1 . Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you’re talking to someone but they keep looking at their phone? This is called “phubbing” — a mix of the words “phone” and “snubbing”, which is the act of ignoring someone in favor of the phone. It can happen in any conversation — whether it’s with a friend, family member, or even a business associate. When someone is “phubbing”, they’re using their phone to look through the online news, check messages, play games and so on, instead of focusing on the conversation or spending time with the people they’re with.
The word was first used back in 2012, when fewer people had smartphones. And now that most people have smartphones, phubbing is a common problem. Most people would agree that it’s rude to be focused on your phone when you’re spending time with another person. The expert William Hanson thinks so, too. “Phubbing is a no-no!” he says. “If you have planned to go out with friends, focus on them and not your friends on your phone.” Studies have found that phubbing can damage your relationships with others. Eye contact is super important in bonding and developing oxytocin, the chemical that builds trust and connection. A lack of eye contact due to phubbing can make people feel like you don’t care about them or value their time.
Phubbing can make people feel disregarded, and those who “phub” are thought of as less polite and caring. So science has shown that phubbing is not good for us — but why do we do it? It might be because we are feeling bored, worried or stressed. Or it might be because we are addicted to checking our phones, especially social media. Whatever the reason may be, phubbing is a bad habit and can make us miss out on real moments with the people around us. So the next time you’re spending time with a friend or family member, try and keep your phone out of sight!
1. What can we learn from the passage?| A．Phubbing dates from 2012. |
| B．Phubbing means using phone when necessary. |
| C．Phubbing only happens in business associates. |
| D．Phubbing is the act of focusing on people instead of phones. |
| A．Phubbing would benefit relationship. |
| B．It is polite to phub when meeting friends. |
| C．People don’t need eye contact to show their caring. |
| D．Phone should be put aside when they meet their friends. |
| A．They are bored. | B．They think it a fashion to phub. |
| C．They are addicted to their phones. | D．They want to check their social media. |
| A．Concerned. | B．Protested. | C．Focused. | D．Ignored. |
2 . Why do we find ugly-cute animals so attractive? And what makes odd-looking creatures so cute?
Evolution (进化) plays a role. According to Austrian zoologist Erin Fekete, human attraction to childish features, such as big eyes, large heads and soft bodies, is an evolutionary adaptation that helps ensure that adults care for the young, assuring the survival of their species. Odd-looking animals such as blobfish, pugs, aye-ayes and bulldogs all share these childish qualities that cause a loving response among humans and a nature to raise and protect. And these childish characteristics increase a person’s “protective behavior, attention and willingness” to care for the individual and reduce the “possibility of aggression towards a child”, says Cyril Drouet, a researcher.
Ugly-cute animals often have other value— some, like the blobfish, live in extreme environments that they have adapted to in remarkable ways. Scientists are keen to study these animals to understand whether their biology might provide fresh ideas that could lead to treatments for human health conditions such as cancer and heart disease.
But while many ugly creatures are strongly adapted to their life in the wild and can provide numerous benefits to the ecosystems they live in, they often still don’t get as much attention as more traditionally cute and beautiful animals, which leads to many of the ugly-cute species being ignored in terms of research.
There are other culture-led factors that also cause our attraction for ugly-cute animals. “The ugly-cute thing is very fashionable.” says Rowena Packer, a lecturer of animal behavior. “This is partly caused by social media, with many social media influencers showing off pet pugs and French bulldogs on Instagram.” she says.
But there are some serious worries around this trend. Veterinarians (兽医) are calling on people not to keep a flat-faced dog, because they suffer from serious health problems. Pugs and French bulldogs which have been selectively kept experience breathing difficulties, repeated skin problems and eye diseases. So while childish features such as big eyes may make us smile, we might want to reconsider our attraction for “ugly-cute” pets.
1. What does the underlined word “aggression” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Threatening behavior. | B．Strange behavior. | C．Friendly behavior. | D．Smart behavior. |
| A．They are of no interest to scientists. | B．They are less cute and attractive. |
| C．They do not have unique biological feature. | D．They are not well-adapted to their environments. |
| A．Influencers have started a campaign to raise awareness about ugly animals. |
| B．People prefer to post pictures of ugly animals on social media rather than cute animals. |
| C．Social media didn’t make it easier to spread information about animals. |
| D．The ugly-cute animals shared on social media could raise people’s attraction for them. |
| A．Encouraging. | B．Indifferent. | C．Concerned. | D．Excited. |
3 . Throughout history, many species of animals have been threatened with extinction. When Europeans first arrived in North America, more than 60 million buffalo (水牛) lived on the continent. Yet hunting the buffalo was so popular during the 19th century that by 1900 the animal’s population had fallen to about 400 before the government stepped in to protect the species. In some countries today, the elephant faces a similar challenge, as illegal hunters kill the animals for the ivory in their tusks.
Yet not all animals with commercial value face this threat (威胁).The cow, for example, is a valuable source of food, but no one worries that the cow will soon be extinct. Why does the commercial value of ivory threaten the elephant. while the commercial value of beef protects the cow?
The reason is that elephants are a common resource, while cows are private goods. Elephants wander freely without any owners. The hunter has a strong motivation to kill as many elephants as he can find. Because illegal hunters are numerous, each has only a slight motivation to preserve the elephant population. By contrast, cattle live on farms that are privately owned. Each farmer makes great effort to maintain the cattle population on his farm because he harvests the benefit of these efforts.
Governments have tried to solve the elephant’s problem in two ways. Some countries, such as Kenya and Uganda, have made it illegal to kill elephants and sell their ivory. Yet these laws have been hard to put into effect, and elephant populations have continued to dwindle. By contrast, other countries, such as Malawi and Namibia, have made elephants private goods and allowed people to kill elephants, but only those on their own property.
With private ownership and the profit motive now on its side, the African elephant might someday be as safe from extinction as the cow. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle pointed out the problem with common resources: “What is common to many is taken least care of, for all men have greater regard for what is their own than for what they possess in common with others.”
1. Why does the author mention buffalo in paragraph 1?| A．To introduce a similar threat to elephants. |
| B．To provide an example of species extinction. |
| C．To offer an explanation for government policies. |
| D．To present the statistics of the buffalo in America. |
| A．They are under different law protection |
| B．They attract different groups of hunters |
| C．They contain different commercial value |
| D．They represent different ownership types |
| A．Bans on killing elephants for ivory |
| B．Effective laws for elephant protection. |
| C．Methods of making elephants private goods |
| D．Government policies on the elephant’s problem |
| A．People hold little regard for others’ property |
| B．People want to profit from common resources |
| C．People care more about their own possession |
| D．People tend to take what they own for granted |
