1 . Have we reached the peak of the culture war? Looking at my social media feeds, it seems that polarised thinking and misinformation have never been more common. How am I supposed to feel when users I once admired now draw on questionable evidence to support their beliefs?
Perhaps it is time for us all to adopt a little “existential humility”. I came across this idea in a paper by Jeffrey Greenat Virginia from Common Wealth University and his colleagues. They build on a decade of research examining the benefits of “intellectual humility” more generally — our ability to recognise the errors in our judgement and remain aware of the limits of our knowledge.
You can get a flavour of this research by rating your agreement with the following statements, ranging from 1 (not at all like me) to 5 (very like me): I question my own opinions because they could be wrong; I recognise the value in opinions that are different from my own; in the face of conflicting evidence, I am open to changing my opinions.
People who score highly on this assessment are less likely to form knee-jerk reactions on a topic, and they find it easier to consider the strengths or weaknesses of a logical argument. They are less likely to be influenced by misinformation, since they tend to read the article in full, investigate the sources of a news story and compare its reporting to other statements, before coming to a strong conclusion about its truth.
Developing “intellectual humility” would be an excellent idea in all fields, but certain situations may make it particularly difficult to achieve. Greenat points out that some beliefs are so central to our identity that any challenge can activate an existential crisis, as if our whole world view and meaning in life are under threat. As a result, we become more insistent in our opinions and seek any way to protect them. This may reduce some of our feelings of uncertainty, but it comes at the cost of more analytical thinking.
For these reasons, Greenat defines “existential humility” as the capacity to entertain the thought of another world view without becoming so defensive and closed-minded. So how could we achieve it? This will be the subject of future research, but the emotion of awe (a feeling of great respect and admiration) may offer one possibility. One study found that watching awe-inspiring videos about space and the universe led to humbler thinking, including a greater capacity to admit weaknesses.
Perhaps we could all benefit from interrupting our despair with awe-inspiring content. At the very least, we can try to question our preconceptions before offering our views on social media and be a little less ready to criticize when others disagree.
1. Regarding the culture war on social media, the author is _______.| A．embarrassed | B．concerned | C．panicked | D．stressed |
| A．Existential humility reduces the threat to identity. |
| B．People with intellectual humility tend to jump to conclusions. |
| C．Awe could promote existential humility by encouraging modest thinking. |
| D．The higher you score on the assessment, the more you stick to your values. |
| A．Overcome an Existential Crisis | B．Show a Little Humility |
| C．The Path to Screening Information | D．The Approach to Achieving Humility |
2 . The Age of Information is mushrooming, perhaps even bulging. If you tried to download all the data available today, you’d need more than 180 million years to do so. But you are wrong to assume that all this information would stimulate a boost of innovation to match the output of data. Indeed, the last time we found ourselves in a period of significant innovation, pursuing the ideas with the biggest spark, was more than 120 years ago, in a period called the Age of Insight.
Innovations, both big and small, start with a new idea. Often, these ideas occur as a moment of insight-the result of a novel connection in our brains made between existing and new information. Studies show insights involve quiet signals deep in the brain, just under the surface of awareness. Anything that helps us notice quiet signals, such as taking breaks between meetings, only adopting necessary learning approaches or avoiding distractions like social media, can increase the chance of insights. However, it’s becoming more challenging to find those quiet signals with the increasing use of technology, filling every moment with emergencies and an endless supply of content.
Besides, we also want to increase the quality of them-to be able to sort through big new ideas and find the ones that have real value, which can be hard to measure. Launched in 2015, the Eureka Scale(尤里卡量表) allows us to assess the strength of our insight experiences on a five-point scale, which is marked by intense emotions, motivation, memory advantage, aftershocks, and following ideas. The Scale combines these five variables into a single value and allows us to define the importance of a new idea. The level-5 insight, involving the richest emotion, motivation, and lasting impact, holds the greatest significance.
Because insights are one of the best ways to drive engagement, innovation, and behavior change, the Eureka Scale has broad applications for measuring and improving individual and organizational performance. More importantly, it can be used to measure the impact of different kinds of work environments and learning approaches on participants’ growth-both in the moment or afterward.
In order for organizations to benefit from another age of insight, it’s not enough to try to access more data or increase the number of insights we generate. Instead, it’s about making space for the biggest ideas to emerge from all the information. Using the shared language of the Eureka Scale as a way to measure how important ideas are, relative to each other, will enable better decision-making toward practical and competitive outcomes. And if we’re to enter a new age of insight, we must design our environments to allow for the best insight possible to surface.
1. What does the underlined word “bulging” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Stabilizing. |
| B．Exploding. |
| C．Shifting. |
| D．Collapsing. |
| A．By engaging in ongoing social media interactions. |
| B．By relying on technology to receive regular notices. |
| C．By stepping away from computers between meetings. |
| D．By participating in additional training and coaching sessions. |
| A．The Eureka Scale controls the influence of our insights. |
| B．Possessing minimal emotional responses is a level-5 insight. |
| C．Both the quantity and quality of insights are essential to innovation. |
| D．A breakthrough has been made in innovation due to a wealth of information. |
| A．Uncertain. |
| B．Optimistic. |
| C．Unconcerned. |
| D．Dissatisfied. |
Group-Chat Culture Is Out of Control
For better or worse, we might be in the Age of the Group Chat. In a recent survey, most people said they felt stressed out by group messages, which can feel like a part-time job.
Connection is wonderful. Grexts, short for group texts, have the feature of imitating the casual back-and-forth of a dialogue, and the result can be more dynamic and fun than a two-person thread. Having a chat going also means you have a space to share your updates throughout the day, a reminder that you’re part of something.
Some researchers call this “ambient(周围的) virtual presence”: Even when you’re alone, you’re not alone. One researcher compares this phenomenon to echolocation(回声定位), the process that some animals, such as bats and dolphins, use to locate objects: They produce a continuous sound and use the resulting echo to sense their surroundings. Humans might use technologies such as group chats in a similar way—as a call-and-response, taking in information about their social networks and locating themselves within those webs.
But taking in too many signals can be overwhelming. Professor Bayer argued that group chats can create a “waterfall type of effect”, where messages keep flooding in and adding up. Eventually, you’re underwater. Another researcher suggested that different chat members all bring their own personalities, communication styles, and expectations for group norms. Without a standard etiquette (礼仪), people have varied opinions about what degree of responsiveness is required—which can cause real tension.
Grext anxiety is hard to resolve because it isn’t just about the group-chat or even mobile technology in general; it’s about the tension between being our own person and being responsible to others. Ultimately, most of us do want connection, even if it involves some duties.
1. What is the feature of Grexts?2. How might humans use group chats like echolocation?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
▶Without a standard etiquette, people have different ideas about what messages should be answered.
4. Please describe how another mobile technology affects your relationship with others. (In about 40 words)
4 . Working at a bank in New York City in the mid-2010s, Anna Sacks was living the life-just not the life she wanted. Sure, she was happy. But she wanted to do something that felt important.
Some people seeking meaning might read a self-help book or perhaps volunteer a few hours a week. Sacks packed up her life and moved to Connecticut to participate in Adamah, a farming program that focuses on sustainable living and growing sustainable food. When she returned to New York, her life was with a new purpose and a variety of new skills to make her dreams a reality.
“One of the things that really stuck with me from Adamah was how little waste they produced and how they handled the waste they did have, primarily through composting (堆肥),” she says. “And I just thought, ‘Why aren’t we doing that here?’”“The Adamah program opened Sacks’ eyes to the damage consumer culture is doing on a local, national, and global level, and the need to find solutions. So in 2017, she began what she calls “trash walking”.
During tours around her community, Sacks picks through garbage to look for reusable items. Soon, her “trash walking” expanded to include corporate trash along with residential trash. Surprisingly, she discovered a wide range of really great stuff-like clothing, decorations, and food-all of which she documents on TikTok.
Under the name The Trash Walker, Sacks quickly gained popularity for her videos that highlight the problems with consumerism. “The root issue is overproduction, which leads to overconsumption, which leads to a large amount of waste,” she says.
The fact is, companies often choose to trash items rather than give them away to people who might need them. A big reason for this waste is the way our current tax laws are structured, Sacks says. Sellers who destroy goods can claim the cost as a loss on their taxes and be refunded. If they give away goods, they can claim only a small amount as a charitable reduction on their taxes.
Sacks’ main focus is simply getting people to pay attention to how many unnecessary things they buy and then throw away. “Once you become aware of the way you consume, you can see ways you improve,” she says.
1. Anna Sacks packed up her life and left New York to________.| A．lead a healthy lifestyle |
| B．observe how to grow food |
| C．pursue a meaningful life |
| D．volunteer to work in a bank |
| A．The importance of trash walking. |
| B．The sustainable food people produced. |
| C．The hard truth about consumer culture. |
| D．The way people there dealt with the waste. |
| A．The tax reduction. |
| B．The quality of goods. |
| C．The tax refund. |
| D．The overproduction. |
| A．Consumer culture accounts for wasting. |
| B．Corporate trash outweighs residential trash. |
| C．Trash walking is the key to becoming wealthy. |
| D．Turning to farming leads to sustainable living. |
5 . “When I stopped in at our local tourism office in Montreal to ask where they would recommend visitors to go to smell, taste, and listen to the city, I just received blank stares. They only know about things to see, not about the city’s other sensory attractions, its soundmarks and smellmarks,” says Howes, the director of Sensory Studies, a growing field often referred to as “sensory urbanism”.
Around the world, researchers like Howes are investigating how non-visual information defines the character of a city and affects its livability. Using methods ranging from low-tech sound walks to data collecting, wearables (clothing or glasses that contain computer technology), and virtual reality, they’re fighting what they see as a limiting visual preference in urban planning.
“Just being able to close your eyes for 10 minutes gives you a totally different feeling about a place,” says Oguz Öner, an academic and musician. He has spent years organizing sound walks in Istanbul where participants describe what they hear at different spots with their eyes covered. His research has identified locations where a wave organ could be constructed to strengthen the sounds of the sea, something he was surprised to realize people could hardly hear, even along the waterfront.
Although his findings have not been considered into local urban plans yet, this kind of individual feedback (反馈) about the sensory environment is already being put to use in Berlin, where quiet areas identified by citizens using a free mobile app have been included in the city’s latest noise action plan.
The best way to determine how people react to different sensory environments is a subject of some debate within the field. Howes and his colleagues are using observation and interviews to develop a set of best practices for good sensory design in public spaces. Other researchers are going more high-tech, using wearables to track biological data like heart-rate variability to reveal different sensory experiences.
As data collection about people’s sensory experiences becomes more widespread, many of these experts warn that concerns about privacy and surveillance (监视) need to be taken into account. Issues of fairness and inclusion also come into play when determining whose sensory experiences are factored into planning. “Sensory awareness is not independent or simply biological; whether we find something pleasant or not has been shaped culturally and socially,” says Monica Degen, an urban cultural sociologist at Brunel University London.
Degen cites the example of a London neighborhood where inexpensive restaurants for local youth were replaced by trendy cafes. “It used to smell like fried chicken,” she says, but newer residents found that smell annoying rather than welcoming. “Now it smells like the popular Italian coffee, cappuccinos.”
1. The underlined phrase “blank stares” in Paragraph 1 implies that______.| A．Montreal is lacking in visual appeal |
| B．Montreal’s non-visual information is ignored |
| C．the tourism officers object to sensory urbanism |
| D．there are too many tourist attractions to recommend |
| A．Many methods are used to limit the visual preference. |
| B．Potential concerns about collecting data can be relieved. |
| C．People may fail to notice sound attractions even in better locations. |
| D．Individual feedback restricts the development of sensory environment. |
| A．People’s perceptions of their sensory surroundings are subjective. |
| B．Sensory urbanism needs to focus on developing sensory facilities. |
| C．Sensory experience is dominant in shaping the character of a city. |
| D．Choices of sensory attractions in urban planning depend on tourists. |
Gather a couple of friends and take a leisurely walk through the streets—this is
7 . After years of blue-collar(蓝领)jobs being replaced by machines, advanced chatbots are now breathing down white collars. Generative Al tools, such as ChatGPT, have made impressive progress in generating human-sounding language and understanding context. So much so that humans are no match for them in some tasks. Up to 300 million full-time jobs could be lost around the world, which is as much as 18% of the global workforce.
A recent study by OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, looked at the potential for automation across 1,016 jobs. Humans and AI separately rated how well software powered by large-language models, which are trained on a sea of information from the Internet and then reacted quickly to specific functions, could perform 19,000 tasks involved in the jobs. If the software was considered able to reduce the time it takes humans to complete the task by at least half, without a drop in quality, the task was considered ready for AI replacement. For other tasks, the company imagined additional software that could be added to the model, such as computer tools that can automatically pull fresh data from the Internet. They found that 80% of Americans could have at least 10% of their work tasks done by advanced Al tools. The figure rises to 50% of tasks for around 19% of workers.
This automation should not be feared. It could free workers from repeated tasks, contributing to greater productivity. A study published on April 5 suggests that generative AI could bring about sweeping changes to the global economy. As these tools could drive a 7% increase in global GDP and lift productivity by 1. 5 percentage points over a 10-year period.
But studies like this may overstate the potential for automation, ignoring some tacit skills(隐性技能)in professions they know less about. Human qualities important for some jobs, such as empathy or charisma(感召力), will be overlooked. And not all tasks capable of being carried out by AI should be: a man in love should feel it a shame for using it to write a love letter to his beloved girlfriend however touching and sincere it may sound.
Many businesses are also not willing to accept AI. And those who have already accepted it are at the risk of practical and legal(法律的) confusion. When chatbots do not know what to say, they often talk nonsense. The “creative” output they produce is based on a mixture of data sourced from the Internet, raising issues around accuracy, privacy and intellectual property(知识产权).
While much is unknown about how generative AI will influence the world economy and society, and it will take time to play out, there are clear signs that the effects could be profound. But in the real world, AI tools will still need handlers. That may even end up creating new jobs.
1. What is the function of Paragraph 1?| A．To show the popularity of AI tools. |
| B．To give examples of using generative AI tools. |
| C．To draw readers’ attention to the possible threat of AI. |
| D．To compare the impacts of AI on blue and white collars. |
| A．it can perform certain creative tasks |
| B．automation is powered by large-language models |
| C．it develops important human qualities like empathy |
| D．Al tools improve productivity without damaging quality |
| A．AI tools may help increase employment |
| B．AI will eventually take over human jobs |
| C．AI and automation do more harm than good |
| D．human qualities are not necessary for automation |
Sleep in Different Cultures
It is apparent that there are significant differences in sleep patterns in different parts of the world, and that sleep patterns have also changed over time. Traditions, cultural values, local conditions and environments all influence sleep patterns.
One major source of these differences is the widespread use of artificial(人造的) light, which has led to changes in the sleep patterns in the industrialized world. It is thought that today we sleep several hours less than before industrialization. Artificial light has encouraged people to go to bed later and to sleep the whole night through (Monophasic Sleep), rather than the more broken up and flexible sleep patterns (Biphasic Sleep). During the long nights of the winter months, our ancestors used to break sleep up into two or more parts, separated by an hour or two of quiet restfulness.
Even within the developed world, there are still significant differences in sleep patterns. A study carried out in ten countries in 2002 showed some of these regional variations. For instance, the results of sleeping time at night from individual countries varied from 6 hours 53 minutes in Japan to 8 hours 24 minutes in Portugal. Over 42% of Brazilians took regular afternoon naps (short sleeps), compared to only 12% of Japanese people.
A daytime nap is a common habit among adults in many countries. Spain, in particular, has raised the nap almost to the level of an art form. The experience of Japan is a clear example of the way a culture change can affect sleep patterns. In the 1950s, Japan was keen to rebuild. Japanese workers were encouraged to wake early and finish late as well. The work-place nap was encouraged as a way for a worker to increase productivity, even though in fact it probably degraded the quality of night-time sleep even more. Today, sleep is perhaps more undervalued in Japan than anywhere else.
It is clear, then, that there are cultural and historical differences in our sleep patterns. Yet the one thing that stays the same across all cultures is the one truth about sleeping: We all do it!
1. What affects the sleep patterns?2. What is Biphasic Sleep?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
The work-place nap was encouraged and in fact it probably increases the quality of night-time sleep even more.
4. Among the sleep patterns in different countries mentioned in the passage, which one do you like most and why? (In about 40 words)
9 . Would you turn down the chance to become a smart cookie? We’ve been longing for quick fixes that could increase our intelligence (智力). Today, people’s hopes lie in brain training apps as a speedy “digital pill”. The more you play, the smarter you will get—or so some apps tell us. But is this digital-shortcut all that it seems to be?
The use of games for serious purposes has become widespread with the development of the Internet and smartphones. Brain training apps are typical, frequently featured by Apple and Google’s app stores. Many of such apps say that they are backed by “science”. Even if there were agreement around what makes general intelligence, the idea that increasing it would be as simple as practising a few mini-games every day goes against our current discovery about thinking and learning.
Several major studies, surveying users across a wide variety of apps, have found that they have little to no effect on users’ performance. A 2021 study by researchers discovered brain training has no significant effect on cognitive (认知的) functioning in the “real world”. The positive effects reported are limited to the very specific mini-games and tasks, such as memorizing lists of words or numbers, or performing mental calculation (心算). So, if your job or your calling in life needs summing quickly or remembering all your friends’ phone numbers, these apps will do. But if you are expecting them to improve your ability to write a novel or form a complex (复杂的) spreadsheet, you have to look elsewhere. Yet, despite the fact that they hardly work, brain training apps play a leading role, partly because they are regarded to be scientific and partly because users think they are fun.
As a co-creator of one of the most popular forms of gamification (游戏化) noted, what is especially disappointing about these apps is that they just aren’t that fun—at least, not compared with the various thoughtful board games and video games coming out every day. Puzzle video games, such as Baba Is You and detective games like Return of the Obra Dinn, see players apply their skill at reasoning, memory and concentration in a far more challenging and engaging (吸引人的) way.
If you aren’t into games, simply go for a walk or learn how to dance. They are likely to be more effective than a brain training app in sharpening your mind. These activities might not lead to an increased IQ, but they are sure to engage your brain deeply while having fun—something I can by no means say of brain training apps.
1. Which of the following would the author probably agree with?| A．Brain training apps are backed by science. |
| B．Creativity can be improved with brain training apps. |
| C．Gamification has little to do with increasing intelligence. |
| D．Increasing IQ is as simple as practising a few mini-games every day. |
| A．they turn mental exercises into quick games |
| B．they are considered both scientific and interesting |
| C．they are more effective in shaping our minds than other games |
| D．they have significant effects on the cognitive functioning in the “real world” |
| A．A Smart Cookie or Not? | B．There’s No App for That |
| C．What will Games Lead Us to? | D．A Digital Pill for Intelligence |
Avoiding Procrastination——A Lesson You Shouldn’t Put Off
You sit down to write a report for school, but decide to scroll your phone first. Soon, it’s evening and you still haven’t started that report. You’ve been having procrastination. It is not simple laziness. It’s the habit of avoiding urgent tasks despite negative consequences.
When you’re facing a task, one part of your mind is rational (理性的) and says, “Let’s do it.” Another part is irrational. It says, “Wouldn’t a quick video game be fun?” That part seeks instant satisfaction, while the rational part knows you should do your work. Being procrastinating may relieve pressure in the moment, but it is a force that constantly works against us, in our studies and our personal lives. It often stops us from reaching our potential and students who routinely procrastinate tend to get lower grades. In general, habitual procrastinators have to face high physical costs and the increase of stress and worry. It is something we all need to think about——and think about today, not tomorrow. So how do we beat it?
First, we must understand the emotions behind procrastination. Studies have shown that people are more likely to procrastinate when they feel negative emotions, such as fear of failure or fright about doing boring tasks, toward things that need to be completed. It’s therefore important to ignore your mood, and just dive in and take the first step. For example, if you are writing a report, start by simply putting your name at the top of page one. Then, focus on taking one step at a time until you reach the finish line. When you’re done, reward yourself——maybe by doing something fun that was distracting (使分神) you before.
If you do put things off, make sure to forgive yourself, since guilt makes the urge to procrastinate stronger. Beating procrastination, though, will help you in all aspects of your life, from finishing tasks at school to achieving personal goals. The time to start is now!
1. According to this passage, what’s procrastination?2. What are the negative effects of procrastination?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
Procrastination is more likely to appear when we have negative emotions, so we should reward ourselves first to delight us.
4. In addition to the tips mentioned in the passage, what other beneficial strategies can you offer to procrastinators? (In about 40 words)
