1 . 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. |
2 . 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. |
3 . 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. |
4 . Thirty-two cases of illegal hunting or trading wild animals have been uncovered involving 33 suspects since a crackdown against illegal wildlife trade was launched on April 10.
Beijing police seized 74 wild animals grouped in China into the first-grade and second-grade state protected animals, including African grey parrots and cockatoos, as well as nearly 50 wild birds and 21 pangolin scales.
On April 16, police in the capital city’s Chaoyang district caught two suspects, who were respectively identified as Liu and Wang, for buying wild animals, and recovered more than 40 wild birds, including one cockatoo and one African grey parrot, at their homes, the statement said, adding the two suspects have been detained (拘留).
In another case, a 35-year-old man surnamed Hu was also sentenced to imprisonment in Daxing district after he was found selling wild animals through QQ, a popular instant messaging tool in the country. He was caught on April 14.
The bureau highlighted the importance of protecting the wildlife, noting Chinese laws and a new decision adopted by the nation’s top legislature (立法机关) have also shown the country’s determination against illegal trade of wild animals.
The Chinese Criminal Law clarifies that those illegally hunting, buying, selling or transporting wild animals on the state protection list, endangered animals or the wildlife-related products will face an imprisonment of more than 10 years and fines if their behaviors are identified as “extremely serious”.
On Feb 24, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the country’s top legislative body, also passed the decision that clearly states all wildlife on the protection list of the existing Wild Animal Protect Law or other laws, and all wild animals, including those artificially bred and farmed, are not permitted to be hunted or traded.
With the strict crackdown campaign against illegal trade of wild animals on the go in Beijing, the whole nation is attaching great importance to wild life protection.
1. The author mentions the cases at the very beginning of the passage to ______ .| A．explain the new laws on wildlife protection |
| B．show the present situation of wildlife extinction |
| C．highlight the problem of illegal trade of wild animals |
| D．introduce Beijing’s campaign against illegal wildlife trade |
| A．The number of wild animals is decreasing sharply. |
| B．Hunting and trading wildlife has become a nationwide concern. |
| C．Effective actions have been taken to prevent wildlife from illegal trade. |
| D．The strong action to stop trading illegal wild animals has a long way to go. |
| A．serious actions of trading wild animals will face fierce punishment |
| B．people risk heavy fines but no imprisonment for trade of wildlife |
| C．the trade of wildlife-related products will receive no punishment |
| D．those who hunt illegally may face 10 years of imprisonment |
| A．Determined. | B．Hopeful. | C．Unconcerned. | D．Doubtful. |
5 . Some Facts about Britain
School-leaving age
Children have to stay at school until the age of 16. There is no upper age limit.
Alcohol
You have to be 18 to buy alcohol in a shop, but if you’re 16 and you’re having a meal in a pub, you can drink beer or wine with it.
Motor vehicles
16-year-olds can ride a motorbike of up to 50 cc. At 17 you can ride any bike or drive a car.
Smoking
You can smoke cigarettes at any age, but you can’t go into a shop and buy them until you are 18.
Armed forces
Men can join the army at 16, women at 17. If you’re under 18, you need your parents’ permission.
Marriage
You can get married at 16 with your parents’ permission. Otherwise you have to wait till you’re 18.
Paid employment
You can take a part-time job at 14, and a full-time job at 16 (i.e. when you’ve left school).
Entering Parliament(议会)
The minimum age for becoming a Member of Parliament is 21.
1. What is the passage mainly about?| A．People and employment. | B．Children and smoking. |
| C．Age and the law. | D．Safety and traffic. |
| A．take a part-time job | B．drink beer or wine |
| C．drive a car | D．buy cigarettes |
| A．16 | B．17 | C．18 | D．21 |
| A．people can get married at 18 |
| B．people can buy alcohol in a shop at 16 |
| C．children have to study at school until 18 |
| D．a girl of 17 can join the army without asking her parents |
New E-Commerce Law Takes Effect
China’s new e-commerce law, which was passed last August, took effect on January 1. The law comes amid the rapid development of China into the world’s largest e-commerce market.
The law aims to regulate the market and create a sound
The new law will apply to three types of operators. These include e-commerce
The law will make all e-commerce platform operators
The implementation of the law may bring
But the new law does not aim to
Besides, the law will help clean up China’s reputation as a
7 . Tired of your ordinary earthly vacations? Some day soon you might be able to board a rocket and get a room with a view of the whole planet — from a hotel in space.
At least, that is the sales pitch(高调) of several companies racing to become the first to host guests in orbit on purpose-built space stations.
“It sounds kind of crazy to us today because it is not a reality yet,” said Frank Bunger, founder of U.S. aerospace firm Orion Span, one of the companies vying to take travellers out of this world. “But that’s the nature of these things, it sounds crazy until it is normal.”
U.S. multimillionaire Dennis Tito became the world's first paying space tourist in 2001, travelling to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket for a reported $20 million. A few others have followed. Since then, companies like Boeing, SpaceX and Blue Origin have been working on ways to bring the stars into reach for more people — opening up a new business frontier for would-be space hoteliers.
U.S. space agency NASA announced in June that it plans to allow two private citizens a year to stay at the ISS at a cost of about $35,000 per night for up to a month. The first mission could be as early as 2020.
But the growing movement has raised questions about the adequacy of current space laws, which mainly deal with exploration and keeping space free of weapons, not hotels and holidaymakers.
“It is difficult now to want to do things in space and get a clear answer from space law,” said Christopher Johnson, a space law adviser at the Secure World Foundation, a space advocacy group. “For something as advanced as hotels in space there is no clear guidance.”
1. What does the underlined word “vying” in Para. 3 mean?| A．Promising. | B．Competing. |
| C．Hesitating. | D．Risking. |
| A．To show he was wealthy enough. |
| B．To praise his contribution. |
| C．To tell us he was very brave. |
| D．To emphasize he took the lead. |
| A．By summary. | B．By comparison. |
| C．By listing figures. | D．By giving examples. |
| A．He opposes space travel. |
| B．He is in charge of a space law. |
| C．It’s urgent to make a space law. |
| D．Space hotels are badly needed. |
8 . Tired of your ordinary earthly vacations? Some day soon you might be able to board a rocket and get a room with a view of the whole planet — from a hotel in space.
At least, that is the sales pitch(高调) of several companies racing to become the first to host guests in orbit on purpose-built space stations.
“It sounds kind of crazy to us today because it is not a reality yet,” said Frank Bunger, founder of U.S. aerospace firm Orion Span, one of the companies vying to take travellers out of this world. “But that’s the nature of these things, it sounds crazy until it is normal.”
U.S. multimillionaire Dennis Tito became the world’s first paying space tourist in 2001, travelling to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket for a reported $20 million. A few others have followed. Since then, companies like Boeing, SpaceX and Blue Origin have been working on ways to bring the stars into reach for more people — opening up a new business frontier for would-be space hoteliers.
U.S. space agency NASA announced in June that it plans to allow two private citizens a year to stay at the ISS at a cost of about $35,000 per night for up to a month. The first mission could be as early as 2020.
But the growing movement has raised questions about the adequacy of current space laws, which mainly deal with exploration and keeping space free of weapons, not hotels and holidaymakers.
“It is difficult now to want to do things in space and get a clear answer from space law,” said Christopher Johnson, a space law adviser at the Secure World Foundation, a space advocacy group. “For something as advanced as hotels in space there is no clear guidance.”
1. What does the underlined word “vying” in Para. 3 mean?| A．Promising. | B．Competing. |
| C．Hesitating. | D．Risking. |
| A．To show he was wealthy enough. |
| B．To praise his contribution. |
| C．To tell us he was very brave. |
| D．To emphasize he took the lead. |
| A．By summary. | B．By comparison. |
| C．By listing figures. | D．By giving examples. |
| A．He opposes space travel. |
| B．He is in charge of a space law. |
| C．It’s urgent to make a space law. |
| D．Space hotels are badly needed. |
9 . Britain’s government is to introduce a law making it a legal requirement for the first time for every public sector (部门) worker in a public-facing role to speak English fluently, the Cabinet Office announced Sunday. The Cabinet Office said it will mean all public sector organisations must ensure staff can communicate effectively with the public, at what will be similar to a language skill good enough to pass a high-level high college exam.
A spokesman for the Cabinet Office said: “This requirement would increase depending on the nature of the role and profession. Doctors, for example, are already required to have a much higher level of English.”
“Organisations including the National Health Service (NHS), armed forces and state-funded schools will all be bound by a new code (法规) of practice which will be produced following a consultation in the autumn. The law and code of practice will apply to both existing and new employees working in public-facing roles.”
Hancock said: “We are controlling immigration (移民) for the benefit of all hard-working people. That includes making sure that foreign nationals employed in customer-facing public sector roles are able to speak English of a high standard. We have already introduced tough new language requirements for migrants, now we will introduce new law in the coming Immigration Bill to deliver the commitment (承诺) made by Prime Minister David Cameron to go further.”
The new primary law will be used to extend the same level of language control to every public sector worker in a customer facing role. It will include police officers, social workers, teaching staff and assistants, and local government employees. Added Minister Hancock: “This will be the first time there has been an approach to enforcing (强制实施) fluent English across the public sector and will create a consistent experience for taxpayers, while promoting integration (整合；一体化) and British values in the United Kingdom.”
1. In public sectors, the English requirement .| A．is going to apply only to new employees |
| B．will be different for different jobs |
| C．is the hardest for doctors |
| D．aroused a heated debate |
| A．People in Britain will have to work harder. |
| B．There are too many migrants in Britain. |
| C．It will be harder for foreigners to be Englishmen. |
| D．The requirement can help promote employment. |
| A．the new law will involve many public sectors |
| B．it may be hard to carry out the new law |
| C．many public sector workers can’t use English well |
| D．the new law may change British values |
| A．English is more and more popular and important in the world. |
| B．Fluent English will be a requirement in public sectors in Britain. |
| C．English can make a difference in effective communication at work. |
| D．A new primary law on immigration has been made in Britain. |
10 . The purpose of the American court system is to protect the rights of the people. According to American law, if someone is accused of a crime, he or she is considered innocent until the court proves that the person is guilty. In other words, it is the responsibility of the court to prove that a person is guilty. It is not the responsibility of the person to prove that he or she is innocent.
In order to arrest a person, the police have to be reasonable sure that a crime has been committed. The police must give the suspect the reasons why they are arresting him and tell him his rights under the law. Then the police take the suspect to the police station to “book” him. “Booking means that the name of the person and the charges against him are formally listed at the police station.
The next step is for the suspect to go before a judge. The judge decides whether the suspect should be kept in jail or released. If the suspect has no previous criminal record and the judge feels that he will return to court rather than run away -- for example, because he owns a house and has a family -- he can go free. Otherwise, the suspect must put up bail（保释金）. At this time, too, the judge will appoint a court layer to defend the suspect if he can’t afford one.
The suspect returns to court a week or two later. A lawyer from the district attorney’s office presents a case against the suspect. This is called a hearing. The attorney may present evidence as well as witnesses. The judge at the hearing then decides whether there is enough reason to hold a trial. If the judge decides that there is sufficient evidence to call for a trial, he or she sets a date for the suspect to appear in court to formally plead guilty（认罪）or not guilty.
At the trial, a jury of 12 people listens to the evidence from both attorneys and hears the testimony of the witnesses. Then the jury goes into a private room to consider the evidence and decide whether the defendant is guilty of the crime. If the jury decides that the defendant is innocent, he goes free. However, if he is convicted, the judge sets a date for the defendant to appear in court again for sentencing. At this time, the judge tells the convicted（宣判有罪的）person what his punishment will be. The judge may sentence him to prison, order him to pay a fine, or place him on probation（缓刑）.
The American justice system is very complex and sometimes operates slowly. However, every step is designed to protect the rights of the people. These individual rights are the basis, or foundation, of the American government.
1. What is the main idea of the passage?| A．The American court system requires that a suspect prove that he or she is innocent. |
| B．The US court system is designed to protect the rights of the people. |
| C．Under the American court system, judge decides if a suspect is innocent or guilty. |
| D．The US court system is designed to help the police present a case against the suspect. |
| A．the suspect is free to choose a lawyer to defend him |
| B．the suspect does not have to go to trial because the judge has decided he is innocent |
| C．the suspect will be informed by mail whether he is innocent or not |
| D．the suspect does not have to wait in jail or pay money until he goes to trial |
| A．To pay for the judge and the trial. |
| B．To pay for a court lawyer to defend the suspect. |
| C．To ensure that the suspect will return to court. |
| D．To ensure that the suspect will appear in prison. |
| A．The American justice system sometimes operates slowly |
| B．The police can arrest a suspect without giving any reasons. |
| C．It is the responsibility of the suspect to prove he is innocent. |
| D．The jury considers the evidence in the court room. |
