1 . More men are finding their calling as nurses.
A new study from the United States Census Bureau reports the number of male nurses has doubled since the 1970s. Back then, about 2.7 percent of registered nurses were men. The new study, which tracked data through 2011, finds that men now make up 9.6 percent of all employed nurses in the United States—about 330,000 men in total. Recent years of shortages have led to increased efforts, according to the report, which included recruiting men into the field.
Men, in fact, had been largely kept out of nursing in past decades because nursing schools often refused to admit men. The Supreme Court ruled that practice unconstitutional in 1981 after a case involving a state nursing school.
“The relatively high wages and expanding job opportunities make this field attractive, offering stability even during recessions(经济衰退),” wrote the report’s author, Liana Christin Landivar of the US Census Bureau. “And because of high demand, nursing has low unemployment rates compared to other fields.”
Men were found to be more likely to become nurse anesthetists(麻醉师), which is the highest paid nursing occupation, and were found least likely to become licensed practical or licensed vocational nurses, the lowest paid types of nursing. Nurse anesthetists are required to get graduate education, and are certified to give anesthetists and monitor patients recovering from anesthesia. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses provide patients with care and may work under the supervision(监督)of a registered nurse. Registered nurses assess patients’ health problems and needs, develop and carry out nursing care plans, maintain medical records, and administer care.
For all types of nursing, men earned, on average, $ 60,700 per year, while women earned $51,100 per year. “Even among men and women in the same nursing occupations, men out earn women,” wrote Landivar.
1. Which of the following is true about nurses in the US in the 1970s?| A．The number of male nurses doubled. | B．About 2.7% of registered nurses were men. |
| C．There were about 330,000 male nurses. | D．About 9.6%of employed nurses were men. |
| A．helping people to get used to | B．ordering people to learn |
| C．asking people to join in | D．inspiring people to devote |
| A．The economy is in bad condition. | B．more people are out of employment. |
| C．It is promising to go to nursing schools. | D．It’s easier to get employed and well paid. |
| A．become licensed practical nurses | B．devote themselves to work |
| C．graduate from nursing schools | D．get the highest paid nursing occupation |
| A．Men are more likely to be better nurses. | B．As nurses, men earn more than women. |
| C．Male nurses work harder than female ones. | D．Male and female nurses do different jobs. |
2 . Anger is good for you, as long as you control it, according to new psychology research. A new study from Carnegie Mellon University shows anger may help people reduce the negative impacts of stress and help you become healthier.
“Here getting emotional is not bad for you if you look at the case of anger,” said Jennifer Lerner of Carnegie Mellon. “The more people display anger, the lower their stress responses.”
Lerner studied 92 UCLA students by asking them to count back from 6,200. They must say out loud every thirteenth number. Researchers disturbed them by asking them to count faster or ask them other questions. If they made any mistakes, they had to restart from the very beginning. Many students felt depressed about making so many mistakes or got angry.
Lerner used a hidden video camera and recorded all their facial expressions during the test. The researchers describe their reactions as fear, anger and disgust.
Other researchers recorded the students’ blood pressure, pulse and production of a high-stress hormone (荷尔蒙) called cortisol. People whose faces showed more fear during the experiment had higher blood pressure and higher levels of the hormone. Both can have lasting effects such as diabetes (糖尿病), heart disease, depression and extra weight gain.
When people feel fear, negative impacts increase, but when they get angry, those negatives go down, according to the study.
“Having that sense of anger leads people to actually feel some power in what otherwise is a maddening (令人发狂的) situation,” Lerner said.
Lerner previously studied Americans’ emotional response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks two months after the incident. She found people who reacted with anger were more optimistic. These people are healthier compared with those who were frightened during the event. So in maddening situations, anger is not a bad thing to have. It’s a healthier response than fear.
1. What is the story mainly about?| A．The findings of new psychology research. |
| B．What you can do with anger in certain cases. |
| C．Different effects produced by anger and fear. |
| D．Healthier responses in maddening situations. |
| A．It’s better to be angry than to be frightened. |
| B．Different reactions reflect different outlooks on life. |
| C．Don’t control your anger and it makes you powerful. |
| D．Pessimistic people are generally healthier than optimistic people. |
| A．Fear and anger. | B．Blood pressure and pulse. |
| C．Blood pressure and cortisol. | D．Higher blood pressure and higher levels of the hormone. |
| A．By showing their optimistic side. | B．By reducing their stress. |
| C．By reducing high blood pressure. | D．By taking the place of fear. |
| A．recording their performance secretly |
| B．asking them to count to 6,200 again and again |
| C．disturbing them and making them start all over again |
| D．criticizing them when they made mistakes |
3 . Active Challenge
Weight loss camp for girls aged 13-18in Canada
Location：Beautiful Bear Creek Outdoor Center Near Ottawa，Ontario
Season：July 2nd-August 28th
Capacity：40 Activities include：hiking，rafting，canoeing，yoga，cooking，camp skills，mountain biking，nutrition classes，swimming，fitness classes etc.
Choose what you like!
Active Challenge is a weight loss program specially for young women. The burden of being overweight is heavier than just the extra pounds. We use outdoor adventures to challenge the girls，to give them something to draw strength from.
Because you'll be losing weight alongside young women just like you，you'll find no one laughing at you and you'll help each other. At Active Challenge you'll make lifelong friends with young women of your own age and learn to love new adventurous activities.
Unlike any other weight loss program，Active Challenge is designed so you'll lose weight and have the strategies and skills to keep the weight off forever. Active Challenge does not put you on a diet. We follow the Canada Food Guide to healthy eating and exercise appropriate portion control. We help you develop healthy habits.
The staff at Active Challenge combine experienced outdoor adventure professional with highly qualified clinicians. All of us are absolutely devoted to helping you achieve lasting behavioral change and weigh loss. Most of all we are devoted to having a great time doing it.
Pre-Camp：Upon registration in Active Challenge，a registration package will be sent out to you with forms to be completed before camping as well as program preparation materials，an introduction to Active Challenge and pre-program personal challenge assignments to get you on your way toward a healthier you.
Post-Camp：Our post program is designed to keep you focused and remind you of the goals that you set during the camp. We will send you home with your personal meal and exercise plan and keep in touch with you for a full three months after the camp ends through letters，emails and phone calls，tracking your progress and giving you strategies and support.
1. Why are outdoor adventurous activities held for girls？___| A．To lose weight quickly | B．To have fun. |
| C．To make them stronger. | D．To keep fit. |
| A．Friendly and supportive. | B．Competitive and challenging. |
| C．Cold but exciting. | D．Lonely but safe. |
| A．should go to buy the program preparation materials |
| B．will be in informed how to get prepared for the program |
| C．should learn some skills and strategies to lose weight |
| D．will have to finish some challenging tasks at home |
| A．the end of November | B．girls can keep weight off forever |
| C．the beginning of the next year | D．girls achieve success in their lives |
| A．To explain the popularity of Active Challenge. |
| B．To share skills and strategies of losing weight. |
| C．To introduce the importance of losing weight. |
| D．To invite girls to join in Active Challenge. |
4 . Old age may not sound exciting. But recent findings offer good news for older people and for people worried about getting older. Researchers found that people become happier and experience less worry after they reach the age of 50. In fact, they say by the age of 85, people are happier with their life than they were when they were 18 years old.
The findings came from a survey of more than 340,000 adults in the United States. The Gallup Organization questioned them by telephone in 2008. At that time, the people were between the ages of 18 and 85. The researchers asked questions about emotions like happiness, sadness and worry. They also asked about mental or emotional stress.
Arthur Stone in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Stony Brook University in New York led the study. His team found that levels of stress were highest among adults between the ages of 24 and 25. The findings showed that stress levels dropped sharply（突然地） after people reached their fifties.
The study also showed that men and women have similar feeling patterns as they grow older.
However, women at all ages reported more sadness, stress and worry than men.
Researchers say they do not know why happiness increases as people get older. One theory is that, as people grow older, they grow more thankful for what they have and have better control of their feelings. They so spend less time thinking about bad experiences.
Professor Stone says the emotional patterns could be connected to changes in how people see the world, or maybe even changes in brain chemistry.
The researchers also considered possible influences like having young children, being unemployed or being single. But they found that influences like these did not affect the levels of happiness and well-being（幸福） related to age.
1. According to the survey of the Gallup Organization people are most likely to become happier.| A．when they are between the ages of 18 and 85 |
| B．when they come to their old age |
| C．when they are in their twenties |
| D．when they are 18 years old |
| A．20 | B．25 | C．35 | D．40 |
| A．have a positive attitude towards their life |
| B．know how to spend money wisely |
| C．dream about good things every day |
| D．control their behaviors better |
| A．Those who are worried about getting old |
| B．Those who are single and unemployed |
| C．Those who feel unhappy all the time |
| D．Those who suffer from mental stress |
| A．Women Are Easier to Be Happy in Life |
| B．The Young Are Happier Than the Old |
| C．Getting Older Means Getting Happier |
| D．The Younger, the Happier |
5 . Detective Ashley Jones works at a police department in England. He has recently made a significant
Jones got the idea after he had talked with an elderly lady who had been cheated of her
This led Jones to the conclusion that there are too many extremely
The idea is catching on
This effort is not just a(n)
The Chat Bench is a fantastic new project that
| A．choice | B．discovery | C．visit | D．promise |
| A．experienced | B．suffered | C．prevented | D．felt |
| A．solution | B．puzzle | C．excuse | D．intention |
| A．pleasure | B．prize | C．credit | D．money |
| A．eventually | B．frequently | C．previously | D．occasionally |
| A．ashamed | B．shocked | C．excited | D．amused |
| A．mind | B．forgive | C．risk | D．enjoy |
| A．active | B．lonely | C．cautious | D．stubborn |
| A．learned | B．refused | C．pretended | D．decided |
| A．forced | B．ordered | C．convinced | D．taught |
| A．put away | B．make out | C．tear apart | D．set up |
| A．read | B．claimed | C．meant | D．implied |
| A．formal | B．joyful | C．awkward | D．crazy |
| A．randomly | B．slowly | C．quickly | D．purposefully |
| A．positive | B．disappointing | C．correct | D．embarrassing |
| A．realized | B．examined | C．discussed | D．formed |
| A．break down | B．put up | C．keep off | D．take out |
| A．glance | B．attempt | C．knock | D．attack |
| A．heart-breaking | B．risk-taking | C．face-saving | D．crime-cutting |
| A．forbids | B．appoints | C．encourages | D．troubles |
6 . The AlphaGo program’s victory is an example of how smart computers have become.
But can artificial intelligence (AI) machines act ethically, meaning can they be honest and fair?
One example of AI is driverless cars. They are already on California roads, so it is not too soon to ask whether we can program a machine to act ethically. As driverless cars improve, they will save lives. They will make fewer mistakes than human drivers do. Sometimes, however, they will face a choice between lives. Should the cars be programmed to avoid hitting a child running across the road, even if that will put their passengers at risk? What about making a sudden turn to avoid a dog? What if the only risk is damage to the car itself, not to the passengers?
Perhaps there will be lessons to learn from driverless cars, but they are not super-intelligent beings. Teaching ethics to a machine even more intelligent than we are will be the bigger challenge.
About the same time as AlphaGo’s triumph, Microsoft’s ‘chatbot’ took a bad turn. The software, named Taylor, was designed to answer messages from people aged 18-24. Taylor was supposed to be able to learn from the messages she received. She was designed to slowly improve her ability to handle conversations, but some people were teaching Taylor racist ideas. When she started saying nice things about Hitler, Microsoft turned her off and deleted her ugliest messages.
AlphaGo’s victory and Taylor’s defeat happened at about the same time. This should be a warning to us. It is one thing to use AI within a game with clear rules and clear goals. It is something very different to use AI in the real world. The unpredictability of the real world may bring to the surface a troubling software problem.
Eric Schmidt is one of the bosses of Google, which own AlphaGo. He thinks AI will be positive for humans. He said people will be the winner, whatever the outcome. Advances in AI will make human beings smarter, more able and “just better human beings.”
1. What does the author want to show with the example of AlphaGo’s victory?| A．Computers will prevail(战胜) over human beings. | B．Computers have unmatched potential. |
| C．Computers are man’s potential rivals. | D．Computers can become highly intelligent. |
| A．They are capable of predicting possible risks. |
| B．They weigh the gains and losses before reaching a decision. |
| C．They make sensible decisions when facing moral dilemmas. |
| D．They sacrifice everything to save human lives. |
| A．How to make super-intelligent AI machines share human feelings. |
| B．How to ensure that super-intelligent AI machines act ethically. |
| C．How to prevent AI machines doing harm to humans. |
| D．How to avoid being over-dependent on AI machines. |
| A．She could not distinguish good from bad. | B．She could turn herself off when necessary. |
| C．She was not made to handle novel situations. | D．She was good at performing routine tasks. |
| A．It will be far superior to human beings. | B．It will keep improving as time goes by. |
| C．It will prove to be valuable to human beings. | D．It will be here to stay whatever the outcome. |
7 . I hear some actors keep a sad thought or memory tucked away to help them with scenes where they might need to cry. I think we should each try to find the opposite; a happy memory, something to lift us up on those inevitable down days. I’m saying this because I think I just found mine!
I had some work in Glasgow today. I was on a really tight schedule, which meant I would have no time for myself (or my own work) all day. I was having one of those days, the train was completely packed out and the conversation going on around me seemed to be particularly inane. On top of all that, I had a bit of a headache.
Walking briskly across the concourse, I fished some change from my pocket. There was usually someone at the exit selling The Big Issue (a magazine that helps homeless folk earn a living).
As the crowd parted ways at the bottom of the concourse, I saw someone selling the Big Issue. You had to be homeless to sell the Big Issue. She really looked like she’d been sleeping rough. Her clothes were ragged and she obviously hadn’t had a scrub up for quite a while.
As I approached the exit, I saw that she was also rocking from side to side. At first I thought maybe she was trying to keep warm against the biting wind. But she wasn’t, she was moving in time to a tune. I couldn’t hear her, but I could see her lips moving.
As I got closer, I saw a white cane hanging from her elbow and noticed that she had sunken eyes. She was blind, dirty and living on the streets. I came closer and through the noise of the traffic and the commuters I heard her sing the immortal line, “… and I think to myself, what a wonderful world!”
I bought her last magazine for twice what I’d originally intended. She thanked me, then she picked up her stuff and went tapping off along the pavement - still singing!
So, I have my happy memory for the day. And I think it will stay with me a long, long time. Feel free to borrow it if you like.
1. Why do some actors keep a sad thought or memory according to the passage?| A．Because some of them always feel unhappy | B．because they are scolded by the director |
| C．Because it helps meet the needs of their roles | D．Because they can’t find a happy memory |
| A．Made | B．exchanged | C．pull into | D．took out |
| A．Only those homeless people can sell the magazine |
| B．The author heard her singing as he came close to the exit |
| C．The girl selling the magazines was blind, dirty and homeless |
| D．The author never heard what the girl was singing |
| A．the author had a headache because of his busy work |
| B．the author bought more magazines than planned to |
| C．the girl went away as soon as she sold out magazines |
| D．the author felt unhappy because he missed his train |
| A．A happy Memory to Lift You Up |
| B．An Unforgettable Day I Experienced |
| C．The Roses in Her Hand: the Flavor in Mine |
| D．A Bird in the Hand is Worth than Two in the Bush. |
8 . People have grown taller over the last century, with South Korean women shooting up by more than 20cm on average, and Iranian men gaining 16.5cm. A global study looked at the average height of 18-year-olds in 200 countries between 1914 and 2014.
The results reveal that while Swedes were the tallest people in the world in 1914, Dutch men have risen from 12th place to the top with an average height of 182.5cm. Latvian women, meanwhile, rose from 28th place in 1914 to become the tallest in the world a century later, with an average height of 169.8cm.
James Bentham, a co-author of the research from Imperial College, London, says the global trend is likely to be due primarily to improvements in nutrition and healthcare. “An individual's genetics has a big influence on their height, but once you average over whole populations, genetics plays a less key role,” he added.
A little extra height brings a number of advantages, says Elio Riboli of Imperial College. “Being taller is associated with longer life expectancy,” he said. “This is largely due to a lower risk of dying of cardiovascular disease among taller people.”
But while height has increased around the world, the trend in many countries of north and sub-Saharan Africa causes concern, says Riboli. While height increased in Uganda and Niger during the early 20th century, the trend has turned backwards in recent years, with height decreasing among 18-year-olds.
“One reason for these decreases in height is the economic situation in the 1980s,” said Alexander Moradi of the University of Sussex. The nutritional and health crises that followed the policy of structural adjustment, he says, led to many children and teenagers failing to reach their full potential in terms of height.
Bentham believes the global trend of increasing height has important implications. “How tall we are now is strongly influenced by the environment we grew up in,” he said. “If we give children the best possible start in life now, they will be healthier and more productive for decades to come.”
1. What does the global study tell us about people's height in the last hundred years?| A．There is a remarkable difference across continents. |
| B．There has been a marked increase in most countries. |
| C．The increase in people's height has been quickening. |
| D．The increase in women's height is bigger than in men's. |
| A．It counts less than generally thought. |
| B．It outweighs nutrition and healthcare. |
| C．It impacts more on an individual than on a population. |
| D．It plays a more significant role in females than in males. |
| A．They tend to live longer. | B．They enjoy an easier life. |
| C．They generally risk fewer fatal diseases. | D．They have greater expectations in life. |
| A．They grow up slower than their peers in other countries. |
| B．They are actually shorter than their earlier generations. |
| C．They find it hard to bring their potential into full play. |
| D．They have experienced many changes of government. |
| A．Watch closely the global trend in children's development. |
| B．Make sure that our children grow up to their full height. |
| C．Try every means to protect our environment. |
| D．Ensure our children grow up in a more ideal environment. |
9 . Here are four pieces of news from China Daily.
SHANGHAI — The Huachen Group recently held a meeting in Shanghai to show the use of its newly opened tourism business payment network. The network aims to serve tourists from all over the world, but especially from Europe and the United States where credit cards are popularly used. After opening the www.chinaecnet.com website, netizens can get information about hotels and tourism services on tourism page. Hotels and services can be reserved and payments made through credit cards. The network opened in February in Beijing.
SYDNEY — The Sydney Olympic flame will travel underwater on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef during the torch relay following a successful test. Scuba diver Wendy Craig, a marine biologist, will carry the torch on a three-to-four-minute underwater journey at Agincourt Reef on June 27, creating Olympic history, organizers said yesterday. Burning at 2000 degrees, the torch is expected to remain a light three meters underwater because of the special technology which creates a fierce flame that can not be drowned out by water.
Charles Tegner, managing director of torch creator, said the flame would burn like a flare (照明弹) from oxygen-producing chemicals.
BEIJING — The election of a new leader in Taiwan can not change the fact that Taiwan is a part of Chinese territory. “Taiwan Independence” in whatever form will never be allowed, according to a statesman of China’s central government.
“We should listen to what the new leader in Taiwan says and watch what he does. We will observe where he will lead cross-Straits (海峡两岸) relations. We are willing to exchange views on cross-Straits relations and peaceful reunification with all parties, organizations and personages in Taiwan who favor the one China principle,” says the statesman, which was released by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the CPC Central Committee.
HAIKOU — Customs officers in Haikou recently stopped a boat loaded with 781 cases of foreign-brand cigarettes being smuggled (走私) into China. The smuggled cigarettes cases, packed into two containers, were disguised to avoid being examined. The boat was registered in the coastal city of Xiamen in East China’s Fujian Province. All eight suspects aboard the boat were kept by the police in Haikou.
1. Why does the network aim to serve tourists especially from Europe and the USA?| A．Because they are from developed countries. |
| B．Because the payments of hotels and services should be made through credit cards. |
| C．Because people in these countries travel much more than other countries. |
| D．Because it is more convenient for them to surf the Internet. |
| A．The whole torch relay will be held three-four metres underwater. |
| B．The underwater journey of the torch will play an important part in Olympic history. |
| C．A test has been made before this activity. |
| D．Some chemicals will help the flame burn by producing oxygen. |
| A．Ready to Fight |
| B．No Good End |
| C．Wait and See |
| D．Peace Comes First |
| A．made different from normal |
| B．designed for a good purpose |
| C．divided |
| D．pretended |
10 . Americans have always been ambivalent in their attitudes toward education. On the one hand, free and universal public education was seen as necessary in a democracy, for how else would citizens learn how to govern themselves in a responsible way? On the other hand, America was always a country that offered financial opportunities for which education was not needed: on the road from rags to riches, schooling-beyond the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic-was an unnecessary detour.
Even today, it is still possible for people to achieve financial success without much education, but the number of situations in which this is possible is decreasing. In today's more complex world, the opportunities for financial success is closely related to the need for education, especially higher education.
Our society is rapidly becoming one whose chief product is information, and dealing with this information requires more and more specialized education. In other words, we grow up learning more and more about fewer and fewer subjects.
In the future, this trend is likely to continue. Tomorrow's world will be even more complex than today's world, and, to manage this complexity, even more specialized education will be needed.
1. The topic treated in this passage is _____.| A．education in general | B．Americans' attitudes |
| C．higher education | D．American education |
| A．certain | B．contradictory | C．ambitious | D．unclear |
| A．higher education | B．public education |
| C．responsible citizens | D．learning the basics |
| A．information is our only product | B．education in the future will be specialized |
| C．we are entering an age of information | D．we are living in an age of information |
| A．The History of American Education. | B．The Need for Specialized Education. |
| C．The Future of the American Educational System. | D．Attitudes toward American Education. |
