1 . By now, we are all aware that social media has had a tremendous influence on our culture, in business, on the world-at-large. Social media websites revolutionized the way people communicate and socialize on the Web. However, aside from seeing your friend’s new baby on Facebook, or reading about Justin Bieber’s latest conflict with the law on Twitter, what are some of the real influences?
Social networks offer the opportunity for people to re-connect with their old friends and acquaintances, make new friends, share ideas and pictures, and many other activities. Users can keep pace with the latest global and local developments, and participate in campaigns and activities of their choices. Professionals use social media sites like LinkedIn to enhance their career and business development. Students can work together with their peers to improve their academic and communication skills.
Unfortunately, there are a few downsides too to social networking. If you are not careful, immoral people can target you for cyber bullying and disturbance on social sites. School children, young girls, and women can fall victim to online attacks which can create tension and suffering. If you are a victim of cyber bullying, do not take it lying down, but try to take appropriate legal action against the attacker.
Many companies have blocked social networks as addicted employees can distract themselves on such sites, instead of focusing on work. In fact, studies show that British companies have lost billions of dollars per year in productivity because of social media addiction among employees.
Also, what you carelessly post on the Internet can come back to trouble you. Revealing (泄露) personal information on social sites can make users vulnerable (易受伤害的) to crimes like identity theft, stalking, etc. Many companies perform a background check on the Internet before hiring an employee. If a potential employee has posted something embarrassing on social media, it can greatly affect their chances of getting the job. The same holds true for our relationships too, as our loved ones and friends may get to know if we post something undesirable on social networks.
Social media has its advantages and drawbacks as each coin has two sides. It is up to each user to use social sites wisely to enhance their professional and social life, and exercise caution to ensure they do not fall victim to online dangers.
1. Paragraph 2 mainly shows that social networks ________.| A．help students finish their homework | B．offer professionals good chances |
| C．benefit users in various ways | D．guide users to make right choices |
| A．forbid the use of social networks during work time |
| B．avoid posting embarrassing information |
| C．refuse to hire potential addicted employees |
| D．take legal action against the attackers |
| A．share experiences in using social media | B．remind people to wisely use social media |
| C．provide some advice on social problems | D．raise public awareness of social problems |
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
2 . The idea of low material desire, low consumption and refusing to work, marry and have children, concluded as a “lying down” lifestyle, recently struck a chord with many young Chinese who are eager to take pause to breathe in this fast-paced and highly-competitive society.
Many millennials (千禧一代) and generation Zs complained to the Global Times that burdens, including work stress, family disputes and financial strains, have pushed them “against the wall”. They said they hate the “involution(内卷),” joking that they would rather give up some of what they have than get trapped in an endless competition against peers.
“Instead of always following the ‘virtues’ of struggle, endure and sacrifice to bear the stresses, they prefer a temporary lying down as catharsis (宣泄) and adjustment,” said a scholar. “It is no wonder that some young people, under the growing pressures from child-raising to paying the mortgage (按揭) today, would try to live in a simple way and leave the worries behind.”
Interestingly, the majority of millennials and Gen Zs reached by the Global Times, who claim to be big fans of the lying down philosophy, acknowledged that they only accept a temporary lying down as a short rest. It is true that with the great improvement of living conditions, some Chinese youth have partially lost the spirit of hardship and are not willing to bear too much hard work. But in fact, lying down is not entirely comfortable. Young people who lie down always feel guilty about their constant loss of morale (士气) far beyond their reach.
“Young people on campus have both aspirations and confusion about their future, but most of us have rejected setting ourselves up in chains to waste opportunities and challenges,” a postgraduate student told the Global Times. “It’s no use running away. I have to ‘stand up’ and face the reality sooner or later.”
1. What does the underlined phrase in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Warned. | B．Punished. | C．Amused. | D．Touched. |
| A．Improvements in living conditions. |
| B．Growing pressure from family and social life. |
| C．Increasing material possessions from families. |
| D．Temporary adjustment to failure in competitions. |
| A．Understanding. | B．Intolerant. | C．Supportive. | D．Unclear. |
| A．They never really drop their responsibilities. |
| B．They really enjoy the “lying down” lifestyle. |
| C．They find their dreams far beyond their reach. |
| D．They would rather escape than take challenges. |
3 . There is something to be said for being a generalist, even if you are a specialist. Knowing a little about a lot of things that interest you can add to the richness of a whole, well-lived life.
Society pushes us to specialize, to become experts. This requires commitment to a particular occupation, branch of study or research. The drawback to being specialists is we often come to know more and more about less and less. There is a great deal of pressure to master one’s field. You may pursue training, degrees, or increasing levels of responsibility at work. Then you discover the pressure of having to keep up.
Some people seem willing to work around the clock in their narrow specialty. But such commitment can also weaken a sense of freedom. These specialists could work at the office until ten each night, then look back and realize they would have loved to have gone home and enjoyed the sweetness of their family and friends, or traveled to exciting places, meeting interesting people. Mastering one thing to the exclusion of others can hold back your true spirit.
Generalists on the other hand, know a lot about a wide range of subjects and view the whole with all its connections. They are people of ability, talent, and enthusiasm who can bring their broad perspective into specific fields of expertise. The doctor who is also a poet and philosopher is a superior doctor, one who can give so much more to his patients than just good medical skills.
Things are connected. Let your expertise in one field fuel your passions in all related areas. Some of your interests may not appear to be connected but, once you explore their depths, you discover that they are. My editor Toni, who is also a writer, has edited several history books. She has decided to study Chinese history. Fascinated by the structural beauty of the Forbidden City as a painter, she is equally interested to learn more about Chinese philosophy. “I don’t know where it will lead, but I’m excited I’m on this pursuit.”
These expansions into new worlds help us by giving us new perspectives. We begin to see the interconnectedness of one thing to another in all aspects of our life, of ourselves and the universe. Develop broad, general knowledge and experience. The universe is all yours to explore and enjoy.
1. To become a specialist, one may have to ______ .| A．narrow his range of knowledge | B．avoid responsibilities at work |
| C．know more about the society | D．broaden his perspective on life |
| A．treasure their freedom | B．travel around the world |
| C．spend most time working | D．enjoy meeting funny people |
| A．is fully aware of his talent and ability | B．is a pure specialist in medicine |
| C．should love poetry and philosophy | D．brings knowledge of other fields to work |
| A．Passion alone does not ensure a person’s success. |
| B．In-depth exploration makes discoveries possible. |
| C．Everyone has a chance to succeed in their pursuit. |
| D．Seemingly unrelated interests are in a way connected. |
4 . When making choices, people assume that they pick what they like. However, research suggests that we like something strictly because we have chosen it. In other words, we dislike things we don’t choose. And this phenomenon has existed since we were babies.
In an experiment, US researchers brought several 10 to 20-month-old babies into a lab and gave them two same bright and colorful soft blocks to play with. They set each block far apart, so the babies had to crawl to one or the other—a random choice. After the baby chose one of the toys, the researchers took it away and came back with a new option. The babies could then pick either the toy they didn’t play with before, or a brand-new toy.
It turned out that the babies reliably chose to play with the new toy rather than the one they had not chosen.
In follow-up experiments, when researchers instead helped choose which toy the baby would play with, the phenomenon disappeared. “As if they were saying, ‘Hmm, I didn’t choose that object last time, because I guess I didn’t like it very much” said Lisa Feigenson, co-author of the study.
This is a very important phenomenon in life, Feigenson noted. Adults will less like the thing they didn’t choose, even if they had no real preference in the first place. It looks like babies do just the same.
It shows that the act of making choices changes how we feel about our options. The random choices might become our preferences. “They are really not choosing based on whether they are novel or what they prefer,” said Alex Silver, co-author of the study.
This new finding explains why adults build unconscious preference when they make choices between the same things. Justifying(证明有道理) choice is somehow fundamental to the human experience. “I chose this, so I must like it. I didn’t choose this other thing, so it cannot be so good. Adults make these inferences unconsciously,” Feigenson said.
Such tendency makes sense to us as we live in a consumer culture and must make so many choices every day, between everything from toothpaste brands to styles of jeans.
Next, researchers will look at whether too many choices could be a problem for babies as they certainly are for adults.
1. What is the purpose of the experiments?| A．To test whether people choose what they like. |
| B．To see why babies prefer new toys to old ones. |
| C．To explain how babies and adults make choices differently. |
| D．To study if too many choices could create problems for people. |
| A．Babies prefer bright and colorful toys. |
| B．Babies’ preference largely affects their choices. |
| C．Babies prefer adults to help them make choices. |
| D．Babies’ previous random choices affect their preference. |
| A．It entirely changes our styles to choose. |
| B．It helps us make wise decisions in a consumer culture. |
| C．It promotes the relationship between adults and babies. |
| D．It helps us understand our unconscious preference for choices. |
| A．Babies like what they choose | B．Random choices matter |
| C．Too many choices puzzle the adults | D．Preference affects the choice |
5 . Police should be allowed to use facial recognition to investigate specific crimes and to protect the public at major events, according to the first national survey of the public's attitude to the technology. However, they are opposed to unrestricted use while two thirds (65 percent) of the public believe an absolute ban on the police would be wrong, Up to 70 percent backed its use to analyse faces on CCTV (闭路电视) to catch a suspect in an investigation or in day-to-day policing to prevent crime at events such as football matches or carnivals, The technology enables police to scan crowds and pick out faces that match huge databases of suspects.
There is, however, far less tolerance of its use by private (私人的) companies, whether to monitor shoppers or workers, or in schools if it was to be used to track children's behaviour or expressions. By a majority of almost two to one, the public believes that organizations should seek the permission of people before they start using facial recognition. Most also want a pause on any further use of the technology until publicly-agreed guidelines are in place on when and where it should be used.
More than half (55 percent) of the public believe the Government should limit police use of facial recognition to criminal investigations, though half also saw it as no different to taking photographs or using CCTV. Of those who were comfortable with its use, 80 percent said it was because it was “beneficial for the security of society”,
There was also a majority in favour of the technology where there was personal benefit, with 54 percent backing its use to unlock a smartphone by recognizing an owner’s face and with passport checks at airports where it can speed up queues.
1. Why is the technology of facial recognition significant to the police?| A．It helps them better investigate criminal cases. |
| B．It is a good way to control private companies. |
| C．It can recognize and catch suspects. |
| D．It mainly gets fully support from all walks of life. |
| A．It is believed to go against publicly-agreed guidelines. |
| B．It is helpful to track students’ behavior at home. |
| C．It is a potential threat to privacy. |
| D．It is popular among shoppers, workers and private companies. |
| A．It should be banned totally. |
| B．It should be open to police undoubtedly. |
| C．It is a double-edged sword. |
| D．It benefits the society in every aspect. |
| A．Should the police free use facial recognition? |
| B．Should facial recognition be applied to airports? |
| C．Should facial recognition protect the privacy of the public? |
| D．Should private companies use facial recognition without limit? |
6 . Many cities in the United States could grow their own food locally, raising enough crops and cattle to meet the needs of all residents. This is the finding of an interesting new modeling study from Tufts University, which analyzed the potential for local food production in 378 areas across the US and expected food production.
The researchers found that cities in the Northwest in the United States had the greatest potential to raise their own food. Cities along the Eastern seaside and in the Southwest had the least potential and would not be able to meet all their own needs of diet, even if every acre of agricultural land was used for food production. This makes sense, as many of the cities are coastal and lack room for agricultural spreading.
The study revealed that the United States have a surplus (多余的) of agricultural land for feeding the domestic (国内的) population. Currently, some land is used to raise export crops, but a focus on local food production would start a conversation about how that land gets used. In the words of Peters, lead author and associate professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts, “It would be important to make sure policies for supporting local or regional food production benefit conservation and create opportunities for farmers to adopt more sustainable (可持续的) practices. Policies should also recognize the ability of the natural resources in a given local or region and consider the supply chain, including ability for food processing and storage.”
Although it’s a far cry from the current reality, it is a nice thought to imagine cities surrounded by food production operations that transport freshly harvested food to nearby homes, and then make use of the leftover food to fertilize fields and generate heat for greenhouses.
1. The cities along the Eastern seaside fail to provide enough food because ________.| A．citizens are unwilling to grow crops | B．the methods of food production are wrong |
| C．they don’t have enough land to grow crops | D．their climate limits the agricultural production |
| A．More job opportunities for citizens. | B．More specific policies about using land. |
| C．Conversations with the local government. | D．A discussion on how to make use of land. |
| A．Agriculture. | B．Entertainment. | C．Lifestyle. | D．Sport. |
| A．The US Government Stops Wasting Food |
| B．Many Cities in the US Can Grow Their Own Food |
| C．Cities Learn to Grow Food From the Villages |
| D．Farmers Have More Chances to Be Employed |
7 . Summer heat can be dangerous, and heat leads to tragedy far too often. According to Kidsandcars Organization, an average of 37 young children per year die of car heat in the US, when they are accidentally left in a hot vehicle.
For Bishop Curry, a fifth grader from McKinney, Texas, one such incident hit close to home. A six-month-old baby from his neighborhood died after hours in a hot car. After hearing about her death, Curry decided that something needed to be done. Young Curry drew up a sketch(草图) of a device he called "Oasis."
The device would be attached to car seats and watch the temperature inside the car. If it reached a certain temperature in the car, and the device sensed a child in the car seat, it would begin to circulate cool air. Curry also designs the device using GPS and Wi-Fi technology, which would alarm the child's parents and, if there was no response from them, the police.
Curry's father believes that the invention has potential. "The cool thing about Bishop's thinking is none of this technology is new," he said. "We feel like the way he's thinking and combining all these technologies will get to production faster." His father even introduced the device to Toyota, where he works as an engineer.
In January, Curry's father launched a campaign for the invention. They hope to raise money to finalize the patent, build models, and find a manufacturer. They have raised more than twice that--over $46,000.
"I was so proud of him for thinking of a solution," the father said. "We always just complain about things and rarely offer solutions."
1. What inspired Curry to invent Oasis?| A．His narrow escape from death after being locked in a car. |
| B．His knowledge of many children's death because of car heat. |
| C．The death of his neighbor's baby after being left in a hot car. |
| D．The injury of 37 children in his school in a car accident. |
| A．It would inform the parents or even the police. |
| B．It would pump out the hot air in the car. |
| C．It would sound the alarm attached to the car. |
| D．It would get the window open to save the child. |
| A．It used some of the most advanced technology. |
| B．It simply combined technologies that existed. |
| C．It could accelerate production of new technology. |
| D．It is the most advanced among similar products. |
| A．To conduct experiments to test the invention. |
| B．To get other children devoted to inventions. |
| C．To support a charity of medical aid for children. |
| D．To get the patent and bring it to production. |
Table tennis first
The International Table Tennis Federation has taken table tennis to a
World Table Tennis Day is celebrated by
9 . Becoming famous is the dream of many, and Tian is getting closer to that dream.
Tian, 30, is a white - collar worker in Beijing. On short video application Douyin, Tian has more than 2, 000 fans, So far, she has received more than 50, 000 likes on the Dubsmash - like app. On her page on Douyin, Tian shares everything, from her son's daily activities, to her pet dogs, to little skits (段子) made up by her and her husband. “Making funny videos, and combining them with music is really interesting, ” Tian said. “Of course, I make the videos for fun because it is quite relaxing.”
China's short video market has seen great growth, according to a report. The report said that China's short video market was valued at 5. 73 billion yuan ($ 900 million) in 2017, an increase of 184 percent. The industry value is expected to go up to the 30 billion mark in 2020. Companies like Tencent, Sohu and Iqiyi have all started providing short video content.
“Short videos are popular because they are an addition to traditional audio and video content on the internet, ” said Sun Jiashan with the Chinese National Academy of Arts.
Fans say that the short videos help them “chill out” from a stressed - out lifestyle. “My favorite videos are all about pets, ” said Zhou Na, a nurse in Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui province. “After a whole day's work, watching the 15 - second videos makes me laugh, which reduces my pressure.”
1. Why does Tian make short videos in Douyin?| A．To get fun | B．To become a well - known person |
| C．To attract fans | D．To record her family's routine |
| A．They have a huge amount of value |
| B．They make people s star dreams come true |
| C．They enrich internet audio and video content |
| D．They greatly reduce people's pressure |
| A．Feel cold | B．Calm down |
| C．Catch a cold | D．Become concerned |
| A．China's short video market is open |
| B．Douyin brings the Chinese great happiness |
| C．Every Chinese is using Douyin to make short video |
| D．China's short video market has developed rapidly |
10 . Today’s journalists face modern challenges. Online media platforms are springing up. And the lowly newspaper---and its reporters---are fighting money, tech, and distrust issues. Journalism students and teachers must emphasize new skills to keep their profession alive.
A trustworthy press helps inform people and monitor all levels of government. That is essential to a nation. Yet this useful establishment is growing increasingly unpopular. According to the University of North Carolina (UNC), newsroom jobs across the Country are fewer than half what they were 10 years ago. And on many college campuses, the news about the news is bleak too.
Take the Syracuse, New York, student-run newspaper The Daily Orange: It isn’t daily anymore. The paper prints just three times each week. Next year, The Diamondback of the University of Maryland will be online only. Half the newspapers that still exist on paper say they don’t print as many copies. And UNC’s The Daily Tar Heel has cut staff pay and rented cheaper offices to make its budget.
Considering the problems in journalism, it’s surprising that the enrollment(注册人数) in college journalism programs is up. The Daily Orange managing editor Catherine Leffert calls the layoffs and cutbacks disheartening. “But what keeps me wanting to be a journalist is seeing the effect that The Daily Orange has,” he says.
But journalism educators wonder, “Are we preparing young people for a dying industry?” Years ago, journalism graduates took low-level reporter jobs at newspapers or television stations. That still happens. But today’s jobs more often involve digital editing, social media production, and video streaming. Some universities are taking action. The University of Florida offers a sports media program. Several schools highlight statistics-driven data journalism.
The news isn’t all bad. Journalism professor Kathleen Culver says, “When I look at 18-and 20-year-olds in journalism and see what they want to do, I’m optimistic.” Maddy Arrowood is the student editor of The Daily Tar Heel. She says her experience makes her more interested in a journalism career, not less. Her optimism “comes from knowing that people still need news. They still need information.”
1. What does the underlined word “bleak” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Hopeless | B．Interesting |
| C．Useless | D．Encouraging |
| A．They reduce student enrollment. |
| B．They offer students specialized programs. |
| C．They prepare students for low-level reporter jobs. |
| D．They encourage students to run their own newspaper. |
| A．To show people’s positive attitudes to journalists. |
| B．To prove the potential of a career in journalism. |
| C．To show the popularity of The Daily Tar Heel. |
| D．To prove people’s thirst for the latest news. |
| A．What is journalism? |
| B．What does a journalist do? |
| C．Does journalism have a future? |
| D．Are journalists still influential today? |
