1 . The Internet, E-commerce and globalization are making a new economic era possible. In the future, capitalist markets will largely be replaced by a new kind of economic system based on networked relationships, contractual (契约的) arrangements and access rights.

Has the quality of our lives at work, at home and in our communities increased in direct proportion (比例) to all the new Internet and business-to-business Internet services being introduced into our lives? I have asked this question of hundreds of CEOs and corporate executives in Europe and the United States. Surprisingly, virtually everyone has said, “No, quite contrary.” The very people responsible for showing in what some have called a “technological renaissance” say they are working longer hours, feel more stressed, are more impatient, and are even less civil (礼貌的) in their dealings with colleagues and friends—not to mention strangers. And what’s more revealing, they place much of the blame on the very same technologies they are so aggressively championing (捍卫).

We are told that access would make life more convenient and give us more time. Instead, the very technological wonders that were supposed to liberate us have begun to enslave us in a web of connections from which there seems to be no easy escape.

If an earlier generation was concerned about the goal to enclose a vast geographic frontier, the generation to come, it seems, is more caught up in the colonization (殖民) of time. Every spare moment of our time is being filled with some form of commercial connection, making time itself the scarcest of all resources. Our e-mail, voice mail and cell phones, our 24-hour Interact news and entertainment all seize for our attention.

While we have created every kind of labor-and-time-saving device to serve our needs, we are beginning to feel like we have less time available to us than any other humans in history. That is because the wide spread of labor-and-time-saving services only increases the diversity, pace and flow of common day activity around us. For example, e-mail is a great convenience. However, we now find ourselves spending much of our day anxiously responding to each other’s electronic messages. The cell phone is a great time-saver, except now we are always likely to reach someone else who wants our attention.

Social conservatives talk about the decline in civility and blame it on the loss of a morality and religious values. Has anyone bothered to ask whether the fast speed culture is making all of us less patient and less willing to listen, consider and reflect?

Maybe we need to ask what kinds of connections really count and what types of access really matter in the e-economy era. If this new technology revolution is only about efficiency, then we risk losing something even more precious than time—our sense of what it means to be a caring human being.

1. According to the passage, a large number of CEOs think that________.

A．technology has a great impact on their lives

B．technology should be aggressively championed

C．technology renaissance should be pushed forward

D．technology actually results in a decline in their life quality

2. What is the most valuable resource for the coming generation?

A．Time available.	B．Time saving devices.
C．Access to information.	D．Technological wonders.

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

A．Cell phones can save time as they help us reach those who want our attention.

B．Social conservatives blame the loss of morality on the decline in civility.

C．High efficiency is even more precious than being a caring human being.

D．It is difficult for us to avoid the influence of technology wonders.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．The New Internet Life	B．The Declining Quality of Life
C．The Disadvantages of Too Much Access	D．The Failure of Technological Renaissance

2 . There are times when murder is not committed because of cruelty. People may kill for other reasons such as anger, misunderstanding, and fear. Everyone has made mistakes because of such feeling. For society, it is a serious mistake to take the life of someone who has killed because it teaches everyone that forgiveness is unnecessary.

The government has the difficult job of deciding who is innocent and who is guilty, and this job can never be done perfectly. If capital punishment(死刑)is allowed, there always exists the possibility that an innocent person will be executed by mistake. When that happens, an even worse crime has been committed—the killing of an innocent person by the government. Then there is the fact that the poor and minorities get the death penalty more often than whites do. Furthermore, the idea that capital punishment stops criminals from committing murder is doubtful; studies have been unable to show that the fear of capital punishment stops someone from committing murder more than other punishments. And let us not forget that murdering the murderer is a violent act in itself; it is revenge(复仇).

The U.S. government once followed the example of Germany, Britain, France, and other nations that no longer execute their citizens-however, since 1977, our society has been allowing capital punishment again, at a high cost. We cannot imagine the pain of family members who have been waiting for years for the government’s decision to execute or not execute their loved ones. It also costs the taxpayer millions of dollars more to execute a criminal than to imprison that criminal for life. Prison is a better form of punishment because it protects society and punishes criminals by taking away their freedom.

People can change, even people who have made terrible mistakes. Life in prison gives people the chance to change. Caryl Chessman is an example of someone who became a better person in prison. He taught other prisoners how to read, and he wrote several books. Before his execution, he wrote that he had finally learned not to hate.

Chessman learned this important lesson in prison. But a dead man learns nothing, and an executed person will never change. When a government kills, it is murdering hope.

1. According to the passage, all the followings are the results of the capital punishment EXCEPT that________.

A．capital punishment doesn’t necessarily put an end to crimes

B．execution may cause an innocent person to die

C．the blacks get executed more often than the whites do

D．capital punishment may arouse a desire for revenge

2. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?

A．Execution will cause the pain of the criminal’s family members.

B．Life imprisonment is more expensive than execution.

C．Some murders are mistakes, caused by anger or fear.

D．America used to be among the nations which abandoned execution.

3. The writer uses the example of Caryl Chessman to prove that________.

A．everyone can become a better person in prison

B．everyone can make terrible mistakes

C．execution robs people of the chance to change

D．It is always a good thing to learn not to hate

4. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Not all people who kill are cruel.	B．Capital punishment is revenge.
C．Prison can sometimes improve a person.	D．Execution is not a better form of punishment.

3 . Beware of Phone/Online Scams(诈骗)

Have you been the victim of a phone/online seam? If you ever think that there’s really no reason to worry, just remember the following statistics.

—315,000 cases broken in 2015-2017 in China.

—More than billions of money involved.

—Victims of 19 years old top the list in terms of age.

—Victims of 18-25 years old account for 52.4% of the whole.

—……

And here in below we are sharing 4 typical types of Phone/Online scams and how to deal with them.

	Hello, this is XX police station, you're involved in a case of money laundering(洗钱)(or some other financial crime). We need your cooperation with the investigation……Please transfer your money into the national security account. Tip 1: If you are really involved in financial crime, police will visit your home at the first opportunity and take you for investigation. Police are not so dumb as to inform you via telephone. And there is no such thing as national security account.	Hey: Wang(he may know your name). Drop by my office tomorrow morning. BTW, I will be treating some VIP clients soon. I need you to transfer some money into this account. It will refund your money tomorrow. Tip 2: Think about it. How could any boss in the world ask you for money? Meeting VIP clients without a cent in his pocket? And why doesn't he ask you to give the money to him in person? He is nobody but a scam!
	You've got a package which contains illegal drugs or goods. You are now requested to call this number to contact the Public Security Bureau. (Then it all follows scenario预设). Tip 3: Public Security Bureau WILL NOT deal with cases via phone calls. NEITHER WILL they send out notification via message.	(In some cases the number is disguised as authentic bank number through software). We are sorry to inform you that you have a bank overdraft. Please contact this customer service representative. His number is XXXXXXXXXX. Tip 4: DO NOT panic. REMEMBER to dial the official contact number of the back to double check.

When receiving phone calls/emails from unidentified resources, please pay special attention if the conversation involves any of the following:

●bank cards

●lucky draw

●Transferred to government authorities, including but not limited to police, court/judge, etc.

●secured account

●refund related to online shopping

None of the above business will be carried out on phones or via emails/unofficial website links. So you may just treat them as spams.

Moreover, how to safeguard yourself?

●Never transfer money without face-to-face confirmation.

●Only do business online with those you know and trust or on the official website of the online retailer.

●Protect your personal information, including photo-ID numbers and copies, bank account and passwords.

●Don't trust website links in emails or text messages without verified sources.

●Never believe in Pie in the sky. If something is too good, it won't be true.

1. Which of the following statements is TRUE about the survey of Phone/Online seams?

A．Statistics imply it's unnecessary to worry about the situation.

B．The number of those who are cheated is on the rise.

C．Nearly one third of a million cases remain to be solved.

D．Comparatively speaking, young adults are harder-hit age groups.

2. You should be alert (警惕的) to the following cases EXCEPT________.

A．The police call to request your cooperation for a financial crime.

B．The boss asks you to transfer money to a VIP client via phone.

C．An unverified message informs you to collect a ¥500,000 prize.

D．The official website of an online retailer advertises for a business partner.

3. Where does this article most probably come from?

A．An email for college students.

B．A document for government authorities.

C．A law journal for E-business practitioners.

D．A security brochure for the public.

4 . 选用适当的单词或短语补全短文。

A. declined            B. eventually             C. flooded            D. handmade          E. producer          F. profit G. remained            H. ruler                    I. share                    L. stressful            K. typically

In the early 19th century, Egypt connected two vast regions: the Ottoman Empire (奥斯曼帝国) and the African continent. For centuries, the Ottoman Empire had been at the center of Eurasian trade. It had also been a major center of manufacturing which produced     1     goods for Europe and Africa.

However, the industrialization of Europe meant that cheaper goods made by machines soon     2     into the Ottoman Empire. The result of this competition was that Africa was increasingly seen as a place that provided new materials for European factories, rather than one that had factories of its own.

Egypt was an African country that was technically part of the Ottoman Empire. It was first invaded by the French army. With British help, the Ottoman forces drove the French out of Egypt. Following this, Muhammad Ali successfully brought about Egyptian independence from the Ottoman Empire. By 1831, he was effectively an independent     3     of a more modern Egypt.

Egypt was already a small-scale     4     of cotton, which was sold to Britain. Ali encouraged even more cotton production nationwide. With the money from this cotton production, Ali’s government began to aid factories so that the country could     5     from its own industrialization. By the late 1840s, it looked like Egypt would     6     become an industrial power.

However, Egypt’s economy slowly     7     . The factories stopped production, and by the 1880s, it had to borrow money from Britain. Though Egypt     8     formally independent, it seemed to be more like a British colony(殖民地).

Europeans kept interfering in Egypt partly because of the Suez Canal(苏伊士运河). Egypt’s new leaders were already     9     because of the industrial collapse that left their country unable to repay the money borrowed from Britain. Finally, in 1875, the king sold his     10     in the Suez Canal Company to the British, giving them control of this important national resource. The powerful British took advantage of this instability and seized the country.

5 . Aaron Carter isn’t like other 12-year-olds. He doesn’t go to school, and he’s already got a job. He is a big pop star. A few years ago he started his singing with Crazy Little Party Girl, which became a hit at once. Now he goes around the world and his songs are in the tops.

Because he’s traveling around all the time Aaron doesn’t have to go to school, but don’t envy him too much — he still has to do lessons and homework. And he is good at learning.

“I have to fit my schoolwork around my singing,” he explains. “But I’m lucky because I have a private tutor who travels with me. I sometimes have to have lessons on a plane. That’s really interesting!”

Aaron’s favorite subject is math but he hates history. He knows clearly that having a good singing career doesn’t mean he can go without schoolwork.

“It would be easy to think that I don’t need to do well in exams, but that would be crazy,” he says. “It’s important to get my qualifications (资格) so that I have something to fall back on. Besides, it’s interesting to learn about other people and cultures.”

Aaron’s favorite type of music is rock ‘n’ roll. “The best thing about being a singer” he says, “is that you get to travel all around the world. But the worst thing is that you’re away from home so much that you don’t get to see your friends or family.”

1. According to the passage, we learn that Aaron Carter is________.

A．a composer

B．a successful singer

C．a history lover

D．a young businessman

2. Which of the following statements is True?

A．Aaron Carter doesn’t go to school because he likes singing better.

B．Aaron Carter has his own teacher.

C．Aaron likes math as well as history.

D．Aaron Carter likes traveling all around the world and dislikes seeing friends and family.

3. The underlined phrase “fall back on” in the fifth paragraph has the similar meaning as________.

A．check in

B．return to

C．depend on

D．decide on

6 . Yu Pengnian is an 88-year-old real estate Chinese businessman. He amassed a fortune of $1.3 billion dollars during his career but instead of keeping the money and living like an emperor, he decided to give it all away. All of his fortune will be spent on helping poor Chinese students get a better education.

And Yu isn’t the only super-rich person in China who has this spirit of giving. Chen Guangbiao, a Jiangsu recycling tycoon, has given millions of dollars to charity and promises to give all of his money to charity when he dies.

Yu and Chen are among the many businessmen who have become prosperous during China’s economic rise. An American business magazine, Forbes, estimates that there are 117 billionaires in China and hundreds of thousands of millionaires. What sets Yu and Chen apart from the rest, though, is their tremendous generosity when it comes to donating money to charity.

Last week Bill Gates and Warren Buffett came to Beijing. Gates and Buffett, two of the world’s richest men, are also the world’s biggest philanthropists. They invited fifty of China’s richest people to have dinner with them and talk about the spirit of giving. At first, only a few people accepted their invitation. It seemed some of the invited guests were afraid that Buffett and Gates were going to pressure them into giving their wealth to charity.

A lot of people are angry at the billionaires who are not willing to give away their fortunes. They criticize them for being miserly and not caring about the poor and the less fortunate. But I think this criticism is wrong. A gift, any gift, should come from the heart. Instead of criticism, these reluctant billionaires should be encouraged to follow the examples of Yu Pengnian and Chen Guangbiao. Encouragement is always a better strategy than criticism. As we say in English, “You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.”

1. He amassed a fortune of $1.3 billion dollars during his career… The word “amassed” means________.

A．stimulated

B．contemplated

C．immigrated

D．accumulated

2. Yu Pengnian will spend all of his fortune in ________

A．helping poor Chinese students get a better education

B．helping the students in earthquake-stricken area

C．helping his off-springs lead a rich life in the future

D．achieve his aim of living like an emperor

3. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．Yu Pengnian is the only super-rich person in China who has the spirit of giving.

B．Chen Guangbiao is a real estate Chinese businessman.

C．Yu and Chen become wealthy during the rise of China’s economy.

D．When Bill Gates and Warren Buffett invited fifty of China’s richest people to have dinner with them, they all felt honored and accepted their invitation at once.

4. What sets Yu and Chen apart from other rich people in China?

A．When it comes to charity work, they are very generous.

B．They had dinner with Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, talking about the spirit of giving.

C．They are pressured into giving their fortune to charity.

D．They are both businessmen.

5. According to passage, why does the author end the passage with the English saying “You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar”?

A．The author wants to tell us that flies prefer honey to vinegar.

B．The author wants to prove that encouragement is always a better strategy than criticism when it comes to charity.

C．The English saying expresses the main theme of the passage.

D．The author wants to criticize those billionaires who are not willing to give away their fortunes for being miserly and not caring about the poor and the less fortunate.

7 . 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. applies       B. casually       C. considered       D. customary       E. empty       F. fellow G. individual       H. literally       I. longevity       J. regards       K. related

Whether you’re ringing in Chinese New Year with a bottle of champagne, making a toast at a wedding, or     1     drinking baijiu, a popular type of Chinese alcohol with your friends, knowing a few Chinese toasts to say will always liven the mood. Here is a beginner’s guide to short Chinese toasts and other Chinese drinking culture tips. Ganbei,     2     translating into “dry your cup”, essentially means “cheers”. This phrase can either be a very casual toast or sometimes this toast is an indication for each person to     3     the glass in one gulp. If it is the latter case, this only     4     to men during the first round of drinks at the beginning of the night, and women are only expected to take a sip. Suiyi is the same as “at random” or “arbitrarily”. But with     5     to giving a toast, it also means “cheers”. This toast indicates you want each person to drink as he or she wishes. Wan shou wu jiang is a toast used to wish for     6     and health.

Now that you know what to say, how do you actually give a toast? When giving a toast in Chinese, raise your glass as you give the toast. Depending on where you are, your     7     drinkers will either raise their glasses and then drink, clink glasses and then drink, or tap the bottom of the glasses against the table and then drink. If you are giving a toast with a table full of people, it is not expected that anyone clink glasses. But there will be times when you find yourself clinking glasses with a(n)     8    . If that person is your superior, it is     9     that you touch the rim (边缘) of your glass below the rim of their glass. To exaggerate that you acknowledge this person’s higher status, touch the rim of your glass to the bottom of their glass. This custom is especially important when it comes to business meetings.

The host of the party or meeting will be the first to make the toast. It is     10     rude if anyone besides the host makes the first toast. The host will also give the last toast to indicate that the event is coming to an end. Now that you know how to give a Chinese toast, drink up and enjoy socializing!

8 . After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passages 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’ve always enjoyed walking but never in a million years     1     I imagine I would end up walking over 200 kilometers in 10 days, become a fan of walking holidays, and end up developing self-guided hiking routes in Portugal with a local tour operator as part of my business. The shift from being someone who was content with an easy three-hour walk to an     2     (experience) multi-day hiker began with a brief taste of the Portuguese Camino de Shantiago, and ancient pilgrim trail (朝圣者道路) through Portugal to Snatiago de Compostela Cathedral in Spain.

Back in 2013 I did a guided one-day hike along one of the most beautiful and     3     (challenge) stretches of the Camino, north of Ponte de Lima, so it was hard work, but the views from the top of Labruja Mountain made the climb worthwhile. My guides were so enthusiastic about the thrill of arriving at Sangtiago de Compostela Cathedral after the challenges of day after day on the Camino     4     I began to think I might want to give it a go,     5     not being religious.

Fast forward a few years and I set off from Barcelos with a friend of mine     6     (follow) the Portuguese Camino de Santiago. Apart from suffering from back pain, I thought I was quite fit but nothing had prepared me for     7     exhausted I would feel at the end of each walking day.

This was truly a slow travel experience, as we were averaging about 20 kilometers per day. I     8     (expect) plenty of sightseeing but that ended up being minimal. Quickly, I realized the moral of this unique travel experience: The Camino was all about making the most of the journey rather than the destination.

I will never forget the sense of achievement and progress tit the end of each walking day, and the relief and pride I felt when we finally made     9     to Santiago de Compostela.

We met people     10    , from all walks of life, managed to walk the Camino several times and I can totally understand how it can become addictive.

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

A. revolutionize       B. potential       C. unfold       D. convincing       E. handle F.competing       G. individually       H. vertically       I. stuck       J.multiple       K. adjust

How close are we to flying cars?

Even before George Jetson fascinated kids with his cartoon flying car, people dreamed of soaring above traffic congestion. Inventors and entrepreneurs have long tried and failed to make the dream a reality, but that may be changing.

Nearly a dozen companies around the globe, including some with deep pockets such as European aircraft maker to be the first to develop a new kind of aircraft that will enable commuters to glide above Airbus, are     1     crowded roadways. A few of the aircraft under development are cars with wings that     2     for flight, but most aren't cars at all. Typically they take off and land     3    like helicopters. Rather than a single, large main rotor(旋翼), they have     4     small rotors operated by a battery - powered electric motor instead of a conventional aircraft engine.

It's no sure bet that flying-car dreams will turn into reality. There are many obstacles, including     5     regulators that the aircraft are safe, figuring out how to     6     thousands of new low-flying aircraft over cities without collisions and developing batteries that will keep them in the air long enough.

But entrepreneurs are moving forward. They see a vast     7     market for "air taxis" and personally owned small aircraft to transport people from the edges of metropolitan areas to city centers as urban areas grow more congested and people spend more time     8     in traffic. They envision tens of thousands of flying taxis delivering passengers to the rooftops of office buildings in city centers during rush hours.

"In as little as 10 years, products that     9     urban travel for millions of people could be on the market." said Zach Lovering, the leader of Aribus' project to develop an autonomous flying taxi. It's unclear yet how much the aircraft will cost, although prices are likely to vary significantly. Some of the aircraft are designed to be     10     owned, while others are more for commercial use. Designers hope that if demand is high, prices can be kept affordable through economies of mass production.

10 . Directions:Read the following passage.Summarize the main idea and the main point(s)of the passage in no more than 60 words.Use your own words as far as possible.

Why true happiness isn't about being happy all the time

Over the past two decades, the positive psychology movement has brightened up psychological rescarch with its science of happiness and human potential. It argues that psychologists should not only investigate mental illness but also what makes life worth living.

The founding father of positive psychology, Martin Seligman, describes happiness as experiencing frequent positive emotions, such as joy, excitement and satisfaction, combined with deeper feelings of meaning and purpose. It implies a positive attitude in the present and an optimistic outlook for the future. Importantly, happiness experts have argued that happiness is not a stable ,unchangeable feature but something flexible that we can work on and eventually strive towards.

Recent research indicates that psychological flexibility is the key to greater happiness and well-being.For example,being open to emotional experiences and the ability to endure periods of discomfort can allow us to move towards a richer, more meaningful existence. Studies have also demonstrated that the way we respond to the circumstances of our lives has more influence on our happiness than the events themselves. Experiencing stress, sadness and anxiety in the short term doesn't mean we can't be happy in the long term. Putting up with sorrow can make us tougher and lead us to take action in our lives, such as changing jobs or overcoming hardship. Often when people have faced difficulty, illness or loss, they describe their lives as happier and more meaningful as a result.

Unlike feeling happy, which is a temporary state, leading a happier life is about individual growth through finding meaning. It is about accepting our humanity with all its ups and downs, enjoying the positive emotions, and making use of painful feelings in order to reach our full potential.

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