1 . China has set new rules limiting the amount of time children can play online games. The rules limit children to just three hours of online game playing a week. That is one hour between 8 p. m. and 9 p. m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday most weeks.
Li Zhanguo has two children aged 4 and 8. Even though they do not have smartphones, they enjoy playing online games. Like many other parents. Li is happy with new government rules. But experts say it is unclear if such policies can help prevent addiction to online games. Children might just get addicted to social media instead. In the end, experts say, parents should be the ones to set limits and support good practice.
There has been a growing concern in China about gaming addiction among children. Government reports in 2018 found that about one in ten Chinese children were addicted to the Internet. The new rules are part of an effort to prevent young people from spending too much time on unhealthy entertainment. That includes what officials call the “irrational fan culture”
Under the new rules, the responsibility for making sure children play only three hours a day as largely on Chinese gaming companies like Net Ease and Ten cent. Companies have set up real-name registration systems to prevent young users from going past game time limits. They have used facial recognition technology to check their identities. And they have also set up a program that permits people to report what is against the law. It is unclear what punishments gaming companies may face if they do not carry out the policies. And even if such policies are performed, it is also unclear whether they can prevent online addiction.
A specialist treating Internet addiction expects about 20 percent of children will find ways to break the rules by borrowing accounts of their older relatives and find a way around facial recognition. In his opinion, short-video alps such as Douyin and Kuaishou are also very popular in China. They are not under the same restrictions as games.
1. When can children play games according to the new rules?A.Between 8 p. m. and 9 p. m. On Friday. | B.Between 8 p. m. and 9 p. m. On Tuesday. |
C.Between 10 p. m. and 11 p. m. On Saturday. | D.Between 10 p. m. and all p. m. On Thursday. |
A.the new rules can stop children’s addiction to social media |
B.companies are more responsible for kids ‘ obeying the rules |
C.the new rules will help prevent children playing online games |
D.parents play a greater part in limiting the time of online games |
A.Design an advanced program. | B.Use facial recognition systems. |
C.Set up real-name registration systems. | D.Borrow accounts of their older relatives. |
A.Rules Limiting Short-video alps | B.Rules Limiting Video Game Time |
C.Rules Banning Irrational Fan Culture | D.Rules Breaking Addition to Social Media |
Does wealth matter more than health?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Multiple brands (品牌) have canceled their partnership agreement with Li Yifeng after the
4 . The clock rules our lives. The more we try to save time, the less time we seem to have. In every area of our lives we are doing things faster. And many of us live in towns and cities which are getting noisier and more stressful as each day passes. But now a worldwide movement, whose aim is to slow life down, has started. Its supporters are people who believe that a happier and healthier way of life is possible.
The Slow Food movement was founded the day that an Italian journalist, Carlo Petrini, saw that McDonald’s had opened a restaurant in a beautiful square in Rome. He thought it was sad that many people today live too quickly to sit down for a proper meal and only eat much fast food. He decided that he had to try to do something about it and so he started the Slow Food movement. Slow Food has become a global organization ever since and now has more than 80,000 members in 100 countries.
Slow Food also encourages people to eat local and regional food, to use local shops and markets, to eat out in small family restaurants, and to cook with traditional recipes.
The idea of Slow Cities was inspired by the Slow Food movement. The aim of Slow Cities is to improve people’s quality of life. Towns which want to become a Slow City have to reduce traffic and noise, increase the number of green areas, plant trees, build pedestrian zones, and promote local businesses and traditions. Now it has spread to other countries all over the world, from the UK to Japan and Australia. There are now 135 Slow Cities in 24 countries across the world that have been named since founding of the organization in 1999. Gao Chun County, in east China’s Jiangsu Province, is expected to be named the first “Slow City” in China next year.
“Slow Cities are about having a community life in the town,” said a local resident. “It is not ‘slow’ as in ‘stupid’. It is ‘slow’ as in the opposite of ‘worried’ and ‘stressful’.”
But not everybody is happy. For teenagers, who have to go 25km to Norwich, the nearest city, to buy CDs, living in a Slow City is not very attractive. “It’s all right here for adults,” says Lewis Cook, 16. “But if you want excitement, you have to go to Norwich. We need more things here for young people.”
1. What’s the aim of the Slow Food movement?A.To call on people to eat out. | B.To make people enjoy cooking. |
C.To drive McDonald’s out of Rome | D.To encourage people to slow down. |
A.reducing traffic and noise | B.increasing the number of green areas |
C.building more department stores | D.promoting local businesses and traditions |
A.Slow Food was founded in 1999 | B.there is no Slow City in China now |
C.Slow Cities are mainly in the UK | D.there are about 24 Slow Cities in the world |
A.Satisfied. | B.Excited. | C.Happy. | D.Dissatisfied. |
A.Slow down and you’ll move fast. | B.Time flies never to be recalled. |
C.Eat slowly and you’ll be healthy. | D.Pay attention to the quality of life. |
5 . One of the biggest complaints in modern society is being over-scheduled. Ask people how they are and the answer usually is “super busy,” “crazy busy”.
When people aren’t super busy at work, they are crazy busy exercising, entertaining or parenting. And if there is ever a still moment for thoughts--for example, while waiting
“We had noted that we are so dependent on our mobile phones that people seem to find any
It could be because human beings, as problem solvers and meaning makers, when
But you can’t solve problems
Negative feelings are sometimes hard, but they are part of everyone’s life, especially if you are busy. It is those deep and troubling feelings, and how you
A.Nobody | B.Somebody | C.Everybody | D.Anybody |
A.in order | B.in line | C.in panic | D.in public |
A.far | B.long | C.often | D.much |
A.place | B.reason | C.excuse | D.solution |
A.uncertain | B.unfair | C.unpleasant | D.unwise |
A.left out | B.left off | C.left behind | D.left alone |
A.deleting | B.uploading | C.updating | D.downloading |
A.close | B.healthy | C.difficult | D.harmonious |
A.unless | B.while | C.though | D.if |
A.ignored | B.invited | C.invented | D.interrupted |
A.apart from | B.more than | C.except for | D.rather than |
A.all the way | B.by the way | C.in your way | D.on your way |
A.Holding on | B.Holding out | C.Holding back | D.Holding up |
A.meet with | B.get away with | C.keep pace with | D.deal with |
A.joy | B.relief | C.anxiety | D.sorrow |
1. 对此项活动感兴趣的原因;
2. 关闭手机后,你准备在本周六安排哪些活动;
3. 打算呼吁身边更多的人加入此项活动;
注意:1. 词数100左右;
2. 可适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am pleased to learn about your appeal to spend a Saturday without using smartphones.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Yours,
Li Hua
7 . Are you happy with your appearance?
“Almost all the girls with single-fold eyelids (单眼皮) in our class have had double eyelid operations,” Zeng, a Senior 2 student from Chengdu, told Xinhua. Zeng had the same surgery done this summer.
From popular photo-editing apps to plastic surgery (整形手术), it seems that large eyes, pale skin and a skinny body are the only standard for beauty these days. But can following this standard really make us feel good about ourselves?
“Many teenagers are upset about their appearance because they believe in unrealistic standards of beauty,” experts say.
However, trying to live up to strict standards can make us feel anxious. What troubles us is not just our “imperfect” looks, but the fact that we criticize ourselves too much.
A.Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. |
B.Body image anxiety is common among teenagers. |
C.Guys care just as much as girls do about their body image. |
D.Some teenagers might feel negative about their appearance. |
E.It’s common for teenagers to feel confident about their appearance. |
F.She and many of her classmates believe bigger eyes look more beautiful. |
G.Perfect faces and bodies are everywhere in advertising, TV shows and social media. |
8 . 阅读下面短文,在空白处填入 1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
Domestic brands attract young consumers
Shu Qiuhong runs a store selling hanfu — the traditional clothing of the Han ethnic group — in Jinan, Shandong province.
Shu, a native of Southwest China’s Guizhou province, has a deep affection for traditional Chinese clothes
Over the past few years, China
In China, there around 260 million people born between 1995 and 2009,
Beijing’s Palace Museum has been at the forefront of the nationwide guochao trend, with lipsticks and blushes (胭脂) engraved with traditional Chinese patterns being the bestsellers all the year around. These products have proven very popular
9 . Shrinkflation has made British shoppers unhappy. For years, producers have quietly shrunk product sizes rather than rise prices. A multipack(合装包)of Fazzles, used to cost £1 ($1.36) and contain eight bags. Now it contains six. Cadbury’s Creme Eggs used to come by the half-dozen; now they come in fives. Quality Street, a chocolate box, weighed 1.2kg in 2009; today, just 650g.
The logic of Shrinkflation is that consumers are less likely to notice it than its alternative: higher prices. For years, the government has worked on the same principle. Taxpayers paid roughly the same, but government services became worse. Now an era of price increases in the form of tax rises has begun. In a nasty combination of inflation and shrinkflation, voters will be expected to pay more for less.
It will be an awkward shift. Since coming to power in 2010, the Conservatives (保守党) have used shrinkflation just as retailers do. In the early austerity (财政紧缩) years, the government shrank (收缩,减少), but its cost did not. As a percentage of GDP, it fell from a peak after the financial crisis of 46% of GDP to 39%. Taxes stayed around their historic norm of about 32% of GDP. But citizens received fewer services.
And, as when shoppers fail to notice the missing packet of Frazzles, voters did not care much at first. Weekly bin collections became fortnightly or monthly. Once-generous legal aid became mean; in-work benefits fell; police solved fewer crimes. But eventually voters and shoppers start to feel confused. Was a box of Quality Street always so small? Were the police always so used to fraud (诈骗)? Moreover, shrinkflation cannot continue forever. Just as people will not buy an empty packet of Frazzles, taxpayers will not pay for government services that are not provided at all. Eventually prices must rise — as the Conservatives are discovering. By 2026 the tax burden will be 36% of GDP, the highest since the post-war era, under Clement Atlee. This will cause several problems such as one of expectations. Atlee’s government promised a new Jerusalem (耶路撒冷): voters accepted higher taxes in return for a welfare(福利)state. Similarly, when New Labour governments raised taxes in the 2000s, they provided more in return. They increased national insurance, in order to bring heath care spending in line with other European countries. Schools were rebuilt and repaired; civic art, though sometimes of questionable quality, appeared in town squares.
Unfortunately, this time higher spending will at best stop things getting worse. Sajid Javi, the health secretary, admits that the health-and social-care systems will struggle even after a 2.5 percentage-point rise in national insurance,
“Is that all we get for £12bn” asked the Daily Mail, a newspaper that lends to see eye-to-eye with the Conservatives, when the plan to cut hospital waiting-lists was announced. British voters are often said to want American taxes and a European welfare government. Instead, they face paying European taxes for services as insufficient as those in American.
1. Shrinkflation refers to the process of items ______.A.shrinking in size or quantity while their prices remain the same |
B.shrinking in size or quantity while their prices become higher |
C.expanding in sire or quantity while their prices remain the same |
D.expanding in size or quantity while their prices become lower |
A.Consumers will pay higher taxes for government services. |
B.Consumers are more sensitive to price increases in products. |
C.Consumers can hardly notice the changes in government services. |
D.Consumers are unwilling to pay for government services. |
A.Critical. | B.Unconcerned. | C.Supportive. | D.Doubtful. |
A.Both inflation and shrinkflation exist in Britain. |
B.The Americans pay high taxes for poor services. |
C.The British government will be costlier with fewer services. |
D.The Daily Mail is in favor of the current economic policy. |
10 . Downey, a professor of sociology at The Ohio State University, had an argument with his son, Nick. “I explained to him how bad his generation’s social skills were because they spent so much time on screens,” Downey said. “Nick asked me how I knew that. And when I checked, there really wasn’t any solid evidence. It then occurred to me that something is needed.”
Downey, with his colleague, started to investigate before long. They used data from early childhood studies. They compared how teachers and parents rated social skills of children who started kindergarten in 1998 with data on those who started school in 2010, when the first iPad appeared. Downey was surprised to find despite the time spent on smartphones and social media, young people today are as socially skilled as those from the previous generation.
Results showed both groups of kids were rated similarly on interpersonal skills, such as the ability to form and maintain friendships and get along with different people. They were also rated similarly on self-control, such as the ability to control their temper (脾气). In fact, the evaluations of children’s interpersonal skills and self-control tended to be slightly higher for those in the 2010 group than those in the 1998 group. The results showed that even the children with the most screen exposure in both groups experienced similar development in social skills compared to those with less screen exposure. There was one exception: The skills were a bit lower for children who accessed online gaming and social networking sites many times a day. “But even that was a pretty small effect,” Downey said. In general, there was little evidence that screen time damages most children’s social skills.
There is a tendency for every generation at my age to worry about the younger generation. It is an old story. Now we know we really shouldn’t have been so,” said Maggie, one of the parents providing evaluation. Fears for screen-based technology represent recent panic in response to technological change. If anything, new generations are learning that having good social relationships means being able to communicate successfully both face-to-face and online, Downey said.
1. Why is Downey’s argument with his son mentioned?A.To attract reader’s attention to kids’ social skills. |
B.To explain the reason for Downey’s study. |
C.To show the impact of screen time on children. |
D.To introduce tension between parents and children. |
A.They were bad news for new generations. |
B.They were uncommon in the field of sociology. |
C.They were different from his assumption. |
D.They were opposite to findings of previous studies. |
A.They were addicted to online games. |
B.Their social skills were barely impacted. |
C.They were more likely to lose their temper. |
D.Their interpersonal relationship was damaged. |
A.Worried. | B.Doubtful. | C.Disappointed. | D.Relieved. |