1 . 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. |
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. |
A.Higher learning efficiency. |
B.Better personal eating habits. |
C.Easier access to healthy media. |
D.Improved physical and mental health. |
A.Supportive. | B.Doubtful. | C.Flexible. | D.Negative. |
2 . 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 (惩罚), 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. The products were later identified as being made of drum fish in Gulf of California, and the fish is listed on the CITES, the court 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 does Wang Jing mainly express in paragraph 2?A.The diseases that the animal products can be used to cure people of. |
B.The way the defendants managed to get the animal products abroad. |
C.The reasons why the defendants brought the animal products from abroad. |
D.The people who the defendants were supposed to sell the animal products to. |
A.Yan was sentenced to one decade in prison without any fines. |
B.Yan was caught when trying to make a deal with someone. |
C.Yan’s products were made of a kind of endangered fish. |
D.Yan was a migrant worker, who came from Europe. |
A.Have some doubts about. | B.Feel a little upset about. |
C.Try to hide the truth about. | D.Give people information about. |
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 |
3 . 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. |
A.Five years. | B.Seven years. | C.Ten years. | D.Twelve years. |
A.Have some doubt about. | B.Feel a little upset about. |
C.Try to discover facts about. | D.Give people information about. |
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 |
The expensive trip to church was a surprise for Richard Albert, who lives right on the Canadian border. Like the other half-dozen people of Township 15, crossing the border is a daily occurrence for Albert. The nearby Quebec village of St. Pamphile is where they shop, eat and go to church.
There are many such situations in these areas along the largely unguarded 5,530-mile border between Canada and the US-which in some cases actually runs down the middle of streets or through buildings.
As a result, Albert says he did not expect any problems three weeks ago when he returned home to the US after attending church in Canada, as usual. The US customs(海关)station in this are is closed on Sundays, so be just drove around the locked gate, as he had done every weekend since the gate appeared last May, following a tightening of border security. Two days later. Albert was told to go to the customs office, where an officer told him be had been caught on camera crossing the border illegally(非法).
Ottawa has given out special passes to some 300 US citizens in that area so they can enter the country when Canadian customs stations are closed, but the US stopped a similar program last May. That forces the people to a 200-miledetour along hilly roads to get home through another border checkpoint.
Albert has requested that the customs office change their decisions on the fine, but he has not attended a Sunday church since. “I feel like I’m living in a prison,” he said.
1. We learn from the text that Richard Albert is .
A.an American living in Township 15 |
B.a Canadian living in a Quebec village |
C.a Canadian working in a customs station |
D.an American working in a Canadian church |
A.failed to obey traffic rules | B.broke the American security rules |
C.worked in St. Pamphile without a pass | D.damaged the gate of the customs office |
A.a drive through the town | B.a race across the fields |
C.a roundabout way of travelling | D.a journey in the mountain area |
A.A Cross-country Trip | B.A Special Border Pass |
C.An Unguarded Border | D.An Expensive Church Visit |