专题09 六选四15 篇 (上海专用)
【题型知识点细目表】
题号
难度
知识点
1
适中
社会问题与社会现象,科普知识
2
适中
其他著名人物,人与动植物
3
适中
社会问题与社会现象,科普知识
4
适中
食物与饮料 ,健康饮食
5
适中
社会问题与社会现象,信息技术
6
适中
环境保护,环境污染
7
适中
音乐与舞蹈,社会问题与社会现象
8
较难
社会问题与社会现象
9
适中
社会问题与社会现象
10
适中
社会问题与社会现象,健康饮食
11
较难
组织与机构,社会问题与社会现象
12
较难
社会问题与社会现象
13
适中
购物选择,社会问题与社会现象
14
适中
方法/策略,学习
15
适中
发明与创造 ,信息技术
【高考典例】
Too Big, Too Expensive and Too Silly — Why Video Game Movies Fail
Film adaptations of video games have fallen on the unsuspecting viewing public like a Drop Bear.At first
they look harmless enough, but they often leave viewers bruised and regretful.
These movies are plentiful. 1 Yet despite big budgets and quality talent both in front of and
behind the camera, most video game movies are commercial and critical failures.
2 The answer comes down to a complex mix of conflicting audience demands and commercial
realities. Video game movies often assume that the audience wants, or is interested in, the game’s legend and
background. In fairness, this is out of fear that fans will? Criticise legend changes, alienating a key demographic.
But games reveal legend progressively over tens of hours of gameplay, whereas movies have a small portion of
that time. This tension risks creating boring exposition and complex story lines. For example, Warcraft details the
origins of conflict between humans and orcs (兽), the central conflict in the game’s world.
3
Additionally, excessive adherence to the source material extends to using silly plot devices without
spending enough time establishing proper reasons for their existence. In games, these can work due to the
“unspoken but commonly understood logic of ‘this is a video game’”. In a game, people accept inconsistent
narrative devices because they facilitate interesting interaction and are the quickest route towards allowing gamers
to, say, shoot hell-monsters on Mars.
The game series became increasingly complex , as the player-controlled protagonist (主角) parkoured his
way through time periods like Renaissance Italy and Revolutionary America. The incredibility of the narrative
world paled beside the fun of vaulting from rooftop to rooftop in15th-century Florence.
4
The plot — an original story which retains the key elements of the games — was criticized as
“scattered and fractured”, “ hastily explained” and “ disorienting”. Vanity Fair pointed out that. It’s not clear why
any of this is happening“ and RogerEbert.com summed it up as：Characters[talking] in quiet whispers about the
complex methods they use to realize their poorly-hidden agendas.
A．So why do these movies fail?
B．The film, in contrast, failed to bring its audience along for the ride.
C．Game adaptations” issues seem not to be due to a lack of resources.
D．But the return on investment is not encouraging, with a number failing to recoup costs.
E．The potential to appeal to a devoted fan base makes these movies an attractive prospect.
F．However, a common criticism was that it was full of boring exposition and mostly uninteresting characters.
When Leakey and Jane begin a study of wild chimpanzees on the shore of Lake Tanganyika, British
authorities resist the idea of a young woman living among wild animals in Africa.They finally agree to Leakey’s
proposal when Jane’s mother Vanne volunteers to accompany her daughter for the first three months.
On July 14, 1960, Jane and Vanne arrive on the shores of Gombe Stream Chimpanzee Reserve in western
Tanzania.
1 The animals fled from Jane in fear. With patience and determination she searched the forest
every day, deliberately trying not to get too close to the chimpanzees too soon. Gradually the chimpanzees
accepted her presence.
Jane observes meat-eating for the first time October 30, 1961. Later, she sees the chimpanzees hunt for
meat. 2
On November 4, 1961, Jane observes David Greybeard and Goliath making tools to extract termites (白蚁)
from their mounds. They would select a thin branch from a tree, strip the leaves and push the branch into the
termite mound. After a few seconds they would pull out the termite-covered stick and pick off the tasty termites
with their lips.
This becomes one of Jane’s most important discoveries.
3
On hearing of Jane’s observation,
Leakey famously says: “Now we must redefine tool, redefine man, or accept chimpanzees as humans.”
Jane’s work in Gombe becomes more widely known and in 1962 she is accepted at Cambridge University
as a PhD candidate, one of very few people to be admitted without a university degree.
4
“It would
have been more scientific to give them numbers”, they say.
Jane has to defend an idea that might now seem obvious: that chimpanzees have emotions, minds and
personalities.
Jane in Africa National Geographic decides to sponsor Jane’s work and sends photographer and filmmaker
Hugo van Lawick to document Jane’s life in Gombe. In August 1963, Jane publishes her first article in National
Geographic, “My Life Among Wild Chimpanzees.”
A．But studying the chimpanzees of Gombe was not easy.
B．Until that time, only humans were thought to create tools.
C．These observations disprove the widely held belief that chimpanzees are vegetarian.
D．So she learns to be a secretary and works for a time at Oxford University typing documents.
E．However, Jane loves the toy and names the chimpanzee Jubilee, carrying it with her everywhere.
F．Some scholars and scientists give Jane a cold reception and criticise her for giving the chimpanzees names.
“Our research has shown that the No.1 reason people become fans is that it’s your connection to your first
community,” said Adam Earnhardt, chairman of the communications department at Youngstown State University
and co-author of Sports Fans, Identity and Socialization: Exploring the Fandemonium. “I don’t care if a Seattle
fan moves to China, he or she carries with them their love for the sports teams,” he said. “ 1 ”
2 And when a team begins to catch fire, as with, say, the Mariners in’ 95 or the Seahawks of
recent vintage, well, it’s east to get swept up in the wave.
“It’s phenomenal,” said Simons. “We have this ability to understand other people so remarkably that their
victories literally become ours. Our testosterone literally responds to their victory. 3 They’re us, and
competing on a literal level as us — a little extension of us.”
Professor Robert Cialdini at Arizona State University came up with the term BIRG — Basking In Reflected
Glory — to describe the intense pride fans feel when their teams succeed. It can be used as a verb, as in,
“Seahawks’ fans are currently BIRGing up a storm.” The counterpoint, as coined by researchers C． R. Snyder,
MaryAnne Lassergard and Carol E. Ford, is the concept of CORFing — Cutting Off Reflected Failure. 4
We’ve all heard it in action: We won, but they lost.
This leads into another concept, that of cognitive bias, also known as confirmation bias, which causes fans
to help explain away defeats by blaming outside factors, such as referees. I’m sure it would also help explain why
Seahawks fans rallied around Richard Sherman after his postgame interview, rationalizing behavior that was
widely criticized by many fans with no vested interest. It could also explain the notion, of “eustress,” invented by
endocrinologist Hans Selye to refer to a combination of euphoria and stress, such as that resulting from watching
tense sporting events. Indeed, it’s much of the appeal.
A．It means that different team is accessible to you.
B．Belonging to your favorite team stimulates your confidence.
C．That identity is first and foremost.
D．The more we follow a team, the deeper the bond becomes.
E．In that sense, your favorite team can serve the same purpose as church and family: Fostering a sense of
belonging.
F．This refers to the inclination by fans to distance themselves from their team after a defeat.
【热点话题练习】
Butter is Back
After decades as a dietary pariah (被遗弃者) , it’s a star ingredient in everything from brown butter pasta
to butter cake, and you may have noticed the growing variety at the supermarket. Americans eat an average of 6. 5
pounds per year, up 18 percent over the past decade, according to the International Dairy Foods Association.
Why the butter renaissance? For one thing, America’s obsession with fat-free foods has been eclipsed by a
growing appetite for minimally processed ingredients. 1 When you want steak browned to perfection,
you baste (浇油脂) it in butter. Hollandaise sauce and flaky croissants could not exist without it. And few food
combinations are tastier than a salted dollop on crusty bread.
Of course, butter is creamy because it’s full of fat, most of which is the saturated kind that’s been linked to
a higher risk of heart disease. A study found that people who ate the most butter had a 15 percent higher risk of
early death from any cause, while those who consumed the most plant-based oil — such as olive, canola, and
soybean oils — had a 16 percent lower risk. 2 “Butter is not a health food we should be seeking out, but
not a poison we should be avoiding, either,” says cardiologist Dariush Mozaffarian. It’s all about balance: When
your diet doesn’t include much food high in saturated fat, such as red meat and whole-milk dairy products, “eating
butter in moderation is fine,” he says.
3 But they’re not necessarily better for you than regular butter and usually can’t match its flavor
or effect when cooking or baking.
Margarine is typically made from a blend of vegetable oils like soybean or sunflower, but some may
contain palm oil, which is high in saturated fat. “Light” butter may blend real butter with canola oil for reduced fat
and calories. Whipped butter also has less fat and fewer calories because it has more air. 4 Buttery
sprays are low in calories and fat, give grilled food, vegetables, and popcorn quick flavor, and can be used to
grease pans. However, these spritzes tend to contain high amounts of artificial ingredients.
A．That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy butter, though.
B．For the sake of health, we should try to resist its temptation.
C．Both can serve as perfect substitutes for butter.
D．For another, nothing flavors all kinds of food like butter can.
E．Neither works well for baking, but they can satisfy a bread-and-butter craving.
F．If you want to cut back on butter or prefer plant-based foods, there are some alternatives.
Twilight of the Brands
It’s a truism of business-book thinking that a company’s brand is its “most important asset,” more valuable
than technology or patents or manufacturing prowess. But brands have never been more fragile. The reason is
simple: consumers are supremely well informed and far more likely to investigate the real value of products than
to rely on logos.
Absolute Value, a new book by Itamar Simonson and Emanuel Rosen shows that, historically, the rise of
brands was a response to an information-poor environment. 1 If a car was made by G. M., or a ketchup
by Heinz, you assumed that it was pretty good. It was hard to figure out if a new product from an unfamiliar
company was reliable or not, so brand loyalty was a way of reducing risk.
Today, consumers can read much research about whatever they want to buy. This started back with
Consumer Reports, which did objective studies of products. 2 It has given ordinary consumers easy
access to expert reviews, user reviews, and detailed product data, in an array of categories.
A recent study found that eighty per cent of consumers look at online reviews before making major
purchases, and a host of studies have logged the strong influence those reviews have on the decisions people
make. 3 An undesirable product can become a laughingstock (笑柄) in a matter of hours. In the old
days, you might buy a Sony television set because you’d owned one before, or because you trusted the brand.
Today, such considerations matter much less than reviews on Amazon and Engadget and CNET. As Simonson
said, “each product now has to prove itself on its own.”
It’s been argued that in a world where consumers are overwhelmed with information, the information will
actually make brands more valuable. Indeed, the role a brand plays in people’s lives has become all the more
important. But information overload is largely a myth. 4 And this has made customer loyalty pretty
much a thing of the past. Only twenty-five per cent of American respondents in a recent study said that brand
loyalty affected how they shopped.
A．But what’s really weakened the power of brands is the Internet.
B．For consumers this is ideal: heightened competition has raised quality and held down prices.
C．When consumers had to rely on advertisements and their past experience with a company, brands served as a
guarantee for quality.
D．A large quantity of consumers fail to get a great deal of information efficiently and effectively.
E．The rise of social media has sped up the trend to an astonishing degree.
F．Most consumers figure out how to find what they’re looking for without spending huge amounts of time
online.
Nuclear Waste
As people recognize the dangers of fossil fuel plants, especially the risk of global warming from carbon
dioxide production — nuclear power begins to look more attractive. But what about the waste — all that highly
radioactive debris (残骸) that will endure for thousands of years? Nuclear waste is one of the biggest technical
issues that any future president is likely to face. 1 Plutonium (钚) has a half-life of 24, 000 years. Even
after 100, 000 years, the radiation will still be above 10% of the level it had when it left the reactor. 2
How can we possibly prove that this material can be kept safe for 100000 years?
Still the US government persists in pursuing “safe” nuclear waste disposal (处理) . It has created nuclear
waste facilities buried deep within Yucca Mountain, Nevada. To keep the waste safe, the storage rooms are 1, 000
feet below the surface. 3 It needs at least 2 square miles. The cost of the facility is expected to reach
$100 billion, with hundreds of billions of dollars more in operating costs. To make matters worse, earthquakes
happen often in the Yucca Mountain region. More than 600 earthquakes of magnitude of 2.5 and higher have
occurred within 50 miles in the last decade alone. Although that was millions of years ago, how sure can we be
that the waste facility won’t be torn apart by another eruption?
4 Why not just send the waste into the sun? Well, maybe that’s not such a good idea, since on
launch some rockets do crash back down to the earth. Some scientists have proposed that the waste be put in ships
and sunk under the oceans. Yet just the fact that scientists make such suggestions seems to emphasize how severe
the problem really is.
A．Many alternatives have been suggested to the nuclear waste storage.
B．What if it leaks into the ground and reaches human water supplies?
C．Why do many people worry about the risk of global warming?
D．To store even part of the present nuclear waste requires a vast area.
E．The problem of nuclear waste seems totally hard to deal with.
F．To dispose it into the less populated regions sounds quite practical.
Music comes in many forms; most countries have a style of their own. Poland has its polkas. Hungary has
its czardas. Brazil is famous for the bossa nova, Caribbean countries for the merengue, and Argentina for the
tango. The U.S. is known for jazz, a completely original type of music that has gained worldwide popularity.
1 In contrast to classical music, which follows formal European traditions, jazz is spontaneous
and free-form. It bubbles with energy, expressing the moods, interests, and emotions of the people. Brash,
uninhibited, and exciting, it has a modern sound. In the 1920s, jazz sounded like America. And so it does today.
The origins of this music are as interesting as the music itself. Jazz was invented by American Negroes, or
Blacks as they are called today, who were brought to the Southern states as slaves. They were sold to plantation
owners and forced to work long hours in the cotton and tobacco fields. 2 When a Black person died,
their friends and relatives formed a procession to carry the body to the cemetery.
A band often accompanied the procession. On the way to the cemetery, the band played slow, solemn music
suited to the occasion. But on the way home, the mood changed. Spirits lifted. Everybody was happy. Death had
removed one of their number, but the living were glad to be alive. The band played happy music, improvising on
both the harmony and the melody of the tunes presented at the funeral. This music made everyone want to dance.
3
Music has always been important in Black life. Coming mainly from West Africa, the people who were
brought to America already possessed a rich musical tradition. This music centered on religious ceremonies in
which dancing, singing, clapping, and stamping to the beat of a drum were important forms of musical and
rhythmic expression.
4
In the fields, they made up work songs. Singing made the hard work go faster.
And as the people were converted to Christianity, they composed lovely spirituals, which have become a
permanent part of American music.
A．Jazz played a mood-changing role in colonial black people’s life.
B．Jazz is America’s contribution to popular music.
C．This work was hard, and life was short.
D．It was an early form of jazz.
E．Black people merrily practised dance during the procession accompanied by a band.
F．As these people settled into their new life in the plantations of the South, music retained its importance.
Human beings are social creatures. We build bonds, cultivate friendships, and nurture family ties in hopes
of finding love, support, and understanding. Ideally, these relationships become safe havens where we can share
our deepest thoughts, worries, and vulnerabilities without fear of judgment. 1 Why is this the case?
Why would we share our fears with a therapist, a fellow traveler on a train, or even an anonymous voice on the
internet rather than with our spouse, sibling, or best friend? The answer lies in the intricate interplay between
psychology, social expectations, and human emotion.
There’s something you’ve been dying to get off your chest but you don’t want to live in the reality of a
world where this secret is not. If you share it with a stranger, you release the tension and still keep your personal
world away from it. 2 You’ll literally tell them anything in the world. This uncertainty between us
ushers in a certain ease; the judgement of strangers matters little because it’s unlikely one will cross paths with
them again. The absence of attachment we feel towards a stranger during our interactions, coupled with the fact
that there are hardly any repercussions (恶果), lead to a sense of relative safety, encouraging emotional expression
and disclosure.
3 Our interactions with strangers lack the baggage of these dynamics. When talking to strangers,
however, one can share highly personal information without damaging their reputation within one’s social circle.
The spouse is a friend, often a co-parent, also a lover, and hopefully, an advocate of our work. Our parents have
your entire life’s history in their head and friends are familiar with which the person what we should to be. When
we need comfort, we’re unsure which of their roles these people might play- and wary that it might be a role that
gives us something other than the unconditional support we’re looking for in the moment. So, we confide in
someone else altogether.
Conversations with strangers, on the contrary, can thus allow us to reexamine our lives through a new lens.
Strangers offer the unique advantage of providing fresh perspectives and objective viewpoints, offering unbiased
advice and impartial opinions. 4 That is one of the reasons that we can find solace in the validation and
support offered by strangers, which they were otherwise denied by the people in their lives. Moreover, we don’t
necessarily have to worry about bookending everything we say with social niceties. This also increases the appeal
of the advice we might receive from strangers in return: they can be blunt in their takes because they too don’t
have to worry about the way we might feel about their responses.
A．Yet, paradoxically, many of us discover that it is sometimes easier to confide in a stranger than in someone
close to us.
B．Sometimes we choose not to open our hearts to family or friends, not because we don’t trust them, but
because we fear burdening them or altering the relationship.
C．They allow us to get out of our heads and break up that negative self-focus, and prevent the train of negative
circular thinking.
D．Social connections built over time come with assumptions, judgments, and expectations, which can inhibit
individuals from fully expressing themselves.
E．Perhaps the paradox of intimacy is that the closer we are to someone, the easier it becomes to take them for
granted.
F．When you know you won’t see the person again, you’re a little too comfortable.
Swimming Is Not Just a Sport. It’s a Survival Tool
In December 2024, the World Health Organization released its first-ever report on drowning prevention,
noting more than 7.2 million people, many children, could die by drowning by the year 2050 if current trends
continue.
If we look further, there are shocking divides when it comes to children from underserved communities
with 64% of Black children and 45% of Latino children having few to no swimming skills. In many mostly Black
communities, swimming is often seen as an unnecessary skill — something reserved for the wealthy, white elite,
those who have a pool or live by the ocean.
1
Research indicates that Black children and their parents are three times more fearful of drowning than white
children and their parents. This fear is not unfounded. Many of these families, for generations, have been excluded
from learning the life-saving skill of swimming due to systemic barriers — whether that’s a lack of access to
pools, inadequate swim programs, or simply not knowing where to start.
2
78% of Black children and
62% of Latino children lack adequate swimming skills when their parents have no or low swimming competency.
But the thing is: swimming is not just a sport — it’s a survival tool. Swim lessons and water safety
education can dramatically change the path of children’s lives. Studies show that formal swim lessons reduce the
risk of drowning by 88%. This is why we must invest in community driven efforts to make swimming accessible
to all children.
3
Such organizations provide swim scholarships and build partnerships with swim lesson
providers to provide low and no-cost swim lesson access to families in need.
4
We need action. Schools, cities, community organizations, and more must prioritize water
safety education in diverse neighborhoods. For too long, the lack of swimming ability in underserved
communities has been overlooked. We can no longer afford to ignore this issue when children’s lives are at risk.
A．This means funding local swim programs and the work of organizations.
B．We must break this misconception.
C．This ongoing cycle of fear and inadequate training is passed through generations.
D．This misunderstanding has potentially put Black children and their parents in danger.
E．This fear is infectious, leading to widespread reluctance to invest in swim programs.
F．It’s not enough to just talk about the problem.
Plant-based diets have become increasingly popular, driven by concerns for health, animal welfare, and the
environment. More people are replacing meat with fruits, vegetables, and grains, and this trend shows no sign of
slowing down.
Nutritional balance is a key focus for those adopting such diets. While plants offer plenty of fiber and
vitamins, they often lack certain nutrients. 1 For example, vitamin B12, critical for nerve function, is
rarely found in plant foods, so many vegetarians rely on supplements.
2 In some cultures, plant-based eating is deeply rooted in tradition. Take Thailand, where dishes
like green curry with tofu and stir-fried morning glory are staples. These meals are not just vegetarian but central
to the country’s culinary identity, passed down through generations.
Other cultures, however, struggle to embrace meat-free diets. In Argentina, where asado (barbecue) is a
cornerstone of social life, replacing beef with plant-based alternatives can feel like a rejection of cultural heritage.
3 Families often gather around grilled meats, and many view vegetarianism as a foreign concept.
Technological innovations are making plant-based diets more accessible. Companies now produce plant-
based steaks and sausages that closely mimic the taste and texture of meat. 4 From vegan cheese to egg
substitutes, these products allow people to enjoy familiar flavors while sticking to their dietary choices.
A．It’s not just about the food itself, but also about upholding age-old culinary traditions.
B．These cultural connections create hurdles for plant-based diets in such areas.
C．They utilize components like mushroom extract and pea protein to replicate the texture.
D．Cultural norms significantly influence the acceptance of plant-based diets.
E．Hence, meticulous meal planning is crucial to prevent nutrient deficiencies.
F．A common concern is that eliminating meat might cause fatigue or weakness.
The Joy of Small Museums
Of the 2, 500 museums estimated to exist around the UK, the great national institutions take all the air, with
their popular shows and rows over funding, return of seized treasures and — in the case of the British Museum —
reported thefts. 1 From their earliest days, critics have challenged their tendency to collect and display
the remains of empires. The writer G. K. Chesterton once remarked that the Museum is not meant either for the
wanderer to see by accident, but rather for the mere slave of a routine of self-education to stuff himself with every
sort of intellectual food in one indigestible meal.
But there are hundreds of smaller museums, often founded by enthusiasts, that make an incalculable
contribution to cultural life. For those financed through local authorities, the past decade and a half has been
harsh, with spending on England’s museums and galleries falling by more than a third.
2
The Musical Museum is a case in point. It was founded in an abandoned church by Frank Holland to house
his growing collection of instruments, and he sold his home to support it. It has since moved to a new building,
from where it streams concerts on the Mighty Wurlitzer.
3
Volunteers rolled up their sleeves and
responded by launching a 60th-anniversary appeal, which is on the point of reaching its target.
4
They embody many different enthusiasms, from pens (Birmingham) to dog collars (Kent). Such
institutions are labours of love. They are also statements of what individuals or communities want to save of, and
for, themselves — and the work they will put into preserving it. They are the stories of what we have been and
who we are.
A．But as Mr Holland’s fund ran dry, the museum had to lay off staff and cut opening hours.
B．Yet collecting is a basic human instinct, and the will to share collections is strong.
C．Have you heard about the museum of clocks that may have to be closed unless the founder can find someone
to keep it running when he retires?
D．Doubts about the size and purpose of such vast institutions are nothing new.
E．But if proof of living value were needed, one of their members provided it two years ago.
F．This is a story that will ring bells with many small museums.
African Union urges adoption of world map showing continent’s true size
The African Union has supported a campaign to stop using the Mercator world map. The “Correct The
Map” initiative urges governments and international organizations to use maps that show the true size of Africa.
1 It makes areas near the poles, such as North America and Europe, appear larger, while reducing
lands near the equator like Africa. And it creates a false idea of Africa as less important, even though it is the
world’s second-largest continent in both area and population.This incorrect view helps continue stereotypes (刻板
印象) that affect international media, education, and policy.
Although criticism of the Mercator map is not new, the campaign has brought back the debate. 2
This correction is vital because, as Moky Makura of Africa No Filter explains, Africa has long been presented in a
misleading way on world maps.
Nevertheless, the Mercator map remains widely used in schools and across the tech industry. This
widespread use is obvious in its status as the standard map for countless educational resources.
3
4
Seeing Africa shown smaller on world maps hurts people’s pride and harms children’s self-
image. “We are working to make the Equal Earth projection the main map used in classrooms across Africa,” said
Fara Ndiaye, co-founder of Speak Up Africa. In support of this educational effort, the African Union will
encourage wider use of correct maps among its member states.
A．The Mercator map, a 16th-century navigation tool, misrepresents the world’s continents.
B．Besides, the Mercator maps can greatly influence people’s sense of cultural identity.
C．Similarly, it still serves as the main world map on many digital platforms and mobile apps.
D．However, changing classroom materials alone won’t fully address public misconceptions.
E．It encourages the use of the 2018 Equal Earth projection to show countries’ sizes correctly
F．Experts argue modern mapping tools have made traditional world projections less important.
Mystery Boxes
Most of us know what it’s like to get presents from friends. Whether it’s for a birthday or other celebration,
it’s hard to beat the excitement of opening a carefully wrapped box to find something that’s both unexpected and
suits you perfectly. Now, imagine if you could get the same feeling when you go shopping for yourself. That’s the
feeling that mystery boxes hope to reproduce.
Mystery boxes are not a new idea— they were a feature of department stores in Japan in the early 20th
century. They contain a range of different products, which are sold at a lower price than their combined value.
1
All kinds of mystery boxes are available: fashion boxes, food boxes, beauty boxes, even lucky boxes,
which are virtual items for video games.
The pleasant surprise is not the only attraction of mystery boxes. 2 Seasonal vegetable
subscription boxes might lead people to learn to cook new meals. They can also potentially offer great savings—
as the recommended consumer price of the contents is often far higher than the purchase price. For sellers and
suppliers, the benefits are clear: 3 British fashion mystery box businessman Mario Maher highlights
how mystery boxes can help reduce the amount of waste in the fashion industry. People might discover product
ranges that would otherwise be thrown away.
4 When you buy them, you don’t know what you’ll get. It may be that the goods inside are not
to your taste, but there is also the potential for cheaters to employ the unpredictability of mystery boxes to send
items that have a much lower value than the price of the box.
So, are mystery boxes a fun way of reducing waste and making shopping more exciting, or more an
opportunity for disappointment, or worse— cheating?
A．There is an obvious downside to mystery boxes.
B．They also allow people to try things that they otherwise wouldn’t.
C．Retailers often lose money when selling mystery boxes to clear stock.
D．It allows them to sell unwanted stock for a profit.
E．Customers usually get a list of contents before buying mystery boxes.
F．The key thing is that customers don’t know what’s in the box before they buy.
How to Reduce Screen Time and Focus on Studying
In today’s digital age, where screens dominate both education and entertainment, managing screen time has
become an essential skill for students. While we can’t avoid using devices completely, learning to manage our
screen time can lead to better focus, improved health, and greater academic achievements.
A good way to start is by using the screen time tracker already on your phone or computer. 1 It
can encourage you to transition to offline activities once your time is up. To further minimize distractions, keeping
your phone away when you’re studying also helps. Try making your desk or bedroom a phone-free area. Studies
show that just seeing your phone can make it harder to concentrate, so putting it in another room while you study
is a smart move.
For those needing extra motivation, focus apps offer a creative solution. These tools, like Forest, gamify the
process of staying offline. For example, you grow a virtual tree that stays alive only if you don’t use your phone.
You can also try studying in short blocks, like 25 minutes at a time with 5-minute breaks in between. 2
It is called the Pomodoro Technique, a structured method for developing deep work habits, managing energy, and
defeating digital distractions.
3 Writing by hand has been shown to help you remember things better than typing. Additionally,
you might also want to set aside time each day to study without any screens at all. Even one hour can make a
difference.
Remember, the goal isn’t to stop using technology completely. 4 By trying these simple ideas,
you can take back your time, focus better on your work, and feel more in control of your day.
A．Setting daily limits for distracting apps creates a clear boundary.
B．It also helps you become more aware of where your time is going.
C．Turning off messages during this session can further reduce temptation.
D．It’s about finding a good balance so that screens don’t control your life.
E．Beyond digital tools, embracing physical study materials provides substantial benefits.
F．This method helps your brain stay fresh and makes it easier to remember what you’re learning.
Airchat—Is this the next big thing, or is it all just talk?
Imagine a social media app where text takes a back seat and voice takes center stage! That’s the experience
Airchat promises. And this new take on social media is shaking things up in the tech world.
Airchat is an audio-focused social media platform. 1 The app then transcribes these messages
into text so that they can be both heard and read. It’s a mix between a podcast and an X (formerly Twitter) feed.
Many think that Airchat’s decision to abandon the text-first messaging model feels fresh. Hearing the
natural tone of someone’s voice when they post feels more personal. 2 What’s more, the app offers an
auto play feature, allowing you to listen when you’re out and about.
Right now, Airchat is an invite-only app. On a practical level, this makes the app easier to manage because
the user base is limited. But it’s also a marketing technique that fuels interest by making a product feel special.
Some tech writers have noted similarities between Clubhouse, an app popular in 2020, and Airchat. Both
apps are audio-focused, started as invite-only and are mostly popular in the tech community. But there’s a key
difference. Clubhouse was about live chat rooms and discussions, like a collection of online conferences. 3
There’s no time-sensitive pressure to catch a conversation from the beginning.
4 Before it adds new features, some writers say that Airchat needs to improve its content
moderation system. The developers expect users to check the content themselves and remove offending posts
using in-app tools. In extreme cases, Airchat employees may remove a user from the platform. But this system
may not be sufficient to keep a large user base under control.
So, will Airchat blow up or quietly disappear? That remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure: It’s an
exciting new voice in the world of online communication.
A．It could also reduce misunderstandings since you can hear the emotion in people’s voices.
B．As a result, a lot of Air chat users think it offensive when they are using Air chat.
C．Instead of typing posts, users hold the record button on the app and record voice messages.
D．In the future, we may see additional features that make Airchat stand out even more.
E．Airchat users can post a message and the receiver can respond when it’s convenient.
F．Airchat can be used not only for online meetings but also for offline conferences.
