1 . How to Protect Against Undue Influence Online

The potential for undue influence has become increasingly significant in this era of digital interconnectivity. Undue influence can affect our perceptions and influence our decisions. It may even end anger our autonomy (自主) and mental health.     1    

Understand what undue influence is

The first step to protecting yourself is understanding what undue influence is. Undue influence refers to a situation in which an individual or group employs unreasonable control over another person’s behavior information, thoughts, and emotions.     2     Disinformation campaigns, persuasive advertising, and even content designed to cause fear, uncertainty, or dependency may often appear online.

Develop media literacy skills

In an age of fake news, it is crucial to develop media literacy skills.     3     Become a consumer who can tell the quality of information, identify the source, check for credibility, and look for your unconscious assumptions and preferences.

    4    

Delete as much data as you can about yourself. Be mindful of what information you share online, and always ensure that your online activities are secured through reliable sources. Review all policies on platforms, especially “free” ones. If you aren’t paying, then you are the product, as in many cases, they are selling your data.

By including these steps into your digital life, you can protect yourself from undue influence in the online world, ensuring that you can think and act independently, free from ill control.

    5     It is your mind. Only you should control it!

A．Prioritize privacy

B．Be mindful of free ones

C．It’s vital to have a health y Internet and real-life balance.

D．In the digital world, undue influence can take many forms.

E．Everyone deserves the right to live free from undue influence.

F．They involve analyzing, evaluating, and creating media in various forms.

G．Here are some essential strategies for you to protect yourself online from undue influence.

2 . 假设你是红星中学高二学生李华。近期，你校学生会组织了一场辩论赛，主题为“中学生是否可以借助网络资源完成作业”。你的英国笔友Jim从学校网站看到了相关信息，对此很感兴趣，来信询问辩论赛的开展情况。请你用英文给他回复邮件，内容包括：
1.正反双方的观点及理由；
2.你的看法。
注意: 1.词数 100 左右；
2.开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Jim,

How’s everything going?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What’s your idea about the topic? Look forward to your reply.

Yours,

Li Hua

3 . We’re fortunate to have access to the dynamic network technology, which provides rich resources for learning, connecting and entertaining ourselves.     1     The same tool that can enhance our work efficiency also has the power to trap us in a web of distractions (分心之事).

    2     An astonishing 84.4% of us, on average, report being distracted at work. There are some usual suspects. Emails steal the attention of 26%. Phone calls and texts influence a massive 43%. Coworkers shift the attention of 27%. And the Internet, with its infinite source of information and entertainment, distracts 41% of us. What’s more, a survey reveals that an overwhelming 67% of workers say that their work is often affected by the excessive time spent on meetings and calls.

These distractions are more than mere annoyances.     3     It is their lasting impact that makes it impossible for us to focus on any single task. In this way, they greatly reduce our work efficiency.

A study offers more insight into our struggle with distractions. It found that our brain waves pulsate (搏动) at different frequencies depending on the type of external stimuli. The rhythm is faster for automatic stimuli but slows down for tasks we consciously choose to focus on.     4    

Just think about it: You’re involved in a project, and then your phone receives a text message.     5     And regaining your focus might be harder than you anticipate, The same goes for that catchy news headline or an interesting social media post that catches your eye-pulling you away from your task and making you lost in the sea of distractions.

A．But it is double-edged.

B．Some distractions can be avoided.

C．Statistics reveal how common this issue is.

D．They’re also persistent and endless in getting our attention.

E．The sound of it is loud enough to interrupt your concentration.

F．Stimulating our interest and increasing the speed of our work are important.

G．This makes maintaining focus in the noisy world an ever-increasing challenge.

4 . 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

5 . Due to social events in recent years, the relationship between social media and teenagers mental health has been under heated discussion.

On Sept 30, a British court decided that content on social media platforms contributed to the depression of 14-year-old Molly Russell. Russell interacted with 2,100 posts related to pessimistic, self-harm in the six months, leading up to her depression, reported the Observer website.

The correlation has also been proved by science. A study in 2019 showed that the frequent use of social media by teenagers can lead to a decrease in their mental health.

So, how can we make sure that teenagers won’t get hurt while using social media? Chan, 18, from the University of Macao shared her experience. Chan said that she once came across short videos romanticizing mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. She immediately reported them to the platform.

But she said that the users’ power to regulate videos is still limited. “It is ultimately the responsibility of the social media platforms to filter out content that is potentially harmful.” She also noticed that the age of social media users has become increasingly younger. Society should pay attention to this, she said. “Since it’s not possible to cut off access to social media for younger users, why not introduce a ‘supervision mode’ with which parents can regulate the content to be viewed by teenagers beforehand?” she said.

Wu Chengyu, 18, studies at Tianjin Experimental High School. He said that several years ago he came across a game that lures teenagers to self-abuse and depression. He quickly chose to ignore it so he wouldn’t be influenced. This is the same way he reacts when exposed to negative content on social media.

In Wu’s opinion, teenagers today should improve their social media literacy(素养), telling real from fake and good from bad. “Also, everyone can be a content creator on social media.” he said, “We should all strengthen our awareness of ethics”.

1. What led to Russell’s depression according to a British court?

A．Her interaction with others online.

B．Negative information on social media platforms.

C．Short videos she watched on the Internet.

D．Her addiction to online posts.

2. Which of the following statements does Chan probably agree with?

A．The number of younger social media users should be limited.

B．Parents should monitor the content to be viewed by teenagers in advance.

C．A supervision mode ought to be introduced by parents.

D．It is the responsibility of the society to romanticize mental illnesses.

3. Who should be ultimately responsible for removing negative content according to Chan?

A．Parents.	B．Internet users.
C．Content creators.	D．Social media platforms.

4. What does Wu suggest teenagers should do?

A．Use social media wisely.	B．Reduce social media usage.
C．Stay away from online games.	D．Learn more about social media.

6 . Last month, I began my own two-week-long digital detox. I got the inspiration from the tech writer Paul Miller, who got away from the Internet for a whole year. It was not worth mentioning as against the time Miller spent offline, but it was the longest I had gone through without almost any Internet in 13 years.

Why did I do it? For a while I felt the urge to try fully disconnecting to free myself from the endless work. I wanted to take a break from it all for a couple of weeks at least to see what would happen. After all, throughout the last decade, I’ve been online 24 – 7, overreacting to my email inbox and social feed (传送) – living in a world where the line between the digital world and the real world gets a bit unclear at times.

I haven’t of course forgotten that I’m CEO of a social media company. My work is built around the premise (前提) that being connected makes our lives richer, more rewarding and more efficient. Still, I’d forgotten one key lesson along the way: moderation. As more and more of my life was spent scanning social feed and checking out my inbox, I realized that I needed to step back and get a whole new perspective.

So on my winter vacation to Mexico, I took a break from being active on the Internet for the entire trip. For the whole 14 days, I ate a lot of delicious fish tacos, surfed and fixed up my cottage on the beach. I didn’t write or send any emails. I didn’t scan any Top 10 lists of feed. The one I did give myself was checking my email inbox occasionally—just to make sure an emergency wasn’t unfolding while I was away.

What I learned from my short experiment was actually not too unlike what Miller learned. I didn’t end up discovering that technology is evil. In fact, I found myself reflecting on how technology over the last few years had let me experience some of the most rewarding and eventful moments of my life.

1. Why did the author begin digital detox for two weeks?

A．Because Miller recommended him to do so.

B．Because he was tired of his empty life.

C．Because he wanted to live a digital life.

D．Because he intended to experience an Internet-free life.

2. Which can replace the underlined word in the third paragraph?

A．to a large degree	B．in an honest way
C．in an appropriate way	D．to a very small degree

3. Why did the author still check out his email?

A．To deal with emergencies.	B．For the sake of his health.
C．To find some delicious food to eat.	D．To watch Top 10 lists closely.

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．The author holds an objective attitude towards technology.

B．The author finds technology is harmful.

C．The author will advise digital detox completely.

D．The author will no longer use the Internet.