On a recent visit to the Museum of Modern Art with a friend and her daughter, wandering through the museum’s exhibits, I was struck by how often my friend's 13-year-old daughter asked us to take photos of her with her smart phone in front of the artwork. Then, she gazed at the photos which she would then post on Instagram, Snapchat and all the rest. She was not the only person who was doing this; it seemed everyone was busy taking photos of themselves “experiencing” the museum.
This is by no means a criticism of my friend’s daughter or anyone else. What was concerning, at least to me, was that in between being photographed and posting, my friend’s daughter had no interest in the artwork, a fact which didn’t seem to matter or have anything to do with wanting to post herself as someone enjoying the experience.
When I was her age. I had no interest in going to museums either. Having no interest in art at her age (and any age) is completely normal. But what is disturbing is how much of a young person’s energy these days goes into creating an image of the life they’re living and the character they “are” in that life. While creating a self-image has always been a big part of growing up and figuring out our identity, social media seems to have changed the rules of the game. Social media has not just increased the pressure and possibility of creating, a self-generated (自我创造的) self-image, but also distorted (歪曲) the process through which we become who we are. Young people now seem to be creating an image of who they are in place of becoming who they are, posting their life rather than living it. The effort that goes into creating an identity and getting it noticed or “followed” has replaced the effort of actually getting interested in the life that they are posting.
Social media has turned life and its experiences into an exercise in narcissism (自我陶醉). No matter what the experience is actually about, it becomes about you, the person who is living it. A concert is not about the music, a restaurant not about the food, and a sports event not about the sport; it’s all about you, the doer, and what the event says about you. Life experiences are not lived directly so much as they are used as chances of announcing what kind of person you are. Life now is a product through which you promote your image, but with little connection to whether that screen image accurately reflects the inside you.
As a result, the more we use life to create an identity, the more distant from life we feel. Instead of being part of it, we feel as if we have to keep generating new life material, which will announce and establish us. In the meanwhile, the gap between us and life grows wider and wider.
I hope the next time you post your story, pause for a moment and experience where you are, feel what it feels like to live what you ‘re living without using life for your benefit, or for anything at all. Just live, without the narrative (叙述). While you may feel this practice is a threat to your identity, causing you to miss a chance to prove your value, in fact, the benefit will far outweigh any loss it brings.
1.According to the author, the fact that her friend’s daughter was not interested in the artwork is ________.
A.worrying B.unsurprising
C.unchangeable D.unbearable
2.Which of the following is the basic reason behind people’s continuously posting their life?
A.Their desire for being well known.
B.Their increased focus on life.
C.The influence of social media
D.The pressure from their family and friends.
3.The author believes that the identity people create through narcissism may _______.
A.prevent them behaving properly
B.stand in the way of leading a true life
C.cause them to depend more on the remarks of others
D.damage their creativity in producing life material
4.The underlined “it” in the last paragraph refers to _______.
A.trying to take control of your feelings
B.facing the threat to your identity bravely
C.improving your self-image through writing
D.experiencing what you’re doing practically
Let’s suppose you have, oh, $40,000 to spare, and you’re out shopping for a shiny new car. You’ve never really cared about cars that much before, with perhaps hate for the car commercials you see every seven seconds during a televised sporting event. But now, you can afford one. So when someone mentions a certain kind of car—one that you’ve never heard of before—you’re interested.
Suddenly, the car is everywhere. It’s parked in front of your house. Your boss’s husband has one. You see two of them next to you in traffic on your way home from work. The car is even popping up in those commercials during the baseball game. So what exactly is happening here? Does this car suddenly come to take control of the cultural consciousness (意识)? Or is your consciousness playing tricks on you?
Welcome to the Baader-meinhof phenomenon (现象), otherwise known as the frequency illusion (频率幻觉). This phenomenon occurs when the thing you’ve just noticed, experienced or been told about suddenly appears constantly, It gives you the fleeing that pretty much everyone is talking about the subject, or that it is always surrounding you. And you’re not crazy, you are totally seeing it more. But the thing is: of course, that’s because you’re noticing it more.
A couple of things happen when the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon Kicks in. Your brain seems to be excited by the fact that you’ve learned something new and selective attention occurs. Your brain subconsciously thinks, “Hey, that’s amazing! I’m going to look for that thing without actually thinking about it.” So now that you’re looking for it, you find it. To make it all the more powerful,, confirmation bias (确认偏误) occurs after you see it even once or twice. In other words, you start agreeing with yourself that, yep, you’re certainly seeing it more.
Now if you’ve done a search for Baader-Meinhof, you might be a little confused, because the phenomenon wasn’t named after the person that researched it, or anything sensible like that. Instead, it was named after a West German terrorist group, active in the 1970s. The St. Paul Pioneer Press online commenting board was the surprising source of the name. In 1994, a commentator called the frequency illusion “the Baader-meinhof phenomenon” after accidentally hearing two references to Baader-meinmof within 24 hours The- phenomenon has nothing to do with the group, in other words. But don’t be surprised if the name starts popping up everywhere you turn.
1.According to Paragraph 1, why do you become interested in a car?
A.Because it often appears in your life.
B.Because you have the ability to buy one now.
C.Because it is always advertised on television.
D.Because you are successfully persuaded to buy one.
2.What might happen when the Baader-meinhof phenomenon occurs?
A.Something occurs more frequently than before indeed.
B.People around you start to focus on something you prefer.
C.You begin to pay more attention to a certain thing than before.
D.You always expect to learn something new about a certain thing.
3.How was the phenomenon named as Baader-Meinhof?
A.A terrorist group gave this name.
B.It was named after its researcher.
C.It was chosen by the commenting board.
D.A commentator gave this name by chance.
4.What might be the best title for the passage?
A.Why is your car everywhere?
B.Never be cheated by your illusion
C.How should you remove frequency illusion?
D.The discovery of the Baader- Meinhof phenomenon
When Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was asked to give an address at a graduation ceremony at Harvard, he asked for advice from Bill Gates. Zuckerberg said. “They know we didn’t actually graduate, right?” Gates replied, “Oh, that is the best part! They actually give you a degree!”
This exchange between the two famous Harvard dropouts (中途退学者) might lead you to think that college doesn’t matter. While it’s true there are successful college dropouts, they are not the norm (准则).
Recently, we did research on how many of the wealthiest and most influential people graduated from college. We studied 11, 745 U.S. successful people, including CEOS, politicians, business leaders and the most globally powerful men and women.
We also examined how many people graduated from an “elite school (精英学校)” We found about 94% of these U.S. successful people attended college, and that about 50% attended an elite school. The research suggests there is no difference in adult earnings between students who attended highly selective schools and students with similar SAT scores who attended less selective schools. At least for long-term earnings, where you go may not be the key, as long as you attend and graduate. Yet, our research findings show that for students with talent and determination (决心) to make it to the top of U.S. society, an elite college might just help you got there.
The educational path may not be suitable for every person. However, if you’re a student thinking about not going to college or considering dropping out, remember that even Gates and Zuckerberg got into college. Even if you’re not planning to achieve great success, doing the work to get into and graduate from college today may open important doors.
1.What do we know about Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates?
A.They were invited to the same graduation ceremony.
B.They thought highly of college degrees.
C.They often had an exchange of views.
D.They didn’t finish college.
2.What’s the research done by the author mainly about?
A.What U.S. successful people think of college education.
B.What kind of colleges U.S. successful people attended.
C.Whether college education influences one’s success.
D.Whether successful people have a great influence.
3.How does attending an elite school help students?
A.It may help them gain a high social position.
B.It can help them have determination.
C.It enables them to graduate easily.
D.it means nigh earnings.
4.What does the author advise students to do in the last paragraph?
A.Follow Gates’ and Zuckerberg’s examples.
B.Choose and complete college studies.
C.Try to make great achievements.
D.Attend the best college.
An APP called FitGenie
FitGenie uses man-made intelligence to track what you eat, count calories (卡路里) and help make meal plans.
Price and Platform: Free for the basic version (版本). Apple and Desktop.
Advantages:
● Simple and user-friendly design.
● Take a picture of your food to easily track meals.
● The app uses artificial intelligence to recognize what’s in a photo. Easily add the size of your food and extras like barbecue sauce to keep an exact record.
● Start with a nine-question assessment (评估) to create a program which is fit for your age, body type, diet preferences, goals, height and weight and activity level.
● Use the “magic meals” tool to create a meal plan and help you build muscle, lose weight and stay healthy.
● The app includes the “smart adjustments” tool to help improve meal plans each week based on set goals.
● Track weight regularly, as well as track total calories eaten, burned and left each day..
Disadvantages:
● The app is based on the principles of calories and doesn’t consider food quality.
● The assessment doesn’t include all body sizes and types, which may leave some users feeling ignored.
● The app requires an e-mail address or Facebook information, which may give users privacy concerns.
● Users must pay for the premium version (高级版本) (from $44.99) to reach dietary advice.
Bottom Line:
● FitGenie is best for those who are looking to reduce intake and discover new meal planning ideas with ease.
1.What should users first do to get a personalized meal plan?
A.Finish an assessment.
B.Use the “magic meals” tool.
C.Use the “smart adjustments” tool.
D.Take photos of their favorite foods.
2.What may users of this app worry?
A.It’s difficult to use the app.
B.Their records of meals will be lost.
C.They can’t get exact calorie counting.
D.Their personal information will be given away.
3.If you want to get advice on eating from this app, what conditions do you need to meet?
A.A desktop and the basic version.
B.An iPhone and the premium version.
C.A desktop and having used the basic version.
D.An iPhone and having used the basic version.
假如你校和加拿大某中学是友好学校，对方校刊来信了解你校的选修课开设情况。请根据下表提供的内容，用英语写一篇短文，向对方介绍这一情况。
课程门类 | 上课时间 | 学生对课程的看法 | 学生建议 |
六种：书法、英语口语、音乐欣赏、电影欣赏、摄影和游泳，学生可任选 | 每周二、五下午4：30～6：00 | 很有趣；能学到许多课外知识；有实践机会 | 增加选修课；减少作业量；多组织参观、了解社会的活动 |
参考词汇：选修optional courses 音乐欣赏Music Appreciation
短文改错
Dear Sir or Madam,
I’m Li Hua, a student from No.1 Middle School. I’m glad to learn that you want some part-time reporter, and I’m quite interesting in it.
In your opinion, I’m fit for the job. As a student, I’ve read a lot and have many knowledge in different fields. I’m fond of English but do well in both speaking and writing. Besides, I’m easy to get along. I enjoy working together with the others. Above all, I once work as a reporter for the broadcasting station of my school, there I gained valuable experience in reporting. So I’m sure I will do the job good if I get the position.
Looking forward to your early reply.
Yours faithfully,
Li Hua
