1 . My younger cousin faces a similar challenge. She has a huge birthmark that takes up her whole arm. Her birthmark is pretty noticeable and looks like faded red splotches of paint. She’s never tried to hide her birthmark or change her appearance. It really inspires me. She has always been so much more confident about her birthmark than I am. Once, her grandmother told her mom that her birthmark looked extremely prominent and suggested that she should wear long sleeves more often. If my younger cousin’s mom had actually taken that suggestion, my younger cousin wouldn’t be as confident about her birthmark as she is.

2 . Certain forms of AI are indeed becoming ubiquitous. For example, algorithms (算法) carry out huge volumes of trading on our financial markets, self­driving cars are appearing on city streets, and or smartphones are translating from one language into another. These systems are sometimes faster and more perceptive than we humans are. But so far that is only true for the specific tasks for which the systems have been designed. That is something that some AI developers are now eager to change.

What does the underlined word “ubiquitous” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

3 . Our own native language and culture are so much a part of us that we take them for granted. When we travel to another country, it’s as if we carry along with our passports. We view the new environment using our own culture as the standard, and although not purposely, our ways of thinking and acting often get in the way of our understanding other languages and cultures. The ability and willingness to change lenses(视角) when we look at a different culture is both the cure and prevention for such cultural blindness. Studying a new language provides us the opportunities to practise changing lenses when we also learn the context or the culture to which it belongs.

Q: The underlined word “it” in the last sentence refers to __________.

4 . One of the best-known sayings must be “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wisdom”. The promises of health, wealth, and wisdom to those who join the teams of early retirees and rises must be particularly pleasing to many people in our modern society.

Q: The underlined word “ retiree” here refers to_________.

5 . And if you’ve gathered your friends around you to rebuild a happy family atmosphere(气氛), you may fear that saying no will bring back the kind of conflict you grew up with— or destroy the nice atmosphere you now enjoy.

Q: The underlined word “conflict” in the paragraph means       .

6 . Oxygen is vital to life; it is needed by the body cells of all animals. It is also very useful in industry. The method Priestley used produces only small quantities. The large amounts needed for industry are produced in a different way. Air is put into containers under great pressure. This turns it into liquid and makes it very cold. It is then gradually warmed up and each substance evaporates at a different temperature. The boiling point of oxygen is -183°C. It is caught and stored in strong steel cylinders at a pressure of 136 atmospheres. The process is known as fractional distillation.

Q: Which word has the rough meaning of “vital”?

7 . These different kinds of learning disabilities are known by different names. For example, a person who has difficulty reading may have dyslexia. Someone who cannot do mathematics may have a disorder called dyscalculia(计算困难).

Q: The underlined word “dyslexia” in the paragraph probably means _______.

8 . Emma had never read it, nor had she ever purchased a copy. But, when she opened it up, she was floored to see her own name and address inside the cover, in her own handwriting. It turned out that the summer before, at a concert back in Montreal, Emma had met a Californian who was in town visiting friends. They decided to exchange addresses, but neither of them had any paper. The man had opened up a book he was carrying in his backpack and asked Emma to write her name and address inside. When he returned to California, he left the book behind in Montreal, and his friend Alex kept it. When Alex later relocated to Jerusalem, he took the now-treasured book along.

Q: What does the underlined word “floored” in the paragraph mean?

9 . Gray wolves once were seen here and there in the Yellowstone area and much of the continental United States, but they were gradually displaced by human development. By the 1920s, wolves had practically disappeared from the Yellowstone area. They went farther north into the deep forests of Canada, where there were fewer humans around.

…

What does the underlined word “displaced” in paragraph 2 mean?

10 . I am Peter Hodes, a volunteer stem cell courier. Since March 2012, I've done 89 trips — of those, 51 have been abroad. I have 42 hours to carry stem cells (干细胞) in my little box because I've got two ice packs and that's how long they last. In all, from the time the stem cells are harvested from a donor (捐献者) to the time they can be implanted in the patient, we've got 72 hours at most. So I am always conscious of time.

Which of the following can replace the underlined word “courier” in Paragraph 1?