2 . The notion of building brand personality is promoted by Starbucks as a part of company culture to embed meaning in their products and thus attract more customers.

Starbucks literally changed the definition of “a good cup of coffee”. For Starbucks, the brand had three elements: coffee, ________ and stores. Strict control over the quality and processing of the beans ________ that the coffee would be of the highest possible quality. Outstanding store personnel were employed and trained in coffee knowledge and ________ service. Store design, atmosphere and aroma (浓香) all ________ the “Starbucks Experience”.

Almost all Starbucks stores were corporately owned and controlled. Starbucks prided itself on the “Starbucks Experience”, ________ coffee to provide a unique experience for its customers.

_____ those traditional coffee houses providing you with the grab-and-go service, Starbucks provides you with more than coffee. You get great people, first-rate music, a comfortable and upbeat meeting place, and ________ advice on brewing excellent coffee at home. At home you’re part of a family. At work you’re part of a company. And somewhere in between is a place where you can sit back and be yourself. That’s what a Starbucks store has been ________ to creating for its customers — a kind of “third place” where they can ________, reflect, read, chat or listen.

The green Starbucks logo is a mermaid that looks like the end of the double image of the sea. It was designed by Terry Heckler, who got the ________ from the wooden statue of the sea. Mermaid logo also ________ original and modern meanings: her face is very simple, but with modern abstract forms of packaging; the middle is black and white, the only color on the outside surrounded by a circle.

Starbucks makes the typical American culture gradually broken down into elements of ______: the visual warmth, hearing the way, smelling the aroma of coffee and so on. Just think, through the huge glass windows, watching the crowded streets, ________ sipping a coffee flavor, which is in line with the “Yapi”, the feeling of experience in the ________ life.

But the ________ of Starbucks is not about the coffee, although it’s great coffee. Coffee is only a carrier. Coffee consumption, to a great extent, is an emotional and cultural level of consumption.

1.

A．people

B．managers

C．customers

D．clients

2.

A．assured

B．promised

C．ensured

D．predicted

3.

A．emergency

B．environment

C．employment

D．customer

4.

A．consisted of

B．benefited from

C．contributed to

D．headed for

5.

A．going beyond

B．coming across

C．making up

D．depending on

6.

A．With regard to

B．In addition to

C．Compared with

D．In terms of

7.

A．general

B．reasonable

C．legal

D．fascinating

8.

A．committed

B．alerted

C．subjected

D．required

9.

A．negotiate

B．perform

C．conceal

D．escape

10.

A．imagination

B．inspiration

C．patent

D．philosophy

11.

A．creates

B．cultivates

C．credits

D．conveys

12.

A．brand

B．logo

C．possession

D．experience

13.

A．greedily

B．gently

C．persistently

D．indifferently

14.

A．busy

B．easy

C．miserable

D．energetic

15.

A．product

B．vision

C．essence

D．importance

3 . Artists have long claimed alcohol and other drugs as inspiration for their creativity. But is there really a(n) _______ between intoxication（醉酒）and inspiration? A recent study published in Consciousness and Cognition explored the effects of moderate drunkenness on people’s creativity. The authors suggest that alcohol’s well-known effect in _______ executive function may be helpful for these types of creation problems.” Sometimes a reduced ability to _______ one’s attention can have positive implications for select cognitive tasks.” they write.

The findings raise the question of whether drugs that _______ attention and focus, in particular, stimulants（兴奋剂）, would have the opposite effect on creative thinking. _______, very little research has been done on the issue, and what results exist so far have been mixed. The outcomes may well vary according to individual _______ to the drugs. _______, some research has found that while stimulants can _______ test performance for those who are less intelligent, for the smartest folks, the drugs can have the opposite effect.

If less executive function is linked to more creativity, this may also explain why artists, writers and musicians appear to be more _______ to have an addiction. Perhaps creative people are more likely than others to be ________ to drugs in the first place, as a possible source of inspiration. And then, if reduced executive function is ________ in part for their initial talent, this, too, could make them more easily influenced by ________ once they start using. Having less executive control before you even take drugs means you’ll have less ability to stop once you start.

Whatever the real relationship between drunkenness, addiction and art, the authors ________ that their study findings don’t give people ________ to get drunk to “inspire the muse（冥想）” Co-author Jennifer Wiley, associate professor of psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago, told the British Psychological Society’s Research Digest.” We tested what happens when people are slightly drunk-not when people drank to ________. There could be no argument from these findings that drinking excessively would have the same effects.”

A glass of wine or two, however, may occasionally help.

1.

A．attraction

B．reservation

C．connection

D．decoration

2.

A．strengthening

B．damaging

C．maintaining

D．assessing

3.

A．block

B．reduce

C．disturb

D．control

4.

A．remain

B．drop

C．shift

D．increase

5.

A．However

B．Moreover

C．Instead

D．Therefore

6.

A．additions

B．responses

C．oppositions

D．contrasts

7.

A．For example

B．On the contrary

C．As a result

D．On the other hand

8.

A．conceal

B．executive

C．improve

D．delete

9.

A．vital

B．likely

C．ideal

D．difficult

10.

A．attracted

B．contributed

C．responded

D．withdrawn

11.

A．responsible

B．illegal

C．natural

D．impossible

12.

A．confusion

B．ambition

C．addiction

D．exhaustion

13.

A．lower

B．monitor

C．function

D．caution

14.

A．sacrifice

B．privacy

C．appreciation

D．license

15.

A．priorities

B．extremes

C．bottom

D．Affection

4 . Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.

The sights, sounds, and smells of the modern marketplace are rarely accidental. More likely, they are tools of an evolving strategy of psychological marketing called “sensory marketing” to create an emotional association to a(n) ______ product or brand.

By relating to people in a far more ______way through everyone’s own senses,   sensory marketing is able to affect people in a way that traditional mass marketing cannot.

Traditional marketing believes that consumers will systematically consider______ product factors like price, features, and utility. Sensory marketing, by contrast, seeks to resort to the consumer's life experiences and feelings. Sensory marketing believes that people, as consumers, will act according to their emotional urge more than to their ______ reasoning. In this way, an effective sensory marketing effort can result in consumers choosing to buy a lovely but expensive product, rather than a plain but cheap ______.

In the past, communications with customers were mainly monologues — companies just ‘talked at’ consumers. Then they evolved into dialogues, with customers providing ______. Now they’re becoming multidimensional conversations, with products finding their own voices and consumers responding ______ to them.

Based on the implied messages received through five senses, consumers, without noticing it, tend to apply human-like personalities to brands, leading to intimate relationship and, hopefully for the brands, persistent ______. And that’s the very thing brands are dying to foster in customers rather than instant trend or profits.   Most brands are considered to have either "sincere" or "exciting" personalities.

"Sincere" brands like IBM and Boeing tend to be regarded as conservative and reliable while "exciting" brands like Apple, and Ferrari are as imaginative and ______. In general, consumers tend to form ______ relationships with sincere brands than with exciting ones. This explains the relatively enduring history of the “Sincere Brands”

Certainly, with the eyes containing two-thirds of all the ______cells in a person's body, sight is considered the most important of all human senses. Sensory marketing uses sight to create a memorable "sight experience" of the product for consumers which extends to packaging, store interiors, and printed advertising to form a(n) ___ image for the brand.

In other words, no aspect of a product design is left to ______ anymore, especially color. Brand acceptance is linked closely with the appropriateness of the colors on the brand—does the color ______ the product at all?   If not, customers, though not realizing it themselves, will _____ the brands in all possible ways sales, reputation, etc.   Therefore, brands, isn’t it time now to study the new field of marketing?

1.

A．specific

B．qualified

C．average

D．adequate

2.

A．economic

B．personal

C．artificial

D．mechanic

3.

A．obvious

B．potential

C．accessible

D．concrete

4.

A．imaginable

B．objective

C．psychological

D．gradual

5.

A．alternative

B．reward

C．sample

D．exhibit

6.

A．compliment

B．fund

C．prospect

D．feedback

7.

A．temporarily

B．subconsciously

C．occasionally

D．attentively

8.

A．loyalty

B．philosophy

C．endurance

D．regulation

9.

A．mild

B．daring

C．steady

D．classic

10.

A．far-fetched

B．hard-won

C．long-lasting

D．easy-going

11.

A．individual

B．sensory

C．present

D．general

12.

A．overall

B．ambitious

C．dramatic

D．additional

13.

A．chance

B．maintenance

C．progress

D．leadership

14.

A．accept

B．overlook

C．fit

D．treat

15.

A．shape

B．punish

C．signify

D．exploit

5 . Though people have discussed the relationship between science and nature for many years, there is no consensual(统一的) explanation. While some view science as a powerful tool in ______ nature’s source of power, others view it as a danger. One example is Barry Commoner’s article, Unraveling(解开) the DNA Myth, which explains the recent developments in DNA technology and expresses ______. Another example is Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, The Birthmark. It is a tale about a famous scientist, Aylmer, who seems to be unraveling nature’s deepest secrets one by one. Despite all of his ______ and vast understanding of science, Aylmer is unable to direct that knowledge into ______ free from nature’s grasp. He was unable to rid his wife of her birthmark and, in the end, killed her.

Despite the different presentations of the concepts, though time separated the two men, both pieces express a similar view on the relationship between science and nature. Both pieces suggest that nature is ______ and holds wonders, secrets, and powers that many scientists constantly dream about discovering. Although there is a gap of one hundred and sixty years, Commoner still shares and gives evidence to Hawthorne’s beliefs that there is a unique ______ in nature that cannot be discovered or understood through science and that the ______ to uncover nature’s secrets are ______ and can lead to disaster. According to Commoner, nature’s universal power continues to prevent and control their discoveries. Commoner criticizes and ______ doubt on the true power of science.

As Commoner’s article suggests, nature only allows science to have limited power and success. Both men believe that complete trust in science is ______, however wonderful and groundbreaking some scientific discoveries are. Commoner believes that people only seem to focus on the few achievements, while avoiding and ignoring all of the laws. For example, “most clones exhibit developmental failure before or soon after birth”. By stressing all of the ______ and shortcomings of science, he conveys the notion that nature’s secrets are well kept and far from being understood and ______ by man. The government and private companies have invested billions of dollars in mapping the human genome, but we still have no ______ for it. Such a discovery is useless, however interesting it might be.

Commoner’s article clearly represents science as weak and useless, but more importantly, dangerous. It gives evidence to support the suggested dangers ______ with science’s attempts to discover nature’s power. If the result is not ______ dangerous, it can still have harmful side effects.

1.

A．building

B．defining

C．showing

D．uncovering

2.

A．concerns

B．views

C．findings

D．achievements

3.

A．interests

B．ambitions

C．discoveries

D．thoughts

4.

A．preventing

B．earning

C．destroying

D．breaking

5.

A．mysterious

B．powerful

C．fantastic

D．special

6.

A．prosperity

B．perfection

C．improvement

D．integrity

7.

A．beliefs

B．experiences

C．actions

D．attempts

8.

A．disappointing

B．meaningful

C．useless

D．significant

9.

A．throws

B．expresses

C．holds

D．casts

10.

A．improper

B．unbelievable

C．dangerous

D．unwise

11.

A．reforms

B．failures

C．experiments

D．changes

12.

A．controlled

B．digested

C．shared

D．applied

13.

A．question

B．doubt

C．hope

D．use

14.

A．provided

B．supplied

C．associated

D．compared

15.

A．directly

B．especially

C．definitely

D．necessarily

6 . Shortly after its opening on the first day of Chinese New Year, The Wandering Earth began to gain momentum. In a little over a week, it made 2.8 billion yuan in the _____market alone. The film's popularity and success has come as a _____ to many reviewers especially since there hasn’t been that much success for Chinese-produced science fiction in the past. Many agree that this film will change the ______situation and bring in a new age for Chinese science fiction.

As a genre (类型), Chinese science fiction has ______general fiction in both the film and publishing industries. Even Liu Cixin's (the author who wrote the short story on which The Wandering Earth is based) The Three Body Problem---which is currently quite popular---didn't have many readers until it was translated into English and won the Hugo Award (雨果奖) in 2015 ______, I haven't read much of any genre written in Chinese, but I do notice that there are't many separate sections of the bookstore dedicated to science fiction. I cannot speak for everyone, but some people seem to have ______a regarding the genre.

My parents were the type who tried to steer me in the direction of non-fiction and the classics. They believed that science fiction and fantasy were “unrealistic nonsense” and would_____my brain”. _______, great science fiction writers do their research. More often than not, one can learn a great deal about science and its possible development from reading science fiction. Sure, some of the concepts may be confusing or technical in nature, but that is also part of the ______. Things like the internet, electric cars and tablet computers were first theorized in science fiction before they were ______. The author simply uses a _______of science and his imagination to create worlds different from the Earth of today, from which we can get bits and pieces that can be turned into a _______.

The world is changing. There may very well be a time when Earth is no longer able to _______the entire population. We could be living on Mars or in giant spaceships; perhaps we will be______to move Earth to a new solar system just like The Wandering Earth. Each of these scenarios(设想) has appeared in science fiction multiple times._______we are to be prepared for what is to come, we can look into modern science fiction for a window into the future.

1.

A．outdoor

B．domestic

C．depressed

D．global

2.

A．achievement

B．compliment

C．surprise

D．priority

3.

A．embarrassing

B．extreme

C．risky

D．complicate

4.

A．contributed to

B．taken over

C．made up

D．lagged behind

5.

A．Personally

B．Obviously

C．Fortunately

D．Hopefully

6.

A．confidence

B．ambitions

C．suspicions

D．misunderstandings

7.

A．damage

B．rot

C．form

D．swing

8.

A．In addition

B．For instance

C．In fact

D．As a result

9.

A．compound

B．investigation

C．memory

D．appeal

10.

A．imagined

B．operated

C．restored

D．invented

11.

A．combination

B．perspective

C．definition

D．consequence

12.

A．mystery

B．restriction

C．connection

D．reality

13.

A．protect

B．sustain

C．double

D．estimate

14.

A．willing

B．thrilled

C．forced

D．allowed

15.

A．Though

B．If

C．Since

D．Before

7 . We love letters. Just as John Donne, a poet, _________ it, “Letters, to me and my friends mean _________ greetings; they get souls together. Thanks to letters, friends who are _________ speak.” He wrote these words nearly 400 years ago. Today, in the age of instant text message, social media, and email, they _________ ring truer than ever, because writing or receiving a letter has become such a _________ event.

A UK-wide survey undertaken by Sunday Times suggests that one in four of us has not _________ a letter for at least 10 years. That’s ten years without the bitter-sweet _________ of pacing the floor waiting for the _________; ten years without recognizing the handwriting on the envelope and eagerly _________ the letter to read its content.

We ____________ not get them any more, but we still love handwritten letters. In the same survey, one third of ____________ people interviewed say that they ____________ the content of sentimental (充满情感的) letters. Shouldn’t we make ____________ to give our friends and families what they will treasure forever? Ann Bickley went online in 2013 and offered to handwrite a letter to anyone who ____________ her. Her website received 50,000 ____________ in its first three months. Five years later, she is still the main ____________ behind one-million-lovely-letter.com and has personally written 4,000 letters offering hope and ____________ to strangers.

The thought behind a letter ____________ as much as its contents. “I never tell anyone that ____________ is going to be OK,” Ann Bickley says, “I am letting someone know that there is someone in the world who ____________ them.”

Who wouldn’t love to receive a letter like that? Let’s get writing!

1.

A．made

B．put

C．helped

D．managed

2.

A．rather than

B．less than

C．more than

D．other than

3.

A．absent

B．active

C．amused

D．admirable

4.

A．also

B．yet

C．already

D．still

5.

A．popular

B．common

C．rare

D．simple

6.

A．received

B．sent

C．written

D．rejected

7.

A．success

B．pleasure

C．concern

D．calmness

8.

A．engineer

B．doctor

C．police

D．postman

9.

A．seizing

B．tearing

C．hiding

D．carrying

10.

A．can

B．must

C．may

D．shall

11.

A．American

B．Chinese

C．Australian

D．British

12.

A．forget

B．change

C．remember

D．notice

13.

A．money

B．room

C．history

D．time

14.

A．contacted

B．interviewed

C．consulted

D．admired

15.

A．guests

B．visitors

C．friends

D．partners

16.

A．force

B．strength

C．source

D．energy

17.

A．effort

B．comfort

C．surprise

D．experience

18.

A．educates

B．guides

C．matters

D．rewards

19.

A．nothing

B．anything

C．something

D．everything

20.

A．looks after

B．cares about

C．struggles for

D．agrees with

8 . Mike was 11. As his birthday was coming up，he _____ his father to buy him a bike, so that he could go to school cycling and not by _____ or relying on his father to _____ him at school, which was _____ a mile away from his home.

On his _____ , seeing a set of books wrapped nicely in his father's hand, though _____ , he thanked his father. Mike's father was _____ as he didn't have enough money to buy a bike.

After a week，when Mike was walking home from school, he saw a boy riding a bike. Mike _____ that the bike was too small for the big boy. _____，the boy ran into a post and fell on the street. Mike rushed to him and ______ him who was his schoolmate Sam.

Mike helped him stand up and provided him with water. _____ Sam was riding the bike fast, his left leg and hands were ______ injured. Mike asked him to sit in a corner and took the bike and rushed to a ______ nearby.

An ambulance （救护车）came and carried Sam to hospital. He then rushed to Sam's home and ______ his parents about the accident.

Sam and his parents thanked Mike for the ______ help. Mike in turn said, “It was all ______ just because I rode Sam's bike. ” He added, “The bike is too small for Sam to ride and that's why he was _______” Mike met Sam every day in hospital until he ______.

Sam got a new bike and he came to know that Mike didn't have the ______ to own a bike. He gave his old bike to Mike and with his parents' ______, Mike accepted the gift.

1.

A．persuaded

B．arranged

C．requested

D．ordered

2.

A．jumping

B．driving

C．walking

D．wandering

3.

A．drop

B．discover

C．hug

D．pick

4.

A．gathered

B．spotted

C．fixed

D．located

5.

A．holiday

B．birthday

C．graduation

D．celebration

6.

A．frightened

B．hopeful

C．unhappy

D．impatient

7.

A．calm

B．grateful

C．puzzled

D．upset

8.

A．felt

B．learned

C．agreed

D．argued

9.

A．Suddenly

B．Eventually

C．Thankfully

D．Actually

10.

A．treated

B．remembered

C．regarded

D．recognized

11.

A．Before

B．Since

C．Unless

D．Though

12.

A．slightly

B．necessarily

C．seriously

D．gently

13.

A．church

B．school

C．hospital

D．shelter

14.

A．complained

B．reminded

C．impressed

D．informed

15.

A．generous

B．pleasant

C．honored

D．limited

16.

A．unlikely

B．possible

C．exciting

D．unbelievable

17.

A．worried

B．injured

C．beat

D．attacked

18.

A．broke out

B．missed out

C．checked out

D．pulled out

19.

A．interest

B．confidence

C．right

D．chance

20.

A．permission

B．admission

C．guidance

D．introduction

9 . For a long time Gabriel didn’t want to be involved in music at all. In his first years of high school, Gabriel would look pityingly at music students, _______across the campus with their heavy instrument cases, _______at school for practice hours _______ anyone else had to be there. He swore to himself to_______music, as he hated getting to school extra early.

_______, one day, in the music class that was _______of his school’s standard curriculum, he was playing idly (随意地)on the piano and found it _________to pick out tunes. With a sinking feeling, he realized that he actually _______doing it. He tried to hide his _______pleasure from the music teacher, who had ________over to listen. He might not have done this particularly well, ________the teacher told Gabriel that he had a good________and suggested that Gabriel go into the music store-room to see if any of the instruments there ________him. There he decided to give the cello(大提琴) a ________. When he began practicing, he took it very ________. But he quickly found that he loved playing this instrument, and was ________to practicing it so that within a couple of months he was playing reasonably well.

This ________, of course, that he arrived at school early in the morning, ________his heavy instrument case across the campus to the ________looks of the non-musicians he had left________.

1.

A．travelling

B．marching

C．pacing

D．struggling

2.

A．rising up

B．coming up

C．driving up

D．turning up

3.

A．before

B．after

C．until

D．since

4.

A．betray

B．accept

C．avoid

D．appreciate

5.

A．Therefore

B．However

C．Thus

D．Moreover

6.

A．part

B．nature

C．basis

D．spirit

7.

A．complicated

B．safe

C．confusing

D．easy

8.

A．missed

B．disliked

C．enjoyed

D．denied

9.

A．transparent

B．obvious

C．false

D．similar

10.

A．run

B．jogged

C．jumped

D．wandered

11.

A．because

B．but

C．though

D．so

12.

A．ear

B．taste

C．heart

D．voice

13.

A．occurred to

B．took to

C．appealed to

D．held to

14.

A．change

B．chance

C．mission

D．function

15.

A．seriously

B．proudly

C．casually

D．naturally

16.

A．committed

B．used

C．limited

D．admitted

17.

A．proved

B．showed

C．stressed

D．meant

18.

A．pushing

B．dragging

C．lifting

D．rushing

19.

A．admiring

B．pitying

C．annoying

D．teasing

20.

A．over

B．aside

C．behind

D．out

10 . We all know that some things are obviously right. For example, it is right to be _______ to other people. It is also right to look after the environment. Some things are_______ wrong, too. For instance, we should not hurt or bully (欺负) others, nor should we litter. Rules often tell us what is right or wrong.

Rules can help the public make the right _______, and remain safe. Car drivers have to obey traffic regulations that tell them the right things to do on the road to avoid crashes. Cyclists who give signals before turning or stopping help prevent_______.

If people follow rules without taking other matters into consideration, it will be _______for them to form what is sometimes called a “black and white” view. For example, they may believe that people should always tell the truth, and that lying is_______ acceptable. Such people always stick to their views, even if it means that they may get into_______.

Sometimes it may not be so easy to know_______what is right or wrong. Some people choose not to eat meat because they believe that it is _______ to eat animals, but others argue that they can eat meat and ________ be kind to animals; some insist that stealing is always wrong, but others think that one does not need to feel to________ when stealing some food to eat, if lives in a really poor area and he is________ . Rules help us live together in harmony, because they show us the right way to________ other. However, some people argue that rules may be ________, having observed that rules change all the time, and that some schools have some regulations and other have different ones — so who is to ________what is right?

1.

A．kind

B．sensitive

C．fair

D．generous

2.

A．equally

B．slightly

C．clearly

D．increasingly

3.

A．suggestion

B．conclusions

C．turns

D．choices

4.

A．accidents

B．mistakes

C．falls

D．deaths

5.

A．interesting

B．vital

C．easy

D．valuable

6.

A．seldom

B．rarely

C．merely

D．never

7.

A．trouble

B．power

C．prison

D．control

8.

A．roughly

B．eventually

C．deliberately

D．exactly

9.

A．awful

B．cruel

C．unhealthy

D．unnecessary

10.

A．still

B．even

C．later

D．somehow

11.

A．nervous

B．anxious

C．afraid

D．guilty

12.

A．begging

B．starving

C．growing

D．wandering

13.

A．follow

B．instruct

C．treat

D．protect

14.

A．disgusting

B．confusing

C．unsafe

D．unimportant

15.

A．predict

B．explain

C．decide

D．consider