1 . The social media platform Instagram once made headlines for limiting likes in an effort to reduce the comparisons and hurt feelings resulting from attaching popularity to sharing content. It’s a small step in the right direction, says Jacqueline Sperling, a psychologist who works with youth who experience anxiety disorders.
Social media has a reinforcing nature. The platforms are designed to be addictive. According to the Pew Research Center, 69% of adults and 81% of teens in the U.S. use social media. This puts a large amount of the population at an increased risk of feeling anxious, depressed, or ill over their social media use. But what makes users come back for more even when it can literally make them feel sick?
To boost self-esteem (自尊心) and feel a sense of belonging in their social circles, people post content with the hope of receiving positive feedback. When reviewing others’ social activity, people tend to make comparisons such as, “Did I get as many likes as someone else?” or “Why didn’t this person like my post, but this other person did?” They’re searching for validation (认可）on the internet. FOMO—fear of missing out——also plays a role. If everyone else is using social media sites, and if you don’t join in, there’s concern that you’ll miss chats, jokes, connections, or invitations, which can create anxiety and depression.
Sperling acknowledges that we can benefit from social platforms to some extent, as they allow people to stay in touch with family and friends around the world. Still, she says, the platforms have opened a “Pandora’s box” as they continue to evolve more quickly than we can research their impact.
In addition to limiting likes, as Instagram has done, Sperling suggests social platforms consider decreasing mass sharing. They might function more as messaging services by highlighting one-on-one communications. As to individuals, we can monitor our behavior to see how our use impacts us, and how to act as a result.
1. Why did Instagram limit likes?| A．To make headlines. | B．To control online time. |
| C．To promote other functions. | D．To relieve anxiety. |
| A．Social media users don’t care whether they get recognized. |
| B．Social media users tend worry to hope for negative feedback. |
| C．The concern that you’ll miss a lot won’t contribute to anxiety. |
| D．Social media users are likely to be influenced by others’ activities. |
| A．Objective | B．Ambiguous | C．Indifferent | D．Supportive |
| A．Sharing feelings online frequently. |
| B．Spending more time on social media. |
| C．Limiting receiving positive feedback. |
| D．Focusing on face-to-face communication. |
2 . A new study from the Netherlands has found that an important factor in a child’s ultimate level of education, even more important than their own family’s economic situation, is whether they grow up with rich neighbors nearby.
Researcher Agata Troost and her colleagues at Delft University of Technology used a national database to track the address of every Dutch baby born in 1995, a total of 140,338 people, from birth to age 23. Using geolocating software, they drew up a socioeconomic profile (概况) for each child's immediate neighborhood, figuring the percentage of neighbors who were rich, middle class or disadvantaged.
After controlling a number of other factors, including parents’ earnings and levels of education, the researchers found that a child's own experience of wealth or poverty mattered less to their ultimate level of schooling than exposure to well-off neighbors. The data suggest that growing up in a rich area, with well-maintained parks, libraries and soccer fields, as well as interactions with educated neighbors, could boost a poor child's ability to see beyond their immediate horizons (眼界).
“Rich families create neighborhoods and activities that create opportunities,” said Ms. Troost, and these advantages are shared with other children who happen to live nearby. The finding echoes an earlier study by Mr. Chetty and his colleagues, which showed that having even one inspiring teacher in middle school can improve a student’s career prospects. Whether in the classroom or on the street, it seems that social interactions outside the family can start a young person's motivation and ambition.
At the same time, the study also stressed the importance of the home environment. When parents are well educated, children are likely to be, too. And that's the moral of the story: Neighborhoods can have different effects on different children, depending on how educated their parents are, whether they are male or female, and how much casual contact they have with people who are different from their own families. “Location, location, location” may be a old saying for buying a house, but we're learning that it also holds true for children's development.
1. What aspect of the research is paragraph 2 mainly about?| A．Its purpose. | B．Its principle. | C．Its method. | D．Its result. |
| A．Goes against. | B．Agrees with. | C．Works for. | D．Relates to. |
| A．An advertisement. | B．A novel. | C．A magazine. | D．A guidebook. |
| A．The Benefits of Educated Parents | B．The Power of a Good Neighborhood |
| C．The Decisive Factor in a Child's Growth | D．The Location Your New House Should Have |
3 . Since its birth, the dollar has undergone many updates and changes, but nothing compares to the change being debated today: to adopt a digital dollar, which is one of the central bank digital currencies(CBDC)that can be stored in apps or “digital wallet” on our smartphones.
It’s a cashless future that other countries are already embracing. China, for example, has already adopted its digital cash, E-CNY, in many cities on a trial basis. India this week said it would do the same soon. Now the US is weighing whether it should accept a digital dollar with such enthusiasm.
Why do we need a digital dollar when we have such cashless payments such as Alipay and Apple Pay?
Reducing fees is one clear benefit. When we make a payment on our smartphones today, it may seem immediate, but a lot happens behind the scenes. The cashless payment systems, such as Alipay and Apple Pay, have to inform a whole series of banks, to confirm who we are and how much money is in our bank accounts, before any payment is actually made. At each step of the way, there are fees. In 2021, they added up to more than $110 billion, which was generally shouldered by businesses. With a digital dollar, we can avoid those middlemen in theory. If we want to buy a sandwich, for example, we can pay from a “digital wallet” directly to a cashier.
Another argument for creating a digital dollar is to help Americans who don’t have bank accounts. According to a survey, more than 5% of US families are “unbanked”. Providing them with a digital wallet would allow people to participate in our increasingly cashless financial system.
What are the challenges?
Without question, the biggest concern is privacy, because the central bank could collect a vast amount of data. That could be useful to regulators who want to fight against money laundering(洗钱), for example, but it would also raise serious privacy concerns.
Security is another important problem. To adopt a digital dollar, the US government would need to modernize the country’s financial systems to avoid online attacks.
“So I think it’s more important to do this right than to do it fast,” the central bank leader Powell told reporters. “It might take five to ten years to introduce a digital dollar in the US.”
1. What does the underlined word “embracing” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Discussing. | B．Refusing. | C．Welcoming. | D．Losing. |
| A．It can be considered as a bank account. | B．It has to be used on Alipay and Apple Pay. |
| C．It just charges big companies for payments. | D．It is a digital cash created by a central bank. |
| A．Acceptance. | B．Security. | C．Cost. | D．Privacy. |
| A．It is not necessary at present. | B．It takes time to be introduced. |
| C．The US has to adopt it faster. | D．Americans will not accept it. |
A recently released
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An average adult would spend 23.13 minutes on average per day
Moreover, listening to audiobooks was another rising habit among Chinese readers,
Public reading services continued to meet the needs of Chinese readers, as 78.2 percent of the people
“In Hangzhou, for instance, reading venues, including public libraries, self-service libraries and rural reading rooms,
Reading on mobile phones also remained a habit among Chinese readers. According to the survey, 77.8 percent read on their phones last year, 0.4 percent
5 . Have you ever watched a legal drama and found yourself wondering what everyone’s talking about? On TV or in movies, it might not be that important to know what everything means — but it’s different if you’re really living through a legal drama.
In fact, it matters so much that steps are being taken in some English-speaking countries to make legal language simpler.
As plain language supporters say, it’s a matter of equality: making sure everyone has easy access to information, whatever their educational background — or whether they speak English as a second language.
| A．So it can be understood by everyone. |
| B．How can we understand the language easily? |
| C．Then, understanding the language really matters. |
| D．However, some legal professionals have different ideas. |
| E．The plain language has a great influence on people’s life. |
| F．The plain language movement has been developing for many years. |
| G．Canada has long encouraged plain language in government documents. |
6 . Most of us are familiar with the Sunday scares. Marisa Jo Mayes knew those feelings all too well. Sick of the “instant panic” she felt upon waking up, in 2022, she decided Mondays didn’t have to be so stressful. She started a routine (常规) of Bare Minimum Mondays, which has become a hit on TikTok. The idea is to focus on just two or three important things on Mondays, while looking after your mental health.
Writing in Insider, Mayes explained she doesn’t do any work for the first two hours on Monday mornings — no meetings, no technology — while instead focusing on starting the day feeling good. When she starts work tasks around 10 a.m., she makes sure they’re creative tasks she enjoys. She does that for about an hour, and then takes a break. After that, it’s time to work, meaning no distractions until she gets her main work tasks done, which usually takes two or three hours.
Mayes said Bare Minimum Mondays has changed her life after experiencing burnout (过度劳累) from her old work routine. “Giving myself actual permission to just do the least amount of work possible that day was extremely relaxing, because I’d got used to believing that my worth is directly tied to my productivity and output,” she said. “So relieving that pressure and choosing to let myself off the hook (摆脱困境) was a much-needed change of mindset going into the beginning of the week, which suddenly allowed me to be productive again.”
David Yadush is a doctor. He said Bare Minimum Mondays could help reduce stress and burnout by giving people time to focus on their mental health. He added that burnout decreases the quality of work, so sometimes reducing how much we work could actually have better results.
Of course, not everyone can do this every Monday. But Yadush said just taking breaks often at work and going to bed early on Sundays could help, too.
1. Why did Mayes start her routine of Bare Minimum Mondays?| A．To make herself feel better. | B．To make her work purposeful. |
| C．To help increase her productivity. | D．To keep her work-exercise balance. |
| A．It’s a waste of time. | B．It’s beneficial. |
| C．It’s suitable for everyone. | D．It’s difficult to carry out. |
| A．Sleeping early on Sundays. | B．Asking for leave on Mondays. |
| C．Doing sports on Mondays. | D．Working hard on Sundays. |
| A．Health is the first wealth. |
| B．Many hands make light work. |
| C．Working smartly is harder than working hard. |
| D．You can’t do a good job if your job is all you do. |
7 . Twenty-five years ago, most young Britons wanted a career in law, to be a doctor, or, if they were creative enough, to take up singing. But today, things stand differently.
According to a survey by Tesco Mobile, a UK company, the “dream job” of young people aged between 16 and 25 in the UK is a video blogger (写博客的人), or “vlogger (视频博主)”．The survey, carried out among 1,002 people, found that as many as 40 percent of them put vloggers as their number one choice on a list of ideal careers.
This change is undoubtedly as a result of the Internet and social media.They have made it so much easier to reach the audience of the world, without having to enter a career in show business in the traditional way.
In the past, the biggest stars were trained by the Hollywood studios; now, anyone with a computer camera can become a star. Vloggers are the big stars of today because they are normal people interacting (交流) with their fans about everyday life.
However, what people see is only the bright side of being a vlogger and they fail to notice the fact that only those who are successful earn fame (名声) and fortune. For every success there are hundreds of others who never get off the starting line. There are the dreams that come true and the dreams that remain dreams forever.
Although being vloggers is popular, some young people choose to follow careers that don’t necessarily earn them fame, but allow them to make good use of the Internet to share their hobbies.Young Israeli David Leshaw, for example, runs a business called the Finishers Club.It’s an online platform for runners to keep a record of their races.His job allows him to express his enthusiasm, and is always a learning experience.And that’s enough for him．
1. Why do more and more young Britons choose to be vloggers?| A．Vloggers can earn little fame and money on the Internet. |
| B．There is too much competition in the traditional show business. |
| C．The Internet makes it convenient to become vloggers. |
| D．Anyone with a computer will surely become a star. |
| A．Only a few vloggers can be successful. | B．A vlogger can not earn fame or fortune. |
| C．Being a vlogger is not a good career. | D．Dreams will come true one day. |
| A．Learn from others. | B．Become an online hit. |
| C．Hold running races. | D．Mix jobs with hobbies. |
| A．Most young Britons choose to be vloggers as their jobs. |
| B．The Internet is influencing young Britons’ career choice. |
| C．The Internet is taking the place of traditional studios. |
| D．Young Britons can not find jobs without the Internet. |
8 . Good Morning Britain (GMB) launches special “listening benches” in order to solve loneliness. EastEnders star Maisie Smith joined Susanna and Martin in the studio to talk about her involvement in a special part of the 1 Million Minutes campaign — GMB’s special “listening benches” across the country.
Six special “listening benches” have been designed by six celebrities, and can be found in six cities across the UK — and they’re in place to encourage people to strike up a conversation. Maisie joined the show to share why the campaign is important to her.
“I’m always very open about mental health,” Maisie explained. “It doesn’t matter who you are, where you’re from, what you have — everyone is going through something and I just think the world would be a kinder place if everyone understood that.”
“I think especially growing up in the limelight (引人注目) as a teenager, you’re very judgemental of yourself when you do see comments of other people judging you. It can add to the stress of the things you’re already going through. I think people do think I’m confident because I cover my nerves with a big smile and that’s what I’ve been doing in my whole life.”
Susanna asked Maisie if she had a technique for dealing with her nerves. “It depends on what it is,” said Maisie. “A lot of the time — and it’s going to sound really stupid — but I write a script. I write down all of the questions that I could be asked and try to come up with something so that my brain won’t go blank when I’m under pressure.”
1. What is the theme of “listening benches”?| A．Caring for oneself. |
| B．Changing the world. |
| C．Dealing with loneliness. |
| D．Protecting the environment. |
| A．To let people know about her life. |
| B．To ask more people to express their mind. |
| C．To set up a model for other celebrities. |
| D．To share her feelings of the campaign. |
| A．Protective. | B．Outspoken. | C．Serious. | D．Indifferent. |
| A．A programme on mental health. |
| B．GMB interviewing celebrities. |
| C．Techniques for responding to nerves. |
| D．Preparations before being interviewed. |
9 . Food safety is a problem in all places around the world and people in different areas of the world prepare foods in different ways. The WHO released five simple rules for preparing food in a safe way.
Key 1: Keep clean.
The first key tells about the importance of washing. People should wash their hands often—before touching food, while they are preparing food, and any time after they go to the toilet. People should wash all surfaces and equipment used for preparing food.
Key 2：
People should separate raw, or uncooked foods from foods that are already cooked and foods that will not be cooked. People should store raw meat, chicken, and fish in containers, or in separate areas. Raw foods should not touch prepared foods.
Key 3：Cook completely.
People should cook eggs and meat, like birds, seafood, and animals, especially carefully. These foods may carry more microorganisms than other foods. Food like soup must be boiled for at least a minute to make it be cooked completely. It is also important that people reheat cooked food completely.
Key 4：Keep food at safe temperatures.
When people are finished with eating, they should keep the left food in a refrigerator below 5℃ and shouldn’t store it for too long. At room temperature, about 20℃, the amount of microorganisms can increase very quickly.
Key 5：Use safe water and raw materials.
| A．Separate raw and cooked foods. |
| B．Eat cooked food immediately while it is still hot. |
| C．They call these rules the “Five Keys to Safer Food”. |
| D．People should use safe water and choose fresh foods. |
| E．Keeping everything clean helps people to avoid microorganisms. |
| F．People should also protect cooking areas and food from insects and animals. |
| G．But temperatures above 60℃ or below 5℃ control the growth of microorganisms. |
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