1 . Social media is taking over our lives: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and now, TikTok. These social media platforms have changed from a way to stay connected to an industry where even kids can make money off their posts. While this may seem like another opportunistic innovation, it’s really full of hidden false realities.
The median income (中位收入) recorded in the United States of American was about $63,000 in 2018. TikTokers can make anywhere from $50,000 to $150,000 for a TikTok brand partnership, and TikTokers with over a million followers can make up to $30,000 a month—$360,000 a year. They are making more than the average person simply by posting a 15-second video.
This is mad in more ways than one. Not only is it an overpaid “job”, it promotes a false sense of reality. Many of these famous TikTokers are still teens and the effects of fame at such an early stage in life might cause issues later in life, such as mental illness. Teens between the ages of 13 and 17 make up 27% of TikTok viewers, who can be easily influenced by what they are watching. They can put a false sense of self-value into who they look up to and what they represent: money, fame, being considered conventionally attractive.
While TikTok has become a great tool for marketing, it’s important to understand how this content affects young viewers. If we’re constantly consuming content that shows us all we need to do to be successful is be conventionally attractive and post a 15-second video featuring a new dance, it will challenge our knowledge of what really makes someone successful and will in turn affect our individual work ethnics (伦理).
Richard Colyer, president and creator of Metaphor, Inc, had his own view on this issue. “It sounds great that kids can make money for doing the latest dance moves in a 15-second video, but we should feed the minds of kids and not just their bank accounts. TikTok can be great if used properly. Money alone is not good; technology alone is not good and connectedness can be bad if it is only online.”
Again, as a fellow consumer of TikTok, I do enjoy the app when I have some time to kill and need a good laugh. I’m not against someone making a living on entertainment, but what does getting famous off of a 15-second video teach young people?
1. What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Social networking. | B．Making money on social media. |
| C．A job offered by TikTok. | D．Staying connected to the Internet. |
| A．They tend to live an adult life too soon. |
| B．They are forced to pay for certain services. |
| C．They are likely to develop false values. |
| D．They may stop believing other social media. |
| A．TikTok can be a positive influence if teens make good use of it. |
| B．Young TikTokers should be banned from making money. |
| C．It is better to involve education on investment in TikTok videos. |
| D．Contents of videos need checking before their release online. |
| A．Positive. | B．Favorable. | C．Negative. | D．Cautious. |
注意：1. 写作词数应为80左右；
2. 请按如下格式作答。
Should English stay or go?
While some people advocate that English be excluded from the college entrance examination,
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Chinese Teachers’ Day is the very festival
The history of Chinese Teachers’ Day dates back to the Han Dynasty. During the Han and Jin dynasties, on August 27 each year, the birthday of Confucius,
With local officials or the emperor
Until the Qing Dynasty, the sacrificial ceremony, on August 27, was of
4 . Actor Anthony Anderson has realized a dream 30 years in the making. The 51-year-old
Anderson finished his junior year at Howard 30 years ago.
“This spring I was
| A．took | B．received | C．deserved | D．held |
| A．cause | B．give | C．describe | D．hide |
| A．completion | B．identity | C．purpose | D．belonging |
| A．In terms of | B．With regard to | C．On account of | D．By comparison with |
| A．reward | B．favor | C．job | D．break |
| A．fortune | B．promotion | C．living | D．reputation |
| A．took off | B．started over | C．slowed down | D．pulled up |
| A．director | B．leader | C．singer | D．hit |
| A．confused | B．upset | C．anxious | D．regretful |
| A．assistance | B．admission | C．invitation | D．permission |
| A．willing | B．cautious | C．determined | D．satisfied |
| A．gradually | B．eventually | C．obviously | D．temporarily |
| A．milestone | B．award | C．dreamland | D．wonder |
| A．warned | B．begged | C．commanded | D．reminded |
| A．record | B．acquire | C．further | D．finish |
5 . In Russia, guests almost receive a warm welcome. People in the country go out of their way to make sure visitors have everything. In ancient Russia, bread and salt symbolized boom and health, so hosts would put on their best clothes and offer bread together with salt to their guests.
Today, there is no shortage of salt in the world.
According to tradition, guests are greeted by ladies in national costumes with a large round loaf on a towel with a salt shaker on top. The guests should carefully break off a piece of the bread, dip it in the salt and eat.
In today’s Russia, this tradition is still popular. It can be witnessed during official receptions, as well as in restaurants prepared for foreign tourists.
| A．It was believed this gesture expressed rudeness. |
| B．Bread in Russia culture is considered an important thing. |
| C．Most often you can see this at traditional Russian weddings. |
| D．Many foreigners visiting Russia have come across a strange welcome. |
| E．This signals that a friendship has been formed between the two parties. |
| F．But in ancient Russia, it was rather expensive and not everyone could afford it. |
| G．That’s why Russians kept it for special occasions, like when they received guests. |
6 . We are living in an age in which data is strongly favored, especially when it’s reported in the media. “Big Data” is considered even more reliable as it consists of very large amounts of information. Percentiles are considered hard evidence, even if the conclusions drawn from the data don’t mean a whole lot. For example, “40 percent of adults say they use Instagram and about three in ten report using Pinterest or LinkedIn,” a Pew Research Center survey reported in April 2021. Is that a lot or a little? I don’t know, but the numbers are seemingly presented as being significant in some way.
Meanwhile, unless an argument is “data-based”, it is considered flimsy. One might repeatedly see something with his/her own eyes, but ironically (讽刺地), in this era of data, it matters little. Observations and any conclusions drawn, even by experts in a relevant field, have been downgraded to “personal perspectives”, even though they are based on real, documented behavior.
In short, if something is published in a journal with quantitative support, it carries much weight. If a cultural anthropologist (人类学家) with a Ph.D. reports a particular trend from field research, however, it is considered a short amusing story that may complement the “real” data-based studies. People want to know the “sample size” of cultural research, not understanding that valuable insights into human behavior can be gained without metrics (度量学) and analytics.
The many weaknesses associated with quantitative research should not be ignored, either. There are numerous ways to design a study and gather findings, each one likely to produce different results. The move to online research has made findings much more questionable, as nothing got from the Internet should be taken too seriously. Besides, how questions are both asked and answered is highly subjective and dependent on many variables.
Why do we love data so much? Words are imprecise and have multiple meanings, while numbers are precise and definitive, a big reason why we put so much faith and trust in data regardless of its source. To legitimize (证明……有理) this post, note that 88.6 percent of what I’ve said is true.
1. What does the author think of the 2021 survey reported by the Pew Research Center?| A．It leads to some confusion. | B．It has much scientific value. |
| C．It impresses him with the numbers. | D．It contains some factual inaccuracies. |
| A．Professional. | B．Interesting. | C．Unfriendly. | D．Unpersuasive. |
| A．The practicality of online research. |
| B．The disadvantages of quantitative research. |
| C．The widespread popularity of online research. |
| D．The significance of quantitative research findings. |
| A．By writing ironically. | B．By referring to experts. |
| C．By providing a solution. | D．By making a prediction. |
7 . It was the dead of winter when Dad told me that he found a delicate small bag in the snow on his way out of a doctor’s appointment. “It was filled with seeds, so I planted them in pots in the living room window that gets such great light.” Dad was excited to have a planting project in the winter. He missed tending his garden plot, which was the size of a small farm.
I now lived out of state, but Dad reported in his daily phone calls, “These plants seem to double in size overnight. It’s only been a few weeks, and they are almost touching the ceiling.” Since Dad had green fingers, I wasn’t surprised about that. I couldn’t imagine what plant would do so well. I knew photos would not come soon because Dad had to use up the film in his camera and then developed the pictures.
During one call, Dad said, “Today at work, one of my co-workers was wearing a T-shirt with a screen-printed picture of the same leaf as my mysterious houseplants. I told him that I had those same herbs, which were growing like weeds, and I had to get rid of them.” Dad continued, “He eagerly took them off my hands, and now I can see out the window again.”
This awakened my curiosity, and I decided to do some research. In those days, that meant going to the library’s reference section. I did some reading and photocopied some articles. I mailed them to my father.
Dad called, “I just couldn’t believe what I read in the papers you sent. Those pictures are exactly what my plants looked like. No wonder my co-worker was so willing to take them.”
We both laughed till we cried when we realized my father had just raised a harvest of precious Chinese herbs used to ease pain.
1. Why did Dad plant the seeds?| A．Because it was the doctor’s advice. |
| B．Because he had a small farm at home. |
| C．Because it satisfied his eagerness for gardening. |
| D．Because the seeds would bring him rich rewards. |
| A．Dad’s gardening talents. |
| B．The herbs’ growing quickly. |
| C．Dad’s efforts to tend the seeds. |
| D．A planting project in the winter. |
| A．He had little interest in the plants. |
| B．He recognized the value of the plants. |
| C．He desired to learn from the author’s dad. |
| D．He wanted to show his knowledge about plants. |
| A．Seed catcher | B．Window scenery | C．Helpful co-worker | D．Innocent gardener |
“Go back, Mom! Go back!” shouted my six-year-old daughter, June. I quickly turned around to cast my doubtful eyes on the backseat. worried. I had forgotten her younger sister, Scarlett. I was relieved to see the girls safe and sit in their car seats. but June’s expression was one of pure anxiety.
As I looked back from the driver’s seat, I found a young man in rags playing his guitar. His skinny, poor-looking dog rested next to his feet near an old, worn cardboard sign that read, “Homeless, please help.” We’d come across homeless people before and had talked about their needs and struggles. I should seize the chance to set a good example for my daughters to give a helping hand. So I searched for some cash, only to find I had nothing but credit cards. So I told June I didn’t have any cash. To my surprise, June opened her little pink purse and offered to give him a five-dollar bill, I responded with a sigh of relief, “Oh good. I’ll pay you back when we get home.” “No, Mom. I don’t want you to pay me back. I want to help him and give him my money.” she replied.
As we drove down the crowded rows of the parking lot, I told her that we would get to him. When we got there, I called out. “Excuse me. sir!” He cautiously walked toward our car and answered, “Yes ma’am?” June stretched out her entire body to hand him her five-dollar bill through the window and explained, “I want you to have this.” He smiled and hesitatingly asked, “This was your money?” “Yes! I want you to have it,” she proudly answered. “Thank you,” he said, touched by her thoughtfulness.
We exchanged a smile, and as we drove away, my younger daughter Scarlett began to cry. I noticed that she had emptied her purse with two quarters in her tiny hands and insisted on giving all her money to the young man.
注意
1．续写词数应为150左右;
2．请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1:
I had no choice but to turn around.
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Paragraph 2:
The gentleman tightly held the coins in his dirt-stained hand.
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1．跑步的益处；
2．自己的跑步体验；
3．呼吁大家投入体育运动。
注意：
1．词数80左右；
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Hello, everyone!
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Thanks for listening!
China has the
The improved
