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.

2. What is the finding of the research?

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.

3. What does the underlined word “inhibiting” in paragraph 5 mean?

A．Encouraging.

B．Requiring.

C．Beginning.

D．Preventing.

4. What does Brucks say about virtual meetings?

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 . Family vlogging — the frequent recording and uploading of personal videos of the family, usually on video sharing website — has become big business nowadays, especially among parents of young children. The more viewers such videos can get, the more money the family can make. At first thought, it does seem like an easy way to make money. However, are we doing right by putting their lives up for public attention?

For one thing, as the children grow up, they increasingly become aware that what they do needs to be admirable enough for the public to enjoy — Being young children, they also would want to do whatever it takes to please others. They then feel the pressure to be perfect, and as that is something not always possible, they become anxious and stressed. Comments from viewers and the expectations of sponsors (赞助者) can also affect the parents’ reactions towards their children.

Another problem is the lack of privacy in the children’s lives. As the children reach adolescence, there is a greaser need for personal space. At 12 or 13, very few children would appreciate being filmed while eating or having a conversation with their friends. Teenhood is a time of significant change in an individual, both physically and emotionally, and is a time when parents need to protect their children and guide them, instead of exposing them to the eyes of the public.

Family vlogging can be irresistible, given how it allows parents to bring greater fun to their family lives. There is also the easy money and the fame to look forward to. Indeed, all would probably go well, but only as long as parents keep in mind that, if not managed well, making their children live their lives in the unforgiving eyes of the public could prove to be a big mistake.

1. How does vlogging about children’s lives influence the family?

A．Children will get used to public attention.

B．Children may suffer from too much pressure.

C．Parents may show no concern for their children.

D．Parents become addicted to exposing their children to the public.

2. How does the writer mainly develop his argument?

A．By providing examples	B．By listing numbers
C．By making comparisons	D．By analyzing causes

3. What’s the writer’s purpose of writing the text?

A．To introduce a new big business

B．To show how vlogging influence people’s lives.

C．To persuade parents to watch out for comments from viewers.

D．To convince parents of the danger of vlogging about children’s lives.

4. What’s the writer’s attitude to vlogging about children’s lives?

A．negative

B．positive

C．neutral

D．uninterested

3 . Digital technologies are taking up too much of our time and attention. Many of us will spend a significant part of our lives staring at screens, missing out on satisfying relationships and feeling more emotional pain. For many years, we’ve been taught that the solution to this potential harm is some form of digital detox (脱瘾), which mainly shows us what not to do after our digital addiction.     1     Try the following three steps to achieve balance in your and your family’s digital life:

Determine your problem times

Identify the times and situations when being on screens is making your life worse. It could be when you are streaming a TV series right before bed, feeling depressed afterward and losing hours of sleep. Or you could be getting stuck on your device at the dinner table and end up getting distracted.     2     Identify your top two or three problem situations.

    3    

Once you identify the pain points, for example, scrolling (滚动浏览) on TikTok for hours keeps you from sleeping and makes you feel depressed afterward), ask yourself: What is screen time replacing and what goals is it serving? In other words, what are you actually hungry for? You might be endlessly scrolling because you want to feel uplifted at the end of the day. Write down the things you really want.

Try a substitute

    4     It’s crucial to pick something that consistently makes you feel good. For example, if your goal is social connection, make plans for a nice meal with a friend or take that weekly meeting in person rather than via Zoom. If your goal is inspiration, schedule time for oil painting, reading historical fiction or whatever it is that uplifts you.     5     And at last, you will become empowered, healthy and wise digital citizens.

A．Identify your true desire.

B．Determine your pain points.

C．Pretty soon, these replacements will make you feel more satisfied.

D．But the only way to truly gain control is to take positive steps in advance.

E．Or maybe you are inefficient at work because you’re doing too much online shopping.

F．Ask yourself how you can meet those needs through something other than screen time.

G．If your digital life is out of balance, reducing time on devices is an important first step.

4 . Ways Your Cell Phone Affects Your Body and Mind

First, some good news. Your phone can keep you safer. A study found that 137 more lives were saved per 100,000 patients when people called 911 from a mobile phone rather than from a fixed one.     1    

Scanning your phone right before bed can cause sleep disorder. To avoid that, make a habit of not using your phone for at least 30 minutes before you close your eyes.

    2     People now spend more than five hours a day typing and tapping, and feel eyes achy. About 60 percent of Americans experience discomfort, such as dryness, eye tiredness, and even headaches. Try taking a break from screens every 20 minutes.

When you are awake, a single sound on your phone can signal the coming news. However, this can weaken your ability to focus on a task.     3     It can even encourage creative ideas when you are alone. When you’re bored, four different areas of your brain become active and work together to pull in thoughts and combine them in unique ways.

Memory suffers too.     4     Instead of relying on the instructions from your phone’s GPS, older adults choose the old way, which increases activity in a part of the brain important for memory. Taking pictures with your phone may also harm your memory.

It would be easy to avoid all these problems by simply putting down your phone. The problem: It isn’t so easy.     5     And researches have proved this real. Of course, there are many phone apps to help you control your phone addiction. Or you can just let the battery rundown and forget about it!

A．But there are plenty of worries too.

B．Your phone can do damage to your eyes.

C．Silence your phone or simply put it away can help.

D．Walking with your face in your phone can be dangerous.

E．People may feel painful when separated from their phones.

F．Your hand may feel painful when you hold your phone too long.

G．Using a map and trying to remember it may be better for your brain.

5 . 语法填空

Recent literature has put the spotlight on how technology and social media are shaping the next generation, and the consensus(共识)seems to be that it’s a sharp double-edged sword. New research published in Computers in Human Behavior is no exception.The study,led by faculty at Wellesley Centers for Women, found that     1     (join)social media specifically, Snapchat and Instagram before age 11 was significantly linked to more “problematic digital behaviors”     2     (compare) to those who joined the platforms when they were older.

The team surveyed over 750 middle schoolers in the Northeast United States, and found that those who joined these platforms at or below age 10 had more internet buddies that parents would disapprove of, and visited more social websites that     3     (frown) upon.They also showed more “unsympathetic online behaviors” and were more likely to become victims of online bullying or harassment. Altogether, it was a jumble of (一堆)problematic digital moods. Of course,that might not be news to social media giant Facebook. Some recent leaks in the Wall Street Journal revealed how the platform was aware for some time     4     it was “toxic” for teen girls, and also detailed its ambitions to lure teens and pre-teens with targeted kid-specific products.     5     almost all social media, including Twitter and TikTok, Facebook’s rules require users to be at least 13 years old to join. However, people     6     sign up self-report their own dates of birth, so it's hardly an effective firewall, and by commonsense, it's nearly a given that packs of children are roaming(漫游)the social media universe. In fact, “one-third of our sample had already started using social media at age 11 or 12 and another one-third had begun at age 10 or younger,” study author Linda Charmaraman said in a statement.     7     that doesn't mean it’s a lost cause. The study's findings also suggest parents can combat the harmful impacts by limiting how often their kids check social media, or restricting phone usage. Participants who reported such parental controls showed     8     (lessen) negative effects.

And it's not all bad: According to the research, those who joined social media before age 11also showed     9     (great) civic engagement within the online community--such as posting supportive content or fostering events and activism for social issues. Also,regardless of when they joined social media, early adolescents displayed more positive digital behaviors overall than negative ones.

As the first children raised in the social-media era grow into their 20s and 30s,the effects of the internet revolution will likely become more profound, and we can expect that the need     10     (understand) how tech shapes kids in their most impressionable years will only become more urgent.

6 . 在你校网络安全月即将到来之际，校英文报正在征集相关稿件。请你就网络安全话题投稿，具体内容包括：
1. 网络安全的重要性；
2. 安全上网的具体建议；
3. 号召大家重视网络安全。
注意
1. 词数80左右；
2. 题目已给出，不计入总词数。

Staying Safe on the Internet

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7 . Cyber-bullying (网络欺凌) may take place in the online world, but it is no less damaging than in the real world. The Internet has become a kindness desert, a place where few flowers bloom. Bullying is pretty common.     1     According to those bullied, they’re usually seen as being different from the crowd. They are unique.

Being bullied is a frustrating and painful experience. Online bullying can really hurt others, and it can have serious consequences.     2     Some people have even committed suicide because they were harassed (侵扰) online and didn’t think it would ever stop. Here are some valuable tips to help you address a bully and protect yourself in a safe way.

Don’t blame yourself.     3     It’s only the bully’s fault, so don’t blame yourself for his or her shortcomings.

Stay away from bullies. Bullies hope you interact with them so that they have an excuse to keep picking on you. When the bully starts orally attacking you, remove yourself from the situation if you can, simply by walking away.

    4     Try as you might to ignore the bullies when they are saying ugly things about you. Remind yourself that you are a great person and that nothing the bullies say matters.

Speak out. Nobody has the right to make you feel unsafe, uncomfortable or unhappy. Find someone you can talk to, your teacher or your parent and tell them what’s going on.     5     Follow these tips and you should feel well-equipped to deal with your bullies the next time they attack.

A．Keep track of bullies.

B．Be sure you’re wonderful.

C．Adults can offer help if they know about the problem.

D．Being bullied can make you feel alone, scared, and hopeless.

E．Your parents are willing to help you when recognizing your problem.

F．If you are being bullied, it’s essential to know that it is never your fault.

G．Studies have found that nearly one-third of all students are bullied each year.

8 . 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.

2. What resulted in the appearance of the virtual choir?

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.

3. What can we learn about Whitacre’s first virtual choir?

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.

4. What is the purpose of the last paragraph?

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.

9 . The case for and against social media

Is social media harmful to teenagers?     1     Social media sites have been blamed for most of the world’s social problems from feeling disconnected and lonely to having difficulty forming meaningful relationships. Yet, many of us feel a need to use social media because it offers something we cannot find elsewhere, despite knowing the downsides.     2    

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.     3     These are real benefits of using social media.

    4     The argument used by many people is that interactions on social media are no substitute for face-to-face communication. When you are out with friends how many times do they check their phones? for example.     5     Research highlights it is far more satisfying to physically laugh out loud in real life rather than to replace the act with a typed representation of laughter such as “haha” or “LOL”.       

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.

10 . 在社交网络日渐流行的今天，高中生使用QQ、微信、B站等平台的频率日渐增多。网络平台给同学们提供学习资源的同时，也带来了虚假新闻、滥用言论自由等问题。请就这一社会现象发表看法，内容包括：
1. 简述目前网络平台的一些问题；
2. 提出你对改善网络环境的建议及理由。
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