1 . As more and more people speak the global language of English, Chinese, Spanish, and Arabic, other languages are rapidly disappearing. In fact, half of the 6,000-7,000 languages spoken around the world today will be likely to die out by the next century, according the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
In an effort to prevent language loss, scholars from a number of organizations — UNESCO and National Geographic among them — have for many years been documenting dying languages and the cultures they reflect.
Mark Turin, a scientist at the Macmillan Center, Yale University, who specializes in the languages and oral traditions of the Himalayas, is following in that tradition. His recently published book, A Grammar of Thangmi and Their Culture, grows out of his experience living, working, and raising a family in a village in Nepal.
Documenting the Thangmi language and culture is just a starting point for Turin, who seeks to include other languages and oral traditions across the Himalayan reaches of India, Nepal, Bhutan, and China. But he is not content to simply record these voices before they disappear without record.
At the University of Cambridge Turin discovered a wealth of important materials —including photographs, films, tape recordings, and field notes — which had remained unstudied and were badly in need of care and protection. Now, through the two organizations that he has founded — the Digital Himalaya Project and the World Oral Literature Project — Turin has started a campaign to make such documents, found in libraries and stores around the world, available not just to schools but to the younger generations of communities from whom the materials were originally collected. Thanks to digital technology and the widely available Internet, Turin notes, the endangered languages can be saved and reconnected with speech communities.
1. Many scholars are making efforts to ________.| A．promote global languages | B．rescue disappearing languages |
| C．search for languages communities | D．set up language research organizations |
| A．having detailed records of the languages | B．writing books on language users |
| C．telling stories about language speakers | D．living with the native speakers |
| A．The cultural studies in India. | B．The documents available at Yale. |
| C．His language research in Bhutan. | D．His personal experience in Nepal. |
| A．Write, sell and donate. | B．Record, repair and reward. |
| C．Collect, protect and reconnect. | D．Design, experiment and report. |
2 . Throughout history, music spread among people of different cultures.In today’s technological advanced society, however, people spread music online, sometimes without an artist’s permission.This can lead to many problems, and music companies are now cracking down on this practice.Sharing music online without permission is theft (盗窃).
Sharing music online prevents recording companies from making money from their efforts.They say that sharing music online has resulted in a huge drop in profits and sales over the past 10 years.People who find music for free online are not paying for CDs or every MP3 downloaded.To truly understand the influence of music piracy (盗版) on creators, one must understand how many people are involved in the recording process.For the sale of each album, profits must be shared between musicians, sound engineers, music producers, managers, advertisers, and the company selling the product.Many people believe sharing music only affects the recording artist, but the reality is that sharing hurts business for all companies involved.
There are many people who don’t see the harm in sharing music online and even think they have the right to do it.One online blogger states that he originally paid for an entire CD and that he should be able to do with the material whatever he wants.While he may have legally paid for the music, he does not have the right to provide permission, which means people like the blogger are thieves.
Although we don’t spread today’s music the same way we did before, there’s no doubt that people around the world love to share music.However, internet piracy would prevent musicians from continuing producing albums for fear of theft.Therefore, if people want to continue listening to their favorite artists, they need to buy their music so that artists will make enough profit to continue their music careers.
1. The underlined phrase “cracking down on” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ________.| A．bringing up carefully | B．speaking highly of |
| C．dealing seriously with | D．destroying completely |
| A．artists are taking action to protect their right |
| B．sharing music files online affects a lot of people |
| C．online music sharing increases sales of music CD |
| D．a person who bought a CD has the right to share it online with others |
| A．Topic—Argument—Explanation | B．Opinion—Discussion—Description |
| C．Main idea—Comparison—Supporting statements | D．Introduction—Supporting statements |
| A．Music Piracy is Theft | B．Is Sharing Music Right? |
| C．What is Music Piracy? | D．Music Piracy is Good for Music Lovers |
3 . You are given many opportunities in life to choose to be a victim or creator. When you choose to be a victim, the world is a cold and difficult place.“They” did things to you which caused all of your pain and suffering.“They” are wrong and bad, and life is terrible as long as “they” are around.Or you may blame yourself for all your problems, thus internalizing(内化)your victimization.The truth is, your life is likely to stay that way as long as you feel a need to blame yourself or others.
Those who choose to be creators look at life quite differently.They know there are individuals who might like to control their lives, but they don't let this get in the way.They know they have their weaknesses, yet they don't blame themselves when they fail.Whatever happens, they have choice in the matter.They believe their dance with each sacred(神圣的)moment of life is a gift and that storms are a natural part of life which can bring the rain needed for emotional and spiritual growth.
Victims and creators live in the same physical world and deal with many of the same physical realities, yet their experience of life is worlds apart.Victims relish(沉溺)in anger, guilt, and other emotions that cause others--and even themselves---to feel like victims, too.Creators consciously choose love, inspiration, and other qualities which inspire not only themselves, but al1around them.Both victims and creators always have choice to determine the direction of their lives.
In reality, all of us play the victim or the creator at various points in our lives.One person, on losing a job or a special relationship, may feel as if it is the end of the world and sink into terrible suffering for months, years, or even a lifetime.Another with the same experience may choose to first experience the grief, then accept the loss and soon move on to be a powerful creative force in his life.
In every moment and every circumstance, you can choose to have fuller, richer life by setting a clear intention to transform the victim within, and by inviting into your life the powerful creator that you are.
1. What does the word “they” in Paragraph 1 probably refer to?| A．People and things around you. | B．Opportunities and problems. |
| C．Creators and their choices. | D．Victims and their sufferings. |
| A．seem willing to experience failures in life | B．possess the ability to predict future life |
| C．handle ups and downs of life wisely | D．have potential to create something new |
| A．To define victims and creators. |
| B．To evaluate victims against creators. |
| C．To explain the relationship between victims and creators. |
| D．To suggest the transformation from victims to creators. |
| A．strong attachment to sufferings in life pulls people into victims. |
| B．people need family support to deal with challengers in life. |
| C．it takes creators quite a long time to get rid of their pains. |
| D．one's experiences determine his attitude toward life. |
4 . SHOULD WE FIGHT NEW TECHNOLOGY?
This morning, I saw the shocking headline: “Passenger Dies When Car Crashes in Driverless Mode”. In the article, a lot of people said that the public should oppose the idea of developing driverless cars. They said that some advances in technology were unnecessary and could even be dangerous. Hence, we should cease accepting technology just because it is new. The newspaper reported that the car company had already apologized for the accident, but the families of the deceased said it was not enough. Nevertheless, the company still claimed that most people would be travelling in driverless cars one day soon.
On the one hand, there are many different groups of people around the world who live happily in the absence of new technology. Probably the most well-known are the Amish, a group of Christians living in rural America. They do not own or drive cars, watch TV, or use the Internet. They have lived mainly as farmers since the 18th century, and they will probably be living the same way in the distant future. They advocate a simple life with an emphasis on hard work, family, and community. They think that is better than caring about luxuries or following the lives of the rich and famous. It could even be argued that the Amish’s quality of life is better since they live in and appreciate the natural environment rather than living in large, polluted cities.
On the other hand, new technology has provided people everywhere with many benefits over the years. For example, the latest weather-tracking computer programs give people lots of warnings about potential natural disasters, which saves many lives. Moreover, the Internet has made it possible for friends and family to keep in touch easily even if they are on opposite sides of the world. It has also made finding opportunities in life much easier, as it allows people to make larger networks of friends through using social media.
Personally, I have benefited quite a lot from technological advances. I found my career as an AI designer through a social media network. My health monitor, which I wear all the time, has also helped me get into the best shape of my life. Of course, when new technology changes the way we live, it can be a scary prospect. Nevertheless, I will always look on the positive side of change and accept it rather than resist it.
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?| A．A person died in an accident while driving his brand-new car. |
| B．The relatives of the victim would never accept the apology. |
| C．Many people took a negative attitude to this new technology. |
| D．The company was very concerned about the future of this new technology. |
| A．To persuade us to follow their natural living style. |
| B．To tell us the Amish prefer a harmonious and peaceful life. |
| C．To prove people can still live better without new technology. |
| D．To advocate a simple life with family and community by hard work. |
| A．Monitoring people’s physical health. |
| B．Providing chances in life more easily. |
| C．Predicting the earthquake and tsunami. |
| D．Helping people contact each other easily. |
| A．To praise the advantages of new technology. |
| B．To show his supportive idea of new technology. |
| C．To criticize the disadvantages of new technology. |
| D．To arouse people’s concern about new technology. |
5 . The meaning of silence varies among cultural groups. Silences may be thoughtful, or they may be empty when a person has nothing to say. A silence in conversation may also show stubbornness, uneasiness, or worry. Silence may be viewed by some cultural groups as extremely uncomfortable; therefore attempts may be made to fill every gap（间隙）with conversation. Persons in other cultural groups value silence and view it as necessary for understanding a person's needs.
Many Native Americans value silence and feel it is a basic part of communicating among people, just as some traditional Chinese and Thai persons do. Therefore, when a person one of these cultures is speaking and suddenly stops, what may be implied（暗示）is that the person wants the listener to consider what has been said before continuing. In these cultures, silence is a call for reflection.
Other cultures may use silence in other ways, particularly when dealing with different conflicts among people or in relationships of people with different amounts of power. For example, Russian, French, and Spanish persons may use silence to show agreement between parties about the topic under discussion. However, Mexicans may use silence when instructions are given by a person in authority rather than be rude to that person by arguing with him or her. In still another use, persons in Asian cultures may view silence as a sign of respect, particularly to an elder or a person in authority.
Nurses and other care-givers need to be aware of the possible meanings of silence when they come across the personal anxiety their patients may be experiencing. Nurses should recognize their own personal and cultural construction of silence so that a patient's silence is not interrupted too early or allowed to go on unnecessarily. A nurse who understands the healing（治愈）value of silence can use this understanding to assist in the care of patients from their own and from other cultures.
1. What does the author say about silence in conversations?| A．It is content-based. | B．It develops friendship. |
| C．It implies anger. | D．It is culture-specific. |
| A．The French. | B．The Mexicans. |
| C．The Russians. | D．The Chinese. |
| A．Make use of its healing effects. |
| B．Let it continue as the patient pleases. |
| C．Break it while treating patients. |
| D．Evaluate（评估）its harm to patients. |
| A．Sound and Silence. |
| B．What It Means to Be Silent. |
| C．Silence to Native Americans. |
| D．Speech Is Silver, Silence Is Gold. |
6 . A rainforest is an area covered by tall trees with the total high rainfall spreading（扩大） quite equally through the year and the temperature rarely falling below 16°C. Rainforests have a great influence on the world environment because they can take in heat from the sun and adjust the climate.
Without the forest cover, these areas would reflect（反射）more heat into the atmosphere, warming the rest of the world. Losing the rainforests may also influence wind and rainfall patterns，potentially（潜 在地） causing certain natural disasters all over the world.
In the past hundred years, humans have begun destroying rainforests in search of three major resources ： land for crops, wood for paper and other products, land for raising farm animals. This action affects the environment as a whole. For example, a lot of carbon dioxide in the air comes from burning the rainforests. People obviously have a need for the resources we gain from cutting trees but we will suffer much more than we will benefit.
There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, when people cut down trees, generally they can only use the land for a year or two. Secondly, cutting large sections of rainforests may provide a good supply of wood right now, but in the long run it actually reduces the world’s wood supply. Rainforests are often called the world's drugstore. More than 25% of the medicines we use today come from plants in rainforests. However, fewer than 1% of rainforest plants have been examined for their medical value. It is extremely likely that our best chance to cure diseases lies somewhere in the world’s shrinking（减 少）rainforests.
1. Rainforests can help to adjust the climate because they______.| A．reflect more heat into the atmosphere |
| B．bring about high rainfall throughout the world |
| C．rarely cause the temperature to drop lower than 16°C |
| D．absorb（吸收） the heat from the sun, reducing the effect of heat from the sun on the earth |
| A．We will lose much more than we can gain. | B．Humans have begun destroying rainforests. |
| C．People have a strong desire for resources. | D．Much carbon dioxide （二氧化碳）comes from burning rainforests. |
| A．we can get enough resources without rainforests |
| B．there is great medicine potential in rainforests |
| C．we will grow fewer kinds of crops in the gained land |
| D．the level of annual rainfall affects wind patterns |
| A．How to Save Rainforests? | B．How to Protect Nature? |
| C．Rainforests and the Environment. | D．Rainforests and Medical Development. |
7 . Everyone can be angry. But if you take the time to actually examine your anger instead of just “feeling angry” you’ll have a better understanding of yourself. Knowing why you feel so angry can provide you with some surprising answers. These answers can enable you to grow spiritually and mentally.
I can give you a personal example. I went to a meeting once and I was verbally attacked(言语攻击) over an application I supported at my workplace. Various people went on and on about how terrible this system was and that it never worked. That didn’t bother me that much. But I was absolutely furious at the comment, “Your job is pointless.”
I was upset that they would treat me that way. But once I took the time to think about what was really making me so mad, I learned a lot. I realized that the comment was more true than I wanted to admit. In the big scheme of things, my job was pointless. It wasn’t what I really wanted to be doing with my life and this is what frustrated me the most. Here I was pouring part of my heart and soul into a job I didn't even want to do. I was using it as crutch(依靠) because I didn’t have the confidence in myself to take the scary(令人害怕的) road toward what I really wanted to do. As soon as I realized that, a lot of my anger just melted away. I also realized that I needed to start focusing on what I really wanted to do.
I now consider this incident as a great gift. It got me back on track to move in the direction I want to go with my life. I probably wouldn't be where I am today if I hadn’t taken the time to figure out why I was really so angry.
1. What does the underlined word “furious” probably mean?| A．Surprised. | B．Relaxed. |
| C．Amazed. | D．Angry. |
| A．Because he didn’t do his job wholeheartedly. |
| B．Because he didn’t make enough money. |
| C．Because he couldn’t get on well with his colleagues. |
| D．Because he didn’t have the chance to realize his potential. |
| A．The author isn’t easy to become angry any longer. |
| B．The author has achieved success in his present career. |
| C．The author received a lot of gifts after the incident. |
| D．The author was forced to quit his job. |
| A．A diary. | B．A guidebook. | C．A magazine. | D．A novel. |
8 . Alzheimer's AI
An estimated 5.7 million people in the U.S. have Alzheimer's disease-the most common type of dementia(痴呆）－and that number is expected to more than double by 2050. Early diagnosis is crucial for patients to benefit from the few therapies available. But no scans can deliver a conclusive diagnosis while a person is alive; instead doctors have to conduct numerous and complicated clinical and neuropsychological tests.So there is growing interest in developing artificial intelligence to identify Alzheimer's based on brain imaging.
Researchers at the University of California,San Francisco, have now successfully trained an AI algorithm(算法）to recognize one of the early signs of Alzheimer's-a reduction in the brain's glucose（葡萄糖）consumption-in positron emission tomography (PET) imaging.
The algorithm accurately predicted an eventual Alzheimer's diagnosis in nearly all the test cases, according to the study. In PET imaging, a very small amount of a radioactive compound are injected into the body, producing three-dimensional images of metabolism(新陈代谢）,circulation and other cellular activities. PET is well suited for an AI diagnostic tool because Alzheimer's leads to subtle changes in the brain's metabolism that begin years before neural(神经的） tissue starts to go downhill, says study co-author Jae Ho Sohn,a radiologist at UCSF. These changes are "very hard for radiologists to pick up,"he notes.
The algorithm was trained and tested on 2,100 PET brain images from about 1,000 people 55 years and older. The images came from a 12-year study that tracked people who would ultimately be diagnosed with Alzheimer's, as well as those with mild memory declines and healthy control participants. The algorithm was trained on 90 percent of the data and tested on the remaining 10 percent. It was then retested on a second, independent data set from 40 patients monitored for 10 years. The algorithm was highly sensitive and was able to recognize 81 percent of the patients in the first test group and 100 percent in the second who would be diagnosed with Alzheimer's six years later, on average. The findings were published in February in Radiology.
The algorithm is based on "deep learning ,a machine-learning technique that uses artificial neural networks programmed to learn from examples. "This is one of the first promising,preliminary(初步的） applications of deep learning to the diagnosis of Alzheimer's," says Christian Salvatore, a physicist at Italy's National Research Council, who was not involved in the study. “The model performs very well when identifying patients with mild or late diagnoses", he says, “but catching it in the earliest stages remains one of the most critical open issues in this field."
1. People are increasingly interested in using AI to identify Alzheimer's because______| A．the number of people suffering from dementia is more than doubling |
| B．diagnostic methods that are both reliable and convenient are in need |
| C．there are only a limited number of effective therapies for the patients |
| D．diagnosing Alzheimer's disease through AI is still an unexplored area |
| A．It recognizes the worsening of the neural tissue. |
| B．It reduces the glucose consumption in the brain. |
| C．It changes the pattern of the brain's metabolism. |
| D．It photographs various kinds of cellular activities. |
| A．90% of the people in the study were trained on the algorithm |
| B．the participants in the study consist of people both young and old |
| C．81% of the people in the first test group were diagnosed with Alzheimer's |
| D．the algorithm managed to recognize all the patients in the second test group |
| A．The algorithm serves as a promising treatment of Alzheimer's. |
| B．Deep learning has been widely applied in diagnosing Alzheimer's. |
| C．To detect Alzheimer's in its earliest stages calls for more exploration. |
| D．Whether to use the model to detect Alzheimer's remains a critical issue. |
9 . Governors, lawyers and business leaders have to deal with scientists, and every educated person finds his views affected by science. Yet our science teaching of non-scientists, in school and college, has built up mistaken ideas, dislikes, and the common boast, “I never did understand science.” Even those students who arrive at college with plans to become scientists usually bring a mistaken picture of science: some have a collection of unorganized facts about science, and some regard the study of science as a game which includes getting the right answer.
The first of these attitudes seems to come from a kind of course which provides various kinds of information; the second, from a training course on how to pass examinations that do not ask about the student’s understanding but simply require him to put the numbers in the right formulas(公式). Neither type of courses (in school or college) seems to give students an understanding of science as we find it among scientists. Neither shows students how real scientists work and think, how the facts are gathered, how discoveries are made, and what they mean. Young people need good teaching of science, not so much a great wealth of knowledge as a healthy understanding of the nature of science. They need an understanding of knowledge leading to sympathy with science and an eagerness of the way scientists work. Given these, it is easy to encourage later reading and learning.
1. One of the reasons that cause mistaken ideas of science is due to __________.| A．a mistaken picture in students’ mind |
| B．the unscientific way of teaching of science |
| C．the fact that students fail to see the influence of science |
| D．the fact that students have a collection of unrelated facts about science |
| A．need for good science teaching |
| B．every person, including governors, lawyers and business leaders should study science |
| C．young people should form a correct attitude to science |
| D．students must know what science is and how scientists work and think |
| A．to teach students to do things according to formulas |
| B．to provide students with all kinds of information |
| C．to help students have a good understanding and form a correct attitude to science |
| D．to encourage students to have a good command of knowledge |
| A．they can be affected by scientists when they are together |
| B．scientists make discoveries and apply them to help people live a more comfortable, stable and safe life |
| C．they owe much to scientists’ contributions |
| D．scientists are great persons |
10 . When we think about people who are leaders, we often get a mental picture of someone who is older, smarter, and wiser than ourselves. Studies of leadership, though, have usually found that there is almost no relationship between skill as a leader and traditional measures of intelligence.
Some recent research by psychologist Red Fiedle and his colleagues suggests that both intelligence and experience may be important—but just now how important depends upon how stressful the work situation is and what kind of task is to be accomplished. The researchers obtained measures of intelligence, experience, performance, and stress.
Overall, these variables did not relate to one another. Men with high and low intelligence were equally likely to give good performance, as were men with more and less experience, or more and less stress with their bosses. When you look separately at those men who have high stress with their bosses, however, the picture changes.
In high stress situations, there was no connection between intelligence and performance, but there was between experience and performance. In other words, in difficult situations, it was helpful to “know the ropes”. In low stress situations, the findings were just the opposite. Experience was not related to good performance, but intelligence was. That is, when things are going well, intelligence is very useful in leadership.
A study of fire fighters’ performance under high and low stress conditions also found the experienced officers performed best under situations of stress. None of this is really very surprising. If you have ever had a supervisory job, you probably found that at least as much energy went into dealing with people as went into managing the job itself. Tests of intelligence—at least the ones we have now—do not predict success in dealing with people.
1. What kind of people can do the best job in stress situation?| A．intelligent people | B．experienced people |
| C．calm people | D．skilled people |
| A．to understand the situation | B．to control the situation |
| C．to get rid of the situation | D．to make sure what to do about the situation |
| A．a management job | B．an advisory job |
| C．a teaching job | D．an organizing job |
| A．In stress situations, there are no association between experience and performance. |
| B．Some recent research suggests that most leaders are lack of intelligence. |
| C．In low stress situations, intelligence plays an important role in leadership. |
| D．Generally speaking leaders are likely to be cleverer than ordinary people. |
