Your social life is defined as the activities you do with other people, for pleasure, when you are not working. It’s important to have a social life, but what’s right for one person won’t be right for another. Some of us feel energised by spending lots of time with others, ___1___some of us may feel drained, even if it’s doing something we enjoy.
This is why finding a ___2___ in your social life is key. Spending too much time on your own, not ___3___others, can make you feel lonely and ___4___Loneliness is known to impact on your mental health and ___5___ a low mood. Anyone can feel lonely at any time. This might be especially true if, ___6___ ,you are working from home and you are ___7___on the usual social conversations that happen in an office. Other life changes can ___8___periods of loneliness too, such as retirement, changing jobs or becoming a parent.
It’s important to recognise these feelings of loneliness. There are ways to ___9___a social life, but it can feel overwhelming ___10___. It’s a great idea to start by thinking about hobbies you enjoy. You can then find groups and activities related to those where you will be able to meet ___11___people. There are groups aimed at new parents, at those who want to ___12___ a new sport for the first time, or networking events for those in the same profession to meet up and ideas.
On the other hand, it’s ___14___ possible to have too much of a social life. If you feel like you’re always doing something and there is never any ___15___ in your calendar for downtime, you could suffer social burnout or social ___16___ . We all have our own social limit and it’s important to recognise when you’re feeling like it’s all too much. Low mood, low energy, irritability and trouble sleeping could all be ___17___of poor social health. Make sure you___18___some time in your diary when you’re ___19___for socialising and use this time to relax, ___20___and recover.

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In her new book Cogs and Monsters: What Economics Is, and What It Should Be, Diane Coyle, an economist at Cambridge University, argues that the digital economy requires new ways of thinking about progress. “Whatever we mean by the economy growing, by things getting better, the gains will have to be more evenly shared than in the recent past,” she writes. “An economy of tech millionaires or billionaires and gig workers, with middle-income jobs undercut by automation,will not be politically sustainable.”
Improving living standards and increasing prosperity for more people will require greater use of digital technologies to boost productivity in various sectors, including health care and construction, says Coyle. But people can’t be expected to embrace the changes if they’re not seeing the benefits — if they’re just seeing good jobs being destroyed.
In a recent interview, Coyle said she fears that tech’s inequality problem could be a roadblock to deploying AI. “We’re talking about disruption,” she says. “These are transformative technologies that change the ways we spend our time every day, that change business models that succeed.” To make such “tremendous changes,” she adds, you need social buy-in.
Instead, says Coyle, resentment is simmering among many as the benefits are perceived to go to elites in a handful of prosperous cities.
According to the Brookings Institution, a short list of eight American cities that included San Francisco, San Jose, Boston, and Seattle had roughly 38% of all tech jobs by 2019. New AI technologies are particularly concentrated Brookings’s Mark Muro and Sifan Liu estimate that just 15 cities account for two-thirds of the AI assets and capabilities in the United States.
The dominance of a few cities in the invention and commercialization of AI means that geographical disparities in wealth will continue to soar. Not only will this foster political and social unrest, but it could, as Coyle suggests, hold back the sorts of AI technologies needed for regional economies to grow.
Part of the solution could lie in somehow loosening the stranglehold that Big Tech has on defining the AI agenda. That will likely take increased federal funding for research independent of the tech giants.
A more immediate response is to broaden our digital imaginations to conceive of AI technologies that don’t simply replace jobs but expand opportunities in the sectors that different parts of the country care most about, like health care, education and manufacturing.

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High school students eager to stand out in the college application process often participate in a litany of extracurricular activities hoping to bolster their chances of admission to a selective undergraduate institution.
However, college admissions experts say that the quality of a college hopeful’s extracurricular activities matter more than the number of activities he or she participates in.
Sue Rexford, the director of college guidance at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, says it is not necessary for a student filling out the Common Application to list 10 activities in the application.
“No college will expect that a student has a huge laundry list of extracurricular that they have been passionately involved in each for an tended period of time,” Rexford wrote in an email.
Experts say it is tougher to distinguish oneself in a school-affiliated extracurricular activity that is common among high school students than it is to stand out while doing an uncommon activity.
“The competition to stand out and make an impact is going to be much stiffer, and so if they’re going to do a popular activity, I’d say, be the best at it.” says Sara Harberson, a college admissions consultant.
High school students who have an impressive personal project they are working on independently often impress colleges, experts say.
“For example, a student with an interest in entrepreneurship could demonstrate skills and potential by starting a profitable small business,” Olivia Valdes, the founder of Zen Admissions consulting firm,wrote in an email.
Joseph Adegboyega - Edun, a Maryland high school guidance counselor, says unconventional extracurricular activities can help students impress college admissions offices, assuming they demonstrated serious commitment. “Again, since one of the big questions high school seniors must consider is ’What makes you unique?’, having an uncommon extracurricular activity vs. a conventional one is an advantage,” he wrote in an email.
Experts say demonstrating talent in at least one extracurricular activity can help in the college admissions process, especially at top-tier undergraduate institutions.
“Distinguishing yourself in one focused type of extracurricular activity can be a positive in the admissions process, especially for highly selective institutions, where having top grades and test scores is not enough,” Katie Kelley, admissions counselor at Ivy Wise admissions consultancy, wrote in an email. “Students need to have that quality or hook that will appeal to admissions officers and allow them to visualize how the student might come and enrich their campus community.”
Extracurricular activities related to the college major declared on a college application are beneficial, experts suggest. “If you already know your major, having an extracurricular that fits into that major can be a big plus,” says Mayghin Levine, the manager of educational opportunities with The Cabbage Patch Settlement House, a Louisville, Kentucky, nonprofit community center.
High school students who have had a strong positive influence on their community through an extracurricular activity may impress a college and win a scholarship, says Erica Gwyn, a former math and science magnet program assistant at a public high school who is now executive director of the Kaleidoscope Careers Academy in Atlanta, a nonprofit organization.

A.Students who stand out in a specific extracurricular activity will be favored by top-tier institutions.

B.Students whose extracurricular activity has benefited their community are likely to win a scholarship.

C.Undertaking too many extracurricular activities will hardly be seen as a plus by colleges.

D.A student who exhibits abilities in doing business can impress colleges

E.High school students participating in a popular activity should excel in it.

F.Engaging in uncommon activities can demonstrate students’ determination and dedication.

G.It is advisable for students to choose an extracurricular activity that is related to their future study at college.

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With the smell of coffee and fresh bread floating in the air, stalls bursting with colourful vegetables and tempting cheeses, and the buzz of friendly chats, farmers’ markets are a feast for the senses. They also provide an opportunity to talk to the people responsible for growing or raising your food, support your local economy and pick up fresh seasonal produce - all at the same time.
Farmers’ markets are usually weekly or monthly events, most often with outdoor stalls, which allow farmers or producers to sell their food directly to customers. The size or regularity of markets can vary from season to season, depending on the area’s agricultural calendar, and you’re likely to find different produce on sale at different times of the year. By cutting out the middlemen, the farmers secure more profit for their produce. Shoppers also benefit from seeing exactly where - and to who - their money is going.

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Directions：
Suppose you and Jack are going to do a survey on the protection of old houses in an ancient
town. Write him an email to
1) put forward your plan, and
2) ask for his opinion.
Write your answer in about 100 words on the ANSWER SHEET.
Do not use your own name in your email; use “Li Ming” instead. (10 points)

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Directions：
Write an essay based on the chart below. In your essay, you should
1) describe and interpret the chart, and
2) give your comments.
Write your answer in about 150 words on the ANSWER SHEET. (15 points)

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