Many young people wants
Therefore, some of them are considering
For the above reasons, I suggest that young people be
2 . The Oxford Word of the Year 2022 winner may surprise you. The winning phrase was “goblin mode (哥布林模式)” — a type of behavior often seen as lazy. People who are in goblin mode tend to reject social expectations, such as usual gatherings.
This is not necessarily a bad thing, however. US language expert Ben Zimmer commented that the lifestyle means that “people are looking at social norms in new ways”. Many young people worldwide go “goblin mode” seeking to make peace with their true selves. Without pretty covers like digital editing, we are not always the perfect image that we tend to present to others. Staying true to ourselves, however, doesn’t mean that we must avoid troubles. Bilibili, a leading video platform, announced that elegance was the bullet comment (弹幕) of the year. It refers to the graceful and stylish manners. And traditionally, the word is more often used to describe people of higher social classes. But now, young people in China are using the word to emphasize an ability to control and balance life for ordinary people. From bravely facing troubles in life to sharing delightful moments and spreading joy, elegance is no longer a privilege. Rather, it is our positive attitude to life-that we will stay calm and strong no matter what life brings-that is most important.
Take pandemic as an example, it’s a topic that we cannot ignore. Three years into the pandemic, we are gradually letting go of our fears about it. It will likely not end dramatically, but rather result in coexistence between humans and the virus. Our life may never be the same as before the pandemic, but it doesn’t have to be. Video chats, online meetings and classes. We are closer than ever to connecting digitally with each other on a new level. It’s time to face new opportunities and challenges in the year ahead. And remember: we have made it through the pandemic — is there anything that we cannot overcome?
1. What may people with “goblin mode” do?| A．They may seek a fancy lifestyle. | B．They may present a perfect image. |
| C．They may post edited photographs. | D．They may accept what they are. |
| A．It’s a quality owned by people of higher social status. |
| B．It’s a privilege only shared and valued by rich people. |
| C．It’s a positive attitude towards ups and downs in life. |
| D．It’s an ability to spread graceful and stylish manners. |
| A．to inform us the importance of it. | B．to urge us to face challenges bravely. |
| C．to push us to pursue higher status. | D．to advise us to ignore pandemic. |
| A．Every cloud has a silver lining. | B．He who laughs last laughs best. |
| C．Where there is a will, there is a way. | D．Fear always springs from ignorance. |
3 . The idea of Buy Now Pay Later, or BNPL, has attracted millions of shoppers with the promise of interest-free credit. An incredible 45 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds in the UK turned to BNPL last year, according to The Money Charity. Lenders say they offer a better deal than credit cards, because they do not charge interest but make money from affiliate deals (关联交易) with retailers (零售商). It may be a new way of borrowing money, but the old rules still apply: unless you repay the debt quickly, you are building up trouble for the future.
Now, BNPLs are growing in popularity and do have upsides — mostly convenient shopping with interest-easy financing and no strict approval requirements. However, they also make it effortless to overshop, overspend, and get in over your head with credit problems.
Lenders pay the retailer on your behalf, and then you repay over 30 days or three months, spreading the cost to help with your cash flow. They say this is fairer and less expensive than credit cards. That may be true, but BNPL has dangers, too.
BNPL lenders may not charge any interest, but they still want you to pay back the money you have borrowed, so what if you can’t? Typically, you have 30 days to pay. If you don’t, your lender will contact you to chase late payments. If you still don’t pay, they call in the debt collectors.
Citizens Advice says that 14 million used a BNPL product last year, but six million did not understand what they were signing up for. Some 26% of BNPL customers regretted their choice, while 41% struggled with repayment. Younger people were particularly at risk. A quarter of those making BNPL repayments couldn’t afford food, rent or bills as a result.
Another worry is that BNPL lenders only perform ‘soft’ searches on a person’s credit report, so do not see the borrower’s true credit status. This means they cannot remove people with financial problems and may end up adding to their troubles. BNPL lenders say they do careful checks to make sure they never lend more than a consumer can afford to pay back, and also pause accounts if a single payment is late. Nobody wants to be pursued by debt collectors. If you do use BNPL credit, never borrow more than you can afford to repay.
1. How do BNPL lenders earn profits according to the text?| A．They force borrowers to pay their debts. |
| B．They require payment for retailers’ services. |
| C．They receive a certain fee from affiliate deals. |
| D．They charge interest from 18 to 24-year-old users. |
| A．For strict approval requirements and no interest. |
| B．For its convenience of shopping with high interest. |
| C．For buying anything needed without credit problems. |
| D．For convenient shopping and no strict approval requirements. |
| A．All the young people can’t repay the debt quickly. |
| B．It is difficult to know the borrower’s real credit status. |
| C．More than half of BNPL customers can’t afford the payments. |
| D．BNPL has to depend on debt collectors to get back the money. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Indifferent. | C．Objective. | D．Critical. |
Don’t brag(炫耀), but be proud of what you have done. These two pieces of advice
Social media like Facebook bring us
To post or not to post? Maybe we should all be asking
Plastic surgery: beauty or beast
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
