1 . Denmark has one of the lowest rates of bullying (欺凌) in schools. But this is something that didn’t happen overnight. Anti-bullying programs were introduced in Danish schools over 15 years ago, according to Euronews, but it’s something that has to be constantly updated to meet the changing times.
Programs begin in primary grades where children are taught empathy (共情) and how to avoid bullying. At the Sluseholmen Skole school in Copenhagen, meditation and hugs are part of the morning routine. According to Maja Hindsgaul, a teacher at the school, this is the key to well-being.
“I’m the one they can talk to if something is difficult. And I’m actually talking a lot about who I am and what I like and it’s OK if they like to hug. I like that, too,” she told Euronews. “Of course, they have to learn to read and write and things like that, but they can do that if they feel safe. It’s my task to make them feel safe so that they can develop social skills at school.”
Learning how to live with one another is a large part of the anti-bullying programs and this appears to be working well in the younger grades. “We’re always trying to get the kids to work together in different types of groups, across genders and not always with their best friends,” said teacher Louise Ibsen. “They’re also practicing social skills for how to communicate.”
A new program was rolled out in the 2021/22 school year according to a Mary Foundation news release. Our School Strength is a joint effort from the Mary Foundation, Borns Vilkar, a Danish child organization, and Save the Children Denmark. The program is the result of four years of research and cooperation by the nonprofit groups. It’s designed to deal with bullying up to grade 10 and focuses on students’ well-being and to help the youth feel that they are accepted and play an active role in the community. Anti-bullying programs that teach children empathy for others at a young age can make a big difference when these students become teenagers.
1. Which word can best describe the anti-bullying programs?A.Unsuccessful. | B.Effective. | C.Outdated. | D.Smooth. |
A.By giving them constant hugs. | B.By practicing meditation. |
C.By showing sympathy for them. | D.By offering support. |
A.Developing students’ social skills. | B.Keeping students working out. |
C.Providing a different atmosphere. | D.Improving students’ learning state. |
A.Measures Are Being Taken in Denmark to Expand Schools |
B.Teachers Are Focused on Promoting Well-being in Denmark |
C.Denmark’s Empathy Measures Work in Reducing Bullying |
D.Denmark’s Anti-bullying Programs Are Recognized Globally |
2 . More and more travelers in China nowadays prefer homestays rather than traditional hotels, as they seek private living experiences. The house-sharing model was first introduced by the website couchsurfing. com in 2003. It is still the largest website for travelers to find accommodation without much money to spend.
Encouraged by her great experience of homestays in France, Maggita, 30, considered short-term hire as her first choice in her future trips. She later went back to her hometown-Shanghai and ran a “shared accommodation” business.
The short-term hire idea has been a win-win business model. For travellers, they can rent a special room at a reasonable price and also enjoy a first-hand experience of the local culture, compared with traditional hotels. For owners, they can gain much with daily rental. Now Maggita has deserted her last job in an IT company and become a host of some 20 homestays, which enables her to earn a monthly income of around 40,000-50,000 yuan.
In recent years, China has seen many homestay booking websites such as Xiaozhu and Tujia. Chen Chi, the founder and CEO of Xiaozhu, says the model is to share rooms or apartments that are not in use with people who need them. Instead of the traditional view that Chinese people feel uncomfortable living with strangers, Chen finds that a large number of travellers get along well with homeowners.
However, experts have pointed out a series of problems brought about by the fashion. Lacking supervision(监管) of those accommodation sharing websites, the service quality and accommodation safety cannot be guaranteed(保障) . Experts suggest that the online websites should closely work together with communities and local police stations to improve the services.
1. What can we learn about homestays from the first paragraph?A.They started in China. | B.They offer the best service. |
C.They are popular with the youth. | D.They can be money-saving. |
A.Taken up. | B.Given up. | C.Looked for. | D.Gone for. |
A.Useless. | B.Relaxing. | C.Uncomfortable. | D.Well-accepted. |
A.Homestays need to be improved. |
B.Some experts don’t support homestays. |
C.Lacking supervision is the biggest problem of homestays. |
D.The police should manage the homestay services. |
Many of us were raised with the saying “waste not, want not”. None of us, however, can
Any kind of waste is thoughtless. Whether we waste our potential talents,our own time, our
4 . Social media can lead to mental exhaustion (疲惫). And when mentally exhausted, you are more likely to be influenced by a high number of likes on posts—even to the point of clicking on ads for products you don't need or want.
As a professor of advertising, I have studied social media behaviors for years. In late 2022, my colleague Eric Haley and I conducted three online studies on Americans aged 18—65 to test how people under various mental loads respond to ads differently.
The control group in each study were given no introductory task—we just had them look at an ad. A second group had to memorize a nine-digit number and then look at the ad. The third group looked through the Internet for 30 seconds and then looked at the ad. Participants randomly saw an ad with a few hundred likes or tens of thousands of likes. After viewing the ad, each participant rated how willing they would be to buy the product, and how much mental effort it took to think about the information.
The group that used the Internet first were the most likely to want to buy the featured product when there were lots of likes or comments, and they also reported using the most mental effort to assess the ad. Researchers refer to this mentally exhausted state as “cognitive (认知的) overload”. Using social media puts them in this state because they are constantly evaluating different types of texts, photos and video posts from so many different people. In the span of several seconds, they can see a text from their husband or wife, a photo from a co-worker, a video from a celebrity and an emoji from their brother. All of this evaluating leaves them feeling frazzled.
Imagine asking your roommate if they want to go get pizza. Under normal conditions, the roommate might consider several factors such as cost, hunger, timing or their schedule. Now imagine asking your roommate the same question while they are on the phone with a sick relative. They no longer have the mental energy to logically consider whether pizza for dinner is a good idea.
By understanding how social media influences them, consumers can be more thoughtful in regulating their use—and hopefully not buy yet another water bottle they don’t need.
1. Why did the author conduct three online studies on Americans aged 18-65?A.To investigate their online habits. |
B.To test their reactions to advertisements. |
C.To research what kind of advertising is effective. |
D.To discover why people suffer great mental stress. |
A.Its purpose. | B.Its process. | C.Its finding. | D.Its significance. |
A.Interested. | B.Depressed. | C.Annoyed. | D.Tired. |
A.To further explain cognitive overload. |
B.To stress the importance of. relationships. |
C.To strongly call on people to eat healthily. |
D.To remind people not to rely on mobile phones. |