1 . For better or worse, we might be in the Age of the Group Chat. In a recent survey, most people said they felt stressed out by group messages, which can feel like a part-time job.
Connection is wonderful. Grexts, short for group texts, have the feature of imitating (模仿) the casual back-and-forth of a dialogue, and the result can be more dynamic and fun than a two-person thread. Having a chat going also means you have a space to share your updates throughout the day, a reminder that you’re part of something.
Some researchers call this “ambient (周围的) virtual presence”: Even when you’re alone, you’re not alone. One researcher compares this phenomenon to echolocation (回声定位), the process that some animals, such as bats and dolphins, use to locate objects: They produce a continuous sound and use the resulting echo to sense their surroundings. Humans might use technologies such as group chats in a similar way — as a call-and-response, taking in information about their social networks and locating themselves within those webs.
But taking in too many signals can be overwhelming. Professor Bayer argued that group chats can create a “waterfall type of effect”, where messages keep flooding in and adding up. Eventually, you’re underwater. Another researcher suggested that different chat members all bring their own personalities, communication styles, and expectations for group norms. Without a standard etiquette (礼仪), people have varied opinions about what degree of responsiveness is required — which can cause real tension.
Grext anxiety is hard to resolve because it isn’t just about the group-chat or even mobile technology in general; it’s about the tension between being our own person and being responsible to others. Ultimately, most of us do want connection, even if it involves some duties. A general advice is to give up greats that don’t really interest you.
1. What is the feature of Grexts?| A．Being more wonderful than a dialogue. |
| B．Keeping as fun as a two-person thread. |
| C．Sharing your updates throughout the day. |
| D．Imitating the casual back-and-forth of communication. |
| A．By producing a continuous sound. |
| B．By detecting some bats and dolphins. |
| C．By using the resulting echo to sense their surroundings. |
| D．By taking in information about social networks and locating themselves. |
| A．Problems caused by group chats. |
| B．Importance of a standard etiquette. |
| C．Messages keeping flooding in and adding up. |
| D．What degree of responsiveness is required. |
| A．It is a part-time job. |
| B．It is just a way to keep relationship. |
| C．It brings us more fright than pleasure. |
| D．It helps us find true friends. |
2 . Dulse (掌状红皮藻) grows along northern, rocky coastlines of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. And its colourful, soft leaves hide an amazing taste. “I think it is a food of the future,” says Chris Langdon. He has been studying dulse for more than ten years at Oregon State University in Portland. He has found new ways to grow it faster. It not only grows cheaply and easily, but also is rich in protein (蛋白质). Those qualities allow creative cooks to bring this unlikely treat to our favourite restaurants.
People need to seek out new foods because the world has so many mouths to feed. As of2015, there are more than seven billion people on Earth, and by 2100 that number may double according to the UN. Feeding all of these people means not only improving the way food is grown, but also finding new foods. If nothing changes, within 35 years, the world’s population will be greater than the amount of food produced according to a report prepared by the Global Harvest Initiative.
Global warming is changing food production. Scientists say that rising temperatures will reduce the growth of important crops (作物) like wheat and corn. Developing countries will be hit the hardest. When crops fall, they will become more expensive. And since those foods are also used to feed animals like cows and pigs, meat prices will also rise.
All over the world, researchers are racing against the clock to work out how to best feed more people in the world. And some surprising ideas have begun to come out. Two years ago, scientists made the first burger from meat grown in a lab, rather than taken from an animal. The project cost more than $300,000, but it's a good start. Other researchers are developing crops that can grow well in the heat. Still others are finding ways to make meat animals produce more meat.
1. What can be known about dulse?| A．It will put other plants in danger. | B．It has been served at restaurants. |
| C．It might be harmful to humans. | D．It can be turned into tasty food. |
| A．Positive. | B．Uncaring. | C．Concerned. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．They will be reduced in production. | B．They will become cheap. |
| C．They will grow much more quickly. | D．They will feed more people. |
| A．A guide book. | B．A science magazine. | C．A children's story. | D．A health report. |
3 . When the PISA worldwide educational comparisons came out late in 2023, most countries fell to wondering how to do better. Spain had lost ground since the last time the tests were done in 2018. But students in Catalonia lost even more. Besides, native Spanish-speakers did worse than Catalan-speakers, which soon led to the blame on language policy.
In the 1980s Catalonia began a transition to teaching all subjects in Catalan, except Spanish. Several years ago the region’s top court ruled that at least 25% of classes must be given in Spanish. The regional government, led by separatists, then passed a law allowing individual school heads to raise or lower the level of teaching in Spanish, according to their need.
A new report for the Association for Bilingual Schools in Catalonia (AEB), which campaigns for more Spanish, said that hardly any schools have changed their published policies. And so they requested the European Parliament to investigate whether pupils’ basic rights had been violated. The week before Christmas a delegation made a fact-finding trip. The Catalan education secretary says they came having already made up their minds that the region’s language policy harms pupils’ performance.
In the Escola San Jaume, a primary school in El Prat de Llobregat, a heavily Spanish-speaking town near Barcelona, all signs are in Catalan. Only about 10% of the pupils are native Catalan-speakers, says the director, Arturo Ramírez. Despite the never-ending discussion across Spain, it is one largely achieved in Catalonia, where over 80% of the population speaks and reads Catalan, and everyone, except some immigrants, speaks Spanish too. Watching the happy students on his playground, Mr Ramírez says “There is no problem here. The problem is outside the building.”
1. What caused the blame on language policy?| A．That the native Catalan-speakers did better than Spanish-speakers in PISA. |
| B．That Spain had lost ground. |
| C．That most countries was wondering how to do better. |
| D．That the PISA worldwide educational comparisons came out. |
| A．At least 25% of classes must be given in Spanish. |
| B．All subjects were taught in Catalan. |
| C．Raise or lower the level in teaching according to need. |
| D．The regional government passed a law. |
| A．100%. | B．50%. | C．75%. | D．1%. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Neutral. | C．Confident. | D．Unclear. |
4 . The ocean depths contain the metals needed for the widespread use of battery-dependent technologies like electric vehicles, which will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Interested parties see this as a solution to our technological demands and the pressing need for a “green transition”. However, it raises a crucial question: should we mine the deepest stretches of the world’s oceans?
Some scientists and activists warn that seabed mining could cause an irreversible (不可逆的) chain reaction, severely harming the ocean and threatening entire ecosystems on the ocean floor. There are also potential risks to our health, including toxic metals entering the human food chain, and affecting climate change. The most significant direct impact of mining in remote ecosystems is the probable loss of habitat and biodiversity.
Dr Chong Chen is a deep sea biologist at the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC). “There are undoubtedly many undiscovered species with abilities and functions that we cannot even imagine exist,” he says, “and we could lose them without knowing they ever existed.”
The mining process also disturbs seabed sediments (沉积物) and releases them back into the sea, raising additional concerns among scientists. Mining is for metals, whose stability of the construction are unchecked. “Some of those may be broken down and be directly into the water column,” says Jeffrey Drazen, professor of Oceanography with the University of Hawaii at Manoa. “Some of these metals are toxic to life.” says Professor Drazen. At the same time, he acknowledges the core challenge is ensuring whether the benefits of extracting (提取) deep-sea mineral resources outweigh the potential harm to our ecosystem. He notes that it’s a tough choice.
The positive development is that, for the first time, companies, governments, and civil society are actively participating in international discussions to create rules and regulations for the deep-sea mining industry before it begins.
1. What’s the purpose of the last sentence in Paragraph 1?| A．To introduce the topic. | B．To give some evidence. |
| C．To define the phenomenon. | D．To reveal the conception. |
| A．Sediments. | B．Seabed. | C．Metals. | D．Mineral resources. |
| A．The deep-sea mining will not do more harm than good to the people. |
| B．The deep-sea mining has a big impact on ecosystem and human beings. |
| C．A regulatory framework for the deep-sea mining industry has been established. |
| D．Many undiscovered species are bound to extinct according to Dr Chong Chen. |
| A．Skeptical. | B．Objective. | C．Indifferent. | D．Positive. |
