Children are becoming addicted to social media for their sense of self-worth, a major study warned. It found many youngsters measure their status(形象) by public approval they get online, often through “likes”. Some change their conduct in real life to improve their image online.
The research into youngsters aged from 8 to 16 was carried out by Children's Commissioner(专员) Anne Longfield. She said social media firms were exposing children to major psychological risks, with some youngsters starting secondary school ill-equipped to deal with the huge pressure they faced online. Youngsters felt their friendships could be at risk, not responding to social media posts quickly and around the clock.
Children aged 8 to 10 were "starting to feel happy" when others liked their posts. However, those in the 10 to 12 age group were "concerned with how many people like their posts", indicating a “need” for social recognition that gets stronger the older they become.
Children tended to compare themselves to others online. "Then there is this push to connect—if offline, will you miss something, will you miss out, will you show you don't care about those you are following, all come together in a huge way at once." Miss Longfield said, "For children it’s very difficult to handle." The Commissioner found children as young as 8 were using social media platforms largely for fun.
However, the research—involving eight groups of 32 children aged 8 to 12—suggested that as they grew, they became increasingly anxious online. When they started secondary school—at age 11—children were already far more conscious of their image online and felt more pressure to ensure popularity of their posts, the research found.
Meanwhile, they still did not know how to dispose of mean-spirited jokes, or the possible sense of inability if compared with celebrities(名人) or more brilliant friends online. They also faced pressure to respond to messages at all hours of the day—especially at secondary school when more youngsters have mobile phones.
The Commissioner advocated schools and parents do more to prepare children for the emotional minefield(雷区) . "It's vital that new age-appropriate relationship and sex education lessons help equip children to deal with growing demands of social media.” Social media companies must "take more responsibility" and monitor websites better or adjust their websites to the needs of youngsters.
1.What may account for Children’s addiction to social media?
A.To get their status recognized. B.To reduce psychological risks.
C.To change their conduct in real life. D.To deal with huge emotional pressure.
2.How was the research conducted?
A.It covered children of all ages.
B.It sought assistance help from parents.
C.It was sponsored by social media companies.
D.It divided children into groups and compared them.
3.During the process of addiction, children have a tendency to ________.
A.switch off from social media platforms
B.become less conscious of their image online
C.pick up anxiety and pressure steadily while becoming older
D.develop skills to dispose of mean-spirited jokes and the sense of loss
4.How should the problem solved according to Anne Longfield ?
A.Children should be banned from visiting the web.
B.Schools must keep track of children's use of social media.
C.It demands cooperation among families, schools and companies.
D.Social media companies need to create more apps to satisfy youngsters.
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
In a world where nearly 6 million fingerprint records of government employees are stolen in one computer hack, and where millions of people are victims of identity theft every year, the next step in cyber security may well be mapping your brain.
Researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York arc working on a biometric (生物特征 识别的)system that records how your brain reacts to certain images. With a little more polishing, the scientists' brainchild could become the way you get into a safe deposit box, your office or past scanners at the airport. It could replace the password for your online banking, your email or your social media accounts.
They started their project by measuring the brain waves of 30 subjects. The subjects were fitted with a cap that had 30 electrodes (电极)attached to it, and then shown various images and symbols — celebrity faces, words, pictures of food --- on a computer screen in 200-millisecond bursts. The brain\ reaction was recorded.
The idea is that every time a person needs to use a “password", he or she goes through the same procedure, and the results are matched with their first-time reaction. If the "brainprint" is compromised --- like what happened with the fingerprint records --- then the system is merely reset by running another set of images and collecting a different set of brain waves。. "Even if that was stolen, you could just cancel it and record one to something else", says professor Laszlo.
Laszlo and her team have shown that their system can be 100 percent accurate. So one of the more difficult parts of making the system practical already has been overcome. Now, they're spending much time recording accurate brainprints with as few as three electrodes, which could make recording in the future as easy as wearing a pair of special glasses. They're also working with cheaper materials and different methods to see if they can bring the cost down.
1.What does the underlined word "brainchild" in paragraph 2 refer to?
A.The brain function. B.The fingerprint record.
C.The online password. D.The biometric system.
2.Why were the images and symbols shown to the subjects?
A.To check the brain's reaction.
B.To create their brainprints.
C.To match brainprints with pictures.
D.To connect brain waves to electrodes.
3.What will happen when a brainprint fails?
A.A new one will be set
B.A spare one will be made ready beforehand.
C.The users' identity will be stolen.
D.The fingerprint record will replace it.
4.What are the researchers doing with the program now?
A.Improving its accuracy.
B.Recording more brainprints.
C.Making it user-friendly.
D.Increasing the number of electrodes.
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Unexpected connection between sleep and academic performance has been recently discovered.
Researchers have found that insufficient sleep and tiredness increase a person's risk of developing severe medical conditions, such as obesity (肥胖症),high blood sugar levels, and heart disease. Now, a new study has found that getting sufficient sleep is also the key to improving academic performance.
Jeffrey Gross, the university science professor who led the research, was not trying to find the relationship between sleep and grades when he handed out smartwatches to the 100 students in his chemistry class. Instead, the professor hoped the wrist-worn devices, which track a personas physical activity, would show a connection between exercise and academic achievements.
While Grosses data showed no relationship between these two factors, the study found something surprising. As the researchers were analyzing their data, they noticed that there was a linear (线性的)relationship between the average amount of sleep the students got and their results in the course's 11 quizzes, three midterm tests, and the final exam.
Even more interesting, it was not sufficient for students to just head to bed early the night before a test Instead, it's the sleep you get during the days when learning is happening that matters most.
When students went to bed each night was similarly important. Those who went to bed in the early hours of the morning performed poorly, even if the total sleep time was the same as a higher-performing student. "When you go to bed matters," Gross says. “If you go to bed at 10, or 12, or 1 at night, and sleep for seven hours, your performance is the same. But if you go to bed after 2, your performance starts to go down even if you get the same seven hours' sleep. So, quantity isn't everything."
Perhaps the most interesting was the huge impact that small differences in sleep patterns had on the students' grades. The overall course grades of students averaging six and a half hours of sleep each night were 25% lower than students who averaged just one hour more sleep. Similarly, students who varied their bedtime by even one hour each night had grades that dropped 45% below those with more regular bedtime.
Who knew getting straight AM just required some extra sleep?
1.Based on his original objective, which best describes Professor Gross's research findings?
A.Convincing. B.Complete.
C.Accidental. D.Doubtful.
2.Who were the people taking part in the study?
A.Middle school chemistry students.
B.Volunteers from different universities.
C.University student athletes.
D.Professor Gross's own students.
3.How did Professor Gross's team measure students' academic performance?
A.Making the students wear special watches.
B.Using the students' normal test and quiz grades.
C.Giving the students regular quizzes after class.
D.Using students' university entrance test results.
4.Based on the study's fin dings, who is likely to perform best academically?
A.A student who has a good night's sleep the night before an important test.
B.A student who sleeps from 11 pm to 6 a.m. each day.
C.A student whose normal bedtime varies between 9 p.m. and 12 p.m.
D.A student who sleeps for a total of 7 hours each night.
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
California’s attack on second-hand smoke reached its historic high this New Year, when even indoor areas in bars and casinos became smoke-free by force of law. The rules on smoke exposure have taken a 180-degree turn in less than a generation. In the United States of my youth, every citizen was hostage(人质)to other people’s cigarettes in airplanes, in offices and in almost every other public place. Now the indoor areas of public life are all nonsmoking zones — an inconvenience for the 25% of adults who smoke, but a benefit of large proportions to the breathing system of the 75% who do not.
In the cold and flu, the greatest risk of appearing in public is not tobacco smoke, but rather contagious(接触传染的)disease. And strangers who would not dream of blowing smoke in your face seem happy enough about coughing and sneezing whenever they see you coming.
Isn’t there a double standard here, when the same folks prohibited from smoking in my office building can sneeze me home for a week of hell with the ruling bacterium of the season? Why don’t the contagious among us stay home or wear those cut little paper nose and mouth covers or at least feel bad about putting the rest of us at risk of sharing their misery?
Could it be that the similarity passing a law that requires germ-free public spaces. But two smaller lessons do come from the contrasting treatment of germs and cigarettes. The first lesson is that what we accept in public is much more a matter of particular social expectation than scientific studies. The French read scientific journals just as diligently as do Americans, yet the average French cafe contains more smoke than a forest fire. You are more likely to encounter a face full of tobacco smoke if you go to Japan this year than you would in Los Aneles. But you will also notice hundreds of people on the subway in Japan who wear paper mask to avoid spreading contagious disease that they carry. Which culture is more considerate depends on the particular subject of the inquiry. The standard for what is polite in public varies tremendously from one social setting to another.
1.The first paragraph tells us ________.
A.the rules on smoke exposure have become less strict
B.in the past people exposed to other people’s cigarettes complained a lot
C.in California, smoke-free zones in public places have existed for a long time
D.most people can benefit from banning indoor smoking in public places
2.What can be inferred from the passage?
A.People think coughing and sneezing are less harmful than smoking in public.
B.Sick people should live alone and stay home wearing paper masks all winter.
C.Strangers will feel bad when they cough and sneeze in front of other people.
D.Those with contagious diseases feel bad sharing their misery with others.
3.The tone of the passage is best described as ______.
A.encouraging B.worrying
C.carefree D.suspicious
4.What does the author want to express in this passage?
A.Learn from Japan. B.Don’t smoke indoors.
C.Pay attention to environmental germs. D.Stay home all winter.
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
When we walk through the city, we all experience a kind of information overload but we pay attention only to those that are important to us. We don’t stop, we keep our faces expressionless and eyes straight ahead, and in doing so, we are not just protecting ourselves but are avoiding overloading other people as well.
We make use of stereotypes (刻板的模式) as convenient ways to make quick judgements about situations and people around us. They may not always be accurate, and they can often be dangerously wrong, but they are used regularly.
The problem with the stereotypes is that they restrict experiences. By using limited clues to provide us with a rapid opinion of other people or places we may choose to limit our communication. We may decide not to go to certain places because we believe they will not offer something we enjoy.
In the city, styles of dress are particularly important with regard to self-presentation. Different groups often use clearly identifiable styles of clothes so that they can be easily recognized. It is becoming increasingly common for brand names to be placed on the outside of clothes, and this labeling makes it easy to send out information about fashion and price instantly, and lets others tell at a distance whether an individual has similar tastes and is a suitable person to associate with.
In England, where social grouping or class continues to make social distinctions(区分), clothes, hairstyles, people’s pronunciation and the manner of speaking are all clues to our social group. Class distinctions tend to be relatively fixed, although in the city where greater variety is permitted, they are more likely to be secondary determining factors of friendship and association.
1.People walking in cities ignore the surroundings because __________.
A.they do not wish to talk to other people B.everyone else is expressionless
C.the environment is already familiar to them D.there is too much information to take in
2.According to the passage, the main disadvantage of using stereotypes is that they __________.
A.are likely to lead us into dangerous situations
B.may make us miss some pleasant experiences
C.can rarely be relied on
D.make us mentally lazy
3.From the passage we may conclude that _________.
A.stereotypes can help to understand people fully
B.people are becoming more interested in fashion
C.dressing can send messages about individuals
D.stereotypes can do more harm than good to people
4.It would appear that in England, a person’s class __________.
A.might be less important in making friends in a city
B.is mainly determined by his pronunciation
C.plays less of a role than it did in the past
D.is something that can be changed easily
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
The problem of robocalls (自动语言电话) has gotten so bad that many people now refuse to pick up calls from numbers they don't know. By next year, half of the calls we receive will be scams(欺诈).We are finally waking up to the seriousness of the problem by supporting and developing a group of tools, apps and approaches intended to prevent scammers from getting through. Unfortunately, It’s too little, too late. By the time these "solutions" become widely available, scammers will have moved into cleverer means. In the near future, it's not just going to be number you see on your screen that will be in doubt. Soon you will also question whether the voice you're hearing is actually real.
That's because there are a number of powerful voice processing and automation technologies that are about to become widely available for anyone to use. At this year's I/O Conference, a company showed a new voice technology able to produce such a persuasive human-sounding voice that it was able to speak to a receptionist and book a reservation without being found.
These developments are likely to make our current problems with robocalls much worse. The reason why robocalls are a headache has less to do with amount than accurateness. A decade of data violation of personal information has led to a solution where scammers can easily learn your mother's name, and far more. Armed with this knowledge, they're able to carry out individually targeted campaigns to cheat people. This means, for example, that a scammer could call you from what looks to be a familiar number and talk to you using a voice that sounds exactly like your bank teller's, tricking you into "confirming" your address, mother's name, and card number. Scammers follow money, so companies will be the worst hit. A lot of business is still done over the phone, and much of it is based on trust and existing relationships. Voice processing technologies may weaken that gradually.
We need to deal with the insecure nature of our telecom networks. Phone consumers need to work together to find ways of determining and communicating what is real. That might mean either developing a uniform way to mark videos and images, showing when and who they were made by, or abandoning phone calls altogether and moving towards data-based communications-using apps like FaceTime or WhatsApp, which can be lied to your identity.
Reliability is hard to earn but easy to lose, and the problem is only going harder from now on.
1.How does the author feel about the solutions to the problem of robocalls?
A.Panicked.
B.Confused.
C.Embarrassed.
D.Disappointed.
2.Taking advantage of the new technologies, scammers can____________?
A.aim at victims accurately
B.damage databases easily
C.start campaigns rapidly
D.spread information widely
3.What does the passage want to say______________?
A.Honesty is the best quality.
B.Technologies can be double-edged.
C.There are more solutions than problems.
D.Reliability holds the key to development.
4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A.Where the Problem of Robocalls Is Rooted
B.Who is to Blame for the Problem of Robocalls
C.Why Robocalls Are About to Get More Dangerous
D.How Robocalls Are Affecting the World of Technology
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
He looked like a pirate.
With his handkerchief tied in a knot behind his little nine-year-old head, he looked like a pirate, a sad pirate. The first time little David came to our camp, he was hairless and worn out from medical treatments. He was also very angry.
Paul Newman's camp counselors (指导老师 ) were hoping to fill David's days with fun and laughter. But David stayed inside himself, wanting to be alone, or in a corner of the cabin. At this camp for children with life-threatening illnesses, we had seen some pretty tough children worn out by cancer recover full of energy despite their illness. But we saw little progress in David no matter what we tried with him. Five days into the eight-day session saw a quiet, sad little pirate.
Then something happened on that fifth night. Something at camp that we would call "huge". It was cabin night. That's the time when campers and counselors spend lime together in each individual cabin instead of an all-camp activity. Campers love cabin nights because there's always a bedtime snack. On the cabin table that night were bags of potato chips.
David slowly walked over to the table, leaving his comer to join the rest of us. He took one of the bags of the potato chips and started smashing(弄碎) it with his little fists, as all the other campers looked on in disbelief, I wondered what the cabin counselor would do.
The college-age volunteer counselor positioned a bag of chips on die table in front of himself, and he, too, started smashing it with his fist. The campers went crazy as everyone ran to the table to get in on the fun of smashing potato chips with their fists.
Somehow everyone knew, everyone sensed, that anger within him was now being released.
For the last couple days of the session, David was a different kid. He was a little nine-year-old boy again, trying to fill the hours of each remaining day at camp with as much fun as could be possible.
Several days after the session, David came back again. This time, there wasn't anything he wouldn't try to fit in to his day. He sure was having a great time at camp. David asked me if I needed an altar(祭坛)boy when I celebrated Mass in the woods. Sure enough, he was my altar boy. I remembered how carefully he listened to me when I talked about death. 1 said it's only a doorway. You walk through the door and there's the Lord God and behind God a whole line of people waiting to hug you.
After Mass, he said to me, "Hey Fatha, a door, huh?"
A couple more days of fun passed and tonight was the talent show. The tradition is that campers and counselors dress up in costumes, and everyone gets a standing applause for singing and dancing or simply just acting like fools on stage.
The show had begun: lights, camera, action.
Unfortunately, the only action taking place in our row of seats was little David making his way from counselor to counselor to say an early good-bye to camp. He had become quite ill and had to go to the hospital because of this new crisis.
When this little nine-year-old pirate stood in front of me, he gave me a hug and a big wet kiss on my cheek. 1 was crying. He was crying. A whole row of counselors was in tears. After the hug and kiss, he put his hands on my shoulders, and tears still in his eyes, said: "See you on the other side of the door, Fatha."
1.The camp counselors failed to fill David's beginning days with fun and laughter, mainly because David_____.
A.behaved like a pirate
B.remained in a bad mood
C.was left alone at the camp
D.was teased by other campers
2.Seeing David smashing the potato chips, the counselor did the same thing in response because he _____.
A.would like David to eat more of them
B.hoped all the other campers would join
C.found it possible to help David release anger
D.wanted to show that he was as angry as David
3.What can we learn from this article?
A.The camp was intended for those talented in singing and dancing.
B.The purpose of the camp was to give diseased children caring love.
C.The camp was popular among the children who enjoyed their vacation here.
D.Medical treatment could be provided to diseased children at the camp.
4.Which of the following does NOT show the change in David?
A.David came back to the camp for a second session after the first ended.
B.David had become quite ill and had to go to the hospital because of this new crisis.
C.David made his way from counselor to counselor to say an early good-bye to camp.
D.David stood in front of me and gave me a hug and a big wet kiss on my cheek.
5.What do you think the theme of the story is?
A.Children with deadly diseases are usually difficult to get along with.
B.People should have patience with children with life-threatening illnesses.
C.People should tell children with life-threatening illnesses to care nothing about death.
D.Love and proper guidance can help people look at something negative in a positive way.
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
If you’re reading this, it’s safe to assume you arrived by internet.
Maybe you caught the headline as it raced by on Twitter. Or you might be taking a break from watching a boring movie on Netflix.
It doesn’t matter. Because according to a new study, it all adds up to the same thing: one distraction(分心的事情)after another.
And the thing is, they’re welcome distractions. Because, as the research — published this week in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology — notes, people will do just about anything to avoid being left to their own thoughts.
For their study, researchers designed a sample test for more than 2,557 participants in 11 countries. They divided their test subjects into two groups. In the first group, people were asked to spend 10 to 15 minutes “entertaining themselves with their thoughts as best they could.”
Just sit back and think about things. Sounds good, doesn’t it? Well, not really. The second group — the one where people were told to surf the Net, play a video game, or even read a book — reported having much more fun. They scored more highly on entertainment and lower on boredom. And the preference for distraction seemed to be a global phenomenon, which may come as a surprise to Italians who are famously brilliant at doing nothing.
“The preference for doing external(外部的)activities such as reading, watching TV, or surfing the internet rather than ‘just thinking’ appears to be strong throughout the world,” the researchers note in the study.
But there does seem to be an important thing that hasn’t been included in the study. Shouldn’t the quality of thoughts matter? If you’ve got something positive to think about — say, how you’re going to spend your vacation or the great screenplay you’ve already half-written in your head — why are you reading this?
On the other hand, if you are always bothered by negative thoughts — a sad or painful experience, perhaps — by all means, keep scrolling(翻网页).
Unfortunately, we won’t be able to take up much of your time here; it’s a short study that gets to the point in a hurry. Don’t worry though. There’s a whole world of distractions out there. Say, have you seen that ship teetering at the brink of Niagara Falls? And how about those charming cows? Bet you didn’t know they could smell you from six miles away.
And that’s something to think about.
1.Why would the Italians be surprised at the phenomenon?
A.They prefer reading books to surfing the Net.
B.They’re convinced that thinking is significant.
C.They are used to being left to their own thoughts.
D.They seldom entertain themselves by surfing the Net.
2.How was the study conducted?
A.By reference research. B.By comparative study.
C.By theoretical analysis. D.By experimental study.
3.What seems to have been ignored in the study?
A.The quality of thoughts. B.The cause of the phenomenon.
C.The solution to the problem. D.The kinds of distractions.
4.What’s the tone of the passage?
A.Worried. B.Disappointed.
C.Serious. D.Humorous.
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Salty water just below the surface of Mars could hold enough oxygen to support the kind of microbial (微生物的) life that existed and developed quickly on Earth billions of years ago, researchers reported on Monday.
In some locations, the amount of oxygen available could even keep alive a primitive, multicellular (多细胞的) animal such as a sponge (海绵动物), they reported in the journal Nature Geosciences. "We discovered that brines-water with high concentrations of salt - on Mars can contain enough oxygen for microbes to breathe," said lead author Vlada Stamenkovic, a theoretical physicist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. "This fully revolutionizes our understanding of the potential for life on Mars, today and in the past. "
Up to now, it had been assumed that the trace (微量) amounts of oxygen on the Red Planet were insufficient to sustain even microbial life. "We never thought that oxygen could play a role for life on Mars due to its rarity in the atmosphere, about 0.14 percent," Stamenkovic said. By comparison, the life-giving gas makes up 21 percent of the air we breathe.
On Earth, aerobic-that is, oxygen breathing -life-forms evolved (净化) together with photosynthesis (光合作用), which converts CO2 into O2. The gas played a critical role in the existence of complex life, known after the so-called Great Oxygenation Event some 2.35 billion years ago.
But our planet also holds microbes -at the bottom of the ocean, in boiling hot springs -that live in environments lack of oxygen. "That's why -whenever we thought of life on Mars -we studied the potential for anaerobic (无氧的)life," Stamenkovic said.
1.The underlined word "insufficient" in Para. 3 means " ______ ".
A.enough B.not enough
C.wrong D.right
2.Vlada Stamenkovic may agree that ______ .
A.this research changes people's understanding of the potential for life on Mars
B.the life-giving gas makes up 31 percent of the air people breathe on earth
C.Great Oxygenation Event happened some 2.35 million years ago
D.earth holds microbial life at the bottom of the desert
3.The main idea of the passage is ______ .
A.Mars is fit for living
B.multicellular animals are living on Mars
C.oxygen plays a role for life on earth
D.Mars is likely to have enough oxygen to support life
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
FLORENCE, Italy—Svetlana Cojochru feels hurt. The Moldovan has lived here seven years as a caregiver to Italian kids and elderly, but in order to stay she’s had to prove her language skills by taking a test which requires her to write a postcard to an imaginary friend and answer a fictional job ad.
Italy is the latest Western European country trying to control a growing immigrant(移民) population by demanding language skills in exchange for work permits, or in some cases, citizenship.
Some immigrant advocates worry that as hard financial times make it more difficult for natives to keep jobs, such measures will become more a vehicle for intolerance than integration(融合). Others say it’s only natural that newcomers learn the language of their host nation, seeing it as a condition to ensure they can contribute to society.
Other European countries laid down a similar requirement for immigrants, and some terms are even tougher. The governments argue that this will help foreigners better join the society and promote understanding across cultures.
Italy, which has a much weaker tradition of immigration, has witnessed a sharp increase in immigration in recent years. In 1990, immigrants numbered some 1.14 million out of Italy’s then 56.7 million people, or about 2 percent. At the start of this year, foreigners living in Italy amounted to 4.56 million of a total population of 60.6 million, or 7.5 percent, with immigrants’ children accounting for an ever larger percentage of births in Italy.
Cojochru, the Moldovan caregiver, hoped obtaining permanent residence(居住权) would help her bring her two children to Italy; they live with her sister in Moldova, where salaries are among the lowest in Europe. She was skeptical that the language requirement would encourage integration.
Italians always "see me as a foreigner," an outsider, even though she’s stayed in the country for years and can speak the local language fluently, she said.
1.Why does Cojochru have to take a language test?
A.To continue to stay in Italy.
B.To teach her children Italian.
C.To find a better job in Italy.
D.To better mix with the Italians.
2.Some people worry that the new language requirement may ____________.
A.reduce Italy’s population quickly
B.cause conflicts among people
C.lead to financial difficulties
D.put pressure on schools
3.What do we know about Cojochru?
A.She lives with her sister now in Italy.
B.She enjoys learning the Italian language.
C.She speaks Italian well enough for her job.
D.She wishes to go back to her home country.
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析