4 . A restaurant in northeast Thailand has become a center for traders of cryptocurrency. A cryptocurrency is a form of digital or virtual money that is not regulated by any central bank as it is based on a network and is independent of them.

HIP Coffee & Restaurant is a café that serves coffee and food. But it has set up screens showing the latest price information on cyptocurrency markets for its customers. The café also offers investment (投资) advice to go along with its coffee and cake.

Detnarong Satianphut is a 35-year-old cryptocurrency trader and a customer at the café. He said, “It’s exciting for me to be here because I get to meet people who share the same interests. We (traders) get to exchange information because in the trading world we are coming up against millions of people.”

Cryptocurrencies have started becoming more popular in Thailand. The latest official data suggests that as much as $7.62 billion in digital currency (货币) was traded in November.

In January, Thailand said it would start to watch over the use of digital currencies as payments. Officials warned of threats to the country’s economic system.

HIP café has been in business since 2013. The café began setting up its cryptocurrency information screens in 2020.

Since then, workers said the number of customers has doubled. HIP café’s boss is Okkhara Yongsakuljinda. He said the café provides a chance for people in the surrounding Nakhon Ratchssima province to invest. The café offers free investment advice and is planning on starting its own cryptocurrency coin.

Customers say trading in the café gives them the best chance of success in an uncertain market. The value of the most well-known cryptocurrency, bitcoin, recently dropped to a six-month low.

1. What does the underlined word “regulated” in paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．Replaced.

B．Refused.

C．Noticed.

D．Controlled.

2. Why does Detnarong Satianphut go to the café?

A．He enjoys the delicious coffee there.

B．He hopes to promote digital money.

C．He wants to meet like-minded people.

D．He needs to teach investment knowledge there.

3. What is Thai officials’ attitude towards the use of digital currencies as payments?

A．Careful.

B．Encouraging.

C．Uncaring.

D．Unclear.

4. What benefit does the café get from the digital money service?

A．It has sold its own digital currencies to a lot of customers.

B．It has got a sharp increase in the number of customers.

C．It has succeeded in investing in different cryptocurrencies.

D．It can sell its coffee and food at higher prices.

5 . Will printed newspapers disappear one day? It’s quite possible. Here are some reasons.

First of all, printed newspapers aren’t the only way to get information. You can find the same information on the Internet. Besides, you can read a lot of information online for free, which makes the Internet even more attractive.

Lots of people are becoming Internet users and most of Internet users read news online. For example, I usually get new information about events that happen in the world by reading short messages on Twitter. As far as I know, students in our university hardly read newspapers. One can argue that older generations may have been used to reading printed newspapers and do not want to change anything, but research proves the opposite. According to a study, the number of Internet users aged between 70 and 75 has increased greatly within four years. This fact sounds strange, but some of Internet users are over 73 years old.

Where do newspapers get their money? The answer is “advertisers”. It is quite expensive especially when you have a lot of other opportunities. Online advertisements are becoming more and more popular. It is good to both sides because it is easier to track (追踪) how many clicks have been made on this link than to find out how many people have actually read a newspaper and paid attention to advertisements.

Also, printed newspapers are not environmentally friendly. They need tons of wood, lots of electricity and many delivery (运输) ways to produce and transport the papers.

1. The first reason for the possibility of printed newspapers’ disappearance in the near future is that_________.

A．newspapers are not available to everyone.

B．newspapers is the only source of information.

C．the news in the printed newspapers is very boring.

D．the Internet provides a lot of the same information free of charge.

2. What does the author want to show by mentioning the study in Paragraph 3?

A．Old people also love new things.

B．Newspapers are losing their aged readers.

C．More old people are used to reading newspapers.

D．Old people are willing to change their bad habits.

3. Which is not the reason why printed newspapers may disappear one day?

A．They are not good for the environment.

B．They are cheaper and cheaper because of the Internet.

C．An increasing number of people become Internet users and read news online.

D．Advertisers prefer online advertisements because it is easier to track how many clicks have been made.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．How people read news today.	B．Why the Internet is important.
C．Why printed newspapers may die away.	D．How people get information today.

6 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Joseph is a teacher in New York. He gives lessons to     1    (he) students about American history. But he was born     2     Kenya, an African country where the children lead a very different life. For example, a ten-year-old boy may spend     3    (much) time in taking care of cows than studying at school. The children also learn many     4    (skill) like how to live in the wild.

Unlike many other children, Joseph went to school. And     5    (lucky), when he was 15, he came     6    (study) in America and then became a teacher. Joseph has written     7     book called Facing the Lion. In the book, he talks about his childhood. He thinks     8     is very important for American children to learn about the cultural differences between their country     9     the others. He also thinks children should learn to be strong and full of hope. Now Joseph     10    (do) a project, hoping that it will help children face their own “lions”.

8 . Lonely? You’re hardly alone. That’s the finding of a new study. And that appears throughout industrial nations across the globe. The study linked rising loneliness to a greater use of smartphones and the internet over the same years.

Jean Twenge, a psychologist, took part in the study. Her team has found that since 2012, US teens have been spending less time together face-to-face.

“Smartphones can help keep us connected with friends,” says Twenge. “But they can also make people feel excluded (隔离).” Girls, especially, may feel this way. One reason may be that they like to post more photos and selfies (自拍) than boys. Studies have shown that if those images don’t get a lot of “likes”, it can affect a teen’s mental health.

And there’s “phubbing” a mixture of “phone” and “snubbing (冷落)”. It’s that moment in which a friend or family member takes out a phone and keeps looking at it, paying no attention to everybody else, including you. Phubbing is one way technology can affect you, even when you’re not the one using it.

The new study pulled its data from a survey. Some 1 million 15- and 16-year-old students from 37 countries took this survey in 2000, 2003, 2012, 2015 and 2018. Its questions mostly dealt with education. But they also included six statements about loneliness, such as “I feel awkward and out of place in my school”. Students could strongly disagree, disagree, agree or strongly agree with each statement.

If technology causes loneliness, should we stop using it? “No, not at all,” argues Twenge. “Everybody of all ages is trying to figure out how we can best use these technologies and stay mentally healthy.” Her advice is to “use your smartphone for what it’s good for. Then put it away.” That includes putting it away overnight—ideally in another room.

1. How do girls differ from boys in smartphone use in the study?

A．They need it to stay in style.

B．They depend on it to keep in touch.

C．They use it as a learning tool.

D．They like to post more pictures with it.

2. Why does the author discuss “phubbing” in paragraph 4?

A．To show the harm of the smartphone.

B．To give an example of communication.

C．To introduce an embarrassing situation.

D．To present a scene with the smartphone.

3. What is Twenge’s attitude to using the smartphone?

A．Doubtful.	B．Supportive.
C．Uninterested	D．Worried

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．The Smartphone—the Focus of a Study

B．The Smartphone—a Communication Tool

C．The Smartphone—a Friend of Teenagers

D．The Smartphone—a Source of Loneliness

9 . Studies on the importance of sleep for health and the various effects of not having enough sleep have long been well-known. Being short of sleep can lead to poor memory and daytime sleepiness. It’s also been connected to diseases and weakens immune(免疫的)function. However, more than three-quarters of us fall asleep after 11pm and nearly a third stay up until 1am.

The concept(概念)of sleep procrastination was introduced in a 2014 study by Utrecht University in The Netherlands, which explained that it meant “failing to go to bed at the intended time, while nothing prevents a person from doing so”. If so, it will bring terrible results.

Studies have shown that “bedtime procrastination” is connected with a person’s working life during the day. “They feel out of control in their day life and the night is when they can be free,” says Dr Saliha Afridi. “It is full of things they ‘have to do’ rather than what they ‘want to do’. ” Studies have also found that increased working hours and the reduced leisure time may cause much stress and sleep procrastination. On occasion, people have trouble with feelings, concern and loneliness, so they were controlled by using social media, making them stay up late.

So how to avoid it? People should avoid thinking too much before bedtime and stay away from digital devices. Besides, taking a warm shower before bed and going to bed at the intended time are also important.

1. What’s the effect of not having enough sleep?

A．Increasing the risk of injuries.	B．Suffering from much stress.
C．Feeling sleepy in the daytime.	D．Losing the previous memory.

2. What does the underlined phrase “sleep procrastination” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Staying up.

B．Keeping awake.

C．Getting up late.

D．Falling asleep.

3. What may cause unhealthy bedtime?

A．A variety of hobbies.	B．Boring social activities.
C．Addiction to digital devices.	D．Working too many hours.

4. What is the author’s suggestion?

A．Form a good sleep habit.	B．Take regular exercise.
C．Listen to some soft music.	D．Surf the Internet less.

10 . If you're a runner who secretly hates running, here's some good news: settling into a leisurely jog rather than an all-out run may actually be better for your health in the long term.

A team from Denmark followed over 5,000 people taking part in the Copenhagen City Heart Study, and tracked whether they were non-joggers or joggers who kept a slow, moderate, or fast pace. The participants' health was tracked over the next 12 years, and so was their mortality (死亡率): 28 of the joggers and 128 of the non-joggers died.

The connection was this: Joggers of mild and moderate intensity had a lower risk of death than the fast joggers. In fact, the lowest mortality risk was that of the mild intensity joggers. The fast-paced joggers had about the same mortality rate as sedentary (久坐的) people. This suggests that there may be an upper limit to hard exercise, after which the benefits fall off.

"The U-shaped association between jogging and mortality suggests there may be an upper limit for exercise amount that is best for health benefits," said study author Peter Schnohr. "Anything more is not just unnecessary: it may be harmful." From the current study, jogging just three times per week, for less than 2.5 hours/week was associated with the lowest overall mortality risk.

There've been a lot of mixed messages about the "right" amount of exercise and what intensity is best. The World Health Organization has suggested that the current 150 minutes/week recommendations are strenuous for most people to tackle, and that expectations should be lowered, since, after all, anything is better than nothing. Everyone probably has a level of activity that feels best to him or her. But at least the growing consensus seems to be that more-if you're pushing yourself very hard-is not necessarily better. And it may even be worse.

1. What was the study designed to find out?

A．The advantages of jogging over running.

B．The common causes of death from exercise.

C．The difference between non-joggers and joggers.

D．The relation between exercise amount and health.

2. Who will face the highest mortality risk according to the study?

A．Those fast-paced joggers.

B．Those slow-paced joggers.

C．Those jogging 150 minutes per week.

D．Those jogging just three times per week.

3. What might Peter Schnohr agree with?

A．The early bird catches the worm.

B．Wealth is nothing without health.

C．To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short.

D．Enough exercise brings about happiness.

4. What does the underlined word "strenuous" in the last paragraph mean?

A．Intense.

B．Wide-ranging.

C．Necessary.

D．Far-reaching.