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. advocates       B. inevitable       C. invest       D. movement       E. placed       F. pointless G. present       H. pressure       I. progress       J. recruiting       K. through

Bright Future for Girls

Worldwide, 130 million girls are out of school. At the United Nations two years ago, leaders promised to ensure every girl receives 12 years of education by 2030, but contributions from donor countries have declined. Some days are hard—but I refuse to believe the world will always be as it is;     1     is happening.

At the Malala Fund, we are investing in educators in developing countries. These     2     understand the challenges girls face in their communities—child marriage, poverty, conflicts and wars—and are best     3     to develop solutions. In Afghanistan, they are     4     female teachers to work in rural schools. In Nigeria, they are running clubs to help girls resist family     5     to drop out and marry as young as 13 years old. In Lebanon, they are developing e-learning programs to teach STEM skills to Syrian refugee girls. I believe we can see every girl in school in my lifetime.

I believe in girls like Najlaa, who are leading the fight for themselves and their sisters. I believe in the millions of people who support our     6     . Earliest this year, someone asked me, “After everything you've been     7     and everything you've seen, how do you keep yourself from being hopeless?” After talking for a moment about all the things to be grateful for in my own life, I said, “I think it's     8     to be hopeless. If you are hopeless, you waste your     9     and your future.” If we want a brighter future—for them and for ourselves—we must     10     in girls today.

2 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct.

Pedigree Matters Less

The Exciting Offer, a reality show     1     is now well into its second season, has gained in popularity recently because it vividly portrays     2     new college graduates compete for their dream job.

Two participants in particular have attracted a great deal of attention: Wang Xiao, who graduated with a master’s degree in law from Stanford University, and Ding Hui, who     3    (not start) his law studies East China University of Political Science and Law until he turned 25.

Many Viewers imagined that Wang     4     (have) a big advantage over his opponents because of his outstanding educational qualifications. However, Wang turned out to be impatient with his fellow interns, often     5     (interrupt) them when they were sharing their opinions. Ding, on the other hand, presented determination and the attitude of a life-long learner.

You     6     be wondering, “Shouldn’t the student at the ‘better’ university automatically be the better learner and the better intern?”

Well, I hate to rain on your parade (泼冷水),    7     being able to go to a top university is nothing more than a testament to one’s hard work at a certain stage in his or her life. It does not automatically transform them into a better, smarter person     8     their making continuous efforts. Even top university graduates should always keep on working instead of resting on their laurels (不思进取).

More importantly, no amount of prestige can make up for being an arrogant know-it-all.     9    , many Harvard or Peking University degrees you hold, if you do not have regard     10     other people, you won’t earn respect from them in return.

In a word, respect is earned by becoming a worthy role model for others rather than through an excellent pedigree (历史).

3 . 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.

For vanity or medical necessity? To enhance or to correct? Clients or patients? Plastic surgery has traditionally been divided into two separate camps: the cosmetic and the reconstructive.

Cosmetic procedures are broadly about the quest for beauty,    1     reconstructive ones restore functions lost or impaired. The two may share history, expertise and technology, but when it comes to our attitudes toward going under the knife, the dichotomy matters.

Netflix's new reality show "Skin Decision: Before and After" demonstrates, however, the distinction     2     what is considered cosmetic and reconstructive isn't always so clear.

Across the first season's eight episodes, Dr. Sheila Nazarian and nurse Jamie Sherrill consult patients     3     (carry) the scars, irregularities and deformities of personal trauma. Some have suffered violent attacks or road accidents;     4     bear painful reminders of lifelong acne or the physical damage of alcoholism.

But it could be argued that all of the participants stand to gain psychologically from undergoing some form of surgical or non-surgical cosmetic procedure,     5     it isn't strictly necessary. Using their field's latest technologies, Nazarian and Sherrill eliminate scar tissue, smooth damaged skin and restore patients' smiles (quite literally in the case of one man,     6     facial injuries caused pain every time he smiled).

They use tucks, fillers and lasers - treatments that are, on paper, cosmetic rather than reconstructive. Yet, their patients aren't searching for perfection.

Unlike other plastic surgery reality shows, which routinely document wealthy participants' efforts to remove wrinkles, enlarge breasts or lift buttocks, those appearing on "Skin Decision" often just want to return to their former selves. As a patient with large amounts excess skin, following a dramatic weight loss,     7     (explain) in one episode: "I don't have to look like Barbie. I just want to look normal."

Few participants better exemplify surgery's potential to transform people's lives than Katrina Goodwin, who appeared on the show following a horrific 2017 attack in which she was shot nine times by her then-husband, who went on     8     (kill) the pair's two young daughters. Nazarian and Sherrill helped to remove scar tissue on Goodwin's abdomen, reconstruct cavernous bullet wounds and remove a tattoo bearing her ex-husband's name     9    (use) advanced laser equipment.

"Every time I took a shower I was reminded (of the tragedy)," she said. "Now, when I take a shower I'm reminded ... that this is phase two. This is my new beginning.

"Before appearing on the show, I didn't realize how defeated I was - defeated in my whole body language," she added. "Now friends and family say, 'You walk taller, you walk prouder, you seem happier.' So it was a transformation, and a way for me to reclaim     10     and feel complete, like a normal woman."

4 . Apple on Tuesday said its revenue fell 5 percent in the first quarter, compared with $ 88.3 billion a year earlier, as chief executive Tim Cook admitted that people are holding on to their iPhones longer.

Revenue from the maker of iPhones came in at $ 84.31 billion, slightly higher than the company estimated earlier this month, when it warned that sales would fall to about $84 billion. At the time, Cook cited a slowdown in China's economy as well as President Trump's trade war for weakening iPhone demand. It was Apple's first warning in more than 15 years.

Apple's stock jumped more than 4 percent in after-hours trading.

In its results, Apple aid net sales of iPhones were down by more than $9 billion compared with the same quarter last year. Cook conceded that many Apple users are "holding on to their older iPhones a bit longer than in the past," which contributed to lower iPhone demand. But he also pointed to shifts in foreign exchange (外汇) values that made Apple products more expensive in certain markets.

Consumers are holding on to their smart-phones for three years or longer. The Washington Post reported last month. But higher selling prices - with some high-end models costing over $1,000 - have been able to compensate for fewer new phones sold.

Sales increased in other categories such as services, wearables and tablets. Altogether, Apple reported net income of $ 19.97 billion for the quarter compared to $ 20,01 billion in the same period a year earlier. The popularity of Apple's smart-watch has driven significant growth in the company's wearables segment, according to the company.

"Our wearables business is approaching the size of a Fortune 200 company," said chief financial officer Luca Maestri.

While Cook acknowledged the continuing economic slowdown in China, he said it is "not in our DNA to stand around waiting for macroeconomic conditions to improve." One effort Apple is undertaking in response, Cook added, is to encourage customers to trade in their old devices and receive credit toward purchasing new phones. Apple offered deep discounts on its iPhone XR around the holidays, for instance, for people trading in recent devices.

More than two-thirds of Apple customers in China who bought an iPad or a Mac last quarter were first-time purchasers of those devices, Cook said.

Apple, which became the world's first company worth $1 trillion (万亿) last year, also said it is expecting lower revenues next quarter - between $ 55 billion and $ 59 billion - compared with the same time last year, when it reported revenues of % 61.6 billion. The company attributed the lower guidance to the same foreign exchange and macroeconomic factors it cited for the quarter that ended in December.

Shareholders were already reeling from (感受到……的负面影响) Apple's acknowledgement this week of a major flaw in its mobile operating system that allowed attackers to eavesdrop (窃听) on the recipient of Face-Time calls. Apple told users it is aware of the issue and that it plans to release a software update this week.

Tuesday marked the first of Apple's earnings reports in which the company did not report the number of iPhones it sold in the quarter. But the company did say that the total number of iPhones active world-wide now stands at 900 million - a positive sign for Apple as it seeks to convert many of its customers into users of its services such as Apple Pay and Apple Music.

1. According to Tim Cook, all of the following accounted for weakening iPhone demand EXCEPT ________.

A．Apple users keep their Apple devices longer than before

B．the macroeconomic conditions home and abroad were not ideal

C．the changing foreign exchange values

D．a major bug in its mobile operating system

2. What can we learn from the underlined sentence?

A．Apple is about to take the initiative to turn around its business.

B．Apple is not good at dealing with macroeconomic conditions in a foreign country.

C．Apple is not worried about China's economic slowdown because of its huge consumer base.

D．Apple is sure of overcoming the temporary downturn in sales with its technology.

3. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A．One of Apple's goals is that its services can appeal to more consumers.

B．On Tuesday, Apple didn't publicize its earnings reports because of its poor performance.

C．Apple's wearables category has a good chance of surpassing a Fortune 200 company.

D．iPhone's increased prices contribute to the drop in iPhones sold worldwide.

4. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Apple has sold 900 million iPhones around the world.

B．Apple was the world's most valuable company at one point last year.

C．Tim Cook was confident about Apple's future revenues despite current difficulty.

D．An increasing number of users began to dislike their Apple devices.

5 . Like many schools worldwide, the pandemic forced Safe Passage to address an issue it’s been debating for years: how to best integrate (使……完整，使……整体) online or remote learning into its education plans.     1     But the area’s lack of internet access, as well as security concerns like theft, make distributing technology for students to learn at home a daunting (令人怯步的) task.

Holland says students will be at a disadvantage in today’s workplace if they don’t have access to digital tools.     2    

“Blended learning is a combination between technology and face-to-face classroom learning,” says Holland. “It’s not a bolt-on solution. If you see technology as this cool thing you just bolt on to an existing curriculum, you are in big trouble.”

Jean-Francois agrees.

“A lot of grants will include purchasing laptops or tablets. But education is a lot more complex,” she says. “    3     We can’t just assume that if we give them a tablet and instructions, they are going to know how to use it, and we shouldn’t expect they are going to know how to effectively teach children with it.”

    4     But Johnson, the Rotarian who helps clubs design education grants, cautions against moving too quickly to “reinvent education.”

“We need to figure it out, but figure it out one step at a time,” says Johnson. “You have to know what people are able to accept and use — cognitively, socially, and emotionally. Determine that, then move forward.”

A．Most remote learning involves technology like tablets.

B．The Rotary clubs raise money to buy tablets and pack the items for delivery.

C．With the unpredictability of the pandemic, many schools will be making the same kind of decisions in the coming year.

D．At the same time, students benefit most when technology is integrated into the entire curriculum, not just provided through a mass distribution of laptops.

E．We need to use this time and lean into developing teachers in new ways we haven’t thought of before.

F．Students have formed small groups to share smartphones with others who don’t have one.

6 . “Is data the new oil?” asked advocates of big data back in 2012 in Forbes magazine. By 2016, with the rise of big data’s fast-growing cousin deep learning, we had become more certain: “Data is the new oil,” stated Fortune magazine.

Amazon’s Neil Lawrence has a slightly different comparison: Data is coal. Not coal today, though, but coal in the early days of the 18th century, when Thomas Newcomen invented the steam engine. Newcomen built his device to pump water out of the southwest’s rich tin (锡) mines.

The problem, as Lawrence said, was that the pump was rather more useful to those who had a lot of coal than those who didn’t: it was good, but not good enough to be able to buy enough coal in to run it. That was so true that the first of Newcomen’s steam engines wasn’t built in a tin mine, but in coal works near Dudley.

So why is data coal? The problem is similar: there are a lot of Newcomen in the world of deep learning. New companies are coming up with revolutionary new ways to train machines to do impressive tasks, from reconstructing facial data from images to learning the writing style of an individual user to better predict which word they are going to type in a sentence. And yet, like Newcomen, their innovations are so much more useful to the people who actually have large amounts of raw material to work from.

But there is an ending to the story: 69 years later, James Watt made a nice change to the Newcomen steam engine, adding a condenser (冷凝器) to the design. That change, Lawrence said, “made the steam engine much more efficient, and that’s what triggered the industrial revolution.”

Whether data is oil or coal, then, there’s another way the comparison holds up: a lot of work is going into trying to make sure we can do more, with less.

“If you look at all the areas where deep learning is successful, they’re all areas where there’s lots of data,” points out Lawrence. That’s great if you want to classify images of cats, but less helpful if you want to use deep learning to diagnose rare illnesses. “It’s generally considered unacceptable to force people to become sick in order to acquire data.”

It’s not as impressive as teaching a computer to play a game better than any human alive, but “data efficiency” is a vital step if deep learning is to move away from simply taking in large amounts of data and giving out the best correlations (关联) possible.

1. The first of Newcomen’s steam engines wasn’t built in a tin mine because________.

A．its operation required a lot of coal	B．it would lose its function in a tin mine
C．it was in greater demand in coal works	D．the rich mines required more advanced aids

2. According to the passage, in which situation is deep learning the least successful?

A．Reconstructing facial data.	B．Predicting a word in a sentence.
C．Classifying images of cats.	D．Diagnosing rare diseases.

3. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Watt’s condenser helped the steam engine consume less coal.

B．Data involving patients is often collected through immoral ways.

C．Teaching machines to learn is a vital step towards data efficiency.

D．Thomas Newcomen’s steam engine had revolutionary applications.

4. Neil Lawrence compared data to coal to indicate that________.

A．acquiring data is as complex as mining for coal

B．a change is required to make more out of less data

C．data is the new fuel to start an information revolution

D．a larger amount of data is needed to accomplish something

7 . Anne of Green Gables (1985)

Lucy Maud Montgomery’s novel Anne of Green Gables, previously filmed in 1934, was afforded a TV-movie treatment in 1985. Anne Shirley is an orphan girl sent to live with a foster family on Canada’s Prince Edward Island. Though she has great difficulty controlling her temper and vivid imagination, Anne eventually wins over her new guardians, bossy Marilla Cuthbert and Mailla’s shy brother Mathew. Anne’s journey is a happy one, but starts out difficult like those of many children adopted at an older age.

Martian Child (2007)

Martian Child tells the story of a widower, David, and his continuation of the adoption process he had started before his wife’s death. His new son, Dennis, believes that he is a Martian. David must contend with this belief and gain access into Dennis’s world. Both characters are born outsiders and they recognize their common sense of loss. Martian Child is a wonderful story for any adopted child, especially those who have created their own origin story to cope with the absence of their birth family.

Despicable Me (2010)

Despicable Me is championed for showing kids how much their presence impacts the lives of their adoptive parents. Gru is a super-bad guy until he meets orphans Margo, Edith and Agnes. They overturned his life and his evil plans as they work to warm his heart and home. Despicable Me is a funny kid movie on the surface, but truly has a lot to say about the love of a child and the effect of that love on their new parents and home.

Annie (2014)

In this remake of one of the most-beloved adoption stories, Annie’s positive attitude shines in the midst of incompetent social workers and greedy foster parents. The songs are cheerful and catchy and the film is happy. While this film could be very challenging for children who have experienced destructive placements, it is generally family-friendly. It also gets points for allowing Annie to exemplify several of the strengths of foster kids: hopeful, brave, tough and smart.

1. The films all deal with the theme of________.

A．family conflict

B．parenting

C．adoption

D．child care

2. Which films are successful remakes of the originals?

A．Annie & Despicable Me	B．Annie & Anne of Green Gables
C．Martian Child & Anne of Green Gables	D．Despicable Me & Martian Child

3. Which of the following is NOT TRUE about the films mentioned in the passage?

A．Optimism sees Annie through her bad times.

B．David tries hard to help Dennis cope with his new life.

C．The films all have happy endings despite early difficulties.

D．Despicable Me illustrates the power of love in a serious way.

8 . 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.

9 . How does VR work? How does wearable tech make you think you’re standing on Mars when you’re actually about to bump into the kitchen counter? We’ll be explaining how virtual reality headsets work here.

Let’s start with some basics.

The headset set-up is being used by Oculus, Sony, HTC, Samsung and Google, and usually requires three things. A PC, console or smartphone to run the app or game, a headset which secures a display in front of your eyes (which could be the phone’s display) and some kind of input-head tracking, controllers, hand tracking, voice, on-device buttons or trackpads.

Total immersion is what everyone making a VR headset, game or app is aiming towards— making the virtual reality experience so real that we forget the computer, headgear and accessories and act exactly as we would in the real world. So how do we get there?

VR headsets like Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR are often referred to as HMDs and all that means is that they are head mounted displays. Even with no audio or hand tracking, holding up Google Cardboard to place your smartphone’s display in front of your face can be enough to get you half-immersed in a virtual world.

The goal of the hardware is to create what appears to be a life size, 3D virtual environment without the boundaries we usually associate with TV or computer screens. So whichever way you look, the screen mounted to your face follows you. This is unlike AR which overlays graphics onto your view of the real world.

Video is sent from the console or computer to the headset via a HDMI cable in the case of headsets such as HTC’s Vive and the Rift. For Google’s Daydream headset and the Samsung Gear VR, it’s already on the smartphone slotted into the headset.

VR headsets use either two feeds sent to one display or two LCD displays, one per eye. There are also lenses which are placed between your eyes and the pixels which is why the devices are often called goggles. In some instances, these can be adjusted to match the distance between your eyes which varies from person to person.
1. The VR headset set-up calls for the following items except _________.

A．a game

B．a headset

C．a PC

D．a smart phone or console

2. The underlined word “immersion” means _________.

A．one invades another world which is quite different

B．one is exposed to a virtual world as realistic as the real world

C．one travels in a strange foreign country

D．one is absorbed in the advanced technology of the headset

3. What is Oculus Rift?

A．VR headsets.

B．VR app.

C．VR smart phones.

D．VR lens.

4. What does VR aim to achieve?

A．To overlay graphics onto your view of the real world.

B．To create an environment that appears to be a life-size and 3D virtual.

C．To generate a situation that is similar to TV or computer screens.

D．To introduce an environment that enables one to live in a different world.

10 . The TheatreWorks Writers’ Lab:

a development space for worldwide writers

24-HOUR WRITING COMPETITION

A programme of TheatreWorks Writer’s Lab

LET YOUR IDEAS SPARK

5 Stimuli

24 Hours

1 script

Are you up for it? Anyone can discover a new you through the competition!

The 24-hour writing competition organized by TheatreWorks Writers’ Lab is back for its 9th year!(Held at the peaceful seaside resort, Aloha Changi, the challenge is on again to stimulate one’s heart and mind to produce a script within 24 hours.)

TheatreWorks Writers’ Lab has for the past 16 years discovered and nurtured new talent, and provided research and development opportunities for existing writers.

Dates: Thu 29 July (4 pm) to Fri 30 July(4pm) 2010

Venue: Aloha Chanji

Competition Categories     Prizes for each category

Youth Category 1st Prize: $800

15 to 18 years 2nd Prize: $500

Open Category 3rd Prize: $200

19 years and above Merit Prize: $100

Registration Fee Registration Deadline

Youth-$25   15 July 2016

Open-$25     Limited to 100 places

Visit www.theatreworks.org for a registration form.

1. The underlined word “nurtured” probably means _________.

A．discovered

B．provided

C．emphasized

D．cultivated

2. This event has been held for _________ years.

A．5

B．8

C．16

D．24

3. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．The event was held by TheatreWorks Writers’ Lab.

B．The highest prize is $800.

C．The competition is limited to existing writers.

D．The registration forms can be downloaded online.