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. rival   B. contributed   C. benefiting   D. witnessed   E. accounts F. uneasy   G. enrolment   H. intentionally I. delays     J. declined   K. unconsciously

Put off by US, Chinese students eye other universities

Caught in the US-China trade war, Chinese students are looking for alternative study destinations.

China     1     for nearly a third of foreign students on US campuses who pour billions of dollars into the economy, but since March, the number has     2     for the first time in a decade. Visa     3    , concerns over being shut out of research projects and safety fears have turned off Chinese students.

    4     education powerhouses such as Britain, Australia and Canada are the biggest countries     5     from the shift, a survey by New Oriental China’s biggest private education provider said. Japan and South Korea and parts of Europe, especially Germany and Scandinavian countries with strong engineering programmes, have also     6     a rise in applications, the survey found.

The chilling effect which makes students and their parents     7     started 2 years ago, after President Donald Trump’s administration     8     decreased the visa duration of students in science and technology fields from five years to one in some cases.

Chinese students     9     $13 billion to the US economy last year, a figure that includes tuition fees and living expenses, according to NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Top US universities including Yale and Stanford have complained that the trade war has affected campus     10    .

2 . I am not a morning person, but as I stand on the boulder (巨大的砾石) in the early dawn, my mind is sharp and alert. I am more than awake, concentrating on the vast endlessness below.

There is a noticeable lack of early birdsong here; no hiss of offshore wind fanning the waves. The only sound is my breath, heavy after the scramble to the top. It is by no means a difficult climb, but I had to hurry to beat the sun.

“If you stand at the top of Kubu Island just before sunrise,” said one of the returning visitors, “You can see the arc (弧线) of the Earth.”

He was right.

From up here the horizon cuts not so much a line as an arc.

Soon my feeling of being in the moment is replaced with something as strange and ancient as this place itself. My breathing calms and becomes shallow. My heartbeat slows. I am first surrounded by in silence. I am a tiny, shrinking spot. Then I disappear completely.

They say that astronauts looking down on Earth gain a sense of perspective that changes them forever. They begin to understand how much we are a part of our planet, and how much it is a part of us. The astronauts are 400 kilometres off the surface of Earth, and while the top of Kubu Island is only 10 metres high, there is something about this pile of boulders that sends you into orbit.

Kubu Island isn’t actually an island, but rather, an outcrop of ancient rocks that are up to two billions year old. It was once rested on the edge of a vast lake. As the water evaporated, it created the huge Makgadikgadi Pan (马卡迪卡迪盐沼盆地), one of the world’s largest salt pans.

Ancient tribes and civilizations have migrated and lived here, first to fish from its rocks and then to commune with nature and its spirits. Today, adventurers and tourists come here to marvel at this strange pile of boulders with baobab trees (猴面包树) growing out of it. These trees are estimated to be 3,000 or 4,000 years old; they are really impressive not only for their size but also because they seem to have so much to tell about the history of this island.

This is the gift that Kubu Island gives and the power that it has. This tiny, weird outcrop — if not in the middle of nowhere, then certainly on the edge of it — can give you a sense of yourself that very few places can. A sense of yourself as a person on this planet and, somehow, way beyond it.

1. Which of the following can best describe Kubu Island?

A．It is a “small” island, surrounded by waves and water.

B．It is an “ancient” island, featuring recreational activities.

C．It is a “dry” island, surrounded by a sea of salt.

D．It is a “remote” island, resting on the edge of a vast lake.

2. According to the passage, the underlined phrase “marvel at” probably means ________.

A．feel anxious for	B．pose danger to
C．be grateful to	D．be amazed at

3. The author’s purpose of writing this article was to ________.

A．recommend a unique travel route to a peaceful and silent island

B．encourage readers to reflect more on themselves while travelling

C．inform readers of a mysterious place that deserves to be explored

D．advise readers to visit an island which is peculiar in its original state

3 . 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. structured       B. treasures       C. revolution             D. accessible       E. professions       F. responsive G. promises       H. formalized       I. popularized             J. declared       K. creation

How the Victorians Invented the “ Staycation ”

Holidays feel like an important refreshment after such a tough year. While international travel is possible, it’s not exactly easy, so many are choosing to stay closer to home, taking a “staycation ”. This year holidaymakers are discovering the     1     of the UK’s coast and the beauty of its landscapes.

Domestic tourism as we know it began in the 19th century when the idea of the holiday was just becoming     2     . Expanding railways and changing work practices meant people had more leisure time for travelling. International travel was becoming easier but wasn’t     3     to all, so the Victorians chose to spend this newfound “ free ” time in the UK.

This gave way to the     4     of hot new holiday destinations, mostly on the UK’s coast. Great British seaside towns, from Bournemouth to Brighton, appealed to people with     5     of fun, sea and clean air — many of the things that continue to attract people today.

The great summer holiday as we know it was designed by the Victorians. The 19th century saw the industrial     6     and the rise of industrial capitalism, where factories were booming and work structures were more clearly and severely defined and presented. This led to the emergence of administrative     7     , like clerks, and an emerging middle class.

There was more     8     working time, including shift work in factories and time off on Sundays. As a result, working-class people had leisure time to use, and by the 1890s some skilled workers had half days on Saturdays, leading to the birth of the “ weekend ” — though this was not     9     until much later in the 20th century.

In 1871 the Bank Holidays Act was passed. This appointed certain days as holidays on which banks closed, though, over the years, more businesses began observing these days off work. Before 1830, banks closed only on the 40 saints’ days of the year, though by 1834 this was just four days, including Christmas day. From 1871, any day could be     10     a bank holiday, not just saints’ days.

4 . Otters, are cute, this no one can deny. They have big eyes, short and flat noses and claws (爪子) like tiny hands. They look even cuter when they wear hats and throw food balls into their mouths as if they were bar snacks, like Takechiyo, a pet otter in Japan. Documenting Takechiyo’s funny behavior has earned his owner nearly 230,000 followers on Instagram, a photo-sharing app.

Takechiyo’s fame reflects a craze across east and South-East Asia for keeping the cute creatures as pets. Enthusiasts in Japan visit cafés where they pay to hug them; Indonesian owners parade their pets around on leads or go swimming with them, then share their pictures online. But these enjoyable photos mask a trade that is doing a lot of damage. Even before they became fashionable companions for humans, Asia’s wild otters faced plenty of threats. Their habitats are disappearing. They have long been hunted for their coats, or killed by farmers who wish to prevent them consuming fishes. The pet trade, which began picking up in the early 2000s but appeared to speed up a few years ago, has made things worse. The numbers of wild Asian small-clawed otters and smooth-coated otters, two species that are in highest demand, have declined by at least 30% in the three decades to 2019.

The international agreement that governs trade in wildlife, known as CITES, now prohibits cross-border trade in these species. But laws banning ownership are often poorly implemented, as in Thailand, or full of holes, as in Indonesia. And the otter-keeping craze has been dramatically improved by the internet, says Vincent Nijman of Oxford Brookes University. In 2017 TRAFFIC, a British charity that monitors the wildlife trade, spent nearly five months looking at Facebook and other social-media sites in five South-East Asian countries. During that time, it found around 1,000 otters advertised for sale online.

In any case, otters do not even make particularly good pets. Every year the Jakarta Animal Aid Network, a charity in Indonesia’s capital, receives some ten otters from people who have struggled to look after them. Faizul Duha, the founder of an Indonesian otter-owners’ group, admits that his two animals emit a “very specific” (read: fishy) smell. They bite humans and chew on furniture. Their scream can be heard blocks away. And their cages need cleaning every two-to-three hours. That is how often they empty their bowels (肠道).

1. The function of the first paragraph is to ________.

A．present the main idea	B．introduce the main topic
C．set readers thinking	D．illustrate the writer’s point

2. According to the passage, which of the following mainly drives the otter trade?

A．The demand for pet otters.	B．The disappearance of otters’ habitats.
C．The popularity of otter coats.	D．The decrease of fishes.

3. It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A．the laws that prohibit cross-border trade are strict in Asia

B．social media plays a significant role in the online otter trade

C．people usually give up otters because they are endangered

D．otters are suitable pets because they are friendly to humans

4. The purpose of the writing is to ________.

A．advertise for a photo-sharing app

B．introduce the popularity of pet otters

C．discourage the illegal otter pet trade

D．describe the characteristics of otters

5 . Directions: After reading the excerpt from Three Days to See below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

I lived, up to the time of the illness that deprived me of my sight and hearing, in a tiny house     1     (consist) of a large square room and a small one where the servant slept. It is a custom in the South to build a small house near the farmhouse to be used occasionally. Such a house my father built after the Civil War, and when he married my mother they went to live in it. It was completely covered with vines, climbing roses and honeysuckles. From the garden it looked like an arbor. The little porch     2       (hide) from view by a screen of yellow roses and Southern smilax. It was the favorite place of humming-birds and bees.

The Keller farmhouse,    3    the family lived, was a few steps from our little rose-bower. It was called “Ivy Green”    4    the house and the surrounding trees and fences were covered with beautiful English ivy. Its old fashioned garden was the paradise of my childhood.

Even in the days before my teacher came, I used to feel along the square stiff boxwood hedges, and,    5    (guide) by the sense of smell, would find the first violets and lilies. There, too, alter a fit of temper, I went to find comfort and to hide my hot face in the cool leaves and grass.

What joy it was to lose myself in that garden of flowers, to wander happily from spot to spot,    6    coming suddenly upon a beautiful vine, I recognized it by its leaves and blossoms, and knew it was the vine which covered the tumble-down summer-house at the farther end of the garden! Here, also were trailing clematis, drooping jasmine, and some rare sweet flowers called butterfly lilies, because their fragile petals resemble butterflies wings. But the roses—they were     7     (lovely) of all. Never have I found in the greenhouses of the North such heart-satisfying roses as the climbing roses of my southern home. They used to hang in long festoons from our porch, filling the whole air with their fragrance; and in the early morning, washed in the dew they felt so soft, so pure, I     8    not help wondering if they did not resemble the asphodels of God’s garden.

6 . For young Chinese, being single was once a source of shame. Now, it’s becoming a badge (标志) of freedom —and ________ are rushing to cash in.

Eating at a restaurant alone used to be rare in China, where food is traditionally shared by large groups gathered around a circular table. But these attitudes are ________ as millennials embrace the single lifestyle.

________, many Chinese graduates would settle down soon after college, living in the family home until they got married . Now, they’re increasingly ________ marriage   until   their   30s   and   building   their   own   lives   in major cities, where they often work intense jobs that leave little time for ________.

The number of singles in China has now surpassed 200 million, according to government data released last year The total number of single people living alone is ________ to reach 90 million by 2021.

23 Seats, a Beijing noodle bar, is one of many restaurants catering to this new breed of “single dogs” — as China's singletons self-mockingly (自嘲地) call themselves.

Sun Yun, 23 Seats' 33-year-old co-owner, says its deliberately antisocial decorate (装饰) is designed to attract people who ________ want to enjoy a good meal without feeling anxious about eating alone.

“We could have designed the layout to provide seats for more customers, but in the end we decided against this,” Sun says. “We wanted to create a space where solo diners wouldn't feel ________ when they walk in.”

It's a concept that's ________. Haidilao, a leading hot pot chain, has started putting giant teddy bears in empty chairs, to keep lonely diners ________. Other restaurants have created special single-friendly meal deals with ________ portion sizes.

Since opening last year, 23 Seats has seen a(n) ________ in its business. It's now one of the Chinese capital's highest-rated restaurants on Dianping.

“At the moment, half of our diners come here alone, while... many of the group customers will ________ later by themselves, “says Sun. “It’ll take time for most Chinese to accept the idea of eating alone.”

The solo dining revolution is spreading ________ too. Du Yusang is.one of a growing number of social media stirs sharing videos of herself eating alone on the popular streaming platform Bilibili. Each weekend, the 23-year-old cooks lavish meals for herself and posts the results for her 68,000 followers. For her, the vlogs are a way to help her fans understand it’s ________ to live well while living alone.

1.

A．customers

B．businesses

C．advertisers

D．banks

2.

A．strengthening

B．presenting

C．softening

D．exchanging

3.

A．Previously

B．Constantly

C．Noticeably

D．Temporarily

4.

A．taking up

B．arranging for

C．planning on

D．putting off

5.

A．entertaining

B．socializing

C．exercising

D．refreshing

6.

A．expected

B．scheduled

C．proposed

D．promised

7.

A．reluctantly

B．cheerfully

C．simply

D．anxiously

8.

A．annoyed

B．sorry

C．desperate

D．uneasy

9.

A．adding up

B．dying out

C．catching on

D．moving in

10.

A．company

B．contact

C．focused

D．connected

11.

A．full

B．standard

C．overall

D．reduced

12.

A．investment

B．boom

C．decline

D．risk

13.

A．revisit

B．check

C．evaluate

D．inspect

14.

A．worldwide

B．online

C．rapidly

D．similarly

15.

A．important

B．valuable

C．possible

D．difficult

7 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

From baking pumpkin pie to celebrating the moon, here’s how autumn is celebrated across the globe.

Here in the U.K, we’re familiar with Harvest Festival, which celebrates a successful harvest and     1     (date) back to pagan(异教徒) times. The festivities typically involve seasonal decorations, singing, and more, but there are different versions around the world.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, is one of     2     (big) and most widely celebrated harvest festivals in the world. People from many Asian countries including China, Malaysia, and the Philippines, amongst others,     3     (mark) the day with festive celebrations. It is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar,     4     typically lands in September. The festival is celebrated as a public holiday, with schools and offices     5     (close) their doors so that families can gather and give thanks for the harvest and full moon. In China, food is used as another means     6     (celebrate) the moon. Mooncakes, Chinese pastries traditionally     7     (fill) with seed paste and egg yolk, are a key part of China’s Mid-Autumn Festival.

Oktoberfest(慕尼黑啤酒节)，    8     (originate) in Germany, is another major autumn celebration. It begins in September and runs for about two weeks, featuring traditional Bavarian food, music, clothing, and most importantly, lots of beer!

There are also several cultural and religious events that occur throughout October and November.     9     (experience) multicultural autumn, try celebrating Dia de Los Muertos(亡灵节) on November 1 and 2—a Mexican celebration that honors the lives of    10     who have passed away with the food, drinks and activities that those loved ones enjoyed when they were alive.

8 . 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. double          B. intense          C. pressures       D. stock          E. agriculture       F. trapped G. withdrawal     H. availability   I. drive             J. expanding     K. rising

Throughout history, people have fought bitter wars over political ideology, national sovereignty and religious expression. How much more     1     will these conflicts be when people fight over the Earth’s most indispensable resource water? We may find out in the not-too-distant future if projections about the     2     of water in the Middle East and other regions prove correct.

Less than three percent of the planet’s     3     is fresh water, and almost two-thirds of this amount is     4     in ice caps, glaciers, and underground aquifers too deep or too remote to access. In her book, Pillars of Sand-Can the Irrigation Miracle Last, Sandra Postel outlines three forces that     5     tension and conflict over freshwater. Using up the water “resource pie”. In India, the world’s second-most populous nation, with over 1 billion inhabitants, the rate of groundwater     6     is twice that of recharge, a deficit higher than in any other country. Although water is a renewable resource, it is not a(n)     7     one. The freshwater available today for more than 6 billion people is no greater than it was 2,000 years ago, when global population was approximately 200 million. (The current U.S. population is 287 million.)

Global     8     accounts for about 70% of all freshwater use. In five of the world’s most water-stressed, controversial areas the Aral Sea region, the Ganges, the Jordan, the Nileland and Tigris-Euphrates population increases of up to 75% are projected by 2025. With the fastest rate of growth in the world, the population of Palestinian territory will more than     9     over the next generation. Most experts agree that, because of geography, population     10     and politics, water wars are most likely to break out in the Middle East, a region where the amount of available freshwater per capita will decrease by about 50% over the next generation.

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. disorder              B. influencing              C. escalates               D. reset                    E. satisfaction F. fruitless              G. refreshed              H. coincidence              I. functions              J. powerful K. recommended

The best thing you can do for your health: sleep well

Do you think you got enough sleep this past week? Can you remember the last time you woke up without an alarm clock, feeling     1    , not needing caffeine? If the answer to any of these questions is “no,” you are not alone. Two-thirds of adults throughout all developed nations fail to obtain the     2     eight hours of nightly sleep.

Insufficient sleep is now one of the most significant lifestyle factors     3     whether or not you will develop Alzheimer’s disease. During sleep, a remarkable sewage system in the brain, called the glymphatic system,     4     at its peak. As you enter deep sleep, this sanitization system clears the brain of a sticky, poisonous protein linked to Alzheimer’s, known as beta amyloid(淀粉样蛋白). Without sufficient sleep, you fail to get that power clean. With each passing night of insufficient sleep, that Alzheimer’s disease risk     5    , like compounding interest on a loan.

Perhaps you have also noticed a desire to eat more when you’re tired? This is no     6    . Too little sleep swells concentrations of a hormone that makes you feel hungry while checking a companion hormone that otherwise signals food     7    . Full as you are, you will still want to eat more. It’s a recipe linked to weight gain in sleep-deficient adults and children alike.

Worse, should you try to diet but don’t get enough sleep while doing so, it is     8    , since up to 70% of the weight you lose will come from lean body mass, not fat. Turn these facts around and you realize that plentiful sleep is a     9     tool for controlling your appetite, your weight and keeping your body in shape.

Put simply: sleep – a consistent seven- to nine-hour opportunity each night – is the single most effective thing we can do to     10     our brain and body health each day, and the reason why I strongly suggest and respect sleep scientifically and personally.

10 . Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word. For the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Barry Jenkins: ‘When you climb the ladder, you send it back down’

“So, you saw the film?” Barry Jenkins is eager to ask the minute we are introduced. He gives good eye contact through those stylish thick-rimmed glasses – not the big-time, Oscar-winning writer-director speaking, but a nervous artist, anxious     1     the new work he is starting to screen. I love it, I tell him. If Beale Street Could Talk may be only Jenkins’ third feature-length film,     2     it has already been nominated for three Oscars (best adapted screenplay, best supporting actress, best score), just two years     3     his Moonlight walked away with the Academy Award for best film. A passionate film about race and love, it’s an     4     (add) pleasure to see black characters of such complexity on the big screen.

Adapted from James Baldwin’s 1974 novel, Beale Street tells the story in which the personal experiences of a young black couple     5     (interweave) with the big picture in 1970s Harlem. When Tish (KiKi Layne) becomes pregnant, they plan to marry – until her fiancé Fonny (Stephan James) is set up by a racist police officer for a rape he did not commit. The film explores the different reactions of their siblings (兄弟姐妹) and parents, led by Regina King in a standout performance as Tish’s mother, as they fight for Fonny’s freedom.

Baldwin has been dead for 30 years, but his depiction of the fight against a country’s powerful prejudice is a sad reminder     6     not enough has changed. Yet Jenkins turns a bleak story into a fascinating romance, as the young lovers strive     7     (regard) as human beings. With its lingering, saturated-colour photography – the director has cited Wong Kar-Wai’s In The Mood For Love as an influence – Beale Street is one of     8     (visually-arresting) films I’ve seen.

Beale Street     9     (film) on location in New York and the Dominican Republic – filling in for Puerto Rico, still devastated by 2017’s Hurricane Maria. It was shot on an Arri Alexa 65 camera. Throughout the film, as he did in Moonlight, the director lingers over often wordless scenes between his characters,     10     (present) them as a series of moving photographs.