1 . Has your mom or dad ever posted a photo of you on social media that you didn’t want anyone outside your family to see? In an age when people often share personal information on site such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, many parents usually post photos of their children. According to a recent study, a parent will post almost 1,000 photos of a child online before the child turns 5.
Parents often post photos on social media because they want to share their child’s special moments with their friends and family. Some moms and dads do it as a way to connect with other parents. They may have discussions with experienced parents about topics such as how to get kids to sleep or how to deal with kids’ behavioral problems.
Most parents don’t ask their children for permission before posing photos of them. They feel it is not necessary to consult (询问) with their children first because the benefits outweigh any possible risks. Many of them do not fear their kids’ pictures will spread further than intended. Some may even expect unknown people to view and comment on the pictures, and thus meet more new people on the Internet. “The photos I post of my children allow me to know a lot of people I wouldn’t necessarily include on my list.” said Lauren Apfel, a writer and mother of four. “They have helped me create a group on social media.”
Other parents and child experts believe that kids should be consulted. They say that photos can stay online for many years and that kids should have some control over their online photos. Devorah Heiner, an author who runs workshops about kids, is of the same opinion. “Allow your children to decide whether you can share their photos on social media.” she said.
1. What do we know about today’s parents from Paragraph 1?| A．They like posting their kids’ photos online. |
| B．They spend too much time online. |
| C．They often post photos of family members. |
| D．They try to protect kids’ personal information. |
| A．To let more people know their children. | B．To show their children is excellent. |
| C．To get some useful advice on parenting. | D．To kill their boring time. |
| A．It is likely to be risky. | B．It is harmful to children. |
| C．It helps her to make more friends. | D．It makes her online friends bored. |
| A．Letting their kids share. | B．Getting kids’ permission first. |
| C．Telling kids the photos are theirs. | D．Letting kids know sharing is helpful. |
2 . Loneliness in modern culture is so common that many refer to it as an “pidemic”. A related phenomenon is what’s known on social media as FOMO, or the “fear of missing out”. To feel FOMO means to be anxious that there is something going on somewhere that you should be showing up for.
But FOMO doesn’t necessarily motivate us to fight with loneliness in a healthy way. What would it look like to step away from the pursuit of fullness and toward the simple pleasures that mean the most to you? I recently encountered the phrase JOMO, or the “joy of missing out”.
The artist Michael Leunig wrote a short poem, titled Joy of Missing Out, about the emotional intelligence we display when we are content with where we are and what we are doing in any given moment. Competition and anxiety slip away in his vision of an accessible and positive attitude.
Practicing JOMO means turning away from material possessions, shallow relationships, and gossip news in favor of meaningful human interaction, satisfying home and enough time for leisure. I struggle with this sometimes, and you might too. I like being able to say “yes” to opportunities to be with people, try new things and maintain long-distance friendships over social media. But sometimes I’m learning that doing those things means I’m saying “no” to myself, passing up opportunities to plant some seeds in my garden, read another chapter in a good novel or have a long walk-and-talk with a friend.
The truth is, everyone “misses out” on some things. Whether we experience those moments fearfully or joyfully is our choice, but a positive view would certainly lean toward the latter. Is JOMO a helpful way for you to think about how you spend your time and energy?
1. Why is FOMO mentioned in the first paragraph?| A．To introduce the topic of JOMO. |
| B．To explain the meaning of FOMO. |
| C．To make a comparison with loneliness. |
| D．To describe a common cultural phenomenon. |
| A．they fight with loneliness |
| B．they want to live a healthy life |
| C．they don’t want to miss out on things |
| D．they pursue simple pleasures in life |
① listening to gossip news ②reading good novels
③ having family time for leisure ④maintaining online friendships
⑤ walking and talking with friends
| A．①③④ | B．①②⑤ | C．②③④ | D．②③⑤ |
| A．News. | B．Science. | C．Lifestyle. | D．Entertainment. |
3 . In 2019, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) reported that international travel had increased to a record 1.4 billion tourist arrivals. It predicted a 3% to 4% annual increase in coming years. That didn’t happen, of course. At the end of 2021, international tourist arrivals were 72% below pre-pandemic levels with 1 billion fewer arrivals than two years earlier. According to UNWTO’s executive director (执行长官), Zoritsa Urosevic, tourism has been seriously influenced by Covid-19 and, while countries such as China were able to switch to domestic(国内的)tourism, smaller nations such as Fiji, where tourism represents between 40% and 70% of GDP, did far worse. The pandemic put about 120 million tourism jobs at risk.
The organisation holds the opinion that by 2024 international tourism will have returned to pre-pandemic levels. If Covid’s impact improves as hoped, it will be replaced by a new virus — wanderlust. Millennials (千禧年一代), according to one survey, would rather travel than do any other thing.
Though the tourism may bring the economy back, the value of tourism depends on how you do it. In 2019, transport-related emissions (释放) from tourism were responsible for 5% of human-made global carbon dioxide emissions, according to UNWTO. Cruise ships produce 21,000 gallons of sewage (污水) per day per ship, much of it ending up in the sea.
1. What can we know about the international travel in recent years?| A．It increased as expected based on UNWTO. | B．It decreased because of Covid-19. |
| C．China didn’t change the way of tourism. | D．Fiji’s tourism has got better. |
| A．By using data. | B．By describing the process. |
| C．By following the time order. | D．By asking questions. |
| A．It would put tourism jobs at risk. |
| B．It would help improve the situation. |
| C．Many people would like to travel very much. |
| D．Many people would suffer from another disease. |
| A．The advantage of tourism. | B．The disadvantage of tourism. |
| C．Environmental protection. | D．Global warming. |
4 . Water shortage is occurring in some of the US’ biggest freshwater reserves and it is also evident in other parts of the planet, according to a research study published in the journal Nature last month.
The research study was conducted by Xander Huggins, a PhD candidate at the University of Victoria and his fellow researchers.
The Earth has less than 3% freshwater with only 1% is accessible to the growing human population. Both natural freshwater reserves and freshwater in reservoirs may be at risk if their amount continues to drop and the population continues to increase. In 2021, there are approximately 7.9 billion people by January 31, according to the United States Census Bureau. The research study found 34 trends in terrestrial (地面上的) water reserves observed by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment ( GRACE ) satellites from 2002 to 2016. These trends were acquired when the researchers examined 1,024 basins across the world with the goal of understanding how water availability couples with social processes in the community.
According to Huggins, the main factor they studied were freshwater stress, which is related to the amount of H2O that naturally leaves the watershed or basin per year. The higher the stress or exit of water from the basin means that there will be less water available for ecosystems and for people’s demands, Huggins explains. The significance of the study can be of interest not only to water specialists and water conservators but also to government policy-makers. Huggins stated that after mapping the most high-risk freshwater sources and creating a framework to identify hotspot basins, policy makers will be able to prioritize a specific location.
Huggins shows that while the US score highly in terms of social adaptiveness based on the study’s freshwater stress factor, the country has many freshwater concerns that goes be-yond between freshwater stress and freshwater storage. The states of Illinois and Ohio have the highest levels of lead (铅) pipes carrying water from freshwater basins to residential households. Meanwhile in Colorado, an estimate from the Colorado Water Center predicts there will be a 20% to 30% less water of the Colorado River Basin by 2050.
1. Why did Huggins and his team examine the basins all over the world?| A．To settle the shortage of freshwater in the USA. |
| B．To figure out the number of basins across the world. |
| C．To learn its pollution of the recent years across the world. |
| D．To understand how water availability is related with social processes. |
| A．Freshwater stress. | B．People’s demands. |
| C．His team’s assumption. | D．Policy makers’ requirements. |
| A．The water pipes are too expensive. |
| B．The storage of freshwater decreases most sharply. |
| C．The water carried to households may be polluted by lead. |
| D．The consumption of freshwater gives threats to food security. |
| A．These Are the Most Threatened Freshwater Reserves |
| B．The US Is Losing Some of Its Biggest Natural Reserves |
| C．Water Crisis: Planet’s Freshwater Reserves Are Seriously Polluted |
| D．We Are Facing Terrible Water Shortage on Some Biggest Freshwater Reserves |
5 . Half of all Australian teens now spend more time, or as much time, online with their friends rather than seeing them in person. This is despite the fact that one third of boy’s and 42 per cent of girls say social media makes hard times even more tough. Teenagers who went from using social media weekly to daily had a higher risk of depression and anxiety, the researchers found. New research from the Australian Institute of Family Studies has renewed concerns about the impact of screen time on teenagers’ mental health.
The findings showed 46 per cent of 16-year-olds and 36 per cent of 14-year-olds spent the same time contacting friends via Snapchat, video gaming, Instagram or TikTok as seeing then face-to-face. The findings also showed 7 per cent of 16-year-olds and 5 per cent of 14-ycar-olds mainly interacted with friends electronically. The highest percentage of children who communicated with friends mostly via social media were 16-year-olds with autism (自闭症), the researchers found. The study, which has followed 10,000 children since 2004, surveyed 14 and 15-year-olds and 16 and 17-year-olds about the time they spent online.
Australian Institute of Family Studies researcher Pilar Rioseco said, “The platforms young people are using to commune have changed significantly and digital devices such as mobile phones have become more readily available to adolescents.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way that many young people connect, with many having to rely heavily on digital technologies to keep in touch with friends and family.” Dr Rioseco also found that a quarter of teens were victims of cyber-bullying, including threats and name calling. A quarter of those with autism said being online made it easier to be themselves and almost half said being online helped them feel better during difficult times.
Dr Rioseco said online connection “appears to have benefits for some young people in terms of helping social connection and providing support during difficult times” . “Providing young people with the skills to communicate safely online and deal with cyber-bullying is critical,” she added.
1. What does the new research show?| A．36% of 14-year-olds mostly communicated with friends online. |
| B．46% of 16-year-olds mostly communicated with friends online. |
| C．7% of 16-year-olds spent equal time with friends online and offline. |
| D．36% of 14-year-olds spent equal time with friends online and offline. |
| A．update | B．defend | C．connect | D．learn |
| A．It makes them at ease. | B．It is a main threat to them. |
| C．It cures them of the disease. | D．It makes them experience more difficult times. |
| A．By allowing them to connect more online. |
| B．By teaching them to protect themselves online. |
| C．By providing them with more Internet languages. |
| D．By offering them more platforms to communicate. |
6 . Lonely? You’re hardly alone. That’s the finding of a new study. And that appears throughout industrial nations across the globe. The study linked rising loneliness to a greater use of smartphones and the Internet over the same years.
Jean Twenge, a psychologist, took part in the study. Her team has found that since 2012, US teens have been spending less time together face to face.
“Smartphones can help keep us connected with friends,” says Twenge. “But they can also make people feel excluded (隔离).” Girls, especially, may feel this way. One reason may be that they like to post more photos and selfies than boys. Studies have shown that if those images don’t get a lot of “likes”, it can affect a teen’s mental health.
And there’s “phubbing”, a mixture of “phone” and “snubbing (冷落)”. It’s that moment in which a friend or family member takes out a phone and keeps looking at it，paying no attention to everybody else, including you. Phubbing is one way that technology can affect you, even when you’re not the one using it.
The new study pulled its data from a survey. Some 1 million 15-and 16-year-old students from 37 countries took this survey in 2000, 2003, 2012, 2015 and 2018. Its questions mostly dealt with education. But they also included six statements about loneliness, such as “I feel awkward and out of place in my school”. Students could strongly disagree, disagree, agree or strongly agree with each statement.
If technology causes loneliness, should we stop using it? “No, not at all,” argues Twenge. “Everybody of all ages is trying to figure out how we can best use these technologies and stay mentally healthy.” Her advice is to “use your smartphone for what it’s good for. Then put it away.” That includes putting it away overnight—ideally in another room.
1. How do girls differ from boys in smartphone use?| A．They prefer to post pictures with it. | B．They depend on it to keep in touch. |
| C．They use it as a learning tool. | D．They need it to stay in style. |
| A．To introduce a new term of the smartphone. |
| B．To give an example of communication. |
| C．To introduce an embarrassing situation. |
| D．To show the harm of the smartphone. |
| A．Smart phones only do harm to teenagers. |
| B．Parents should buy phones for their kids. |
| C．Boys are in greater need of phones than girls. |
| D．We can use our smartphones to benefit ourselves. |
| A．The Smartphone—the Focus of a Study |
| B．The Smartphone—a Friend of Teenagers |
| C．The Smartphone—a Source of Loneliness |
| D．The Smartphone—a Communication Tool |
7 . Few people knew about online food delivery apps ten years ago, but today, many would find it hard to live without them. In China alone, over 400 million people use such apps. For better or for worse, online food delivery services have changed the way we eat, and they are also having a huge impact on our society.
These services have no doubt brought us many benefits. They provide jobs for millions of people and help restaurants find more customers. Since the apps are very convenient, they also benefit consumers: we can now have meals delivered at any time of day, despite bad weather or busy schedules. This is especially important for people who work long hours, since they might not have time to cook. Not only do these apps save time, they also provide us with a wide variety of restaurants to choose from. They have proved to be useful for retired people as well: seniors who live far away from restaurants and supermarkets can now get hold of meals and groceries more easily.
However, we must not forget the drawbacks of online food delivery services. For one thing, they make it even easier to order unhealthy food, high in sugar, fat and salt. Food safety is another problem: it can be hard to establish where the food actually comes from, and whether the owner is legally permitted to run a restaurant. As couriers need to deliver the orders as quickly as possible, some pay little regard to traffic rules. In recent years, there have been a number of terrible traffic accidents because of this. Moreover, the industry is creating unbelievable amounts of packaging waste: over a million tons of online food delivery boxes are thrown away every year. Experts assume that this number will continue to grow in the future, and this will have a negative impact on the environment.
1. What can we learn from paragraph 1?| A．Many people knew about online food delivery apps ten years ago. |
| B．The online food delivery apps are wildly welcomed now. |
| C．Chinese people don't speak highly of the online food delivery apps. |
| D．The online food delivery apps are having a positive impact on us. |
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
| A．Bosses. | B．Consumers. | C．Policemen. | D．Deliverymen. |
| A．Objective. | B．Opposed. | C．Supportive. | D．Indifferent. |
8 . In an age where convenience beats sentiment (情感), we’re settling for “the bare minimum” when it comes to communication and emotional expression. There is a reason why your mother always made sure you wrote thank-you notes after every birthday. There’s a reason why getting a letter in the mail is so exciting. Writing someone a letter is a truly unique way to show how much they mean to you.
The great thing about handwritten notes or letters is that they don’t have to be anything fancy to be meaningful. A messily written note on a piece of scratch notebook paper can mean just as much as a beautiful, calligraphic letter written on the finest stationery (信笺). They both say, “You’re important to me, and I wanted to take the time to write down these thoughts so that you can hold onto them forever.”
One of my favorite things about handwritten letters is that you can keep them for however long you want, and revisit them at any time. A screenshot of a sweet text doesn’t quite measure up. There is emotion behind handwritten sentences. With every line of ink, you can feel the essence of its writer.
Unfortunately, this method of communication is seriously underrated today. We’re saving screenshots to our camera roll instead of precious letters in a shoe box. We re replacing thoughtful little notes with emojis (表情符号) or icons and telling ourselves that the sentiment is the same. But, to be honest, sometimes you have to slow down to show someone how much you care.
Want to show your significant other how much you love him or her? Write down how you feel about them in a letter and seal it with a kiss. Mail a funny card to your friends who live across the state/ country/ world just to let them know you’re thinking about them. I promise you it will mean much more than you know.
1. Which of the following can be regarded as “the bare minimum”?| A．Writing a thank you note. | B．Mailing a card with handwritten wishes. |
| C．Expressing your love with text messages. | D．Delivering a letter of apology. |
| A．Ridiculous. | B．Worthwhile. | C．Formal. | D．Simple. |
| A．Covering up our abundant sentiment with general icons. |
| B．Slowing down the process of showing our care. |
| C．Shortening messages into different icons. |
| D．Hurting the other’s sentiment in a way. |
| A．Writing someone a letter will be laughed at |
| B．People usually hide their true emotions now. |
| C．Handwritten letters are rarely thrown into shoe boxes. |
| D．People tend to store a screenshot of a sweet text now. |
9 . New emojis (表情符号) appear every year. The updates come from a California-based nonprofit called Unicode Consortium. Each year, the emoji committee releases new emojis that will update the existing keyboard.
Jennifer Duniel, chair of the committee, says that it’s not the organization coming up with these new characters. It’s the public.
The first emoji keyboard was created in Japan in the 1990s by mobile phone company designer Shigetaka Kurita. Kurita created emojis because the company offered email communications that were limited to 250 characters and an emoji is only one character each but can be used to say more. Emoji have become popular around the world— 92 percent of the online population uses them.
“They aren’t tied to any language. They aren’t tied to any region of the world.” she says.
Anyone is allowed to submit (提交) new emojis, and if they make a strong enough case, Unicode will accept them. “We do get suggestions in lots of different languages from around the world,” says Daniel.
An emoji idea has to meet certain criteria (标准). These criteria include its clear differences, whether it can be used with existing emojis and whether it can have multiple meanings. The popular face with “tears of joy” emoji, for example, is easy to identify, which makes it distinct. You can pair it with many other emojis to convey how you are feeling. Additionally, this emoji has adopted many meanings.
Kids today are very familiar with emojis and how to use them. And the keyboard has got more than 3,600 emoji characters. “They became more and more comfortable and confident using emojis, which means they’re more willing to take risks,” Daniel says of younger generations who grow up with the keyboard.
1. Which best describes emojis?| A．They vary from place to place. |
| B．They are more expressive than words. |
| C．They make daily talk more difficult. |
| D．They are limited in computers. |
| A．It gives emojis new meanings. |
| B．It invents new enojis every year. |
| C．It created the first emoji keyboard. |
| D．It judges the submission of new emojis. |
| A．To show its popularity among young people. |
| B．To make the emoji accepted by more people. |
| C．To make the criteria understood more easily. |
| D．To prove its difference from others. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Indifferent. | C．Cautious | D．Critical |
10 . As the coronavirus (冠状病毒) outbreak continues, many Americans are fearful of using public transportation. They are also looking for ways to get exercise without going to a gym. So, it may not be surprising that the pandemic (流行病) has led to a major increase in bicycle sales.
In the US, bicycles at big stores have sold out. And small bicycle stores cannot keep up with demand for "family-style" bicycles: the low-cost, easy-to-ride models. "The bicycle industry has seen its biggest sales increase since the oil crisis of the 1970s," said Jay Townley, an industry expert. He compared the sale of bicycles to the rush to buy products like toilet paper at the start of the pandemic.
The rise in bicycle sales is not happening just in the US. Italy has created bicycle paths for the growing number of people who want to avoid public transportation. In London, city officials plan to ban cars from some central roads. Bike shop owners in Manila say the demand is even stronger than what they see at big festivals.
Of course, you can only buy a bicycle if you can find one. In the US, the shortage now means it may take many months to get a bicycle. High demand is not the only reason for the shortage. Many bicycle factories were shut down to stop the spread of COVID-19. The increase in demand for bicycles began in March. In April, the sales of bicycles increased by 200 percent in the US.
Joe Minutolo is the co-owner of Bar Harbor Bicycle Shop in Maine. He said he hoped the increased sales meant a change in the way people think about transportation. "People are having a chance to rethink things," he said. "Maybe well all learn something from this, and something really good will happen."
1. What caused the increase in bicycle sales?| A．People's fear of natural disaster. | B．The shortage of public transportation. |
| C．People's desire to defeat disease. | D．The outbreak of the epidemic. |
| A．New bicycle paths have been built. |
| B．"Family-style" bicycles are in great need. |
| C．Cars are banned from some central roads. |
| D．More bikes are sold than during holidays. |
| A．It's impossible to buy a bike. |
| B．High demand for bikes began in March. |
| C．Bike factories were closed in April. |
| D．It takes many months to produce a bike. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Uncertain. |
| C．Critical. | D．Positive. |
