1 . While the benefits of Zoom and other videoconferencing tools made them absolutely essential in the pandemic (疫情), the research suggests that heavy reliance on the technology comes at a cost to creative thinking.
Brucks at Columbia University and her team started their investigation when managers reported having trouble innovating with remote workers. Brucks doubted whether videoconferencing was a factor, suspecting that difficulties coordinating (协调) large, global teams online might be to blame instead.
To find out, the researchers analysed ideas for new products generated by 1,490 engineers for a multinational company. The engineers, who were in Finland, Hungary, India, Israel and Portugal, were randomly paired up and given an hour or so to brainstorm products either in person or over videoconferencing. They then selected their best idea.
Writing in Nature, the researchers report that the engineers produced more ideas, and more innovative ideas, when working face to face. “They are not only generating a larger number of creative ideas, but their best idea is better,” Brucks said. Virtual teams were just as good at selecting the best ideas from a bunch as those that met in person.
“Visual focus is a huge component of cognitive (认知) focus. When you’re focused on the screen and ignoring the rest of the environment, that affects how you approach the task,” said Brucks. “It’s uniquely bad for creativity because it’s inhibiting broader exploration.”
Brucks said the impact on the real world “could be huge”, leading to a division of labour between face-to-face and virtual meetings that could “permanently reshape the office and work schedules”. But she urged businesses to be cautious, because if virtual meetings are cheaper than in-person ones, they may still be more cost-effective.
Asked for tips, Brucks said people could save more creative tasks for in-person meetings, or turn off their camera when coming up with ideas. “I think it unlocks more creative thinking,” she said.
1. Why did Brucks conduct the research?A.To prove her assumption. | B.To clarify a new concept. | C.To make a comparison. | D.To explain a rule. |
A.Face-to-face gatherings promote cross-culture ties. | B.Workers think less creatively in virtual meetings. |
C.Individual work generates more innovative ideas. | D.Videoconferencing has an irreplaceable role. |
A.Encouraging. | B.Requiring. | C.Beginning. | D.Preventing. |
A.They should be used accordingly. | B.They’ll make office workers divided. |
C.They’ll give way to in-person meetings. | D.They help businesses run more efficiently. |
2 . Digital citizenship
Everyone’s talking about ‘digital citizenship’, but what is it?
Stay safe
To stay safe, never give your personal information online, such as your address or the name of your school. Make sure that you create strong, secure passwords and keep them secret. Don’t tell your friends your passwords.
Just like in real life, it’s important to behave well online. For example, if you want to post a photo of someone, make sure you ask for their permission first. Remember that everybody can have their own opinion. It’s OK to disagree, but always be polite!
Be kind
Before you post a comment online, stop and think. Is it positive? How will your words make someone feel?
Be careful
Don’t trust everyone or everything online.
Spending time and learning online can be great if we’re good digital citizens. So, be safe, be responsible and have fun!
A.Keep modest |
B.Show respect |
C.Even they are familiar to you |
D.Here are some ways to be safe and responsible online |
E.We use the word ‘digital’ to talk about computer technology |
F.Don’t say something online that you wouldn’t say in real life |
G.Remember that people online are not always who they say they are |
3 . Imagine having the opportunity to sing together with hundreds of other people while you are at home alone. You can do this in a virtual choir. Virtual choir members record themselves while they perform alone on video. These videos are uploaded onto the Internet, and then they are put together into one video that you can see online—a virtual choir. Anyone can take part in a virtual choir from anywhere—all you need is a video camera and an Internet connection. A virtual choir enables people to add their voices to those of other individuals and become part of the global community. It has proved to be a positive influence on the lives of many people.
The virtual choir was the idea of award-winning composer and conductor Eric Whitacre. He fell in love with Mozart’s classical music when he sang for the university choir. Moved by this music, he said, “It was like seeing color for the first time.“ Over ten years after his graduation, Whitacre’s original compositions began to become quite popular among choirs and singers. This led to the creation of the virtual choir.
In 2009,Whitacre received a video of a girl who was singing one of his works. Inspired, he asked his fans to make videos, which he then joined together into one performance. His first virtual choir, “Lux Aurumque”, had 198 singers from 12 different countries. It has received millions of views on the Internet. Since then, the virtual choir has become a worldwide phenomenon. Whitacre’s next effort was the virtual Youth Choir for UNICEF, which was first seen on stage on 23 July 2014 in the UK. Altogether, 2,292 young people from 80 countries joined in to sing Whitacre’s song “What If”.
The virtual choir is a wonderful way for people around the world to sing with one voice and thus make the world a better place.
1. Which of the following is a virtual choir?A.Many members performing on their own. |
B.Hundreds of people singing together on a stage. |
C.Many people singing online together at the same time. |
D.Individual singing videos combined into one on the Internet. |
A.The popularity of Whitacre’s composition. |
B.The encouragement of Whitacre’s professor. |
C.Whitacre’s desire of being a famous composer. |
D.Whitacre’s love for communication with others. |
A.He had thousands of his fans make videos. |
B.He joined nearly two hundred videos together. |
C.He made his first virtual choir on stage in the UK. |
D.He asked a girl to sing his work to make it popular. |
A.To advertise Whitacre’s music composition. |
B.To introduce the influence of the virtual choir. |
C.To persuade people to join Whitacre’s choir team. |
D.To appeal to netizens to compose their own music. |
4 . The case for and against social media
Is social media harmful to teenagers?
An argument for social media claims it can strengthen social bonds by facilitating relationships with people in different geographical areas. For example, social media has helped old school friends to get back in touch after many years without contact.
Ideally, we should have enough self-control to be able to limit our use of social media, enjoying the benefits it can bring.
A.The disadvantages of social media. |
B.In my opinion, the disadvantages of social media outweigh the benefits. |
C.It is all too easy to become absorbed in this online life rather than communicate in real life. |
D.People secure jobs now through social media or research information for their studies. |
E.This is the question we are going to examine. |
F.We will look at the arguments for and against using social media before answering the question. |
G.We aim to control our use of social media. |
5 . As science and technology have developed, our lifestyle experienced changes. From the first telephone to the first medical drug (药物) every invention has significantly affected lifestyle across the world.
The Internet has changed the idea of shopping in our lives. The Internet has made it possible that you can choose and buy a product from different sellers at the same time.
For people who love traveling, the Internet is a friend in need and service. Now, we can make use of the power of the Internet to know more about travel destinations and even organize travel plans online. You can book hotels, tickets, and travel packages online.
With the wide use of the Internet today, even education is now possible from the comforts of your home. If you have an Internet connection and a computer, you can easily join an online education program.
Apart from these examples, there are lots of other areas where the Internet has worked wonders. With the development of science and technology, more and more areas are influenced by the Internet and the boom(繁荣)is expected to continue with the passage of time.
A.And the same is true for the Internet as well. |
B.Just do it at home, sit back, and pack your bags. |
C.Getting a job now has become easier, thanks to the Internet. |
D.It is not possible for you to visit all the places at a single time. |
E.So almost every area of our lifestyle is now impacted by the Internet. |
F.By buying online, you can save lots of time and get the latest products. |
G.Many world-famous schools now offer online education programs in various fields. |
This summer vacation has nearly come to an end, but I have hardly finished reading any useful books or updated any satisfactory writings. With an empty head and a guilty feeling, I owe this to my involuntary addition to the mobile phone.
This is not because I have more free time and rely on my MP as a time-killer. On the contrary, I am occupied by various chores and time left at my will is only pieces of hours. I give up doing serious and creative things during these fragments of hours, making excuses for myself: “I am tired so I need to do something easy and relaxing...” But, sticking my face to the MP turns out to be by no means relaxing. My vision becomes more unclear and precious time is wasted.
The prime culprit(元凶) should be WeChat: Being quick-responsive to any message sent to me is a bad habit; Being afraid of losing track of what all my “friends” are doing comes at a price; The colorful ads of “daigou” sacks(洗劫) not only my purse... The other two accomplices (共犯) that l need to put in jail at once are Taobao and Koala (though I know I can’t bear to do that!)
I have to admit that a lot of apps provide much convenience to my life, such as dictionaries, maps, music, e-books and apps for stock dealing, for taxi booking, for ticket and hotel booking, for picture processing etc. The side effect is that I am so buried in these attractive apps that I just can’t put my MP down, close my eyes for a while and think what my priority is.
注意:1. 续写内容应为150词左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
At night, I happily get onto my bed with a book in my hand, hoping to enjoy some “quality” time by myself.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Now I am looking at the desktop of my mobile phone, full of apps.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________![](https://img.xkw.com/dksih/QBM/editorImg/2023/11/24/db0a479e-8008-4808-8301-68448f008370.png?resizew=333)
1.内容要求:1.描述漫画内容;
2.分析漫画所揭示的问题;
3.提出你的看法
词数80左右。
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Does the Internet help or harm friendships? Different people have different opinions. Robert thinks talking online is no
But Cathy holds the opposite opinion. She thinks the Internet makes communication more
9 . Online games are very popular among people. They make a large amount of money and have a large user base, including lots of teenagers. But now, new rules on online games have been introduced, which are aimed at fighting against addiction (成瘾) among underage players.
Adult players need to spend most of their time paying attention to work and family, and cannot play games as often as they want. However, underage players have more spare time, but less responsibility and self-control. Children without a clear purpose in life, where there is less family education and school management, might easily become addicted to all kinds of online games and online novels.
The most direct impact of an addiction to online games among underage players is on their psychological (心理) health. According to psychologists, people seriously addicted to games can become anxious, bad tempered, and avoid responsibility.
However, Chinese parents are more worried that their children will lack interest in studying if they become addicted to online games, as academic success is important for students. Additionally, when their children become addicted to such games, most parents do not know how to deal with the situation.
To carry out the new rules to the best effect, more specific issues need to be solved, such as managing foreign online games, ensuring that facial recognition technologies used by games companies have the wanted effect or making sure online game providers can only offer one-hour services to underage players on Saturdays and Sundays. While there are always loopholes (漏洞) in new rules, authorities should act quickly to close them.
There is no doubt that online games have harmful effects on young people. It is not acceptable for a large number of teenagers or those even younger, to become addicted to these games.
1. What’s the purpose of the new rules on online games?A.To raise awareness of Internet safety. |
B.To bring in new computer programs. |
C.To reduce the grown-up user base. |
D.To prevent the teenagers’ addiction. |
A.They can learn more knowledge on the Internet. |
B.They have more free time and less self-control. |
C.They have purposes in life but lack higher education. |
D.They maintain a sense of curiosity about the Internet. |
A.How to reduce parents’ anxiety about kids’ study. |
B.How to find loopholes in the popular online games. |
C.How to control the service time of online game providers. |
D.How to invent a facial recognition game for young players. |
A.Confused. | B.Negative. |
C.Supportive. | D.Uninterested. |
10 . Nowadays, people love sharing their personal views and news on the Internet.
Read and understand the privacy (隐私) terms
Make sure you clearly know the privacy terms before signing into any social media.
When using social media platforms you should always check the default (默认) privacy settings on their sites. Most default privacy settings may permit the sharing of your information with other third-party online users. Changing the default privacy settings may limit the amount of information that the social media site can share with other users.
Detailed information
When registering an account with social media platforms, you’ll be required to provide your detailed information such as full name, year of birth or address. Keep these pieces of in-formation to limit what other social media users know about you.
Be careful about posting photos online
A.Change the default privacy settings |
B.Such information can cause you harm |
C.Remove your comments online in case |
D.Every website on the Internet has privacy terms |
E.The default privacy settings bring benefit for you |
F.Before you show any pictures on social media, think twice |
G.Here are some tips to help you protect your privacy on social media |