1 . Have you ever heard about Black Friday and Cyber Monday? Surely, they are all about finding the best deals on holiday gifts for yourself and family members. And have you heard about GivingTuesday? Here is something about it!
GivingTuesday is observed annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, which encourages people to help those in need by making financial donations or doing good in their local community. The “Global Day of Giving” was started in 2012 by New York City nonprofit 92nd Street Y and the United Nations Foundation.
Unlike Black Friday, GivingTuesday serves a more altruistic purpose. In its first year, the movement brought in almost $10 million for charities, and things have only improved since. In 2019, many GivingTuesday social media campaigns worldwide helped raise an amazing $ 1.9 billion from 27 million donors! Over the past five years, many higher education institutions have also been using the Tuesday after Thanksgiving to ask alumni for donations. In 2019, the University of Michigan, which calls it Blueday, received 5887 gifts totaling over $4 million, while Pennsylvania State University raised $710 000 to benefit over 85 University programs.
Though donating money certainly helps, there are many other ways to support the great cause, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can video tutor kids struggling with online learning, or team up with an adult to get groceries or medications for an elderly neighbor. Alternatively, call on your peers to help you with a service project that addresses an issue close to your heart, or pick one from the several ideas suggested on the GivingTuesday website. You can also donate your gently-used clothes and toys to local shelters, or mail a handwritten note to a grandparent or a friend you miss seeing.
What are you going to do to make a positive difference in your community on GivingTuesday? Let us know by adding your comments below!
1. Why does the author mention Black Friday and Cyber Monday in Paragraph 1?| A．To make a comparison. | B．To lead to the topic. |
| C．To arouse readers’ interest. | D．To express his doubt. |
| A．To promote the development of economy. | B．To attract people to buy more holiday gifts. |
| C．To call on more universities to donate money. | D．To encourage people to help those in need. |
| A．Selfless. | B．General. | C．Specific. | D．Complex. |
| A．Where people can offer their kind help. | B．What people can do on GivingTuesday. |
| C．How people can stay safe during COVID-19. | D．Why people need to support the great cause. |
2 . While flatmates can bring about stress and difficulty, they can also be great company and develop into wonderful, lifelong friends. Before making the decision to live with a flatmate or to live alone, consider carefully all the accompanying advantages and disadvantages.
Most people join forces with a flatmate primarily due to financial problem. A shared living space also means you're responsible for only half of the rent or shared bills. Additionally, when you're splitting costs, you can afford a better apartment than you could alone. However, money can become a point of argument for flatmates as well. If your flatmate gets laid off or quits his job, you may have to pick up his bill until he's back on his feet. Your flatmate may also insist he owe less because he doesn't use the shower too often.
In addition to bills and the rent, flatmates also typically share responsibility for unpleasant tasks, such as cleaning or doing the dishes. Without a flatmate, cleaning and tidying responsibilities are yours alone. However, flatmates also frequently end up sharing plenty of other things many people would rather not: use of the TV, the bathroom, food and even clothing, for example. You may have to wake up earlier than you'd like to get a hot shower before work or give up watching your favorite show because your flatmate beat you to it.
When you live alone, you get to determine the terms of your social life, and you go home to an empty house or apartment at the end of the day. That can be preferable if you're a serious student or professional, someone who needs to work and rest in the quiet of an apartment. With a flatmate, there are unexpected guests and your social options can expand sharply. Keep in mind, however, that having a flatmate means that he may feel social when you do not, and you may have to deal with wanted house guests.
1. What's the main reason for most people to share a flat?| A．Ensuring safety. | B．Saving money. |
| C．Sharing housework. | D．Reducing loneliness. |
| A．He likes a peaceful life. |
| B．He has excellent social manners. |
| C．He keeps everything in the room tidy. |
| D．He often turns away unexpected guests. |
| A．By describing the process. | B．By stating an argument. |
| C．By making comparisons. | D．By analyzing the outcome. |
| A．Buying a Flat or Sharing One? |
| B．The Reasons for Sharing a Flat. |
| C．How to Share a Flat with a Flatmate? |
| D．The Advantages and Disadvantages of Flatsharing. |
3 . Facebook's recent acknowledgment that social media may be making its users feel bad in some cases is a significant milestone. So far, the technology industry hardly has talked about the downsides of their products.
Academic research in a Facebook blog post in December documented that when people spend a lot of time passively consuming information, they feel worse. For example, clicking or liking too many links and posts can have a negative effect on mental health. Some researchers also believe that reading rosy stones about others leads to negative comparisons about one's life and that being online too much reduces in-person socializing. Social media may well be making many of us unhappy, jealous and anti-social. Although Facebook said that, as a result of the assessments, it would make some changes to its platform. It also highlighted some of the benefits of using the social network. It explained that “sharing messages, posts and comments with close friends and recalling about past interactions” can make people feel better. “The research and other academic literature suggest that it’s how you use social media that matters when it comes to your well-being,” Facebook said.
But that approach doesn’t seem to be an effective solution for those who can’t pull themselves away from such platforms. The Pew Research Center estimates that 24 percent of teens go online “almost constantly”. It is becoming a matter of addiction.
We need to be aware of what we are up against. Remember when we would just pick up the phone and call someone rather than email them and create greater misunderstandings. This may be an old-fashioned choice, but the right one. And maybe we should just turn away from our screens sometimes and meet our friends and family in person.
1. Why is Facebook’s acknowledgement considered as a milestone?| A．The acknowledgement has drawn a wide public attention. |
| B．Facebook has come to admit their products' negative effects. |
| C．The technology industry has made progress in mass production. |
| D．The technology industry have never brought bad feelings to users. |
| A．Socializing in person. |
| B．Reading others’ rosy stories. |
| C．Liking your friends’ links and posts. |
| D．Sharing messages with close friends. |
| A．Subjective. |
| B．Approval. |
| C．Acceptable. |
| D．Unsatisfied. |
| A．How to Use Social Media |
| B．Acknowledgement from Facebook |
| C．Off Screens Whether Change Or Not |
| D．Gap Between Real Life and Network. Life |
