1 . One of the key tasks for leaders at GE (General Electric) is to look after the company’s resources. We watch how money is spent and protect the company’s assets(资产) .We make efficiencies(效率) and fight to find funding for new ideas. We care about the health and welfare of our employees,and work to keep them safe all over the world.

Where we sometimes fall short-I am sure this is true of most organizations-is with time.I don’t think we manage time as well as we could. We have meetings that include too many participants,some of whom don’t need (or want) to be there. Too much time is spent at the start of meetings passing around information that could be shared in advance. Some meetings go on longer than they need to, and don’t always result in real actions, or decisions.

Leaders make personal decisions about how to distribute their own time,and this affects how others and particularly their teams have to spend their time. I’ve asked people in my organization to think ahead-what can be done individually or beforehand. We need to think about the impact every time we occupy time, or create work, for others.

Wasting time contributes to a competitive disadvantage. It keeps us from doing things that matter and meeting deadlines. One solution we’re working on at GE is adopting a “FastWorks” mindset. This is a lean start-up concept we developed to better understand pain points, quickly test product or service hypotheses(假设) and to understand if a proposed solution is right. We used this approach to develop our GuardEon circuit breaker in less than half the time it would previously have taken and went to market 3 years sooner.

If you are like me, you have your best days when you accomplish things. The worst days are when we spend time doing things without results, and you come away feeling you have wasted time. We don’t mind working hard, but we want to get things done. The old saying went something like “time is money,”In today’s world, it’s more like “time is speed and focus, and speed and focus is money.”We are more successful if we are focused and spend our time doing the things that matter.

1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?

A．To stress the importance of finding funds.

B．To show the company’s care for employees.

C．To call for the employees to treasure their career.

D．To lay the base for the viewpoint being presented.

2. How can a leader in a company make wise use of the meeting time?

A．By inviting more participants to a meeting.

B．By sharing more information at the meeting.

C．By attaching importance to individual tasks.

D．By focusing more on what requires teamwork.

3. What is the benefit of a“FastWorks” mindset in Paragraph 4?

A．It can greatly increase efficiency.

B．It can lead to advances in technology.

C．It can help workers find more solutions.

D．It can persuade people to work harder.

4. What would be the best title for the passage?

A．GE leaders manage time well

B．There is no point in wasting time

C．Meeting the deadline makes sense

D．Applying technology to life matters

2 . 4 Best Basketball Camps in the USA

PGC Basketball Camps

For the last few decades, PGC (point guard college) basketball camps have helped thousands of players improve a variety of skills. While the name may have you believe it's for point guards only, that's not the case.PGC basketball camps operate in a number of different states and they have over 100 camps all over the country.While many of the PGC basketball camps are aimed at youth in high school and college athletes,there are also the Skills Academy camps for those as young as the 4th grade.

Nike Basketball Camps

Nike offers introductory camps, shooting camps, overnight camps, day camps and many more. There are even camps that let you work with former or current NBA and WNBA players. One of the best things about Nike camps are the quality of coaching and instruction you will get. They also operate in nearly every state,so no matter where you are, there is likely a Nike basketball camp close. These Nike camps are also great for all ages.

NBC Basketball Camps

Since the early 1970s, NBC(Northwest Basketball Camp) has been among the world leaders in the space.Whether you are in elementary school, junior high or high school, there is an NBC basketball camp for you. These camps are offered across the USA,as well as in Canada and even the UK. The camps they offer include clinics.team camps, overnight camps, and college prep camps, just to name a few. They aim to provide you all of the tools you need to succeed in basketball and in life.

The National Basketball Academy

The National Basketball Academy (also known as TNBA) partners with NBA teams like the Bucks and Pacers to provide camps, clinics, and training for basketball players of all ages. TNBA operates in Milwaukee,Orlando. Houston. Indiana, and Cleveland. It also operates in many other nations around the world such as Brazil, France, Argentina, and Spain. These camps and clinics range from a single day to multiple weeks. They also host various tournaments(锦标赛) so you can show off the skills you have learned.

1. What do we know about PGC basketball camps?

A．They have the most camps	B．They are mainly aimed at little kids.
C．They hire some former NBA coaches.	D．Not only students of PGC can join them.

2. What do NBC Basketball Camps and the National Basketball Academy have in common?

A．They focus on teamwork.	B．They hold various tournaments.
C．They only offer long-term camps.	D．They operate both at home and abroad.

3. If you want to work with some NBA players, which camp should you choose?

A．A PGC basketball camp.	B．A Nike basketball camp.
C．A NBC basketball camp.	D．A TNBA basketball camp.

3 . Meeting at a church on a Friday night is not usual for most college students, but it is for the members of an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) women’s group in my hometown, which is an organization for alcoholics who want to stop drinking alcohol.

AA is based upon a number of principles，including twelve steps and twelve traditions. The traditions state that the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. Members read aloud these steps and traditions, as well as a promise.

The AA meeting we attended was a speaker week, which meant that the majority of the time was spent listening to a particular member talk about her journey with alcohol. The speaker recounted her story with addiction. The group processed the story in a positive way. I noticed several times when members laughed, smiled, and made brief supporting comments while she spoke. Later, a member shared with me that “this is the kind of place where you can talk about things, and everyone just laughs...no judgment but support.” Being able to talk about her emotions and experiences, receiving support, and the lack of judgment was a large part of her decision to keep coming to meetings.

Years later, I look back on the meeting with fond memories. It changed the way I looked at addiction. It was no longer an evil faceless monster. I think it’s essential to have support when you’re struggling with addiction, as with any lifestyle change. AA is a prime example of how groups follow a program and commit (致力于) to changing their habits.

And it doesn’t hurt that sometimes after the meeting, everyone has a piece of cake.

1. The main purpose of AA women’s group is to _____.

A．gather on Friday nights	B．stay away from alcohol
C．start an autonomous group	D．promote twelve traditions

2. For some, the highlight of the meeting is to _____.

A．make comments	B．exchange ideas
C．meet new friends	D．have emotional connection

3. What does the author think of the meeting?

A．Meaningful.

B．Doubtful.

C．Rootless.

D．Worthless.

4. By attending the meeting, you can _____.

A．drink some coffee	B．play a game
C．make a meal	D．share some food

4 . National Museums in London

British Museum

Address: Great Russell Street, London WC1, England, UK

Attention schedule: daily 10:00- 18:00

One of the best museums of the world, British Museum, founded in 1753, has around 7 million objects and presents over two million years of human history. Take the history of the 5 continents illustrating every place of the world. World-famous objects such as the Rosetta Stone, Parthenon sculptures, and Egyptian mummies are visited by up to six million visitors per year.

Design Museum

Address: 28 Shad Thames London SE12YD

Attention schedule: daily 10:00- 17:50

The museum was founded in 1989 and became the first museum of modern design in the world. It offers inspiring insights into the world of design with exhibitions on fashion. architecture, furniture, transport and digital design. Alongside its cutting edge program of permanent exhibitions, the museum also hosts a variety of talks and family activities.

Natural History Museum

Address: Cromwell Road London SW7 5BD, UK.

Attention schedule: daily 10:00- -17:45

Created in 1881, the Museum has more than 70 million objects with areas of botany; mineralogy, paleontology and zoology. Other treasures from the Museum's unique exhibitions can be seen across its many permanent galleries, which include one of the world's most impressive dinosaur skeletons(骨架). There are also exciting after-hours events featuring early morning yoga, silent discos practice and plenty of interactive activities.

Victoria & Albert Museum

Address: Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL

Attention schedule: daily 10:00-17:30

The Victoria & Albert Museum is the world's leading museum of art, design, and performance, representing more than 3,000 years of human creativity. Founded in 1852, one of its main attractions is the architecture of the museum, carvings and designs of great artists. In recent years, the V&A has undergone a dramatic program of renewal, expansion and restoration.

1. According to the text, which museum has the longest history?

A．British Museum.	B．Design Museum.
C．Natural History Museum.	D．Victoria & Albert Museum.

2. W hat exhibition do visitors prefer to see in Natural History Museum?

A．The Rosetta Stone.	B．Early morning yoga.
C．Dinosaur skeletons.	D．Silent discos practice.

3. What do Natural History Museum and Victoria & Albert Museum have in common?

A．Both are located on the same road.	B．Both have been rebuilt and expanded.
C．Both host different interactive activities.	D．Both are famous for great artists' works.

5 . Coffee shops are cool, but in Wilmington, Bitty & Beau’s Coffee enjoys a good reputation for its warmth.

At the heart of the shop’s popularity is its _________ staff: Almost everyone has an intellectual(智力的)or developmental disability.

The coffee shop was opened in 2016 by Amy Wright and her husband,   ___________ by two of her four children Beau and Bitty, who have Down syndrome(唐氏症).

When the couple discovered that most people with intellectual and developmental disabilities could never find an employer who would even give them a(n)   ___________ , they decided to do something about it.

“It _________ me like a flash of lightning: a coffee shop!” Wright said. “It would be the perfect environment for bringing people together. Seeing the staff ___________ customers at the door, preparing food, serving orders and cleaning tables, people would realize how   ___________ they are.”

When the shop opened, it immediately had ___________ out the door. National press attention ___________, and six months later, it had to move to a   _____________   space.

Today, the store employs 40 people with disabilities, who are really good at their jobs.

What makes Amy most proud is the ____________ it has built in the community. “Every day, people say, ‘You’ve made my day. Thank you.’ That’s a feeling of happiness most people don’t get elsewhere, and it's what ____________ people back here,” she said. “This is a place where people can ____________   with those with disabilities and realize how much more alike we are than different. It’s   ____________ a cup of coffee. It's a human rights movement. It's given our employees the respect and a sense of being ____________ that they deserve. For many employees, it's their first job, and their ____________ fills the air.”

1.

A．unique

B．professional

C．active

D．brave

2.

A．impressed

B．controlled

C．inspired

D．responded

3.

A．interview

B．invitation

C．appointment

D．reason

4.

A．moved

B．struck

C．encouraged

D．affected

5.

A．finding

B．observing

C．greeting

D．gathering

6.

A．capable

B．generous

C．considerate

D．reliable

7.

A．lines

B．waiters

C．listeners

D．guards

8.

A．agreed

B．continued

C．followed

D．left

9.

A．farther

B．larger

C．quieter

D．nearer

10.

A．background

B．balance

C．tradition

D．bridge

11.

A．holds

B．draws

C．calls

D．forces

12.

A．interact

B．play

C．work

D．discuss

13.

A．nothing but

B．far from

C．after all

D．more than

14.

A．helped

B．valued

C．separated

D．protected

15.

A．ambition

B．humor

C．joy

D．patience

6 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

The Chinese Consulate General(中国领事馆) in New York     1    （introduce）mobile payments for its service charges on Wednesday, becoming the first Chinese delegation in the United States    2    (adopt) this form of payment.

Besides traditional cash and credit card payments, WeChat pay and Alipay are now available for customers, which is expected to greatly    3    (short) the payment time. The payments can be made in Chinese Yuan only and there will be no other    4    (addition) charges .

According to Huang Ping, the Chinese consul-general in New York, there are over 1.2 million overseas Chinese in the 10 states on the U.S. East Coast    5    belong to his consular(领事的) district, and most of their mobile phones are equipped    6     WeChat pay or Alipay thanks to the rapid growth and ever-increasing    7    (popular) of mobile payments back in China over the recent years.

"We should keep pace with the times, provide more convenience for these potential customers, and make our services    8    (efficient)," said Huang. In the past year, the Chinese Consulate General in New York     9    (launch)a series of measures to    10    (it) services, including online passport renewal application, reduced processing times, lower charges, and simplified application requirements, according to Consul-general Huang.

7 . A woman grasped her phone to her heart the way a minister might hold a Bible. She was anxious to take a picture of a bunch of flowers that sat not 10 feet away, but first she had to get through a crowd of others pushing to do the same. The cause of this was Bouquets to Art, one of the most popular annual events at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. For the 34th year, artists were asked to create flower bunches that respond to pieces of art on display, from ancient carvings to contemporary sculptures. It’s time to take a photo to post on Instagram, but to the point that it has become a problem.

In recent years» the de Young received more than a thousand complaints from people who felt that cell phones had ruined their experience. In fact, institutions of fine art around the world face similar problems as the desire to take photographs becomes a huge draw for museums as well as something that upsets some of their visitors. So the de Young responded with a kind of compromise: carving out “photo free” hours during the exhibition’s six-day run.

One common complaint in the ongoing debates over the effect of social media on museum culture is that people seem to be missing out on experiences because they are so busy collecting evidence of them. A recent study in the journal Psychological Science suggests there is some truth to this; it found that people who took photos of an exhibit rather than simply observing it had a harder time remembering

what they saw. But the issue is complicated for the professionals running museums. Linda Butler, the de Young’s head of marketing, communications and visitor experience, acknowledges that not everyone wants a museum to be “a photo-taking playland. ” Yet a lot of other people do, and she thinks that the de Young is in no position to judge that one motivation for buying a $ 28 ticket is more valid than another. “If we removed social media and photography,” she says, “we would risk becoming less popular.” If this is a battle, signs indicate that the pro-phone crowd (亲手机人群) has already won.

1. What were the crowd eager to do in Paragraph 1?

A．To hold a Bible.	B．To admire flowers.
C．To take a photo.	D．To see the exhibition.

2. How did the de Young respond to the complaints?

A．By setting periods without photo-taking.

B．By making the exhibition free of charge.

C．By compromising with other institutions.

D．By giving extra time to take photos freely.

3. What can we infer about the use of social media in museums according to the recent study?

A．It uncovers the truth.	B．It accumulates evidence.
C．It causes complaints.	D．It plays a negative role.

4. Which of the following may Linda Butler support?

A．Catering to visitors.	B．Reducing admission prices.
C．Reserving judgement in public.	D．Banning social media and photography.

8 . Last week the British university system offered a record number of places. That sounds like good news—but do we really need more people to go to university? For that matter, does the world need more universities?

The answer feels like it should be yes.

Education is good, is it not? But everything has a cost.

Education takes time. We could insist that everyone study full-time until the age of 45 but that would surely be too much. And perhaps half the population studying until they’re 21 is also too much. As for universities, they consume financial and intellectual resources—perhaps those resources might be better spent elsewhere.

My own personal opinion is strongly in favour both of going to university, and of simply having universities around.

The main skill I learnt at university was to write about economics, and I use that skill every day of my professional life, even an abstract education seems practical to me. And I now live in Oxford, one of the world’s most celebrated (著名的) university cities. Oxford’s experience certainly suggests that universities have much to offer.

The city’s architecture and green spaces have been shaped—greatly for the better, on balance —by the 900-year-old institution at its heart. The beauty attracts tourists and locals too.

But these are samples of one. Many people do not find themselves using the skills and knowledge they accumulated at university. And Oxford’s dreaming spires (尖顶) aren’t terribly representative of global universities as a whole.

1. Which of the following is the most proper title?

A．Does the world need more universities?

B．Is education really necessary?

C．Is British university system the best?

D．Do you prefer universities abroad?

2. Which of the following about the writer is TRUE?

A．He is an economist now.

B．He likes Oxford’s architecture and green spaces most.

C．The skill he learnt at university is practical in his career.

D．He holds the view that going to univeristy is a waste of resources.

3. The writer develops the passage by ______.

A．comparing his experience with others’

B．persuading us with his own experience and opinion

C．describing and sharing his own university experience

D．informing us of the advantages of universities

4. In the following part, the writer is likely to ______.

A．list more supporting details about his opinion

B．show more disadvantages about going to universities

C．present some opposite opinions about universities

D．draw a conclusion about the topic

9 . Gregory Talley used to sleep in a park or under a bridge. The 50-year-old has been homeless for more than 10 years.

“It is hard. It’s hard to live homeless. You filled every day trying to find cut where you are going to get something to eat. If I hadn’t found wonderful Fairfax County Kennedy Shelter, I wouldn’t know where I would be by now. I might be dead,” Talley said.

The Kennedy Shelter is one of the facilities New Hope Housing provides for homeless people.

Pam Micheli has devoted her life to making the lives of this vulnerable（易受伤的）population better as executive director of the non-profit organization.

“I went to Africa in 1985. And I saw a huge amount of poverty, but I saw so much hope. And I decided that I should try to do something that would bring hope to people,” Michell said.

When Michell began working with New Hope Housing 25 years ago, its three shelters had about 80 beds. Now, it has 350 beds and serves about 1,500 homeless people every year. She has expanded the program beyond just providing beds for the night.

“We do outreach（拓展）, we do prevention, we do permanent housing. We do transitional housing. We have an education program with all sorts of different things to move people to end their homelessness,” she said, “Our Out of Poverty program is not just about money. It’s about you could be spiritually poor, you could be relationship poor ... you could be educationally poor. So it is focusing on how you get out of this poverty that has brought you to being homeless. The program tries to teach the shelter residents self-reliance（自立）and work values, and includes courses on planning and personal responsibility.

“I learned I still have opportunities to change it and I can change it,” said shelter resident Lewis Webster. “It is just about going forth in doing necessary work to do it. I mean if you really want better, you would do better and that’s the frame of mind of me now.”

1. Gregory Talley’s story is told at the beginning of the text to         .

A．tell readers the situation for the poor in the US is getting worse

B．introduce a non-profit organization that is trying to help the poor in the US

C．disclose the truth that more and more homeless people are dying from hunger

D．remind readers that the homeless people in the US have no trouble getting food

2. According to Paragraph 6, Pam Michell started to bring hope to the homeless by         .

A．providing dothes for them

B．offering food for them

C．building new houses for them

D．offering them shelters for the night

3. What is the final purpose of the education program?

A．To tell the homeless people the ways to make money.

B．To help the homeless people find the causes of their poverty.

C．To encourage the homeless to work and rely on themselves.

D．To teach the poor how to live a better life in the shelters.

4. What may be the best title for the text?

A．Comfort in the Kennedy Shelter

B．Ways to Achieve Success

C．An Opportunity to Fight Homelessness

D．An Organization to End Homelessness

10 . Team Building Means More Than Throwing a Few People Together

"Teamworking" is found everywhere within just about every organization. You can't get away from "teams" that are supposed to be able to create something that is greater than the sum of its parts. Or so the theory goes.

There are five measures that need to be taken before you can get the most out of a team:
Common Goals with Challenging Target

    1    . And all the members should realize the value and significance of what they are going to do. What they are hoping to achieve should be something achievable but at the same time tough and inspiring enough to attract the members and keep their motivation alive. What is more, they should also be well prepared for the possible difficulties they may come across in the process.

Open Communication

Team members must be able to express their opinions freely without fear of being criticized, and they must have the feeling that their suggestions will be taken seriously. This is an important point because the team may need to resolve some complex issues.     2    .Should they keep their conclusion within the team or share it with other employees? This is an issue in itself that all the members should agree on and honest discussion is required.

Respect to All Team Members

It is easy to think that a junior team member may have less to contribute than more experienced ones.    3    —people that have nothing to contribute should not have been selected for the team in the first place. Since they have become members of your team, you need to make sure that each of them has an opportunity to add his or her thoughts to discussions.

Conflict solving

    4    . A team made up only of "yes men" can make disastrous decisions that few people honestly agreed with in the first place. Consequently, there should be rules on how lengthy disagreements should be handled. For example, team meetings may not be the most appropriate place for a discussion that involves only two people, so "under-the-table" method may be effective.

Leadership

Most high-performing teams are well organized. A good organizer should be able to play to individuals' strengths and help them overcome their weaknesses. It should be someone who can act as a promoter and a constant reminder of what the team needs to achieve. He must, above all, be skilled in sharing responsibility and setting tasks to others, coaching them to achieve tasks, and providing constructive feedback on how the tasks went.

    5    . It requires much more, but motivating people is most essential. Successful teamworking is not marked by how much progress the team makes toward its goals, but by how confidently each of its members completes his or her assigned tasks with a sense of achievement and pride.

A．For example, it may discuss a sensitive topic

B．There must be a clear reason for the team to exist

C．This is not only discouraging, it also makes no sense

D．Team building isn't as simple as just throwing a few people together

E．Group work is usually more productive than working alone

F．Choose a role on the team that is best suited to your particular strengths

G．Disagreements are natural and, in fact, debate and discussion should be encouraged.