1 . Gone are the days when a mother’s place was in the home: in Britain women with children are now as likely to be in paid work as their unburdened sisters. Many put their little darlings in day care long before they start school. Mindful that a poor start can spoil a person’s chances of success later in life, the state has intervened ever more closely in how babies and toddlers are looked after. Inspectors call not only at nurseries but also at homes where youngsters are minded; three-year-olds follow the national curriculum. Child care has increasingly become a profession.

For years after the government first began in 2001 to twist the arms of anyone who looked after an unrelated child to register with the schools, the numbers so doing fell. Kind but clueless neighbours stopped looking after little ones, who were instead herded into formal nurseries or handed over to one of the ever-fewer registered child-minders. The decline in the number of people taking in children now appears to have halted. According to data released by the Office for Standards in Education on October 27th, the number of registered child-minders reached its lowest point in September 2010 and has since recovered slightly.

The new lot are certainly better qualified. In 2010 fully 82% of nursery workers held diplomas notionally equivalent to A-levels, the university-entrance exams taken mostly by 18-year-olds, up from 56% seven years earlier, says Anand Shukla of the Daycare Trust, a charity. Nurseries staffed by university graduates tend to be rated highest by inspectors, increasing their appeal to the pickiest parents. As a result, more graduates are being recruited.

But professionalization has also pushed up the price of child care, defying even the economic depression. A survey by the Daycare Trust finds that a full-time nursery place in England for a child aged under two, who must be intensively supervised, costs £194 ($310) per week, on average. Prices in London and the south-east are far higher. Parents in Britain spend more on child care than anywhere else in the world, according to the OECD, a think-tank. Some 68% of a typical second earner's net income is spent on freeing her to work, compared with an OECD average of 52%.

The price of child care is not only eye-watering, but has also become a barrier to work. Soon after it took power the coalition government pledged to ensure that people are better off in work than on benefits, but a recent survey by Save the Children, a charity, found that the high cost of day care prevented a quarter of low-paid workers from returning to their jobs once they had started a family. The government pays for free part-time nursery places for three-and four-year-olds, and contributes towards day-care costs for younger children from poor areas. Alas, extending such an aid during stressful economic times would appear to be anything but child’s play.

1. Which of the following is true according to the first paragraph?

A．Nursery education plays a leading role in one’s personal growth.

B．Pregnant women have to work to lighten families’ economic burden.

C．Children in nursery have to take uniform nation courses.

D．The supervision of the state makes child care professional.

2. It can be learned from Paragraph 2 and 3 that ___________.

A．the registered child-minders are required to take the university-entrance exams

B．the number of registered child-minders has been declining since 2001

C．anyone who looks after children at home must register with the schools

D．the growing recognition encourages more graduates to work as child-minders

3. The high price of child care __________.

A．prevents mothers from getting employed

B．may further depress the national economy

C．makes many families live on benefits

D．is far more than parents can afford

4. What is the author’s attitude towards the professionalization of child care?

A．Objective.

B．Skeptical.

C．Supportive.

D．Biased.

5. Which of the following would be the subject of the text?

A．The professionalization of child care has pushed up its price.

B．The high cost of child nursing makes many mothers give up their jobs.

C．The employment of more graduates makes nurseries more popular.

D．Parents in Britain pay most for child nursing throughout the world.

2 . 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.

3 . An interesting question in humankind’s development is, when did we begin to think critically? In other words, when did we turn from animals focused only on the daily struggle to avoid starvation to humans who could think symbolically about the word around us? However, answering this question is not easy as thinking leaves no fossils to discover.

A commonsense assumption is that higher levels of thought go hand-in-hand with verbal language, because higher thinking, such as creative thought, would naturally seek a means of expression. So tracing the development of language could give an approximate idea of when humans began to think critically.

Interestingly, we do have some fossil evidence related to speech. Animals whose larynx (voice box) is placed high in their throats are unable to produce the variety of sounds necessary for speech. Fossil bones tell us that in early humans, the larynx was originally high in the throat. However, by about 200,000 years ago, it had moved lower in the throat. This lowering provided a larger sound chamber (the space in the throat and the mouth) in which passing air could be controlled by the tongue, making a wide range of sounds and rhythms possible.

So humans were physically able to speak around 200,000 years ago, but when did they actually start doing so? Estimates range from 35,000 to 100,000 years ago. But with no physical evidence of ancient language use, we need another approach to determine more precisely when humans began to speak - and to think critically.

Professor Richard Klein of Stanford University suggests that art may be the key. After all, ability to create or appreciate art is a uniquely human train. If ancient humans had the imagination to create a work of art (which in itself is a means of communication), then it seems highly likely that they would possess the primary means of communication: language. This suggests that the first works of art can be considered indicators of when language and critical though began.

Until recently the earliest art was believed to be cave paintings, carved figures, and jewelry found in southwestern Europe and thought to data from about 40,000 years ago. This suggested that humans first became capable of critical thought about 40,000 years ago. However, this time frame was recently overturned by an exciting discovery in South Africa. Anthropologist Christ Henshilwood spent more than ten years exploring a cave there. He found many well-made tools, but more intriguing were the 8,000 pieces of ochre, a soft stone that can be turned into paint. Hensilwood’s breakthrough came in 1999 when he found an ochre piece with lines cut in a careful pattern. In other words, it was deliberate artistic design. Henshilwood had found the oldest piece of art yet, its date of origin set at 70,000 years — nearly 30,000 years before the art in Europe.

Based on Henshilwood’s discovery, it seems that humans began to speak and think critically at least 70,000 years ago.

1. ______ made humans physically able to speak.

A．The evolution of the tongue

B．The lowering of the larynx

C．The appearance of various sounds

D．The higher thinking

2. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．No other animals than humans can enjoy art.

B．Before 1999, Africa was thought to be the origin of art.

C．Without creative though, humans would be unable to speak.

D．Evidence of ancient language use was once found in Europe.

3. According to the passage, the oldest deliberate artistic design dates back to ______ years ago.

A．30,000

B．40,000

C．70,000

D．200,000

4. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

A．How did humans stop struggling for starvation?

B．When did humans become able to create art?

C．How did humans communicate more freely?

D．When did humans begin to think?

4 . 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).

5 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.

A．She asked classmates for advice.	B．She made use of online courses.
C．She took some short university courses.	D．She majored in film making.

2.

A．Because they are important but neglected.

B．Because she majors in environment at university.

C．Because they will definitely attract more followers.

D．Because she is dissatisfied with the previous videos.

3.

A．Guilty.	B．Surprised.
C．Inspired.	D．Disappointed.

4.

A．It’s advisable to keep a low key online.

B．A successful vlogger must be knowledgeable.

C．New ideas help arouse interest among viewers.

D．Updating frequency is the most important to keep viewers.

6 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.

A．Exhibition.	B．Facilities.
C．Entertainment.	D．Films.

2.

A．It’s meaningful but no fun.

B．It’s entertaining and instructive.

C．It’s innovative and well-received.

D．It’s informative but has its limitation.

3.

A．A film review on zoos.

B．A report about a film release.

C．A survey on zoological facilities.

D．A documentary about endangered species.

7 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.

A．They are both worried about the negative impact of technology.

B．They differ greatly in their knowledge of modern technology.

C．They disagree about the future of AI technology.

D．They work in different fields of AI technology.

2.

A．Stimulating and motivating.

B．Simply writing AI software.

C．More demanding and requiring special training.

D．Less time-consuming and focusing on creation.

3.

A．There could be jobs nobody wants to do.

B．Digital life could replace human civilization.

C．Humans would be tired of communicating with one another.

D．Old people would be taken care of solely by unfeeling robots.

4.

A．It will be smarter than human beings.

B．Chips will be inserted in human brains.

C．It will take away humans’ jobs altogether.

D．Life will become like a science fiction film.

8 . The Best Language for Math

What’s the best language for learning math? Hint: You’re not reading it.

Chinese, Japanese and Korean use simpler number words and express math concepts more clearly than English. The language gap is drawing growing attention as confusing English number words have been linked in several studies to weaker counting and arithmetic skill in children in English-speaking countries.

    1     Among the researchers are Karen Fuson, a professor in the School of Education at Northwestern University, and Li Yeping, an expert on Chinese math education at Texas A&M University.

Chinese has just nine number words, while English has more than two dozen. The trouble starts at “11”. English has a unique word for the number, while Chinese (as well as Japanese and Korean, among other languages) have words that can be translated as “ten-one” – spoken with the “ten” first.     2    

English number words over 10 don’t as clearly label place values. Number words for the teens reverse the order of the ones and “teens”, making it easy for children to confuse, say, 17 with 71. As a result, children working with English number words have a harder time doing multi-digit addition and subtraction (减法)     3    

It also feels more natural for Chinese speakers than for English speakers to use the “make-a-ten” addition and subtraction strategy. When adding two numbers, students break down the numbers into parts and regroup them into tens and ones. For instance, 9 plus 5 becomes 9 plus 1 plus 4.     4    Many teachers in America have increased instruction in the make-a-ten method and called for first-graders to use it to add and subtract.

Now, you should feel lucky that you are learning math in China. Thanks to your mother tongue, all math problems just come less confusing and difficult to you!

A．So it’s not easy for English speakers to label place values clearly.

B．The additional mental steps needed to solve problems cause more errors.

C．Differences between Chinese and English, in particular, have been studied for decades.

D．This method is a powerful tool for solving more advanced multi-digit addition and subtraction problems.

E．Different languages indicate different ways of thinking, causing people to solve math problems differently.

F．That makes it easier for children to understand the place value as well as making it clear that the number system is based on units of 10.

9 . One of the roles of the Nobel Prize for literature is to shine a light on someone who has been less visible than they deserve. That role was _______ this year in the announcement of Abdulrazak Gurnah as winner.

Unlike previous popular recipients living in Britain, he is not a _______. He could, as he said after the announcement, have reached more readers, but his publications _______ to grant him that. His publisher felt sorry for the fact that he “is one of the greatest living African writers; yet no one has ever _______ him,” but with this he did not agree: “I didn’t think I was ignored.”

There is a(n) _______ , here, that has to do with who is doing the looking, and what counts as officially being noticed. There is also a point of _______: calling Gurnah an African writer. In fact, while that seems to broaden horizons, it narrows and distances what he is doing. Gurnah was born in Zanzibar, and left for Britain when he was 18, _______ regional conflicts for what he hoped would be calmer waters, which turned out to be stronger dark current. He has lived in Britain ever since.

He began and stuck to writing to _______, to himself, of the shock -- of racism, rejection, poverty and loneliness. His ten novels return to it _______, which begins in 1996’s Admiring Silence. His work exists because of Britain as well as Zanzibar; it may ________ both or wholly neither. It arrives out of a(n) ________ of English literature (Gurnah is professor of literature at the University of Kent), and his first language, the rhythms and stories of Islam.

________, many of the UK's thirteen Nobel-winning writers were born elsewhere as by 2019, 14% of the UK’s population were born abroad. People might also be astonished at how many of those countries were once part of the British empire. Gurnah has spoken of how much of the world is still processing the wounds that colonialism ________, especially the experience of “losing your place in the world”-- where place is not just ________, but also belonging, status and culture.

In this sense, Gurnah’s work, which ________ those who might not have been remembered in history--shopkeeper, homemakers, students and refugees, could not be more British. But, more importantly, it could not be more universal.

1.

A．assumed

B．fulfilled

C．interpreted

D．handled

2.

A．household name

B．black horse

C．new face

D．walking dictionary

3.

A．demanded

B．tended

C．qualified

D．failed

4.

A．cast doubt on

B．shown sympathy for

C．taken any notice of

D．put trust in

5.

A．bridge

B．gulf

C．opposition

D．association

6.

A．illustration

B．definition

C．navigation

D．accusation

7.

A．prizing

B．initiating

C．fighting

D．escaping

8.

A．take care

B．take charge

C．make sense

D．make sure

9.

A．repeatedly

B．periodically

C．scarcely

D．accidentally

10.

A．bother with

B．contribute to

C．consist of

D．admit to

11.

A．spite

B．knowledge

C．empathy

D．necessity

12.

A．Obviously

B．Naturally

C．Consequently

D．Strikingly

13.

A．imposed

B．healed

C．received

D．examined

14.

A．psychological

B．geographical

C．ideological

D．demographical

15.

A．discounts

B．awards

C．spotlights

D．evaluates

10 . ● The human population has never been bigger, but in some ways the planet seems to be     1         2         3    . In the past, travelers from     4         5         6     spent months at sea. Now you just have to sit on a plane for a few hours. When you arrived in another country a hundred years ago, you saw     7         8         9     of clothing and buildings and discovered a     10         11         12     culture.（Fill in each blank with the missing words according to the text.）