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A

Jennifer Hebert, a 21-year-old student, wakes up and looks at the clock. It’s 7:30 am. She realizes she doesn’t work until nine so she figures: “I’ll leave my hair down today.”

Instead of hastily propping her hair up in a simple ponytail, she decides to take the extra time and straighten it. She finishes and looks at herself in the mirror. Instead of heading out, she takes out her phone, turns the front to face her and snaps (拍照) a selfie (自拍).

This word is unmistakable. It has become so widely used, it was actually named the word of the year by the Oxford Dictionary.

But with this revolutionary photography technique comes side effects that cannot be overlooked.

Millennials, the generation that essentially acted as a guinea pig (小白鼠) for the evolution of technology and social media, are common described as narcissists (自我陶醉者). A search of the word “selfies” on Instagram brings up nearly seven million photos.

With features constantly added to Instagram and other smartphone apps, not only do selfies masters have the art of photography, but they’re also able to edit (编辑) the image with things like filters. “I mostly take selfies because I like to mess around with editing,” says Jennifer.

Since photo apps have made it, in a way, “stupid simple” to fix a blemish (瑕疵) or change your skin tone, it’s no surprise people still struggle with their self-image more than ever. “I’m not going to lie I edit most of my photos, which I’m sure most people do. This just shows us that we’re not seeing true beauty, because everyone is hiding behind some sort of filter, to make them look a lot different,” says Jennifer.

A study from a university in Australia revealed the effects of the Internet on girls aged 12 and 16. It found that 96 percent had access to the Internet and 72.1 percent of them uploaded pictures of themselves. It also found that 40.1 percent of them were dissatisfied with their bodies. No one knows at what pace the selfie culture will increase, but from these numbers, it is clear that they can have a damaging effect. It’s up to those who chose to snap or not to snap that must deal with the consequence.

1. The purpose of the first two paragraphs is mainly to ______.

A. introduce the topic of selfie culture

B. prove the popularity of social media

C. tell how much girls care about their appearance

D. show how Jennifer tries to improve her self-image

2. According to the second-to-last paragraph, ______.

A. editing helps people see their true beauty

B. people prefer to hide their identities on social media

C. people have different ideas about true beauty

D. most people are not confident of their appearance

3. Why does the author mention those numbers in the last paragraph?

A. To show how advanced technology has become.

B. To warn us of the negative effects of selfie culture.

C. To prove that girls are more likely to take selfies.

D. To indicate that girls need to pay attention to online privacy.

4. What’s the author’s attitude toward selfie culture?

A. Concerned. B. Annoyed. C. Supportive. D. Objective.

B

Shaving all of your hair off isn’t an easy thing to do.

But it’s just what several dozen American residents (居民) choose to do each year to support friends and family with cancer (癌症) who often don’t have a choice but to go bald because of the effects of treatment. This year the popular Bald is Beautiful fundraiser (募捐) was held in Keene, Cheshire County, New Hampshire on May 3.

Some say going bald is the least they can do for friends with cancer.

“I don’t think hair decides who we are, but it’s certainly something we’re very protective of,” said Rebecca E. Pratt, a nursing supervisor at Cheshire Medical Center in Southwestern New Hampshire.

Pratt is no stranger to a “shiny dome (圆顶)”, as she calls it. She first went bald as a part of the fundraiser team at the hospital six years ago. At the time, her hair was down to the middle of her back, she said.

The team called “Andrea’s Angels” was formed in honor of Cheshire Medical Center employee Andrea Smith, who passed away from cancer in January.

So far, 17 Cheshire Medical Center employees have signed up to have their heads shaved next week. Two weeks ago, 17 staff and students at Keene High School signed up to take the plunge (果断决定尝试) and raised about $3,000.

Last year, Bald is Beautiful events in the area raised about $40,000. The money goes toward basic necessities for cancer patients, including pain medication, gas money and groceries.

It helps to lessen some of the financial burdens that come with illness, said Jennifer Michelson, director of the Norris Cotton Cancer Center at Cheshire Medical Center.

“I think people understand it’s not cheap to get sick,” Michelson said. “It’s meeting some real needs that people have in the community.”

Pratt said the act of shaving it all off can be emotional, but it’s always worth it.

“It’s intimidating in the very beginning to think of losing all your hair,” she said. But she added that any anxiety she might have about shaving her head is nothing compared to what cancer patients have to deal with on a daily basis.

“We guide (patients) through the various stages of life. It’s the little things in life we can do to make patients’ lives better,” Pratt said.

5. Why did Pratt shave all of her hair off six years ago?

A. To get a popular “shiny dome”.

B. To help raise money for cancer patients.

C. To show honor to her colleague Andrea Smith.

D. To present support and protection for cancer patients.

6. What is the money raised by Bald is Beautiful events used for?

A. Cancer patients’ fitness costs.

B. Cancer patients’ mental health.

C. Cancer patients’ transportation fees.

D. Cancer patients’ food and medical treatment.

7. The underlined word “intimidating” is closest in meaning to ______.

A. surprising B. interesting C. frightening D. disappointing

8. The main purpose of the text is to ______.

A. recommend a good way to help people who have cancer

B. report on a fundraising event for cancer patients

C. explain how Bald is Beautiful events became popular

D. introduce Pratt’s experiences of Bald is Beautiful events

C

No one can deny China’s efforts to reach for the sky.

At one kilometer high, the two Phoenix Towers planned for Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province in central China, will be the tallest in the world if completed on schedule in 2017.

The towers will also be pink, crazily futuristic and environmentally friendly.

Designed to sit on an island in a lake, the largest of the towers will stand 172 meters taller than Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

“[We were asked] to create an iconic building for Wuhan, which embodied a strong environmental and social content as well as reflecting Chinese tradition,” Laurie Chetwood of UK-based design firm Chetwoods Architects told CNN.

The design is inspired by dualism (二元论) in Chinese culture – the traditional Chinese phoenix symbol of the two birds, Feng and Huang, as well as the idea of yin and yang.

Feng and Huang, or phoenix, are a pair of mythical birds in Chinese culture traditionally used to denote royalty.

Three large spheres (球体) containing restaurants will be accessible via suspended (悬挂) “skywalks” between the two towers.

The spheres “represent planets orbiting the towers”, according to the designers.

The larger building will also have the unlikely boast of housing the world’s tallest kaleidoscope (万花筒) driven by a wind turbine (涡轮机).

A commercial square at the towers’ base will meet China’s growing demand for cultural tourism.

“You’ll have a French street, a Japanese street, a Turkish street and so forth ... to allow people to see the world without necessarily having to leave China,” Chetwood told the Guardian.