3 . As more and more people speak the global language of English, Chinese, Spanish, and Arabic, other languages are rapidly disappearing. In fact, half of the 6,000-7,000 languages spoken around the world today will be likely to die out by the next century, according the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

In an effort to prevent language loss, scholars from a number of organizations — UNESCO and National Geographic among them — have for many years been documenting dying languages and the cultures they reflect.

Mark Turin, a scientist at the Macmillan Center, Yale University, who specializes in the languages and oral traditions of the Himalayas, is following in that tradition. His recently published book, A Grammar of Thangmi and Their Culture, grows out of his experience living, working, and raising a family in a village in Nepal.

Documenting the Thangmi language and culture is just a starting point for Turin, who seeks to include other languages and oral traditions across the Himalayan reaches of India, Nepal, Bhutan, and China. But he is not content to simply record these voices before they disappear without record.

At the University of Cambridge Turin discovered a wealth of important materials —including photographs, films, tape recordings, and field notes — which had remained unstudied and were badly in need of care and protection. Now, through the two organizations that he has founded — the Digital Himalaya Project and the World Oral Literature Project — Turin has started a campaign to make such documents, found in libraries and stores around the world, available not just to schools but to the younger generations of communities from whom the materials were originally collected. Thanks to digital technology and the widely available Internet, Turin notes, the endangered languages can be saved and reconnected with speech communities.

1. Many scholars are making efforts to ________.

A．promote global languages	B．rescue disappearing languages
C．search for languages communities	D．set up language research organizations

2. What does “that tradition” in Paragraph 3 refer to ________.

A．having detailed records of the languages	B．writing books on language users
C．telling stories about language speakers	D．living with the native speakers

3. What is Turin’s book based on?

A．The cultural studies in India.	B．The documents available at Yale.
C．His language research in Bhutan.	D．His personal experience in Nepal.

4. Which of the following best describes Turin’s work?

A．Write, sell and donate.	B．Record, repair and reward.
C．Collect, protect and reconnect.	D．Design, experiment and report.

4 . In the field of educational technology, some apps might be getting too smart. There are more and more apps providing help for students.

PhotoMath

The new, seemingly magic app allows users to take pictures of a math problem, and then receive a step-by-step solution. It is now the number one free app on the App Store. A PhotoMath spokeswoman says educators have welcomed the app with positive reviews, but the software causes a lot of angry public discussion and disagreement. Why? It is because students can use it to cheat when doing their math homework.

Price: Free

iHomework

Whether you’re a high school student or a college student, there’s one thing you’ve got for sure: a lot of homework. iHomework can help you keep track of all your homework. It can help you arrange it in a particular order according to types, or based on deadlines.

Price: Free

Wolfram Alpha

Wolfram Alpha is similar to PhotoMath, but it focuses on older students studying high levels of math and doesn’t support photos. The service also produces step-by-step solutions to advanced topics, making it a popular tool for college students.

Price: $2.99

Homework Helper

Chinese Internet search company Baidu has launched (发起) an app called Homework Helper with which students can get answers to homework. Users post a picture or type their homework questions onto online forums (论坛), and those who answer the questions can win e-coins that can be used to buy devices like iPhones and laptops. The app has logged 5 million downloads, much to the concern of many parents who argue that the students spend less time thinking about challenging problems.

Price: Free

1. What is the problem of the app PhotoMath?

A．It can’t recognize pictures.

B．It doesn’t provide a step-by-step solution.

C．It encourages students to use smartphones.

D．It makes cheating at homework more likely to happen.

2. What is the big feature of Wolfram Alpha?

A．Offering services to office workers.

B．Making students organize their school work.

C．Helping deal with advanced math problems.

D．Creating chances to discuss math online.

3. What do we learn about Homework Helper?

A．It is thought highly of by teachers.

B．It is unpopular among Chinese students.

C．Many parents think it harmful to children’s study.

D．Answering questions on the app wastes students’ time.

5 . Three French students，using the name “Obvious”， have produced the first artwork created mainly by a computer program to be sold at auction (拍卖). Using artificial intelligence (AI)，Obvious created 11 portraits (肖像画) of an imaginary family they called Belamy.

Obvious used 15,000 real portraits to train an AI program which has two parts.One part tries to create pictures that look real.The other part judges the work.If the portrait doesn’t look real enough，the first part goes back and changes its decisions until it comes up with a better picture.These decisions are controlled by an algorithm (计算程序). The students made many choices，helping guide the AI’s decisions.But even so，the painting is “signed”by the algorithm，instead of the students.

On October 25，Obvious’s picture，Edmond de Belamy，was sold at auction at Christie’s in New York.The final price for Edmond de Belamy was $432,500—about ten times more than Christie’s expected.

This is not the first AI artwork，just the first one sold at auction.In fact，many people are not impressed with the portrait.“The work isn’t interesting，or original，”says 19­year­old Robbie Barrat.He should know.He wrote much of the program that created the pictures.

But he doesn’t like the idea of Obvious selling the picture.He thinks it’s too simple and gives a bad idea of what real AI artists are doing.He points out that he created many pictures like these over a year ago.

Obvious doesn’t hide the fact that it used Mr.Barrat’s work，or even that its portrait is not the best AI artwork ever.Pierre Fautrel of Obvious said，“...the goal of our project was to do something that was simple enough for...my mother or brother to understand.”

Obvious got the attention of Christie’s by selling another work，Le Comte de Belamy，for over $11,000 in February. One reason Christie’s chose to auction Obvious’s work is because AI art is unusual now.In the future it will be much more common.

1. What does Paragraph 2 mainly explain?

A．How Obvious made its decisions.

B．How Obvious named its AI artwork.

C．How Obvious’s AI program did paintings.

D．How Obvious got the idea to become AI artists.

2. What can we learn about Edmond de Belamy?

A．It’s Obvious’s first AI artwork.

B．It’s Obvious’s best AI artwork ever.

C．It’s the first AI artwork highly praised.

D．It’s the first AI artwork sold at auction.

3. What does Robbie Barrat think of the AI artwork sold at auction?

A．It is of little artistic value.

B．It is worth more than the price paid.

C．It is a good example of real AI artwork.

D．It is hard for common people to understand.

4. How does Christie’s feel about AI art now?

A．Worrying.	B．Enjoyable.
C．Meaningless.	D．Money­making.

6 . Having worked for more than a decade in finance in the oil industry in Canada, Tori Fahey found herself wanting more from life. But it wasn't through desperation that her circumstances changed: “I didn't get fed up and storm off, nothing like that; it was curiosity about other interests and wanting to experience something new.”

Fahey left her job and completed an MBA before setting up a move to New York to begin a degree. However, the opportunity of an open year between the MBA and the degree came up, and as a keen touring cyclist, Fahey realised that a much dreamed-about adventure was now becoming a possibility: "The ride in Africa had been on my fantasy list. It was a moment when I realised that I could do anything, so I should."

Fahey rode across Africa, a 7,500-mile trip that took four months. The whole experience had a life-changing impact. Fahey said: “Bicycles provide a literal freedom. You don't allow yourself to feel like that in everyday life because there are so many distractions. But when you' re out on the bike and there's nothing else, you' re really free to experience what life is.”

Post-degree, Fahey worked on projects with the UNDP(United Nations Development Project) in Montenegro with the aim of bringing investment to rural communities.

It was while working on these projects that the seeds were sown for the next new investment. “It was through my trip across Africa that I discovered pannier and rack systems inconvenient and I was never going to use them again.” Little did she know this would lead her to start up her own company.

In 2013, Apidura was born, producing storage solutions for people looking to travel the world by bike, race across continents and carry all they need to do so. It's now a successful global brand, but Fahey remains reflective about what else the company can do for people.

1. Why did Fahey leave her job in Canada?

A．She was bored with the job.	B．She was disappointed with life.
C．She wanted to add new dimensions to her life.	D．She found it hard to adjust to the circumstances.

2. Which can best describe Fahey's ride experience in Africa?

A．Demanding.

B．Liberating.

C．Eventful.

D．Dangerous.

3. Why did Fahey launch Apidura?

A．To encourage bicycle traveling.	B．To make her investment profitable.
C．To help cyclists carry traveling stuff.	D．To increase the pleasure of riding bikes.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．A tough path to fame.	B．An adventure across Africa.
C．The benefits of green travelling.	D．The story behind the birth of Apidura.

7 . Earth Hour is organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature. It's a big event usually at the end of March every year. On this evening, people “go dark”.     1    

It's true that turning off lights for just one hour saves only a small amount of power.    2    On one level, joining in Earth Hour makes people think about the problem of climate change and what we can do in everyday life to protect nature.

But on another level, a large number of people’s acting together sends a powerful message to governments and companies.     3     They begin considering green issues when big decisions.

The logo(标识) of Earth Hour is “60+” .The number 60 is for the 60 minutes of Earth Hour.     4     In fact, people who join in Earth Hour say that taking part makes them want to do more for the environment.

    5     Musicians give concerts by playing acoustic(原声的) instruments instead of electric ones, and using candles instead of electric lights. Celebrity chefs have created special recipes for families to prepare and eat by candlelight. Tree-planting sessions, group walks and runs are also among the options.

A．But this is only the beginning.

B．Earth Hour represents every hour of every day.

C．After all, everyone has to answer for what they have done.

D．Besides turning off the lights, people get involved in other events.

E．It pushes them to take urgent measures by making changes to policies.

F．That is, they switch off all unnecessary lights at the same time for one hour.

G．The plus invites people to continue their action even after Earth Hour is finished.

8 . I’m sure we all know that exercise is great for our health．But sometimes finding that motivation(动力) to work out can be a little difficult．So, in this post, I’m going to share my top four reasons for working out．

    1    

Whenever I move to a new city to study or work, I look for exercise classes to do．You meet like­minded people, and you can support each other during a difficult workout．    2    

Exercise makes you feel confident(自信的)．

We all know the physical advantages of exercise on our bodies but we don’t always talk about the mental(心理的)ones．     3    This new confidence might even help in your social or work life．

Exercise helps to reduce stress(压力)．

Going for a run can help you forget the problems and worries of daily life．    4    It makes me feel less worried and it also helps me to sleep those important eight hours the night before a big exam．

Finally, exercise makes us feel strong and healthy!

Every day, the 20 minutes in the gym get easier, the weights feel lighter and you feel a great sense of achievement．    5    

So, next time you’re feeling down or stressed, put your trainers on and get some exercise．It might not be easy but I promise you’ll feel so much better once you’ve finished!

A．Exercising is sociable．

B．Exercise can change your mind．

C．During exams, I always spend an hour a day in the gym．

D．When the class finishes, you all share a collective feeling of happiness!

E．When you work out, your body produces something that makes you happy．

F．It’s a great feeling doing something you couldn’t do before through hard work．

G．Exercise might give you a feeling of confidence from being comfortable with your body．

9 . Beijing Opera, as one of Chinese traditional opera forms, is regarded as the national opera of China and well received all over the world.

Beijing Opera arose in the late 18th century with a history of more than 200 years whose origin can date back to some old local operas, especially the Anhui Opera. It became fully developed and recognized by the mid-19th century. Now it's the biggest kind of opera in China, whose popularity spread all over the country, becoming the most popular dramatic (戏剧的) form on Chinese stage.

There are four basic methods employed in a Beijing Opera performance: chang, nian, zuo, da. Generally speaking, chang means singing, and nian recitation (背诵) and oral communication, while zuo means the facial and body expressions and acting and da is Chinese Kungfu. Beijing Opera also has four main types of performers namely Sheng, Dan, Jing and Chou. Sheng and Dan mean the main roles in the opera. The painted face, in Chinese called 'jing', is a name for the role of the man that has some special characteristic or appearance. Chou is easily understood from the role's name as a clown with an ugly appearance, who is to provide light relief and comedy.

In recent years, Beijing Opera has tried to make some changes, including improving the performance quality. Widely spreading all over China with great influence, Beijing Opera contains the spirit of Chinese national culture, but the shortage of funding has become a big problem as the form enters the 21st century. There is no doubt that it is a treasure of Chinese culture!

1. What does Paragraph 2 mainly tell us?

A．The history of Beijing Opera.

B．The great influence Beijing Opera has on us.

C．Beijing Opera is popular in China.

D．The relationship between the Anhui Opera and Beijing Opera.

2. When a performer is saying something to another, which method does it belong to?

A．Chang

B．Nian

C．Zuo

D．Da

3. A funny man whose nose was all white in stage most probably acted the role ________.

A．Sheng

B．Dan

C．Jing

D．Chou

4. What will be the future of the Beijing Opera?

A．Very bright.	B．Certainly dark.
C．More popular.	D．Much uncertain.

10 . How many phone numbers can you remember by heart? It’s probably fewer than you would like. Actually, you are not alone. Out of more than 1,000 Americans who were surveyed, more than half said that they couldn’t recall the phone numbers of their friends and neighbors. In their eyes, there is no point in filling their heads with phone numbers if they are all stored in smart phones that are with them almost all the time.

In fact, most people are suffering from a sort of digital amnesia(健忘). more than 90% of those surveyed agreed that they used the Internet as an online of their brains. Rote memorization(死记硬背) was once an important part of modern education, but we just need a click or slide now. That’s making us worse at remembering things.

Researchers found that when people expected to use the information online, they were less likely to remember actual facts, but more likely to remember how to find them. As a result, we are already becoming ones with our computer tools, growing into interconnected systems that remember less by knowing information than by knowing where the information can be found.

However, some believe it isn’t necessarily a bad thing--maybe it gives them more chances to think through things. We certainly acquire more knowledge now than ever, even if it isn’t all stored in our brains.

Even so, I still believe that there are more risks to this new world of memory beyond losing our ability to recall some information such as who the 15^th President was. That kind of information may always be a click away, but the important things are personal ones, like the way your parents smiled at your wedding. It’s harder to recall or find online. If you’re relying on yourself to keep track of those memories, they will be much more meaningful.

1. Paragraph 1 is mainly used to _______.

A．serve as the background	B．introduce the topic
C．explain new research	D．show some data to readers

2. What’s the main cause of people’s suffering from digital amnesia?

A．Dealing with too many things	B．Seldom thinking about questions
C．Relying on the internet too much	D．The changes of their memories.

3. It can be learned from the passage that _______.

A．over 90% people are suffering from digital amnesia

B．people can gain knowledge more easily than before

C．rote memorization no longer exists in modern life

D．People find it hard to remember how to find information

4. What’s the author’s attitude towards people’s memories now?

A．Worried	B．Optimistic
C．Disappointed	D．Confident