1 . When I made the decision to quit my full-time employment, I never thought that I could get involved in an increasing global trend. I had to leave my relatively high-profile position for an unexpected move that hurt my pride and prevented me from getting promoted. Yet, I excused my departure by saying “I wanted to spend more time with my family”.
Curiously, after around two and a half years, my experience in what Americans refer to as “downshifting” has turned my excuse into an absolute reality. I have been transformed from a passionate advocate of Linda Kelsey’s “have it all” concept, which she has been promoting for the past seven years in the pages of She magazine, into a woman who is content to accept a little bit of everything.
I have discovered that abandoning the idea of “juggling your life” and adopting the alternative strategy of “downshifting” has benefits that go far beyond financial success and social status. Nothing could convince me to go back to the lifestyle Kelsey used to promote and which I had previously enjoyed: 12-hour workdays, tight deadlines, the terrifying pressure of office politics, and the demand of being a parent on “quality time”.
After the widespread layoffs (裁员) brought on by cost-cutting in the late 1980s, America started to move toward a simpler, less materialistic way of life as a response to the economic downturn. In America, simplifying one’s life is frequently done for financial reasons, but in Britain, at least among the middle class I know, we have different motivations for doing so. For the women of my generation who were encouraged to keep juggling, downshifting is not so much a search for a mythical (虚无的) good life—growing your own organic vegetables, and risking turning into one—as a personal recognition of your limitations.
1. What can we learn from paragraph 1?A.The writer didn’t take pride in her original job. |
B.Full-time employment is a new international trend. |
C.The writer was eager to spend more time with her family. |
D.The writer was forced to resign due to an external factor. |
A.The writer abandoned her high social status for downshifting. |
B.Downshifting allowed the writer to make her dream come true. |
C.The writer changed her way of thinking through downshifting. |
D.The writer accepted the concept of She magazine because of downshifting. |
A.Settling for a bit of everything. |
B.Choosing to live a simple life. |
C.Adopting a busy and stressful lifestyle. |
D.Staying away from a materialistic way of life. |
A.It is never too late to pursue your dream. |
B.Downshifting results in a more satisfactory and simpler life. |
C.There is a difference between the American and British cultures. |
D.People should adopt downshifting to search for mythical experiences. |
2 . “Shuan Q” is a meme(网络流行语)which can be used as a popular way to say “I’m speechless” with a matching emoji(表情包)at ached behind. No-one can deny the power of the Internet. Some believe it makes language weaker but some see a brighter side, believing it makes online communication easier between strangers.
An elementary school teacher in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, says that the evolution of Internet slang is not all fun and carefree. From his daily observations, he believes the “geographic boundary” between Internet slang and formal language is disappearing. On many occasions, the composition she has received from pupil have been flooded with abbreviated slangs(网络梗).
During last year’s Two Sessions, several representatives put forward proposals such as “regulating online language” and “banning vulgar(粗俗)words”, specifically to address this issue, expressing the need to reduce online language misuse and strengthen the protection of Chinese.
However, many experts and scholars of linguistics and communication including Feng Zhiwei disagree. Feng, believes that Internet language is a natural product of the dynamic development of language, and it is not necessary to ban it.
1. What made the meme “Shuan Q” become popular?A.The power of internet | B.The protection of Chinese |
C.Geographic boundary | D.Strangers’s communication |
A.They are formal. | B.They are funny and carefree. |
C.They are flooded among pupils. | D.They were supported by all people. |
A.They are natural. | B.They are misused. |
C.They should be banned. | D.They are disappearing. |
A.Doubtful | B.Objective | C.Indifferent | D.Favorable |
“A barbecue restaurant owner I know told me to come back on Monday, so as to leave the weekends to out-of-town visitors,” said Huang Yang. a native of Zibo City in Shandong Province
Thanks to social media recommendations. Zibo has gone viral on Chinese social media platforms.
Taking advantage of the barbecue craze, Zibo has gone all out to promote local tourism resources, while
According to data from Meituan. Zibo has seen an 800 percent increase in accommodation bookings for the upcoming holiday
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5 . By now, we are all aware that social media has had a tremendous influence on our culture, in business, on the world-at-large. Social media websites revolutionized the way people communicate and socialize on the Web. However, aside from seeing your friend’s new baby on Facebook, or reading about Justin Bieber’s latest conflict with the law on Twitter, what are some of the real influences?
Social networks offer the opportunity for people to re-connect with their old friends and acquaintances, make new friends, share ideas and pictures, and many other activities. Users can keep pace with the latest global and local developments, and participate in campaigns and activities of their choices. Professionals use social media sites like LinkedIn to enhance their career and business development. Students can work together with their peers to improve their academic and communication skills.
Unfortunately, there are a few downsides too to social networking. If you are not careful, immoral people can target you for cyber bullying and disturbance on social sites. School children, young girls, and women can fall victim to online attacks which can create tension and suffering. If you are a victim of cyber bullying, do not take it lying down, but try to take appropriate legal action against the attacker.
Many companies have blocked social networks as addicted employees can distract themselves on such sites, instead of focusing on work. In fact, studies show that British companies have lost billions of dollars per year in productivity because of social media addiction among employees.
Also, what you carelessly post on the Internet can come back to trouble you. Revealing (泄露) personal information on social sites can make users vulnerable (易受伤害的) to crimes like identity theft, stalking, etc. Many companies perform a background check on the Internet before hiring an employee. If a potential employee has posted something embarrassing on social media, it can greatly affect their chances of getting the job. The same holds true for our relationships too, as our loved ones and friends may get to know if we post something undesirable on social networks.
Social media has its advantages and drawbacks as each coin has two sides. It is up to each user to use social sites wisely to enhance their professional and social life, and exercise caution to ensure they do not fall victim to online dangers.
1. Paragraph 2 mainly shows that social networks ________.A.help students finish their homework | B.offer professionals good chances |
C.benefit users in various ways | D.guide users to make right choices |
A.forbid the use of social networks during work time |
B.avoid posting embarrassing information |
C.refuse to hire potential addicted employees |
D.take legal action against the attackers |
A.share experiences in using social media | B.remind people to wisely use social media |
C.provide some advice on social problems | D.raise public awareness of social problems |
A. | B. |
C. | D. |
Two graduates, from Central China Normal University in Wuhan, Hubei Province, using the names Wanwan and Chaochao,
In the video, Wanwan,
“When you can accept your failure, you will feel that it is not that bad. When working at the hotpot restaurant, my biggest
The video was one of the trending videos of last year, gaining more than 5.44 million views and more than 26,000 comments since it
Netizens said they were warmed by their courage to share failures with the public, strong determination
7 . Across the gardens of Britain, in cities and suburbs, people are building sheds (工棚). “We have never seen such an increase in orders,” says Paul Deary of the Garden Shed Company, whose family has been in the business for 35 years. “People have gone shed crazy.” The Timber Trade Federation reports that last October imports of softwood were 34% higher than a year earlier. With stocks (存货) running low, whatever wood is available is quickly sold out.
“A garden shed used to be mostly a place to store farm tools, or a place to discuss plants and drink tea when the rain fell outside,” said Michael Rand, an expert gardener. But the creative brainworker has long put it to more productive use. Roald Dahl and Dylan Thomas wrote in sheds. George Bernard Shaw had one in his garden that faced the sun.
The structures now being built are also often intended for work, although they are grander than the ones those pioneer shed-writers used. Green Retreats, which mostly builds garden offices but also garden gyms and the like, says that overall sales grew by 113% between 2021 and 2022. Larger, fancier structures with things like white walls are especially popular.
This has an important effect on cities. Urban scholars like Richard Florida and Edward Glaeser are busy trying to work out whether the rise in home-working that has occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic will continue when the virus begins to ebb. If it does, many service jobs in cities, from waiters to taxi drivers, will disappear. Public transport systems will struggle. The value of city-centre property will drop.
The shed boom makes that outcome more likely. A white-collar worker who has tried to work from the kitchen table for the past 9 months might be keen to return to the office. A worker who has a pretty garden shed with Wi-Fi will be less so. Joel Bird who builds personalized sheds, is certain that his clients imagine a long-term change in their working habits. “They don’t consider it to be temporary,” he says. “They’re spending too much money.”
1. Why did Britain import more softwood from abroad?A.Softwood was cheaper this year. |
B.Demands for sheds were on the rise. |
C.Britons prefer softwood in making sheds. |
D.Softwood suppliers were fewer than before. |
A.Famous shed-writers. | B.Development of shed-offices. |
C.Different functions of sheds. | D.Improvement on shed-building. |
A.Spread. | B.Continue. | C.Strike. | D.Decline. |
A.Refusal of office jobs. | B.Shifts in working habits. |
C.Poor qualities of services. | D.Development of public transport. |
8 . One recent report found that adults in the US check their phones, on average, 344 times a day — once every four minutes — and spend almost three hours a day on their devices in total. The problem for many of us is that one quick phone-related task leads to a quick check of our email or social media feeds, and suddenly we’ve been sucked into endless scrolling (滚屏).
It’s a vicious circle. The more useful our phones become, the more we use them. The more we use them, the more we lay neural pathways in our brains that lead to picking up our phones for whatever task is at hand — and the more we feel an urge to check our phone even when we don’t have to.
What we do know is that the simple distraction of checking a phone or seeing a notification can have negative consequences. This isn’t very surprising; we know that, in general, multitasking harms memory and performance. One of the most dangerous examples is phone use while driving.
In another recent study, researchers asked participants to either put their phones next to them so they were visible (like on a desk), nearby and out of sight (like in a bag or pocket), or in another room. Participants then completed a series of tasks to test their abilities to process and remember information, their problem-solving, and their focus. They were found to perform far better when their phones were in another room instead of nearby — whether visible, powered on or not. That held true even though most of the participants claimed not to be consciously (有意识地) thinking about their devices.
The mere proximity (靠近) of a phone, it seems, contributes to “brain drain”. Our brains may be subconsciously hard at work in controlling the desire to check our phones, or constantly monitoring the environment to see if we should check our phone (eg, waiting for a notification). Either way, this diverted attention can make doing anything else more difficult. The only “fix”, the researchers found, was putting the device in a different room entirely.
1. How does the author bring up the topic of the text?A.By offering a piece of news. | B.By sharing a magazine article. |
C.By describing his own experience. | D.By citing previous research findings. |
A.Full. | B.Magic. | C.Tight. | D.Bad. |
A.Never wait for a notification. |
B.Use our phone as little as possible. |
C.Stay away from our phone when doing things. |
D.Focus on one thing when finishing difficult things. |
A.The Pros and Cons of Using Mobile Phones |
B.How Have Mobile Phones Changed Our Brains Negatively? |
C.The Consequences of Using Mobile Phones |
D.Do You Want to Control the Desire to Check Your Mobile Phones? |
A recently released
Over 1.48 million
An average adult would spend 23.13 minutes on average per day
Moreover, listening to audiobooks was another rising habit among Chinese readers,
Public reading services continued to meet the needs of Chinese readers, as 78.2 percent of the people
“In Hangzhou, for instance, reading venues, including public libraries, self-service libraries and rural reading rooms,
Reading on mobile phones also remained a habit among Chinese readers. According to the survey, 77.8 percent read on their phones last year, 0.4 percent
10 . It’s 9:30 A.M. in Los Angeles. Jamiah Hargins pulls a few short, green-leafed plants out of the ground in his West Adams backyard, revealing the peanuts (花生). He opens one and gives it a taste.
Hargins started growing food at home because he wanted more nutritious options for his family. He soon found that he grew more than they could eat, so he turned to social media to start a “crop swap (交换)” with neighbors who were dealing with a similar situation. Launched in 2018, Crop Swap LA has since moved towards a more expansive yard-sharing model.
Hargins’ attempt at urban farming was also driven by bigger concerns. A 2016 Deloitte study identified a shift in the priorities shoppers said helped determine their choices, with social impact values including local sourcing and sustainability (可持续性) now ranking alongside traditional drivers like “taste” and “price”.
Crop Swap LA has branched into farmer’s markets, workshops for kids, and other community-focused offerings. It encourages homeowners to “share” their yards with the Crop Swap LA team, which will plant crops. When the crops are harvested, they’ll be sold primarily in low-income areas. Ten percent will be donated back to the neighborhood where they were grown and then an additional percentage will be sold in higher-income areas. Some funds made are given back to the landowner, which Hargins expects will amount to about $5,000 annually.
This summer, Crop Swap LA received $50,000 from the LA 2050 Grant Challenge, which was used to change their first seven gardens, One homeowner, Mychal Creer, is a Los Angeles native who said he has always wanted to grow food but never real got the ball rolling. He’s excited to watch his land transform. And he’s excited to meet more neighbors.
“I’m glad that we are creating a community using crops as the means of connection,” Creer said.
1. Why did Hargins start growing food in his backyard?A.He followed the example of his neighbors. |
B.He hoped to make a profit by selling the food. |
C.He wanted to provide healthy food for his family. |
D.He learned about the benefits of home-grown food on social media. |
A.Whether it is grown through modern farming method. |
B.Whether it is popular among local consumer. |
C.Whether it is grown by professional farmer. |
D.Whether it is friendly to the environment. |
A.It brings food and profit to the landowner. |
B.It mainly attracts people from low-income areas. |
C.It will help the growers make up to $5,000 every year. |
D.It donates ten percent of the food to low-income families. |
A.He feels a stronger sense of connection. |
B.He has made $50,000 from the lands so far. |
C.His garden has become more beautiful than before. |
D.He enjoys greater popularity among his neighbors. |