2 . Utah’s governor, Spencer Cox, recently signed two bills into law that strictly limit children’s use of social media platforms. Under the law, which takes effect next year, social media companies have to check the ages of all users in the state, and children under age 18 have to get agreement from their parents to have accounts. Parents will also be able to use their kids’ accounts, apps won’t be allowed to show children ads, and accounts for kids won’t be able to be used between 10:30 pm and 6:30 am without parental agreement.

While some people argue age limitation allows tech companies to collect even more data about users, let’s be real: These companies already have much private information about us. To solve this problem, we need a separate data privacy law. But until that happens, this concern shouldn’t stop us from protecting kids.

One of the key parts of the law is allowing parents to use their kids’ accounts. By doing this, the law begins to help address one of the biggest dangers kids face online: harmful content.

One huge challenge the law helps parents get over is the amount of time kids are spending on social media. A 2022 survey found that, on average, children aged 8 to 12 spend 5 hours and 33 minutes per day on social media while those aged 13 to 18 spend 8 hours and 39 minutes daily. It’s warned that lack of sleep is connected with serious harm to children — everything from injuries to depression (抑郁), fatness and diabetes. So, parents need to have a way to ensure their kids aren’t up on social media platforms all night.

Considering the experiences many kids are having on social media, this law will help Utah’s parents protect their kids. Parents in other states need the same support. Now, it’s time for the government to step up and ensure children throughout the country have the same protection as Utah’s kids.

1. Which is allowed according to the new bill?

A．Ads can be put on to children.

B．Children can use social media freely.

C．Parents can check their kids’ accounts.

D．Related companies protect users’ accounts.

2. Why are some people concerned about the new bill?

A．Because children’s right to surf the Internet is limited.

B．Because more personal information may be given away.

C．Because it prevents the data privacy law from taking effect.

D．Because children may become too dependent on the Internet.

3. What benefit will limiting children’s Internet time bring?

A．Higher learning efficiency.

B．Better personal eating habits.

C．Easier access to healthy media.

D．Improved physical and mental health.

4. What is the author’s attitude towards the new law?

A．Supportive.

B．Doubtful.

C．Flexible.

D．Negative.

4 . Beijing No 4 Intermediate People’s Court said on Thursday that it concluded 77 cases of smuggling (走私) precious animal products from the beginning of 2015 to June this year, with about 40 percent of defendants (被告) given prison terms of three or more years. The products were found to be frequently made of body parts of some endangered wild animals such as elephants, turtles, bears and wolves, Wang Jing, vice-president of the court, told a news conference.

”Most of the defendants were migrant workers, students and tourists coming back to China,“ Wang said. ”Some aimed to sell the products for profits or send to friends and family members as gifts, while they wanted to use them to help with diseases.“

Wang explained that some of the defendants received heavier penalties (刑罚), such as a long-term imprisonment and a high fine, because the animal parts they smuggled were from animals listed on the national key protection of wildlife or related to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora(CITES). For example, a defendant surnamed Yan was sentenced to 10 years in prison, along with 200,000 yuan($27,968)in fines, for smuggling 393 fish bladder products, the court said. Yan was caught while arriving at the Beijing Capital International Airport from Mexico on March 21, 2018, and the suspected products were discovered by the customs staff members in Yan’s luggage, it said. The products were later identified as being made of drum fish in Gulf of California, and the fish is listed on the CITES, it said, adding that the products were worth of about 2.51 million yuan($351,000).

To effectively fight the crime, the court has issued a guideline on the smuggling of precious animal products to help judges accurately apply laws and unify (统一) the standards of relevant case hearings.

On Thursday, the court also disclosed four other smuggling cases, showing its determination and effort to protect precious animals by rule of law.

1. What did Wang Jing tell the news conference in paragraph 1?

A．Who the products would be sold to.	B．Where the wild animals came from.
C．What the products were made of.	D．How the wild animals were caught.

2. How many years was the defendant surnamed Yan sentenced to in prison?

A．Five years.

B．Seven years.

C．Ten years.

D．Twelve years.

3. Which can replace the underlined word ”disclose“ in the last paragraph?

A．Have some doubt about.	B．Feel a little upset about.
C．Try to discover facts about.	D．Give people information about.

4. What can be a suitable title for the news report?

A．Beijing court handles 77 cases of smuggling animal products

B．Beijing court makes an effort to recognize wild animals products

C．Beijing court helps judges apply laws about smuggling animal products

D．Beijing court issues guideline on smuggling of precious animal products

6 . People who cross the street while looking at their phones may be fined in the city of Xiamen, Fujian province, as traffic police officers are enforcing (施行) a local regulation that was put into effect on August 1st.

A pedestrian who was crossing the street on Tuesday while looking at their phone was given a warning, becoming the city’s first to receive a reprimand (训斥) for the behavior.

The Traffic Safety Regulation on Zebra Lines in Xiamen Special Economic Zone, made into a law on Tuesday, states pedestrians should not browse their electronic devices or engage in other activities that may end anger traffic safety while using crossing lanes. Those who violate this rule and delay or stop the progress of the normal passage of vehicles are supposed to be given a warning or a fine of 50 yuan($7).

The regulation was made in response to motions by legislators (立法委员) to the Xiamen people’s congress. “Through putting uncivilized behavior right via legal means, we hope to create a better environment for drivers and pedestrians to better understand and interact with each other,” said Wu Tao, an official at the local congress.

Su Guoqiang, a deputy to the congress among those who raised the motion, said more than 20 percent of traffic accidents in Xiamen happened on crosswalks. “We hope to use the punishment of the ‘small’ act of browsing phones as something to prevent people from doing such a thing,” he told China Central Television.

Peng Chong, a traffic police officer in Xiamen, told CCTV for the time being they will mostly educate and warn violators and make everyone involved in traffic aware of the rules.

1. What does the underlined word “motions” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Formal invitations.	B．Formal features.
C．Formal proposals.	D．Formal apologies.

2. What is the fifth paragraph mainly about?

A．The concrete contents of the punishment.

B．The reason why the motion was put forward.

C．The reason why people browse phones on crosswalks.

D．The factors that have an influence on traffic on streets.

3. How do police officers punish people violating the law at present according to Peng Chong?

A．Mostly by giving them a ticket.	B．Mostly by giving them a warning.
C．Mostly by making them recite the law.	D．Mostly by making them catch another violator.

4. What can serve as the best title for the news report?

A．Pedestrians on crosswalk warned not to end anger traffic safety in Xiamen

B．Xiamen expects drivers and pedestrians to better understand each other

C．20 percent of traffic accidents in Xiamen happen on crosswalks

D．Xiamen regulation on crosswalk behavior enters force

7 . Dogs are welcome in the outdoor areas of restaurants in New York, US. In the past, health and safety laws made it illegal (违法的) to bring dogs to any restaurant in New York. But last May state lawmakers voted (表决) to let people bring dogs to restaurants that have tables outdoors: Not one lawmaker voted no. The law was soon passed. Several special rules are included in this law. The dogs must be kept on a leash (皮带). Dogs must not share water bowls. Also, restaurants can choose to let people bring dogs or not.

New York joins California, Florida and Maryland in the list of states with similar laws. In many European countries, bringing dogs to restaurants is common. Paris in France has allowed dogs to go with their owners in restaurants for a long time.

Governor Andrew Cuomo believes that this new law will help businesses grow. But not all New Yorkers are happy about this new law. Christopher Miller is the spokesman for the New York City Department of Health. He told the New York Daily News that letting dogs in restaurants could cause problems. “The Health Department loves all dogs, but just not at restaurants where they can create a risk to the health and safety of diners, restaurant workers and other dogs,” Miller said.

New York City is often the center of the new ideas in the US. A law asking some restaurants in the city to show the amount of calories (卡路里数量) in the food they served was passed in 2009. The city leader tried unsuccessfully to stop the sale of large amounts of soft drinks in 2012. Smoking was made illegal in restaurants in 1993.

1. What can we know about the new law from Paragraph 1?

A．Who made it.	B．Why it was made.
C．Why there are special rules.	D．What the special rules are.

2. How many states in America have similar laws now?

A．Two.

B．Three.

C．Four.

D．Five.

3. What did Christopher Miller think of the new law?

A．It could help businesses grow.	B．It could be bad for the environment.
C．It could bring health and safety problems.	D．It could make people pay more attention to dogs.

4. Which of the following is illegal in restaurants in New York City now?

A．Smoking.	B．Bringing dogs.
C．Supplying high-calorie food.	D．Selling soft drinks in big cups.

8 . “There is one and only one social responsibility of business,” wrote Milton Friedman, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, “that is, to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits.” But even if you accept Friedman’s statement and regard corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies as a waste of shareholders’ money, things may not be absolutely clear-cut. New research suggests that CSR may create monetary value for companies at least when they are charged with corruption (腐败).

The largest firms in America and Britain together spend more than $15 billion a year on CSR, according to an estimate by EPG, a consulting firm. This could add value to their businesses in three ways. First, consumers may take CSR spending as a “signal” that a company’s products are of high quality. Second, customers may be willing to buy a company’s products as an indirect way to donate to the good causes it helps. And third, through a more diffuse (分散的) “halo effect” its good deeds earn it greater consideration from consumers and others.

Previous studies on CSR have had trouble distinguishing these effects because consumers can be affected by all three. A recent study attempts to separate them by looking at bribery prosecutions (起诉) under American’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). It argues that since prosecutors do not consume a company’s products as part of their investigations, they could be influenced only by the halo effect.

The study finds that, among prosecuted firms, those with the most comprehensive CSR programmes tend to get more lenient punishments. Their analysis rules out the possibility that it is the firm’s political influence, rather than its CSR stance, that accounts for the leniency: Companies that contribute more to political campaigns do not receive lower fines.

In all, the study concludes that whereas prosecutors should only evaluate a case based on its merits, they do seem to be influenced by a company’s record in CSR. “We estimate that either eliminating a substantial labor-rights concern, such as child labor, or increasing corporate giving by about 20% result in fines that generally are 40% lower than the typical punishment for bribing foreign officials.” says one researcher.

Researchers admit that their study does not answer the question at how much businesses ought to spend on CSR. Nor does it reveal how much companies are relying on the halo effect, rather than the other possible benefits, when companies get into trouble with the law, evidence of good character can win them a less costly punishment.

1. The author views Milton Friedman’s statement about CSR with___________.

A．uncertainty

B．interest

C．approval

D．tolerance

2. According to Paragraph 2, CSR helps a company by___________.

A．guarding it against malpractices	B．protecting it from consumers
C．winning trust from consumers	D．raising the quality of its products

3. The underlined expression “more lenient” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to___________.

A．less debatable

B．more lasting

C．more effective

D．less severe

4. When prosecutors evaluate a case, a company’s CSR record___________.

A．comes across as reliable evidence	B．has an impact on their decision
C．is considered part of the investigation	D．increases the chance of being punished

9 . 课本原文填空。

Besides such ethical concerns, the legal situations the autonomous vehicle industry is likely to be confronted with have     1     heated debates. In this emerging industry, manufacturing and programming standards are not yet     2    . Moreover, the quality and safety of the technology used in self-driving cars is still being challenged. This could lead to extraordinary cases like who should be held     3     when self-driving cars are involved in accidents — should it be the driver, the software programmer or the manufacturer? Manufacturing and programming standards first have to be agreed upon to make it possible for law courts to decide who is at fault when things go wrong. As     4     in autonomous vehicle design and technology are in progress, the final agreement on laws and regulations     5     this industry remains to be seen.

10 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

A TV play called The Knockout (《狂飙》) has been heatedly discussed by national lawmakers, political advisers and cultural experts. It reminds them     1    (create) a good environment for the rule of law.

It is the first play to describe the country’s fight     2     organized crime and educate people about the judicial (司法的) system. It tells the story of     3     police officer’s 20-year journey in the battle against such crime, and also shows the rise and fall of underworld figures and dishonest     4    (official). The 39-episode play began screening on CCTV and iQiyi, a provider of     5    (stream) services at the beginning of this year. It received a rating of 8.5 out of 10 on Douban, one of the country’s most-visited review platforms. Even though more than a month     6    (pass) since the series ended, discussion continues on China’s social media platforms, with many people praising the plot and the actors’ performances.

Talking about the play’s success, Jiang Shengnan, a scriptwriter, suggested that people in the film     7     TV industries should focus more on legal issues because the rule of law is     8    (great) close to everyone’s interests. She highlighted the     9    (profession) nature of the scripts, adding that such qualities are vital to attracting audiences and helping     10    (far) develop people’s legal awareness.