1 . 听下面一段独白,回答以下小题
1.

A．The number of students involved.

B．The supply of computers, tablets and smartphones.

C．The Internet, teachers’ IT ability and students’ IT equipment.

D．The Internet speed, educational TV programming and test security.

2.

A．500.

B．1000.

C．1500.

D．150,000.

3.

A．Educators’ complaints about the online platforms.

B．Millions of teachers working for online platforms.

C．The supply of computers, tablets and smartphones.

D．An online educational scheme to help disadvantaged children.

2 .

A．Attracting more people to throw coins.	B．Sponsoring the needy people in Rome.
C．Enabling the tourist to return to Rome.	D．Proving the truth of a story on old customs.

3 .

A．He appreciates the security of the app.	B．He finds it inconvenient to operate.
C．He’s eager to recommend it to others.	D．He’s willing to try it immediately.

4 . People around the world participate in various ritualized celebrations. New Year activities included fireworks, and resolutions-as well as some practices unique to specific cultures, such as cooking black-eyed peas and greens in the southeastern United States.

All human cultures have their rituals-typically repetitive, symbolic behaviors that a group of people experience as purposeful; though people generally can’t explain how they are supposed to work. And their diversity can also cause clashes between peoples, particularly when the valued rituals of one culture strike another as strange.

Most scientists who study rituals consider their mysterious origins to be one of their defining characteristics. But recently, researchers have come to realize that before rituals become purely social and highly peculiar, many have started out as attempts to avoid disasters.

Ritualized ways of preparing food or cleaning the body, for example, have emerged as ways to prevent disease. Many rituals also provide psychological comfort during times of hardship. Today, humans are adopting new behaviors although it’s too early to tell whether any of these behaviors will become truly ritualized. It will only be the case when the social significance of the behavior takes precedence over its practical use. This is what sets rituals apart from other cultural practices, such as cooking.

Not all rituals are effective because we don’t always understand what is producing the risk we are trying to control. But some do work. In the Indian state of Bihar, where maternal and infant death rate at birth remains high, 269 rituals are associated with pregnancy and birth. A significant proportion of these rituals, such as preparing the nutritious food, are perfectly in accord with modern medical advice. Many others are likely neutral while the ones, such as bathing the infant immediately after birth, are viewed as risky just because of practical limitations such as a lack of clean water.

The relationship between medicine and rituals is also interesting. “It is important to keep in mind that to most people, the mechanisms of modern medicine are just as opaque as rituals are,” says Legare, an expert. The practices of modern medicine are relatively new. “When a doctor tells you, I’m sorry, but there’s nothing we can do for you, that may be true, but it is very discouraging as well,” Legare says. “Therefore relevant rituals are firmly valued seemingly out of no reasons.”

1. According to the passage, what behavior can be regarded as a cultural ritual?

A．A student habitually conducts reading before sleep every day.

B．A family eat dinner at the same restaurant every weekend.

C．People eat green dumplings during the Festival of Qingming.

D．Many Chinese people used to ride bicycles to work.

2. Originally, many rituals arose in an attempt to _____.

A．make people get along with people from the same cultural group.

B．protect people from potential life threats

C．get people to identify with their own culture.

D．provide people with values when clashing with people from other cultures.

3. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．Groups with different rituals can basically live together in peace.

B．The practical use of a behavior takes priority when it’s to be judged as a ritual.

C．Appropriateness of some rituals depends on local conditions.

D．When ill, people turn to rituals because they work better than medicine.

4. The best title for the passage might be _____.

A．Be cautious of the weird rituals

B．Long gone are decayed rituals

C．Ritual, the mysterious reflection of human innocence.

D．Ritual,there’s a reason for itsexistence.

5 . Some fifteen years ago, when smartphone apps were new and few truly understood their potentials, retailers (零售商) barely knew that consumers could browse in stores while comparing prices and ____   from other item providers through certain apps before ____ making the   purchase online. Ten years ago, brick-and-mortar (实体店) retailers had to acknowledge that showrooming existed and appeared to be a threat. That’s the year when retailers were up in arms as online giant Amazon released an “evil” promotion that encouraged consumers to visit ____ stores and use Amazon’s Price Check app at the same time. Any purchase completed through the app was given ____ discounts, which significantly stimulated sales and   ____ many shop owners to the edge of bankruptcy.

From the point on, retailers began launching strategies to combat showrooming including releasing ____ items for sale so that no reference prices from other sources are available for comparison.

“Media have reported showrooming as a big threat to physical stores,” says Casey Carl, a retailer. “However, less ____ is the fact that it is also the greatest opportunity for us.” Retailers need to accept that the act of showrooming is not illegal and any sensible buyer tends to ____ prices. As there’s nothing you can do about it, you might as well offer conveniences like in-store internet access to ____ these consumers. With caring services combined with acceptable prices, the store might actually improve the likelihood for consumers to close the deal ____.

And a showrooming study indicates that it’s wise for retailers to limit the item price to at most 5 dollars higher than what online stores charge. After all, for the majority of consumers, getting the absolute lowest price is not their ____. Many of them, instead, are willing to pay ____ in exchange for favourable shopping experiences, such as the pleasant store atmosphere, agreeable staff attitudes or even the merry music played, with a reasonable price ____, of course.

Besides, adopting a strategy of ____ channels is also essential. With many sale channels under control, retailers are sure to have access to the lowest price possible for an item. Therefore, when a customer pulls out a mobile device in store, retailers can be spared the ____ that was unavoidable for them some ten years ago.

1.

A．reviews

B．locations

C．rehearsals

D．similarities

2.

A．genuinely

B．generously

C．particularly

D．finally

3.

A．domestic

B．physical

C．imaginary

D．parallel

4.

A．superior

B．compulsory

C．routine

D．rewarding

5.

A．cornered

B．messed

C．overlooked

D．refunded

6.

A．exclusive

B．alternative

C．renewed

D．seasonal

7.

A．criticized

B．publicized

C．exploited

D．executed

8.

A．pursue

B．neglect

C．question

D．compare

9.

A．assist

B．prohibit

C．monitor

D．expose

10.

A．out of stock

B．on the spot

C．within reach

D．at random

11.

A．reputation

B．greed

C．priority

D．devotion

12.

A．attention

B．deposit

C．honor

D．extra

13.

A．disorder

B．gap

C．split

D．deadline

14.

A．accessible

B．multiple

C．loyal

D．concrete

15.

A．suspicion

B．effort

C．panic

D．guilt

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

A. prey     B. internalize     C. attachment     D. initial       E. insufficient F. struggling G. capped H. edge I. imposed     J. suspected   K. ignorance

As colleges and universities nationwide revealed their admission decisions, news broke of a dramatic decline in acceptance rates-and not just at Ivy League schools. The shift meant that many high school students who pinned all their hopes on particular dream schools might find themselves     1     with real disappointment.

Why were admissions so low these years? It’s a number game. These years, colleges saw the number of applicants soar to record-high levels. But considering     2     budgets, the number of spots colleges could offer had to be     3    . As a result, both state schools and private colleges kept seeing their acceptance rates fall rapidly.

It’s not that most students won’t get into colleges at all. Instead, there are more than enough spots nationwide for every qualified applicant to find a place for study. But for many, the school they end up enrolling in may not have been their first, or even third choice. The     4     strike of rejection, in some cases, could be heartbreaking. These are kids who are used to being the best of the best.

But some of the pressure is     5    , without excuses, by students themselves, according to Laurence Steinberg, professor of Psychology. He thinks that Americans fall     6     to their own addiction to school rankings and fame. Students and their parents have formed strong commitments to particular schools long before admission decisions are made. “When they are rejected, it’s like being rejected by a boyfriend or girlfriend,” Steinberg says. “They     7     it: What’s the matter with me? What could I have done differently?”

That emotional     8     is often only about what school name students will paste on their parents’ cars but it may also lead to families’     9     of what may actually be the suitable school for the students.

Actually, painful as the rejection is, in the long run, getting into a high-ranking university doesn’t necessarily mean competitive     10     in terms of job prospects and earnings. A research shows that many students rejected by highly selective schools earn as much as Ivy League graduates. What really matters is how seriously students take their studies.

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.

Scientists confirmed Monday that a skeleton (骷髅) found under a carpark in the English city of Leicester was that of King Richard III, in a weird end to a 500-year-old mystery.

DNA from the bones     1     (match) that of existing generation of the king’s sister and the skeleton had the battle injuries consistent     2     contemporary accounts.

The remains of the king, viewed as one of English history’s worst guys, will be reburied later in the local church.

The discovery has caused huge excitement among historians, as it provides firm evidence about a ruler whose life     3     (shadow), in spite of official records, by rumours (谣言) concerning his cold blood since his death at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.

According to historical accounts, Richard’s body was transported naked and bloody on the back of a pack horse to Leicester before being buried in an unmarked grave at Greyfriars, a Franciscan temple in the central English city.

Then the crown passed to the Tudor rulers who painted Richard as an ugly bad guy who stopped at     4     in his pursuit of power, even murdering his two young nephews, the so-called Princes in the Tower,     5     (secure) the power.

The hunt for his body began years ago when archaeologists (考古学家) started to dig beneath the municipal carpark     6     the king was supposedly buried. They finally found the skeleton.

On Monday archaeologists said the skeleton confirmed that the king had severe injury in the backbone. It may have been painful and caused his right shoulder to appear higher than his left, but there was no evidence of the deformed arm     7     (mention) in Shakespeare’s “Richard III”.

Historians now hope to clear some of the myths about Richard,     8     (publicize) evidence to argue against the claim that he killed the two young princes. They intend to focus on     9     Richard achieved in his brief two-year ruling, including the establishment of a system of legal aid.

According to Philippa Langley, a member of the Richard III Society,     10     cruel Richard III appeared to be in the past, a new image will emerge of the king. “We have searched for Richard and we have found him. Now it’s time to honour him,” she said.

8 . Things changed for Ben Southall when the Australian state of Queensland advertised a job for someone to look after Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef. They knew it sounded like the best job in the world, but they were surprised when over 35, 000 people applied for the job. Then they had to make a difficult decision—which person to choose from so many candidates? After a lot of testing and interviewing, they announced 34-year-old Ben Southall from England as the winner. Ben now works for the Queensland Tourist Board and his job is to look after the island and to promote tourism there. Because of the unique nature of the job, the Tourist Board wanted a unique person, with a range of skills and qualities. It was a long interview process, involving a variety of tasks to find out about each candidate.

Fitness was very important; swimming ability was particularly essential. Ben can swim very well and he also likes running, climbing, diving and mountain biking. It is clear that, physically, he can do almost anything. The ability to communicate was as important as fitness. For the last part of interview process, the final sixteen candidates did various tests and tasks, including talking to TV and radio reporters. The competition was tough and the candidates needed to show what they could do. The interviewers were interested in how the candidates performed in the tasks, how they handled the press attention and their ability to write about their adventures in a daily log. The candidates did their best to impress the interviewers and they knew they couldn't make any mistakes at this final stage.

Before he went, Ben was confident about his abilities to handle the challenge. He couldn’t do everything they asked him in the interview, as he can’t speak any other language but he felt that his other skills and his personality were impressive. He made a huge effort during the interview process and he was able to convince the interviewers that he was the best person for the job. Even so, he says he was amazed when he got the job; he couldn’t believe it! He hopes to do a good job and promote the island successfully: he has to get to know every part of the island and tell the world about it in numerous media interviews. When you read Ben's blogs from his interview tasks, it is easy to see why they chose him. He is funny and easy-going and he will certainly get the attention of any potential tourist to this beautiful place.

1. According to the passage, Ben’s job includes the following EXCEPT ________.

A．drawing travellers' attention to the island.	B．going to Hamilton Island once a day.
C．being interviewed in different media.	D．knowing Hamilton Island very well.

2. During the interview process, the candidates were asked to ________.

A．go through a fitness training.	B．take part in various TV shows.
C．write about their own interviewers.	D．communicate with the press.

3. Why was Ben chosen for the job?

A．He used to be a swimming champion.	B．He kept his personal blog very well.
C．He is easy to get along with.	D．He can speak several foreign languages.

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

A．Hamilton Island gets well protected.	B．The funniest job in the world.
C．Ben gets dream job.	D．Tourism in Australia.

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. honors       B. inspiring       C. cultural       D. awoke E. promoting       F. success       G. distinguished       H. similar I. considered       J. normally       K. incredibly

Sports Icons(偶像) Who Lead a Change

China’s sports industry has entered a new era when the superstars themselves become the absolute focus of public attention. Compared with the gold medals and    1    the Chinese team has received, sports stars play the role of    2    people and improving the status of their sports in China. The following is an overview of those stars who once were, currently are or in the future will become milestones to change China’s sports demographics(统计数据).

Yao Ming: China’s Ambassador(大使)

Standing at 2.29 meters, Yao Ming used basketball to become one of the mainstream    3    ambassadors in modern China. He first played for his hometown Shanghai Sharks team in the CBA where he became a CBA champion ad Finals MVP in 2002. Soon afterwards, Yao was chosen by the Houston Rockets as the top overall pick in 2002. Over an eight-year span with the Rockets, Yao became an eight-time NBA All-Star. Besides his    4    in the CBA and the NBA, Yao was also a big reason for China’s continued dominance in the Asia basketball scene and their constant presence at world-level competitions. To this day, Yao remains one of China’s most    5    sports and cultural icons.

Liu Xiang: A Great Breakthrough

China’s world champion hurdler, Liu Xiang    6    the nation’s long-sleeping interest in track and field events after he became the first man to ever win a men’s track and field event for China. Before Liu won a gold medal in the men’s 110m hurdle race at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and set a world record two years later, Chinese people had never shown such a strong interest in track and field events. Liu has become a significant player in China’s track and field events and the craze that has followed him is    7    to Yao Ming’s influence on China’s basketball. Both athletes prove how powerful a super sports star can be on    8    the development of a sport in China.

Li Na: New Image of China’s Tennis

Being the first Asian to win the singles title of a Grand Slam tournament, Li Na opened the door to tennis in China and even Asia. Her victory at the French Open 2011 was like a fairy tale and she has since been    9    as a national sports hero equal to Yao Ming and Liu Xiang. A record-breaking 116 million viewers from China tuned in to watch Li become the French Open champion, marking the start of a women’s tennis boom in a country    10    left out of the tennis conversation.

10 . 听下面一段独白，回答一下小题。
1.

A．She had run a long way.	B．She felt weak and tired in the subway.
C．She had done a lot of work.	D．She had given blood the night before.

2.

A．By lifting her to the platform to get others' help.

B．By moving her with the help of his girlfriend.

C．By holding her arm and pulling her along the ground.

D．By waking her up and dragging her away from the edge.

3.

A．Danger in the subway.	B．A subway rescue.
C．How to save people.	D．A traffic accident.