1 . Directions: After reading the passage below, choose the best answers from the six statements according to what you have just read.

The price of a piece of history

A fresh lemon can be purchased for less than $1. But in 2008, Cowan's Auctions in Cincinnati sold a lemon blackened with age for $2,350.

What was so special about this lemon?     1     According to a handwritten note in ink attached to a partly sealed bottle containing the lemon, the fruit was picked in May 1842 by Washington's "old gardener" some 43 years after the first president's death

Two thousand dollars is a lot to pay for produce, even from the estate of a founding father. This sale, however, just might be considered a bargain compared with prices paid for other historical collectibles in recent years.     2    

Collecting a piece of history, or an object associated with a famous person, is not brand new. Ordinary objects with extraordinary stories have increasingly been coming to auction and achieving high prices, says Thomas Venning, director of Christie's department of books and manuscripts in London. Prices are being driven up, he says, by collectors in the U.S. and, increasingly, in Asia. The Hawking wheelchair, for example, was purchased by a private museum in China.

    3     For one thing, their history of ownership is both crucial and sometimes difficult to prove. Photographs of the famous person with the object, as well as documentation (such as letters, diaries or recollections by acquaintances referring to the object) can also help.       4     To evaluate the value of a Picasso painting, one can look at recent prices paid for other Picasso paintings of the same period, similar size or style. Finding another recent sale of a lemon planted by George Washington is a different matter.

Katie Horstman, head of Cowan's American History department, says she could find no comparable items for the lemon as she prepared the piece for its auction. Ms. Horstman nevertheless eventually arrived at the estimated value at $3,000 to $4,000, she says, by researching auction records for objects somehow associated with Washington that had appeared on the market.

Cowans ended up estimating the value of the lemon at $3,000 to $4,000, according to description on its website. Objects associated with Washington these days, Ms. Horstman says, can sell for anywhere from 1,000 up to tens of thousands of dollars.

A．Stephen Hawking’s wheelchair fetched 296, 750 at a sale at Christie's in London last November.

B．Yet determining potential values of such objects isn't easy.

C．It was said to be from a tree planted by George Washington at Mount Vernon.

D．The auction result surely drew the attention from both the business and economics worlds.

E．The uniqueness of many of these objects further complicates efforts to put a value on them.

F．Therefore the unique value of many objects proved the worth of collection.

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

Time: is there ever enough of it? In today's modern world, most of us are     1    with so-called time-saving devices and technological advancements and work less both at the office and at home. But why do we still feel busier?

A study by Derek Thompson on the “myth" of being busy suggests that while     2    brought us convenience, it also brought us new headaches. Consider the idea of FOMO (fear of missing out). Knowing exactly what we're missing out makes us feel guilty or anxious about the     3     of our time and our ability to use it effectively.

While being informed is important, it can lead to anxiety about keeping up with the times. If you find yourself unable to stop scrolling through Twitter, turn off the phone and take a mental break. Practice JOMO (joy of missing out), a(n)     4    on life that's a direct contradiction to FOMO. Get rid of feelings of guilt and “shoulds" and replace them with mindfulness and living in the moment.

Another thing technology has     5     us is the blurring (难以区分)between work and downtime. While constant connection has made the workday much more flexible, it's also harder to turn off at the end of the day. Always being "on" is a(n)     6    state of mind. Consider putting a hard stop on media and electronic devices an hour or two before bed.

Of course, if you want to move up the corporate ladder and get a bigger paycheck, working long hours has long been a     7     strategy. But if you don't have passion for your job or care about what you do, you might just be working yourself into more     8    .

People working the same hours feel completely different levels of time pressure depending on their passion. If most of the hours are spent doing something you don't feel     9    about, it's no wonder you start to feel out of control and anxious about your time. Taking back control of your time can ease this mental stress. Therefore, your time management goal shouldn't be to figure out how to do more, but     10    to figure out how to want less.

3 . Each year, backed up by a growing anti-consumerist movement, people are using the holiday season to call on us all to shop less.

Driven by concerns about resource exhaustion, over recent years environmentalists have increasingly turned their sights on our “consumer culture”. Groups such as The Story of Stuff and Buy Nothing New Day are growing as a movement that increasingly blames all our ills on our desire to shop.

We clearly have a growing resource problem. The produces we make, buy, and use are often linked to the destruction of our waterways, biodiversity, climate and the land on which millions of people live. But to blame these issues on Christmas shoppers is misguided, and puts us in the old trap of blaming individuals for what is a systematic problem.

While we complain about environmental destruction over Christmas, environmentalists often forget what the holiday season actually means for many people. For most, Christmas isn’t an add-on to an already heavy shopping year. In fact, it is likely the only time of year many have the opportunity to spend on friends and family, or even just to buy the necessities needed for modern life.

This is particularly, true for Boxing Day, often the target of the strongest derision(嘲弄) by anti-consumerists. While we may laugh at the queues in front of the shops, for many, those sales provide the one chance to buy items they’ve needed all year. As Leigh Phillips argues, “this is one of the few times of the year that people can even hope to afford such ‘luxuries’, the Christmas presents their kids are asking for, or just an appliance that works.”

Indeed, the richest 7% of people are responsible for 50% of greenhouse gas emissions. This becomes particularly harmful when you take into account that those shopping on Boxing Day are only a small part of our consumption “problem” anyway. Why are environmentalists attacking these individuals, while ignoring such people as Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, who has his own￡1.5bn yacht with a missile defence system?

Anyway, anti-consumerism has become a movement of wealthy people talking down to the working class about their life choices, while ignoring the real cause of our environmental problems. It is no wonder one is changing their behaviours—or that environmental destruction continues without any reduction in intensity.

1. It is indicated in the 1st   paragraph that during the holiday season, many consumers .

A．ignore resource problems

B．are fascinated with presents

C．are encouraged to spend less

D．show great interest in the movement.

2. It can be inferred from Paragraphs 2 and 3 that the environmentalist movement .

A．has targeted the wrong persons

B．has achieved its intended purposes

C．has taken environment-friendly measures

D．has benefited both consumers and producers

3. The example of Roman Abramovich is used to show environmentalists’ .

A．madness about life choices

B．discontent with rich lifestyle

C．ignorance about the real cause

D．disrespect for holiday shoppers

4. It can be concluded from the text that telling people not to shop at Christmas is .

A．anything less than a responsibility	B．nothing more than a bias
C．indicative of environmental awareness	D．unacceptable to ordinary people

4 . Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.

The Psychology of Spending

Dr. Thomas Gilovich, psychology professor at Cornell University, has studied the psychology of spending for over 20 years. According to Dr. Gilovich，“We buy things to make us happy, and we succeed, but only for a while. New things are exciting to us at first, but then we adapt to them.” In other words，once the freshness of our newest purchase wears off, we begin looking for something else to buy to make us happy.

Dr. Gilovich found that our satisfaction with possessions fades over time. Yet our happiness over things we've experienced increases. For that reason, he has concluded that we are spending our money on the wrong things. A study out of San Francisco State University agrees. The researeh showed that those people who spent money on experiences instead of possessions were happier. They also thought their money was better invested.

To begin with, activities like a trip, adventure, hobby, etc. tend to bring the participants together and unite them over a shared interest. According to Gilovich, “We consume experiences directly with other people.” As a result, these experiences typically create a positive link and good feelings toward the other person or people.

Besides, your experience shows others who you are and what you are. For example, you might be someone who loves taking cooking classes. More than likely, you'll become known by friends and family as a great cook. They won't know you as someone who owns the latest kitchen equipment.

Lastly, planned experiences are frequently something we look forward to. Then when the moment arrives, if we enjoy the time involved in the activity, we're left with fond memories. These memories will often last a lifetime. Even our worst trips, on many occasions, are later remembered with laughter.

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5 . Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.

Online “friends” – a threat to development

The impact of technology on the nature of our friendships has been a much - debated topic since the dramatic rise of social networks. Advances in mobile technology and social networking websites mean we spend more time online than ever before. It is therefore not surprising that so many psychologists, sociologists, and others are eager to give their thoughts on how this is impacting negatively on our society.

There is one element of social networking that is deeply worrying. We find ourselves in a hyper - connected world where people access social media day and night, excited to make announcements about the tiniest details of their lives. Research is starting to show that this culture is negatively affecting not our friendships but our character. Professor Larry D. Rosen says that young people who overuse social networking sites can become ineffective, and display anti -social behavior in their offline lives. But perhaps an even more disturbing effect is that one of our most basic emotions seems to be disappearing --empathy. This is the emotion that allows us to see the world from our friends’ points of view. Without it, we are far less able to connect and form meaningful adult relationships.

Professor Sherry Turkle suggests that people are no longer comfortable being alone. This is something confirmed by a study where 200 university students were asked to go without social media for 24 hours. Many admitted an addiction to their online social network; most complained that they felt cut off from family and friends. And yet being alone is a time when we self-reflect and get in touch with who we really are. It is only when we do this that we can make meaningful friendships with others.

These potential changes in our characters are rather alarming, so it is clear that we can’t neglect those negative impacts of social networks.

6 . 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.

According to an official report on youth violence.“In our country today, the greatest threat to the lives of children and adolescents is not disease or starvation or abandonment, but the terrible reality of violence.”Given that this is the case, why aren’t students taught to manage conflict the way they are taught to solve math problems, drive cars, or stay physically fit?

First of all, students need to realize that conflict is unavoidable. It is reported that most violent incidents between students begin with a relatively minor insult. For example, a fight could start over the fact that one student eats a peanut butter sandwich each lunchtime. Laughter over the sandwich can lead to insults, which in turn can lead to violence.

If the conflict occurs, students can practice the golden rule of conflict resolution: stay calm.

Once the student feels calmer. Once the student feels calmer. He or she should choose words that will calm the other person down as well. Rude words and accusations only add fuel to the emotional fire while soft words can put out the fire before it explodes out of control.

After that, they can use another key strategy for conflict resolution. Listening allows the two sides to understand each other. One person should describe his or her side: and the other person should listen without interrupting. Afterwards, the listener can ask non-threatening questions to clarify the speaker’s position. Then the two people should change roles.

Finally, students need to consider what they are hearing. An argument doesn’t mean trying to figure out the fault of the other person but means understanding what the real issue is. As the issue becomes clearer, the conflict often simply becomes smaller.(280 words)

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7 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the sentences given below. Each sentence can be used only once. Note that there are two more sentences than you need.

It’s time to re-evaluate how women handle conflict at work. Being overworked or over-committed at home and on the job will not get ou where you want to be in life. It will only slow you down and hinder your career goals.

Did you know women are more likely than men to feel exhausted? Nearly twice as many women than men ages 18-44 reported feeling, “very tired” or “exhausted,” according to a recent study.

    1    It’s also the age range when many women are trying to balance careers and home. One reason women may feel exhausted is that they have a hard time saying “no.” Women want to be able to do it all -- volunteer for school parties or cook delicious meals -- and so their answer to any request is often “Yes, I can.”

Women struggle to say “no” in the workplace for similar reasons, including the desire to be liked by their colleagues.    2    .

At the workplace, men use conflict as a way to position themselves, while women often avoid conflict or strive to be the peacemaker, because they don’t want to be viewed as aggressive or disruptive at work.    3    Men are more likely to face that dispute from the perspective of what benefits them most, whereas women may approach the same dispute from the perspective of what’s the easiest and quickest way to resolve the problem -- even if that means doing the boring work themselves.

This difference in handling conflict could be the deciding factor in who gets promoted to a leadership position and who does not.    4    Shouldering more of the workload may not earn you that promotion. Instead, It may highlight your inability to delegate effectively.

A．Unfortunately, this inability to say “no” may be hurting women’s health as well as their career.

B．Leaders have to be able to delegate and manage resources wisely -- including staff expertise.

C．For example, there’s a problem that needs to be addressed immediately, resulting in a dispute over who should be the one to fix it.

D．Men and women tend to behave differently when faced with a dispute

E．This may not be surprising given that this is the age range when women have children .

F．The reason why women in this age range suffer so much is that they cannot say “no.”

8 . Directions: Write an English composition in 120-150 words according to the instructions given below in Chinese.
最近一本在线杂志发表了一篇文章，文中询问，在公众眼中，什么样的人是适合做年轻人的榜样（role model）。请你写封信给该杂志，推荐一位你认为适合做榜样的名人（celebrity）。你的文章须包括：
简单介绍这位名人；
为何这位名人适合做年轻人的榜样。
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9 . In a few years you will be able to order a transcript of your entire genetic code for less than $1,000.     1     Two different university laboratories have developed tests that will reveal the entirety of a baby’s genetic code using just a blood sample from the mother plus a drop of saliva (唾液) from the father.

Prenatal (出生前的) whole-genome sequencing will provide volumes of information beyond the currently available tests exclusively for genetic disorders such as Down’s syndrome or Tay-Saches disease. The three billion units of code furnished in the new tests will also dwarf(使…相形见的) the relative trickle (零散) of information provided by consumer gene-testing services such as 23andMe, which currently look only at perhaps about one million locations in the genome.

    2     Without careful planning, the new prenatal genetics might rob a child of the chance to make decisions best left until adulthood — whether or not to learn, for instance, if a mutation (突变) predicts the inevitability of Huntington’s disease 20 years hence.

    3     Similar laissez faire(放任) action to prenatal whole-genome testing could portend (预示) tragedy.

Ultimately certain agency will need to develop a comprehensive policy on prenatal whole genome testing. Bioethics scholars wrote an analysis last summer that calls on the medical community to develop a guide to the most relevant genomic data for future parents.     4     Without access to a much higher level of refined expertise, the secrets of our offspring’s genetic code will continue to remain an unnerving cipher — or worse.

A．Unfortunately, there aren’t nearly enough trained genetics counselors to handle the coming upsurge in demand for this type of information.

B．Adults cannot do much to alter their biological lot, but what if parents could examine their unborn child’s genome?

C．Cancer has become the first killer these years. That’s why people tend to take overtreatment with the knowledge of family history.

D．Another fear is that a customer without discussing with genetics counselor can receive information via the Internet about a multifold greater risk of breast cancer.

E．Another problem arises whether it is moral to choose to stop pregnancy because of the genome problem.

F．Attitudes toward child rearing might change along with the new technology.

10 . As the world changes, our language changes with it. That's why Merriam-Webster recently added more than 250 new words to its online dictionary, ___________ changes in fields from lifestyle to politics and from business to technology.

“These new words have been added to the dictionary because they have___________ themselves in the English language, and are part of the current, active vocabulary of America.” Merriam- Webster associate editor Emily Brewster said in a press___________ .

Here our newspaper has chosen three of the dictionary’s new entries. Let’s take a look.

Froyo(冻酸奶)

While ice cream has been around for more than 100 years, froyo or frozen yogurt--is comparatively new. Even though it was first invented back in the 1970s, it only started to gain___________recently, which is why the shorter version"froyo"is entering people’s daily vocabulary.

Compared to ice cream, the main___________ point of froyo is that it's healthier. It takes away people's___________while still allowing them to have the satisfaction of eating something sweet. As The Huffington Post put it, froyo is"starting a___________ in the healthier dessert industry".

Word salad(文字沙拉)

It was first used to refer to a series of words said by people with mental illness. Just like the vegetables in a salad bowl, each word makes perfect sense by itself, but when put together, they become hard to ____"Dogs moon purple monkey dishwasher," for example.

Now the phrase is more often used to refer to the words of a politician, although this refers to the speaker's logic rather than their mental state. US President Donald Trump,'s interviews are often referred to as word salad.__________ , he told an AP reporter in April:"But he said, will be the greatest president but I would also accept the other. In other words, if you do your job, but I accept that.

Troll (网络喷子)

The __________meaning of "troll" (巨魔) is a mythical __________ that is huge, ugly and angry and lives in places like caves. Now it's also used to refer to the kind of Internet user who __________posts comments, some of which seem___________to hurt other people.

Other phrases and usage have also been__________from"troll" , including "Internet trolling" --the act of unleashing(发泄) unfriendly remarks online, and"being trolled"--which means to fall__________to a troll.

1.

A．overtaking

B．covering

C．engaging

D．experiencing

2.

A．enjoyed

B．polished

C．established

D．trapped

3.

A．release

B．congress

C．negotiation

D．demonstration

4.

A．permission

B．package

C．popularity

D．patent

5.

A．turning

B．cooling

C．starting

D．selling

6.

A．guilt

B．taste

C．appetite

D．diet

7.

A．resolution

B．revolution

C．recommendation

D．reservation

8.

A．interrupt

B．indicate

C．interact

D．interpret

9.

A．in a word

B．For instance

C．All in all

D．As a result

10.

A．cultural

B．obvious

C．original

D．hidden

11.

A．creature

B．giant

C．worm

D．ghost

12.

A．dramatically

B．delicately

C．disorderly

D．deliberately

13.

A．offensive

B．objective

C．progressive

D．productive

14.

A．evolved

B．invented

C．expanded

D．transformed

15.

A．civilian

B．fairy

C．victim

D．pedestrian