1 . 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.

2 . 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.     1     Let us take a look at some areas of lifestyle where the Internet has played a significant role.

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.     2     You can also enjoy very good bargains (减价品).

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.     3    

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.     4    

    5     There are numerous sites that offer you the opportunity to search for your favorite job. You can get useful information about job opportunities. The Internet provides you with detailed and useful information about jobs.

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.

3 . Social media has completely taken over everyday life, affecting how society runs and changing individuals in ways that even they can feel. While social media can act as a platform for people to express themselves, it can also be overwhelming, especially for high school teens.

To teenager Bryson Lan, deleting social media helped eliminate a significant distraction in his routine and keep up with teachers. “I was scrolling (滚动) through social networking sites so much,” Lan said. “I was also starting to struggle since I entered my high school year. When school started, I was super overwhelmed (不知所措的), and I was just not ready for it.

Most teenagers fear that by eliminating these apps, they will miss out on connections with their peers and feel a significant loss to their social life. However, Lan found he didn’t miss anything during his time without social media.

Another problem with social media is the amount of “junk content” posted. People are regularly posting and updating on social media, and much of the content has no meaning to other viewers and is ultimately a time suck.

However, social media isn’t all negative. Social media can be a place to develop passions and boost creativity. For example, Lan found his interest in photography blossom after seeing works from other photographers on social media. “Social media is a good place where you can have a portfolio (作品集) or upload your works,” Lan said. “A lot of people have photography accounts or art accounts. In some ways, I think it actually furthers your hobby.”

The vast audience that social media can reach brings convenience and effectiveness in the spread of art. Although some people might be discouraged by other artists’ impressive works, Lan is inspired to produce better photographs.

“Thanks to this revolutionary development of social media, we can enjoy a world where everyone is closer than before,” Lan said. “But we also need to have the skills to make good use of social media, and that depends on each person’s efforts.”

1. What did getting rid of social media bring Lan?

A．More distractions.	B．Confusion about life.
C．A smaller social circle.	D．More attention on his studies.

2. What does the underlined phrase “a time suck” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．A waste of time.

B．A timetable.

C．A lack of time.

D．A time switch.

3. What’s Lan’s attitude towards social media?

A．Doubtful.

B．Unclear.

C．Objective.

D．Supportive.

4. What’s the main idea of the text?

A．Most teenagers’ opinions on social media.	B．The effects social media has on teenagers.
C．Innovative development of social media.	D．The problems social media brings people.

4 . 网络已成为人们生活中必不可少的一部分, 由此而产生的青少年网瘾现象引起了人们的关注。假设你是李华，请你以学生会的名义写一篇倡议书，号召全校同学合理使用网络。            
内容包括：1. 网瘾现象;2. 网瘾的危害;3. 你的倡议。
注意：1. 词数不少于80字;
2. 开头已为你写好，不计入总词数，可适当增加内容，以使行文连贯。
Dear fellow students,

With the wide application of various digital gadgets, the Internet is finding its way into our daily lives.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Students’ Union

5 . With evolving technology comes no surprise that our life is becoming increasingly dependent on digital devices. ________ doubt such devices have enriched and ________ our life.

The ________ of technology are all around us. Our cars and cell phones have navigation systems to ensure that we don’t get ________. Our cell phones have evolved into a(n) ________ world.

With faster ________ connections the only limit to what technology can do is our own ________. It’s 11 p.m. and your 14-year-old ________ hasn’t been home. Did she get kidnapped? Hit by a car? ________? Thanks to technology you can give her a call.

You might think, “She could be ________! What if she is with that no good boy?’ Thankfully, technology has your back and you can use the GPS tracker to ________ her.

It all sounds great, but every ________ has two sides. It seems like the daily news is reporting network ________. People have their virtual accounts ________ and have their information ________ or computer systems disabled.

What if your daughter dated with someone she met ________? Someone she thought was 14 years old like her, but factually was a 50-year-old predator? Thankfully, you can ________ her phone, and put an end to it ________ anything bad could happen.

To ________ my essay, is technology good or bad? It’s kind of like a hammer. You can use the hammer to build things or to harm others. It’s up to us to use it for legal or ________.

1.

A．In

B．On

C．Without

D．Throughout

2.

A．improved

B．highlighted

C．committed

D．threatened

3.

A．definitions

B．benefits

C．distributions

D．breakthroughs

4.

A．lost

B．annoyed

C．envied

D．urged

5.

A．ripe

B．domestic

C．virtual

D．optimistic

6.

A．human

B．finance

C．network

D．database

7.

A．curiosity

B．investigation

C．recognition

D．imagination

8.

A．son

B．daughter

C．pet

D．victim

9.

A．Accused

B．Engaged

C．Attacked

D．Broadcasted

10.

A．lying

B．laying

C．travelling

D．drinking

11.

A．deny

B．monitor

C．analyse

D．kill

12.

A．coin

B．theft

C．warning

D．barrier

13.

A．crimes

B．sensors

C．licence

D．capacity

14.

A．got across

B．broken into

C．smoothed out

D．counted on

15.

A．hacked

B．predicted

C．buried

D．cloned

16.

A．faraway

B．online

C．outside

D．abroad

17.

A．get over

B．put in place

C．spy on

D．fall victim to

18.

A．after

B．though

C．because

D．before

19.

A．justify

B．release

C．decrease

D．conclude

20.

A．massive

B．academic

C．initial

D．illegal

6 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. breakthroughs B. core C. driver D. empower E. fully F. increasingly G. mounting H. potential I. promoting J. seeks K. serves

Companies Help Integrate (整合) Digital Real Economies

Chinese platform companies are doubling down on the most advanced digital technologies to seek new drivers in revenue (财政收入) growth, as the country puts greater emphasis on     1     the in-depth integration of the digital and real economies, experts and company executives said.

Despite the depressing global outlook and       2     uncertainties, China’s platform economy is playing a(n)     3     vital role in boosting technological innovation and high-quality development.

During an earnings conference with investors on Thursday, Zhang Yong, chairman and CEO of Alibaba Group, said that cloud computing is one of the company’s       4     strategies for the future, and Alibaba Cloud is also the foundation through which the company     5     the real economy and drives the integration of the digital and real economies.

Noting that this is a critical period for technological     6     and development in cloud computing and AI, Zhang said he believed in the vast     7     of industrial digitalization and the role of cloud computing as the focus of the digital economy.

Revenue in the cloud business, Alibaba’s main growth     8     besides e-commerce, reached 20.18 billion yuan during the October-December period, an increase of 3% year-on-year, mainly driven by public cloud growth.

The company is making efforts to make use of digital technologies to help small and medium-sized enterprises and speed up industrial transformation (工业转型) in an effort to     9     the real economy.

The tone-setting Central Economic Work Conference in mid-December said that platform companies will be supported to “    10     display their capabilities” in encouraging economic growth, job creation and international competition. The conference also emphasized the need to energetically develop the digital economy.

7 . Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word. For the other blanks, fill in each blank with one proper word. Make sure that your answers are grammatically correct.

OpenAI Announces ChatGPT Successor GPT-4

OpenAI has released GPT-4, the latest version of its hugely popular artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT.

The new model can respond to images by providing recipe suggestions from photos of ingredients as well as writing captions and descriptions. It can also process up to 25,000 words, about eight times as many as ChatGPT. Millions of people have used ChatGPT since it     1     (launch) in November 2022. Popular requests for it include writing songs, poems, marketing copy, computer code, and helping with homework,     2     teachers say students shouldn’t use it. ChatGPT answers questions     3     (employ) natural human-like language, and it can also imitate other writing styles such as songwriters and authors, using the Internet as its knowledge database.

There are concerns that it could one day take over many jobs currently     4     (do) by humans. OpenAI said it     5     (spend) six months on safety features for GPT-4, and on human feedback. However, it warned that it     6     still be subject to sharing disinformation.

GPT-4 will initially be available to ChatGPT Plus subscribers,     7     pay $20 per month for easy access to the service. It’s already powering Microsoft’s Bing search engine platform. The tech giant has invested $10b    8     OpenAI.

GPT-4 has “    9     (advanced) reasoning skills” than ChatGPT, OpenAI said. The model can, for example, find available meeting times for three schedules.

OpenAI also announced new partnerships with language learning app Duolingo and Be My Eyes, an application for the visually impaired,     10     (create) AI Chatbots which can assist their users using natural language.

However, like its predecessors (被替代的事物), OpenAI has warned that GPT-4 is still not fully reliable and it may invent facts or make reasoning errors.

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 . 如今越来越多的年轻人希望通过拍摄短视频成为网络红人。上周五你校英语俱乐部就此现象展开讨论。请根据下表提供的信息，用英语写一篇短文，介绍大家对此现象的看法，并阐述自己的看法。

赞成的理由	1. 可以展示自我； 2. 让年轻人找到更多的自信。
反对的理由	1. 导致青少年沉迷于网络； 2. 让人觉得不通过努力就可以成功。
你的看法	……

注意：1. 词数100左右；2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：短视频short-form mobile video；网络红人an internet celebrity
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10 . Li Ting, 15, from Shanghai, was preparing a talk on some western festivals. She searched online for certain information and made PowerPoint presentations. Wu Qiong, her classmate, was doing his chemistry homework carefully. But he couldn’t work out the last problem even he tried his best. So he took out his mobile phone, opened a special app, and searched the problem. Solutions soon appeared on the screen in several seconds.

Nowadays, many students do homework online with the help of the Internet. They search online, use apps or discuss through QQ and WeChat.

“It’s convenient. You don’t have to wait for your teacher to explain it to you face to face,” according to Wu. “You can also learn by seeing how others work them out. What’s more, it improves students’ abilities. And it’s especially true for new kinds of homework. I am quite skilled at finding information online and using Microsoft Office.”

However, this trend (趋势) also causes problems. Some lazy students just copy the answers online without thinking. Even some ask their classmates to do homework for them. And their teacher may not know the fact.

Anyhow, knowing how to use the Internet is important. The key is to have good self-control. When you come across a difficult problem, think about it by yourself first. Be sure to understand the reasons behind the answers after you have turned to the Internet, or you won’t make progress. It he are not sure about your self-control, ask your parents for help.

1. Both Li Ting and Wu Qiong used the Internet to ___________.

A．play games

B．make friends

C．take exams

D．search information

2. According to Wu, he thinks ___________.

A．the new learning way is difficult

B．students should use the new learning way

C．students should study with the teacher face to face

D．students can copy others’ homework online

3. When a student uses the Internet, he must ___________.

A．have an app	B．have a mobile phone
C．ask his parents for help	D．have good self-control

4. What’s the main idea about the passage?

A．How to learn a language

B．How to do homework

C．What’s the new way of learning

D．What’s a new computer app