1 . We live in the age of the short attention span. And yet: Finding a recipe in a post requires first scrolling past a “novel” detailing the chef’s personal experience with the dish. Even platforms once known for short-form media are stretching the limits: YouTube videos once were within 10 minutes; now they can and do reach 12 hours. Even TikTok is going long, reportedly testing a new limit of up to 15 minutes for some creators.
Surely some of this is born of genuine audience interest. Length, after all, is sometimes associated with quality. Sometimes, storytelling deserves a surprising length. Other times, it does not. Online media are frequently lengthened not because the subject demands it but because creators are attempting to game algorithms (算法) to make more money. Algorithms, on the most basic level, are supposed to recommend whatever else people post online. Yet in the process, they end up encouraging people to generate a lot of junk.
Some of these apps seem to realize what they’ve done. TikTok and YouTube give users the ability to speed things up. But the solution only underscores the problem. Because it gives rise to all those ads that run before videos or between paragraphs. Any extra real estate for these ads, be it space on a page or time on a podcast, is a chance for platforms to make more money.
Some algorithms may in fact prioritize length as an indicator of quality. But it’s hard to say for sure, because tech companies tend not to give many details about their inner workings. In some ways, whether an algorithm prefers longer videos matters less than whether creators think an algorithm does. If people start believing that longer videos do “better”, they’ll make more of them.
People are afraid that generative AI will pollute the Internet. But social-media and search algorithms have been doing that for years. It’s even cheaper and easier for generative AI to produce long content. All of this is just a taste of what’s to come.
1. How does the author introduce the topic?| A．By telling stories. | B．By referring to studies. |
| C．By giving examples. | D．By offering personal experience. |
| A．To enhance their storytelling abilities. | B．To take advantage of algorithms for profit. |
| C．To gather data concerning popular subjects. | D．To provide the audience with interesting ideas. |
| A．Highlights. | B．Upgrades. | C．Overlooks. | D．Forecasts. |
| A．Algorithms are sure to pick out longer videos. |
| B．The development of AI will facilitate longer content. |
| C．The best content is lengthened by video producers. |
| D．Search algorithms are easily polluted and destroyed. |
2 . Have you ever taken a personality test and found the results to be scarily accurate, checked your horoscope (星象学) and had everything come true or taken an online quiz that told you precisely what your favorite Disney princess means about you? Well, we certainly have done so too many times.
We discovered that we’ve all been falling victim to the Barnum effect.
The key to success of astrology and personality test keep the statements as vague as possible, with a mix of mostly positive and some negative content.
| A．Indeed, Barnum proved to be right. |
| B．You believe in such mysterious tests firmly. |
| C．Not every statement are worth considering. |
| D．So, keep in mind that we are not immune to the Barnum effect. |
| E．For example, using the phrase “at times” makes for a powerful Barnum Effect. |
| F．Therefore, We decided to do a little investigation into how Internet quizzes, magazines and horoscope books seem to know us so well. |
| G．The Barnum Effect is the phenomenon that occurs when individuals believe that personality descriptions apply specifically to them. |
3 . Nearly one-third of American adolescents and adults are affected by anxiety, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. In fact, over the last decade, anxiety has surpassed depression as the most common reason college students seek counseling (咨询) services, the New York Times reported. Sixty-two percent of undergraduates in survey reported “unbearable anxiety,” a significant increase from 50 percent in 2011.
Anxiety, along with depression, cuts across all demographics (人口统计数据), including both privileged and disadvantaged teenagers. But privileged teens are among the most emotionally upset youth in America, Arizona State University psychology professor Suniya Luthar told the New York Times.
“These kids are incredibly anxious and perfectionistic,” Suniya Luthar said, “there’s always one more activity, one more A. P. class, one more thing to do in order to get into a top college. Kids have a sense that they’re not measuring up. The pressure is never-ending and getting worse.” But helicopter parents aren’t always to blame. Many students internalize the anxiety and put the pressure on themselves, Madeline Levine, co-founder of Challenge Success, a nonprofit aimed at improving student well-being, told the Times.
Another expert, psychiatrist Stephanie Eken, said despite the cultural differences, there’s a lot of overlap among teens regarding what makes them anxious. Eken mentions factors range from school, family conflicts, what food to eat, diseases, how they’re perceived by friends and notably in the last few years, Eken told the Times, to a rising fear about terrorism. “They wonder about whether it’s safe to go to a movie theater,” she said.
A lack of close, meaningful relationships is also a major factor. Experts have long said mental and physical changes associated with puberty (青春期) may leave teens at higher risk for anxiety. And social media doesn’t help, Eken said, adding that teens are always comparing themselves with their friends, which leaves them miserable.
When Times reporter Benoit Denizet-Lewis visited Mountain Valley, a nonprofit that offers teens need-based assistance for $910 a day, a college student at the facility said, “I don’t think we realize how much it’s affecting our moods and personalities. Social media is a tool, but it’s become this thing that we can’t live without but that’s making us crazy.”
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?| A．A big rise in anxiety among teens. |
| B．A report on mental health of adolescents. |
| C．Common mental health disorders in adults. |
| D．The reason for adults seeking counseling services. |
| A．Their parents pressure them too much. |
| B．They are less anxious than disadvantaged teenagers. |
| C．Their pressure often comes from themselves, not from others. |
| D．They suffer extreme anxiety under pressure of perfection. |
| A．To give general causes of stress and anxiety. |
| B．To show typical examples of cultural differences. |
| C．To illustrate the importance of close relationships. |
| D．To state the impact of everyday things on mental health. |
| A．Is anxiety increasing in the United States? |
| B．Why are more US teens suffering from anxiety? |
| C．How is social media affecting teens with anxiety? |
| D．How do we help teenagers deal with mental illness? |
1. What impact has the coronavirus had on public transport?
| A．It has been shut. |
| B．It is being used less. |
| C．It is struggling with the number of passengers. |
| A．25%. | B．39%. | C．300%. |
| A．We should keep positive changes. |
| B．The world can adapt to any change. |
| C．It’s better to look to the past for answers. |
5 . Globally, about 192.1 million animals are used annually for experimental purposes. Iran has conducted animal-based research dating back to the time of Ibn Sina. Although, like many countries, Iran regulates the use and treatment of laboratory animals, it lacks sufficient enforcement. To ensure ethical treatment of research animals, Iran needs better data about their use, and institutions and individuals need to take responsibility for their care.
Iran’s Ministry of Health, which oversees animal testing, requires all animals are treated according to international ethical standards. However, some institutions that produce or use animals provide substandard treatment, disregarding the ministry’s guidelines. To facilitate better enforcement of established regulations, Iran needs clear, accurate and reliable information about the quantity of animals used in research. All Iranian research institutions that use animals should be required to collect and report annual data on the number of animals they use, the conditions in which the animals are kept, and the animals’ research purpose. Such data would allow Iran to track each institution’s adherence (遵守) to the “3Rs”of animal research: Replacing animal-based experiments with alternative strategies, reducing the number of animals used, and refining techniques to minimize the pain and discomfort research animals experience.
In addition to government enforcement, individual institutions should prioritize the replacement, reduction, and refinement of animal use. Iran’s medical schools and research institutions should establish an accessible database with comprehensive experimental details to prevent excessive animal studies. Ethics committees shouldn’t approve experiments that use more animals than necessary or methods that require animals when alternative methods are available. In some cases, technical sampling (using a small sample size) can replace experimental sampling (using a relatively large sample size).
Individuals should also take an active role. All researchers must be trained to adhere to ethical principles and understand unnecessary pain or discomfort in animals could affect the interpretation of data.
Maintaining international ethical standards for animal treatment is vital for Iran to establish its global standing in the field of medical sciences. Iran’s government, institutions, individual scientists, and public can work together to ensure ethical animal research.
1. What is the main idea of paragraph 1?| A．The origin of Iran’s animal-based research. |
| B．The regulations of Iran’s research into animals. |
| C．The development of Iran’s animal-based research. |
| D．Moral concerns for Iran’s research animals’ welfare. |
| A．To follow the ministry’s guidelines. |
| B．To be in control of animal-based research. |
| C．To ensure the adherence to the “3Rs” in animal-based research. |
| D．To replace animal-based experiments with alternative strategies. |
| A．To follow government regulations. |
| B．To reduce unnecessary animal-based studies. |
| C．To make research more visible to the public. |
| D．To ensure the accuracy of experimental results. |
| A．To encourage cooperation for ethical animal-based research in Iran. |
| B．To promote the use of an accessible experimental database in Iran. |
| C．To highlight ethics committees’ role in animal-based research in Iran. |
| D．To stress international ethical standards in animal-based research in Iran. |
6 . Experts worry that teen texting is out of control. Instead of
Garcia, a high school senior from Grand Kennedy, has also felt the need to stay constantly
Dr. Dowdell, at Villanova University, says that many people expect to be able to
So we decided to have Kenny and Garcia do an experiment. These were the
“Wow, it was completely
| A．sleeping | B．exercising | C．reading | D．working |
| A．studies | B．discusses | C．argues | D．texts |
| A．power | B．urge | C．approval | D．commitment |
| A．submit to | B．feed on | C．respond to | D．struggle against |
| A．surrounded | B．accepted | C．connected | D．acknowledged |
| A．avoid | B．count | C．anticipate | D．accumulate |
| A．access | B．challenge | C．consult | D．influence |
| A．appealing | B．annoying | C．frustrating | D．encouraging |
| A．benefit | B．expectation | C．assumption | D．concern |
| A．resist | B．advance | C．concentrate | D．pause |
| A．components | B．applications | C．rules | D．options |
| A．painful | B．enjoyable | C．serious | D．helpful |
| A．instructed | B．hesitated | C．rejected | D．admitted |
| A．In spite of | B．Instead of | C．But for | D．Along with |
| A．direct | B．depressing | C．joyful | D．practical |
1. What did the woman do with the thief?
| A．She pretended not to see him. | B． She fought with him. | C．She did as he asked. |
| A．A necklace. | B．Some money. | C．Nothing. |
| A．Fit a home alarm system. | B．Call the police. | C．Keep a dog. |
| A．She is puzzled. | B．She is brave. | C．She is frightened. |
8 . When consuming information, we try to acquire more signals and less noise. We feel like the more information we consume the more signals we receive. While this is probably true on an absolute basis, Nassim Taleb argues in the book Antifragile that it is not true on a relative basis. As you consume more data and the ratio (比率) of noise to signals increases, you know less about what’s going on and you are likely to cause more unintentional trouble.
The supply of information to which we are exposed under modernity is transforming humans from a calm person to a neurotic (神经质的) one. For the purpose of our discussion, the first person only reacts to real information, and the second largely to noise. The difference between the two will show us the difference between noise and signals. Noise is what you are supposed to ignore; signals are what you need to heed.
In science, noise is a generalization beyond the actual sound to describe random information that is totally useless for any purpose, and that you need to clean up to make sense of what you are listening to. You can use and take advantage of noise and randomness, but noise and randomness can also use and take advantage of you, particularly with the data you get on the Internet or through other media. The more frequently you look at data, the more noise you are likely to get, and the higher the noise-to-signal ratio is.
Say you look at information on a yearly basis—the changes you see will all be large ones. The ratio of signals to noise is about one to one—this means that about half the changes are real improvements or degradations, and the other half come from randomness. But if you look at the very same data on a daily basis, the composition would change to 95 percent noise and 5 percent signals, and the changes you see daily will certainly be small.
1. What opinion does Nassim Taleb probably hold?| A．It’s hard to know the real truth. | B．The noise-to-signal ratio is changing. |
| C．The information explosion can be harmful. | D．More information brings more signals. |
| A．Notice. | B．Analyse. | C．Solve. | D．Describe. |
| A．Causes and harms of more noise. | B．The meaning and impact of noise. |
| C．The relationship between noise and signals. | D．Advantages and disadvantages of noise. |
| A．Check it frequently. | B．Make use of online data. |
| C．Look at key changes. | D．Focus on all changes in it. |
1. When did the earthquake happen?
| A．On Thursday afternoon. |
| B．On Thursday morning. |
| C．On Wednesday night. |
| A．Forty people lost their lives. |
| B．At least 140 people were injured. |
| C．A railway was nearly destroyed. |
| A．Help the victims. |
| B．Check the highways. |
| C．Tell the woman some survival skills. |
10 . In a policy address to lawmakers, Japan’s Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, said the country’s population problem was a case of solving the issue “now or never”, and that it “simply cannot wait any longer because it can affect social functions”.
“In thinking of the sustainability and inclusiveness of our nation’s economy and society, we place child care support as our most important policy,” he said, adding that he wants the government to double its spending on child-related programs, and that a new government agency would be set up in April to focus on the issue.
Japan has one of the lowest birth rates in the world, and it recorded fewer than 800,000 births in 2022 for the first time since records began in 1899. The country also has one of the highest life expectancies in the world; in 2020, nearly one in 1,500 people in Japan were age 100 or older, according to government data.
These trends have driven a growing population problem, with a rapidly aging society, a shrinking workforce and not enough young people to fill the gaps in the stagnating (停滞) economy. The country’s high cost of living, limited space and lack of child care support in cities make it difficult to raise children, meaning fewer couples are having kids. Experts point to the pessimism young people in Japan hold towards the future, many frustrated with work pressure and economic stagnation.
How about other parts of East Asia? South Korea recently broke its own record for the world’s lowest birth rate, with data from November 2023 showing a South Korean woman will have an average of 0.79 children in her lifetime — far below the 2.1 needed to maintain a stable population. Japan’s birth rate stands at 1.3, while the United States is at 1.6. Meanwhile, China’s population shrank in 2022 for the first time, adding pressure to its economic growth.
1. How does the Japanese government feel about the falling birth rate?| A．Surprised. | B．Confused. | C．Embarrassed. | D．Worried. |
| A．The rapidly aging society. | B．The high life expectancies. |
| C．The shortage of workforce. | D．The various stresses of life. |
| A．Ignorance of the birth rate. | B．Serious population crisis. |
| C．Weak care services for children. | D．Potential harm to women’s health. |
| A．Society. | B．Health. | C．Education. | D．Science. |
