① 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.

② 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. ”

③ 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.

④ 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.

⑤ 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.

⑥ 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

⑦ 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.

1.1.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.

解析：选C。C 细节理解题。文章第①段明确提到：“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...” 这表明她在过去四年半里没有使用互联网。第②段进一步说明她“taking a break from social media”，即暂停使用社交媒体。因此，选项B“她一直避免使用社交媒体”是正确答案。其他选项与原文不符：A项提到心理健康恶化，而文章说她是为了改善心理健康；B项提到她成为Instagram粉丝最多的人，但这是2016年的事；D项提到她在网上竞标成功，但文章未提及。故选C。

2.2. 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.

解析：选C。C 推理判断题。文章第③段提到：“The increasing digitisation of our society means that everything from paying a gas bill to plotting a route... is at the mercy of your internet connection.” 这表明由于社会数字化程度提高，日常生活离不开互联网。因此，能够主动选择不使用互联网成为一种“特权”，因为大多数人无法脱离互联网生活。选项C准确概括了这一含义。其他选项未直接体现“特权”与“数字化”的关系。故选C。

3.3. Why does the author say “witnessing companies…feels particularly irritating” (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.

解析：选A。A 推理判断题。第⑥段提到，英国的数字鸿沟日益加剧，贫困家庭无法接入宽带，而像Facebook这样的公司却在推广元宇宙作为“下一个前沿”。作者认为这种反差令人愤怒，因为元宇宙可能进一步加剧数字不平等。选项A正确推理出这一含义。其他选项未直接涉及数字鸿沟问题。故选A。

4.4. 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.

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。第⑦段明确指出：“many other people benefit from the strong sense of community that sharing platforms can breed.” 这表明社交媒体平台能帮助人们建立社区感，增强与他人的联系。选项B直接对应这一细节。其他选项未在文中明确支持。故选B。

5.5. 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.

解析：选A。A 细节理解题。第⑧段最后一句强调：“It’s crucial... for those living in digital exclusion to be able to switch on in the first place.” 这里的“switch on”指接入互联网。因此，对于数字排斥群体来说，最重要的是能够使用互联网。选项A准确反映了这一细节。故选A。