1 . Although many online personality tests are fun, only a few will really give you insight into who you are and what you are supposed to be doing with your life.
At CareerPlanner. com we believe that each individual （个人），regardless of （不管）race or religion, has a purpose in life, and until you discover what your purpose is, you will not find true happiness, nor true job satisfaction.
This doesn't mean you won't be successful. It just means you won't be happy until you are moving towards your true purpose.
Unfortunately, our school system does very little to help students discover their true career. This is where online personality tests and career tests can help.
Online personality tests and career tests can help you better understand what type of work you should be doing to achieve job satisfaction, happiness, and success.
Personality tests are most useful in giving you insight into “how" your personality compares to others and “how" you like to work.
In particular, if you frequently experience difficulty working with others, or getting their support and cooperation, a really good personality test would show you how to get along better.
While personality tests are very useful at showing you how you like to work and how you like your work environment, they are not really designed to show you "what" type of work is right for you.
That is where Career Interest Tests come in. Online Career Tests, such as the CareerPlanner.com offers will help you discover what your true interests are, and what type of work you will be passionate about.
But back to personality tests. The most well-established personality tests are the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator R, and the Enneagram.
1. The underlined word "insight" in the first paragraph means .| A．theory | B．demand |
| C．understanding | D．term |
| A．find your true purpose in life |
| B．choose the best work |
| C．get along well with others |
| D．adapt to the work environment |
| A．to present some popular online personality tests |
| B．to tell readers about online personality and career tests |
| C．to tell the differences between some popular online tests |
| D．to persuade people to take online personality or career tests |
| A．The differences between personality tests and career tests. |
| B．The similarities between personality tests and career tests. |
| C．The reasons why personality and career tests are popular. |
| D．The details of the two most well-established personality tests. |
2 . Like Marty McFly’s banana-powered DeLorean （德罗宁时光机）,a future generation of flying cars could tip over the idea that all flying is bad for the climate. Firms such as the Rolls Royce, Lilium and Vertical Aerospace have argued that flying cars could be a green mode of transport despite the large amounts of energy they need to get off the ground.
One study into the environmental impact of such vertical （垂直的）takeoff and landing （(VTOL)） vehicles suggests their backers could be right — at least in some circumstances. Gregory Keoleian at the University of Michigan and colleagues found that VTOLs, if they ever took to the skies, would produce 6 per cent less emissions than an electric car over a 100-kilometre journey. "The VTOL is particularly energy intensive （集中的）during takeoff and landing. The flight phase,however,is much more efficient,and over long distances,makes fully loaded VTOLs competitive with ground based vehicles," says Keoleian. Flying cars would also have the advantage of being able to fly in a straight line, bypassing meandering routes.
However , don't act immedialely . The difference was only very small and there are several big catches. Flying cars don't really exist yet — they are only at the prototype （蓝本）stage. The prototypes rely on electric power and act as a taxi, but another issue is that the study is a bit of an apples-for-oranges comparison.
The researchers assume that each electric car carries an average of 1.54 passengers while the passengers and drivers of the flying car are three and one. The reason for this assumption is that the flying car will provide a shared taxi service like UberPool, but in fact electric cars can do the same. In addition t due to the need for energy during take-off, the emissions from the flight below 35 km will be more than those of electric vehicles.
Keoleian and his team conclude flying cars could have a minor role in sustainable transport. But even if they do prove to be green, they have a lot of other hurdles to cross first.
1. Why do firms like the Rolls Royce argue for flying cars?| A．They are banana-powered. | B．They are energy-saving. |
| C．They run faster. | D．They need less energy to take off. |
| A．They are nearly perfect. |
| B．They are able to fly in a straight line. |
| C．They can win out over long distances. |
| D．They can save 6% energy than electric cars. |
| A．Problems. | B．Advantages. |
| C．Differences, | D．Efforts. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Supportive. |
| C．Disapproving. | D．Neutral. |
3 . What makes a human being? Is it our thoughts? Our emotions? Our behavior?
All of these things make us who we are, but at the center of the matter is the genome (基因组) — the genes inside our bodies that may determine everything from our hair colour to our intelligence. But if we could change our genome, what would it mean to us?
In an online video posted on Nov 26, He Jiankui, a biological researcher from Southern University of Science and Technology in China, said that he had helped to make the world’s first genetically edited babies.
These are twin girls, born in November, with genes edited in an attempt to help them fight against possible future infection (感染) with the AIDS virus.
He said that he chose to do this because HIV infections are a big problem in China. “I feel such a strong responsibility that it’s not just to make a first, but also to set an example,” He told the Associated Press(AP).
The announcement has caused an international storm. Some believe that success will benefit the families of HIV patients. Considering that HIV is “a major and growing public health threat,” attempted gene editing for HIV is justifiable, Harvard Medical School genetics professor George Church told AP.
However, others think that gene editing technology is still unsafe to attempt.
“Gene editing itself is experimental and is still associated with unexpected mutations (突变), causing genetic problems early and later in life, including the development of cancer,” Julian Savulescu, a specialist in ethics at the University of Oxford, told BBC News.
Others fear that this could open the door to using gene editing technology to make designer babies. It might give the parents the choices to choose everything from their baby’s eye color to intelligence.
“You could find wealthy parents buying the latest ‘upgrades’ for their children, leading to even greater inequality than we already live with,” Marcy Darnovsky, director of the San Francisco Center for Genetics, told BBC News.
1. Why did He Jiankui make the genetically edited babies?| A．Because he wanted to be a leader in gene editing technology. |
| B．Because he tried to do his part in fighting against HIV infection. |
| C．Because he attempted to help the twin girls who were infected with AIDS. |
| D．Because he wanted to become the first to make the genetically edited babies in the world. |
| A．indifferent | B．understanding | C．objective | D．unfavorable |
| A．Gene editing can determine everything inside a person’s body |
| B．Gene editing may widen the gap between the rich and the poor |
| C．Gene editing may enable wealthy parents to design their babies |
| D．Gene editing can cause genetic problems sooner or later in life |
4 . Snowy wanted to be a show jumping horse. Every day she would
Snowy was very excited, but when she saw how
“I did it!" she shouted happily.
Again, Snowy was
So never be afraid of
| A．ask | B．warn | C．force | D．advise |
| A．old | B．fat | C．clever | D．careful |
| A．deep | B．high | C．long | D．far |
| A．wait | B．leave | C．stay | D．settle |
| A．see | B．stop | C．start | D．arrive |
| A．speed | B．power | C．doubt | D．courage |
| A．Suddenly | B．immediately | C．However | D．Besides |
| A．Remember | B．Try | C．Carry | D．Study |
| A．nervous | B．happy | C．upset | D．serious |
| A．missed | B．liked | C．entered | D．needed |
| A．appeared | B．changed | C．begun | D．continued |
| A．dangerous | B．important | C．familiar | D．terrible |
| A．pride | B．anger | C．patience | D．kindness |
| A．early | B．young | C．small | D．smart |
| A．failures | B．worries | C．uncertainties | D．difficulties |
5 . When I was a kid, my family didn’t live a rich life. As a result, we couldn’t
One day, my mother had a very
After the eggs were put on the table, my father looked at them for a while. But he said
Later that night, I heard my mom
The next day, I asked Dad
My father was a very
| A．agree | B．afford | C．promise | D．prepare |
| A．seldom | B．even | C．always | D．simply |
| A．tiring | B．boring | C．exciting | D．relaxing |
| A．tried | B．failed | C．refused | D．managed |
| A．rare | B．fresh | C．cheap | D．delicious |
| A．struggled | B．started | C．hoped | D．decided |
| A．something | B．nothing | C．everything | D．anything |
| A．plan | B．day | C．status | D．reputation |
| A．easily | B．calmly | C．carefully | D．completely |
| A．lie | B．complain | C．apologize | D．shout |
| A．forget | B．catch | C．accept | D．understand |
| A．whether | B．how | C．why | D．when |
| A．sad | B．hard | C．romantic | D．comfortable |
| A．cheat | B．lose | C．upset | D．disturb |
| A．modest | B．hospitable | C．optimistic | D．understanding |
VOLUNTEERING IN THE BUSH
8 March
I just got a parcel from home! It took about two weeks to arrive, and it was a bit damaged, but it was so nice to get some sweets and jam from home; I’ve been dying to have some of my favourite sweets, and it’s always nice to get mail!
So I’ve been here in the jungle for about a month now. My secondary school is a bush school. The classrooms are made of bamboo, with clay floors and roofs of grass. It takes me only a few minutes to walk to school down a dusty track covered in weeds. When I reach the school grounds, I’m greeted by a chorus of “good morning” from the boys. Unlike students in our country, these boys do not wear cotton uniforms, and many of them also have to walk a long way, sometimes for up to two hours, just to get to school.
There’s no electricity, running water or even textbooks, not to mention laptops, tablets, or other modern devices! All the students have are pencils, rubbers, and paper. I’m still trying to adapt to these conditions. I’ve had to become much more imaginative in my teaching. Science is my most challenging subject as my students have no concept of doing experiments. There is no equipment, and since there isn’t even a washroom, if I need water I have to carry it from my house in a basin! It’s important not to be too rigid about rules here, too. The other day I was showing the boys a chemistry experiment when, before I knew it, the mixture was bubbling out of the test tube spilling everywhere! The class became a circus as the boys, who had never come across anything like this before, started jumping out of the windows. Sometimes I wonder how relevant
chemistry is to these students — few will ever become chemists — and most will be going back to their villages after Year 8 anyway. To be honest, I doubt whether I’m making any difference to these boys’ lives at all.
17 April
Last weekend I made my first visit to a remote village, home to one of our students, Tombe. Another teacher and I walked for two and a half hours to get there — first, up a mountain from where we had fantastic views, and then down a shaded path to the valley below. When we arrived at the village, Tombe’s mother, Kiak, saw us coming and started crying “ieee ieee”. We shook hands with all the villagers. Everyone seemed to be related to Tombe.
Tombe’s father, Mukap, a man with a strong jaw and a wrinkled forehead, led us to his house, a low, round bamboo hut with no windows, with a door just big enough to get through, and with grass sticking out of the roof — this shows it is a man’s house. Such housing is dark inside so it took time for our eyes to adjust. Fresh grass had been laid on the floor and there was a platform for Jenny and me to sleep on. There was a fireplace in the centre of the hut. The only possessions I could see were one broom, a few saucers, a kettle, cups, pans, and a couple of jars.
Mukap built a fire outside and laid stones on it to heat. He then placed the hot stones in an empty oil drum with kau kau (sweet potato), ripe corn, and greens. He then covered the vegetables with banana leaves and left them to steam. It smelled delicious. We ate inside the hut sitting round the fire. I loved listening to the family talking softly to each other in their language, even though I could not participate much in the conversation. Luckily, Tombe interpreted for us.
Later, I noticed a can standing upside down on the grill over the fire. After a while, Tombe threw it out of the doorway. Tombe told me that the can was heated to dry out the leftover food. His family believes that leftovers attract bad spirits in the night, so any leftover food is dried up in a can and the can is then thrown out of the hut.
We left the village the next morning after many goodbyes and firm handshakes. My muscles were aching and my knees shaking as we dragged ourselves down the mountain towards home. That evening I fell happily into bed. It was such a privilege to have spent a day with Tombe’s family.
1. What’s the main idea of the text?| A．Jo went to a bush school to visit friends. |
| B．Jo’s experience as a volunteer in the bush. |
| C．Introduction of a bush school. |
| D．Introduction of Tombe’s home in the village. |
| A．Jo and another teacher visited Tombe’s home in the village. B．Getting mail from home made Jo feel nice. C．The school where Jo worked and Jo’s work at school. |
Part 2(Paras.2－3)
Part 3(Paras.4－8)
3. What’s the purpose of the author in writing the blog?
| A．To tell us her teaching life in the bush school as a volunteer. |
| B．To tell us her learning life in the bush school as a volunteer. |
| C．To tell us that she couldn’t get any money by teaching the poor students. |
| D．To tell us how happy she was in the small village. |
| A．Because they were frightened by the bubbling mixture. |
| B．Because they couldn’t stand the terrible smell of the mixture. |
| C．Because they didn’t like doing chemistry experiments. |
| D．Because they knew chemistry was not relevant to them. |
| A．Because this was Jo’s first visit to a remote village. |
| B．Because she was expressing her friendliness and warmth. |
| C．Because Jo walked for two and a half hours to get there. |
| D．Because she was afraid of strangers. |
| A．Happy. | B．Sad. |
| C．Worried. | D．Upset. |
Jo worked at a bush school whose classrooms
(1) There is no equipment, and since there isn’t even a washroom, if I need water I have to carry it from my house in a basin!
(2) The class became a circus as the boys, who had never come across anything like this before, started jumping out of the windows.
(3) His family believes that leftovers attract bad spirits in the night, so any leftover food is dried up in a can and the can is then thrown out of the hut.
7 . The Internet is a growing new world that has been developing ever since it was created many years ago. The only reason Internet sales are not taxed（征税）is because we did not know the Internet would be used to sell products when it was created. Internet sales are no different than going into the store to buy the exact same product except for the fact that Internet sales are not taxed.
When buying online， people cannot see and touch the product the same way they could in a store. To fix this， customers are going into the store to see the product. Then if they like the product， they buy it online to save money on the sales tax. This is a form of tax evasion（逃税）if you ask me！
Everyone has to pay the tax in the store so they should have to pay taxes online as well. Also，the added money brought in through Internet taxing could help the government to fund certain policies and other things that they could not do without the added funds. This could go toward the country's schools or other things necessary for society to function well. These funds could be extremely beneficial because of the recession（经济衰退）that the country is in at this point. Internet taxing is a way to increase those funds and in turn improve the quality of life for all who live in that country.
In conclusion， there are many more positives than negatives in the argument over taxing Internet sales. I do understand that I may have to pay more if I want to buy something online， but the funds stay within my society and help my country. The added cost may hurt me at first but in the end， the funds will help me and others in our country.
1. The text mainly discusses .| A．whether Internet sales should be taxed |
| B．why Internet sales are not taxed |
| C．why people love to buy things online |
| D．whether it is a good way to buy things online |
| A．they are different from store sales | B．selling online was unexpected |
| C．people don't know how to tax them | D．many people are against taxing them |
| A．Customers get better products at a lower price online. |
| B．Online shoppers find it difficult to buy satisfactory goods. |
| C．Online shoppers probably try to avoid paying tax. |
| D．Problems related to online shopping are hard to fix. |
| A．is good for all people |
| B．can help the country out of the recession |
| C．can help improve the quality of products |
| D．is beneficial to the development of Internet |
In Western countries, people usually celebrate New Year at midnight on January 1st. People may go to parties, dress in formal clothes -- like tuxedos (小礼服) and evening gowns, and drink champagne at midnight. During the first minutes of the New Year, people cheer and wish each other happiness for the year ahead. But some cultures prefer to celebrate the New Year by waking up early to watch the sun rise. They welcome the New Year with the first light of the sunrise.
It is also a common Western custom to make a New Year’s promise, called a resolution. New Year’s resolutions usually include promises to try something new or change a bad habit in the new year.
Many cultures also do special things to get rid of bad luck at the beginning of a new year. For example, in Ecuador, families make a big doll from old clothes. The doll is filled with old newspapers and firecrackers. At midnight, these dolls are burned to show the bad things from the past year are gone and the new year can start afresh (again). Other common traditions to keep away bad luck in a new year include throwing things into rivers or the ocean, or saying special things on the first day of the new year.
Other New Year traditions are followed to bring good luck is to eat grapes on New Year’s Day. The more grapes a person eats , the more good luck the person will have in the year. In France, people eat pancakes for good luck at New Year. In the United States, some people eat black-eyed peas (豇豆) for good luck -- but to get good luck for a whole year you have to eat 365 of them!
1. Which culture celebrates New Year in the morning?
| A．The passage doesn’t say. | B．Spain. |
| C．France. | D．The United States. |
| A．Something you say. | B．Something you eat. |
| C．Something you burn. | D．Something you wear. |
| A．Bringing good luck. |
| B．Remembering the past. |
| C．Planning for the next year. |
| D．Keeping away from bad luck. |
| A．Black-eyed peas taste bad. |
| B．The peas are very difficult to cook. |
| C．One pea brings one day of luck. |
| D．It is bad luck to eat a lot of black-eyed peas. |
9 . Have you heard about Post Office Cats in Britain? They are mouse hunters. The post office has actually employed cats since 1868. They are not employed to sort or deliver mail, of course, but to protect the mail and keep the population of mice under control. They make sure your morning post arrives free from damages caused by rats and mice.
London post offices were the first to try out the experiment. Within a few months the population of mice had shrunk sharply. Other post offices all over the country were soon using cats in the war against rats and mice as well. Within ten years the pay of the cats was improved from one and a half old pence a day to six or nine pence a day. Now the average rate of pay is about a few pounds a month.
Some of the hard-working cats have become quite famous. In 1980, a cat named Lucky stopped an attempted robbery in a Worcestershire post office on her own. As the two burglars made their way in through the window, Lucky started an attack and they fled empty-handed. Another excellent cat was Jerry, of Earls Court post office in London. He served the building for 16 years and was on duty for 24 hours every day. He drove all the mice away.
However, there are fewer cats employed by the post office than at any time in the past. With the faster movement of the mail and better surroundings, post office cats are not always needed. But many post offices still employ them and they become great friends with the postmen. According to the post office, there is no plan for their services to be discontinued in the foreseeable future.
1. Cats were introduced to British post offices to ________.| A．help sort and deliver mails and papers |
| B．guard the building against thieves |
| C．keep mails and papers undamaged |
| D．search for certain dangers in mails |
| A．decreased | B．increased | C．narrowed | D．expanded |
| A．She served the post office for 16 years around the clock. |
| B．She alone drove two burglars away from the post office. |
| C．She protected mails from being bitten by mice. |
| D．She was employed to sort and deliver mail. |
| A．the duty of the cats has been replaced by machines |
| B．all the post offices are now completely mice free |
| C．cats are now considered of little use in post offices |
| D．cats will still be seen in service for quite a long time |
10 . Fourteen-year-old Leah Murphy flew over 1,600 miles from her small town to Brisbane to attend a Pink concert earlier this week.
Murphy’s mother, Debbie, who
In the hope of getting Pink’s
“She told me that I looked pretty and that everything was going to be OK. Then she signed my arm and we
| A．However | B．Besides | C．Therefore | D．Otherwise |
| A．career | B．experience | C．life | D．programme |
| A．father | B．visa | C．passport | D．mother |
| A．symbol | B．signal | C．sign | D．advertisement |
| A．briefly | B．naturally | C．unwillingly | D．constantly |
| A．turned to | B．made up | C．referred to | D．looked up |
| A．join | B．move | C．return | D．attend |
| A．record | B．attention | C．picture | D．signature |
| A．smile | B．kiss | C．hug | D．praise |
| A．found | B．devoted | C．enjoyed | D．imagined |
| A．unless | B．though | C．because | D．until |
| A．reached | B．searched | C．stepped | D．slipped |
| A．posted | B．took | C．made | D．developed |
| A．gave | B．showed | C．meant | D．settled |
| A．alive | B．true | C．lively | D．loose |
