2 . Whenever he can, 15-year-old Elliot Morgan practices basketball in his backyard. He says it’s a good stress-reliever. But it wasn’t that long ago that he didn’t have time for this new hobby. “There were times in the summer when I would spend four or five hours a day on my phone,” he says. When school started in the fall, Morgan found himself scrolling (划屏) as soon as he woke up. “I realize I start to avoid workouts because I’m on my phone,” he says. “It’s affecting my focus.”

It has become clear that social media is a key player in many drivers of unhealthy habits. Social media apps are designed to encourage overuse, and teenagers are more likely to be influenced because their brains are at an important period of development that makes it harder to be free from temptation (诱惑). All of this makes limiting use more challenging — even for families who set rules.

“It’s a really big problem,” says Elliot’s mom, Alyssa. She was shocked when she discovered Elliot had bypassed parental controls and was spending five hours a day on social media. “I asked him, ‘Can you just take a look and see? Just tell me what you think. Does this feel good to you?’” she says.

Elliot hadn’t realized how many hours he was on social media. And he was at a loss. With his mother’s help, he tried to start cutting back. After several months, he decided to delete (删除) social media apps altogether. “After that, I actually sleep enough and feel better,” he says. He’s now closer with his friends because they spend more time talking instead of scrolling. And joining school clubs has also helped him reduce time on his phone.

Each year on July 17th, the world comes together to celebrate World Emoji Day, an annual event     1     recognizes the global phenomenon of emojis and their impact on communication.

    2     (create) in Japan in the late 1990s, emojis quickly gained popularity worldwide and have since become a universal language. The     3     (significant) of emojis lies partly in their ability to convey emotion that might get lost in text-based conversations. They add humour and personality to our messages,     4     (make) them more appealing.

Besides, emojis now include     5     wide range of skin tones (肤色) and cultural symbols, allowing individuals to express their identities and values. What’s more, emojis have also found     6     (they) way into advertising and marketing strategies, with companies using their visual appeal     7     (connect) with audiences on a deeper level.

The popularity of emojis has even led     8     the creation of the World Emoji Awards, where the best and most creative uses of emojis     9     (recognize), ranging from “Best New Emoji” to “Emoji Art of the Year.”

All in all, whether you’re sending a heart emoji to express love     10     a laughing face to share joy, take a moment on this World Emoji Day to appreciate the impact of these colorful icons in our digital world.

5 . With the DJ shouting in a strong local accent and viewers seating themselves wherever they could find a spot to view the game, two teams of basketball players who were no other than the local villagers played under professional-class format and the game became tense in the last seconds at the fourth quarter.

The rescheduled final game of Guizhou country basketball league, known as “Village Basketball Association“, was played in Taipan Village, a remote rural area with a population of only 1,200,in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture of Guizhou Province on Monday after a local storm hit on Sunday night. Team Qiandongnan beat Team Zunyi by a score of 68 to 65.

There were more viewers for this game, although it was a weekday, compared with the 30,000-strong crowd seen during the past weekend when the third-place game went viral. The festival-turned-competition is a gathering which is attractive to local villagers and visitors looking for a special local experience.

How can a grass-roots competition become more attractive than professional games to people like me? I think it’s because sport essentially originates from the grass roots and everybody can find the most available social connections by being part of it.

The Village BA reminded me of my tour in Yangshuo of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region where I was getting tired of the landscape scenery until I ran into a local basketball game on my way back to the hotel. I decided to take a rest and sat on the bare ground by the court rubbing shoulders with locals and visitors and letting out whatever I wanted to give out. Like the players of the Village BA in Guizhou,the winning team in Yangshuo was awarded with nothing more than local products such as live ducks and cooked meat.

The sudden popularity of the Village BA could be due to the universal social media and the users’ tendency to explore something different from their surroundings. But what may remain lasting and grow even bigger is people’s pursuit of spiritual nutrition and the grass-roots sport is one of the top destinations that are easy to reach.

6 . More than half the world’s population will be regarded as obese by 2035 if action is not taken: the World Obesity Federation warns. Obese is a medical term used to describe a person with an excess of body fat.

Its report says, more than four billion people will be affected with rates rising fastest among both boys and girls. The rates are expected to double from 2020 levels among them. The report predicts the cost of obesity will be up to more than $4 trillion (£ 3. 3 trillion) every year by 2035.

The report also stresses that low-or middle-income countries in Africa and Asia are expected to see the greatest rises. The first reason lies in that people there prefer to eat highly processed foods. In the second place, they are likely to sit too long. Thirdly, in those countries, there are fewer policies to control food supply and marketing. Last but not the least, people there are short of healthcare services to help in weight management and health education.

The president of the federation, Louise Baur, described the report’s findings as a clear warning to countries to act now. If they don’t take any actionthey will be faced with endless bad effects in the future. Baur said that governments and policymakers around the world need to do all they can to avoid passing health, social, and economic costs on to the younger generation. They should find out what are the root causes of obesity.

The data published in the report will be presented to the UN on Monday

7 . When Kim Ji-un lived in Seoul, the capital city of Korea, she was worried about finding a goo d job and a nice place to live. But now, she fears that natural disasters may ruin her potatoes and corn.

Ms Kim is part of a phenomenon called kwichon, or returning to rural life. Created a thousand years ago, the term comes up during periods of economic hardship, when people in cities are forced to move back to their hometown to farm. This time, in the wake of the worldwide crisis, the government encourages many new farmers who have never lived in the countryside before to return to the farmland, and sees it as a way to bring about economy growth in rural areas. By planting young farmers in rural areas now, the government hopes to reap big rewards in future.

The plan is working as expected. In 2021 nearly 380,000 people moved to the countryside, up 15% from 2015. The new generation care less than earlier ones whether they can get a job in a big company. Some do not want to become like their fathers who do nothing but work; others are puzzled at their future, and say that they know they will never be a success like their father.

Being equipped with digital technology gives young farmers an advantage, and the most important part is how to get on with the locals. Life in the countryside is more different, where people live together and share together. Newcomers are expected to abandon their urban ways of life and the neighbor’s doorways, not just your own, should be cleared when it is convenient for you. The villagers are also offered tips on how to act towards the newcomers, especially the young ones, through role-playing sessions.

8 . Most of us probably cannot imagine modern life without social media, which has both the potential to negatively impact our mental and emotional heath if used blindly and the ability to connect us in many unexpected ways.

With social media, friendships go beyond geography. We are able to find friends old and new, thus maintaining old friendships and making new ones. Some would question the quality of these friendships, but perhaps what is important is that a link exists between you and that person. Then, we can possibly build friendship upon this link in the future.

Nevertheless, social media does consume our energy and lower our self-esteem (自尊) at times. A 2013 study by Ethan Kross and Philippe Verduyn, published by the Public Library of Science, found that the more a person uses Facebook, the more miserable he feels about his own life. An internet celebrity (名人) Essena O’Neill recently announced to quit social media, saying it is “not real life”, taking countless photos just to look great in a single post and seeking social approval from “likes” and “views” have left her feeling “empty”.

However, those affected are usually teenagers who possess shaky self-identities. It is only natural for teenagers to seek popularity and social recognition. However, for every teenager who feels jealous, envious or depressed online, there is another who chooses to feel energetic, inspired and accepted by positive social connections.

From what perspective do we wish to approach social media? Social media does not cause unhappiness; it simply provides an alternative platform for teenagers to experiment with as they grow up, something they have always done offline. Teen activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai says, “What is interesting is the power and impact of social media... we must try to use social media in a good way.”

Organizing a big event is a very difficult and stressful task. One of the       1    (common) challenges that an organizer would face are issues about security and crowd control. If things are not       2    (good) organized, security issues like a major stampede can happen anytime.

The       3     (define) of stampedes is a situation in which a group of people or large animals suddenly start running in the same direction, especially because they are scared or excited. The situation causes an uproar which may       4    (threat) people’s lives or cause property damages, and in extreme cases it can lead up to lots of deaths.

The incidents       5    people have been caught in deadly stampedes are on the rise. Over the last 18 months alone, we       6    (witness) seven tragic incidents with at least 407 people losing their lives. On Saturday, more than 150 people, mainly young women and men       7    their teens and 20s, were killed when a 100,000-strong crowd were crushed on a narrow street during Halloween festivities in Itaewon, in South Korea’s capital, Seoul.

There is evidence       8    people’s security awareness plays a vital part in avoiding such tragedies.     9    (have) the knowledge and awareness of how to spot and effectively handle dangerous situations will enable people to make the right decisions for themselves. No matter where you are, you should take a moment       10    (make) a mental note of all the exits in a venue as soon as you arrive. Move in the same direction of the crowd. Keep your hands up by your chest, like a boxer. If you fall, get up quickly. If you can’t get up, get someone to pull you up or cover your head with your arms. Curl up into the fetal position (do not lay on your stomach or back, as this dangerously exposes your lungs).