1 . Much of the work in today’s world is accomplished(完成) in teams. Most people believe the best way to build a great team is to gather a group of the most talented individuals.     1    Companies spend millions hiring top business people. Is their money well spent?

    2    They focused on football, basketball and baseball. The results are mixed. For football and basketball, adding talented players to a team proves a good method, but only up to the point where 70% of the players are top talent; above that level, the team’s performance begins to decline. Interestingly, this trend isn’t evident in baseball, where additional individual talent keeps improving the team’s performance.

To explain this phenomenon, the researchers explored the degree to which a good performance by a team requires its members to coordinate(协调) their actions.     3    In baseball, the performance of individual players is less dependent on teammates. They conclude that when task interdependence is high, team performance will suffer when there is too much talent, while individual talent will have positive effects on team performance when task interdependence is lower. If a basketball star is, for example, trying to gain a high personal point total, he may take a shot himself when it would be better to pass the ball to a teammate, affecting the team’s performance. Young children learning to play team sports are often told, “There is no I in TEAM.”     4    

Another possibility is that when there is a lot of talent on a team, some players may make less effort. Just as in a game of tug-of-war(拔河比赛), whenever a person is added, everyone else pulls the rope with less force.

    5     An A-team may require a balance--not just A players, but a few generous B players as well.

A．It’s not a simple matter to determine the nature of talent.

B．Sports team owners spend millions of dollars attracting top talent.

C．The group interaction and its effect drew the researchers’ attention.

D．Stars apparently do not follow this basic principle of sportsmanship.

E．Several recent studies examined the role of talent in the sports world.

F．Building up a dream team is more complex than simply hiring the best talent.

G．This task interdependence distinguishes baseball from football and basketball.

2 . The problem of robocalls has gotten so bad that many people now refuse to pick up calls from numbers they don’t know. By next year, half of the calls we receive will be scams(欺诈). We are finally waking up to the severity of the problem by supporting and developing a group of tools, apps and approaches intended to prevent scammers from getting through. Unfortunately, it’s too little, too late. By the time these “solutions”(解决方案) become widely available, scammers will have moved onto cleverer means. In the near future, it’s not just going to be the number you see on your screen that will be in doubt. Soon you will also question whether the voice you’re hearing is actually real.

That’s because there are a number of powerful voice manipulation(处理) and automation technologies that are about to become widely available for anyone to use. At this year’s I/O Conference, a company showed a new voice technology able to produce such a convincing human-sounding voice that it was able to speak to a receptionist and book a reservation without detection.

These developments are likely to make our current problems with robocalls much worse. The reason that robocalls are a headache has less to do with amount than precision. A decade of data breaches(数据侵入) of personal information has led to a situation where scammers can easily learn your mother’s name, and far more. Armed with this knowledge, they’re able to carry out individually targeted campaigns to cheat people. This means, for example, that a scammer could call you from what looks to be a familiar number and talk to you using a voice that sounds exactly like your bank teller’s, tricking you into “confirming” your address, mother’s name, and card number. Scammers follow money, so companies will be the worst hit. A lot of business is still done over the phone, and much of it is based on trust and existing relationships. Voice manipulation technologies may weaken that gradually.

We need to deal with the insecure nature of our telecom networks. Phone carriers and consumers need to work together to find ways of determining and communicating what is real. That might mean either developing a uniform way to mark videos and images, showing when and who they were made by, or abandoning phone calls altogether and moving towards data-based communications—using apps like FaceTime or WhatsApp, which can be tied to your identity.

Credibility is hard to earn but easy to lose, and the problem is only going to get harder from here on out.

1. How does the author feel about the solutions to problem of robocalls?

A．Panicked.

B．Confused.

C．Embarrassed.

D．Disappointed.

2. Taking advantage of the new technologies, scammer can ________.

A．aim at victims precisely	B．damage databases easily
C．start campaigns rapidly	D．spread information widely

3. What does the passage imply?

A．Honesty is the best policy.

B．Technologies can be double-edged.

C．There are more solutions than problems.

D．Credibility holds the key to development.

4. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Where the Problem of Robocalls Is Rooted

B．Who Is to Blame for the Problem of Robocalls

C．Why Robocalls Are About to Get More Dangerous

D．How Robocalls Are Affecting the World of Technology

3 . Want to explore new cultures, meet new people and do something worthwhile at the same time? You can do all the three with Global Development Association(GDA). Whatever stage of life you’re at, wherever you go and whatever project you do in GDA, you’ll create positive changes in a poor and remote community(社区).

We work with volunteers of all ages and backgrounds. Most of our volunteers are aged 17-24. Now we need volunteer managers aged 25-75. They are extremely important in the safe and effective running of our programmes. We have such roles as project managers, mountain leaders, and communication officers.

Depending on which role you choose, you could help to increase a community’s access to safe drinking water, or help to protect valuable local cultures. You might also design an adventure challenge to train young volunteers.

Not only will you help our young volunteers to develop personally, you’ll also learn new skills and increase your cultural awareness. You may have chances to meet new people who’ll become your lifelong friends.

This summer we have both 4-week and 7-week programmes:

Country	Schedule
	4-week programmes	7-week programmes
Algeria	5 Jul. — 1 Aug.	20 Jun. — 7 Aug.
Egypt	24 Jul. — 20 Aug.	19 Jun. — 6 Aug.
Kenya	20 Jul. — 16 Aug.	18 Jun. — 5 Aug.
South Africa	2 Aug. — 29 Aug.	15 Jun. — 2 Aug.

GDA ensures that volunteers work with community members and local project partners where our help is needed. All our projects aim to promote the development of poor and remote communities.

There is no other chance like a GDA programme. Join us as a volunteer manager to develop your own skills while bringing benefits to the communities.

Find out more about joining a GDA programme:

Website:www.glodeve.org

Email:humanresources@glodeve.org

1. What is the main responsibility of volunteer managers?

A．To seek local partners.	B．To take in young volunteers.
C．To carry out programmes.	D．To foster cultural awareness.

2. The programme beginning in August will operate in ________.

A．Egypt

B．Algeria

C．Kenya

D．South Africa

3. The shared goal of GDA’s projects to ________.

A．explore new cultures	B．protect the environment
C．gain corporate benefit	D．help communities in need

4 . Have you ever wondered how the trainers at Sea World get the 19,000-pound whale to jump 22 feet out of water and perform tricks? They get that whale to go over a rope farther out of the water than most of us can imagine.     1    .

So how do the trainers at Sea World do it? The first thing they do is reinforce(强化) the behavior that they want repeated --- in this case, to get the whale to go over the rope.    2    , in a position where the whale can’t help but do what’s expected of it. Every time the whale goes over the rope, it’s given positive reinforcement and gets fed with fish. But what happened when the whale goes under the rope? Nothing — no criticism, no warning and no feedback.     3    .

Positive reinforcement is the key of that simple principle that produces such splendid results. And as the whale begins to go over the rope more often than under, the trainers begin to raise the rope. It must be raised slowly enough so that the whale doesn’t starve.

    4    . Make a big deal out of the good and little stuff that we want consistently. Secondly, under-criticize. People know they need help when they mess up.     5    , people will not forget the event and usually will not repeat it.

So we need to set up the circumstances so that people can’t fail. Over-celebrate, under-criticize…and know how far to raise the rope.

A．This is a great challenge

B．And the whale stays right where it is

C．If we figure out a way to motivate the whale

D．They start with the rope below the surface of the water

E．If we under-criticize, punish and discipline less than expected

F．Whales are taught that their negative behavior won’t be acknowledged

G．The simple lesson to be learned from the whale trainers is to over-celebrate

5 . In a world surrounded by bad news, it may feel like an unhappy place sometimes.    1    

          If you make even one person smile today, you can help make this world a better place. Here is list of ideas to help you.

    2    In this day and age where everything is sent via the Internet, it's a shock to receive a letter through the post. Putting pen to paper and writing a few words to a friend can be an easy way to make a positive impact.

Requiring some time and research to find the perfect project, volunteering is one of the nicest things you can do. Whether you volunteer at your local youth group or take dogs from shelters for a walk, the simple fact that you are giving up your time to help someone else is incredible. There are so many opportunities.    3    

Tell someone "I love you". It can be anyone.     4    Perhaps you can tell a friend that you appreciate all they are to you, or remind your mum that it's her birthday. Sometimes, in our busy lives we forget to take a moment to tell people what they mean to us.

    5    Whether you're creative or not, taking time to make something for someone else shows how much you appreciate them. Even if you think you're not creative, the recipient will feel lucky to get such a unique gift that you put your precious time into. Some ideas could include a card, painting, drawing, song, poem or cake!

A．However, you can make a difference.

B．It's a surprise to send a handwritten letter.

C．And you don't even have to say "I love you"

D．So you are sure to find one that is right for you.

E．And it doesn’t necessarily have to take up all your life.

F．Making something for a special person is always unique.

G．Even a postcard with a couple of sentences could really make someone's day.

6 . What If We Don’t Get Along?

Teachers want to get along with you and enjoy seeing you learn. But teachers and students sometimes have personality clashes（人格冲突）.     1     If you show your teacher that you want to make the situation better, he or she will probably do everything possible to make that happen. Take these steps if the problem seems difficult to solve:

1. Talk to an adult you trust, such as a parent, guidance counselor, or both.

2.     2     You may not feel immediately comfortable with your teachers, but that may change as you get to know one another.

3. If you’ve given it time, talk with your parents about what to do next. Lots of times, a meeting can be set up to discuss the problem.     3     Everyone’s goal should be to create trust and kindness.

Your relationship with your teachers is often your first chance to develop a “business relationship”. They are different from your family relationships and friendships, which are built on affection and love.     4     But they don’t necessarily need to be good friends or like each other a lot. They simply need to respect one another, be polite, and stay focused on the jobs at hand.

When you act this way, and remember that you’re not the only kid in the class, you are

helping your teacher.     5     Teachers also like it when students follow directions and when they learn and obey the rules of the classroom. For instance, there may be rules about listening when another student is talking, about taking turns, or about raising your hand when you want to say something or ask a question.

A．Give it time.

B．This can happen between any two people.

C．This may clear the air and make things better.

D．Your teacher is likely to notice this and appreciate it.

E．Therefore, those teachers rarely show respect towards their students.

F．A teacher cannot necessarily answer all the questions his students ask.

G．In a business relationship, both parties get something out of the relationship.

7 . The Sahara Festival is a celebration of the very recent past. The three-day event is not fixed to the same dates each year, but generally takes place in November or December. It is well attended by tourists, but even better attended by locals.

During the opening ceremonies, after the official greetings from the government leaders, people who attend the festival begin to march smartly before the viewing stands, and white camels transport their riders across the sands. Horsemen from different nations display their beautiful clothes and their fine horsemanship. One following another, groups of musicians and dancers from all over the Sahara take their turns to show off their wonderful traditional culture. Groups of men in blue and yellow play horns (号) and beat drums as they dance in different designs. On their knees in the sand, a group of women in long dark dresses with dance with their hair: their long, dark, shiny hair is thrown back and forth in the wind to the rhythm (节奏) of their dance.

The local and visiting Italian dogs are anxious to run after hares (野兔). The crowd is on its feet for the camel races. Camels and riders run far into the distance, and then return to the finish line in front of the cheering people.

Towards the evening, there comes the grand finale of the opening day, an extremely exciting horserace. All the riders run very fast on horse back. Some riders hang off the side of their saddles (马鞍). Some even ride upside down — their legs and feet straight up in the air — all at full speed. Others rush down the course together, men arm in arm, on different horses. On and on they went. So fast and so wonderful!

1. The Sahara Festival is a festival which ________.

A．has a very long history in North Africa

B．is held in the same place on the same day

C．is attended mainly by the people in the Sahara

D．is celebrated mostly by travelers from different countries

2. Before the races begin, ________ take part in the activities during the opening ceremonies.

A．musicians, dancers, horses and hares

B．camel riders, musicians, dogs and hares

C．horsemen, dancers, camels and dogs

D．musicians, officials, camels and horses

3. This passage mainly tells readers ________.

A．what happens on the opening day of the Sahara Festival

B．how people celebrate during the three-day Sahara Festival

C．what takes place at the closing ceremonies of the Sahara Festival

D．how animals race on the first and the last days of the Sahara Festival

8 . Surviving Hurricane Sandy (飓风桑迪)

Natalie Doan, 14, has always felt lucky to live in Rockaway, New York. Living just a few blocks from the beach, Natalie can see the ocean and hear the wave from her house. “It’s the ocean that makes Rockaway so special,” she says.

On October 29, 2012, that ocean turned fierce. That night, Hurricane Sandy attacked the East Coast, and Rockaway was hit especially hard. Fortunately, Natalie’s family escaped to Brooklyn shortly before the city’s bridge closed.

When they returned to Rockaway the next day, they found their neighborhood in ruins. Many of Natalie’s friends had lost their homes and were living far away. All around her, people were suffering, especially the elderly. Natalie’s school was so damaged that she had to temporarily attend a school in Brooklyn.

In the following few days, the men and women helping Rockaway recover inspired Natalie. Volunteers came with carloads of donated clothing and toys. Neighbors devoted their spare time to helping others rebuild. Teenagers climbed dozens of flights of stairs to deliver water and food to elderly people trapped in powerless high-rise buildings.

“My mom tells me that I can’t control what happens to me,” Natalie says. “but I can always choose how I deal with it.”

Natalie’s choice was to help.

She created a website page matching survivors in need with donors who wanted to help. Natalie posted introduction about a boy named Patrick, who lost his baseball card collecting when his house burned down. Within days, Patrick’s collection was replaced.

In the coming months, her website page helped lots of kids: Christopher, who received a new basketball; Charlie, who got a new keyboard. Natalie also worked with other organizations to bring much-need supplies to Rockaway. Her efforts made her a famous person. Last April, she was invited to the White House and honored as a Hurricane Sandy Champion of Change.

Today, the scars (创痕) of destruction are still seen in Rockaway, but hope is in the air. The streets are clear, and many homes have been rebuilt. “I can’t imagine living anywhere but Rockaway,” Natalie declares. “My neighborhood will be back, even stronger than before.”

1. When Natalie returned to Rockaway after the hurricane, she found ______.

A．some friends had lost their lives.

B．her neighborhood was destroyed.

C．her school had moved to Brooklyn.

D．the elderly were free from suffering.

2. According to paragraph 4, who inspired Natalie most?

A．The people helping Rockaway rebuild.

B．The people trapped in high-rise building.

C．The volunteers donating money to survivors.

D．Local teenagers bringing clothing to elderly people.

3. How did Natalie help the survivors?

A．She gave her toys to the kids.

B．She took care of younger children.

C．She called on the White House to help.

D．She built an information sharing platform.

4. What does the story intend to tell us?

A．Little people can make a big difference.

B．A friend in need is a friend indeed.

C．East or West, home is best.

D．Technology is power.

9 . Why read, and sometimes even write poetry? That question is not difficult to answer if we change the word poetry to songs.

I sing when I feel good. When I sing my favorite songs, I feel even better. Sometimes when I am listening to music and to the song words, I feel that it was written for me. A good song always makes me feel something. There are songs that I sing in my head between classes and songs that I want to sing when the school bell rings by the end of the day. They help me get through the day.

They are like bright and warm colors in the middle of grays and shades. I like songs about love and friendship. The extraordinary thing is that my feelings are more special when I sing my favorite songs in English.

I also like reading. I used to avoid poetry until an e-friend told me I should recite poems and not look up the meaning of the words. Poetry uses many difficult words and idioms, but the best thing is to just forget about them. In the beginning I felt quite strange. Now I always lock the door. Reading aloud gives you a strange feeling, but when you have some practice and fall into the rhythm, and the sounds of the words, it is really a special experience.

I started with small poems, but now I think I most like long poems. I have different feelings with different poems. When I have had a bad day at school, I read Keats and forget everything. When I am sad I read Wordsworth by the light of a candle. When the poem is finished, I close the book and my sadness is gone.

1. Which of the following statements is closest in meaning to the underlined sentence?

A．Songs are like different colors in different times.

B．Songs can help people better understand colors.

C．Songs can describe a mixture of different colors.

D．Songs can bring people warmth and comfort.

2. What we can infer from the passage is that______.

A．the writer likes singing songs aloud at any time

B．songs and poems can help get over bad emotions

C．the writer’s native language is English

D．the writer like songs better than poems

3. What can we know about the poems of Keats and Wordsworth through the passage?

A．Keats’ poems are full of bad feelings.

B．Wordsworth’s poems contain much sad description.

C．Both of their poetry can create positive feelings.

D．The themes of their poems are not different at all.

10 . The English language has many ways to talk about something that is funny.     1     It is a basic human need. Physical humour, especially, can cross limits like nationality and language and bring people together from all different walks of life.

Humour comes in many forms. The most obvious and traditional way we use humour is in jokes.     2    This is when a person changes a word or uses it in a different context(上下文) for comic effect.

Another way people can use humour is through telling a funny story. Perhaps something bad happened to the person but they can laugh about it now. People also invent funny stories in order to make people laugh. The advantage of this is that the characters aren’t real.     3    

Physical comedy usually divides opinions. For some, seeing someone fall down, whether it is planned or not, is one of the funniest things they can see.     4     Some types of humour can also be harmful if someone is not in the mood for being made fun of！People’s senses of humour vary across the world, so what may be funny in your country might be incredibly harmful in another!

    5     The British, for instance, are famous for their humour in English. However, people learning a foreign language face much difficulty when it comes to being funny in a second language.

A．Humour is just one of the ways.

B．Everyone needs to laugh once in a while.

C．Other forms of humour are word play and puns(双关语).

D．Therefore, you don’t have to feel bad for laughing at them!

E．People of all ages and cultures have a strong sense of humour.

F．Most people know how to use some form of humour in their native languages.

G．For others, finding physical humour and non-serious accidents funny seems cruel.