Passage One
Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.
Why does social media trigger feelings of loneliness and inadequacy? Because instead of being real life, it is, for the most part, impression management, a way of marketing yourself, carefully choosing and filtering the pictures and words to put your best face forward.
Online “friends” made through social media do not follow the normal psychological progression of an interpersonal relationship. You share neither physical time nor emotional conversations over the Internet. You simply communicate photographs and catchy posts to a diverse group of people whom you have “friended” or “followed” based on an accidental interaction. This is not to say that your social media friends can’t be real friends. They absolutely can, but the two are not synonymous.
Generally speaking, there are no unfiltered comments or casually taken photos on our social media pages. And, rightfully so, because it wouldn’t feel safe to be completely authentic and vulnerable with some of our “ friends ” whom we don’t actually know or with whom trust has yet to be built.
Social media can certainly be an escape from the daily grind, but we must be cautioned against the negative effects, such as addiction, on a person’s overall psychological well-being.
As humans, we yearn for social connection. Scrolling (滚动)through pages of pictures and comments, however, does not provide the same degree of fulfillment as face-to-face interactions do. Also, we tend to idealize others’ lives and compare our downfalls to their greatest accomplishments, ending in feelings of loneliness and inadequacy.
Social media can lead people on the unhealthy quest for perfection. Some people begin to attend certain events or travel to different places so that they can snap that “ perfect ” photo. They begin to seek validation through the number of people who “ like ” their posts. In order for it to play a psychologically healthy role in your social life, social media should supplement an already healthy social network. Pictures and posts should be byproducts of life’s treasured moments and fun times, not the planned and calculated image that one is putting out into cyberspace in an attempt to fill insecurities or unmet needs.
Ultimately, social media has increased our ability to connect with various types of people all over the globe. It has opened doors for businesses and allowed us to stay connected to people whom we may not otherwise get to follow. However, social media should feel like a fun experience, not one that contributes to negative thoughts and feelings. If the latter is the case, increasing face-to-face time with trusted friends, and minimizing time scrolling online, will prove to be a reminder that your social network is much more rewarding than any “ like,” “ follow ” or “ share ” can be.
46. What does the author imply social media may do to our life?
A) It may facilitate our interpersonal relationships.
B) It may filter our negative impressions of others.
C) It may make us feel isolated and incompetent.
D) It may render us vulnerable and inauthentic.
47. Why do people post comments selectively on social media?
A) They do not find all their online friends trustworthy.
B) They want to avoid offending any of their audience.
C) They do not want to lose their followers.
D) They are eager to boost their popularity.
48. What are humans inclined to do according to the passage?
A) Exaggerate their life’s accomplishments.
B) Strive for perfection regardless of the cost.
C) paint a rosy picture of other people’s lives.
D) Learn lessons from other people’s downfalls.
49. What is the author’s view of pictures and posts on social media?
A) They should record the memorable moments in people’s lives.
B) They should be carefully edited so as to present the best image.
C) They should be shown in a way that meets one’s security needs.
D) They should keep people from the unhealthy quest for perfection.
50. What does the author advise people to do when they find their online experience unconstructive?
A) Use social media to increase their ability to connect with various types of people.
B) Stay connected to those whom they may not otherwise get to know and befriend.
C) Try to prevent negative thoughts and feelings from getting into the online pages.
D) Strengthen ties with real-life friends instead of caring about their online image.
答案解析：
由题干中的关键词“social media may do to our life”定位到第一段“Why does social media trigger feelings of loneliness and inadequacy?”以及第五段“Also, we tend to idealize others’ lives and compare our downfalls to their greatest accomplishments, ending in feelings of loneliness and inadequacy.”，即社交媒体会引发孤独感和不足感，让我们感到孤立和无能，所以选C。
由题干中的关键词“post comments selectively on social media”定位到第三段“And, rightfully so, because it wouldn’t feel safe to be completely authentic and vulnerable with some of our ‘friends’ whom we don’t actually know or with whom trust has yet to be built.”，即人们觉得对一些不熟悉或未建立信任的“朋友”不能完全真实和脆弱，也就是觉得他们不可信，所以会选择性发评论，所以选A。
由题干中的关键词“humans inclined to do”定位到第五段“Also, we tend to idealize others’ lives and compare our downfalls to their greatest accomplishments”，即人类倾向于美化别人的生活，所以选C。
由题干中的关键词“author’s view of pictures and posts on social media”定位到第六段“Pictures and posts should be byproducts of life’s treasured moments and fun times”，即图片和帖子应该是生活中珍贵时刻和欢乐时光的副产品，也就是应该记录生活中难忘的时刻，所以选A。
由题干中的关键词“advises people to do when they find their online experience unconstructive”定位到最后一段“If the latter is the case, increasing face-to-face time with trusted friends, and minimizing time scrolling online, will prove to be a reminder that your social network is much more rewarding than any ‘like,’ ‘follow’ or ‘share’ can be.”，即当网络体验没有建设性时，增加和信任的朋友面对面交流的时间，减少上网浏览的时间，也就是加强和现实生活朋友的关系而不是关注网络形象，所以选D。
