1 . Before the Internet age, critical thinking was the most important skill of people. But in the digital age, according to Anastasia Kozyreva, a famous psychologist, a more important skill is critical ignoring..
As researchers point out, we live in an attention economy where content producers on the Internet compete for our attention. They attract us with many eye-catching stories while providing little useful information, so they can expose us to profit-generating advertisements. Therefore, we are not customers but products, and each link we click is a sale of our time and attention. To protect ourselves from this, Kozyreva advocates (提倡) for learning the skill of critical ignoring, in which readers can control their information environment to reduce exposure to raise information.
According to Kozyreva, critical ignoring includes three strategies. The first is to design our environments, which includes removing low-quality yet hard-to-resist (难以抵制的) information from around. Successful dieters need to keep unhealthy food out of their homes. Similarly, we need to set up a digital environment where attention-grabbing items are kept out of sight. Like dieting, if one tries to depend on willpower not to click eye-catching "news", he'll surely fail. So, it's better to keep them out of sight at first!
The next is to evaluate the reliability (可靠性) of information, whose purpose is to protect you from false information. It can be realized by checking the source in the mainstream, news agencies, which are trustworthy.
The last is: "never feed the trolls." Trolls are some people who spread false information online to cause harm. Do not correct them, because they do not care about whether the information is correct. Annoying others is their goal. So, never respond to their bad behaviour with our attention.
By using the above critical ignoring skills, we can make the most of the Internet while avoiding falling victim to those who try to control our attention, time, and minds.
1. What can we learn about the attention economy from paragraph 2?| A．It offers more information. | B．It features depressing stories. |
| C．It saves time for Internet users. | D．It seeks profits from each click. |
| A．To discuss the quality of information. | B．To prove the benefits of healthy food. |
| C．To show the importance of environments. | D．To explain the effectiveness of willpower. |
| A．Review their intention. | B．Turn a deaf ear to them.. |
| C．Correct their behaviour. | D．Send hard facts to them. |
| A．Reasons for critical thinking in the attention economy. |
| B．Practising the skills of critical ignoring in the digital age. |
| C．Maximizing the benefits of critical ignoring on the Internet. |
| D．Strategies of abandoning critical thinking for Internet users. |
2 . Expecting to travel abroad but lacking a loose budget? Interested in meaningful volunteering programs but worried about issues like your security or working conditions? Here comes a right place for you — Kindred Spirit Elephant Sanctuary (保护区).
Highlights●Volunteering with elephants and bringing them back into their natural habitat
●Making a difference in the conservation efforts to save elephants living under awful conditions
●Helping teach English to the communities and raising awareness about the captive (圈养的) elephant situation
●Wandering the forests and observe elephants’ natural behaviors in their home environment
Our Sanctuary
Our sanctuary has rescued 5 elephants from the tourism industry and we have now brought them home to live out their lives in the forest, in semi-wild conditions. We need volunteers to help us keep these elephants happy and healthy in their natural habitat. With volunteer support, we hope to return more elephants to the forest soon.
Your Tasks●Performing research on the natural elephant behaviors and the surrounding forest
●Taking part in community projects such as teaching English at the school and to other locals
●Carrying out litter pick-ups with the kids to educate on waste management
Your Rough Schedule
Day 1: Pickup from Chiang Mai at 9 am. Travel through a national park and stunning mountain s until you arrive in our unique village. Meet your homestay family and the other volunteers, and immerse yourself in hill tribe culture.
Day 2: Wake up early to hike in the forest and find our elephants. Spend the morning recording and learning about these amazing animals and their natural behaviors. Return to the village in the late afternoon and take part in our community & camp & teaching projects.
Day 3: Another early start to hike to observe our elephants one last time. Return to Chiang Mai in the afternoon.
1. Which of the following is a feature of volunteer work at the sanctuary?| A．Looking after captive elephants with the locals. |
| B．Finding and Feeding elephants in natural forests. |
| C．Teaching people to conserve elephants’ natural habitat. |
| D．Helping rescue elephants living in the poor environment. |
| A．Have the great ability to go hiking for days. |
| B．Participate in anti-poverty projects. |
| C．Undertake research into wild elephants independently. |
| D．Master local languages and know about tribe culture. |
| A．A travel journal. | B．A holiday brochure. |
| C．A geographical essay. | D．An educational website. |
3 . Our recommended list of environmental books covers a broad range of topics. These must-read environmental books are sure to spark the interest of the greenest books.
Silent Spring
Written by Rachel Carson, Silent Spring highlights the effects of pesticides (杀虫剂) on the environment, especially DDT, which was a very popular insecticide until it was finally banned in 1972. The book eventually led to a change in the United States’ pesticide policy and contributed to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency.
No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference.
This book collects 11 speeches made by climate activist Greta Thunberg, highlighting the issue of climate change and its impact on future generations. Greta Thunberg was 15 when she started the School Strike for Climate, also known as Fridays for Future. She inspired protests worldwide.
The Uninhabitable Earth
This book by David Wallace Wells examines the disasters that have already occurred and looks ahead to the year 2100 and what climate change will do if we continue on our current path. Its opening line is incredibly telling: “It is worse, much worse, than you think.”
The End of Nature
Published in 1989, the book describes the relationship between nature and humans. It expresses the idea that nature was previously independent of humans but has now been affected by them in every way. According to author Bill McKibben, the idea of wilderness is lost, and nature is no longer complete.
1. Which book brought the environment to the government’s attention?| A．Silent Spring. | B．The End of Nature. |
| C．The Uninhabitable Earth. | D．No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference. |
| A．Curiosity. | B．Concern. | C．Annoyance. | D．Disappointment. |
| A．Nature will not exist any longer. | B．Wild animals are disappearing fast. |
| C．Human activities are destroying nature. | D．Climate change affects future generations. |
| A．At home. | B．In a restaurant. | C．In a supermarket. |
1. What happened to the man?
| A．He hurt his nose. | B．He broke his leg. | C．He slipped over. |
| A．Fix his bone. | B．Cover his nose. | C．Stop the bleeding. |
1. What is the man probably doing?
| A．Visiting a gallery. | B．Polishing a painting. | C．Reading news online. |
| A．Amazed. | B．Thrilled. | C．Pitiful. |
| A．In 2015． | B．In 2017． | C．In 2019. |
| A．It deserves praise. | B．It’s well organized. | C．It needs improvement. |
| A．Taking photos. | B．Stretching muscles. | C．Examining a patient. |
| A．The appearance. | B．The quality. | C．The weight. |
1. For what did the man get his pet dog?
| A．His graduation. | B．His responsibility. | C．His academic performance. |
| A．Learning about its character. |
| B．Taking good care to keep it healthy. |
| C．Training it into a well-behaved one. |
