2 . I’ve been working as a UN Peacekeeper in the Central African Republic for the past two years. Before this, I was a pilot and I ________ my work. However, I felt it was my duty to help innocent people who are caught in trouble, so I ________ the United Nations.

The Central African Republic is a relatively small country. Since it got ________ from France in the 1950s, there have been many violent conflicts between the government and rebels (反叛者). In 2012, a civil war began, due to which, over one million people were forced to ________ their homes and there were many deaths and injuries. ________, the United Nations established a peacekeeping ________ in the country.

We peacekeepers ________ cities and villages to ________ that no conflict is occurring and help bring supplies of food and medicine. We are a ________ that can keep people in conflict apart.

As a woman, I am particularly ________ as I can act as a role model for many women and girls in the country. When they see how others respect me, they feel that they also ________ to be respected and treated ________.

My life is not ________ in any way! It’s long hours in a very tough environment. I have basic ________ with just a bed in a shared room. Of course, being away from my family and friends is also very hard at times. However, I know that the Central African Republic is safer because of the UN Peacekeepers, and that makes it all ________.

1.

A．hated

B．enjoyed

C．guarded

D．changed

2.

A．gave in to

B．looked up to

C．kept up with

D．signed up with

3.

A．treatment

B．technology

C．independence

D．inspiration

4.

A．flee

B．return

C．sweep

D．tend

5.

A．In turn

B．In surprise

C．In response

D．In addition

6.

A．measure

B．reputation

C．business

D．mission

7.

A．follow

B．expand

C．monitor

D．block

8.

A．ensure

B．prove

C．report

D．predict

9.

A．bridge

B．barrier

C．castle

D．shelter

10.

A．protected

B．trusted

C．valued

D．doubted

11.

A．deserve

B．prefer

C．plan

D．fail

12.

A．gently

B．equally

C．seriously

D．honestly

13.

A．boring

B．rewarding

C．difficult

D．fancy

14.

A．association

B．accommodation

C．administration

D．adaptation

15.

A．available

B．ambitious

C．worthwhile

D．educational

3 . For decades, India’s time zone has been a hotly debated issue. Back in 1884 when time zones were officially established, two time zones were used — Bombay Time and Calcutta Time. Indian Standard Time (IST) was introduced in 1906, but Calcutta Time and Bombay Time continued to be maintained after

India’s independence in 1947, until 1948 and 1955 respectively. The current single time zone, though a legacy of British rule, is often viewed as a symbol of unity. Yet, not everyone thinks it is a good idea. India stretches 3,000 km from east to west, spanning roughly 30 degrees longitude. This corresponds to a two-hour difference in mean solar time, based on the position of the sun in the sky. Thus, the sun rises nearly two hours earlier in the east than in India’s far west. In Northeastern states, sunrise can be as early as 4 a.m. in summer and sunset by 4 p.m. in winter, much earlier than the official working hours. This results in great loss of daylight hours and more consumption of electricity, and often reduced productivity.

Meanwhile, recent studies point out that the current system leads to a serious problem in education for some students. Nationwide, the school day starts at roughly the same time; thus, children go to bed later and have reduced sleep in west India, where the sun sets later. Such sunset-induced sleep deprivation is more pronounced among the poor, mostly due to their noisy environment and lack of sleep-inducing facilities like window shades or indoor beds. On average, an hour’s delay in sunset time reduces children’s sleep by 30 minutes, and an hour’s delay in annual average sunset time reduces education by about 0.8 years. As a result, children living in locations with later sunsets are less likely to complete primary and middle school education.

Despite various requests and proposals for multiple time zones, the government is keen to retain the current system. Reasons provided include prevention of confusion and safety issues regarding railway and flight operations.

1. Which of the following illustrates the Indian time zone system since 1955?

A．	B．
C．	D．

2. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word “pronounced” in the third paragraph?

A．Noisy.

B．Distant.

C．Flexible.

D．Outstanding.

3. According to the passage, which of the following is a supporting argument for multiple time zones?

A．The number of traffic accidents can be reduced.

B．Children may have better-quality sleep and education.

C．India may have more energy resources to generate electricity.

D．The country may rid itself of the impact of British colonization.

4. According to the passage, when is most likely the sunset hour in December in the city of Varanasi shown on the map?

A．7 p.m.

B．6 p.m.

C．5 p.m.

D．4 p.m.

5 . Switzerland is surrounded by three of Europe’s major—and most populous—countries: France, Germany and Italy. For thousands of years, the region has been a busy trade ________, both from east to west as well as from north, to south. Today, Switzerland is an indispensable part of the European transport network and ________ a superb motorway and railway infrastructure. Five international airports in Zurich, Geneva. Basel. Bern and Lugano offer direct ________ to destinations around the world.

Switzerland is a popular place to do business, a center of education and a favorite travel destination. At the heart of this success story lies a stable political system. The county has not gone through any major political changes since the foundation of the federal state inn 1848. This has created space for economic, social and artistic development. Federalism, the successful integration of different cultures, and the mechanisms of direct democracy are all means to increase the ________ of its citizens and residents. This process of forming unity out of ________ has often been seen as exemplary. And, of course, the country is small and ________, which also contributes to the high quality of life in Switzerland.

Political stability is also ________ in an economic system that manages to balance a free market economy with social responsibility.________ are very rare in Switzerland.________ its deeply rooted work ethic and high educational standards, this social harmony represents one of Switzerland’s key advantages as a place to do business and has made a major contribution to its economic development.

Stability, a well-developed sense of service and discretion, and a strong currency have turned Switzerland into a leading financial center. From a historical ________, the fact that the county was not involved in the two world wars has contributed to this development. It is a country with ________ natural resources, so the strength of its import industry has also played a significant part. Not being a member of the EU. Switzerland is also not part of the so-called Eurozone. For this reason, the use of the euro in everyday life is limited to Switzerland’s border and tourist regions.

In terms of income, assets and per capita gross national product. Switzerland ranks among the top in the world.

The ________ excellent standard of living is also based on the high level of education and corresponding work ethic.________, people work 42 hours per week. Taxes are comparatively low, both for business and for businesses and for individuals. Corporate taxation as well as the rate of value added tax are among the lowest that can be found anywhere in the world.

All these factors make Switzerland a safe country with a low crime rate. The Swiss ________ being tidy and clean, which is why recycling is popular .________ to this a rich cultural variety and beautiful scenery, and you get a quality of life that is hard to beat.

1.

A．business

B．partner

C．route

D．channel

2.

A．boasts

B．brags

C．occupies

D．claims

3.

A．networks

B．links

C．planes

D．tourBys

4.

A．welfare

B．consciousness

C．participation

D．obligation

5.

A．complication

B．diversity

C．liberation

D．simplicity

6.

A．manageable

B．negligible

C．expandable

D．exhaustible

7.

A．undermined

B．eliminated

C．underrated

D．expressed

8.

A．Crimes

B．Strikes

C．Accidents

D．Appeals

9.

A．Thanks to

B．Contrary to

C．In combination with

D．In case of

10.

A．argument

B．perspective

C．attitude

D．stance

11.

A．few

B．boundless

C．abundant

D．nonexistent

12.

A．exceeding

B．variable

C．resulting

D．unbelievable

13.

A．By contrast

B．To sum up

C．As a rule

D．Put differently

14.

A．value

B．deny

C．consider

D．suspect

15.

A．Tie

B．Contribute

C．Add

D．Adjust

6 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communis Party of China Central Committee, led the new top leadership of the CPC to Yan’ an,     1     old revolutionary base in Shaanxi Province, on Thursday.

The trip, which took place five days     2     the conclusion of the 20th CPC National Congress,     3     (consider) to be a demonstration(证明)of the CPC top leadership’s strong determination     4     (carry) on the Party’s fine traditions to make new progress on the new journey toward     5     (realize) national rejuvenation(复兴).

Led by Xi, the other six       6     (new) elected members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee visited the site     7     the seventh CPC National Congress was held in 1945, an exhibition at the Yan’ an Revolutionary Memorial Hall,     8     (feature) the history of the time during which the CPC Central Committee     9    (base) in Yan’ an achieved from 1935 to 1948.

Xi said that the trip was made to recollect the glorious period in which the Party developed in Yan’ an, reminisce(缅怀)about the splendid achievements of the older generation of     10     (revolutionary), carry on the great spirit of the Party, and firm up historical confidence in order to try to achieve the goals and tasks set out at the 20th CPC National Congress.

7 . Population：Is 8 billion people too many?

The world’s population has reached 8 billion people.     1     because of longer life expectancy, fewer child deaths, and increasingly effective health-care systems. The UN secretary general, Antonio Gutters, declared it “an occasion to celebrate”.     2    . When the global population hit 4, 5, 6 and 7 billion, in 1975, 1987, 1999 and 2011 respectively, there was widespread dismay. The doubling of our numbers in 47 years did not bring about the famines and other disasters widely predicted in the 1960s. Our ability to feed ourselves has grown faster than our population has. Therefore, every projection of a limit to Earth’s human population, or assumed “ideal number”, has been wrong.

    3    , with fertility rates dropping below the replacement rate of 2.1 children per woman. Most of the ongoing growth is occurring in developing nations in Africa and Asia. In the developing world, though, things are about to change. The average woman in Tanzania in 2020 was a mother to four children, 9% down on a decade earlier. UN projections predict that it will fall to an average of 2.3 children in 2080.    4    . And over the next 70 years, “societal aging” will become a major problem. When there are far more old people than young, there aren’t enough workers to pay into pension systems, threatening their collapse. This phenomenon is already underway in the U.S., Europe, Japan and China.

For now, we can both acknowledge the downsides of the 8 billionth human and believe this is an occasion worth celebrating.    5    . In that sense, it’s a good thing that millions of new people — with their new ideas and fresh energy — are on the way.

A．We’ve reached this milestone

B．Actually, some population alarmism is appropriate

C．The end of population expansion is now foreseeable

D．The truth is that the population in developed nations has remained stable

E．With any luck, the massive challenge of global aging will spur innovation

F．The increasing global population will put more pressure on resources and produce far more emissions

G．In contrast, various experts have been put forward “nightmare consequences” about overpopulation since 1960s

8 . Fragile. Oversensitive. Glued to their phones.     1     While there may be some truth to these stereotypical (刻板印象的) features, there might be more to this generation of teens than what is generally observed.

Never before have the lives of any generation of teens been as flooded with mobile technology and social media as the teens of this generation.     2     This is in contrast to the more village spirit or community-oriented attitude of their parents’ and grandparents’ days. We have teens who may not know about who lives in the unit next to theirs, much less offer a friendly nod or wave when they happen to cross paths with a neighbour.

    3     Arguably, the very connectedness that social media brings about has led to an opening of minds and a flourishing (繁盛) of dialogue among people of diverse cultures and backgrounds. Logging onto platforms where people of all walks of life meet means that one is exposed to those people and their distinctive ways of life. In comparison, the parents or grandparents of this generation of teens probably did not have the same opportunity to get to know people outside of their social circles at their age, and are thus more likely to have fixed, stereotypical opinions of people different from them. This generation of teens, on the other hand, has the chance to use this technology to learn more about and attempt to understand the variety and diversity out there.     4    

To conclude, the teens of this generation differ in many ways from their predecessors (前辈), in some ways more positive than others.     5     Therefore, this generation of teens differs from past generations, with the changes around them.

A．No wonder the self-confidence and mental health of teens have been damaged.

B．Yet, the effects of technology on this generation of teens are not all bad.

C．Is this what comes to mind when we think of the teens of this generation?

D．Their parents or grandparents were likely less connected and more isolated.

E．Moreover, in the older generations’ mind, the teens today are more individualistic.

F．As a result, this might be why the teens today are more open-minded and progressive.

G．Every generation is a product of the cultural, political and economic events of their time.

9 . 阅读下面短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个恰当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

Today, there are groups of native people around the world that still live a traditional lifestyle. Some live in remote parts of South America,     1     way of life is in danger of disappearing. The Korubo are native people who live in the Amazon rainforest. They make their own tools, grow their own crops, and hunt and fish. Their main weapons are clubs and poison-tipped arrows, used     2     both hunting and protecting their territory against     3    (outsider).