1、中考英语复习-九年级短文阅读51.You Are the ProductHave you ever wondered why so many apps are free to use? After all, they cost money to run. Well, instead of paying with money, youre paying by sharing your personal data. Then, businesses buy and use the data so that they can show you targeted ads.What happens to
2、 personal information online?Many free apps get paid by businesses who want to know about the users of the apps. What a business wants is the exact information about customers. Companies called “data brokers” collect your data everything from your name, location and education level to the topics you
3、 search for, the websites you visit and the people you follow and sell them to other brokers and businesses.Why do companies want the data?The data is valuable. Businesses can use the information from data brokers to target their ads. It means they will show their ads to the people who are most like
4、ly to be interested in their products or services.What can we do about it?Many countries have made laws to protect personal information. For example, a law in the United States says companies must get parents permission to collect personal data from kids under 13. Chinas law on personal information
5、protection came into effect on November 1, 2021. At the same time, we ourselves should try to guard our data. If an app asks for something like your location, consider saying “No” first. Many apps also have privacy settings, which you can manage to increase your privacy.In short, information about y
6、ou is very valuable. Try to protect it.2.He Made a DifferenceMade Janur Yasa from Bali loves his hometown. He turns his love for his hometown into a great project.Bali is a beautiful island in Indonesia, and local people mainly make money from tourism. But when COVID-19 came along, a lot of people l
7、ost their jobs, and many had to move back to their home villages. With more people returning to the villages, more trash was created. Whats worse, those people who were out of work were also going hungry.Born and raised in Bali, Yasa wanted to do something to help. So, he started a project where loc
8、al villagers could exchange plastic for rice. By doing this, he hoped to help people in his community get through the hard times while solving the problem of plastic pollution. In May 2020, he hosted the first plastic exchange event in his village. It was a success, and quickly spread to other villa
9、ges across Bali. That is how this project developed.The project brings together local neighborhood groups to collect plastic from streets, forests, rivers and beaches. Then they can bring the plastic to trade in for rice. Yasa said his project has so far helped feed thousands of families and collect
10、ed over 500 tons of plastic in Bali.Yasas project has also changed the attitudes of the local people in Bali. “Now, people think that plastic waste must be collected and then exchanged. There are even people collecting plastic on the streets every day,” said one islander.3.Mother of Beijing TimeRece
11、ntly, a 95-year-old woman became a hot topic online because of her inspiring speech. “If you want to get something, you have to fight for it. You must show your ability. Actually, if we do better and try our best, then I think womens position will become more and more equal or even higher .” These w
12、ords came from a 20-minute English speech she gave at the 4th World Laureates Forum. She is Ye Shuhua.Known as the “Mother of Beijing Time”, Ye is a famous astronomer. She has devoted herself to astronomy in China for 70 years. She set up the universal time system of China. She is also the first wom
13、an observatory director in China.Ye was born in 1927 in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province. She graduated from the Department of Mathematics and Astronomy of Zhongshan University in 1949. In the summer of 1951, she came to Shanghai and joined the Xujiahui Observatory (now Shanghai Observatory). At that t
14、ime, she was the only woman working at the observatory. And the observatory was the only time service unit in China.Since then, Ye has worked hard on astronomy research. Because of her and her teams effort, Beijing Time was set up in 1965 and China finally had its universal time system.Now, although
15、 Ye is in her 90s, she still works at the observatory on weekdays, taking part in some new projects. “It has been part of my life to work at the office. And I will keep playing my role in astronomy,” said Ye.She is really an inspiration to us all!4.Cardboard KingJames Lake is a sculptor. However, un
16、like most sculptors who carve from stone or wood, James creates his fantastic artworks from recycled cardboard.It all began when James was 17. He became very sick with bone cancer. His right leg had to be cut off. After that, he had to spend lots of time in his bedroom recovering. You can imagine ho
17、w boring that soon became. What could he do to kill time? James began to pay attention to some cardboard he found in his room.Surprisingly, James found that with some creativity, he could turn the cardboard into different shapes. There are some advantages of using cardboard. Because it is not like s
18、tone or wood, James did not have to buy special tools, which can be expensive. Cardboard can also be found everywhere. Its not something that anybody wants to keep. Better still, it is recycled!Over time, James has been developing his cardboard sculpting skills. He begins making something by drawing
19、 on the cardboard itself. He then makes a frame on which he builds using more cardboard and hot glue. This makes sure everything is in place. Once the artwork has been built, he will carve more details using a knife. James has now been a professional sculptor for over 20 years. His work is shown around the world. Its amazing to see his outstanding artworks, which sometimes stand over two meters high. He also often visits disadvantaged members of his community to teach them sculpting.Cardboard is everywhere in our life. Would you like to give cardboard sculpting a try?
