Caught in the Web

  A few months ago, it wasn't unusual for 47-year-old Carla Toebe to spend 15 hours per day online. She'd wake up early, turn on her laptop and chat on Internet dating sites and instant-messaging programs – leaving her bed for only brief intervals. Her household bills piled up, along with the dishes and dirty laundry, but it took near-constant complaints from her four daughters before she realized she had a problem.

  "I was starting to feel like my whole world was falling apart – kind of slipping into a depression," said Carla. "I knew that if I didn't get off the dating sites, I'd just keep going," detaching (使脱离) herself further from the outside world.

  Toebe's conclusion: She felt like she was "addicted" to the Internet. She's not alone.

  Concern about excessive Internet use isn't new. As far back as 1995, articles in medical journals and the establishment of a Pennsylvania treatment center for overusers generated interest in the subject. There's still no consensus on how much time online constitutes too much or whether addiction is possible.

  But as reliance on the Web grows, there are signs that the question is getting more serious attention: Last month, a study published in CNS Spectrums claimed to be the first large-scale look at excessive Internet use. The American Psychiatric Association may consider listing Internet addiction in the next edition of its diagnostic manual. And scores of online discussion boards have popped up on which people discuss negative experiences tied to too much time on the Web.

  "There's no question that there're people who're seriously in trouble because they're overdoing their Internet involvement," said psychiatrist (精神科医生) Ivan Goldberg. Goldberg calls the problem a disorder rather than a true addiction.

  Jonathan Bishop, a researcher in Wales specializing in online communities, is more skeptical. "The Internet is an environment," he said. "You can't be addicted to theenvironment." Bishop describes the problem as simply a matter of priorities, which can be solved by encouraging people to prioritize other life goals and plans in place of time spent online.

  The new CNS Spectrums study was based on results of a nationwide telephone survey of more than 2,500 adults. Like the 2005 survey, this one was conducted by StanfordUniversity researchers.About 6% of respondents reported that "their relationships suffered because of excessive Internet use." About 9% attempted to conceal "nonessential Internet use," and nearly 4% reported feeling "preoccupied by the Internet when offline."

  About 8% said they used the Internet as a way to escape problems, and almost 14% reported they "found it hard to stay away from the Internet for several days at a time."

  "The Internet problem is still in its infancy," said Elias Aboujaoude, a Stanford professor. No single online activity is to blame for excessive use, he said. "They're online in chat rooms, checking e-mail, or writing blogs.  not limited to porn (色情) or gambling" websites.

  Excessive Internet use should be defined not by the number of hours spent online but "in terms of losses," said Maressa Orzack, a Harvard University professor. "If it's a loss  you're not getting to work, and family relationships are breaking down as a result, then it's too much."

Since the early 1990s, several clinics have been established in the U. S. to treat heavy Internet users. They include the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery and the Center for Internet Behavior.

  The website for Orzack's center lists the following among the psychological symptoms of computer addiction:

● Having a sense of well-being (幸福) or excitement while at the computer.

● Longing for more and more time at the computer.

● Neglect of family and friends.

● Feeling empty, depressed or irritable when not at the computer.

● Lying to employers and family about activities.

● Inability to stop the activity.

● Problems with school or job.

  Physical symptoms listed include dry eyes, backaches, skipping meals, poor personal hygiene (卫生) and sleep disturbances.

  People who struggle with excessive Internet use maybe depressed or have other mood disorders, Orzack said. When she discusses Internet habits with her patients, they often report that being online offers a "sense of belonging, and escape, excitement  fun," she said. "Some people say relief…because they find themselves so relaxed."

  Some parts of the Internet seem to draw people in more than others. Internet gamers spend countless hours competing in games against people from all over the world. One such game, called World of Warcraft, is cited on many sites by posters complaining of a "gaming addiction."

  Andrew Heidrich, an education network administrator from Sacramento, plays World of Warcraft for about two to four hours every other night, but that's nothing compared with the 40 to 60 hours a week he spent playing online games when he was in college. He cut back only after a full-scale family intervention (干预), in which s told him he'd gained weight.

  "There's this whole culture of competition that sucks people in" with online gaming, said Heidrich, now a father of two. "People do it at the expense of everything that was a constant in their lives." Heidrich now visits websites that discuss gaming addiction regularly "to remind myself to keep my love for online games in check."

  Toebe also regularly visits a site where posters discuss Internet overuse. In August, when she first realized she had a problem, she posted a message on a Yahoo Internet addiction group with the subject line: "I have an Internet Addiction."

  "I'm self-employed and need the Internet for my work, but I'm failing to accomplish my work,to take care of my home, to give attention to my children," she wrote in a message sent to the group."I have no money or insurance to get professional help; I can't even pay my mortgage (抵押贷款) and face losing everything."

  Since then, Toebe said, she has kept her promise to herself to cut back on her Internet use. "I have a boyfriend now, and I'm not interested in online dating," she said by phone last week. "It's a lot better now."

21. What eventually made Carla Toebe realize she was spending too much time on the Internet?

A. Her daughter's repeated complaints.

B. Fatigue resulting from lack of sleep.

C. The poorly managed state of her house.

D. The high financial costs adding up.

22. What does the author say about excessive Internet use?

A. People should be warned of its harmful consequences.

B. It has become virtually inevitable.

C. It has been somewhat exaggerated.

D. People haven't yet reached agreement on its definition.

23. Jonathan Bishop believes that the Internet overuse problem can be solved if people ______.

A. try to improve the Internet environment

B. become aware of its serious consequences

C. can realize what is important in life

D. can reach a consensus on its definition

  Like many new graduates, I left university full of hope for the future but with no real idea of what I wanted to do. My degree, with honors, in English literature had not really prepared me for anything practical. I knew I wanted to make a difference in the world somehow, but I had no idea how to do that. That’s when I learned about the Lighthouse Project.

  I started my journey as a Lighthouse Project volunteer by reading as much as I could about the experiences of previous volunteers. I knew it would be a lot of hard work, and that I would be away from my family and friends for a very long time. In short, I did not take my decision to apply for the Lighthouse Project lightly. Neither did my family.

  Eventually, however, I won the support of my family, and I sent in all the paperwork needed for the application. After countless interviews and presentations, I managed to stand out among the candidates and survive the test alone. Several months later, I finally received a call asking me to report for the duty. I would be going to a small village near Abuja, Nigeria. Where? What? Nigeria? I had no idea. But I was about to find out.

  After completing my training, I was sent to the village that was small and desperately in need of proper accommodation. Though the local villagers were poor, they offered their homes, hearts, and food as if I were their own family. I was asked to lead a small team of local people in building a new schoolhouse. For the next year or so, I taught in that same schoolhouse. But I sometimes think I learned more from my students than they did from me. Sometime during that period, I realized that all those things that had seemed so strange or unusual to me no longer did, though I did not get anywhere with the local language, and returned to the United States a different man. The Lighthouse Project had changed my life forever.

24. What do we know about the author?

A. His university education focused on the theoretical knowledge.

B. His dream at university was to become a volunteer.

C. He took pride in having contributed to the world.

D. He felt honored to study English literature.

25. According to Paragraph 2, it is most likely that the author __________.

A. discussed his decision with his family

B. asked previous volunteers about voluntary work

C. attended special training to perform difficult tasks

D. felt frightened about having to leave his family and friends

26. In his application for the volunteer job, the author ___________.

A. participated in many discussions

B. went through challenging survival tests

C. wrote quite a few papers on voluntary work

D. faced strong competition from other candidates

27. What can we infer from the author’s experiences in Nigeria?

A. He found some difficulty adapting to the local culture.

B. He had learned to communicate in the local language.[学优高考网]

C. He had overcome all his weaknesses before he left for home.

D. He was chosen as the most respectable teacher by his students.

  The Big Brother in the novel 1984 listens to everything and nothing can escape his ears . Now in reality , we have Facebook . The social media giant has never denied that it’s keeping track of conversations you have near your phone ( if the Facebook app is open , that is ) , but not , one expert has told NBC that Mark Zuckerberg’s empire may be keeping ears on you at a more regular basis . According to Professor Kelli Burns , who teaches mass communication at the University of South Florida , it may be listening more often than it lets on .

To prove her point , Burns turned on the microphone feature on her phone , and said , “ I’m really interested in going on an African journey . I think it’d be wonderful to ride in one of those jeeps . ” Less than a minute later , when she checked her Facebook page , she was met by a story about a journey – the first post on her newsfeed . There was also a car ad on her page .

While Facebook says that it’s only keeping its ears open to help “ identify the music you’re listening to and TV matches you’re watching , ” Burns’ little experiment suggests that there may be other motivations at play as well . But the social media company has denied claims that it records any conversations , and told The Independent , “ Facebook does not use microphone audio to inform advertising or News Feed stories in any way . Businesses are able to serve related ads based on people’s interests and other statistic information , but not through audio collection . ”

Whether you believe this statement or not , there are ways to stop Facebook from listening in at all . Simply turn off your phone’s microphone by heading over into Settings ( if you’re an iPhone user ) , going to the Privacy tab , then clicking on Microphone . From there , you can remove Facebook’s mic privileges , and probably , stop the company from hearing your conversations . On Android , you can also go to Privacy under the Settings tab , and change Facebook’s permissions .

So the next time you’re chatting with your friends about your summer vacation plans , keep an eye on your Facebook feed . There may be more participants in your conversation than you realize .

28. Why does the author mention the Big Brother in the first paragraph ?

A. To explain who Big Brother is .

B. To stress the importance of Facebook .

C. To introduce the topic about Facebook .

D. To encourage readers to share their ideas .

29. What does the underlined “ it ” in paragraph 1 refer to ?

A.Big Brother .      B. An empire .     C. Facebook .        D. A university .

30. What might Facebook do if it is turned on ?

A. Chat with you like a real friend .

B. Turn on your phone’s microphone .

C. Identify the movie you are watching .

D. Show ads based on your conversation .

31. What is the best title for the text ?

A. Walls Have Ears

B. The Apple of Your Eye

C. Turn off Your Cell Phone

D. Facebook : a Caring Brother

  What’s the most expensive place to station an employee overseas? London? Tokyo? São Paulo? Try Luanda, Angola.

  That’s the finding of a survey by Mercer, the world’s largest human resources consulting firm, headquartered in New York City. Two African cities (Luanda, N’Djamena) were in the top 10, along with four (Moscow, Geneva, Zurich, Bern) in Europe, three (Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong) in Asia and one (Sydney) in Australia. Switzerland alone has three cities in the top 10.

  Mercer’s 2013 Cost of Living Survey examined data from 214 cities worldwide, comparing a market basket of over 200 goods and services, including unfurnished luxury two-bedroom apartments or three-bedroom houses, movie tickets, blue jeans, international newspapers, coffee, fast food restaurant meals, gasoline, milk and soda.

If it sounds odd that Angola would be the most expensive, Mercer’s Barb Marder explains that"Despite being one of Africa’s major oil producers, Angola is a ly poor country yet expensive for expatriates (居住国外的人) since imported goods can be dear. In addition, finding secure living accommodations that meet the standards of expatriates can be challenging and quite costly."The survey found similar supply issues in N’Djamena, Chad, the other top 10 city in Africa.

  Mercer measured locations worldwide against New York, on a U.S. dollar basis, meaning that exchange rate shifts could impact the rankings. For example, although Tokyo is Asia’s most expensive city for people who live in a foreign country, the weakening of the Japanese yen against the dollar makes it seem cheaper than it was a year ago. Canada, too, has become a bargain as the U.S. dollar strengthens against the Canadian dollar.

  Measurements were taken in March, 2013.

  What’s the trend in the United States?"Overall, U.S. cities either remain stable in the ranking or have slightly decreased due to the movement of the U.S. dollar against the majority of currencies worldwide,"explains Mercer’s Steven Nurney. However, that may change as real estate(房地产) prices rise nationwide. New York is the nation’s most expensive place to station expatriates.

  While housing is generally the most important factor in the survey rankings, the survey revealed some other significant differences in prices. For example, you may need a vodka chaser after paying $ 8.29 for a cup of coffee in Moscow, but the same coffee in Managua, Nicaragua would cost only $ 1.54. Expect to pay $ 20.10 for a movie ticket in London, versus $ 5.91 in Johannesburg.[学优高考网gkstk]

32．The questions asked in the first paragraph are used to    .[学优高考网gkstk]

A.express the author’s puzzlement at them

B.call on readers to provide their answers

C.remind readers of the existing issue

D.introduce the topic to be discussed

33．Which of the following cities may be the cheapest for employees overseas?

A.Geneva.         B.Sydney.          C.Tokyo.           D.New York.

34．One reason why the cost of living for employees overseas in Angola is high is that    .

A.the quality of life there is superior

B.its imported goods cost a lot of money

C.the rent for an apartment is really high

D.the living environment is human-friendly

35．The key factor that impacts the ranking is    .

A.the general standard of income

B.prices of daily necessities

C.the exchange rate against U.S. dollars

D.the housing prices

How to Enjoy Your Family

Everyone has at least a little family drama, and you should still love your family no matter how many challenges are brought upon you. If you really trust your family, you should know they will always be there for you.  36 .

Look back on the previous moments that you have had with your family. If you can think of no good memories with your family,  37 . Your friends are a big part of your life, and even though they aren’t related to you, that doesn’t mean you can’t call them your family.

 38 . Make sure they know how you feel. Tell them that there have been things bothering you for a while, and you just want them to understand. If you tell them how you feel, then maybe they will give you more respect.

If you are a teenager, remember that they are the ones that provide you a home and food. If they weren’t there, then neither would you. Just be grateful.  39 .

Spend more time with your family. Have a "family game night". Go to see a movie, go out to dinner, go on vacation and so on.  40 !

If your family is just boring in general, and you are having a tough time enjoying their personalities, then expose your family to fun.

A. Here are the steps that will help you to learn about your family

B. There are people in the world living without any home or family

C. There are a large number of fun things you can do with your family

D. remember you still have your friends

E. Talk to your family

F. You should be thankful and enjoy what you have

G. try to start a blog or website of your own