1 . Short-form videos, also known as Shorts, have gained great popularity, particularly on platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels.     1     However, there’s a growing concern that watching too many Shorts can affect children’s brains.

The phenomenon known as “TikTok Brain” arises from the app’s short and addictive videos. Similar to candy, these videos generate rapid dopamine (多巴胺) releases, stimulating the brain’s pleasure center. A study was conducted to investigate the impact of Shorts on the teenage brains.     2     They stimulated the brain’s reward centers more intensely than random videos.

Our brains process visual information faster than text, which explains why videos tend to outperform text-based content online. Due to their underdeveloped reading skills, children are more easily to become addicted to visual stimuli. Remarkably, social media platforms can do a lot harm to the development of reading habits among younger users.     3    

According to Jessica Griffin, a professor of child psychology, Shorts affect the developing brains of children and teenagers. The prefrontal cortex (前额叶皮质) is responsible for attention, self-control, memory, and learning flexibility.     4     This delayed development makes young individuals more easily influenced by Shorts.

In conclusion, the constant exposure to fast-paced and stimulating content in Shorts can impact children’s attention. To address this issue, parents can have open conversations with their children about the potential risks.     5     Furthermore, encouraging physical activities and outdoor experiences is also crucial to develop a balance d lifestyle.

A．Some even do not include text at all.

B．TikTok’s feed is created addictive by design.

C．But it does not fully mature until around the age of 25.

D．It is helpful to use screen time management tools for Shorts.

E．Short-term memory and the ability to concentrate are affected.

F．It revealed that these videos are personalized, selected and fed to users.

G．They’re brief attention-grabbing videos that can be entertaining and addictive.

2 . TikTok, the widely popular social media platform, has taken the world by storm with its short-form videos and addictive content. But did you know that there is also a Chinese version of TikTok?

The Chinese version of TikTok is called Douyin, and it has quickly become one of the most widely used apps in China. Launched in 2016 by Beijing-based tech company ByteDance, Douyin has attracted an enormous user base and reshaped the social media landscape in China.

So, how did Douyin gain such vast popularity in China?

One of the factors contributing to Douyin’s success is the large population of smartphone users in China. With over 1.4 billion people, China has a massive user base for social media platforms. Additionally, the rise in internet penetration and the availability of affordable smartphones have made it easier for people to access and use Douyin.

Douyin takes advantage of China’s culture of sharing and enjoying bite-sized content. In China. there has always been a strong demand for short-form entertainment, including popular formats like variety shows, quick comedy skits, and music videos. Douyin provides a platform for users to easily create and share short videos, allowing them to express their creativity and talent.

Douyin leverages the power of social network effects. Users can follow each other, like and comment on videos, and engage with a large community of like-minded individuals. This sense of belonging and community encourages them to spend more time on the platform.

Moreover. Douyin continuously improves its features and algorithms to enhance user experience and keep users engaged. The app uses advanced AI technology to analyze user preferences and provide personalized recommendations, ensuring that users see content that is relevant and interesting to them.

Overall, the rise of the Chinese version of TikTok, Douyin, can be attributed to a combination of factors, including the large smartphone user base, the popularity of short-form entertainment in China, social network effects, and continuous improvements in features and algorithms.

1. How is Douyin different from TikTok?

A．Its algorithms.

B．Its target groups.

C．Its user experience.

D．Its main functions.

2. Which of the following is one of the factors of Douyin’s success in China?

A．The popularity of long-form videos.

B．The low technology requirements to Douyin.

C．The large population of smartphone users.

D．The availability of different brands of mobile phones.

3. What does the underlined word “leverages” mean in Paragraph 6?

A．brings about

B．believes in

C．makes up for

D．makes full use of

4. How is the passage organized?

A．Opinion — Description — Discussion	B．Topic — Argument — Emphasis
C．Introduction — Explanations — Summary	D．Main idea — Supporting examples — Conclusion

3 . 现代社会，短视频日渐成为了生活的一部分，很多学生也沉迷其中。假如你是李华，上周你班就此现象展开了一次激烈的讨论，给你的好友Eric写信，阐述你的观点。
内容包括：1. 对此现象的看法；2. 理由。
注意：1. 词数80左右；2. 开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
参考词汇：短视频 short video
Dear Eric,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours,

Li Hua

4 . What your dinner photos on Instagram say about you

Posting pictures on Instagram is a modern day version of writing a journal: It’s all about creating a connection between ourselves, our lives, friends, family and the wider public.     1     Each day, at least 95 million posts are shared on Instagram.

    2     Some people will post photos of their pets, their holidays or their social life — but in recent years, posting photos of the food that we eat conveys to the viewer something more than the food itself.

If someone posts photos of a meal that they have just cooked, the message they’re trying to convey is that they are a capable person. For example, if someone is on a health kick, they often seek social approval. If they’ve made a really healthy meal, they will typically post it with hashtags “#” like diet or health, which tie into other people’s experiences.     3    

There is also a growing trend of people taking photos of their food when they dine out at a restaurant.     4     These Instagrammers often tag places that are considered selective or to have a certain clientele (顾客群) , like celebrities — to indicate that they’re a person of worth. It feeds into their need for social approval and is a way of boosting their own self-esteem.

If people are on a diet or trying to eat a bit better, they can use platforms like Instagram to track what they’ve been eating. It’s a way of motivating other people as well as holding themselves responsible, while subconsciously saying “    5    ”. Sharing the diet is a way of both getting attention and taking responsibility from a wider audience.

A．I am willing to take risks in my diet.

B．There are some reasons to post photos online.

C．I’m the sort of person who takes care of myself.

D．It’s the same idea as wanting to feel part of a community.

E．The types of content we choose to post hold significance.

F．It generally implies an attempt to associate with luxury and taste.

G．We have a fundamental need to be part of something bigger than ourselves.

5 . I’m a grandma in my 60s. In the spring of 2020, like the rest of the world, I spent a lot of time staring at a screen and that was when I first got into the YouTube world. I discovered that onscreen offerings were truly endless. From one YouTuber I learned how to plant my own vegetable garden. Someone else shared poetry from Robert Frost, wise sayings from Confucius, and a smattering (一知半解) of other philosophical viewpoints, all of which helped me through some dark days. Down the rabbit hole I went, scrolling for hours and hours, watching other people living their lives and giving me advice on how to live mine.

As the months rolled by, YouTube turned my attention away from the hard reality of what was going on in the world. I subscribed to several channels and waited anxiously for new weekly offerings. I watched people reading poetry or painting by streams or looking out windows into snowy landscapes. I found all this calming. Such lovely scenery, such beautiful background music, such pretty clothes they were wearing!

At some point though, I got upset by these artistic and seemingly perfect lives. Who is filming them? I wondered. Do they rehearse or just act on the spot? Isn’t it cold, stepping through snowbanks in dresses? The questions kept bothering me while forcing comparisons to my own somewhat more ordinary existence. I wanted to walk in a flowing dress through hilly green field filled with wildflowers! Instead, I was marching through my neighborhood’s city streets in mom jeans.

In a moment of insight, I realized that I had a full and happy life, which although it wouldn’t win awards for perfection onscreen, suited me perfectly. I put my phone away and started paying attention to my own life instead of watching other people live theirs. I still like checking in once in a while. YouTube can be a rich source of entertainment and inspiration, but I’ve limited my exposure. I am content with the knowledge that my addiction to life onscreen has been replaced by life itself.

1. What can be learned about the author in the spring of 2020?

A．She experienced some hard times.

B．She taught others about gardening.

C．She developed an interest in poetry.

D．She shared her philosophical views online.

2. What effect did YouTube have on the author according to paragraph 2?

A．It made her more anxious.

B．It improved her taste in art.

C．It taught her to accept reality.

D．It brought some comfort to her.

3. How did the artistic lives presented on YouTube make the author feel?

A．Desperate.

B．Connected.

C．Envious.

D．Proud.

4. What has the author decided to do in the end?

A．Seek inspiration from YouTube.

B．Stop using her phone in daily life.

C．Focus on her own life instead of others’.

D．Continue watching other people’s lives.

6 . While attending a conference on campus last spring, Cecilia Miao, Fangdi Pan, and Mupe Niu took a quick look around the room. They couldn’t help but feel disillusioned with whom they saw — or rather, whom they didn’t see.

The conference was funded by the Wisconsin China Initiative, an effort housed in the Division of International Studies and created to, among other goals, strengthen ties between the University of Wisconsin (UW) and higher education institutions in China. Yet the three Chinese natives saw an absence of American-born students at the conference — a reminder of their first days, weeks, and months on campus. Back then, they had felt unwelcome and alone, struggling to adapt to life in Wisconsin.

The three recent graduates found their own approaches to fitting in, but they are now taking action to ease the transition (过渡) for future Chinese students. Motivated by their experience at last spring’s conference, they launched Channel C, a YouTube series of talk show videos that discusses cross-cultural concerns. Their goal was to tear down the social barrier between Chinese and American students at the UW — a wall, they say, that has been put up from accumulated disinterest and stereotyping (刻板印象) by both groups.

The show’s topics range from standards of beauty, to the secret of making conversations with different people, to the initial culture shock of the campus’s party. One video — “Why Don’t Chinese Students Speak English?” — has more than 100,000 views and 400 comments. Miao, Pan, and Niu say they never expected to reach such a large audience; they are receiving feedback from undergraduates across the nation, as well as younger Chinese students who aim to study in the United States.

“I’m just hoping students at the UW can be more sensitive towards someone with an entirely different background,” Miao says. “I think that’s the goal of liberal arts education (人文教育), anyway to be able to talk to and connect with people. And that’s our goal, too.”

1. What does the underlined word “disillusioned” mean in Paragraph 1?

A．Disappointed.	B．Angry.
C．Impatient.	D．Impressed.

2. What led Miao and her two friends to start Channel C?

A．Their competence in cooperation with others.

B．Their participation in last year’s conference.

C．Their successful adapt action to life at the UW.

D．Their support for the Wisconsin China Initiative.

3. Which of the following best describes Channel C?

A．Creative.	B．Inspiring.
C．Ambitious.	D．Successful.

4. How can the social barrier be torn down according to Miao?

A．By receiving liberal arts education.	B．By improving their language skills.
C．By reaching out with an open mind.	D．By following the talk show Channel.

8 . The Chinese version of TikTok, Douyin, is introducing a “teenage mode” that will limit the amount of time to 40 minutes a day for children under the age of 14 who spend on the short-form video app. It will also be unavailable to those users between 10 p. m. and 6 a. m. The measures will apply to all Douyin users under the age of 14 who have registered using their real names, its company announced in a statement on Saturday.

The company also encourages parents to help their children use real names, or they can set the “teenage mode”. The app will also introduce new content, ranging from science experiments and museums to art exhibition and natural scenery, to inspire younger teens.

Experts remark that limiting the usage of Douyin is an active measure which is of great benefit to minors (未成年人). The decision will push other Internet platforms with short videos to consider setting similar limits. Self-management and voluntary change of the platforms can make them more socially responsible.

Douyin had at least 490 million users in November 2020, according to a media research firm. The Chinese government control the large amount of time minors spend on their services. In June, China changed the Minor Protection Law, which requires Internet service providers —including social media apps—to “set up corresponding (相关的) functions such as time management, content restriction and consumption limits for minors.”

Last month, China prevented online gamers under the age of 18 from playing on weekdays and limited their play to just three hours most weekends. A series of measures have been taken to further ensure the safety of businesses focused on the next generation, from a heavy hit on after-school classes to rules for online gaming and videos.

1. What will the company of Douyin do with its teenage mode?

A．Limit the time for children to use Douyin.

B．Encourage parents to use their real names.

C．Allow children to use Douyin after 10 p. m.

D．Attract more children to watch online videos.

2. Which opinion will the experts agree with probably?

A．Limiting usage of Douyin is of little significance.

B．The measures won’t have effects on other platforms.

C．The self-management of the Internet platforms is enough.

D．The Internet platforms should take more responsibilities.

3. What can we infer about tech companies from paragraph 4?

A．They wanted to take the place of Douyin.

B．Their business should follow the new law.

C．They refused to set up corresponding function.

D．Their influence was discovered by media research firms.

4. What’s the main purpose of the government’s measures?

A．To encourage online games.	B．To protect the next generation.
C．To develop advanced technology.	D．To reduce the kids’ learning pressure.