1 . Germany’s top court (法院) has ruled that parts of the country’s 2019 climate action law must be changed because they don’t do a good job of protecting young people. Nine young people aged 15 to 24 took the government to court over the law. They said that the government’s failure to plan carefully was putting their future lives in danger.
The judges (法官) of Germany’s highest court said climate change will influence young people far more than adults. That’s because climate change will become more serious over time. As young people become adults, they’ll be left to deal with any problems that today’s adults don’t deal with.
In 2019, Germany passed a new law, promising that the country would be producing no more CO2 than the forest can take in by 2050. The law made a plan of action until 2030. But the law didn’t have any plans for climate actions that would be taken between 2031 and 2050.
The court has asked the German government to fix the law by the end of 2022. The climate law will now need to have a plan for the actions that will be taken after 2030.
The German government has said that it will quickly begin working to make the needed changes. One important part of high court decisions like this is that they act as guides or examples for future decisions. This means that in the future, Germany’s lawmakers will be more likely to think about the climate future of young people as they create their laws.
1. Why did the judges make such a decision?A.They decided the new law made no sense. |
B.They wanted to give the young more rights. |
C.They focused more on the future of the young. |
D.They thought it’s hard to solve climate change. |
A.It failed to take action before 2030. |
B.It was producing more and more CO2. |
C.It refused to consider the young’s rights. |
D.It didn’t plan the climate actions after 2030. |
A.It will make more decisions on climate change. |
B.It will ask the young to help make climate laws. |
C.It will consider the young when making climate laws. |
D.It will encourage the young to protect the environment. |
A.They were brave and forward-looking enough. |
B.They couldn’t bear the present climate change. |
C.They wanted to take part in law-making. |
D.They planned to work in the government. |
2 . Ask most people which day of the week they fear the most and the answer is likely to be Monday. The first day of the working week can make us experience a sense of tiredness or fatigue.
Some consider the term, pseudo-science, saying that there is no such thing as a 24-hour depression.
Fortunately, we don’t have to suffer that on Monday, not if we remember: we all have our good days and our bad days, and those aren’t for the calendar (日历) to decide.
A.The most depressing day of the year is the third Monday in January. |
B.Actually it’s common to feel a bit depressed for several times in a year. |
C.But most people know that the Monday blues can be very real. |
D.That’s why the feeling is described as the Monday blues. |
E.The term is not even scientifically true, with basically no evidence. |
F.These can have a negative impact on our performance, productivity and the people around. |
G.In fact, it’s actually a good opportunity to check in on our mental health. |
3 . No business would welcome being compared to gambling (赌博). Yet that is what is happening to makers of video games. For years parents have complained that their children are “addicted” to their video games and smartphones. Today, however, even more doctors are using the term. On January 1 this year, “gaming disorder” — in which games are played uncontrollably, despite causing harm — gained recognition from the World Health Organization (WHO).
Are games really addictive? Psychologists have different opinions. Those who don’t think so say that this is just another moral panic. Similar warnings have been given about television, rock’n’roll, jazz, comic books, novels and even crossword puzzles, but it turns out that they are not as harmful as expected.
However, supporters argue that game developers have the motivation and the means to design their products to make them extremely attractive. For one thing, the business- model has changed: In the old days, games were bought once and for all. But these days, games are free and money is earned from buying of in-game goods, which ties playtime directly to profit they make. For another, game-makers combine psychological theory and data, which helps them maximize the playtime. Smart phones and modern video game machines use their permanent Internet connections to send gameplay data back to developers. In this way products are constantly adjusted to encourage players’ spending. The biggest spenders are known as “whales”, a term that originated in casinos (赌场).
The gaming industry should realize that, in the real world, it has a problem, and that problem is growing. Now that gaming addiction comes with an official WHO recognition, diagnoses will become more common. Anyway, being put together with gambling in the public mind, fairly or not, will not do the industry any good.
1. What do we know from Paragraph 1?A.It is not suitable to compare video games to gambling. |
B.Parents complain about their children’s addiction to gambling. |
C.Gaming addiction was officially recognized as a disease. |
D.More doctors are against the use of the term “addicted”. |
A.Unexpected addiction caused by science and technology. |
B.Wrong judgment on how harmful something is. |
C.Trouble caused by someone’s immoral behavior. |
D.A shocking statement of the unexpected panic. |
A.They don’t charge players for in-game goods. |
B.They keep players’ video game machines updated. |
C.They reward big spenders with a unique title. |
D.They adjust products based on received data. |
A.offer a suggestion | B.make a prediction |
C.give a warning | D.put forward a solution |
4 . China has set new rules limiting the amount of time children can play online games. The rules limit children to just three hours of online game playing a week. That is one hour between 8 p. m. and 9 p. m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday most weeks.
Li Zhanguo has two children aged 4 and 8. Even though they do not have smartphones, they enjoy playing online games. Like many other parents. Li is happy with new government rules. But experts say it is unclear if such policies can help prevent addiction to online games. Children might just get addicted to social media instead. In the end, experts say, parents should be the ones to set limits and support good practice.
There has been a growing concern in China about gaming addiction among children. Government reports in 2018 found that about one in ten Chinese children were addicted to the Internet. The new rules are part of an effort to prevent young people from spending too much time on unhealthy entertainment. That includes what officials call the “irrational fan culture”
Under the new rules, the responsibility for making sure children play only three hours a day as largely on Chinese gaming companies like Net Ease and Ten cent. Companies have set up real-name registration systems to prevent young users from going past game time limits. They have used facial recognition technology to check their identities. And they have also set up a program that permits people to report what is against the law. It is unclear what punishments gaming companies may face if they do not carry out the policies. And even if such policies are performed, it is also unclear whether they can prevent online addiction.
A specialist treating Internet addiction expects about 20 percent of children will find ways to break the rules by borrowing accounts of their older relatives and find a way around facial recognition. In his opinion, short-video alps such as Douyin and Kuaishou are also very popular in China. They are not under the same restrictions as games.
1. When can children play games according to the new rules?A.Between 8 p. m. and 9 p. m. On Friday. | B.Between 8 p. m. and 9 p. m. On Tuesday. |
C.Between 10 p. m. and 11 p. m. On Saturday. | D.Between 10 p. m. and all p. m. On Thursday. |
A.the new rules can stop children’s addiction to social media |
B.companies are more responsible for kids ‘ obeying the rules |
C.the new rules will help prevent children playing online games |
D.parents play a greater part in limiting the time of online games |
A.Design an advanced program. | B.Use facial recognition systems. |
C.Set up real-name registration systems. | D.Borrow accounts of their older relatives. |
A.Rules Limiting Short-video alps | B.Rules Limiting Video Game Time |
C.Rules Banning Irrational Fan Culture | D.Rules Breaking Addition to Social Media |
Have you ever noticed when ordering takeaway food
This fee is uneasy
Now,
The Shanghai Consumer Protection Commission in Tune
6 . When Lenore Skenazy let her 9-year-old son take the New York subway home by himself 10 years ago, you would have thought that she’d carried out a crime. Now Skenazy started the movement Free Range (放养的) Kids to bring up safe and independent children. Just this month, Utah became a free range state, changing its law to protect parents from being charged with neglect (疏忽)for letting their kids walk alone, or wait in a car for an adult.
Skenazy argues that the risks of giving children some freedom are exaggerated (夸大). Skenazy’s mother used to send her outside at 5 to walk to school. That was just normal back then. And suddenly we hear stories about parents getting punished for letting their 10-year-old son play outside.
We get so used to not knowing our neighbors, not letting our kids walk to school, or play outside, that nowadays, the kids are either in a car or in the backyard, and they don’t get to know the neighborhood. In fact, the world has become safer. We have the technologies to keep track of almost everything our kids do. And so you think you must control them, and you think your child is something that has to be tracked like a package.
The famous case for many parents was the Etan Patz case in New York in 1979. Patz’s parents gave him permission for the first time to walk to the bus stop nearby. He was killed. The story is so terrible that we remember it two generations later. And we don’t allow our kids to walk alone because of one terrible thing that happened 39 years ago. But we don’t say, “I want to drive you to the dentist, but what if we get in a car accident? Think of those people who died in a car accident 39 years ago. I don’t want to be like them. No, we’re not going.” And we recognize that it would be funny to think that way.
1. What do we know about Lenore Skenazy?A.She used to have full control of her son. |
B.She was in favor of Utah’s previous law. |
C.She suggests kids be allowed more freedom. |
D.She was once punished for neglecting her son. |
A.People remain distant. |
B.Kids dislike outdoor activities. |
C.Parents know little about accidents. |
D.The crime rate is slightly increasing. |
A.Unclear | B.Supportive. | C.Indifferent. | D.Unfavorable. |
A.To prove accidents are like crimes. |
B.To warn parents of a terrible crime. |
C.To argue against some parents’ worry. |
D.To point out the real danger to children. |
7 . Are you happy with your appearance?
“Almost all the girls with single-fold eyelids (单眼皮) in our class have had double eyelid operations,” Zeng, a Senior 2 student from Chengdu, told Xinhua. Zeng had the same surgery done this summer.
From popular photo-editing apps to plastic surgery (整形手术), it seems that large eyes, pale skin and a skinny body are the only standard for beauty these days. But can following this standard really make us feel good about ourselves?
“Many teenagers are upset about their appearance because they believe in unrealistic standards of beauty,” experts say.
However, trying to live up to strict standards can make us feel anxious. What troubles us is not just our “imperfect” looks, but the fact that we criticize ourselves too much.
A.Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. |
B.Body image anxiety is common among teenagers. |
C.Guys care just as much as girls do about their body image. |
D.Some teenagers might feel negative about their appearance. |
E.It’s common for teenagers to feel confident about their appearance. |
F.She and many of her classmates believe bigger eyes look more beautiful. |
G.Perfect faces and bodies are everywhere in advertising, TV shows and social media. |
Teenage life is full of adventures and challenges. Doing voluntary work is popular among some teenagers. And extra-curricular activities
1. How does the woman feel now?
A.Shocked. | B.Afraid. | C.Angry. |
A.A doctor. | B.A policeman. | C.The woman’s friend. |
A.A locker. | B.A letter. | C.Some money. |
1. What did the truck crash into?
A.Another vehicle. | B.A friend’s house. | C.A store. |
A.The driver. | B.The woman. | C.No one. |
A.He’s a policeman. | B.He’s a journalist. | C.He’s a gardener. |