2022 年 12 月大学英语四级考试真题（第 3 套）

Phones influence all aspects of teenage life. Ninety-five percent of Americans ages 13 to 17 have a

smartphone or have access to one, and nearly half report using the internet "almost __26__."

But as recent survey data and interviews have suggested, many teens find much of that time to be

unsatisfyingly spent. Continuous __27__ shouldn't be mistaken for endless

enjoyment. A new __28__

representative survey about "screen time and device distractions" from the Pew Research Center indicates

that it's not just parents who think teenagers are worryingly __29__ from

their phones—many teens

themselves do too. Fifty-four percent of the 13-to-17-year-olds surveyed said they spend too much time

__30__ in their phones.

Vicky Rideout, who runs a research firm that studies children's interactions with media and

technology, was not surprised by this finding. She says it's hardly __31__

to teenagers. "They are dealing

with the same challenges that adults are, as far as they are living in the __32__ of a tech environment

designed to suck as much of their time onto their devices as possible," Rideout says.

The way parents interact with technology can __33__ the way they interact

with their kids. Rideout thus thinks it's up to parents to model good __34__:

Kids tend to take note if their parents put their phone

away at dinner or charge it in another room while they sleep. Witnessing habits like that can help kids

"realize that they can __35__ some more control over their devices," she

says.

Even though we are living in an age where growing old is thought of as an inevitable misery, this

doctor has been changing the game for seniors over the last 25 years.

It all started in 1991 when the Harvard-educated physician was transferred from working in a stressful

emergency room to being the medical director of a nursing home in upstate New York. The depressing and

regimented (严格管制的) environment got him thinking on what exactly could improve the residents,

conditions.

Even though animals in nursing homes were illegal at the time, Dr. Bill Thomas took a chance. Based

on a hunch (直觉), he brought in two dogs, four cats, hens, rabbits, 100 birds, a multitude of plants, a

flower garden, and a vegetable patch.

The change was dramatic. There was a 50% drop in medical prescriptions along with a dramatic

decrease in death rates — but most importantly, the residents were simply happier.

Dr. Thomas's approach, named the Eden Alternative, has driven nursing homes to allow a more

autonomous (自主的) and creative living space for their elderly. It erases the belief that growing old

means growing useless. He encourages residents to think of their age as an enriching new phase of life

rather than the end of it.

Thomas, now a speaker and author of several books, also created small, independently-run residences

with their own bedrooms and bathrooms, and he has been preaching a singular message that getting old is

not a bad thing.

"Within six weeks, they had to send a truck around to pick up all the wheelchairs," Thomas told the

Washington Post. " You know why most people in nursing homes use wheelchairs? Because the buildings are

so big."

The 56-year-old doctor's methods have been adopted in Australia, Japan, Canada, and America with

enormous success. Last year he published Second Wind: Navigating the Passage to a Slower, Deeper, and

More Connected Life, a guide on how to shift our perspectives on aging and growth.

He is currently traveling through North America performing with his guitar and his enthusiasm on his

Age of Disruption Tour.

Research shows that in developed countries, more affluent and educated people tend to consume

higher-quality diets—including more fruits and vegetables, fish and whole grains. On the contrary,

economically disadvantaged people report diets that are nutrient-poor and energy-dense. They are less

likely to have food-purchasing habits that conform to public health recommendations.

These dietary differences are often accompanied by higher rates of obesity and diabetes among lower-

income people. This relationship between social class and diet quality and health is extensively documented.

However, the research does not explain why this is the case- a question that has significant implications

for designing effective policies and initiatives to improve diets and prevent chronic diseases.

Public-health initiatives to promote healthy diets often focus on providing nutrition education and

recipes (食谱). These approaches, however, often presume less food literacy (i.e. food knowledge and

skills) among low-income people. Are unhealthy diets really the result of poor choices, limited food skills

and knowledge?

Research suggests that adults in food-insecure households are just as likely as those in food-secure

households to adjust recipes to make them more healthy. They are also just as proficient in food

preparation and cooking skills. There is no indication that increasing food skills or budgeting skills will

reduce food insecurity.

Instead, disadvantaged groups are constrained by their economic, material and social circumstances.

For example, low income is the strongest predictor of food insecurity in Canada, where one in eight

households experiences insufficient access to nutritious foods.

It's well-established that food prices are an important determinant of food choice. Low-income

households report that they find it difficult to adopt dietary guidelines because food prices are a barrier to

improving their diets.

When researchers estimate the cost of diets people actually eat, higher-quality diets are typically more

costly.

While this may be so, it does not, in itself, prove that healthy diets are necessarily more expensive or

cost-prohibitive. After all, not all socio-economically disadvantaged people consume poor diets.

We can easily think of a number of foods and recipes that are both inexpensive and nutritious. The

internet is full of recipes for "eating well on a budget."