1 . Have you ever made your life look a little more attractive on social media than it actually is? If so, you may be damaging your mental health.
The posts we make on social media platforms allow us to look back and see what we did on a given day. But what happens when, in an effort to impress our online friends, photos and videos we post become beautiful versions of the things we did?
A young girl named Sophia went out to a romantic anniversary dinner with her boyfriend, had a near relationship-ending fight during dessert, then came home and posted, “Had the best time out with the love of my life!”—even with a photo of the meal. No surprise, but according to a new study, Sophia was by no means unique. Two-thirds of users admit lying about their lives on social media with 20 percent of young people between the ages of 18 and 24 stating that they edit their own stories by frequently lying about relationships and promotions.
By beautifying our online stories, we are harming our memories. We start believing the stories we tell rather than remembering what really has happened. Soon, the real experience is lost and all that remains is the beautified version of history.
Scientists fear that these edited stories will end up changing our memories. It’s well confirmed through research that our own memories are often unreliable and can be easily controlled. Writing down one’s life in the form of a journal, or even on social media can help us keep our memories undamaged, but only if we tell the truth. And recording our experiences through whatever medium, to later recall lessons we have learned, is not only acceptable but desirable. In fact, looking back on our own past—however embarrassing or uncomfortable—is not just healthy but can be enjoyable.
1. Why did Sophia post her story with a photo of the meal?| A．To make herself attractive. | B．To show her photography skill. |
| C．To convince others of her story. | D．To show how amazing the meal was. |
| A．Encouraging. | B．Critical. | C．Humorous. | D．Enthusiastic. |
| A．recalling the unpleasant past can also be enjoyable |
| B．writing down our life on social media does no good to us |
| C．recording our experiences through media is unacceptable |
| D．editing our own stories will make us unreliable |
| A．Leaving others a good impression is desirable. |
| B．Editing our online stories weakens our memory. |
| C．Posting our experiences on social media is risky. |
| D．Beautifying our history ends up hurting ourselves. |
2 . Some documents have been making the rounds lately — where people who work various positions in different industries share how much they’re paid.
Bravo! It’s about time we blew up that old belief that salaries have to stay secret. This is not just a matter of curiosity. Having information about salaries can help narrow the gender wage gap, which has barely changed for more than a decade. Recently released date from the US Census Bureau shows that, on average, women working full time still are paid only 82 cents for every dollar paid to a man. And the gap is even wider for many women of color: Black women make 62 cents, and Latinas just 54 cents. What’s more, the pay gap even extends into her retirement. Because she earned less and therefore paid less to the social security system, she receives less in social security benefits.
Having greater access to salary information is helping to speed things up. A new research report by the American Association of University Women shows that the wage gap tends to be smaller in job sectors where pay transparency (透明) is a must. For example, among federal government workers, there’s just a 13 percent pay difference between men and women, and in state government, the gap is about 17 percent. But in private, for-profit companies, where salaries are generally kept under wraps, the gender wage gap jumps to 29 percent.
Fortunately, salary information is increasingly available on some websites. Certain companies and many human resources departments are pushing ahead with this practice. Of course, it’s going to take more than salary transparency to equalize earnings between women and men. But sharing salaries can and must be part of the solution. The more information women have about how jobs are valued — and what different people earn — the better they will understand their value in the labor market and be able to push for the pay they deserve.
1. Why are the figures mentioned in paragraph 2?| A．To reveal the severity of gender wage gap. |
| B．To confirm the previous belief about salaries. |
| C．To satisfy readers’ curiosity about others’ salaries. |
| D．To appeal to readers to share their salary information. |
| A．The inequality between men and women. |
| B．The need to keep salary information a secret. |
| C．The advantage of working for the government. |
| D．The benefit of making salary information public. |
| A．Critical. | B．Favourable. |
| C．Unclean | D．Negative. |
| A．Why It Pays to Share How Much You Make |
| B．Where Salary Information Difference Lies |
| C．What It Takes to Realize Gender Equality |
| D．How Woman’s Value Improves at Work. |
3 . Some parents worry kids spend a lot of time looking at screens. But a new study argues against that unease parents may feel. “The danger is that they’re hearing a message that social media use is causing very serious and harmful problems like depression and anxiety. Candice Odgers, professor at the University of California, explained. And the idea is that if you shut off social media, which lots of kids use to connect with each other and find out information, you could in fact be making a situation worse. ”
Odgers and her colleagues looked at the screen-related behavior of 400 public-school students in North Carolina aged 10 to 14. The researchers found that—even not counting time doing schoolwork on screens—the kids spent between almost 5 hours to 7 hours per day on their devices. “Overall，what we find is no connection between the amount of time that young people spend online and mental health symptoms like depression, anxiety”. What they actually found was something jaw-dropping. Young people who sent more text messages reported better mental health. Odgers was not alone there. Journal Clinical Psychological Science recently announced, “people who use technology in the positive ways to stay connected off-line often, are more connected online as well and experiencing better mental health.”
So why are the fears about screen time? Odgers argues that the methodologies (方法论）for older studies may have led to false conclusions. “One of the methods that’s been done to date has been asking students to recall “How often are you online?” and “ Have you ever felt depressed?” And the correlation between those two things has been used to spread a lot of fear about this connection between social media use and things like depression, 99. 5 percent of the reasons that kids differ in their depression is due to something other than the time they spend online though.”
Parents get a lot of advice, and some of it always seems to conflict. “The hope is that more parents will hear this message and relax and spend kind of less time worrying about smartphones and more time just talking to their kids.”
1. Where might this passage be taken from?| A．A Travel Journal. |
| B．A Newspaper Frontpage. |
| C．A Nursing and Parenting Magazine. |
| D．A Psychology and Education Magazine. |
| A．The more time students spent on line, the better mental health they reported. |
| B．Students in North Carolina aged 10 to 14 spent too much time online. |
| C．Students’ staying online positively actually helped with better mental health. |
| D．Shutting off social media made things worse in the end. |
| A．There is too much fear about screen time among people. |
| B．Students have been asked improper questions about screen time. |
| C．None of the students5 depression has something to do with screen time. |
| D．The present studies are better than the older ones. |
4 . Young girls are waiting in long lines to shop at Brandy Melville, an Italian fashion brand. You can find small skirts, tiny T-shirts and skinny jeans there.
With celebrities (明星) and fashion vloggers posting photos of Brandy Melville clothing online, the brand has got popular all over the world. However, many girls are finding that the brand’s clothes are too small. The brand’s idea of “one size fits all” has made them feel uncomfortable.
“
“It sends a message that if you don’t fit into the clothing, whether it’s too big or too small, you’re not ‘normal’, which leads to all sorts of body dissatisfaction,” Allison added.
Fashion trends set by companies like Brandy Melville are “ruining the girl’s self-esteem (自尊心)”, as Nicolette Simons wrote for Odyssey. The unrealistic sizes of their clothes can make girls feel like they are too fat.
“Girls should learn to accept different body shapes and show themselves with confidence,” as TMT Post said. Nobody needs to be a “Brandy Melville girl”.
| A．Just be yourself. |
| B．Your clothes say a lot about you. |
| C．There’s clearly no such thing as one size fits all! |
| D．They might try to lose weight at the cost of their health. |
| E．Everything in the shop is designed only for one body type: thin. |
| F．In fact, it’s common for teenagers to feel unhappy with their bodies. |
| G．Following fashion trends has little to do with your personal comfort. |
5 . When Benjamin was in eighth grade, he quit the swim team. "I'm not Michael Phelps, why am I even on the team? ”he said.
A US therapist who researches perfectionism at Northwestern University realized years later what had happened. Benjamin's perfectionism was creating unrealistic standards. Unable to meet them, he quit.
“My perfectionism prompted high expectations, and that caused real suffering," Ben said. He is not alone in feeling that perfectionism can lead to anxiety. So many millennials suffer from the ills of perfectionism that psychologists are issuing warnings and schools are emphasizing the need to accept failure.
Northwestern has held meetings that offered tips on how students could deal with a perfectionism problem. Jessica, leading the events and researches, said every generation is a sponge for the messages it receives. Millennials, more than any other generation in American society, are receiving clear messages around achieving," she said. "There's an absence of messaging that trying your hardest is still OK. "
The American Psychological Association also found that recent generations of college students have reported higher levels of perfectionism than earlier generations. This “desire to achieve along with being overly critical of oneself and others" affects young people's mental health, according to research data from over 40,000 college students.
Researchers noted that social media adds comparative pressure, along with the drive to earn money and achieve career goals. Perfectionists often create unrealistic goals, which can lead to a higher risk of failure.
In college, Benjamin found himself surrounded by so many intelligent people that he felt he should have been achieving a higher level than he was. "It makes you feel kind of crazy,“ he said.
This type of thinking can lead to people putting in less effort, which, as they fall behind, can create more anxiety. "It makes people feel kind of isolated. ”And that,“ Benjamin added, “can cause students to drift away from their school.”
1. Why did Benjamin give up on the swim team?| A．Because he is not Michael Phelps. |
| B．Because he lacked the passion. |
| C．Because he couldn't live up to his expectations. |
| D．Because swimming was too difficult for him to learn. |
| A．dream of becoming Michael Phelps | B．set up achievable standards |
| C．surrounded by intelligent people | D．put less effort and feel anxious |
| A．Accepting failures. | B．Learning swimming. |
| C．Chasing perfectionism. | D．Befriending other people. |
| A．Millennials are never told that trying hard also counts. |
| B．Millennials pursue perfection just as earlier generations do. |
| C．Social media add pressure in comparison with peers. |
| D．Perfectionism leads to realistic goals and causes a higher risk of failure. |
6 . The coronavirus has been a catalyst for change in many areas of our lives. As things return to normal, one thing that is likely to remain for many is the practice of working from home, known as telecommuting.
Much like the cloud classroom, the cloud office enables employees to cooperate, access resources and operate software from any location. Without doubt, communication tools play an important role. Video and voice chat allow a team, regardless of location, to work together as if they're in the same office.
The rise of telecommuting is due in part to time-tracking applications and software that allows employers to monitor productivity. Wechat Work and Work Examiner are all popular options that have been adopted by thousands of companies. These tools make employers feel secure that remote workers are staying on task. As an increasingly popular approach to work, the objective of the cloud office is to find the ideal balance between home and office work.
According to CNBC, a study showed that 85 percent of millennials（千禧一代）preferred working from home as it gives them a healthier work-life balance, flexible hours and more autonomy. It also showed that firms could save $ 11,000per person each year by allowing employees to work from home.
However, not everyone sees this revolution as positive. According to Bloomberg, in a survey of 1,001 US workers, 45 percent felt burnt out due to the increased workload, decreased communication and the requirement to juggle（兼顾）professional and personal life.
There has indeed been a mixed reaction to the move amid the pandemic.
It's believed that it will become more manageable once lockdown measures are fully lifted worldwide. And by then, who knows what tasks we could all achieve from the comfort of our sofas?
1. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word in the first paragraph?| A．disaster. | B．motivation. |
| C．cause. | D．disease. |
| A．Employers hold different opinions towards telecommuting. |
| B．The purpose of working from home is to help achieve work-life balance. |
| C．Working from home can help employers spend less on human resources. |
| D．Software that enables workers to monitor work gains increasing popularity. |
| A．Positive. | B．Negative. |
| C．Neutral. | D．Unclear. |
7 . Microaggressions are minor racial attacks. Gabrielle, a 15-year-old teenager, knows the pain of microaggressions all too well. “When I was in the seventh grade, this guy told me that my hair looked like a rat’s nest and I needed to comb it. It makes you feel awful and makes you feel like you are dismissed and it makes you feel unheard,” she said.
Microaggressions are being spoken about now by young black teenagers like Gabrielle in light of the racial unrest across the country and amid the new school year. “We’re pretty for black girls,” said other black teenagers, describing microaggressions they have faced. “We’re outspoken to be black.” According to a study, black teenagers experience an average of over five incidents of discrimination a day, specifically teenage girls.
“I do believe that microaggressions and racism are part of a series of continuous events,” Dr. Walker said. “Experiencing acts of microaggression can have an effect on self-respect,” she said. “It starts to affect anxiety and depression and worry.” Black children who are exposed to racism face health risks too, with higher rates of obesity, as well as depression, data shows. The rate of suicide attempts among black teens also continues to rise, while rates among other racial groups have fallen.
Microaggressions can also be complicated, especially if the person who is offending has no intention of being hurtful. Walker’s advice for young black girls is to both take a deep breath and also try to educate other people, when possible. “Take a deep breath and centering yourself,” she said. “They could say, you may not have realized it, but what you said is hurtful.”
Walker says this may take some practice, but it is a skill that can be developed. “I think a lot of times in our society we want to be perfect and things just right for us, but a lot of times, it does take practice, and that’s okay. Just keep at it and lead with sympathy.”
1. Which of the following best describe Gabrielle?| A．She thinks microagressions are not serious. |
| B．She becomes concerned about her hairstyle. |
| C．She feels uncomfortable about microaggression. |
| D．She distinguishes herself among black teen girls. |
| A．Bitter. | B．Sympathetic. | C．Angry. | D．Proud. |
| A．The offended black girls should voice their feelings frankly. |
| B．She advises handling microaggressions and discrimination equally. |
| C．Great importance may be attached to black girls’ mental health. |
| D．Black teen girls are advised to ignore unintentional microaggressions. |
8 . “When I think of England, I think of the queen taking her dogs for walk in the countryside,” says Carsten Haferkamp, a dog-owning German working in London. Data from Tractive, a firm that provides GPS tracking for pets, show that Britons walk their dogs more than their European neighbors do.
The British love for dog-walking may have more to do with the walking than the dogs. Britons are big walkers –they came fifth in the world in a study in 2017, the highest in Europe. Dogs provide walkers with company and a purpose, so it may be that walking encourages dog-ownership.
But Julien Dugnoille, an expert at Exeter University, suspects dog-walking has a deeper significance. Dogs, he suggests, are a useful aid to a socially awkward nation. “Britons tend to have a chat with strangers and exchange a few jokes and comments about the weather without putting themselves in danger.”
A tradition among the British nobles of owning and training dogs also leads Dr Dugnoille to assume that dog-walking is a way to keep ancient honor. “When people in the park say Max is very well-behaved,” says Dr Dugnoille, “that is a way to show their authority in the art of dog training compared to those dog owners who are not in control of their own dog.”
But it’s not just about showing off, in his view. He believes walking with one’s best friend creates a time and space where dogs and humans meet as species and connect as individuals.
Still, Britons should not congratulate themselves too much on their behavior towards their dog companions. According to Dr Carri Westgarth of Liverpool University, “People say that a dog needs a walk every day, but they will find reasons why their dog doesn’t need a walk. They’ll say: he’s got company indoors, he’s nervous or he doesn’t like the rain.”
1. The queen is mentioned in paragraph 1 to show _______.| A．the queen’s love for dogs | B．a foreigner’s impression of England |
| C．the British devotion to walking dogs | D．the importance of dog-walking for Europeans |
| A．Britons see dogs as protectors from danger. |
| B．Dog-walking is related to the British traditional culture. |
| C．Britons prefer to walk rather than walk the dog. |
| D．Dog-walking is a close link between the British and nature. |
| A．Britons are proud of dog-walking | B．dogs are a good companion for Britons |
| C．he is doubtful of the British love for dogs | D．weather is a popular topic among Britons |
| A．Love Your Dog, Walk Your Dog | B．How Do Britons Walk Their Dogs? |
| C．Opinions on Dog-Walking in Britain | D．Why Do Britons Love to Walk Dogs? |
9 . One evening in February 2007, a student named Paula Ceely brought her car to a stop on a remote road in Wales. She got out to open a metal gate that blocked her path. That's when she heard the whistle sounded by the driver of a train. Her Renault Clio was parked across a railway line. Seconds later,she watched the train drag her car almost a kilometre down the railway tracks.
Ceely's near miss male the news because she blamed it on her GPS.She had never driven the route before. It was dark and raining heavily.Ceely was relying on her GPS, but it made no mention of the crossing, “I put my complete trust in the device and it led me right into the path of a speeding train," she told the BBC.
Who is to blame here Rick Stevenson, who telis Ceely's story in his book when Machines Fail Us, points the finger at the limitations of technology. We put our faith in digital devices, he says, but our digital helpers are too often not up to the job. They are filled with small problems. And it's not just GPS devices: Stovenson takes us on a tour of digital disasters involving everything from mobile phones to wireless keyboards.
The problem with his argument in the book is that it's not clear why he only focuses on digital technology, while there may be a number of other possible causes. A map-maker might have left the crossing off a paper map. Maybe we should blame Coely for not paying attention Perhaps the railway authorities are fault for poor signaling system, Or maybe someone has studied the relative dangers and worked out that there really is something specific wrong with the GPS equipment. But Stevenson doesn't say.
It's a problem that runs through the book. In a section on cars, Stevenson gives an account of the advanced techniques that criminals use to defeat computer-based locking systems for cars. He offers two independent sets of figures on car theft; both show a small rise in some parts of the country. He says that once again not all new locks have proved reliable. Perhaps, but maybe it's also due to, the shortage of policemen on the streets, or changing social circumstances, or some combination of these factors.
The game between humans and their smart devices is amusing and complex. It is shaped by economics and psychology and the cultures we live in. Somewhere in the mix of those forces there may be a way for a wiser use of technology.
If there is such a way, it should involve more than just an awareness of the shortcomings of our machines. After all, we have lived with them for thousands of years. They have probably been fooling us for just as long.
1. What did Paula Caely think was the cause of her accident?| A．She was not familiar with the road. | B．It was dark and raining heavily then. |
| C．The railway workers failed to give the signal. | D．Her GPS device didn't tell her about the crossing. |
| A．Modern technology is what we can't live without. |
| B．Digital technology often falls short of our expectation. |
| C．Digital devices ere more reliable than they used to be. |
| D．GPS error is not the only cause for Ceely's accident: |
| A．one-sided | B．reasonable | C．puzzling | D．well-based |
| A．The major causes of traffic accidents and car thefts. |
| B．The relationship between human and technology. |
| C．The shortcomings of digital devices we use. |
| D．The human unawareness of technical problems. |
10 . I don’t ever want to talk about being a woman scientist again. There was a time in my life when people asked constantly for stories about what it’s like to work in a field controlled by men. I was never very good at telling those stories because truthfully I never found them interesting. What I do find interesting is the origin of the universe, the shape of space-time and the nature of black holes.
At 19, when I began studying astrophysics, it did not bother me in the least to be the only woman in the classroom. But while earning my Ph.D. at MIT and then as a post-doctor doing space research, the issue started to bother me. My every achievement-jobs, research papers, awards-was viewed from the angle of gender(性别). So were my failures.
Then one day a few years ago, out of my mouth came a sentence that would eventually become my reply to any and all provocations(挑衅): I don’t talk about that anymore. It took me 10 years to get back the confidence I had at 19 and to realize that I didn’t want to deal with gender issues. Why should gender discrimination(歧视)be yet another terrible burden on every female scientist?
Today I research and teach at Barnard, a women’s college in New York City. Recently, someone asked me how many of the 45 students in my class were women. You cannot imagine my satisfaction at being able to answer, 45. I know some of my students worry how they will manage their scientific research and a desire for children. And I don’t refuse to consider those concerns. Still, I don’t tell them “war” stories. Instead, I have given them this: the visual of their physics professor heavily pregnant doing physics experiments. And in turn they have given me the image of 45 women driven by a love of science. And that’s a sight worth talking about.
1. Why doesn’t the author want to talk about being a woman scientist again?| A．She feels unhappy working in male-controlled fields. |
| B．She is tired of the issue of gender discrimination. |
| C．She is not good at telling stories of the kind. |
| D．She finds space research more important. |
| A．the very fact that she is a woman |
| B．her involvement in gender politics |
| C．her over-confidence as a female astrophysicist |
| D．the burden she bears in a male-controlled society |
| A．Women students needn’t have the concerns of her generation. |
| B．Women have more barriers on their way to academic success. |
| C．Women can balance a career in science and having a family. |
| D．Women now have fewer problems seeking a science career. |
