They may have text, email, Facebook and Twitter, but young people are still lonelier than any other age group. The Loneliness in New Zealand report, published by Statistics New Zealand, shows under 30s are more likely to feel lonely than older people because loneliness decreases with age.Loneliness and poor mental health were strongly related across all ages. Young people were not as likely to feel lonely because of financial hardship, but among older people, lack of money was a significant influence on loneliness. Women were more likely to feel lonely than men.
Philip Walker, spokesman for the General Social Survey, said because it was relatively new it was hard to know whether loneliness among young people was a new trend. But overseas research has found that levels of loneliness in youth today are growing.
Walker said the finding needed more exploration, including looking at the role of technology and social media. “It could be that people's expectations of connection have gone up, so we expect increased levels of connection.” he said. “While technology like cell phones could help young people stay connected, on the other hand for those who do get bullied, especially bullied online, it's quite isolating. A lot of the time potentially it is a big contributor to loneliness.”
Figures from online dating website Find Someone also confirmed more young people were looking for love. Manager Rick Davies, said younger dating hopefuls were the fastest growing group on the site.
Mr. Davies noted that since the report data was collected in 2010 there had been huge growth in smart phones, which meant people were online even more. He believed online tools, such as Skype, could help people stay connected. “People can keep in touch with a wide range of friends from all over the world much more easily now. It's like you're sitting in your living room having a chat with them.”
Bemardine Reid, operations committee chairwoman for Samaritans, which operates a free helpline, said many of their calls came from people who were lonely. “It might be that they've got some problem, just like all the things people would normally talk to a friend about, but people who are alone lack those normal contacts.” The Statistics New Zealand report also showed people who didn't have face-to-face contact with family and friends were more likely to feel lonely, as were those who lived alone.
1.Which of the following may Mr. Walker agree with?
A.High technology may become a reason for loneliness.
B.People shouldn't use the Internet to get to know strangers.
C.It's hard for people to get enough connection online as expected.
D.Social media should play an important role in helping lonely people.
2.From the last two paragraphs, we can conclude that .
A.Internet can keep people free from loneliness
B.people chatting a lot online tend to be optimistic
C.people living alone tend to have more connection online
D.people communicating less in the real-world risk loneliness
3.It can be inferred from the passage that .
A.Find Someone is a website where you can find old friends
B.without technology, young people would not feel lonely
C.high technology results in the older being lonely
D.those cheated or hurt online tend to feel lonely
4.What is the best title of the passage?
A.Loneliness around You B.Young People Online
C.Young but Lonely D.E-times and Young People
Black Friday
The day after Thanksgiving is the start of the holiday shopping season. Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday, so the day after is a Friday. This day has come to be known as Black Friday. It has been the busiest shopping day of the year since 2005.
Most stores offer great deals on Black Friday. They open their doors in the small hours of the morning. They try to attract shoppers with big discounts. Some items like TVs are much cheaper than usual. Stores may even lose money on these items. They hope that shoppers will buy gifts for other people while they are in the store.
Black Friday is a great time to get good deals. The problem is that there are not enough low-priced items to go around. Each store may only have a few. These items are in high demand. People stand in long lines to get such great deals. They may line up hours before a store opens. They may be hoping to get a low price on a TV or laptop, but not everyone who wants one will get one. Some people leave disappointed.
The situation can be tense. Some Black Friday events have been violent. Large, eager crowds have trampled workers. Fights have broken out over toys or people cutting in line. People have shot one another over parking spots. But most Black Friday events are safe and fun. Still, if you plan on going, expect large crowds and a bit of pushing and shoving.
So where does the name “Black Friday” come from? It was first used in Philadelphia in the 1950s. The police called this day Black Friday because of the heavy traffic it drew. In the 1960s, spread across the country. It seems that it is here to stay.
Now people all over the country take part in the event known as Black Friday. It is even spreading to other parts of the world. Stores have held Black Friday events in the U.K., Australia, and Brazil since 2012. In Costa Rica Black Friday is known as “Viernes Negro.” And in Mexico, stores offer an annual weekend of discounts. They call it “EI Buen Fin,” which means “the good weekend” in Spanish. I guess the language of savings is universal.
1.Why do stores set prices so low on some items that they lose money?
A.They want people to enjoy the holidays.
B.They are generous at the beginning of the holiday season.
C.They hope people will buy other gifts while they are in the store.
D.They are trying to get rid of old items.
2.Which best concludes the main idea of the third paragraph?
A.People stand in long lines on Black Friday.
B.Black Friday is a really disappointing time of the year.
C.Black Friday is the best time of the year to get good deals.
D.Black Friday deals are limited and not everyone will get one.
3.Which best describes the overall structure of the fifth paragraph?
A.Order of time. B.Problem and solution.
C.Order of importance. D.Compare and contrast.
4.Which title best expresses the author’s purpose in writing this text?
A.Black Friday: Stories from the Parking Lot
B.Black Friday: Why You Should Go This Year
C.Black Friday: The Stuff That You Should Know
D.Black Friday: How to Save Money on the Big Day
Want to explore new cultures,meet new people and do something worthwhile at the same time?You can do all the three with Global Development Association(GDA).Whatever stage of life you're at,wherever you go and whatever project you do in GDA,you'll create positive changes in a poor and remote community(社区）。
We work with volunteers of all ages and backgrounds.Most of our volunteers are aged 17-24.Now we need volunteer managers aged 25-75.They are extremely important in the safe and effective running of our programmes.We have such roles as project managers,mountain leaders,and communication officers.
Depending on which role you choose,you could help to increase a community's access to safe drinking water, or help to protect valuable local cultures.You might also design an adventure challenge to train young volunteers.
Not only will you help our young volunteers to develop personally,you'll also lean new skills and increase your cultural awareness.You may have chances to meet new people who'll become your lifelong friends.
This summer we have both 4-week and 7-week programmes:
GDA ensures that volunteers work with community members and local project partners where our help is needed.All our projects aim to promote the development of poor and remote communities.
There is no other chance like a GDA programme.Join us as a volunteer manager to develop your own skills while bringing benefits to the communities.
Find out more about joining a GDA programme:
Website:www.glodeve.org
Email:humanresources@glodeve.org
1.What is the main responsibility of volunteer managers?
A.To seek local partners. B.To take in young volunteers.
C.To carry out programmes. D.To promote cultural awareness.
2.The programme beginning in August will operate in______.
A.Egypt B.Algeria C.Kenya D.South Africa
3.The shared goal of GDA's projects to________.
A.explore new cultures B.protect the environment
C.gain corporate benefit D.help communities in need
假如你是李华，你现在有一百万英镑，你打算用这些钱做一些有意义的事，例如：
1. 捐给自己的学校，建一座图书馆；
2. 送弟弟出国深造。
注意：1. 100词左右；2. 适当发挥，使文章连贯。
假定英语课上英语老师要求同桌之间互相修改作文，请你修改你同桌的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在该词下面写出该加的词。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及修改均仅限一词。
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从11处起）不计分。
Dear Helen,
Thank you so much for your party at Christmas Eve. All of them enjoyed it very much. We liked the dishes you had cooked but we were happy to learn the English songs you taught us. We hope you’ll teach us a lot much songs in the future. We’re leaving from our hometowns to spend the winter vacations. It seemed that many of us are homesick after being away from home for such a long time. What are your plans? Will you join in the tourist group organized by our school? We are busy prepare for our trips. Please excuse us for not able to say goodbye to you. We hope you’ll have a good time.
Yours,
Xiao Hua
When Dave was eighteen, he bought a second-hand car for 200 so that he could travel to and from work more_______than by bus. It worked quite well for a few years, but then it got so old, and it was costing him_______much in repairs that he decided that he had better_______it.
He asked among his friends to see if anyone was particularly_______to buy a cheap car, but they all knew that it was falling to pieces, so_______of them had any desire to buy it. Dave's friend Sam saw that he was_______when they met one evening, and said, “What's_______, Dave?”
Dave told him, and Sam answered, “Well, what about advertising it in the paper? You may_______more for it that way than the cost of the advertisement!” Thinking that Sam's_______was sensible(合理的),he put an advertisement in an evening paper, which read “For sale: small car,________very little petrol, only two owners. Bargain at 50.”
For two days after the advertisement first appeared, there was no________But then on Saturday evening he had an enquiry(询问).A man rang up and said he would like to________him about the car. “All right,” Dave said, feeling happy. He asked the man whether ten o'clock the next morning would be________or not. “Fine,” the man said, “and I'll________my wife. We intend to go for a ride in it to________it.”
The next morning, at a quarter to ten, Dave parked the car in the square outside his front door,________to wait there for the people who had________his advertisement. Even Dave had to________that the car really looked like a wreck(残骸).Then, soon after he had got the car as clean________it could be, a police car stopped just behind him and a policeman got out. He looked at Dave's car and then said, “Have you reported this________to us yet, sir?”
1.A.directly B.safely C.properly D.easily
2.A.so B.such C.very D.too
3.A.keep B.repair C.sell D.throw
4.A.anxious B.lucky C.ashamed D.generous
5.A.some B.neither C.none D.most
6.A.delighted B.upset C.calm D.astonished
7.A.on B.up C.it D.that
8.A.learn B.miss C.get D.find
9.A.message B.advice C.request D.description
10.A.uses B.loses C.has D.spends
11.A.doubt B.help C.trouble D.answer
12.A.tell B.see C.agree D.call
13.A.exact B.suitable C.early D.late
14.A.follow B.meet C.bring D.introduce
15.A.recognize B.gain C.admire D.test
16.A.happening B.meaning C.turning D.failing
17.A.read B.inserted C.answered D.placed
18.A.forget B.show C.disagree D.admit
19.A.as B.that C.so D.such
20.A.bargain B.sale C.accident D.result
