1 . Lonely? You’re hardly alone. Since COVID-19 struck, people of all ages have struggled with this. But even before the pandemic, loneliness was becoming a growing problem for teens — especially girls. That’s the finding of a new study. And that appears throughout industrial nations across the globe. The study linked rising loneliness to 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.
The new study pulled its data from a survey. Some 1 million 15- and 16-year-old students from 37 countries took part in 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.
“Smartphones can help keep us connected with friends,” says Twenge. “But they can also make people feel excluded (排斥).” Girls, especially, may feel this way. One reason may be that they like to post more photos and selfies (自拍照) 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 combination of “phone” and “snubbing (冷落)”. It’s that moment at 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.
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 technology 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 use it as a learning tool. |
C.They depend on it to keep in touch. |
D.They like to post more pictures with it. |
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. |
A.Doubtful. | B.Supportive. |
C.Worried. | D.Uninterested. |
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 |
2 . In 2020, Pink launched the world Regret Survey, the largest survey on the topic ever undertaken. With his research team, Pink asked more than 15, 000 people in 105 countries, “How often do you look back on your life and wish you had done things differently?” Most of them said regret was at least an occasional part of their life. Roughly 21 percent said they felt regretful all the time. Only 1 percent said they never felt regretful.
If you are of the “no regrets” school of life, you may think that all this regret is a recipe for unhappiness. But that isn’t the case. Letting yourself be overwhelmed by regret is indeed bad for you. But going to the other extreme maybe even worse. To extinguish your regrets doesn’t free you from shame or sadness but causes you to make the same mistakes again and again. To truly get over our guilt requires that we put regret in its proper place.
Uncomfortable as it is, regret is an amazing cognitive (认知的) feat. It requires that you go back to a past scene. Imagine that you acted differently to change it, and with that new scene in mind, arrive at a different present — and then, compare that fictional present with the one you are experiencing in reality. Not all regrets are the same, of course. Pink says they come in four basic varieties, and an instance of regret may involve just one combination.
Many connection regrets overlap (重叠) with moral regrets, which can come about after you go against your own values. For example, you may pride yourself on being a loving person, and thus regret not living up to this image in the relationship you harmed. Moral regrets can also involve (涉及) just yourself. Maybe you regret not living up to your commitment (承诺、保证) to your health when you ate a whole pizza or skipped the gym.
If not analyzed and managed, any variety of regret can be harmful to your health. Regret is linked to depression and anxiety, and excessive regret can have a bad effect on your immune system. But regret doesn’t have to be put aside and ignored.
1. What could be concluded from Pink’s research ?A.Half of the people felt regretful. |
B.Most people lived without regrets. |
C.None could live a life without regrets. |
D.The majority of the people had regrets. |
A.Admit. | B.Destroy. | C.Treasure. | D.Advance. |
A.The harm of moral regrets. |
B.The importance of commitment. |
C.The relationship between regrets and values. |
D.The connection between reality and imagination. |
A.Types of regrets. | B.Causes of regrets. |
C.Benefits of experiencing regrets. | D.Ways of dealing with regrets. |
3 . As Internet users become more dependent on the Internet to store information, are people remembering less? If you know your computer will save information, why store it in your own personal memory,your brain? Experts are wondering if the Internet is changing what we remember and how.
In a recent study, Professor Betsy Sparrow conducted some experiments. She and her research team wanted to know the Internet is changing memory. In the first experiment, they gave people 40 unimportant facts to type into a computer. The first group of people understood that the computer would save the information. The second group understood that the computer would not save it. Later, the second group remembered the information better. People in the first group knew they could find the information again, so they did not try to remember it.
In another experiment, the researchers gave people facts to remember, and told them where to find the information on the Internet. The information was in a specific computer folder (文件夹). Surprisingly, people later remembered the folder location better than the facts. When people use the Internet, they do not remember the information. Rather, they remember how to find it. This is called “transactive memory (交互记忆)”.
According to Sparrow, we are not becoming people with poor memories as a result of the Internet. Instead, computer users are developing stronger transactive memories; that is, people are learning how to organise huge quantities of information so that they are able to access it at a later date. This doesn’t mean we are becoming either more or less intelligent, but there is no doubt that the way we use memory is changing.
1. What is the effect of the Internet according to Sparrow’s research?A.We are using memory differently. |
B.We are becoming more intelligent. |
C.We have poorer memories than before. |
D.We need a better way to access information. |
A.To introduce the main topic. |
B.To show the author’s attitude. |
C.To describe how to use the Internet. |
D.To explain how to store information. |
A.Sparrow’s team typed the information into a computer. |
B.The two groups remembered the information equally well. |
C.The first group did not try to remember the information. |
D.The second group did not understand the information. |
A.To keep the information in mind. |
B.To change the quantity of information. |
C.To organise information like a computer. |
D.To remember how to find the information. |
4 . How many people really suffer as a result of labour market problems? This is one of the most critical yet debatable social policy Questions.
In many ways, our social statistics overstate the degree of hardship. Unemployment does not have the same horrible consequences today as it did in the 1930s when most of the unemployed were primary breadwinners, when income and earnings were usually much closer to the margin of survival, and when there were fewer effective social programmes for those failing in the labour market. Increasing wealth, the rise of families with more than one wage earner, the growing dominance of secondary earners among the unemployed and improved social welfare protection have unquestionably relieved the consequences of joblessness. Earnings and income data also overestimate the scale of hardship. Among the millions with hourly earnings at or below the minimum wage level, the majority are from multiple-earner, relatively well-off families. Most of those counted by the poverty statistics are elderly or handicapped or have family responsibilities which keep them out of the labour force, so the poverty statistics are by no means an accurate indicator of labour market problems.
Yet there are also many ways our social statistics underestimate the degree of labour-market-related hardship. The unemployment counts exclude the millions of fully employed workers whose wages are so low that their families remain in poverty. Low wages and repeated or long-time unemployment frequently interact to weaken the capacity for self-support. Since the number experiencing joblessness at some time during the year is several times that unemployed in any month, those who suffer as a result of forced idleness can equal or exceed average annual unemployment, even though only a minority of the jobless in any month really suffer. For everyperson counted in the monthly unemployment records, there is another working part-time because of the inability to find full-time work, or else outside the labour force but wanting a job. Finally, income transfers in our country have always focused on the elderly, disabled, and dependent, neglecting the needs of the working poor, so that the dramatic expansion of cash and non-cash transfers does not necessarily mean that those failing in the labour market are adequately protected.
As a result of such conflicting evidence, it is uncertain whether those suffering seriously as a result of labour market problems number in the hundreds of thousands or the tens of millions, and, hence, whether high levels of joblessness can be tolerated or must be counteracted(抵消)by job creation and economic stimulation. There is only one area of agreement in this debate—that the existing poverty, employment, and earnings statistics are inadequate for one of their primary applications, measuring the consequences of labour market problems.
1. In paragraph 2, the author contrasts the 1930s with the present in order to show that ________ .A.more people were unemployed in the 1930s |
B.income level has increased since the 1930s |
C.social programmes are more in need now |
D.unemployment is more intolerable today |
A.Many unemployed people are from families where other members are working. |
B.Repetition of short-term unemployment mainly contributes to people’s loss of working capacity. |
C.The majority of low-wage workers receive earnings from more than one job. |
D.Labour market hardship is understated because fewer individuals are jobless than counted. |
A.workers who have just retired | B.children in single-earner families |
C.those doing a low-paid, part-time job | D.full-time workers who become unemployed |
A.What causes labour market problems that result in suffering. |
B.Why income statistics are imprecise in measuring degrees of poverty. |
C.When poverty, employment, and earnings figures agree with each other. |
D.How statistics give an unclear picture of the labour-market-related suffering. |
5 . Why Walking in Nature Makes You a Better Worker?
We’re busy at work, distracted (注意力分散的) by technology and often live in urban environments far from wild spaces.
There are also a lot of mental benefits when you are in nature-you are happy and your brain can make sense of life. “When people are all out in nature, even in urban nature, people tend to have more positive emotion and energy than when they are indoors.
The idea that nature is good for us has been gaining grounds since the 1980s.
Of course, many of us live in cities with no ready access toforests or the wilderess.
A.We also don’t get out much |
B.But it doesn’t have to be a forest |
C.People can get to a forest for a hike |
D.In other words, people are happier in nature |
E.There are some obvious benefits when being outside |
F.Green and blue spaces are better than busy city streets |
G.First came the theory that humans have a basic desire to be connected with nature |
6 . Taking online classes from far away
Faiqa, a 15-year-old freshman at a public high school, logs in to her all-remote classes each night from Pakistan in a time zone nine hours ahead. Max, who also attends school in the same state, has joined his Advanced Placement history class for about two months from Guayaquil, Ecuador.
It is unclear how widespread the practice is. But out-of-country logins have become increasingly common since late fall according to educators in the country.
Max says he is grateful that he is still able to log in to classes during the special period of time. “
A.Missing school for a long time is really bad |
B.Some families paid a visit to other countries |
C.I’m desperate to get back to the online world |
D.students take virtual classes from outside the state |
E.over two-thirds of young students find it easier to learn lessons online |
F.Max’s schoolmate, Naobe, participates in classes from northern Honduras |
G.The officials say it is possible for students to log in from anywhere in the world |
7 . A good place
I know it sounds strange, but I want you to take a look at your life as you read this article in the next minute. In your world, you're looking for a place where you feel cared about and where you'll see people coming together to help someone in need, whether it's for a meal, a laugh, or to lend a hand when disaster strikes.
You know such a place because you’ve been there. It’s on a front porch (门廊) in your town after something difficult has happened and help is on the way. It's on the phone, people working together to solve problems at work or in the city. Do you know the phrase “up to no good”? This is a place where you feel the opposite:
Scan your schools, your stores, your online experiences, and your churches—any place you have felt the power of people being together no matter what their backgrounds are.
Hold that thought, because now I will ask you to do one more thing. Take a moment to write me about those people and why you smile when you think about them.
A.These people are up to good. |
B.These people are up to no good. |
C.This is important, especially for American today. |
D.These things should be everywhere in America today. |
E.This is the place where you have said to yourself “I got the help”. |
F.At a time when we have lost faith, your stories can help us regain it. |
G.In a place with a big heart you will immediately feel like you belong. |
8 . One form of social prejudice (偏见) against older people is the belief that they cannot understand or use modern technology. Activities like playing computer games, going on the Net and downloading MP3s are only for the youngsters. Isn’t it unfair that older people enjoying a computer game should be frowned upon (反对) by their children and grandchildren?
Nowadays older people have more control over their lives and they play a full part in society. Moreover, better health care has let more people in their sixties and seventies feeling fit and active after retirement. Mental activity, as well as physical exercise, can contribute to better health. Playing computer games is a very effective way of exercising the brain. So that’s why grey gamers are often seen now.
When personal computers were first introduced, most older people didn’t believe they would ever get familiar with them. Now computers have been around for a few generations and retired people have gradually become more relaxed about using them for fun. Gamers over 65 prefer playing puzzle games and card games. Kate Stevens, aged 72, says, “I find it very relaxing. It’s not very demanding, but you still need to concentrate.”
Another development that has favored “grey games” is a change in the type of video games available on the market. There’s a greater variety of games to choose from, including more intellectual and complex strategy and simulation (模拟) games. For example, Internet Chess and Train Simulator are among the most popular of these. Train Simulator is based on real — world rail activities. Players can choose from a variety of challengers, such as keeping to a strict timetable and using helper engines during a winter storm.
Some people argue that “grey gamers” simply don’t have the skills required for computer games, and that teenagers are better. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Most computer games require the kind of analytical thinking that improves with practice, which means that the “grey gamers” may well be far better than the young. In games where speed is the main consideration, older people would be at a disadvantage because they may have slower reaction. time. On the other hand, “grey gamers” have a preference for slower — paced, mind challenging games.
1. The second paragraph is intended to___________.A.show the best way to exercise the brain | B.stress the importance of good health |
C.explain why grey gamers exist | D.teach how to play video games |
A.Doubtful. | B.Concerned. | C.Enthusiastic. | D.Supportive. |
A.offering numbers | B.giving examples | C.making comparisons | D.providing details |
A.mind challenging games are not suitable for older people |
B.teenagers should improve their skills with practice |
C.playing computer games requires analytical thinking |
D.older people may perform well in computer games |
9 . Most people are hoping the recent stranding (搁浅) of the 1,300-foot, 220,000-ton Ever Given container ship (集装箱货运船) in the Suez Canal was a one-off---just a case of a very big ship getting stuck in a narrow waterway. However, more than 100 ships of similar size are passing through the world’s waterways, and even bigger ones are being built.
Capt.Andrew Kinsey, a senior marine-risk consultant (海洋风险顾问) for a global financial services firm, says with heavy weather in the North Pacific Ocean over the past year, a lot of containers are going overboard (落水). Part of the problem is the way the ultra-large ships handle at sea with towering stacks (堆叠) of containers, especially in strong winds.
Alan Murphy, chief executive of a container-shipping research and advisory firm in Copenhagen, Denmark, says it’s difficult to know whether there has been an increase in the number of containers going overboard or if trans-Pacific container losses over the past year have just received more attention.In a November report, the World Shipping Council found the number of such incidents to be falling in recent years, although the report does not cover 2020. There is no central database for reporting container losses, so it’s not known exactly how many containers fall overboard, Murphy says.
Murphy says container ships are often fully loaded nowadays, as demand for consumer products has jumped during the corona virus pandemic. “In the past, these huge ships have never really sailed as fully loaded as they are now,” he says.“Obviously, the more the ship carries, the greater the risk of an incident happening.”
“The stranding of Ever Given in the Suez Canal is a warning,” Kinsey says.“We’ve been bring up the issue of size in our yearly safety and shipping review and in papers for over five years.”
Carrying more containers needs bigger and wider ships, which means it is harder for them to sail through narrow waterways like the Suez Canal and move when they get stuck.
1. What can we imply from paragraph 1?A.It might be a tough task to build bigger ships. |
B.Costs of overseas shipments might rise sharply. |
C.There might be changes in the world’s waterways. |
D.More accidents like the recent stranding might happen. |
A.No database for reporting container losses had been created. |
B.Trans-Pacific container losses had received more attention. |
C.The number of container losses had dropped in recent years before 2020. |
D.More container losses happened in 2020 than in the past few years. |
A.The extreme weather. | B.The increasing size of ships |
C.The slow transportation. | D.The growing demand for consumer goods. |
A.Warnings about the risks of stranding are given yearly. |
B.Concern about larger ships has been voiced for some time. |
C.Some container ships can carry as many goods as Ever Given. |
D.Ships bigger than Ever Given won’t be allowed through the Suez Canal. |
10 . We live in a town with three beaches. There are two parts less than 10 minutes’ walk from home where neighborhood children gather to play. However, what my children want to do after school is pick up a screen — any screen — and stare at it for hours. They are not alone. Today’s children spend an average of four and a half hours a day looking at screens, split between watching television and using the Internet.
In the past few years, an increasing number of people and organisations have begun coming up with plans to counter this trend. A couple of years ago film-maker David Bond realised that his children, then aged five and three, were attached to screens to the point where he was able to say “chocolate” into his three-year-old son’s ear without getting a response. He realised that something needed to change, and, being a London media type, appointed himself “marketing director from Nature”. He documented his journey as he set about treating nature as a brand to be marketed to young people. The result was Project Wild Thing, a film which charts the birth of the World Network, a group of organisations with the common goal of getting children out into nature.
“Just five more minutes outdoors can make a difference,” David Bond says. “There is a lot of really interesting evidence which seems to be suggesting that if children are inspired up to the age of seven, then being outdoors will be on habit for life.” His own children have got into the habit of playing outside now: “We just send them out into the garden and tell them not to come back in for a while.”
Summer is upon us. There is an amazing world out there, and it needs our children as much as they need it. Let us get them out and let them play.
1. What is the problem with the author’s children?A.They often annoy their neighbours. | B.They are tired of doing their homework. |
C.They have no friends to play with | D.They stay in front of screens for too long. |
A.By making a documentary film. | B.By organizing outdoor activities. |
C.By advertising in London media. | D.By creating a network of friends. |
A.records | B.predicts | C.delays | D.confirms |
A.Let Children Have Fun | B.Young Children Need More Free Time |
C.Market Nature to Children | D.David Bond: A Role Model for Children |