In 2002, an Australian man went to his friend’s 21st birthday party. He got drunk, fell off some steps and cut his lip. He took a picture of his injuries and shared it with his friends online. “And sorry about the focus,” he wrote, “it was a selfie(自拍).” That was the first recorded use of the word “selfie”, according to some experts at Oxford Dictionaries.
Oxford Dictionaries declared “selfie” Word of the Year for 2013, in honor of the term having taken over the world thanks to millions of smart phone selfportraits and the resulting shares on social media. In recent years, the act of taking a picture of oneself with a mobile phone, placing the subject centerstage, has won great popularity with everyone from Britain’s Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ to US with former President Barack Obama joining in.
But the rise of selfie photography in some of the world’s most beautiful, dangerous places has also inspired a lot of risktaking behavior, such as hanging from a tall building, standing in front of a rushing train and crossing a busy street. People who get addicted will never stop taking selfies, completely ignoring where they are. In fact, there have been several reports about people losing their lives while taking selfies. Several governments have now begun treating selfie as a serious threat to safety, warning visitors to pay attention to the dangers when taking selfies.
“Walt Disney World is also banning selfiesticks from its theme parks because selfiesticks have become a growing safety concern for our guests,” Disney World spokeswoman Kim Prunty said. Under the new policy, guests will be checked for the equipment during the routine bag check that happens near the parks’ entrances.
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When you hear the word “vacation”, what comes to mind? For most it means having fun, pampering (纵容) themselves to some degree or simply relaxing and catching up on sleep. Most people consider it a time to relax and recharge away from work and the stress of life. However, the reality for some is that they end up feeling even more stressed and exhausted than they did before they went on vacation. How is this possible?
A common misconception that people have about going on vacation is that they need to make the most out of their trip. Before they go on every tour they can research 101 places to visit and then pack 98 of those suggestions along their trip. While making the most of your time away, most people over-pack their schedule and overwhelm (压垮) themselves with too many things which result in more stress and less rest.
Today, technology and social media have over-promoted and normalized sharing every experience we have — especially while we are on vacation. The saying “If you didn’t post it, did it really happen?” drives our current culture of documenting and sharing EVERYTHING. Also you may spend more time taking the perfect selfie (自拍) at every stop than you do actually participating in the activity. You end up sacrificing the quality of the trip for the quantity of posts you get out of the trip.
To better appreciate your vacation time, you’d better give yourself one day to recover before returning to work after a vacation. This allows your body and mind to adjust to being back home and getting back into your work routine. You want to go on vacation to recharge, so don’t overcrowd your schedule with late night or early morning activities. Make sure you rest and get plenty of sleep. It’s okay to schedule a lazy day during your vacation when you can sleep. However, don’t overdo it. Try to fit in the minimum recommended amount of daily exercise and if you don’t exercise take this as an opportunity to start a new habit.
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Shopping online has more advantages than buying products at physical stores. To begin with, most online stores offer prices that are much lower than what you will find at a physical store. Part of the reason is that many people use the Internet to find cheaper items. Online business owners understand this,so they usually bring down the prices to get more customers.
Besides, when you are shopping online, you don’t need to get dressed and drive to your favourite store. You can easily visit their website, find the product you want and buy it without getting out of your house. It’s also convenient because you don’t need to wait for the store to open. If you work irregular (不规律的) hours or are very busy, then you probably don’t have enough time to visit the store. Shopping online allows you to buy things without hurting your schedule.
Most physical stores have a limited type of product. However, shopping online allows you to find many products that you wouldn’t be able to find at a physical store. In addition, physical stores often make it difficult to buy certain items. For example, buying underwear (内衣) without getting some strange stares is nearly impossible. Shopping online gives you privacy because you don’t need to worry that people will stare at you while you shop. Not only that, the owners usually keep secrets for you so that no one will know what you bought.
Physical stores try many ways to make you buy more things. They use posters, sales messages, colours and product placement to make you buy extra things. The most popular products are usually in the back because the owner wants you to view all of his or her other products. Many people will find a few extra items by the time they reach the items they have been looking forward to. These methods are not obvious with online stores. This means that you won’t feel the stress to buy other products online.
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Shopaholics
TV. The Internet. The mall. Everywhere we look, we see advertisements that urge us to buy. In today’s consumer society, we are under constant pressure to shop. Of course, most people only buy what they need and what they can afford. However, there are some people, called shopaholics, who can’t control their desire to spend money and buy things. This kind of addictive behaviour can lead large financial problems, family conflict, and deep unhappiness.
What are the symptoms of a shopaholic? People with this problem often spend hours and hours shopping on the Internet or at the mall. Their closets are full of clothing and jewelry that they have never worn, with the price tags still on them. Their homes may be packed with shopping bags and boxes that they bought but never used. Many shopaholics are aware of their own problems, but when they go to a store, they simply can’t resist the urge to buy. Some of them are ashamed of their weakness and try to hide it by storing their purchases in places like the attic (阁楼), where others won’t see them.
Psychologists suggest there are several reasons for a shopping addiction. For some people, it is a way of relieving stress. For others, shopping is a way to fight loneliness or depression. For people with low self-esteem, shopping can be a way that they prove their self-worth. Sometimes the problem develops out of boredom. It becomes a replacement for other hobbies and interests, and it helps pass the time. Although shopping can temporarily make people feel good, they often experience feelings of shame and guilt later.
When shopping habits get out of control, people need professional help. They can either see a counselor (顾问) or join an organisation such as Shopaholics Anonymous. Groups like this try to help people understand the reasons for their addiction and learn how to control the urge to shop. Their goal is to help people find ways to fulfill themselves that do not lead to serious debt and troubled lives.
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Teens and younger children are reading a lot less for fun, according to a Common Sense Media report published on Monday.
While the decline over the past decade is steep for teen readers, some data in the report shows that reading remains a big part of many children’s lives, and indicates how parents might help encourage more reading.
According to the report’s key findings, “the proportion who say they ‘hardly ever’ read for fun has gone from 8 percent of 13-year-olds and 9 percent of 17-year-olds in 1984 to 22 percent and 27 percent respectively today”.
The report data shows that pleasure reading levels for younger children, ages 2-8, remain largely the same. But the amount of time spent in reading each session has declined, from closer to an hour or more to closer to a half hour per session.
When it comes to technology and reading, the report does little to counsel (建议) parents looking for the data about the effect of e-readers and tablets on reading. It does point out that many parents still limit electronic reading, mainly due to concerns about increased screen time.
The most hopeful data shared in the report shows clear evidence of parents serving as examples and important guides for their kids when it comes to reading. Data shows that kids and teens who do reading frequently, compared to infrequent readers, have more books at home, more books purchased for them, and parents who read more often and set aside time for them to read.
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Radio is for sounds: the sounds of different kinds of music, of announcers reading the news, of sports, and of conversation. These are all sounds we are used to hearing. But in the UK, a new kind of radio programme has been launched, known as “slow radio”. This kind of programme consists of different sounds from the ones we usually hear on radio shows.
On slow radio, listeners can hear the sound of singing birds, cows being brought in from the fields, and the sound of a slow walk through the German countryside.
Some people might find the idea of such sounds boring. These sounds, they might say, are meaningless and unimportant. But, unexpectedly, slow radio has taken off. Why?
If slow radio has an audience, perhaps it’s because it provides an alternative to our fast, event-filled lives. That is what Alan Davey, the head of the slow radio programme, thinks. Slow radio, according to its official description, is “an antidote(解毒剂)to today’s frenzied(狂乱的)world”. In such a world, we’re so busy that we fail to notice the things around us. Listening to slow radio can remind us of the sounds around us that we often filter out.
Slow radio doesn’t just broadcast the sounds of nature and the countryside; some of the sounds are more unusual. The programme makers are also interested in sounds that have already died out and which we hear only in our memory. Examples of such sounds are the noises made by old computers or old-fashioned video games, or the sound made by old telephones. These sounds can take a listener back to times of his life that are long gone.
So, this is the magic of radio and of these “meaningless” sounds. They permit the audience to move out of their lives for a while. A busy office worker in noisy London can be transported to the Irish countryside, and they can even “time-travel” with slow radio’s reminders of sounds from the past.
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7 . Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.
Happy Birthday! Do birthdays really make people happy? Of course they do. Birthdays celebrate the day we were born. Besides, that extra candle on the cake suggests another year of growth and maturity(成熟)—or so we hope. Most of us enjoy seeing the miracle of growth in others. For instance, seeing our children develop and learn new things makes us feel proud. For Americans, like people in most cultures, growing up is a wonderful process. But growing old? That’s a different story.
Growing old is not exactly pleasant for people in youth-oriented American culture. Most Americans like to look young, act young and feel young. As the old saying goes, “You’re as young as you feel.” Older people joke about how many years young they are, rather than how many years old. People in some countries value the aged as a source of experience and wisdom. But Americans seem to favour those that are young, or at least “young at heart”.
Many older Americans find the “golden years” to be anything but golden. Economically, “senior citizens” often struggle just to get by. Retirement at age 65 brings a sharp decrease in personal income. Social security benefits usually cannot make up the difference. Older people may suffer from poor nutrition, medical care and housing. Some even experience age discrimination.
Unfortunately, the elderly population in America is increasing fast. Why? People are living longer. Fewer babies are being born. And “baby boomers” are rapidly entering the groups of the elderly. America may soon be a place where wrinkles are “in”. Marketing experts are already noticing this group of consumers.
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Some nations think they must have more and more babies, more and more people, if they are to remain strong and free.
Actually, this is not so. Very often in history, small nations have conquered large ones. It's not so much the size of the army as its organization and the technical level of its weapons. Thus, Greece took over Persia in the 300s BC, Great Britain took over India in the 1700s, even though Persia and India had far bigger population than Greece and Great Britain.
If a nation wishes to avoid being dominated by its neighbours, its best chance is to raise its standard of living and its level of technology. This can be done best by not allowing its population to grow to such a point that it is sunk in misery and poverty. In fact, the worst way in which a nation can try to avoid being dominated by its neighbour is to increase its population to the point of misery and poverty.
If every nation tries to compete with its neighbours by raising its population, then the whole world will be sunk in misery and poverty. The nations will become weak in a disaster that will leave nothing behind that is worth dominating. No one will have gained anything. Everyone will have lost everything.
Once all this is understood, and people generally agree that population growth must not be allowed to continue; they must also come to understand how that growth can be stopped. Population grows because more people are being born than are dying. There are two ways, then, in which the growth can be stopped. You can increase the number of people who die until it matches the number of people who are being born. Or else you can decrease the number of people who are born until it matches the number of people who are dying. The first method-increasing the death rate-is the usual way in which population is controlled in all species of living things other than ourselves, but we don't want that, for disaster lies that way. The intelligent way is to reduce the birth rate.
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9 . Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s)of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.
Limitations of E-readers for Kids
A sizeable number of young kids will be getting e-readers this Christmas. Though some adults are avoiding them for their children even while they embrace (欣然接受) them for themselves, the appeal to parents is strong, especially when marketers pitch the devices as on-ramps to literacy.
What today’s gift-givers may not know is that the devices can unintentionally cause parents to hamper their child’s learning. This phenomenon first turned up a few years ago in research at Temple University on e-books for preschool and elementary school children. Instead of talking with their children about the content of the books, parents ended up saying time and again “do this, don’t do that” directives about how to use the devices. “Parents would put their hands over the kids’ hands,” said Julia Parish-Morris, the leader of the study at the University of Pennsylvania. “They were trying to control their children’s behavior to get them to move through the story in order of time,” she explained.
A more recent study, led by Gabrielle Strouse at Vanderbilt University, also shows how much it matters what parents say and do while their children watch. Strouse asked parents of 3-year-olds to watch scholastic books on video over several weeks, assigning the parents to “co-view” in different ways. She found that the children with mothers who merely pointed to something on screen or who didn’t talk at all showed fewer reading skills than those whose mothers were trained to ask questions about what might happen next and why. Strouse said it appeared that parents had to be trained on how to ask questions and prompt their children to talk about the video story, as it didn’t come naturally with the electronic version.
That conversational interaction, dubbed “dialogic reading” by Grover Whitehurst, director of education policy at the Brookings Institution, can be critical to learning. “The optimal situation is the back-and-forth interaction,” said Warren Buckleitner, an educational psychologist and editor of Children’s Technology Review, who led me to many YouTube videos of toddlers with their iPad-proud papas directing their every move. Several decades ago at Michigan State University, Buckleitner conducted studies on 3-to 5-year olds playing matching games on computers. His research showed that it’s not just commands from parents that can interfere with children’s engagement. Too many directives from software programs can have the same effect, ultimately shortchanging children’s learning. The best kids’ e-media, Buckleitner says, “lets children understand they are in the driver’s seat.” Which may be another limitation of e-readers for kids-sometimes it’s hard for parents to just hand over the keys when what they’re steering comes with electronic bells and whistles.
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Taking a year off before college, commonly known as a gap year, is becoming more and more popular among American teenagers. According to a survey by the American Gap Association, enrollment (注册) in these programs grew 27 percent between 2012 and 2013. Some students use the year off to figure out what they want to do, travel the world, or save money for college.
Camden Olson, who graduated from Latin School of Chicago in the US last year, decided to spend a gap year raising a guide dog for Guiding Eyes for the Blind in Maine. Olson is using her time to pursue a passion she’s had since 7th grade. For years, she kept an eye on guide dog services until she came across the opportunity at Guiding Eyes. With support from her friends, family and teachers, Olson went for it.
Olson’s volunteer work centers around Derby, a 1-year-old black dog. “My job is to raise him to be well-mannered and socialized,” she said. “Guide dogs have to ignore any distractions (让人分心的事物). They go everywhere with their visually impaired handler. They give a blind person a lot of independence and emotional support, too.”
Of course, there’s an end in sight for Derby and Olson’s close bond. When Derby celebrates his own graduation, Olson will have to say goodbye to him.
“No doubt there will be tears, but, assuming he passes, I will be so happy for him to become a working dog,” she said.
While some look at gap years in a negative light, Olson said she’s seen major success. In fact, she’ll be attending Princeton University this fall and is thinking about majoring in ecology and biology.
“I think I’m already so much more mature than I was and aware of what really matters,” she said. “So many kids do come back from gap years a lot more focused and prepared.”
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