1 . Research shows that isolation (隔绝) is bad for us and associated with certain diseases including depression, high blood pressure and heart disease. Yet teenagers seek isolation by using the device of our times-a screen, screens of all kinds. However, in whatever form, screens are addictive, and addictive from an early age. Research has shown that given the chance, six-month-old babies prefer screens to real human faces.
Hand in hand with this addiction to screens, we are seeing an explosion of teenage mental health problems. Social media claims to be inclusive (包容), keeping you connected. But it’s not. It isolates you from real people. Screens have even been described as being poisonous for teenagers.
Psychologist Jean Twenge, a professor at San Diego State University, believes today’s teenagers are “on the edge” of a major mental health crisis and requests, “do anything that doesn’t involve a screen”. The problem is, she claims, children born between 1995 and 2012 have grown up with a smart phone in their hands, and it has changed so many aspects of their lives. The number of teenagers who actually see their friends frequently has dropped by more than 40% since 2000. In 2015, only 56% of 17-year-old went on a date, down from 85%. Modern teenagers are slower to learn to drive, or earn money and spend more time at home. They’re “on their phone, in their room, alone and often depressed”, she says.
Some critics (评论家), however, say we should encourage our children to spend more time online. Robert Hannigan, former director of GCHQ, said in August that Britain is badly short of engineers and computer scientists, and urged children to develop cyber skill to compete in the digital economy.
I’m not the first to say that social media is inferior to real human contact, and harms mental health. Studies show teens who spend three hours a day online are 35% more likely to suicide (自杀). The suicide rate among girls aged 12 to 14 has more than doubled in a decade.
1. Why does Jean Twenge call on teens to surf online less?| A．Social media is inclusive and keeps them connected. |
| B．Social media has changed every aspect of their lives. |
| C．Social media does great harm to their eyesight. |
| D．Social media is addictive and leads to mental problems. |
| A．allow teens to isolate themselves from real social contact |
| B．call on teens to do anything that doesn’t involve a screen |
| C．urge children to contact people face to face instead of online |
| D．encourage children to spend more time on the Internet |
| A．Opposed. | B．Supportive. | C．Unclear. | D．Objective. |
| A．Teenagers seeking isolation using screens | B．Social media causing teenagers mental problems |
| C．Teenagers’ heavy addiction to social media | D．Different opinions on surfing online |
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3 . 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. |
4 . Have you heard of the term “tweenager”? It’s a slang (俚语) word used in the UK to describe children between about ten and twelve years old. They are between being a junior and a teenager. Why do the press and media refer to kids in this way?
Well, more and more companies now create products and services for tweenagers. They seem to tell us that tweenagers must have more money, freedom and influence upon their parents than they’ve ever had before.
Most children in the UK today get more pocket money than kids did a decade ago. Despite problems happening fairly often and regularly in the economy, parents generally have more money to give than before, since they are having fewer children on average than in the past. In addition, a higher divorce (离婚) rate in the UK makes parents try to make up by buying presents for their children. It’s a bad habit for both parents and children to get into, but parents are under constant pressure from commercial marketing and the requests of their children.
You may wonder how tweenagers have more freedom than previous generations. Well, UK children today are very media- and computer-literate. They have access to much more information about life and the world. They may have experienced a lot in life as well. With such sophistication (老于世故) at such a young age, it’s no wonder tweenagers are able to influence their parents.
Now UK tweenagers are also very fashion-conscious and concerned about their images. In a world of television programs that promise immediate success and fame at a young age, some people think it’s extremely important to look fashionable.
So what does tweenage fashion look like? It’s lots of brightly colored materials, particularly pink, and usually plain, not patterned. There are plenty of bows, necklaces and bracelets, too.
But can it really be healthy for us to encourage kids to be like adults at a young age? Are we stealing childhoods in return for a bit of profit? Well, the UK government is certainly concerned, and for that reason has strict laws preventing companies from clearly and openly marketing their products and services to children.
1. What is the use of the first paragraph?| A．To explain a concept and bring up the topic. |
| B．To tell the difference between a junior and a teenager. |
| C．To show why people in the UK prefer to use the slang. |
| D．To state how the slang came into being and make a summary. |
| A．They are the only child of their parents. |
| B．They have to pay more for their schooling. |
| C．Their parents make more money than before. |
| D．Their parents try to make up for their absence. |
| A．They are afraid of being laughed at by others. |
| B．They have less freedom than previous generations. |
| C．They wish to become successful and famous quickly. |
| D．They are encouraged to be like adults at a young age. |
| A．Unconcerned. | B．Negative. | C．Supportive. | D．Tolerant. |
5 . Rumors(谣言): we’ve all heard some and we’ve all spread some. In more traditional times they shook entire families. Today, they circulate differently because the way we share information has also changed.
The fact is that rumors have great potential to upset things, whether socially or personally. We don’t enjoy being on the receiving end of one, since they usually don’t have good intentions.They are somewhat veiled(掩饰的) messages.
Normally rumors are oral messages: word of mouth. The paradox(自相矛盾) is that there is no evidence to support rumors, but the more people share it, the more they see it as true. To finish defining rumors, we think that they follow certain very clear laws. Secrecy: The source is unknown. There is also a proven phenomenon that human beings usually forget the source of a message before they forget its content. Certainty: We hardly question rumors simply because of the mental effort involved. On the other hand, no one likes to doubt a person who convinces us that the information they spread is true. Change: It acts like a tree. New rumors branch out to fill in the gaps left by the initial rumor.
Another property of rumors is that they tend to become viral. Each receiver is at the same time a potential transmitter of the information. The receiver often adds their own opinion. Their manner and tone of transmitting it also changes it.
How can we end rumors? The answer is as simple as it is impossible: preventing people from communicating. A more realistic response is equally difficult, although less than the first one. It is that we should be critical of the information we receive. We should ask ourselves if the source is reliable. Ask (if possible) the person you heard it from whether they also trust the information. We should also think about if the rumor benefits someone, and if that someone started the rumor.
One rumor to be especially cautious of is a rumor about groups relatively unable to defend themselves. That’s why we say, “History is always told by the victors.” The first payment the defeated must make is to accept the victor’s version of the story.
1. What’s the author’s attitude towards rumors?| A．Critical. | B．Positive. | C．Approving. | D．Cautious. |
| A．We have all heard some and believed them. |
| B．We’re happy to be the receiving end of them. |
| C．They may have negative influence on society. |
| D．They often hide good intentions in the messages. |
| A．Rumors keep changing, just as trees change their color. |
| B．Rumors are deeply rooted in reality, like tree roots in the earth. |
| C．New rumors have gaps, like the space between tree branches. |
| D．New rumors grow out of the original, like branches out of a trunk. |
| A．Something easily spread. | B．Something acceptable. |
| C．Something easily defended. | D．Something beneficial. |
1. What makes the speakers caught up in traffic?
| A．Road construction. | B．A car crash. | C．Bad weather. |
| A．To a stadium. | B．To the police station. | C．To a theater. |
7 . When I was growing up, I was a teenager no one listened to—and I grew sick of it. So, I’m here to let America know that the future of our country, those kids you’ve raised and sent through high school, the ones you thought were so easy to control, are strong and we want to be heard.
Many people throughout my life told me to shut up or mind my own business when I tried to express my opinion on politics, the death sentence or other problems. What I have come to realize is that I have just the same right as anyone to say how I feel about whatever topic I choose. I no longer believe that I should just follow the crowd. I am ready to make a stand and shout out to the whole world what my opinions are.
I believe that teenagers have every right to speak about the government. I do not think that I am less informed than the next person. I know that if I don’t speak my mind, I will not be true to my nature.
I was raised in a family where politics were always discussed and argued. Many times my parents and I argued for half the night over the same problems the Supreme Court deals with. It was in this climate that I started to form my opinions about the government. I learned that my opinions mattered.
So why does it continuously seem as if teenagers are unimportant?
Unfortunately, I know the answer. I know that the government is not looking far enough into the future. I am not viewed as a future president, a future CEO or a future revolutionary (改革者). All I am to them is a loud, unpleasant teenager. I think it is time that we were heard for more than what we are thought to be. It is time for me to be known for my knowledge, my interest and my ability to lead.
So, America, were you all not in my place once, with no power to speak and be heard? Isn’t it time for the future of America to begin voicing our opinions about important matters? I believe it is. I believe in so much more than freedom of speech. I believe in the power of the future America, and I believe that it is time we all take a stand. I believe in us.
1. What does the word “climate” refer to?| A．a weather condition of an area |
| B．an atmosphere that exists |
| C．a political problem discussed |
| D．a special situation where arguments happen |
| A．They fail to take teenagers opinions seriously. |
| B．Teenagers know nothing about future. |
| C．Teenagers’ opinions are generally meaningless. |
| D．Political matters are too serious for teenagers. |
| A．Teenagers have rights to voice their opinions. |
| B．Political matters are part of teenagers’ life. |
| C．No one would like to listen to teenagers. |
| D．It’s hard for teenagers to have political opinions. |
| A．provide typical examples | B．voice his opinion |
| C．present different opinions | D．give a warning |
8 . In the days before the Internet, critical (批判性的) thinking was the most important skill of well-educated people. But in the digital age, according to Anastasia Kozyreva, a social scientist at the Max Planck Institute of Human Development, an even more important skill is “critical ignoring”.
As the researchers point out, we live in an attention economy where content producers on the Internet compete (竞争) for our attention. They attract us with a lot of emotional and eye-catching stories while providing little useful information, so they can expose (暴露) us to money-making advertisements. Therefore, we are no longer customers but products, and each link we click is a sale of our time and attention. To protect ourselves from this, Kozyreva calls for learning the skill of critical ignoring, in which readers control their information environment on purpose to reduce exposure to false and low-quality information.
According to Kozyreva, critical ignoring includes three strategies. The first is to design our environments, which involves getting rid of the low-quality yet hard-to-resist (抵制) information from around. Successful dieters need to keep unhealthy food out of their homes. Similarly, we need to set up a digital environment where attention-grabbing items are kept out of sight. As with dieting, if one tries to depend on willpower not to click eye-catching “news”, he’ll surely fail. So, it's better to just keep them out of sight in the beginning.
The next is to make a judgement about whether the information is reliable, so that you can be protected from false and misleading information. It can be realized by checking the source in the top news media which is widely considered as being trustworthy.
The last goes by the phrase “do not feed the trolls”. Trolls are actors who spread false and hurtful information online on purpose to cause harm. It may be appealing to respond to them to set the facts straight, but trolls just care about annoying others rather than facts. So, it’s best not to reward their bad behaviour with our attention.
By improving our critical ignoring skills in these ways, we can make the most of the Internet while avoiding being hurt by those who try to control our attention, time, and minds.
1. What is “critical ignoring”?| A．The process of spotting and analyzing poor quality data. |
| B．The skill of not paying attention to online information. |
| C．The ability to analyze information to come to a conclusion. |
| D．The art of choosing what information you let into your life. |
| A．To discuss the quality of information. | B．To prove the benefits of healthy food. |
| C．To show the importance of environments. | D．To explain the effectiveness of willpower. |
| A．Expose their intention. | B．Turn a deaf ear to them. |
| C．Correct their behaviour. | D．Send hard facts to them. |
| A．Importance of critical ignoring in online search. |
| B．Ways to practice critical ignoring in the digital age. |
| C．Benefits of critical ignoring in the attention economy. |
| D．Strategies to improve critical thinking among online users. |
9 . Research shows that isolation (隔绝) is bad for us and connected with certain diseases including depression, high blood pressure and heart disease. Yet teenagers look for isolation by using the device of our times — a screen, screens of all kinds. However, in whatever form, screens are addictive (上瘾的), and addictive from an early age. Research has shown that given the chance, six-month old babies prefer screens to real human faces.
Hand in hand with this addiction to screens, we are seeing an increase of teenage mental health problems. Social media claims to be inclusive (包容的) keeping you connected. But it’s not. It isolates you from real people. Screens have even been described as being poisonous for teenagers.
Psychologist Jean Twenge, a professor at San Diego State University, believes today’s teenagers are “on the edge” of a major mental health crisis and requests, “do anything that doesn’t connect with a screen”. The problem is, she claims, children born between 1995 and 2012 have grown up with a smart phone in their hands, and it has “changed every aspect” of their lives. The number of teenagers who really see their friends very often has dropped by more than 40%since 2000. In 2015, only 56%of 17-year-old went on a date, down from 85%. Modern teenagers are slower to learn to drive, or earn money and spend more time at home. They’re “on their phone, in their room, alone and often depressed”, she says.
Some critics ( 评论家), however, say we should encourage our children to spend more time online. Robert Hannigan, former director of GCHQ, said in August that Britain is badly short of engineers and computer scientists, and encouraged children to develop cyber skill to compete in the digital industry.
I’m not the first to say that social media is worsen than real human communication, and harms mental health. Studies show teens who spend three hours a day online are 35% more likely to suicide (自杀). The suicide rate among girls aged 12 to 14 has more than doubled in a decade.
1. Why does Jean Twenge call on teens to surf online less?| A．Social media is inclusive and keeps them connected. |
| B．Social media has changed every aspect of their lives. |
| C．Social media does great harm to their eyesight. |
| D．Social media is addictive and leads to mental problems. |
| A．allow teens to isolate themselves from real social contact |
| B．call on teens to do anything that doesn’t involve a screen |
| C．urge children to contact people face to face instead of online |
| D．encourage children to spend more time on the Internet |
| A．Objective. | B．Disapproving. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Supportive. |
| A．Teenagers looking for isolation using screens |
| B．Social media causing teenagers health problems |
| C．Teenagers’ heavy addiction to social media |
| D．Different opinions on social media use |
10 . Most children like watching TV. It’s very interesting. By watching TV, they can learn a lot and know many things about their country and the world. Of course, they can also learn over the radio (收音机). But they can learn better and more easily over the TV. Why? Because they can hear and see at the same time, while they can’t see anything over the radio.
Watching TV helps to open children’s eyes. Watching TV helps to open their minds, too. They learn new and good ways of doing things. Many children watch TV only on Saturday and Sunday evenings. They are very busy with their lessons on weekdays. But a few children watch TV every night. They go to bed very late, so they can`t have a good rest. How about you, my young friend?
1. Children can study better over the TV because they________.| A．can hear something | B．can see more things than on the radio |
| C．can hear and see at the same time | D．can see the pictures on TV |
| A．open their eyes | B．open their minds |
| C．make their lives busier | D．both A and B |
| A．A few of | B．A lot of | C．A lot | D．A little |
| A．do their homework | B．watch TV every night |
| C．are busy with their lessons | D．listen to the radio |
