1 . 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.

A. broadcast        B. estimates          C. involves          D. performing E. barriers        F. themes        G. amateur        H. hire I. boost          J. demanding       K. proving

“MEN ARE adorable,” begins Yang Li in a sketch first aired last year. “But mysterious...After all, they can look so average and yet be so full of confidence.” It seemed a gentle dig by the newly crowned “punchline queen” of “Rock and Roast”, a television show starring     1     comics. But as Ms Yang’s fans spread the joke, male netizens threw a tantrum. Last month a group of them reported the 28-year-old to the     2     regulator for “sexism”.

Long the stars of Chinese joke-making, men are unhappy about being the butt (笑柄) of it. Chizi, a popular male contestant on “Rock and Roast” with a special liking for boorish jokes, sniffed that Ms Yang was “not     3     comedy”. Guo Degang, a master of xiangsheng, recently said he would not     4     women for his troupe (剧团) (“out of respect”, he said).

Western-style stand-up comedy has taken off since it appeared in China a decade ago. It is     5     to be a more accessible art form for female comics. With stand-up, says Evangeline Z, a 27-year-old comedian in Shanghai, “there are no     6     to joining as long as you can talk.” Moreover, women bring new     7     to the stage.

The show, which began in 2017, has been a(n)     8     for Chinese stand-up and female participation in it. Evangeline Z says the form of comedy is “huge” in Shanghai. And she     9     up to half of the city’s 50-odd weekly performances are by women. But male and female comics alike warn spectators that what they are about to say could be offensive and they should not take offence. Xiao Ju, a 22-year-old part-time comedian, also in Shanghai, says that showgoers expect to come in for “a bit of easy laughter”, so are angry when the joke reveals something about themselves.

Ms Yang has used the backlash against her gag to create a new one. It     10     an exchange with a male colleague who approvingly notes her testing of men’s limits. Her mock-incredulous riposte: “Do men have limits?”

2 . Directions: Complete the following passages 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. expedition          B. evidently          C. developed          D. facility                  E. accommodation F. isolated             G. enhanced            H. hardly             I. practically               J. honor K. housed

Americans have occupied the geographic South Pole continuously since November 1956. The station stands at an elevation of 2,835 meters on Antarctica’s nearly featureless ice sheet, which is about 2,700 meters thick at that location and recorded temperature varies between-13.6℃and-82. 8℃.

The station’s name is in     1     of Roald Amundsen and Robert F. Scott, who reached the South Pole in 1911 and 1912.

The original Amundsen-Scott Station, built to support the scientific goals of the International Geophysical Year, was begun in November 1956. As interest in polar research increased, a new design and a larger station was     2     necessary.

Before November 1956, there was no permanent artificial structure at the pole, and     3     no human presence in the interior of Antarctica. The few scientific stations in Antarctica were near its coast.

In 1975 the central area of the station was rebuilt. Detached buildings     4     instruments for monitoring the upper and lower atmosphere and for numerous projects in astronomy. In 1997, a redevelopment plan to upgrade the station began. The new station, which was dedicated in 2008, is one elevated and connected     5     . To cater to changes in population from winter to summer, certain areas can be closed. Remote science facilities are being     6       and are located away from the main station to minimize interference between necessary operations and science.

As part of the elevated station, the existing arch(拱顶)was used for fuel storage and waste management. New arches provide     7     for the power plant and garage shops. The benefits of elevated structures include reduced snow drifting, increased building life, smaller environmental impact,       8     safety, and more cost-effective construction.

Some 50 scientists and support personnel winter at the station, and up to 150 people work there during the summer. The station’s winter personnel are     9     between mid-February and late October.

The station has collected the longest continuous set of meteorological data from Antarctica’s vast interior ice area, and it is well located for     10     and research. Astronomy and astrophysics have flourished in recent years, taking advantage of excellent properties of the atmosphere. Other areas of interest include glaciology, ocean and climate systems, astrophysics, astronomy, and biology.

3 . Directions: Complete the following passages 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. historical          B. rationing          C. original          D. regulated                 E. reflected F. refuge               G. stored             H. removal          I. typical                    J. character K. restored

The 1940s House

The house is at 17 Braemar Gardens, West Wickham, Kent, now a suburb of Greater London. Series art director Lia Kramer, who had helped create The 1900 House, identified the property and oversaw its restoration. The     1     house was built in 1932 by Bradfield Bros & Murphy, and was retrofitted（翻新）so that the technology and fashions of a middle-class English home of the late 1930s were     2     . It is a three-bedroomed home, with a boiler fueled by coke providing hot water, and there was no telephone or refrigerator. The retrofit included the     3     of central heating, the custom-fitted kitchen cabinets and appliances, and the carpeting as well. The carpeting had been used to cover the original checkerboard floor tiles. Fireplaces were     4     to working condition, and the original French doors which led outside were reinstalled. The existing beds were replaced by iron bedsteads, including twin beds for Michael and Lyn. When neighbours learned of the project, many donated period home furnishings for free. The garden was changed to be     5     of a victory garden, which was also called war garden or food garden for defense.

The family's work in the show was demanding. The family had to act like a typical family of the time, which included the sewing of curtains, building an air-raid shelter, and facing wartime food     6    . Air raids were like real during the show, forcing the family to take     7     in its air-raid shelter. The near-nightly sound of the air-raid siren（fixed in a hallway in the home）left the family upset, even after they returned to their regular lives. The family had to stay in     8     all the time, including when the boys went to school. Even minor aspects of life, such as the depth of water in the bath tub, which could be no deeper than five inches, were     9     .

Filming began on 15 April 2000, and lasted nine weeks. Unlike other     10     reality television shows, the Hymers were not isolated. Their neighbours helped them dig their air-raid shelter, the family also visited a retirement home. Nonetheless, Lyn Hymers later said that the family did feel isolated, and seldom got the sense of community spirit that people living in the 1940s would have felt.

4 . 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. commercial	B. reducing	C. conduct	D.   orbit	E. lunar	F. measures
G. unmanned	H. programme	I. powerful	J. potentially	K. range

China’s new Long March-8 rocket makes first flight

China’s new carrier rocket, the Long March-8, made its maiden flight on Tuesday, the country’s space agency said, the first phase of a strategy to deploy launch vehicles that can be reused.

The Long March-8 series is part of China’s endeavours to develop reusable rockets,     1     lowering mission costs and paving the way towards     2     launch services.

The programme has drawn parallels to private US rocket firm SpaceX’s Falcon     3    , although China said in 2018 its reusable carrier vehicle would use different technologies.

The new medium-lift carrier rocket sent five satellites into planned     4    , blasting off from the Wenchang launch site on the southern Hainan island at 12:37 pm Beijing time (0437 GMT) on Tuesday.

It    5     50.3 metres and has a take-off mass of 356 tonnes, and the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said it is of "great significance for accelerating the upgrading of launch vehicles".

The rocket’s design was based on technologies developed for previous Long March editions, Xinhua reported Tuesday.

It is also expected to lay the foundation for development of large and heavy rockets, shortening development periods and     6     costs, said Song Zhengyu, the chief designer of the Long March-8.

The five experimental satellites launched by the new rocket will     7     experiments in space science, remote sensing and communication technologies, said Xinhua.

Beijing has invested heavily in its space     8     as a sign of its technological prowess and scientific endeavour.

A(n)    9     Chinese spacecraft returned to earth last week with rocks and soil from the moon—the first     10     samples collected in four decades.

The Long March 8 rocket will eventually help China replace its fleet of medium-lift launch vehicles, providing launch services for low Earth orbit satellite constellations and payloads bound for higher altitudes, such as geosynchronous orbit, CASC said.

5 . 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. equipment；B. exposing；C. entertainment；D. interact；E. reality；F. eventually G. proved； H. dramatically；I. significant；J. applications；K. virtual

Most people associate virtual reality with the world of gaming or     1    . What is all the fuss, you may wonder, about futuristic equipment you wear on your head that makes you look like a creature from Star Wars? But this emerging technology has been spreading rapidly into many other areas and could eventually change your life in the future.

Virtual reality, or VR, is a computer-generated technology that creates a three-dimensional digital world that you can not only see and observe, but explore and     2     with it as if you are there. Once you put on the special     3    —a helmet or goggles with a screen inside or gloves fitted with sensors—you become absorbed in the     4     world.

VR now has serious     5     in fields as wide-ranging as business and medicine. VR has already     6     effective as a training tool as it simulates real experiences. One simulation programme educates young drivers about the dangers of bad driving. Participants experience a dangerous car journey and a virtual accident. It is now being used to train surgeons. Connor Pierce of Samsung’s IT for UK and Ireland thinks it will make a difference on all walks of life: “We’ll socialize via VR, we will do business via VR, we’ll have VR team-meetings, we’ll have VR education, museums will have virtual     7     experiences ...”. Its benefits have been felt in the field of psychology and the treatment of mental health patients. Professor Daniel Freeman at the Warnford Hospital in Oxford uses it to treat vertigo and other anxiety disorders. He explains that by     8     patients to what they fear most in a virtual environment and showing them that nothing bad happens, they can eventually overcome their panic.

In the world of work too, VR may change our lives     9    . Working individually at home, we can connect to our colleagues in a virtual space. We can be at home and at the office at the same time. For the first time, we can really be in two places at once.

Some VR developers predict that the impact of VR could be as     10     as the internet or mobile phones. Google alone has sold 2 million cardboard VR headsets in the last two years. Is a new age of reality about to dawn?

6 . 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.

A. range       B. novel        C. interest       D. unlikely     E. benefit       F. experiencing G. available     H. necessarily     I. initiative       J. generated       K. partnership

Google gives $1M grant to Press Association to develop robot journalists

New consumers of the future could be reading stories pieced together by advanced data-analyzing robots rather than human journalists, if Google has its way.

On Thursday, the Press Association, the U.K.’s national news agency, announced that it received €706,000 from the tech giant for its Reporters and Data an Robots (RADAR)     1    .

A collaboration between the Press Association and data-driven news start-up Urbs Media, RADAR aims to set up an artificial intelligene-fueled, news service that will generate tens of thousands of news stories a month using publicly     2     data.

Everyone from big-name news organizations to hyper-local outlets and bloggers could     3     from the program. Press Association editor-in-chief Peter Clifton claimed, “this is a hugely exciting development, and we believe our     4     with Urbs Media can be a genuine game-changer for media outlets across the U. K. and Ireland.”

According to the Press Association, RADAR won’t     5     mark the end of the flesh-and-blood journalists, but will rather enable the AI to produce a volume of stories that would be impossible to match manually.

The envisioned work-flow would begin with human journalists identifying open data sets and “creating detailed story templates across a(n)     6     of topics including crime, health and employment.” The robotic reporter would then take over and scan the data, use language generation software to craft together story text and automatically locate relevant photos and video. Press Association clients would then be able to use a special distribution platform to identify news stories of     7     to their audience.

Content automation isn’t a totally     8     concept in the news industry however. AP estimated that it can free up 20 per cent of journalists’ time, allowing them to focus on more complex, qualitative tasks.

Shockingly, not all journalists are sold on the AI infiltration. A study found that journalists from leading news organizations had several reservations when shown an automatically     9     sports story. “I would never, ever, ever have written a story like that,” one BBC journalist said, while a CNN reporter thought the story was repetitive and lacked variation.

Nevertheless, it looks like AI in journalism is here to stay. At a time when many media outlets are     10     commercial pressure, RADAR will provide the news ecosystem with a cost-effective way to provide insightful local stories.

7 . 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. enjoyable       B. thinking        C. however        D. pay          E. working experience F. survey        G. start            H. complete     I. online     J. Traditionally

In many parts of the world, university students work in summer. They need the money, and they can get some     1    . What kind of jobs do students like to get in summer?     2    , they get jobs as servers, cashiers, and lifeguards at swimming pools.

These days,     3    , more and more students are working at dotcoms. Dotcoms are Internet-based companies which offer goods and service     4    . Today’s young people already know a lot about computers and they can quickly learn more. The     5     is also usual much better than at the traditional summer jobs.

There are other advantages besides the pay. Students see dotcom jobs as a good     6     on their future. In addition to good experience, the work is also     7     for most. On top of this, their co-workers treat them with respect.

Dotcoms are new and need new ways of     8    . Imagination and enterprise are considered more important than formal qualifications. So many students are even quitting school to start their own dotcoms. A recent     9     on dotcom owners finds that 2% of them are under 30 years old, and 12% never finished university.

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

A. Inspired       B. respect       C. series       D. extraordinary E. facility       F. particular       G. journey       H. expand I.   Determined       J. limitless       K. require

Life of Pi

Ang Lee’s “Life is a miraculous achievement of storytelling and a landmark of visual mastery.     1     by a worldwide best-seller that many readers must have assumed was unfilmable, it is a triumph over its difficulties.

The story begins in a small family zoo in Pondicherry, India, where the boy Piscine is raised. Piscine translates from French to English as “swimming pool”, but in India where many more speak English than French, his playmates of course nickname him “pee”.     2     to put an end to this, he adopts the name “Pi”, demonstrating a(n)     3     ability to write down that mathematical constant(常量) that begins with 3.14 and never ends. If Pi is   a(n)     4       number, that is the perfect name for a boy who seems to accept no limitations.

The zoo goes broke, and Pi’s father puts his family and a few valuable animals on a ship bound for Canada. In a forceful     5     of falls, a zebra, an orangutan (猩猩)，a hyena (戢狗)and the lion tumble into the boat with the boy, and are swept away by high seas. His family is never seen again.

The heart of the film focuses on the sea     6    , during which the human - that he can think with great cleverness and the tiger shows that it can learn.

Pi and the tiger Richard Parker share the same possible places in and near the boat. Although this point is not specifically made, Pi’s ability to     7     the use of space in the boat and nearby helps promote the tiger’s     8     for him. The tiger is accustomed to believing it can rule all space near him, but now humans     9     the animal to rethink that belief.

During the course of 227 days, they come to a form of recognition. The tiger, in     10    , becomes aware that he sees the boy not merely as victim or prey, or even as master, but as another king.

9 . 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. prizes B. program     C. stages       D. contestants     E. seek       F. right G. normally H. asking     I. benefited J. incorrect        K. broadcasted

Honestly speaking, I’m not a huge fan of TV. When I’m at leisure, I’d rather browse some websites or enjoy a nice movie online. Anyhow, I do have a favorite TV     1    —“Happy Dictionary”, which is a quiz show. In this program, a wide range of     2     are offered to the winners. It’s kind of like “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”, a famous quiz show in America.

In the beginning, the hostess will introduce the five    3    . Then they will be presented a question. The one who answers the question correctly and quickly will be given an opportunity to take the quiz. The quiz is divided into three or four     4    , I can’t remember exactly how many right now. Anyway, the contestant can get each prize after going through each stage. The prizes are randomly decided by participant himself before the quiz, e.g. a computer, a laptop, a digital camera, a free package holiday, things like that. There are three questions in each stage, The way the hostess asks these questions makes the quiz more difficult. For example, when the contestant has given an answer, the hostess will confuse him by asking whether he is sure or not. Someone might at this time change the     5     answer into a wrong one. I really enjoy this part. The contestant can     6     help for only three times during the whole procedure by calling a friend,     7     the audience to vote for the right answer or letting the computer erase one of the wrong answer. Most of the questions are multiple choices.

This program     8     lasts for an hour and is usually     9     at 9:00 pm. For all these years, I think I have     10     a lot from watching this quiz show. Unlike all the sitcoms (情景剧), this is the kind of program in which I can get to participate and rack my brains (苦思冥想).

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. approved       B. violated       C. existing       D. drawn E. criticized       F. strengthening       G. going       H. improved I. aroused       J. concerns       K. promoted

Many people honor Guan Yu (or Guan Gong), a hero during the Three Kingdoms period. But recently, a statue of the ancient general has     1     criticism from authorities and the public.

In October, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said on its website that the construction of the Guan Yu statue in Jingzhou, Hubei province,     2     local regulations.

The monumental(极大的) statue, built in a Guan Yu-themed park, covers an area of 152,000 square meters and weighs more than 5,000 tons. At about 58 meters tall, the statue surpassed the 24-meter limit on structures in local areas, according to CCTV News.

Even the cost of building the statue, about 170 million yuan, far exceeds the     3     budget. Worse, the park     4     the structure as the world's tallest bronze statue to attract tourists, but has only brought a revenue of less than 13 million yuan in the past four years, China Daily reported.

Due to recent media reports, the issue caught the public’s attention and     5     criticism for its waste of resources. Also, there are     6     over its safety risks and legality.

On Nov 17, the local authorities responded that experts have been organized to make a plan to relocate the statue. This announcement once again stirred discussion online.

Many asked to keep the statue, considering the cost and effort that had gone into the project. One internet user commented that “relocation would cost a lot of money. Why not just keep it and explore further development using     7     resources?” Still others questioned why there was no supervision from local authorities since the beginning of construction to ensure that rules were being followed.

According to Hui Ming, from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, this should be a lesson for local decision-makers. Before     8     about building statues, there should be adequate research and work. Also, public money and resources should not be wasted in this fashion.

This is not the only case of such an extravagant landmark. The Shuisi Tower project in Dushan county, Guizhou province, was also     9     by the MOHURD as a “cultural landmark" that was built indiscriminately(盲目地) and divorced from reality, and could damage the natural landscape.

Limit size of structures

The MOHURD has issued a notice on     10    the management of large-scale urban statue construction, which says that large statues with a height of more than 10 meters or a width of more than 30 meters must be managed as important urban construction projects.

To protect historical and traditional buildings, the MOHURD announced in April that urban architectures cannot be built taller than 500 meters unless their plans are approved.