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PassageTwoAnawakeninghasbeentakingplaceinthephysicalworldagainstthebeautymodelthathasbeendictatedtousforyears.Butinthedigitalarena,socialmediadetermineswhatisconsideredbeautiful.Thetwoopposingstrugglesaretakingplaceinparallel.Inthephysicalworld,thestrugglegoesagainsttheunderlyingpressureexertedonwomentoconformtoanunrealisticbeautyideal.Aspartofthestruggle,variousmediaoutletshavepresentedwomenwhosebodiesdontcorrespondtotheso-calledideal.Allthosewomenwhohadpreviouslybeenexcludedfromthecoversofmagazines,televisionseriesandthepublicagenda,havebecome“legitimate.”Atthesametime,agroupofinfluencershavebeguntouploadtosocialmediaphotosofthemselveswithoutmakeup,andevenphotosinwhichtheyhighlightsupposedflaws.Technologyhasreshapedourbeautyidealandisdoingagreatjobcommunicatingthatmessagetothemasses.Oneofthebizarrelegaciesofthepastdecadeisthepopularityofthe“cyborglook,”whichillustrateswhatAmericanswilllooklikein2050.Thecyborglookspreadrapidly.Today,however,theInstagramfacehasbecomethenewbeautyideal.Theinternalizationofacceptedbeautynormsismuchmoreeffectivewhenthereisactiveinvolvementinthelearningprocess.Theactiveinvolvementofusersisreflectedinthegamified(游戏化的)interactionofferedbythesocialmediaplatforms--theabilitytolike,writeacomment,compare,share.Oncethedesiredbeautyidealhasbeeninternalized,usersaregiventoolsorfeaturestochangetheirappearancetosuittheacceptedbeautyidealsuchaseditingtheimage,choosingtheidealfilter,therightbackground.AsurveyconductedintheUnitedStatesrevealedthatmorethan50%filtertheimagesbeforepostingthem.Andyouwillnotbesurprisedtohearthatthemajorityofthemarewomen.Oneofthesignificantconsequencesofobsessivefilteringistheemergingtendencytotreatoneselfasanobjecttobeobservedandvalued,inthesamewayanotherpersonobservesandjudgesfromtheside.Theeffectofthefiltersisalreadyfarbeyondamiableamusement.Thefiltersandtheentiregameplayedonthenetworksaffectthementalhealthoftheusers.Accordingtoastudy,appslikeInstagram,SnapchatandFaceTuneallowuserstoachievealevelofperfectionthatwaspreviouslyonlyobservedinbeautymagazines.Eventhoughhumanityhasalwayscherishedbeauty,inthelastdecadeourobsessionwithlookshasreachedanunprecedentedpeak.Thetimespentonsocialmediacreatesanurgetoachieveanimpossiblebeautyidealsopowerfulthattheonlythingthatcanfixitisnotcosmeticintervention,butmentalhealthcare.
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PassageOneWithpopulationincreasesandglobalurbanisationeveraccelerating,muchattentionisfocusedonthesustainabilityofourcitiesandscarceattentionispaidtothecountryside.Rurallifeisassociatedwithclosely-knitcommunities,senseofbelonging,andasimple,tranquillife.Yetwhilstsomeoralloftheseelementsexistinthecountryside,sodoconservatismandalackofemploymentopportunities.Anditismostlyduetothelatterthatruralcommunitiesaresuffering.Attractedbytheimprovedeconomicsofurbanareas,country-dwellersacrosstheworldaremovingout,contributingtotheexcessivecrowdednessofdenselypopulatedcities,andleavingthecountrysideindesolation.Sohowcanthecountrysideensureitssurvivalamongthesechanges,orshoulditatall?Duetoboththedistancebetweenresidencesandfacilitiesandoftenintermittentpublictransport,thoselivinginthecountrysideareheavierautomobileusers.Ruraldwellersalsousemoreenergymaintainingtheirmostlydetachedbuildings.Wemaybepileduplikeboxesinthecity,butthisbringsenergyefficiencythatthecountrysidecannotmatch.Ruralenergyrequirementsresultinhighercarbonemissionsperpersonthaninthecity,soitisactuallyirresponsibletoendorsesuchalifestylechoice.Protectingthecountrysideisahottopic.Thosewhohavemadetheirfortunesinthecityoftenbuysecondhomesinthecountryside,visitingintermittentlyforasampleofasupposedlysimplelife.Theside-effectofthisisthathousepricesarepushedupduetoincreaseddemand,leavingthemunaffordableforlocalpeople.Asolutionhasyettobefoundforthischallenge,formarketforcesarefurtherforcingresidentsoutofthecountryside.Forthosewhobelieveinruralpreservation,thisisdeplorable.Whilstanidealisedviewofthecountrysideiscommon,therealityisthatrurallifehascontinuouslyevolved.Industrialisationbroughtanincreaseindivisionsoflabour,changingsociallinksbetweenruralpeople.Theinternethasintroducedonceforeignculturesintothecountryside.Improvedtravelconnectionsandaffordabilityhavemadetheworldmoreaccessible,creatinga‘globalvillage’.Consideringthesechanges,surelyanevolvingcountrysideisinevitable.Perhapsthecountrysideshouldalsoprepareitselfformassivepopulationincreasesinthefuture.Withcitiesacrosstheworldgrowingrapidly,howwillthecurrenturbangenerationrespondtotheinevitablesocialchangesofmassurbanisation?Willthelongingforasimplerlifebecomestronger,fuelingaruralrenaissance?Astheworldcontinuestourbanise,thevoicescallingforruralpreservationmaywellgrowlouder.Butchangeisinevitable.Weknowthattheworldisgoingtoseenewcitiesemergingfromthedustandcurrentcitiesgrowingintomegacities,butthefutureofthecountrysideislessclear.
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PassageOneImagineyoureanaliensenttoEarthtodocumentthebehaviourofthemammalsinhabitingtheplanet.YoustumbleintoamovietheatrethatsshowingthelatestHollywoodhorrorfilm.Severaldozenhumansaregatheredtogetherinadark,undecoratedroom.Theyreallstaringatarectangularareaonwhichpatternsoflightchangerapidly.Theyareclearlyinastateofhigharousal.Theirheartrateiselevated,theyoccasionallyglancearoundnervously,andtheysometimesjumpcollectivelyintheirseats,andemithigh-pitchedwarningcalls.Eventually,thelightscomeupandtherectangularscreengoesblack.Thehumansstandupandleavetheroom,chattingandlaughing,andshowingsignsofpleasure.Whydothesehumansvoluntarilyexposethemselvestowhatappearstobeadeeplyunpleasantexperience?Andwhydotheyreactsostronglytothosepatternsoflightonascreen?Iamfascinatedwiththeparadoxofhorror--thestrangefactthatmanypeopleseekoutscaryentertainment.Ithinktheanswertothepuzzleliesinhumannature.Myresearchsuggeststhatwehumansevolvedtofindpleasureinsituationsthatallowustoexperiencenegativeemotionsinasafecontext.YoucanseetheseelementsofhorrorinChildrensgames.Takehide-and-seekforexample,whichisasimulationofapredator-preyinteraction.Thekidhidesandtheadultpretendstobeapredator,searchingforthechildwhilehowlinglikeadangerousbeast.Thissimulationgivesthechildcrucialinformationabouthowtoavoidbecomingprey,andchildrentendtofindthatkindofactivitydeeplysatisfying,presumablybecauseitgivesthemasafeexperienceofapotentiallycatastrophicscenario.Theyfinditpleasurable,andpleasureisevolutionswayofmotivatingustowardadaptivebehaviour.Horrorispleasurabletomanypeoplebecauseitletsusplaywithnegativeemotionsanddevelopcopingstrategies.Welearnwhatitfeelsliketobetrulyafraid,andwelearnhowtohandlenegativeemotion.How,then,doeshorrorwork?Myresearchsuggeststhathorrorworksbyexploitinganancientsetofbiologicaldefencemechanisms-anevolvedfearsystem,whichwesharewithotheranimals.Buthumansareuniquelyimaginative,andweuseourevolvedimaginationtotravelintovirtualworldsthatarefullofdanger.Therearegoodreasonsforwatchingahorrorfilm,evenifyourenotaloyalhorrorfan.Ifyoumakeitthroughthefilminonepiece,youllprobablyexperienceastrongsenseofmastery,asensethatyouwereabletomakeitthroughanappallingexperience.Anyway,watchingahorrorfilmmakesyoubetterathandlingyourownfear,andwhoknowswhenthatwillbecomecriticallyrelevant?
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阅读理解The now extinct passenger pigeon has the dubious honor of being the last species anyone ever expected to disappear. At one point, there were more passenger pigeons than any other species of bird. Rough【C1】________of their population went as high as five billion and they accounted for around 40 percent of the total indigenous bird population of North America in the early 19th century. Despite their huge population, passenger pigeons were【C2】________to human intrusion into their nesting territory. Their nests were shabby things and two weeks after the eggs【C3】________. the parent pigeons would abandon their offspring, leaving them to take care of themselves. People discovered that these baby pigeons were really tasty, and the adult birds were also quite【C4】________. First the Native Americans and then the transplanted Europeans came to consider the birds a great【C5】________. By the 1850s, commercial trapping of passenger pigeons was proceeding at an【C6】________pace. Hundreds of thousands of the birds were being harvested every day to be made into popular pigeon pies. In addition, large【C7】________of the pigeons’ nesting territory were being cleared away for planting crops and creating pasture land. As numerous as the passenger pigeons were, they were not an【C8】________resource. By the 1880s, it was noticed that the bird population had become seriously【C9】________. The last passenger pigeons killed in the wild were shot in 1899. Eventually those billions and billions of birds shrank to a single remaining【C10】________. a passenger pigeon named Martha, who died on September 1, 1914, in captivity at the Cincinnati Zoo. In addition to being the end of an era, it was also the first time humans were able to exactly time the extinction of a species. A) vulnerable F) refuge K) excerpts B) unprecedented G) plazas L) estimates C) tracts H) infinite M) edible D) specimen I) hatched N) depleted E) robust J) expired O) delicacy
阅读理解Humans are fascinated by the source of their failings and virtues. This preoccupation inevitably leads to an old debate: whether nature or nurture moulds us more. A revolution in genetics has poised this as a modern political question about the character of our society: if personalities are hard-wired into our genes, what can governments do to help us? It feels morally questionable, yet claims of genetic selection by intelligence are making headlines. This is down to "hereditarian" (遗传论的) science and a recent paper claimed "differences in exam performance between pupils attending selective and non-selective schools mirror the genetic differences between them". With such an assertion, the work was predictably greeted by a lot of absurd claims about "genetics determining academic success". What the research revealed was the rather less surprising result: the educational benefits of selective schools largely disappear once pupils’ inborn ability and socio-economic background were taken into account. It is a glimpse of the blindingly obvious—and there’s nothing to back strongly either a hereditary or environmental argument. Yet the paper does say children are "unintentionally genetically selected" by the school system. Central to hereditarian science is a tall claim: that identifiable variations in genetic sequences can predict an individual’s aptness to learn, reason and solve problems. This is problematic on many levels. A teacher could not seriously tell a parent their child has a low genetic tendency to study when external factors clearly exist. Unlike-minded academics say the inheritability of human traits is scientifically unsound. At best there is a weak statistical association and not a causal link between DNA and intelligence. Yet sophisticated statistics are used to create an intimidatory atmosphere of scientific certainty. While there’s an undoubted genetic basis to individual difference, it is wrong to think that socially defined groups can be genetically accounted for. The fixation on genes as destiny is surely false too. Medical predictability can rarely be based on DNA alone; the environment matters too. Something as complex as intellect is likely to be affected by many factors beyond genes. If hereditarians want to advance their cause it will require more balanced interpretation and not just acts of advocacy. Genetic selection is a way of exerting influence over others, "the ultimate collective control of human destinies," as writer H. G. Wells put it. Knowledge becomes power and power requires a sense of responsibility. In understanding cognitive ability, we must not elevate discrimination to a science; allowing people to climb the ladder of life only as far as their cells might suggest. This will need a more sceptical eye on the science. As technology progresses, we all have a duty to make sure that we shape a future that we would want to find ourselves in.