1 . Knock knock. Starting from Nov. 1, people will be knocking on doors across the country to collect personal information. But don't panic. This is for the seventh national population(人口普查).
The Chinese population census takes place every 10 years. It gathers data including name, age, ID number, gender, education, job, marital status and housing situation.
Tracking down more than 1 billion Chinese citizens is by no means easy. This year, about 7 million staff will be needed to visit homes for registration work, according to Xinhua. New methods will also be used during this census, including online information registration, application of electronic devices and big data.
Compared with previous surveys, new methods will be convenient for people who are not living where they are officially registered, as well as those who do not want to be bothered by census takers' door-to-door surveys. The new methods also reduce census takers' workload.
The data is expected to give a full picture of the population, including its size, structure and distribution and recent changes. It provides support for making national development policies.
The census has a large impact on our lives. For instance, areas with a high number of children may receive more funding for public schools. Researchers can use the results to investigate population trends in different cities. The census will help to find out the number of foreigners living in China. It can also tell how many Chinese people have moved to other countries.
However, citizens' privacy concerns could be one of the biggest challenges. Some may not be willing to give their personal information to census takers because they are worried about what the data would be used for.
There are also worries about privacy leakage among the public.
In response to such concerns, Jiangsu's pilot work zone allowed residents to upload personal data on their own through WeChat, which avoids information leakage. The data will be delivered directly to the National Bureau of Statistics through a WeChat program, the Global Times reported.
1. Who can benefit from new methods during this census?| A．People whose work as census takers. |
| B．People who are living where they are officially registered. |
| C．People who prefer to be bothered by census takers' door-to-door surveys. |
| D．People who are worried about personal data. |
| A．The number. | B．The census. |
| C．A large impact. | D．China. |
| A．The National Bureau of Statistics requires residents to make their information secure. |
| B．Residents' personal information will be protected safely by census takers. |
| C．Residents can use WeChat to deliver their personal data to the National Bureau of Statistics . |
| D．Residents can refuse to provide their information as they like. |
| A．To tell us people will be knocking on doors across the country. |
| B．To clarify the importance of privacy. |
| C．To report the results of the census. |
| D．To inform us national survey trials new methods. |
2 . Facebook and other social media companies should make children aware that their online activity is monitored by their parent or carer, under a code to improve child Internet safety in the UK.
Turning off the “like” function, and limiting data collection and geolocation tools on popular platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, are among a 16-point list of recommendations for age-appropriate design released by the Information Commisioner’s Office (ICO).
It said some techniques, which platforms employ to encourage users to use them, including Facebook “likes”, should not be used to try to keep under-18s online for longer. Other recommendations under the ICO’s code of practice for Internet companies, which platforms would be responsible for carrying out, include:
*Limiting how children’s personal data is collected, used and shared by social media companies.
*Making “high privacy” the default (默认) setting for children using social media platforms unless there is a convincing reason not to.
*Requiring social media companies to show that all staff involved in the design and development of services likely to be used by children obey the code of practice.
*Introducing age checks on platforms or treating all users as if they were children.
Companies that do not stick to the code could face fines of up to 4% of their global turnover, around $1.6 bn for Facebook. The consultation ended at the end of May, and the final version of the code of practice, regarded as a new international standard is expected to come into effect by 2020.
Elizabeth Denham, the information commissioner, said, “This is the connected generation. The Internet and all its wonders have been a part of their everyday lives. We shouldn’t have to prevent our children from being able to use it, but we must demand that they should be protected when they do. This code does that.”
The ICO sought views from parents and children while developing the code of practice, as well as those of designers, app developers and academics.
The NSPCC children’s charity said social networks had “continually failed to put child safety first in their design”, resulting in “bad consequences”. “That’s why it is vital this code requires children to be given the highest privacy settings by default and forces companies to act in the best interests of children,” the NSPCC’s associate head of child safety online Andy Burrows said.
Lady Beeban Kidron, the chair of the 5Rights Foundation and who led the debate about the creation of the recommendations, said, “For too long we have failed to recognize children’s rights and needs online. I firmly believe in the power of technology to transform lives, be a force for good and rise to the challenge of promoting the rights and safety of our children. But in order to fulfill that role, it must consider the best interests of children, not simply its own commercial interests.”
1. Why did the ICO create the code?| A．To protect social media companies. |
| B．To ensure children’s safety on the Internet. |
| C．To prevent under-18s from staying online. |
| D．To reduce the functions of popular platforms. |
| A．They’ll be fined. |
| B．They’ll receive warnings. |
| C．They’ll be required to apologize. |
| D．They’ll have to stop their platforms. |
| A．She has a low opinion of popular platforms. |
| B．She considers the code to be quite necessary. |
| C．She fails to recognize children’s needs online. |
| D．She expects children to avoid using the Internet. |
| A．Praise. | B．Define. | C．Meet. | D．Find. |
3 . Vegetable gardens may not be as visually pleasing as the variety of flowers, but Floridians looking to save some green by growing their own salad fixings can soon do so without fear. Gov. Ron DeSantis this week signed a law that bans local governments from carrying orders against homeowners from raising veggies in their yards.
The law, which takes effect July 1, puts an end to that particular power of towns and cities across the state to prohibit vegetable gardens for “aesthetic（审美的）purposes”.
The issue became a cause after a couple living in Miami Shores Village opposed the decision of a $ 50 a day fine for growing vegetables in their front yard, as they’d done for years.
Hermine Ricketts and her husband Tom Carroll fought City Hall in a case that wound its way up the state’s court system, with judges consistently ruling against their money-saving and health-conscious project.
After the Florida Supreme Court ruled in favor of Miami Shores’ right to control design and landscaping standards, the couple replaced their vegetables with pink flamingos (红鹳花) .
Their cause was not lost, however. State lawmakers proposed and passed a law that effectively voids the court rulings, with Rob Bradley, who sponsored the bill, reportedly calling the village’s action a “vast overreach”.
The lawmaker noted the difficulty that many families experience getting fresh and affordable food, calling bans against vegetable and fruit gardens ridiculous.
About a third of all households in the U. S. grow some of their own food, according to the National Gardening Association. The group says a 600-square-foot garden that costs around $ 70 a year to keep can grow 300 pounds of fresh produce worth about $ 600 annually.
1. Why will some Floridians plant salad fixings?| A．To protect the environment. | B．To beautify their home. |
| C．To build their own gardens. | D．To cut daily expenses. |
| A．They started a public health-conscious campaign. |
| B．They never gave in to the Miami Shores’ demand. |
| C．They paid a $50 daily fine to Miami Shores Village. |
| D．They were not backed by the Florida Supreme Court. |
| A．It’s sensible. | B．It’s ridiculous. |
| C．It’s ambitious. | D．It’s costly. |
4 . Hundreds of new drivers have been given bans (禁令) for using their mobile phones at the wheel, as part of stricter new laws introduced. In March, the punishment for driving while on the phone was doubled to six points — meaning drivers with less than two years’ experience faced a ban.
New laws meant the punishment for being caught on a mobile phone at the wheel was increased to six points. The new rules were introduced in England, Scotland and Wales. Drivers who get six points within two years of passing their test will lose their licence, creating a one-strike rule for mobile phone users. To get back behind the wheel, new drivers have to retake both the theory and practical parts of the driving test.
Mr Williams in the RAC said, “These people have spent hours and hours and hundreds of pounds learning to drive to gain their personal freedom only to throw it all away through this foolish behaviour. The only comfort is that they won’t be drawn into some terrible crashes caused by the distraction (使人分心的事物) of a hand-held mobile phone.”
When the new laws were introduced, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said they would act as a strong warning to mobile phone users. However, the numbers suggested a total of 15,752 drivers received the punishment of six points for using a mobile phone between March and August. This is an increase from 15, 237 drivers in the same period of last year.
National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead on roads Policing, Chief Constable Anthony Bangham, said the police took the offence (违法行为) seriously. “This is not a small offence and is never a risk worth taking because a moment’s distraction behind the wheel can change lives forever.” “Our message is simple — don’t do it,” he added.
1. What can we infer from Paragraph1?| A．The new laws have not been passed. |
| B．The new laws are not strict enough. |
| C．Drivers with less than two years’ experience won’t be affected. |
| D．Punishment for driving while phoning used to be three points. |
| A．He will be fined a lot. |
| B．He must learn the new rules. |
| C．He will lose his driving licence. |
| D．He will be given a warning. |
| A．traffic accidents were cut down |
| B．there were still many drivers who broke them |
| C．drivers thought the laws were unfair to them |
| D．fewer people broke them compared |
| A．The police didn’t take the new rules seriously. |
| B．The roads policy should be improved for safety. |
| C．A moment of carelessness may cause big accidents. |
| D．The laws need to be improved a lot and retested. |
