Just now, I entered the website “Topic for Today”. I feel
2 . Text messaging, or simply “texting”, which allows people to send and receive messages on mobile phones, becomes very popular today.
The advantages of texting are obvious. Texting helps to save money. If you have a few words to greet your families and friends on their birthdays or on some important festivals, sending messages can be cheaper than phone calling. Texting helps to save time. Even if you want to send a message to 100 people, you can do it one second. Texting helps you to “talk” to someone when he is too busy to answer the phone. Texting can also help you to “talk” to someone secretly if you don’t want others to hear what you are talking on the phone. These advantages are so amazing that many people are crazy about it. They hold mobile phones in hands all day long, send dozens of messages each day, and even text while driving or walking.
However, texting has its disadvantages. Junk messages may come into your mobile phone box now and then. When your phone box gets too full, you can’t receive any more messages. You may therefore miss some important information.
What’s more, if you don’t do texting properly, for example texting while driving or walking, it can be dangerous. It can cause injuries and even death. It was reported that about 6,000 people were killed and half a million were injured for this reason each year. In Fort Lee, a small town in New Jersey, USA, three people died because they walked into traffic while texting in 2011. Two researchers at Stony Brook University, New York found that texters are 60% more probably to have an accident than others. When people are texting, they don’t notice other people or things around them. To reduce traffic accidents, all drivers of the UN are now not allowed to text while driving. About 32 countries have passed laws restricting the use of mobile phones while driving.
Texting is a wonderful way of communication. However, only when we use it properly, can we fully enjoy the fun it brings.
1. How many advantages of texting are mentioned in the passage?| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Five. |
| A．6,000 people were killed and injured. |
| B．Texters are easier to have an accident. |
| C．Texting is a good way of communication. |
| D．Many people text to greet families and friends. |
| A．not allowing | B．not telling | C．enjoying | D．making |
| A．we should do less texting | B．texting has many advantages |
| C．texting is better than phone calling | D．we should do texting properly |
3 . As the carbon countdown clock ticks on, cities must be more imaginative and cooperative, a lively round table hosted in Newham by a non-profit organization Friends of the Earth said.
“Net zero is around the corner,” said Mike Wake, Director of Friends of the Earth. “The UK has cut greenhouse gas emission (排放) by 40% to date mostly through the growth of large renewable generation on the grid (输电网), but further cuts will be needed as London tries to find new ways of using energy.
“While Newham has lower greenhouse gas emission per head than the UK, it has high levels of fuel poverty, poor air quality and leaky homes. Vastly improved energy efficiency, especially on older and leakier homes, along with more efficient forms of heating and an expansion of low carbon heat networks, will help,” said Wake.
“But the future requires a shift to a more communal solution,” the representatives said. District heating, which pipes hot water from a central source to connected homes or businesses, is often a cheaper and lower-carbon method of heating highly populated areas. “It’s the lowest cost and low carbon solution for the future,” Wake added.
“There are new technologies to use wasted heat,” Wake said. “We worked with businesses to decarbonise (使环保) energy supply. Rather than wasting, spare heat generated by manufacturing and other activities can be captured and used to heat nearby properties. Friends of the Earth has already helped save Newham thousands of tonnes of emissions through district heating plans, solar PV and more energy efficient measures in the homes.”
But the challenges are substantial. Newham has London’s second-highest rate of fuel poverty. “Anyway, I’m confident and hopeful about the collective challenge,” said Wake. “But for Newham to be at the forefront of a green economy, to solve fuel poverty and deal with structural equalities, we must spare no effort.”
1. What does Wake think of cutting greenhouse gas emission in the UK?| A．It doesn’t work at all. | B．It ended a short time ago. |
| C．It is very difficult to continue. | D．It still needs to be improved. |
| A．Expensive. | B．Peaceful. | C．Public. | D．Complex. |
| A．By releasing wasted heat. |
| B．By starting up many businesses. |
| C．By making national heating plans. |
| D．By solving the issues about energy. |
| A．Worried. | B．Positive. | C．Uncaring. | D．Critical. |
Coca-Cola is the world’s
Coca-Cola has announced an activity
Greenpeace, one of the most important environmental organizations, has welcomed the move. But it points out the company should especially pay attention to reducing the amount of plastic that is being produced. Plastic is a major problem because plastic does not break down
5 . A spoonful of pickles(榨菜) can sometimes make a meal taste way better. Recently, a new type of pickle is being discussed: “digital pickled vegetables”. It refers to the videos people watch while eating. Many people think that the videos can make their food more appetizing.
The topic received more than 16 million clicks on Sina Weibo and about 100,000 people participated in the discussion. Instead of having meals with friends and family members, many young people in China are kept company by TV shows or short videos. Many believe that their food is tastier with the “digital pickles”.
Can this habit affect your diet? According to a research paper published in 2019, you may eat more unconsciously. The international research team asked 62 volunteers to follow different eating patterns on four different days. The patterns included eating while looking at the mobile phone, reading magazines and without distraction. After analyzing their diets, the team discovered that eating with a distraction increased caloric ingestion(卡路里摄入) by about 15 percent.
To explore the reason, the team also invited two groups of people: one group ate while listening to an audio clip about another person eating and the other listened to a clip that helped them imagine themselves eating. The results showed that the second group ate less since they were more focused on their meals. When we eat with the “digital pickles”, our attention can be distracted, which leads to eating more than expected.
This works not only for eating meals but other demanding tasks as well. A research project led by the University of Sussex, UK, pointed out that activities which require lots of attention trick many participants into overeating. The team invited 120 participants to do various tasks while providing them with drinks and snacks. “Our study suggests that if you’re eating or drinking while your attention is distracted by a highly engaging task, you’re less likely to be able to tell how full you feel,” one of the authors Martin Yeomans explained.
1. What do “digital pickles” refer to?| A．Anew type of vegetables. | B．Electronic products popular online. |
| C．Videos people watch while eating. | D．Digital games suitable for families. |
| A．The research was conducted in 2019. |
| B．62 people in total participated in the entire research. |
| C．It showed that eating with a distraction decreased caloric ingestion by 15 percent. |
| D．The group listening to a clip about another person eating ate more than the other group. |
| A．They are more focused on their meals. |
| B．They are distracted by “digital pickles”. |
| C．The food tastes better with “digital pickles”. |
| D．The “digital pickles” make them feel hungrier. |
| A．To give another case that causes overeating. |
| B．To describe the effects of “digital pickles”. |
| C．To explain how to judge you are full. |
| D．To present how to avoid being distracted. |
6 . With digital devices always in hand, we are constantly connected to news, entertainment, and social interactions that seem to fill every moment of our day. It appears that boredom has nearly reached extinction. However, these short-term digital “solutions” may only serve to strengthen the grip of boredom over us. It’s like an addiction where we need more and more intense stimulation (刺激) to fight boredom. And this could finally lead to more boredom in the long run. Rather than fighting a constant battle against boredom, it is easier and more productive to actually embrace it and enjoy the benefits of being bored.
Paula Smith, a psychology professor in the UK, says boredom is an essential part of the creative process and should be applied in our day-to-day lives. During one of her studies into the effects of boredom, Smith’s researchers gave subjects various boring tasks to complete and then asked them to use their creative thinking. The people who had the most boring task — reading the phone book — came up with the most interesting uses plastic cups, which is a standard test of divergent thinking. Smith says that boredom encourages people’s minds to wander, leading them to more associative and creative ways of thinking.
Researchers in Ireland believe that boredom can encourage us to be more altruistic. In other words, boredom makes people more likely to engage in behaviors like donating to the charity and volunteering in the community. In their study, they found that when people are bored, they are less aware of their own activities and circumstances. This, they say, motivates people to search elsewhere to re-establish their self-meaning.
So next time you feel bored, don’t scroll it away on your phones. Not every gap should be filled with something to do. Sometimes less is most definitely more.
1. According to the writer, digital devices ________.| A．enable users to become more productive |
| B．help people enjoy the benefits of being bored |
| C．make it harder for users to overcome boredom |
| D．will eventually lead to the extinction of boredom |
| A．The possible solutions to boredom. |
| B．The application of creative thinking patterns. |
| C．The approaches to stimulate creative thinking. |
| D．The relationship between boredom and creativity. |
| A．active | B．generous | C．creative | D．confident |
| A．Stay busy, stay creative. |
| B．Keep away from boredom. |
| C．When you feel bored, be bored |
| D．Less boredom is more creativity. |
7 . Since COVID-19 outbreak, many women have stepped up in the fight to end the epidemic (流行病).
Guo Xin is a volunteer from Shandong Province. She has been working as a volunteer in Wuhan since February 3. She is mainly responsible for helping to count the goods and materials donated (捐赠) to Wuhan.
According to Guo, her parents didn’t know she was coming to Wuhan. “I wasn’t sure if I should come as I didn’t know how difficult the situation was. I thought about it and decided to come. I have a sister. She is in college. My parents are healthy. If you overthink it, it becomes more difficult. But if you let it go, it’s much easier,” Guo said.
Behind the reports, there are still many unknown women workers. Among them, some businesswomen have spared no expense (不惜一切代价) in the production of protective equipment (设备) at the fastest speed for fighting against the epidemic. There are also women who are active in communities and on the streets, working hard for people. There are also policewomen, women reporters and drivers.
According to a survey, in Shanghai, half of the doctors on the front line of the fight against the outbreak are women and more than 90 percent of nurses are women. Women medical workers are heroes. They are soldiers who should not be neglected in the fight against the epidemic.
1. What is TRUE about Guo Xin?| A．She is a college student. |
| B．She made her own decision to go to Wuhan. |
| C．She comes from a city in Guangdong Province. |
| D．Her parents supported her in her decision to go to Wuhan. |
| A．Women are as strong as men. |
| B．The reports can’t tell all the truths. |
| C．A lot of women are trying their best to offer help. |
| D．People should pull together when facing difficulties. |
| A．Discovered. |
| B．Changed. |
| C．Admitted. |
| D．Forgotten. |
| A．Being a volunteer is honorable |
| B．The importance of the volunteers |
| C．Remember the efforts of people during the epidemic |
| D．The important role of women in fighting against the epidemic |
