has enough followers on social media, and typically YouTube, Instagram or TikTok, that they can change it into money.
The income comes from two main sources—a share of the advertising revenue (收入), and deals with companies to promote their bands.
While there is potentially big money to be made, Ms. Phan says that creators “need to know when to draw the line, and take care of themselves” rather than post all the time.
This concern is echoed by media analyst Rebecca McGrath, of research firm Mintel, who says that some influencers are trying to chase revenues so much that they post “even if they don’t have anything new to create or say”.
Ms. Phan also warns that you have to be able to deal with online trolls writing horrible things below your videos. “You’re also exposed to hateful comments, which I think people aren’t prepared for.”
Despite the downsides to being an influencer—the need to always put up more videos or posts, and the likely online abuse—a great many people would like to be one. It can be a fun and profitable way to earn a living.
Yet psychologist Stuart Duff of Pearn Kandola warns that you need a certain personality to hope to be successful at it
“Successful influencers will relate to others, tell great stories, have a strong, unique brand, and stick to the message. They will have great passion for what they want to say, and always seem to know what their audience wants to hear.”
1. Why did Michelle Phan stop putting up more videos?| A．Her videos were not as popular. | B．She became the envy of friends. |
| C．She was in poor physical health. | D．She felt like running out of ideas. |
| A．Influencers make potentially big money. |
| B．Influencers go too far in chasing revenues. |
| C．Influencers often suffer from poor health. |
| D．Influencers are always posting new content. |
| A．A successful influencer should be passionate and empathetic. |
| B．A social media influencer refers to the person who has many fans. |
| C．Exposure to online game violence discourages some influencers. |
| D．Influencers make money mainly by advertising and running companies. |
| A．How one can make a successful influencer. |
| B．Why Ms. Phan quit being an influencer. |
| C．Pressures and rewards of being an influencer. |
| D．Warnings against pursuing instant wealth. |
【推荐1】Plastic fishing nets, the so-called ghost nets, abandoned yearly in the sea—about 1 million tons—are more than just rubbish; they’re a killer. Fish, sea birds, and turtles get caught in the netting and die, with more species at risk.
Much shocked at this, Pranveer Singh Rathore, a materials-science engineer and materials R&D manager at Samsung, and his team set themselves the task of giving new life to the deadly nets. Last month, Samsung revealed a new line of Galaxy products made in part from recycled plastic fishing nets for the first time. The company estimates this year alone it can recycle over 50 tons of ocean-bound plastic into the key components that will go into its smartphones, tablets, and computers, thus taking a bite out of the global ghost nets problem.
It’s no small task to give waste fishing nets a second act. The nets are typically made of a substance called nylon which tends to dramatically degrade (降解) the longer it sits in the ocean and is exposed to the sun. “This makes it nearly impossible to use abandoned fishing nets directly,” Rathore explains. Besides, high-performance smartphone, tablet, or PC has to be waterproof and can survive severe weather. The nylon in the fishing nets falls far short of that level of durability (耐用).
To deal with that problem, Samsung last summer teamed up with two partners: one to collect and transform the nets into tiny nylon pellets (颗粒) while the other to strengthen their toughness and durability. The end result: The partners hit upon an eco-friendly and high-performance plastic material that’s being used to build the component parts for its latest line of products. For example, two parts of the Galaxy S22 mobile phone—the key bracket and the inner cover—are made of these fishing-net plastic materials. Samsung aims to use even more upcycled materials in future product lines.
“That’s the hope for the globe and our mission,” Rathore smiles.
1. What does the underlined word “this” in paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Rubbish in the sea. | B．Recycling the deadly nets. |
| C．Ocean species’ extinction. | D．Ghost nets’ threat to sea life. |
| A．The low level of durability of nylon. | B．The second act of waste fishing nets. |
| C．The great difficulty in reusing ghost nets. | D．The positive comment on Samsung’s products. |
| A．They are made from tiny nylon pellets. | B．They put an end to the problem of fishing nets. |
| C．They can stand up to water and severe weather. | D．They contain materials recycled from ghost nets. |
| A．It makes plastic easier to break down. | B．It marks the shift of Samsung’s mission. |
| C．It protects the planet from choking on plastic. | D．It raises public awareness of ocean exploration. |
【推荐2】Harry is a vehicle called a pod—in other words, something like a car. But Harry has no steering wheel or brake pedal. Harry does not even have a driver. Yet Harry is carrying passengers around London for the next few weeks.
Harry is part of an experiment called GATEway that is testing how people react to driverless vehicles. The name GATEway is short for Greenwich Automated Transport Environment. The experiment aims to help cities prepare for the future of transportation. The GATEway experiment does not test new technology. Instead, it tests the way existing technology can work in society.
The pod operates in an area of London called Greenwich, home of time and navigation museums. Other places where pods will be tested are Coventry, Milton, Keynes and Bristol. The pods run using sensors and a 3D map of the area. A safety operator rides along to take control in case of an emergency.
GATEway is intended to see how pedestrians and cyclists may adapt to driverless vehicles. Harry holds up to four people (three passengers and a safety operator) and can travel at speeds up to 16km/h. It is being tested in Greenwich on pedestrian paths, but not on roads with other vehicles.
If you are in Greenwich during the next few weeks you may see Harry, but you cannot ride in it during the trial. Over 5,000 people applied to be a passenger in Harry but only about 100 were chosen.
You can, however, ride in a similar pod at Heathrow Airport in London. The Heathrow pods run on tracks so they are not being tested with pedestrians, cyclists or other drivers. If the trials are successful, the first pods could be operational on the roads of the UK in 2020.
1. What’s the purpose of the GATEway?| A．To settle traffic problems in cities. |
| B．To test a new transportation technology. |
| C．To prepare cities for future transportation. |
| D．To draw people’s interest in transportation. |
| A．The passengers will help. |
| B．It will deal with it by itself. |
| C．An accident will take place. |
| D．A human driver will take it over. |
| A．To test the response of people walking or on a bike. |
| B．To avoid disturbing other vehicles on the street. |
| C．To prevent it from running at a high speed. |
| D．To watch pedestrians and cyclists go safely. |
| A．Fearful. | B．Positive. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Grateful. |
【推荐3】Many European countries have been making the shift to electric vehicles and Germany has just stated that they plan to ban the sale of vehicles using gasoline and diesel as fuel by 2030.
The country is also planning to reduce its carbon footprint by 80-95% by 2050, sparking a shift to green energy in the country. Effectively, the ban will include the registration of new cars in the country as they will not allow any gasoline powered vehicle to be registered after 2030. Part of the reason why this ban is being discussed and carried out is that energy officials see that they will not reach their emissions （排放） goals by 2050 if they do not reduce a large portion of vehicle emissions.
The country is still hopeful that it will meet its emissions goals, like reducing emissions by 40% by 2020, but the acceptance of electric cars in the country has not occurred as fast as expected. Other efforts to increase the use of electric vehicles include plans to build over 1 million hybrid （混合的） and electric car battery charging stations across the country. By 2030, Germany plans on having over 6 million charging stations installed.
According to the International Business Times, electric car sales are expected to increase as Volkswagen is still recovering from its emissions scandal. There are currently around 155,000 registered hybrid and electric vehicles on German roads, dwarfed （使相形见绌） by the 45 million gasoline and diesel cars driving there now.
As countries continue setting goals of reducing emissions, greater steps need to be taken to have a noticeable effect on the surrounding environment. While the efforts are certainly not in vain, the results of such bans will likely only start to be seen by generations down the line, bettering the world for the future.
1. The ban is under discussion and in effect partly because .| A．Germans don’t accept electric cars. |
| B．vehicle emissions won’t be got rid of. |
| C．vehicle emissions prevent emissions goals being reached. |
| D．Electric cars may slow down Germany’s economic growth. |
| A．Gasoline powered vehicle can’t be registered. |
| B．New cars won’t be allowed to be registered. |
| C．Diesel powered vehicle can't be registered. |
| D．Gasoline powered vehicle won’t be allowed to drive. |
| A．impossible | B．promising | C．impractical | D．unpredictable |
| A．The development of industry | B．Germany shifts toward green energy |
| C．Environmental protection in Germany | D．The ban on the driving of gasoline vehicles |
