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(恶意挑衅的帖子) 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(戒瘾) 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(元宇宙) 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?
A) She has had worsening mental problems.
B) She has won Instagram's most followers.
C) She has refrained from using social media.
D) She has succeeded in a bid on the internet.
47. Why does actively opting out of using the internet become a matter of privilege?
A) Most people find it subtle and complicated to give up using the internet.
B) Most people can hardly ditch the web while avoiding hate and comparisons.
C) Most people can hardly get by without the internet due to growing digitisation.
D) Most people have been seriously addicted to the web without being aware of it.
48. Why does the author say“witnessing companies... feels particularly irritating”(Lines 2-4, Para.6)?
A) The UK digital divide would further worsen due to the metaverse.
B) The concept of the metaverse is believed to be still quite illusory.
C) School children would be drawn farther away from the real world.
D) Most families in the UK do not have stable broadband connections.
49. What is worth bearing in mind concerning social media platforms?
A) They are conducive to promoting societal equality.
B) They help many people feel connected with others.
C) They provide a necessary device for a digital detox.
D) They create a virtual community on the internet.
50. What does the author think is really important for those living in digital exclusion?
A) Having access to the internet.
B) Edging further towards web 3.0.
C) Getting more educational resources.
D) Opening more social media accounts.
答案解析：
由题干中的关键词“Selena Gomez in the past four and a half years”定位到第一段“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.”以及第二段“Taking a break from social media was the best decision that I' ve ever made for my mental health”，说明Selena Gomez在过去四年半里戒用了社交媒体来改善心理健康。所以选C。
由题干中的关键词“actively opting out of using the internet become a matter of privilege”定位到第三段“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.”，提到由于社会数字化程度不断提高，人们生活的很多方面都依赖互联网，所以主动不使用互联网成了一种特权。所以选C。
由题干中的关键词“witnessing companies... feels particularly irritating”定位到第六段“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(元宇宙) as the next great frontier when school children are struggling to complete their homework feels particularly irritating.”，提到英国的数字鸿沟加剧，贫困家庭没有宽带连接，而此时公司却推崇元宇宙，这让人感到恼火。说明是因为大多数英国家庭没有稳定的宽带连接，所以看到公司这样做很恼火。所以选D。
由题干中的关键词“worth bearing in mind concerning social media platforms”定位到第七段“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.”，提到虽然删除社交媒体账号会让一些人感觉更好，但很多人从社交媒体平台带来的强烈社区感中受益，即社交媒体平台让很多人感觉与他人有联系。所以选B。
由题干中的关键词“really important for those living in digital exclusion”定位到最后一段“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.”，提到对于处于数字排斥中的人来说，能够接入互联网是至关重要的。所以选A。
