1 . The Internet, E-commerce and globalization are making a new economic era possible. In the future, capitalist markets will largely be replaced by a new kind of economic system based on networked relationships, contractual (契约的) arrangements and access rights.

Has the quality of our lives at work, at home and in our communities increased in direct proportion (比例) to all the new Internet and business-to-business Internet services being introduced into our lives? I have asked this question of hundreds of CEOs and corporate executives in Europe and the United States. Surprisingly, virtually everyone has said, “No, quite contrary.” The very people responsible for showing in what some have called a “technological renaissance” say they are working longer hours, feel more stressed, are more impatient, and are even less civil (礼貌的) in their dealings with colleagues and friends—not to mention strangers. And what’s more revealing, they place much of the blame on the very same technologies they are so aggressively championing (捍卫).

We are told that access would make life more convenient and give us more time. Instead, the very technological wonders that were supposed to liberate us have begun to enslave us in a web of connections from which there seems to be no easy escape.

If an earlier generation was concerned about the goal to enclose a vast geographic frontier, the generation to come, it seems, is more caught up in the colonization (殖民) of time. Every spare moment of our time is being filled with some form of commercial connection, making time itself the scarcest of all resources. Our e-mail, voice mail and cell phones, our 24-hour Interact news and entertainment all seize for our attention.

While we have created every kind of labor-and-time-saving device to serve our needs, we are beginning to feel like we have less time available to us than any other humans in history. That is because the wide spread of labor-and-time-saving services only increases the diversity, pace and flow of common day activity around us. For example, e-mail is a great convenience. However, we now find ourselves spending much of our day anxiously responding to each other’s electronic messages. The cell phone is a great time-saver, except now we are always likely to reach someone else who wants our attention.

Social conservatives talk about the decline in civility and blame it on the loss of a morality and religious values. Has anyone bothered to ask whether the fast speed culture is making all of us less patient and less willing to listen, consider and reflect?

Maybe we need to ask what kinds of connections really count and what types of access really matter in the e-economy era. If this new technology revolution is only about efficiency, then we risk losing something even more precious than time—our sense of what it means to be a caring human being.

1. According to the passage, a large number of CEOs think that________.

A．technology has a great impact on their lives

B．technology should be aggressively championed

C．technology renaissance should be pushed forward

D．technology actually results in a decline in their life quality

2. What is the most valuable resource for the coming generation?

A．Time available.	B．Time saving devices.
C．Access to information.	D．Technological wonders.

3. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Cell phones can save time as they help us reach those who want our attention.

B．Social conservatives blame the loss of morality on the decline in civility.

C．High efficiency is even more precious than being a caring human being.

D．It is difficult for us to avoid the influence of technology wonders.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．The New Internet Life	B．The Declining Quality of Life
C．The Disadvantages of Too Much Access	D．The Failure of Technological Renaissance

2 . There are times when murder is not committed because of cruelty. People may kill for other reasons such as anger, misunderstanding, and fear. Everyone has made mistakes because of such feeling. For society, it is a serious mistake to take the life of someone who has killed because it teaches everyone that forgiveness is unnecessary.

The government has the difficult job of deciding who is innocent and who is guilty, and this job can never be done perfectly. If capital punishment(死刑)is allowed, there always exists the possibility that an innocent person will be executed by mistake. When that happens, an even worse crime has been committed—the killing of an innocent person by the government. Then there is the fact that the poor and minorities get the death penalty more often than whites do. Furthermore, the idea that capital punishment stops criminals from committing murder is doubtful; studies have been unable to show that the fear of capital punishment stops someone from committing murder more than other punishments. And let us not forget that murdering the murderer is a violent act in itself; it is revenge(复仇).

The U.S. government once followed the example of Germany, Britain, France, and other nations that no longer execute their citizens-however, since 1977, our society has been allowing capital punishment again, at a high cost. We cannot imagine the pain of family members who have been waiting for years for the government’s decision to execute or not execute their loved ones. It also costs the taxpayer millions of dollars more to execute a criminal than to imprison that criminal for life. Prison is a better form of punishment because it protects society and punishes criminals by taking away their freedom.

People can change, even people who have made terrible mistakes. Life in prison gives people the chance to change. Caryl Chessman is an example of someone who became a better person in prison. He taught other prisoners how to read, and he wrote several books. Before his execution, he wrote that he had finally learned not to hate.

Chessman learned this important lesson in prison. But a dead man learns nothing, and an executed person will never change. When a government kills, it is murdering hope.

1. According to the passage, all the followings are the results of the capital punishment EXCEPT that________.

A．capital punishment doesn’t necessarily put an end to crimes

B．execution may cause an innocent person to die

C．the blacks get executed more often than the whites do

D．capital punishment may arouse a desire for revenge

2. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?

A．Execution will cause the pain of the criminal’s family members.

B．Life imprisonment is more expensive than execution.

C．Some murders are mistakes, caused by anger or fear.

D．America used to be among the nations which abandoned execution.

3. The writer uses the example of Caryl Chessman to prove that________.

A．everyone can become a better person in prison

B．everyone can make terrible mistakes

C．execution robs people of the chance to change

D．It is always a good thing to learn not to hate

4. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Not all people who kill are cruel.	B．Capital punishment is revenge.
C．Prison can sometimes improve a person.	D．Execution is not a better form of punishment.

3 . Beware of Phone/Online Scams(诈骗)

Have you been the victim of a phone/online seam? If you ever think that there’s really no reason to worry, just remember the following statistics.

—315,000 cases broken in 2015-2017 in China.

—More than billions of money involved.

—Victims of 19 years old top the list in terms of age.

—Victims of 18-25 years old account for 52.4% of the whole.

—……

And here in below we are sharing 4 typical types of Phone/Online scams and how to deal with them.

	Hello, this is XX police station, you're involved in a case of money laundering(洗钱)(or some other financial crime). We need your cooperation with the investigation……Please transfer your money into the national security account. Tip 1: If you are really involved in financial crime, police will visit your home at the first opportunity and take you for investigation. Police are not so dumb as to inform you via telephone. And there is no such thing as national security account.	Hey: Wang(he may know your name). Drop by my office tomorrow morning. BTW, I will be treating some VIP clients soon. I need you to transfer some money into this account. It will refund your money tomorrow. Tip 2: Think about it. How could any boss in the world ask you for money? Meeting VIP clients without a cent in his pocket? And why doesn't he ask you to give the money to him in person? He is nobody but a scam!
	You've got a package which contains illegal drugs or goods. You are now requested to call this number to contact the Public Security Bureau. (Then it all follows scenario预设). Tip 3: Public Security Bureau WILL NOT deal with cases via phone calls. NEITHER WILL they send out notification via message.	(In some cases the number is disguised as authentic bank number through software). We are sorry to inform you that you have a bank overdraft. Please contact this customer service representative. His number is XXXXXXXXXX. Tip 4: DO NOT panic. REMEMBER to dial the official contact number of the back to double check.

When receiving phone calls/emails from unidentified resources, please pay special attention if the conversation involves any of the following:

●bank cards

●lucky draw

●Transferred to government authorities, including but not limited to police, court/judge, etc.

●secured account

●refund related to online shopping

None of the above business will be carried out on phones or via emails/unofficial website links. So you may just treat them as spams.

Moreover, how to safeguard yourself?

●Never transfer money without face-to-face confirmation.

●Only do business online with those you know and trust or on the official website of the online retailer.

●Protect your personal information, including photo-ID numbers and copies, bank account and passwords.

●Don't trust website links in emails or text messages without verified sources.

●Never believe in Pie in the sky. If something is too good, it won't be true.

1. Which of the following statements is TRUE about the survey of Phone/Online seams?

A．Statistics imply it's unnecessary to worry about the situation.

B．The number of those who are cheated is on the rise.

C．Nearly one third of a million cases remain to be solved.

D．Comparatively speaking, young adults are harder-hit age groups.

2. You should be alert (警惕的) to the following cases EXCEPT________.

A．The police call to request your cooperation for a financial crime.

B．The boss asks you to transfer money to a VIP client via phone.

C．An unverified message informs you to collect a ¥500,000 prize.

D．The official website of an online retailer advertises for a business partner.

3. Where does this article most probably come from?

A．An email for college students.

B．A document for government authorities.

C．A law journal for E-business practitioners.

D．A security brochure for the public.

4 . After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passages coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

I’ve always enjoyed walking but never in a million years     1     I imagine I would end up walking over 200 kilometers in 10 days, become a fan of walking holidays, and end up developing self-guided hiking routes in Portugal with a local tour operator as part of my business. The shift from being someone who was content with an easy three-hour walk to an     2     (experience) multi-day hiker began with a brief taste of the Portuguese Camino de Shantiago, and ancient pilgrim trail (朝圣者道路) through Portugal to Snatiago de Compostela Cathedral in Spain.

Back in 2013 I did a guided one-day hike along one of the most beautiful and     3     (challenge) stretches of the Camino, north of Ponte de Lima, so it was hard work, but the views from the top of Labruja Mountain made the climb worthwhile. My guides were so enthusiastic about the thrill of arriving at Sangtiago de Compostela Cathedral after the challenges of day after day on the Camino     4     I began to think I might want to give it a go,     5     not being religious.

Fast forward a few years and I set off from Barcelos with a friend of mine     6     (follow) the Portuguese Camino de Santiago. Apart from suffering from back pain, I thought I was quite fit but nothing had prepared me for     7     exhausted I would feel at the end of each walking day.

This was truly a slow travel experience, as we were averaging about 20 kilometers per day. I     8     (expect) plenty of sightseeing but that ended up being minimal. Quickly, I realized the moral of this unique travel experience: The Camino was all about making the most of the journey rather than the destination.

I will never forget the sense of achievement and progress tit the end of each walking day, and the relief and pride I felt when we finally made     9     to Santiago de Compostela.

We met people     10    , from all walks of life, managed to walk the Camino several times and I can totally understand how it can become addictive.

5 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from thebox. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. revolutionize       B. potential       C. unfold       D. convincing       E. handle F.competing       G. individually       H. vertically       I. stuck       J.multiple       K. adjust

How close are we to flying cars?

Even before George Jetson fascinated kids with his cartoon flying car, people dreamed of soaring above traffic congestion. Inventors and entrepreneurs have long tried and failed to make the dream a reality, but that may be changing.

Nearly a dozen companies around the globe, including some with deep pockets such as European aircraft maker to be the first to develop a new kind of aircraft that will enable commuters to glide above Airbus, are     1     crowded roadways. A few of the aircraft under development are cars with wings that     2     for flight, but most aren't cars at all. Typically they take off and land     3    like helicopters. Rather than a single, large main rotor(旋翼), they have     4     small rotors operated by a battery - powered electric motor instead of a conventional aircraft engine.

It's no sure bet that flying-car dreams will turn into reality. There are many obstacles, including     5     regulators that the aircraft are safe, figuring out how to     6     thousands of new low-flying aircraft over cities without collisions and developing batteries that will keep them in the air long enough.

But entrepreneurs are moving forward. They see a vast     7     market for "air taxis" and personally owned small aircraft to transport people from the edges of metropolitan areas to city centers as urban areas grow more congested and people spend more time     8     in traffic. They envision tens of thousands of flying taxis delivering passengers to the rooftops of office buildings in city centers during rush hours.

"In as little as 10 years, products that     9     urban travel for millions of people could be on the market." said Zach Lovering, the leader of Aribus' project to develop an autonomous flying taxi. It's unclear yet how much the aircraft will cost, although prices are likely to vary significantly. Some of the aircraft are designed to be     10     owned, while others are more for commercial use. Designers hope that if demand is high, prices can be kept affordable through economies of mass production.

6 . Last summer, a video from Cardiff showed opera coach Mary King wet-eyed during the finals of BBC Cardiff Singer of the World.Who had moved her to tears? Mongolian baritone (男中音) Ariunbaatar Ganbaatar, towering, broad-shouldered, with a huge smile and a mighty voice, the 29-year-old sang Rossini,Verdi and Tchaikovsky and charmed everyone, including the judges, who declared him joint winner of the Song prize. “There was something so imposing about the sound,” King said. “Contained and glorious. It’s very unusual to find this combination of presence, power and effortlessness.”

Ariunbaatar doesn’t have a typical background for a contestant in one of the world’s most celebrated opera contests. He grew up in the traditional Mongolian way, living in circular tents with his nomadic (游牧的) family. As a child, he rode some 60 miles a day, and he was always singing. He won a place at university in Ulaanbaatar but dropped out after two years when he couldn’t pay the fees, became a taxi driver and one night got chatting to a customer who happened to be the chief of police. Long story short: he joined Ulaanbaatar’s police orchestra, worked his way back to university, then onwards to the grand opera houses of Russia and Europe.

That backstory aroused my curiosity — so much so that three months later I was on a flight to Ulaanbaatar with a radio producer and suitcase of audio equipment. I had the same basic knowledge many westerners share about Mongolia: Genghis Khan, Gobi desert, furry camels, wild horses, wonderful throat singers. My guidebook described a proud nation. “It is rude to turn down an offer of horse’s milk,” I read, “for it is considered a gesture of friendship.”

International wins have made Ariunbaatar famous at home. Politicians hope his career will secure Mongolia’s position on the opera map-portraying it as a modern nation. He says he has no intention to leave Mongolia. His family still travel on the plain, still ride on horseback, still packup their tents to follow new grasslands. “Being with them on the land is what gives me inspiration to sing.” he says. “Wherever I am, that is what I imagine when I sing.”

1. Ariunbaatar won the Song prize mainly because of            

A．his command of different songs.

B．his charming appearance.

C．his unusual background.

D．his impressive sound.

2. What is most likely to be Ariunbaatar’s turning point before he rose to fame?

A．He was admitted to a university for the first time.

B．He became a member of the police orchestra.

C．He moved Mary King and got the big prize.

D．He was raised in the traditional Mongolian way.

3. What can be learned from the last paragraph about Ariunbaatar?

A．He cares little about fame.

B．He hopes to become better known.

C．He wants to give his family a better life.

D．He draws inspiration from the horses.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．How Ariunbaatar became a famous star.

B．An introduction to an opera singer.

C．Why the author travelled to Mongolian.

D．A video about a celebrated opera contest.

7 . Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize in no more than 60 words the main idea of the passage and how it is illustrated. Use your own words as far as possible.

Long Journey

The majority of the world’s clothes, bags and shoes are manufactured in Asia. But the region’s brands have made little headway in the West. Of the ten most valuable global apparel (服装) labels ranked by Millward Brown, a market-research firm, only Uniqlo is Asian. Li-Ning, one of China’s best-selling sportswear brands, tried to enter America in 2010. It opened a flagship store in Portland, Oregon and later launched an English-language online store. Both failed.

What makes the journey so hard? Adjusting to Western tastes takes time. Although Uniqlo became the largest Japanese apparel brand by selling US-style clothing, it still encountered cultural barriers in America itself. For example, vests (背心) are one of Uniqlo’s most popular products at home, but relatively few Americans and Europeans wear an additional layer beneath their shirts, says Dairo Murata, an analyst at JPMorgan Chase, a bank. It was only two years ago the firm also realized that XL was not big enough in America; it now duly provides XXXL.

Another problem, at least outside the big cities, is price. Uniqlo takes pride in the use of high-tech, comfortable fabrics (布料)，an attempt to differentiate itself from other basic clothing brands like Gap and Old Navy. But at Danbury Fair, a Connecticut shopping mall that is a barometer for retail trends in the suburbs, people prefer Primark, a super-cheap Irish retailer (零售商) which recently opened, to Uniqlo, which shut up shop in June. Mall visitors are conservative about fashion and about spending, explains F.K. Grunert, its manager.

What still seems to work better is concentrating on urban centres, even though that means a smaller potential market. This month Uniqlo opened a stand-alone store in Manhattan’s Soho; such shops tend to do well. In 2002 it had 21 stores in Britain, dotted around the north-west, Midlands and south-east; now eight of the ten it still has are in London.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8 . On the pristine coast of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, a small fishing village called Mahabalipuram is home to Mumu Surf School, one of the most popular surfing schools in India. It is run by Mukesh Panjanathan, also known as Mumu, who lives two minutes from the school on the beach.

Every morning, he watches the sunlight sparkle on the seawater, and palm leaves sway with the breeze. Along the shore are kattumarams, which he used to sneak into the sea as a child to ride the waves. But as beautiful as it looks, the beach town has a dark side.

Mumu was only 12–the youngest of six siblings–when his father, who suffered from alcoholism-related health problems, died by suicide.

“Alcohol addiction is an immense challenge for fishing communities.” Vincent Jain, the deputy chief of the South Indian Federation of Fishermen Societies, told VICE. “Most of them start drinking when they reach their teens and start earning some money.”

It is common for fishermen to drink up to three times a day, and paying for their addiction uses up much of the money they make. As things stand, their income has been decreasing because of large-scale commercial fishing activities and the climate crisis.

Mumu, now 36, said fishermen use alcohol as a “painkiller” because of the exhausting nature of their jobs. They paddle（用桨划）their boats into the sea as early as three in the morning, sometimes in very harsh conditions, and return with a batch of fish at sunrise. That is, if they’re in luck, the rest of the day leaves them with nothing to do.

“Drinking makes them feel better. Slowly, it becomes a habit,” he said. “But things are changing.”

Over the last 15 years, the rise of surf culture in Mahabalipuram has not only transformed it into one of India’s top water sports destinations, but also opened doors for the young to pursue alternative careers. “The coming generations have much more freedom to choose what they want to do, instead of sitting around and getting drunk.” said Mumu, who is among the first surfers to emerge from the local fishing community.

1. According to paragraph 2, the underline word “kattumaarams” probably refers to           .

A．the alternative for the word “wave” in Mahabalipuram

B．a kind of boat used in Mahabalipuram

C．the animals living along the shore

D．the friends of Mumu with whom he went to the sea

2. Why does the author think Mahabalipuram has a dark side?

A．The drinking culture here causes a lot of trouble.

B．Many people died young in this place.

C．The people here are too addicted to surfing.

D．The night here is longer than other places.

3. Which of the following is not the reason why some fishermen in Mahabalipuram are addicted to drinking?

A．They have nothing to do after finishing their job.

B．Drinking reduces their physical pain caused by their job.

C．They are so used to drinking that they can’t quit it.

D．Drinking relieves them of the tiredness caused by their job.

4. In the following paragraphs, the author is probably going to write about         .

A．how Mumu became a surfer in the village and started Mumu Surf School

B．the new alternative careers the young can choose in the village

C．how surfing culture helps fishermen in the village get rid of drinking

D．other water sports destinations in India

9 . Aesthetic thought (美学思想, 审美理念) of a distinctively modern art emerged during the 18^th century. The western philosophers and critics of this time devoted much attention to such matters as natural beauty, the purity, and representation—a trend ______ the central position they had given to the philosophy of nature.______ that time, however, the philosophy of art has become ever more famous and has begun to ______ the philosophy of nature. Various issues ______ to the philosophy of art have had a ______ impact on the or 20th-century aesthetics. Among these are problems relating to the theory of form of art and to the distinction between representation and expression. Still another far-reaching question has to do with the value of art. Two ______ theoretical positions have taken on this issue: one holds that art and its appreciation are a ______ to some recognized moral good,______ the other maintains that art is in itself valuable and an end. Underlying this whole issue is the concept of taste, one of the basic concerns of aesthetics. In recent years there has also been an increasing preoccupation with art as the prime object of critical judgement. Corresponding to the trend in contemporary aesthetic thought,______ have followed either of two approaches. In one criticism is ______ to the analysis and interpretation of the work of art.______, it is devoted to the response to the aesthetic object and to justifying a particular way of perceiving it.

Over the years, aesthetics has developed into a ______ field of knowledge and inquiry. The ______ of contemporary aesthetic include such problems as the nature of style and its aesthetic significance; the relation of aesthetic judgement to culture; the relevance of psychology ______ the criticism of art; and the place of aesthetic judgement in ______ reasoning in the conduct of everyday affairs.

1.

A．leading

B．conducting

C．taking

D．reflecting

2.

A．Since

B．For

C．At

D．Before

3.

A．transplant

B．transmit

C．displace

D．replace

4.

A．chief

B．central

C．main

D．prior

5.

A．remarked

B．marked

C．regraded

D．considered

6.

A．opposing

B．similar

C．same

D．confusing

7.

A．method

B．means

C．mind

D．moral

8.

A．and

B．or

C．though

D．while

9.

A．artists

B．authorities

C．critics

D．psychologists

10.

A．owing

B．used

C．opposed

D．restricted

11.

A．In the other

B．In another

C．On the other

D．For another

12.

A．narrow

B．broad

C．visual

D．moral

13.

A．consequences

B．morals

C．concerns

D．believes

14.

A．to

B．on

C．for

D．by

15.

A．theoretical

B．ideal

C．technical

D．practical

10 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. kill       B. connection   C. powered     D. producer     E. potential F. expected   G. catch       H. developed     I. protected     J. react     K. measured

Love it or hate it, flying is necessary if we want to get to a faraway destination. For those of us who love to read e-books or listen to music on our phone to     1     the time, however, taking a flight can be a boring experience.

This is because airlines didn’t allow smartphones to be     2     on during flights, even in flight mode. The reason behind the ban is something called electromagnetic interference(电磁干扰). According to a study by plane     3     Boeing in 2014 published by CNN, electromagnetic interference can sometimes cause flight equipment to     4    .

During the study, Kenny Kirchoff, a Boeing engineer,     5     the radio signals sent out by a laptop’s(笔记本电脑的) Wi-Fi radio. He found that some of the signals from the laptop actually jump over the limit, which means there’s a     6     that this piece of equipment could interfere with plane instruments.

This issue is worse with mobile phones, which constantly send and receive strong signals while they search for a     7     to the network. Even in flight mode, many phones still do this.

Despite this, there were just 29 cases of electromagnetic interference caused by mobile phones reported worldwide between 2003 and 2009, according to CNN. Besides, the instruments in modern planes are     8     from electromagnetic interference by metal “shields (护罩)”.

Many airlines are now     9     to allow passengers to use their smartphones freely, meaning that we can finally     10     up on our favorite books and songs while at 30,000 feet in the air.