Contrary to common belief, social media websites such as Facebook do not weaken

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Contrary to common belief, social media websites such as Facebook do not weaken personal ties, they strengthen them in unique ways for different age groups, according to a new study．
The rapid spread of Facebook, which has more than 500 million users worldwide, has prompted concerns about its negative effects, but researchers at the University of Texas have reached a different conclusion．
"Our findings suggest that Facebook is not replacing face-to-face interactions between friends, family and colleagues," said S．Craig Watkins, an associate professor of radio, TV and film who headed the research team．
"In fact, we believe there is sufficient evidence that social media afford opportunities for new expressions of friendship, intimacy and community．"
The researchers questioned 900 college students and recent graduates about how and with whom they interact on Facebook．
More than 60 percent of Facebook users said posting status updates was among the most popular activities, followed by 60 percent who wrote comments on their profile and 49 percent who posted messages and comments to friends．
The researchers also found that although about the same number of men and women use Facebook, they do so in different ways．
"There is a noteworthy difference in aims in how to use a tool like Facebook．We found that for women the content tends to be more affectionate, and （they） are especially interested in using it for connection," said Watkins．
"For men, it"s more functional," he added．
Watkins pointed out that, for example, women are more likely to post pictures of social gatherings with friends, while men are more likely to post pictures of hobbies, or post a political or pop-culture related link．
小题1:What"s the popular viewpoint of ordinary people about the function of social media websites? They think ____．

A．It is positive to personal ties

B．It has negative effects on personal ties

C．It makes no difference to personal ties

D．It has both good and bad effects to personal ties

小题2:What"s the meaning of the underlined word in the second paragraph?

A．resulted from

B．had

C．showed

D．produced

小题3:What do Facebook users like to do mostly on Facebook? They like to ____．

A．create new expressions of friendship "

B．wrote comments on their profile

C．update their personal statuses

D．post messages and comments to friends

小题4:According to the study, ____．

A．Men concentrate more on the functions of Facebook

B．Much more men use Facebook than women

C．Men and women use a tool like Facebook for the same aim

D．Facebook is taking the place of face-to-face interactions between friends

答案

小题1:B
小题1:D
小题1:C
小题1:A

解析

略

举一反三

Imagine one day, the water taps in your house stop running. You have to buy water from shops. And still there isn’t enough for everyone. Your mother has to save the family’s shower water to do other things. Would you be able to stand that kind of life?
Probably not. But that’s what kids in Yemen are experiencing. Experts said Yemen is going to be the first country in the world to run out of water. According to a report, the capital, Sanaa, will run out of drinking water as early as 2025.
Because of the shortage, the government often cuts the water supply. Hannan, an 18-year-old from Lahej, told the Times: “In a good week we’ll have a water supply all week. But then the following week there will be water only for a day or two.”
Hannan said only rich people have enough water to use. They can buy water from the shops or from the water truck. Private companies own the trucks. They travel around the city every day to sell water – at very high prices.
“A lot of people can’t afford it,” she said.
The average person in Yemen uses 100 to 200 cubic meters of water per year. That is far below the international water poverty line of 1,000 cubic meters.
The government is thinking of making use of seawater. But it will cost a lot and it may not happen soon enough to help the people of Yemen.
小题1:The purpose of the text is to _______.

A．tell us what life is like in Yemen

B．draw our attention to water shortage

C．remind us how important water is

D．show us ways of solving problems

小题2:The underlined word “that” in Paragraph 2 refers to _____.

A．buying water from shops

B．drinking dirty water

C．suffering from water shortage

D．washing clothes with used water

小题3:Hannan described _____.

A．what her life is like

B．how beautiful Lahej is

C．how people use water fully

D．how heavy the traffic in Lahej is

小题4:The Yemen Government _____.

A．has found a practical solution

B．only cares about rich people

C．may try to make use of seawater

D．can do nothing about the water supply

小题5:We can infer from the text that _____.

A．Sanaa will run out of water in 10 years

B．Hannan is a teenager from a rich family

C．the capital of Yemen is developing fast

D．private companies make a lot of money

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案

Findings from a new study were presented at a recent meeting of the American Psychosomatic(身心的) Society. Researchers in the United States studied 100,000 women during an eight-year period, beginning in 1994. All of the women were fifty or older. The study was part of the Women’s Health Initiative organized by the National Institutes of Health.
The women were asked questions measuring their beliefs or ideas about the future. The researchers attempted to identify each woman’s personality eight years after gathering the information.
The study found that hopeful individuals were 14% less likely than other women to have died from any cause. The hopeful women were also 30% less likely to have died from heart disease after the eight years.
Hilary Tindle from the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania was the lead author of the report. She said the study confirmed earlier research that linked optimistic feelings to longer life.
The researchers also gathered information about people’s education, financial earnings, physical activity and use of alcohol or cigarettes. Independent of those things, the findings still showed that optimists had less of a chance of dying during the eight-year period.
Some women who answered the questions were found to be hostile (怀敌意的), or highly untrusting of others. These women were 16% more likely to die than the others. They also were 23% more likely to die of cancer.
The study also found women who were not optimistic were more likely to smoke and have high blood pressure or diabetes. They were also more likely not to exercise.
Tindle says the study did not confirm whether optimism leads to healthier choices, or if it actually affects a person’s physical health. She also says the study does not prove that negative (消极的) emotions or distrust lead to bad health effects and shorter life. Yet there does appear to be a link that calls for more research.
小题1:In which part of a newspaper can you read the above passage?

A．Nation	B．Opinion
C．Science	D．Business

小题2:Researchers carry out the study to ________.

A．decide who is more likely to enjoy a happier life

B．find out the link between personality and health

C．gather information for the National Institutes of Health

D．compare each woman’s personality changes

小题3:What can be inferred from the text?

A．Negative emotions cause a shorter life indeed.

B．There may be some link between personality and health.

C．It’s uncertain whether optimism affects one’s health.

D．The more optimistic you are, the longer life you may enjoy.

小题4:Who is more likely to die of cancer according to the text?

A．A woman who always doubts what others say.

B．A woman who doesn’t exercise.

C．A woman with high blood pressure.

D．A woman with poor physical health.

小题5:What’s Hilary Tindle’s opinion of the study?

A．Unfair.

B．Useless.

C．Necessary.

D．Reliable.

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案

Do you still get free plastic bags from the supermarkets? Things have changed.
China has banned free plastic bags at shops and supermarkets, and people have to pay for using plastic bags. The rule started on June 1, 2008. It came because our country tried to make litter less. Making super-thin plastic bags has also been banned.
The Chinese once used about 3,000,000,000 plastic shopping bags a day, and they have caused pollution of the environment. The bags have become a main cause of plastic pollution because they are easy to break and people throw them away here and there. So the Chinese people are encouraged to bring their own bags for shopping.
What kind of shopping bag is the best to bring? Some students in Anhui have a good idea. They make their own shopping bags. They use old clothes to make cloth bags, and send them to their parents as presents. They also ask their parents and friends to use cloth bags instead of plastic ones. They think it is their duty to protect the environment.
小题1: People in China have to _____ now.

A．throw plastic bags here and there

B．collect plastic bags in the street

C．pay for using plastic bags at shops and supermarkets

D．use free plastic bags at shops and supermarkets

小题2: China made this rule because plastic bags were bad for the ______.

A．environment	B．litter
C．shops	D．supermarkets

小题3: Some students in Anhui ______.

A．ask their parents to make cloth bags	B．make cloth bags themselves
C．pick up plastic bags everywhere	D．buy cloth bags for their parents

小题4: What’s the main idea of this article?

A．Making super-thin plastic bags has been banned in China.

B．The bags have become a main cause of plastic pollution.

C．Some students in Anhui begin to make their own shopping bags.

D．To protect the environment, free plastic bags have been banned in China.

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案

Researchers found that compared with teens who spent much of their free time in front of TV sets, those who were physically active often had higher self-respect, better grades and were less likely to have risky behavior like taking drugs, smoking, or drinking．The findings, based on a national survey of nearly 12,000 middle and high school students, were published in a journal．
"Across the board, children who engaged in any kind of activity were belier off than kids who watched a lot of TV," said study co author professor Penny Gordon Larsen of the University of North Carolina．
Other studies have linked certain content of television programs, such as violence and sex, to children"s behavior．But beyond this issue, Gordon-Larsen said that kids who spend hours watching TV "miss opportunities" to develop skills, learn teamwork and have other experiences that their more active peers benefit from．
That doesn"t mean, however, that kids have to be on the football team． The study found that some activities like skating and skateboarding——which adults sometimes frown upon——were also related to better self respect and less risk taking．
That skaters were better behaved than TV watchers might come as a surprise to some adults who consider these teens to be bad, according to Gordon-Larsen．Skateboarding is forbidden in many public areas, and some communities oppose building skating parks．But if kids who like to skate have nowhere to do it, "it"s a shame," said Gordon-Larsen．
Not only should parents encourage their kids to engage iii the physical activities they enjoy, she said, but schools and communities should also do more to create opportunities for children to be active．
小题1:From the passage we know that .

A．physically active kids get into less trouble

B．more skating parks are being built

C．kids who spend hours watching TV benefit a lot

D．kids who have nowhere to skate tend to take drugs

小题2:If your kid is a football player, he is more likely to ____

A．get into the habit of smoking or drinking

B．develop teamwork spirit

C．have risky behaviors

D．fail in the schoolwork

小题3:This passage is mainly written to ___ ．

A．offer some information to teachers and parents

B．persuade kids not to watch a lot of TV

C．urge the public to help children be active

D．show the author"s concern about children"s growth

小题4:What does the underlined sentence "which adults sometimes frown upon" in the 4th paragraph mean?

A．Some adults don"t understand the sports．

B．Some adults are impatient with kids．

C．Adults consider it dangerous to go skating or skateboarding.

D．Some adults think them related to bad behaviors.

小题5:It can be inferred from the passage that .

A．kids are not expected to be active by some parents

B．professor Penny is a famous writer and journalist

C．skateboarding is popular in schools and communities

D．kids are not encouraged to join the football team

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案

Today, almost everyone has heard of Harry Potter. The books detailing his experiences at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry have aroused passion, creativity, and interest in reading throughout the world.
But have you ever considered why you are a fan of the Harry Potter series?
JK Rowling has created a list of characters and an environment for them to inhabit that appeals to both adults and children.
The fantasy aspect of the wizarding world expands the imagination, and takes the mind to new and exciting places. Anything could happen there. Her stories contain parts of the believable and unbelievable, changing the predictability that readers commonly come across and bear in fiction.
The main theme of the series, including good versus evil, prejudice, love, death, sacrifice, friendship and loyalty, in actuality contributes to the ever-lasting nature of the stories. At the same time, these themes remind us of classic literature, offering mature readers tales that wear like a comfortable pair of shoes, while introducing younger readers to concepts they will meet throughout their lives.
Much of the appeal also comes from the characters. In each book, JK Rowling introduces and describes the characters in such a way that we wonder not only about their futures, but also about their pasts. Even supporting characters are suddenly more than just extras in the background. And what of Harry Potter himself? We care about Harry, because we watch him grow from an innocent boy to a powerful wizard. We see him as both Hero and Victim. He experiences endless love and extreme pain, and as readers, we experience them with him.
This perfect combination of emotion, suspense and fantasy, together with the fact that JK Rowling is a superb storyteller is the reason why we are Harry potter fans. People are fond of Harry Potter series. With books like these, it’s hard not to be.
小题1: Harry Potter series become popular partly because ____________.

A．they remind us of the childhood and environment we had in the past

B．they take us to a world beyond our imagination and expectation

C．they offer us ever-lasting nature of the stories

D．they set an example of hero for us to follow

小题2:What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 6 mean?

A．The supporting characters are not necessary in the story.

B．Readers care only about Harry but not those supporting characters.

C．Even the supporting characters are attractive in the story.

D．Those supporting characters only appear all of a sudden.

小题3:The themes of the Harry Potter series do not contain ____________.

A．prejudice and love	B．good and evil
C．death and sacrifice	D．safety and peace

小题4:People care for Harry Potter because ____________.

A．they think of classic literature when reading the story

B．they find different experiences from theirs on Harry

C．they share the experiences with Harry

D．they like JK Rowling’s description very much

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案