Section C: Reading Comprehension
Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.
Could you get by without using the internet for four and a half years? That’s exactly what singer and actress Selena Gomez has done in a bid to improve her mental health.
She has spoken extensively about the relationship between her social media usage and her mental wellbeing, recalling feeling like “an addict” when she became Instagram’s most followed user in 2016. “Taking a break from social media was the best decision that I’ve ever made for my mental health”, says she. “The unnecessary hate and comparisons went away once I put my phone down.”
Ditching the web at large, however, is a far more subtle and complicated prospect. The increasing digitisation of our society means that everything from paying a gas bill to plotting a route to a friend’s house and even making a phone call is at the mercy of your internet connection. Actively opting out of using the internet becomes a matter of privilege.
Ms. Gomez’s multi-millionaire status has allowed her to take the “social” out of social media, so she can continue to leverage her enormous fame while keeping the trolls at bay. The fact that she’s still the second most followed woman on Instagram suggests it’s entirely possible to maintain a significant web profile to promote various projects—by way of a dedicated team—without being exposed to the cruel comments, hate mail and rape or death threats.
It goes without saying that this is fundamentally different from how the rest of us without beauty deals and films to publicise use the likes of Instagram, TikTok and Twitter, but even the concept of a digital detox requires having a device and connectivity to choose to disconnect from.
The UK’s digital divide has worsened over the past two years, leaving poorer families without broadband connections in their homes. Digital exclusion is a major threat to wider societal equality in the UK, so witnessing companies like Facebook championing the metaverse as the next great frontier when school children are struggling to complete their homework feels particularly irritating.
Consequently, it’s worth bearing in mind that while deleting all social media accounts will undoubtedly make some feel infinitely better, many other people benefit from the strong sense of community that sharing platforms can breed.
Internet access will continue to grow in importance as we edge further towards web 3.0, and greater resources and initiatives are needed to provide the underprivileged with the connectivity they desperately need to learn, work and live. It’s crucial that people who feel that social media is having a detrimental effect on their mental health are allowed to switch off and for those living in digital exclusion to be able to switch on in the first place.
46. What do we learn about singer and actress Selena Gomez in the past four and a half years?
47. Why does actively opting out of using the internet become a matter of privilege?
48. Why does the author say “witnessing companies ... feels particularly irritating” (Lines 3-4, Para. 6)?
49. What is worth bearing in mind concerning social media platforms?
50. What does the author think is really important for those living in digital exclusion?
Passage Two
Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.
Psychologists have long been in disagreement as to whether competition is a learned or a genetic component of human behavior. Whatever it is, you cannot but recognize the effect competition is exerting in academics and many other areas of contemporary life.
Psychologically speaking, competition has been seen as an inevitable consequence of human drives. According to Sigmund Freud, humans are born screaming for attention and full of organic drives for fulfillment in various areas. Initially, we compete for the attention of our parents. Thereafter, we are at the mercy of a battle between our base impulses for self-fulfillment and social and cultural norms which prohibit pure indulgence.
Current work in anthropology has suggested, however, that this view of the role of competition in human behavior may be incorrect. Thomas Hobbes, one of the great philosophers of the seventeenth century, is perhaps best remembered for his characterization of the “natural world,” that is, the world before the imposition of the will of humanity, as being “nasty, brutish, and short.” This image of the pre-rational world is still widely held, reinforced by Charles Darwin’s highly influential work, The Origin of Species, which established the doctrine of natural selection. This doctrine, which takes for granted that those species best able to adapt to and master the natural environment in which they live will survive, has suggested that the struggle for survival is an inherent human trait which determines a person’s success. Darwin’s theory has even been summarized as “survival of the fittest”—a phrase Darwin himself never used—further highlighting competition’s role in success. As it has often been pointed out, however, there is nothing in the concept of natural selection that competition is the most successful strategy for “survival of the fittest.” Darwin asserted in The Origin of Species that the struggles he was describing should be viewed as metaphors and could easily include dependence and cooperation.
Many studies have been conducted to test the importance placed on competition as opposed to other values, such as cooperation—by various cultures, and generally conclude that Americans uniquely praise competition as natural, inevitable, and desirable. In 1937, the world-renowned anthropologist Margaret Mead published Cooperation and Competition among Primitive Peoples, based on her studies of several societies that did not prize competition, and, in fact, seemed at times to place a negative value on it. One such society was the Zuni Indians of Arizona, and, they, Mead found, valued cooperation far more than competition. After studying dozens of such cultures, Mead’s final conclusion was that competitiveness is a culturally created aspect of human behavior, and that its prevalence in a particular society is relative to how that society values it.
51. What does the author think is easy to see in many areas of contemporary life?
52. According to psychology, what do people strive to do following the initial stage of their life?
53. What do we learn about the “natural world” characterized by Thomas Hobbes?
54. What can we conclude from Darwin’s assertion in The Origin of Species?
55. What conclusion did Margaret Mead reach after studying dozens of different cultures?
Answers & Explanations (答案与解析)
Passage One
46. C。解析：题干问在过去的四年半里，我们对歌手兼女演员Selena Gomez了解了什么。第一段与第二段指出，她停用了网络，“Taking a break from social media was the best decision...”（离开社交媒体是我做出的最好的决定）。refrained from using social media（克制使用社交媒体）对应 taking a break from social media。因此正确答案为C。
47. C。解析：题干问为什么主动选择退出使用互联网成为了一种“特权”。第三段指出，“The increasing digitisation of our society means that everything... is at the mercy of your internet connection.”（我们社会日益增强的数字化意味着从付燃气费到打电话的一切都任由互联网连接摆布）。因为数字化的增长，普通人没有互联网几乎无法勉强应付生活（hardly get by）。因此正确答案为C。
48. D。解析：题干问为什么作者认为“看到科技公司（宣传元宇宙）...感觉特别令人恼火”。第六段解释了背景：“The UK’s digital divide has worsened... leaving poorer families without broadband connections in their homes.”（英国的数字鸿沟恶化，使得较贫困的家庭没有宽带连接）。在学童连做作业都缺乏基本网络连接的情况下，科技巨头却在鼓吹元宇宙，这种对比令人恼火。选项D（英国大多数家庭没有稳定的宽带连接）虽然用了“Most”，但在四个选项中最贴近由于缺乏宽带（broadband connections）而导致学童挣扎的语境。
49. B。解析：题干问关于社交媒体平台，有什么是值得牢记的。第七段指出，“...many other people benefit from the strong sense of community that sharing platforms can breed.”（许多其他人从分享平台孕育的强烈社区意识中获益）。这说明社交媒体帮助人们感受到与他人的联系（feel connected with others）。因此正确答案为B。
50. A。解析：题干问作者认为对于生活在“数字排斥”中的人来说，什么才是真正重要的。最后一段结尾总结道，“...and for those living in digital exclusion to be able to switch on in the first place.”（对于生活在数字排斥中的人来说，首先能够连上网[switch on]是至关重要的）。switch on 即拥有访问互联网的途径（Having access to the internet）。因此正确答案为A。
Passage Two
51. D。解析：题干问作者认为在当代生活的许多领域中，什么是很容易看到的。第一段末尾指出，“Whatever it is, you cannot but recognize the effect competition is exerting in academics and many other areas of contemporary life.”（无论它是什么，你都不得不承认竞争在学术界和当代生活许多其他领域所施加的影响）。the impact of competition 对应 the effect competition is exerting。因此正确答案为D。
52. D。解析：题干问根据心理学，人们在生命最初阶段之后努力做什么。第二段指出，最初我们竞争父母的注意力。“Thereafter, we are at the mercy of a battle between our base impulses for self-fulfillment and social and cultural norms which prohibit pure indulgence.”（此后，我们处于为自我实现的基础冲动与禁止纯粹放纵的社会文化规范之间的战斗中）。也就是在满足自己欲望的同时，也要遵守社会习俗（observing social conventions）。因此正确答案为D。
53. C。解析：题干问关于Thomas Hobbes描述的“自然世界”，我们了解到什么。第三段提到，“...the 'natural world,' that is, the world before the imposition of the will of humanity...”（“自然世界”，也就是在人类意志强加之前的世界）。这表明自然世界是没有人类理性干预的（free from the rational intervention of humans）。因此正确答案为C。
54. B。解析：题干问从达尔文在《物种起源》中的论断可以得出什么结论。第三段末尾指出，“Darwin asserted... that the struggles he was describing should be viewed as metaphors and could easily include dependence and cooperation.”（达尔文断言...他描述的生存斗争应被视为隐喻，可以很容易地包括依赖和合作）。这说明生存斗争并不排除相互支持（do not exclude mutual support）。因此正确答案为B。
55. C。解析：题干问Margaret Mead在研究了几十种不同文化后得出了什么结论。最后一段结尾总结道，“Mead’s final conclusion was that competitiveness is a culturally created aspect of human behavior, and that its prevalence in a particular society is relative to how that society values it.”（米德的最终结论是，竞争力是人类行为中由文化创造的一个方面，它在特定社会中的普遍程度取决于该社会如何看待它）。这对应选项C（竞争力是由社会的价值观塑造的）。
核心搭配与高分句型
【核心搭配与高频短语】
get by：勉强应付，过活（get by without using the internet）
at the mercy of：任凭...摆布，完全受...支配（is at the mercy of your internet connection / we are at the mercy of a battle between...）
keep at bay：牵制，防范，避开（keeping the trolls at bay）
goes without saying：不言而喻，理所当然（It goes without saying that...）
bear in mind：牢记在心（it’s worth bearing in mind that...）
take for granted：认为理所当然（takes for granted that those species...）
as opposed to：与...形成对比，而不是（as opposed to other values）
【亮点句型解析】
Double negative (双重否定) 表达强烈肯定：
"Whatever it is, you cannot but recognize the effect competition is exerting in academics and many other areas of contemporary life."
（无论它是什么，你都不得不承认竞争在学术界和当代生活许多其他领域所施加的影响。）`cannot but + 动词原形` 意为“不得不，必定”，语气比单纯的肯定句更强烈。
"Whatever it is, you cannot but recognize the effect competition is exerting in academics and many other areas of contemporary life."
（无论它是什么，你都不得不承认竞争在学术界和当代生活许多其他领域所施加的影响。）`cannot but + 动词原形` 意为“不得不，必定”，语气比单纯的肯定句更强烈。
同位语从句与非限制性定语从句结合：
"This image of the pre-rational world is still widely held, reinforced by Charles Darwin’s highly influential work, The Origin of Species, which established the doctrine of natural selection."
（这种对前理性世界的印象仍然被广泛持有，并被查尔斯·达尔文极具影响力的著作《物种起源》所强化，该著作确立了自然选择的学说。）`reinforced by` 过去分词短语作状语补充说明，`which` 引导非限制性定语从句修饰书名，使得长句结构清晰，信息量丰富。
"This image of the pre-rational world is still widely held, reinforced by Charles Darwin’s highly influential work, The Origin of Species, which established the doctrine of natural selection."
（这种对前理性世界的印象仍然被广泛持有，并被查尔斯·达尔文极具影响力的著作《物种起源》所强化，该著作确立了自然选择的学说。）`reinforced by` 过去分词短语作状语补充说明，`which` 引导非限制性定语从句修饰书名，使得长句结构清晰，信息量丰富。