1 . No business would welcome being compared to gambling (赌博). Yet that is what is happening to makers of video games. For years parents have complained that their children are “addicted” to their video games and smartphones. Today, however, even more doctors are using the term. On January 1 this year, “gaming disorder” — in which games are played uncontrollably, despite causing harm — gained recognition from the World Health Organization (WHO).
Are games really addictive? Psychologists have different opinions. Those who don’t think so say that this is just another moral panic. Similar warnings have been given about television, rock’n’roll, jazz, comic books, novels and even crossword puzzles, but it turns out that they are not as harmful as expected.
However, supporters argue that game developers have the motivation and the means to design their products to make them extremely attractive. For one thing, the business- model has changed: In the old days, games were bought once and for all. But these days, games are free and money is earned from buying of in-game goods, which ties playtime directly to profit they make. For another, game-makers combine psychological theory and data, which helps them maximize the playtime. Smart phones and modern video game machines use their permanent Internet connections to send gameplay data back to developers. In this way products are constantly adjusted to encourage players’ spending. The biggest spenders are known as “whales”, a term that originated in casinos (赌场).
The gaming industry should realize that, in the real world, it has a problem, and that problem is growing. Now that gaming addiction comes with an official WHO recognition, diagnoses will become more common. Anyway, being put together with gambling in the public mind, fairly or not, will not do the industry any good.
1. What do we know from Paragraph 1?| A．It is not suitable to compare video games to gambling. |
| B．Parents complain about their children’s addiction to gambling. |
| C．Gaming addiction was officially recognized as a disease. |
| D．More doctors are against the use of the term “addicted”. |
| A．Unexpected addiction caused by science and technology. |
| B．Wrong judgment on how harmful something is. |
| C．Trouble caused by someone’s immoral behavior. |
| D．A shocking statement of the unexpected panic. |
| A．They don’t charge players for in-game goods. |
| B．They keep players’ video game machines updated. |
| C．They reward big spenders with a unique title. |
| D．They adjust products based on received data. |
| A．offer a suggestion | B．make a prediction |
| C．give a warning | D．put forward a solution |
2 . We know it can be hard to put your phone to bed before you sleep. However, if you’re trying to improve your sleep, you really should ditch your phone at least an hour before bedtime. Luckily, our experts can help.
Scientific evidence suggests that the blue light emitted from your phone, tablet, computer, and TV suppresses (抑制) your body’s production of melatonin, a hormone (荷尔蒙) that plays an important role in your sleep cycle. Melatonin release in the evening helps you relax before bedtime. A 2013 study that analyzed technology use and sleep patterns with data from a National Sleep Foundation poll found that using devices like phones was tied to more sleep disruption than electronics that aren’t interactive.
Many of us use the excuse that our mobile devices serve as our wake-up calls, or keep them nearby to use meditation apps. If you want to use your phone as an alarm, consider setting it a couple of hours before you turn in for the night, and then setting the phone itself to bedtime mode for the rest of the evening.
Here’s another groundbreaking idea: You could get a real alarm clock. After reviewing them at Reviewed, we recommend the Sharp Dream Caster. Not only is it easy to set a wake-up time, the clock includes white noises and rain noises to help you sleep, plus a number of volume settings to pick what works best for you.
But an alarm clock won’t help you avoid doom-scrolling through social media. Take things a step further by avoiding using electronic devices. You can try reading a book (one made of paper), taking a bath or drinking a cup of chamomile tea.
Finally, if you want to keep up your meditation practice screen-free, consider the Morphée. It looks like a little music box and comes with a variety of breathing exercises and soundscapes to help you get to sleep.
1. What does the underlined word “ditch” in paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Set aside. | B．Pick up. | C．Show off. | D．Turn to. |
| A．Relaxing yourself before bedtime. |
| B．Sleeping less than you normally would. |
| C．Adapting to your sleep cycle more easily. |
| D．Reducing the pressure from screen use. |
| A．It is sold at a lower price. | B．It can predict a heavy rain. |
| C．It is controlled by cellphone. | D．It helps put your eyes together. |
| A．Making the best of the eco-friendly products. |
| B．Making a change according to circumstances. |
| C．Establishing a bedtime routine without electronics. |
| D．Keeping a consistent bedtime and wake-up time. |
3 . Young children are significantly more likely than adults to have their opinions influenced by robots according to a new research. The study, conducted-at the-University of Plymouth, compared how adults and children respond to an identical (相同的) task when in the presence of both their peers (同龄人) and robots.
It showed that while adults regularly have their opinions influenced by peers, something also demonstrated in previous studies, they are largely able to resist being persuaded by robots. However, children aged between seven and nine were more likely to give the same responses as the robots, even if they were obviously incorrect.
The study asks people to look at a screen showing four lines and say which two match in length. When alone, people almost never make a mistake but when doing the experiment with others, they tend to follow what others are saying.
When children were alone in the room in this research, they scored 87%on the test, but when the robots join in their score drops to 75%. And of the wrong answers, 74% matched those of the robot.
Professor Belpaeme said, ”People often follow the opinions of others and we’ve known for a long time that it is hard to resist taking over views and opinions of people around-us. But as robots will soon be found in the home and the workplace, we were wondering if people would follow robots. What our results show is that adults do not follow what the robots are saying. But when we did the experiment with children, they did. It shows children can perhaps have more of an affinity (亲和力)with robots than adults, which does pose the question: What if robots were to suggest, for example, what products to buy or what to think?“?
1. What did the adults do when staying with robots?| A．They generally refused the robots’ effects. |
| B．They totally accepted the robots’ suggestions. |
| C．They tried to persuade robots to resist them. |
| D．They usually compared robots with their children. |
| A．Because children were not as clever as the adults. |
| B．Because robots reflected better than human beings. |
| C．Because robots in the presence made mistakes. |
| D．Because children wanted to affect the robots on purpose. |
| A．He is optimistic about the result. | B．He is worried about the future. |
| C．He doesn’t care about the result. | D．He doubts the result of the research. |
| A．What is the meaning of the research? |
| B．What should adults do to avoid the problem? |
| C．Why are children more likely to be influenced? |
| D．What will be done to solve the problem? |
4 . School uniforms are traditional in Britain. Pupils at about 90 percent of British secondary schools wear uniforms. When every pupil in the school wears the uniform, nobody has to worry about fashion and they feel that they belong to a group. Some people believe that a school uniform can help students pay attention to schoolwork. But some schools in Britain and other countries are starting to drop the traditional uniforms.
An Australian school has decided to drop its traditional school uniform, hoping new sportswear will encourage students to take part in more activities. School headmaster Elisabeth Lenders said the uniform change had been in the works for several years. “We decided that in 2018-2019,” she said. “The importance is clear: to make young people live happy, healthy lives.”
Ms. Lenders said World Health Organization research reported 90 percent of young Australians and New Zealanders were not getting the minimum daily levels of activity they needed in order to lead a healthy life.
As well as the new uniform, she said the school would change timetables to make sure there would be chances for students to take part in physical activity every day.
Ms. Lenders said in the past, a uniform was about all looking the same but in the 21st century it was important for students to be able to choose clothes that they liked.
And this Australian school had made an online survey about the uniform change and had received great support from parents and students. Tara, mother of Ava in Year 7, said it was a great move from the school. “These are the challenges of our time, and we want young people to think about them,” she said. “It is bigger than just throwing out the old uniform. It’s about what the role of education is about. And for me, it’s helping young people to live a happy, healthy and productive life.”
1. What does the underline word “that” in paragraph 2 refer to?| A．physical activity | B．uniform change |
| C．happy life | D．students’ health |
| A．helps students to live a healthy life | B．gives students a sense of belonging |
| C．leaches students to dress fashionably | D．helps students to pay attention to study |
| A．Students there may wear different kinds of clothes. |
| B．It’s not clear whether the change is good for students or not. |
| C．Parents have different opinions towards the change of uniform. |
| D．The change receives strong support from students and parents. |
| A．Novel. | B．A guidebook. |
| C．A newspaper. | D．A book review. |
5 . Handing your baby a phone or a tablet to play with may seem like a harmless solution when you’re busy, but it could actually affect their development, a new study has found.
Having anywhere from one to four hours of screen time per day at age l is linked with higher risks of developmental delays in communication skills, fine motor skills, personal and social skills,and problem-solving skills by age 2, according to a study of 7,097 children published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics. The study measured how many hours children used screens per day at age 1 and how they performed in these developmental domains (领域) at ages 2 and 4. Both measures were according to the mothers’ self-reports.
By age 2, those who had had up to four hours of screen time per day were up to 3 times more likely to experience developmental delays in communication and problem-solving skills. Those who had spent four or more hours with screens were 4.78 times more likely to have underdeveloped communication skills,1.74 times more likely to have poor performances in fine motor skills and two times more likely to have underdeveloped personal and social skills by age2. By age 4, risk remained only in the communication and problem-solving categories.
“One of the areas that is relatively understudied in the whole screen time literature is looking at the impacts of screen exposure on very young kids, especially when screens are introduced to babies,” said Dr. John Hutton, an associate professor of general and community pediatrics (儿科) at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. “It’s definitely a global concern, and I think the findings should really be applied to other countries as well.”
“Technology use can take time away from interpersonal relationships that develop social skills since real people are more multidimensional than characters on a screen.” Hutton added. Looking at people’s faces is when our brains turn on to figure out how to interact with them.
1. What does the new study focus on?| A．A baby’s mental health. | B．Children’s developmental skills. |
| C．A kid’s academic performance. | D．Students’ creative abilities. |
| A．Analyzing data. | B．Giving examples. |
| C．Reviewing literature. | D．Doing experiments. |
| A．The impact of screen exposure should be studied. |
| B．The findings should be applied to certain countries. |
| C．Global attention should be paid to kids’ screen hours. |
| D．Screens should be introduced to more and more babies. |
| A．What Faults Can Be Found with Screens |
| B．What Difficulties A Young Kid Will Face |
| C．How Screens Change Developmental Skills |
| D．How Screen Time Influences Kids’ Development |
6 . While English is getting more important in our schools, Chinese has become popular among foreign kids. But Chinese can be more difficult to learn. At least 16-year-old Piao Chenglong thinks so. “English is easier for me. Chinese characters (汉字) have too many strokes (笔画),” said Piao. “But I want to learn it. I want to study at Beijing University when I grow up.” Piao is from Korea. He came to China in 2008.
In Korea, there are more than 300, 000 Chinese learners like Piao. Some Korean students begin to learn to write the language on their first day at school. To help students learn Chinese, Korea holds speaking competitions for high school students every year.
Chinese isn’t just popular in Korea. People from all the world want to learn it. The Ministry of Education of China says that nearly 130 million people from 85 countries are learning Chinese. This number will be increasing to 800 million in the coming years.
In America, Chinese is the second most popular foreign language after Spanish. Some American middle schools have Chinese classes. Students learn to make jiaozi and tie Chinese knots (中国结). Some even try to write and draw in the Chinese way!
People want to learn Chinese because China is becoming such an important country. Foreign countries want to understand China better to help them with business. The Chinese government is also helping the world learn Chinese. It has sent more than 200 Chinese teachers to more than 60 countries in the world. Many more Confucius Institutes (孔子学院) will be set up in the world. These institutes will teach Chinese to foreign students.
1. Which of the following is the topic sentence for the text?| A．Chinese has become popular among foreign kids. |
| B．Chinese can be more difficult to learn. |
| C．In America, Chinese is the second most popular foreign language after Spanish. |
| D．Students learn to make jiaozi and tie Chinese knots. |
| A．China. | B．America. | C．Korea. | D．Spain. |
| A．making jiaozi |
| B．writing and drawing in the Chinese way |
| C．tying Chinese knots |
| D．singing Chinese songs |
| A．Because Chinese is getting more important in their schools. |
| B．Because Chinese characters have too many strokes. |
| C．Because the number of people learning Chinese will be 800 million. |
| D．Because China is becoming more and more important in the world. |
7 . If having to make a choice between reading an e-book and a printed book, which would most people choose? Some would go for an e-book while some still prefer the hard-printed book.
Undoubtedly, e-books do have benefits. Firstly, changes to an electronic publication are relatively easy to make. They are quicker to obtain. E-books are more easily updated. The printed books on many subjects can become outdated very quickly. Secondly, e-books can be easily and quickly kept up to date. You usually get far more than just the e-books. Most e-books are sold with bonuses and related information that usually do not come with the purchase of a printed book. Moreover, they take up less space. Instead of a big library, you can fit literally thousands of books on your computer. It also makes it easier to share this information with families and friends.
For nearly twenty years, additionally, futurists have been predicting the development of printed books. The conventional view has been that digital e-books are on the verge of replacing paper books. However, this has not been the case. A printed book has its advantages too. Firstly, it is an object that can be carried and used alone. It needs no electric outlet (插座), no batteries, nothing. Secondly, e-books will always require some forms of support that the printed book does not need.
I believe that the online publishing has not taken off because people want real books. What is being published online more and more are pamphlets (小册子) and things that really do not need to be in print. These are stuff that people throw away afterward. More often, people do not want to read a book on the computer. What could be better than a paper book? It lasts a long time. These books are designed to last a long time without disappearing.
To sum up, there is no denying that the printed book is still very much preferred over its digital cousins. Reading electronic publications is just not the same when it comes to books. People are still very interested in real books and notebooks.
1. What can we know about an e-book?| A．It will never be out of date. | B．It always gives you an added bonus. |
| C．It can deliver information quickly. | D．It has taken the place of printed books. |
| A．Printed books will disappear. | B．Printed books can be used alone. |
| C．E-books have many restrictions. | D．E-books have no drawbacks. |
| A．The low demand for book industry. | B．The expectations from people. |
| C．The guidance of policy. | D．The desire for the printed books. |
| A．Hopeless. | B．Unpredictable. | C．Costly. | D．Promising. |
8 . President Coolidge’s statement, “The business of America is business,” still points to an important truth today-that business institutions have more prestige（威望） in American society than any other kind of organization,including the government.
Why do business institutions possess this great prestige?
One reason is that Americans view business as being more firmly based on the ideal of competition than other institutions in society.Since competition is seen as the. major source of progress and prosperity by most Americans, competitive business institutions are respected.Competition is not only good in itself. it is the means (by) which other basic American value such as individual freedom,equality of opportunity and hard work are protected.
Competition protects the freedom of the individual ensuring that there is no monopoly（垄断）of power. In contrast to one all-powerful government，many businesses compete against each other for profits Theoretically, if one business tries to. take unfair advantage of its customers, it will lose to competing business which treats its customers more fairly. Where many businesses compete for the customers’ dollars, they cannot afford to treat them like inferiors or slaves.
A contrast often made between business,which is competitive,and government, which is a monopoly, Because business is competitive,many Americans believe that it is more supportive of freedom than government, even though government leaders are elected by the people and business leaders are not. Many Americans believe,then,that competition is as important, or even more important, than democracy（民主）in preserving freedom.
Competition in business is also believed to strengthen the ideal of equality of opportunity. Competition is seen as an open and fair race where success goes to the swiftest person regardless of his or her social class background. Business is therefore viewed as an expression of the idea of equality of opportunity rather than the aristocratic(贵族的)ideal of inherited privilege.
1. The statement “The business of America is business” probably means ________.| A．America is a great power in world business |
| B．Business is of primary concern to Americans |
| C．The business institutions in America are concerned with commerce |
| D．Business problems are of great importance to the American government |
| A．by protecting their individual freedom | B．when given equality of opportunity |
| C．by way of competition | D．through doing business |
| A．People with ideals of equality and freedom. | B．Both business institutions and government. |
| C．Honest business | D．Both businessmen and their customers. |
| A．in many countries success often depends on one’s social status |
| B．businesses in other countries are not as competitive as those in America |
| C．American businesses are more democratic than those in other countries |
| D．Americans are more ambitious than people in other countries |
9 . If you're reading this, you were probably born in the 2000s. The oh-ohs(00后）．The 21st century. That would make you young,creative, connected, global,and no doubt smart. Maybe good-looking,too. Right? But what do other people think about your generation?
Some adults worry that you're more interested in the screen in front of you than the world around you. They think of you as the“face-down generation” because you use your phone so much and they wonder how you will deal with school, friends,and family. Are today's teenagers too busy texting and taking selfies(自拍）to become successful in real life-or“IRL”， as you would say?
Other adults worry that today's youth are spoilt(宠坏的）and don't want to face the challenges of adult life. Many children born in the 1990s and 2000s were raised by"helicopter parents” who were always there to guide and help them with a busy schedule filled with homework and extra-curricular activities such as dancing, drawing, or sports. With partners who do everything for them, today's youth seem to prefer to live like teenagers even when they are in their 20s or 30s.
Does the face-down generation need a heads-up?Well,probably not. The fact is that many of today's teenagers are better educated and more creative than past generations. They also seem to be enthusiastic(热情的）and willing to become leaders. More young people than ever volunteer to help their communities. There are also brave young people such as Malala Yousafzai,the teenager who won the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize for pushing girls' rights to go to school.
So if you're one of the oh-ohs,there's reason to be hopeful about the future. Things are looking up for the face-down generation. Chances are that you will do GR8(great) and LOL（laugh out loud).
1. Today's teenagers are thought of as the face-down generation because| A．They are busy texting |
| B．They use their phones a lot |
| C．They deal with school and family with their phones |
| D．They become successful with their phones |
| A．Parents who prefer to live like teenagers |
| B．Parents who often fly everywhere for their business |
| C．Parents who do dancing, drawing or sports with their children |
| D．Parents who always guide and help children with homework and extra-curricular activities |
| A．They are annoyed. |
| B．They are powerful. |
| C．They are spoilt. |
| D．They are positive. |
| A．The face-down generation |
| B．The young generation |
| C．The generation gap |
| D．The future generation |
10 . What will you do if you can’t eat everything bought in the canteen?
Food waste, which has become a global issue, serves as a mirror that reflects various cultural and social issues in different countries. In the West, for instance, consumerism, the belief that it’s a good thing to use a lot of goods and services, is often to blame for food waste.
| A．Most of us would simply throw away any leftover food. |
| B．Students’ waste is extremely serious. |
| C．China features its own eating culture. |
| D．Compared with them, some live in a different world. |
| E．But canteen waste is merely the tip of the iceberg. |
| F．So there’s no excuse that we should waste our food. |
| G．Students can never realize the serious food crisis. |
