1 . Nowadays, with the popularization of science and technology, people seem to have a painless, cost-effective new way to become pretty-photo retouching, currently a universal way to beautify photos through digital devices.
Even those who believe themselves to be unattractive can become easy on the eye with the push of a button. Some may say that retouching allows people to see a better side of themselves sand can help people build their confidence. However, it is more likely to deepen people’s anxieties regarding their appearance.
After you have taken a selfie and used a retouching program such as Photoshop or Meitu to glamorize yourself, you may finally see the more perfect self you’ve always desired to be. As a result, you may be boastful about yourself for a while, but when you turn your head and look at your real, imperfect self in the mirror, you will soon suffer from a strong sense of loss. Even though retouching can bring you short-term happiness and self-confidence, it can never change your actual appearance in real life. Eventually, the fantasy you had created for yourself by retouching your images will only come to make you feel more depressed after you are once again faced with the reality of how you actually appear.
Photo retouching may also lead to personal anxiety and low self-dignity. Before retouching technologies were invented, only a few celebrities and bloggers looked appealing on social media. Most people posted pictures of themselves on the internet that were very close to how their real, ordinary, everyday selves would appear in reality. They didn’t have to worry about whether their nose was delicate enough or whether they had any acne (痤疮) on their face because most of the others didn’t look flawless in pictures, either.
However, with the continuous emergence of retouching technologies, you may one day suddenly discover that all of the selfies of the people around you have become stunningly gorgeous. The delicate body curve, the doll-like enormous eyes and the supermodel-sized long legs are no longer exclusive to beauty-pageant (选美比赛) winners or movie stars.
Imagine yourself lying on the sofa while idly checking your WeChat Moments. You can’t take your eyes off these charming photos that have been posted by your colleagues, friends and classmates. Then you may have a glance at your own chubby belly and dark skin. Shame, anxiety and self-doubt begin growing in your heart. You plunge into deep fear and self-blame since you cannot figure out why everyone else looks so beautiful, while you are not. But actually, deep down in your heart, you know why, but you just can’t shake off this envy that’s going to drown you.
1. What does the underlined word “glamorize” in Paragraph 3 mean?A.make somebody appear attractive | B.beautify oneself with more make-up |
C.publicize the image that one is good-looking | D.present somebody’s image in a reasonable way |
A.Becoming beautiful was an exclusive right for celebrities and bloggers. |
B.There is no tolerance of one’s imperfection in contemporary society. |
C.People posting selfies online used to enjoy the life without trouble. |
D.Retouching causes an unhealthy mentality in one’s appearance. |
① a sense of seeming happiness and temporary confidence
② ever-worsening depression, anxiety and fear
③ inability to change one’s actual situation
④ bad influence on social relationships and information distribution
A.①② | B.①②③ | C.②③ | D.②③④ |
A.Ways to Decode the Retouching | B.Retouching: Causes and Treatment |
C.Navigating Life without Retouching | D.Retouching: A Lift or a Lie? |
2 . New efforts are being made to prevent American college campuses from cigarette smoking. Twenty colleges in the United States recently received money to help protect their campuses from the harm of cigarettes.
Supporters say that every child deserves to grow up in a safe and healthy environment free from harmful second-hand cigarettes. And in November, smoking at college campuses may become illegal.
Before banning smoking at college campuses, the US has passed laws banning smoking at most workplaces. 27 American states ban smoking in all indoor workplaces.
Those supporting smoke-free at workplaces and college campuses give one major reason: the bad influence of smoking on health.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says smoking has a great influence on health. They think cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths in the United States. Smoking is responsible for 480,000 deaths every year.
Supporters say the bad influence of second-hand smoke makes it a public health problem. Some also say that college campuses are a good place to ban smoking.
Gary Reedy, the CEO of the American Cancer Society, said it was important to stop college students from smoking, and he expected to successfully create a cigarette-free generation (世代).
The CDC found that 13 percent of adults between the ages of 18 and 24 smoke cigarettes. Reedy says that reducing the number of college students who smoke can help reduce the number of older adult smokers. He also says once a person starts smoking, it is hard to stop.
1. Who are the new efforts good for?A.College students. | B.The CDC. |
C.Young smokers. | D.People in public places. |
A.The bad influence of smoking. | B.Money wasted on cigarettes. |
C.Laws passed by the US. | D.Public attention to health. |
A.Smoking spreads easily among college students. |
B.Smoke-free campuses have a long-term influence. |
C.It is easier for college students to stop smoking. |
D.There’re more older adult smokers in the world. |
A.Second-hand smoke is affecting college students too |
B.Groups take steps to protect college students |
C.Cigarettes should be totally banned in college |
D.Banning smoking is being tried at US colleges |
3 . Years ago it was popular to speak of a generation gap, a disagreement between young people and their elders. Parents said that children did not show them proper respect and obedience (服从), while children complained that their parents did not understand them at all. What had gone wrong? Why had the generation gap suddenly appeared? Actually the generation gap has been around for a long time. Many people argue that a gap is built into the fabric (结构) of our society.
One important cause of the generation gap is the chance that young people have to choose their own ways of life. In more traditional societies, when children grow up, they are expected to live in the same area as their parents, to marry people that their parents know and agree to, and to continue the family occupation. In our society, young people often travel great distances for their education, move out of the family home at an early age, marry or live with people whom their parents have never met, and choose occupations different from those of their parents.
In our easily changing society, parents often expect their children to do better than they did:to find better jobs, to make more money, and to do all the things that they were unable to do. Often, however, the strong wish that parents have for their children is another cause of the disagreement between them. Often, they discover that they have very little in common with each other.
Finally, the speed at which changes take place in our society is another cause of the gap between the generations. In a traditional culture, elderly people are valued for their wisdom, but in our society the knowledge of a lifetime may become out of date overnight. The young and the old seem to live in two very different worlds, separated by different skills and abilities. No doubt, the generation gap will continue to be a feature for some time to come. Its causes are rooted in the freedom and changes of our society, and in the rapid speed at which society changes.
1. What is the text mainly about?A.The concept of generation gap. | B.The reasons for generation gap. |
C.Ways to reduce generation gap. | D.Attitudes towards generation gap. |
A.They depend on their parents to make a life. |
B.They live with their parents in the same area. |
C.They ask their parents for the best advice. |
D.They have very little in common with their parents. |
A.Parents should be strict with their children. |
B.The generation gap is partly caused by the older generation. |
C.Parents couldn’t do things well themselves. |
D.The young never want to satisfy their parents. |
A.Parents are not strict enough with their children. |
B.The young value the old too much for their wisdom. |
C.Young people don’t have the knowledge of a lifetime. |
D.The society develops too fast. |
4 . Many kids and teenagers have cell phones in their hands. However, is it really necessary for them to have phones at school? Here are the pros and cons.
Pros
They can get in touch when necessary. The main benefit of having a phone is that your children can get in touch with you whenever they need to.
Cons
The latest smartphones can almost double as a computer. It means they offer far more of a distraction to kids than they used to.
Cell phones could interrupt lessons. Many children, even though they are asked to do so, forget to turn off their phones during lessons and their phones may make sounds.
A.Cell phones can be turned off or put on mute. |
B.Children use ordinary phones instead of smartphones. |
C.This allows you to feel they are safe. |
D.Without cell phones, campus life would be less colourful. |
E.They have some other functions — a calculator and the ability to save notes. |
F.This not only annoys other pupils, but also prevents them from learning well. |
G.Nowadays, children can not only text and make calls with their phones, but also play games, surf the Internet and listen to music. |
5 . Robots used to be found only in science fiction. In the 1960s, the animated (动画的) space-age family the Jetsons had a robotic maid who could do household chores. In the 2014 movie Big Hero 6, the robot Baymax could diagnose and heal illnesses instantly. In real life robots function in many manufacturing and household situations. In the field of medicine, robot patients help train doctors and nurses by pretending they have a variety of health conditions. Now robots are finding a home in the food service industry.
The global pandemic and resulting economic crisis have created a lack of restaurant workers. Since restaurants don’t have enough workers, the remaining staff must work harder. Regardless, customers face longer wait times, fewer menu choices and higher prices. Some businessmen are lending a robotic hand in the form of server robots. These robots are not exactly modeled after Rosey, the Jetsons’ robotic household servant, but they are pretty clever.
Server robots come in several different varieties. Many have a design that looks like a rolling cart. One model named Bella even has a cute cat-like face. Many are fairly short and shaped like R2D2 of Star Wars fame. They, designed to deliver dishes, are also just the right height for customers to easily reach them. Restaurant owners are finding server robots ideal for performing repetitive tasks, however many there are. They can not only deliver delicious food to hungry customers, but also fetch back dirty dishes at the end of the meal.
Perhaps you’re wondering about issues such as the cost and safety factors. Concerning the price, a server robot costs from a few thousand to several thousand dollars. And in 2021, a restaurant even rented one for as low as $15 per day. Regarding safety, special sensors on the robots keep them from crashing into customers. Because there aren’t enough restaurant workers, filling positions with these robotic servers is easy. Don’t be surprised if you see one rolling up to your table soon.
1. What’s the purpose of the first paragraph?A.To give some examples. | B.To make comparisons. |
C.To state the development. | D.To introduce the topic. |
A.The rise of labor costs. | B.The hard work in the restaurant. |
C.The influence of the pandemic. | D.The drop of food service industry. |
A.Customers will be satisfied with the server robots’ service. |
B.A server robot may look like a rolling cart with an ugly face. |
C.Server robots are not qualified for doing many repetitive tasks. |
D.Server robots will help clean dirty dishes at the end of the meal. |
A.Doubtful. | B.Positive. |
C.Worried. | D.Objective. |
6 . The sound that woke Damian Languell at 8:15 am was so loud that he assumed it came from inside his house. As he got up to investigate, he heard another sound, this one coming most definitely from outside. Looking out of his bedroom window, he spied a tree engulfed (淹没) in smoke about 500 yards away. A car was wrapped around the tree’s base, its engine on fire.
Grabbing buckets of water, Languell and his girlfriend ran to the crash site. The wreck looked worse up close. The car, a 1998 Buick, was split nearly in two, and the tree was where the driver’s seat ought to have been, as if planted there. No one should have survived this crash, and yet there was 16-year-old Quintin Thompson, his terrified face pressed against the driver’s side window, in visible pain. Languell tried putting out the fire with his buckets of water with no success. When the flames got into the front seats, he realized he had to get the boy out of there.
In an act that a police report described as showing “complete disregard for his own safety”, Languell opened the Buick’s back door and crawled in. Thompson was struggling to get free, Languell says. “That’s when I noticed how bad his legs were.” Using a pocketknife he’d had the foresight to bring with him, he sawed through Thompson’s seat belt.
Now that Thompson was free, Languell pulled him out a back window of the vehicle, then dragged the teen to safety before the entire car was engulfed in flames.
Although Thompson suffered multiple fractures (骨折) to his legs, spine, and face, a social media post described him as “looking great, smiling, and joking.” Languell thinks about that day often. “My heart goes out to Thompson. When you are that close to that level of hurt, you feel it so directly.”
1. When Damian heard the big sound, ______.A.he called 911 immediately |
B.he stayed inside his house |
C.he woke up his girlfriend |
D.he got up to see what happened |
A.the police had arrived |
B.the whole car was completely in flames |
C.Thompson was terrified and painful |
D.Thompson was smiling and joking |
A.brave | B.lucky |
C.simple-minded | D.warm-hearted |
A.His own bravery and persistence. |
B.The several buckets of water. |
C.The timely arrival of the police. |
D.The pocketknife Damian carried with him. |
7 . Thirteen-year-old Kaylee has a lot of friends — 532, actually, if you count up her online friends. And she spends a lot of time with them.
But is it possible that Kaylee’s online friendships could be making her lonely? That’s what some experts believe. Connecting online is a great way to stay in touch, they say. However, some experts worry that many kids are so busy connecting online that they might be missing out on true friendships.
Could this be true? During your parents’ childhoods, connecting with friends usually meant spending time with them in the flesh. Kids played Scrabble around a table, not Words With Friends on their phones. When friends missed each other, they picked up the telephone. Friends might even write letters to each other.
Today, most communication takes place online. A typical teen sends 2,000 texts a month and spends more than 44 hours per week in front of a screen. Much of this time is spent on social media platforms (平台).
In fact, in many ways, online communication can make friendships stronger, “There’s definitely a positive influence. Kids can stay in constant contact, which means they can share more of their feelings with each other,” says Katie Davis, co-author of The App Generation.
Other experts, however, warn that too much online communication can get in the way of forming deep friendships. “If we are constantly checking in with our virtual words, we will have little time for our real-world friendships.” says Larry Rosen, a professor at California State University. Rosen also worries that today’s kids might mistake the “friends” on the social media for true friends in life. However, in tough times, you don’t need someone to like your picture or share your blogs. You need someone who will keep your secrets and hold your hand. You would like to talk face to face.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?A.To summarize the text. | B.To tell about true friends. |
C.To bring up a discussion. | D.To encourage online friendship. |
A.In person. | B.In advance. | C.In any case. | D.In full measure. |
A.Worried. | B.Positive. | C.Confused. | D.Unconcerned. |
A.It’s wise to turn to friends online. |
B.It’s easier to develop friendships in reality. |
C.Social media help people stay closely connected. |
D.Teenagers need focus on real-world friendships. |
My car broke down,
1. 电子词典的优点;
2. 电子词典的缺点;
3. 你的观点和结论。
注意:词数80左右。
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10 . The rescue of an Austrian skier who was found alive after being buried by an avalanche is being called a “miracle”. Police in Upper Styria — the mountainous and forested region in southern Austria — said they were alerted on Christmas Day that a 26-year-old skier had not returned from the slopes. The man who alerted police said he had managed to get through to the skier’s mobile phone but heard only “cracking noises” on the line, the BBC reported.
A rescue team was able to trace the skier beneath more than 3 feet of snow using an electric avalanche victim’s transceiver (无线电收发两用机), which skiers are required to wear in avalanche-prone areas. They found the man was on a slope of Mount Pleschnitzzinken, in the northwestern area of Upper Styria. “You can’t move under a blanket of snow like this,” Stefan Schrock of the Styria mountain rescue service told Austrian public broadcaster ORF. “The man was extremely lucky that he had a big enough air pocket under the blanket of snow, so he had oxygen too and was able to breathe.”
The man was found about two hours after authorities were first alerted. However, the avalanche hit the region three hours before that when the man was buried in the snow. A rescue team and local police dogs dug the man out of the snow and he was taken down the valley suffering from hypothermia (体温过低). He was otherwise unharmed.
An avalanche also swept across a marked ski trail near the Swiss town of Andermatt on Thursday, injuring two people. Four others were either rescued themselves from the snow unhurt. Police and rescuers searched the snowslide after witnesses said more people might be buried, but the operation ended with police saying there were no more victims. The avalanche occurred mid-morning while many holiday skiers enjoyed mountain sunshine the day after Christmas.
1. Why did the man alert the police?A.He found two people injured. |
B.A 26-year-old skier got lost. |
C.He heard only terrible noises. |
D.Many people got lost on the slope. |
A.Only the dog helped him. |
B.He had an electronic transceiver. |
C.A blanket of snow helped him. |
D.He had a big enough air pocket. |
A.For two hours. |
B.For three hours. |
C.For five hours. |
D.For a week. |
A.A terrible avalanche. |
B.A Christmas miracle. |
C.An exciting rescue. |
D.A Christmas ski. |