1 . Over the past few decades, technology has advanced at an unprecedented rate, revolutionizing industries and shaping new ways of life.
According to the International Telecommunication Union, a key advocate of technological advancement, the rapid growth of technology has significantly improved the quality of life in numerous communities. It cites studies that show the integration of technology into daily lives has led to increased efficiency, more access to information, and even progress in healthcare in numerous regions.
Those who embrace technological progress argue that it creates new opportunities for individuals and businesses alike. For instance, farmers in remote areas can now access real-time market information and weather updates through smartphones, enabling them to make more informed decisions about their crops. Additionally, small businesses can expand their reach globally through online platforms.
Furthermore, critics fear that the unchecked growth of technology may have negative impacts on society and the environment. For example, the rise of social media and the internet has led to an increase in cyberbullying, privacy concerns, and the spread of misinformation. Moreover, the overuse of technology may contribute to do-nothing lifestyles and other health issues.
One thing is certain about technological progress—it is an inevitable trend. The rapid pace of innovation and the widespread availability of technology make it impossible to turn back.
| A．But how can we take control of technology to our advantage? |
| B．The question arises: Is technological progress beneficial for all? |
| C．This digital divide can lead to increased social and economic gaps. |
| D．However, critics of technological advancement hold a different view. |
| E．These advancements have been particularly evident in rural and underserved areas. |
| F．It ensures that the benefits of technological progress are shared equally across society. |
| G．The challenge now is finding ways to command the power of technology to benefit all. |
2 . The concept of learned helplessness was first coined by psychologists Martin Seligman and Steven Maier in the late 1960s during a series of experiments with dogs.
The researchers placed dogs in a situation where they were subjected to unavoidable electric shocks. After these initial experiences, the dogs were later placed in a different situation where they could easily escape the shocks by moving to another part of the chamber. Surprisingly, many of the dogs did not attempt to escape, even when the means to do so were readily available. They had learned to feel helpless.
As adults, we often encounter a version of learned helplessness in our daily lives. We face challenges not in the form of electric shocks but in situations where we might feel overwhelmed or powerless, such as long-standing stress at work or repeated personal failures. These experiences can make us believe that we cannot change our circumstances, leading to a passive acceptance of our difficulties.
A similar process operates in our approach to problem-solving and goal-setting. In our formative experiences, we may have encountered situations where our efforts to succeed were consistently met with failure, leading to a sense of powerlessness. But the modern world, with its constant demands and high expectations, has greatly changed our environment. We are now constantly faced with new challenges and opportunities.
Our modern lifestyle — with its various sources of stress and anxiety — can do to our mental state what unavoidable shocks did to the dogs in Seligman’s experiments. We are tending to submit to hopelessness because our past experiences may have conditioned us to expect failure. But, as we have reshaped the world around us, increasing opportunities for success and personal growth, we still have the same psychological responses we developed in earlier, more challenging environments.
Therefore, just as we need to be more thoughtful about our mindset towards effort and success, we also need to be more conscious of our beliefs about personal competence, resisting the temptation to yield to learned helplessness. By fostering resilience and adopting a growth mindset, we can effectively manage our responses to life’s challenges and seize opportunities for improvement and success.
1. What do we know about learned helplessness according to the text?| A．It is a natural response to unavoidable shocks. |
| B．It is primarily caused by modern lifestyle. |
| C．It is a psychological state that can be overcome. |
| D．It is unavoidable in today’s fast-paced world. |
| A．Advanced technology. |
| B．High physical demands. |
| C．Lasting stress at work. |
| D．Unbalanced career life. |
| A．Indifferent and neutral. |
| B．Dismissive and critical. |
| C．Sympathetic and reserved. |
| D．Understanding and encouraging. |
| A．Cause and effect. |
| B．Problem and solution. |
| C．Comparison and contrast. |
| D．Classification and summary. |
3 . When you try a new restaurant or book a hotel, do you consider the online reviews? Do you submit online reviews yourself? Do you pay attention if they are filtered (过滤)? Does that impact your own online review submissions?
In 2010, Yelp shared a video to help users understand how its review filter works and why it was necessary. In recently published research, T. Ravichandran, Ph. D. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and his team compared reviews of over 1,000 restaurants on Yelp to those same restaurants on TripAdvisor, which did not openly share its review filter policies. They found that the number of reviews submitted to Yelp decreased. Those submissions were increasingly negative and shorter in length compared to TripAdvisor. Also, the more positive a review, the shorter it was.
“Platforms are pressured to have content guidelines and take measures to prevent fraud (欺诈) and ensure that reviews are reliable and helpful,” said Ravichandran. Platforms use advanced software to flag and filter reviews. Once a review is flagged, it is filtered out and not displayed, and it is not factored into the overall rating for a business. “However, most platforms do not openly disclose their policies, leading consumers to suspect that reviews are controlled to increase profit by filtering so-called dishonest content,” Ravichandran added.
Whether or not to disclose review filters is a critical decision for platforms with many considerations. Users may put less time and effort into their reviews if they suspect that they have a significant chance of being filtered, or they may do the opposite to make their reviews less likely to be filtered. Since most false reviews are overly positive, users may assume that positive reviews are most likely to be filtered and act accordingly.
“Review moderation(审核) openness comes at a cost,”said Ravichandran. “Although openness helps to position a platform as fair toward advertisers, the resultant decrease in the number of reviews submitted impacts the platform’s usefulness to consumers.” Online reviews pose great opportunity for firms, but also raise complex questions. Platforms must earn the trust of users without sacrificing engagement.
1. What did Ravichandran’s research find?| A．Positive submissions to Yelp went up. |
| B．TripAdvisor adopted better filter policies. |
| C．Reviews on TripAdvisor dropped in number. |
| D．Yelp’s practice discouraged longer reviews. |
| A．To increase net profit. | B．To protect user privacy. |
| C．To guarantee review reliability. | D．To improve business reputation. |
| A．Users. | B．Reviews. | C．Considerations. | D．Platforms. |
| A．Enhance User Trust Through Review Moderation |
| B．To Filter Online Reviews? Think Before You Start |
| C．How Review Moderation Openness Shapes User Conduct |
| D．Online Reviews: Filter the Fraud, But Don’t Tell Us How |
4 . Ariel Procaccia has thought a lot about how to cut a cake over the last 15 years. As the father of three children, he knows how hard it is to divide a birthday cake to everyone’s satisfaction. But it’s also because Procaccia’s work focuses on exploring the mathematical rules for dividing stuff up fairly. One way to do that is to think abstractly about dessert.
For decades, researchers have been asking the seemingly simple question of how to cut a cake fairly. The answer reaches far beyond birthday parties. A mathematical problem at its heart, cake cutting connects strict reasoning to real-world issues of fairness, and so attracts not only mathematicians, but also social scientists, economists and more. “It’s a very elegant model in which you can distill what fairness really is, and reason about it,” Procaccia says.
The simplest approach is called the “divider-chooser” method, where one person cuts the cake into two equal pieces in his view, and the other person picks first. Each receives a piece that they feel is as valuable as the other’s. But when personal preferences are taken into account, even the easiest rule becomes complicated. Suppose Alice and Bob are to divide a cake, and Alice knows Bob prefers chocolate, she may knowingly divide the cake unequally so the smaller piece contains more chocolate. Then Bob will choose according to his preference, and Alice will get the larger piece. Both of them are satisfied with what they get, but the meaning of fairness changes in this situation.
The cake is a symbol for any divisible good. When cake-cutting principles are employed to settle disagreements, they are potentially helping the world find solutions. Procaccia has used fair division algorithms (算法) to model food distribution. Social scientist Haris Aziz is exploring situations ranging from how to divide up daily tasks to how to best schedule doctors’ shifts in hospitals.
Even after decades of investigation, cake cutting isn’t like a simple jigsaw puzzle (拼图) with a well-defined solution. Instead, over time, it has evolved into a kind of mathematical sandbox, a constructive playground that brings together abstract proofs and easy applications. The more researchers explore it, the more there is to explore.
1. What does the underlined word “distill” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Get the essence of. | B．Find the opposite of. |
| C．Keep the focus on. | D．Reduce the impact on. |
| A．Its standard is stable. | B．It prevents unequal division. |
| C．Its concept is complex. | D．It dominates personal preferences. |
| A．The application of its rules. | B．The details of its process. |
| C．The problems it produces. | D．The harmony it symbolizes. |
| A．Who benefits most from fairness? |
| B．How has fairness changed over time? |
| C．What method works best in cake-cutting? |
| D．Why are researchers so interested in cake-cutting? |
5 . For most of history, people lived in small groups of up to 150 people. Then villages and small towns developed, offering safety and support through the sharing of resources. As time passed, urban living brought additional advantages such as better jobs, schools and healthcare. Larger towns also gave people more chances to meet and interact. This is important.
Today, over half of the world’s population currently lives in towns and cities. But this has resulted in a strange paradox (悖论). Although social opportunities are one reason people choose to live in large cities, research suggests that city life can be lonely.
The development of virtual communities can be traced back to the 1860s. Back then, telegraph operators exchanged messages and gradually formed friendships over long distances.
These days, there are thousands of virtual communities and that number keeps growing. Many people believe they will become more important.
| A．This trend, however, is not likely to continue. |
| B．As Aristotle said, the nature of humans is to be social. |
| C．That may explain why virtual communities are so popular. |
| D．The first popular online communities developed in the 1980s. |
| E．Before cell phones existed, radio was an easy way to communicate. |
| F．Nevertheless, others worry about problems with these communities. |
| G．This is among the earliest examples of virtual community interactions. |
6 . A new study shows that female academics are significantly underrepresented in winning academic prizes and having awards named after them. Analysis of nearly 9,000 awardees and 346 scientific prizes and medals published in Nature Human Behaviour has found that men win eight prizes for every one won by a woman if the award is named after a man. These awards represent almost two-thirds of all scientific prizes. Female academics are, however, more likely to win awards that have been named after other notable female scientists, with 47% of those awards going to women and 53% to men.
Dr Katja Gehmlich, Associate Professor in the Institute of Cardiovascular Science at the University of Birmingham and joint lead author of the study, said, “The gender gap between awardees in scientific prizes is sadly a product of a long, systematic issue of poor representation of women in sciences. Despite decades of efforts to rebalance this issue, our study shows that women are still poorly recognized for their scientific contributions, and men are far more likely to win prizes and awards, in particular, if those awards are named after other men.
“It seems particularly shocking to me that awards named after women still see more than half of prizes going to men. We further propose a list of actions to address and overcome these issues but are aware this will be a long process. The Nominate Her movement is one way that the scientific community can begin to address this,” said Dr Gehmlich.
Prof Stefan Krause from the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Birmingham and joint lead author of the study said, “Our data is indicative of much wider issues of gender inequality within sciences. Our current publication is an initial attempt to understand the causes of such striking gender inequality and to promote discussion on the subject within our scientific communities.”
“Research culture has a lot to do to improve the gender prize gap, as well as efforts to address the inequality that sees almost two-thirds of prizes currently named after men. More pathways may also be needed, such as renaming or getting rid of gender names associated with some awards,” added Prof Krause.
1. How are awards named after female scientists distributed between genders?| A．Males are in the majority. |
| B．Females take up a bit more than half. |
| C．They are almost entirely awarded to females. |
| D．They are evenly distributed between males and females. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Tolerant. |
| C．Uncaring. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．Establishing gender rates for awards. |
| B．Increasing the number of female judges. |
| C．Encouraging more women to enter scientific fields. |
| D．Renaming or removing gender names from awards. |
| A．Achievements of women in science |
| B．The role of men in the scientific world |
| C．Gender inequality in scientific awards |
| D．Future of gender equality in academia |
7 . New research from the American non-profit organization Consumer Reports finds that plastics have a “widespread” presence in food. The group called on the United States government to examine the safety of food that comes into contact with plastics during production.
In a report released Thursday, Consumer Reports said that 84 out of 85 food products it recently tested contained “plasticizers” called phthalates. Phthalates are chemicals used to make plastics last longer. The researchers also said 79 percent of the examined foods contained bisphenol A (BPA), another chemical found in plastics.
In these tests, the researchers checked a wider variety of foods to see how much of the chemicals Americans actually consume. The answer is quite a lot. The tests found that bisphenols and phthalates remain widespread in food, almost in every food we tested. The levels did not depend on packaging type, and no one particular type of food — say, dairy products or prepared meals — was more likely than another to have them. Consumer Reports said all the levels were within limits set by U.S. and European regulators. All the foods tested remained within the limits. However, does that mean it is safe to eat?
Beyond highlighting these concerns, Consumer Reports is actively working on issues related to consumer safety. This includes advocating for the banning of harmful chemicals in food. The widespread presence of plastics in food is a pressing issue that requires immediate attention from both regulators and consumers. While we wait for policy changes, there are steps individuals can take to reduce exposure to these chemicals. Some of these measures include avoiding plastic food storage containers, limiting consumption of fast food. Replacing plastic kitchen tools with those made of wood and stainless steel can also help. Using glass or steel water bottles can further reduce exposure. It’s also important to air your home regularly to reduce exposure to phthalates in household dust.
1. What is the finding of the research?| A．Plastic containers are widely used nowadays. | B．Plastics can pollute food during production. |
| C．Plastics contain many harmful materials. | D．Plastics are related to food safety issue. |
| A．To stress its key role in making plastics. | B．To show it will do harm to our health. |
| C．To offer basic information to consumers. | D．To tell what food products are made up of. |
| A．Bisphenols and phthalates are not used. | B．The set limits may not be suitable at present. |
| C．The regulators don’t perform their duty. | D．The packaging types are still the same. |
| A．By discussing research experiments. | B．By comparing different results. |
| C．By analyzing cause and effect. | D．By presenting problem and solution. |
8 . Have you heard yourself say “it was nothing really” when someone congratulates you on a job well done? Or when you are asked to make a list of what you have achieved, you draw a blank? Maybe you have success amnesia.
Failing to acknowledge your hard work is often a sign of “success amnesia”. People with success amnesia are often successful yet they find it difficult to admit achievements. They are people who others would describe as successful and yet they find it difficult to acknowledge their results.
Success amnesia robs them of the satisfying sense that can help them achieve a goal. And, perhaps more importantly, it robs them of confidence. Confidence does not guarantee success, but it does increases the chances of success. Think of the classic children’s story, The Little Engine That Could. The Little Blue Engine comes to the rescue of a broken-down train, working hard to pull the stranded (搁浅的) goods up and over a mountain. As she moves upwards, she continuously says “I think I can”, and finally she makes it to the mountaintop and begins downwards.
Imagine you will throw a 50th birthday celebration for your partner. If you approach the task with “I think I can” in your mind, then you’re likely to tackle it with energy. You might not have done anything similar before, but you trust yourself to work it out. You hold meetings to gather ideas and work out a plan. Approaching the task with your head full of “I can’t do this”, on the other hand, would likely result in more hesitant steps. It’s difficult to get the work finished when you hold the belief that the task is beyond you.
Confidence fuels success and success fuels confidence. Our achievements provide us with evidence of what we’re capable of, increasing our self-belief and fueling our confidence to do more. Success amnesia reduces confidence. To boost one’s confidence, it is necessary to tackle success amnesia.
1. Which student may have “success amnesia”?| A．One willing to help others. | B．One refusing to admit his mistake. |
| C．One thinking little of his achievements. | D．One speaking highly of his own composition. |
| A．To explain the reason behind success amnesia. |
| B．To praise the perseverance of The Little Blue Engine. |
| C．To give an example that confidence can guarantee success. |
| D．To prove that one is more likely to succeed with confidence. |
| A．By citing a real case. | B．By presenting supporting facts. |
| C．By analyzing contributing factors. | D．By showing comparison and contrast. |
| A．Ways to deal with success amnesia, |
| B．Different opinions on success amnesia. |
| C．Scientific research into success amnesia. |
| D．Possible consequences of success amnesia |
9 . Polly Arrowsmith is a clever bargain shopper, and knows exactly when her three local supermarkets make their daily price down. She estimates that hunting out food with yellow discounted labels saves her hundreds of pounds a year. But all this could soon be coming to an end. That’s because supermarkets are adopting dynamic pricing, controlled by artificial intelligence (AI) software.
It involves digital price tags that are displayed either on the shelf below the food items, or on high-tech labels attached the product itself. These prices are automatically, and wirelessly, updated by the AI when a particular item approaches its sell-by date. The AI also examines how much stock (库存) the store is holding of that item and makes the decision as to whether a markdown is requiredor not. Besides, it can help supermarkets better understand how to manage stock supply and avoid over-ordering. So we’re actually turning the current food waste problem into an opportunity and can help cut supermarkets’ food waste by more than a third.
Matt Wills, the co-founder of a firm called Acumen, warns that there are potential disadvantages to dynamic pricing. “Not knowing what the reference price is, consumers might not realise they are getting a deal at all,” he says. “This could also cause added complications for people who retired, if items are seen to be continually changing in price.”
The key, Mr. Wills believes, will be for supermarkets to have strict guidelines to ensure they can offer the benefits that dynamic pricing can bring, while ensuring AI doesn’t create unintended negative consequences for shoppers. Whether shoppers will welcome the change is another question, but Mr. Wills believes they’ll be won over by the price reductions they receive.
Ms. Arrowsmith admits she will miss the yellow discount stickers that have become part of her shopping routine. However, she also says she wants to see less food going to waste. “I’m happy to forgo really cheap pricing,” she says.
1. Why are yellow discount labels disappearing?| A．They are easy to hunt out. |
| B．They expose some safety issues. |
| C．They cause great damage to shoppers. |
| D．They are replaced with digital pricing. |
| A．The advantages of using the AI. |
| B．The display of digital price tags. |
| C．The management of stock supply. |
| D．The problem of current food waste. |
| A．It offers the cheapest price. | B．It greatly reduces food stock. |
| C．It has side effect on retirees. | D．It gives rise to legal problems. |
| A．Pay off. | B．Give up. | C．Agree on. | D．Cut down. |
10 . Uninvited opinions about someone’s marriage, their constant failures or whatever just happened in the bathroom are all clues you’ve got an Oversharer on your hands. Whether they’re telling too much or asking for details you’re not comfortable sharing, this all-too common persona has no boundaries.
“The discomfort you feel comes from a difference of standards about what topics of conversation are OK,” says Wisner. “What they consider to be acceptable, need-to-know information is different from what it is for you.”
At the same awkward time, the Oversharer is only trying to get closer to you by revealing more about themselves — and hoping you’ll do the same. “We tend to label these people as overly-curious, invasive(侵入的) or rude,” notes Gerber, “but they really just want to be liked and accepted.”
To satisfy the Oversharer, and meanwhile reject endless TMI (too-much-information), consider sharing something else — still personal but less invasive — that satisfies their urge to connect. When they really cross the line, don’t be shy. Say something that indicates your boundary is being crossed. But you don’t have to declare them to be rude or insist them change their ways immediately. “OMG, that’s private!” says everything, and you’ll never have to bring it up again.
A compliment (称赞) also works wonders with an Oversharer, adds Gerber, because it refocuses the conversation in their direction while subtly resetting your boundary.
To my nosy friend who asks me when I plan to have a baby, for example, I will give this wise response next time: “You made having kids look so easy! How’d you do it?” Then nod and smile, nod and smile. Maybe I won’t have another baby in this life, but at least I’ll be ready to face an Oversharer — or any of the challenging people it takes to make a world.
1. What is the function of the first paragraph?| A．Shaping the image of an Oversharer. |
| B．Stressing the importance of boundaries. |
| C．Identifying the clues of an unpleasant talk. |
| D．Presenting different opinions about sharing. |
| A．They want sympathy from others. |
| B．They see it as a way to break the ice. |
| C．They are curious about others’ sufferings. |
| D．They long for closer connections with others. |
| A．Ignore their comments. | B．Demanding an apology. |
| C．Declaring your boundaries. | D．Criticizing their rudeness. |
| A．To check her friend’s boundary. | B．To show admiration for her friend. |
| C．To learn from her friend’s experience. | D．To shift the topic to her friend’s direction. |
