1 . It is widely believed that adolescents engage in risky behaviors because of tolerance for risks by nature, but a study by researchers at New York University, Yale’s School of Medicine, and Fordham University has found this is not the case.

Their findings show adolescents appear to _________ their older peers in the taste for the uncertain. When faced with situations that have highly uncertain outcomes, most _________ groups react with dislike; adolescents, _________, often find these uncertain situations quite tolerable. Rather than having a taste for risk, as is commonly thought, the risky behaviors of adolescents _________ their comfort with the ambiguous (模棱两可的).

These findings, which are reported in the journal the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, point to basic differences between adolescents and adults and offer new _________ of how to communicate about risk to teenagers and pre-teens.

“Our findings show that teenagers enter unsafe situations not because they are _________ to dangerous or risky situations, but, rather, because they aren’t informed enough of the possibility of the consequences of their actions,” explained Agnieszka Tymula, one of the study’ co-authors. “Once they truly _________ a risky situation, they are, if anything, even more unwilling to take risks than adults. The study also offers new possibilities for _________ with this age group—providing adolescents with statistics highlighting the risks of dangerous behaviors or training that allows them to learn about risks in a safe way, which may be effective in _________ them.”

“What we found was that when risks were clearly stated, adolescents __________ them at least as much as, and sometimes more than, adults,” added Ifat Levy, one of the study’s co-authors at the Yale School of Medicine. “Adolescents were, however, much more __________ for ambiguity. __________, this makes a lot of sense: young organisms need to be open to the __________ in order to gain information about their world.”

Studies have previously established that adolescents are more __________ than are their older and younger peers to engage in behaviors that, on rare occasions, lead to terrible consequences. “It is not that adolescents actually choose to engage in risks, but, rather, they are willing to gamble (赌博) when they __________ complete knowledge,” the researchers wrote.

1.

A．differ from

B．run after

C．agree with

D．divide from

2.

A．family

B．age

C．study

D．work

3.

A．as a result

B．in conclusion

C．for example

D．by contrast

4.

A．add to

B．lead to

C．contribute to

D．originate from

5.

A．story

B．study

C．understanding

D．news

6.

A．drawn

B．pushed

C．brought

D．taken

7.

A．define

B．understand

C．create

D．destroy

8.

A．starting

B．identifying

C．communicating

D．agreeing

9.

A．frightening

B．limiting

C．encouraging

D．punishing

10.

A．tried

B．abandoned

C．fixed

D．avoided

11.

A．tolerant

B．enthusiastic

C．concerned

D．eager

12.

A．Materially

B．Psychologically

C．Biologically

D．Geologically

13.

A．new

B．exciting

C．specific

D．unknown

14.

A．likely

B．cheerful

C．reluctant

D．able

15.

A．need

B．lack

C．gain

D．apply

2 . 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. ceremony	B. competition	C. completed	D. final	AB. originally	AC. mainly
AD. performing	BC. predicted	BD. impressive	CD. requirement	ABC. televised

The Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House is one of the most famous architectural wonders of the modern world. Instantly recognizable both for its roof shells and its     1     location in Sydney Harbour, it has become one of the best known images of Australia.

Situated close to Sydney Harbour Bridge, this large     2    arts center was started in 1959 and completed in 1973. After a(n)     3    to choose the design, the Danish architect Jorn Utzon was chosen. The Opera House includes five theatres, five rehearsal studios, two main halls, four restaurants, six bars, and several shops.

The construction of the Opera House was fairly controversial (有争议的) as the     4     cost of the building was much higher than     5    . It was expected to cost $7 million, but in fact, the final cost was $102 million. This was     6     due to difficult weather conditions, problems with the structural design, and changes in the contract. The remarkable roof shells were also difficult to construct. Furthermore, the construction took longer than planned. Completion of the building was     7     expected in four years, in 1963. Unfortunately, because of the many problems and changes which were necessary in the design, the building was not     8     until ten years later, in 1973.

It was inaugurated (落成）by Queen Elizabeth II on 20^th October, 1973, and millions of people attended the     9    . The event was     10    , and included a fireworks display and a classical music performance.

3 . Directions: After reading the passages 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.

A few years ago, nobody could have imagined buying a whole dictionary on CD-Rom—but we do now, and it’s a booming business. It looks     1     people are already interested in the general idea. Stephen King, the best-selling writer of horror books, posted his newest short story on the Internet and it sold more copies in its first days than many of his     2     (print) novels had.

Well, is this really the end of the book and the newspaper? I doubt it, and it seems that even Stephen King agrees.     3     his success on the Internet, he does not seem to think anything can replace the book!

First of all, it takes much     4     (long) for us to read on the net. Did you know that we can read 50% more quickly on paper than we can on a computer screen? There is another problem, too. People simply prefer paper. It doesn’t matter how many books, magazines or newspapers       5     (produce) –we never stop buying them. It seems that we like the feel of books and magazines—we like to put     6     in our bags or pockets. We like to sit and read in the park or on the beach.

Publishers will be happy to satisfy the needs of readers     7     (prefer) to use a screen but paper lovers shouldn’t worry, as the physical newspaper will undoubtedly keep its pace in our lives. There is even news that a system is being developed     8     we can tell our computers what we want to read, and then they will print our own personal newspaper for us. The difference will be that we will only have to read about people and things     9     interest us. Just think—if you hate the business section, you     10     not order it. If you dislike tennis, you can ask only for the football results. It sounds like this could be good news for everyone!

4 . Directions: After reading the passages 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.

Just a craze … or crazy?

When an estimated one in sixty participants will die, why would anyone want to base jump?

The world record for base jumping     1     (break) again, when Nasr Al Niyadi and his trainer Omar Al Hegelan jumped 672 meters from the 16^th floor of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. They were not the first ones     2     (attempt) this. In 2008, two other men illegally jumped from unfinished building. Having got into the building dressed as engineers, they were arrested     3     they jumped from the building. This is not unusual for base jumpers though,     4     often act without permission.

For those who may not know, base jumping is an increasingly popular extreme sport which involves jumping off high building, bridges or cliffs with a parachute. It is unbelievably dangerous. Although a sky diver     5     have up to three minutes to open his or her parachute, a base jumper has only seconds. There is also the risk of hitting the building or cliff on the way down. Since its invention in 1981, there     6     (be) at least 147 fatalities (死亡事件)related to the sport. Even fans of the sport estimate that one in sixty participants will die. Brave, or simply foolhardy?

I find     7     hard to understand why such dangerous sports are so popular. Many psychologists believe that it is all a question of individual personality. Men are     8     (likely) to enjoy thrill seeking than women, and our desire to experience these excitements is highest in     9     late teens and early twenties. But some people are naturally drawn to enjoy thrills and danger, while others are not. Both types are important in any society, as low-excitement seekers will happily carry out relatively unexciting jobs, while high-excitement seekers will work very well     10     firefighters or on the stock market.

5 . 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. invisible             B. regularly            C. contributes             D. mercy         E. moderately          F. trapped               G. amateurs               H. remaining    I. decline                 J. comparable          K. bragging

The sale of The Washington Post to Jeff Bezos is just the most recent episode in the decline and fall of professional journalism. By selling out to a mega-billionaire without any newspaper experience, the Graham family has put a priceless national asset at the     1     of a single outsider. Perhaps Jeff Bezos will use his new plaything responsibly; perhaps not; if not, one of the few     2     sources of serious journalism will be lost.

The crisis in the English-speaking world will turn into a disaster in smaller language zones. The English-speaking market is so large that advertisers will pay a lot to gain access to the tens of millions of readers who     3     click onto The New York Times or The Guardian. But the Portuguese-reading public is far too small to support serious journalism on the Internet. What happens to Portuguese democracy when nobody is willing to pay for old-fashioned newspapers?

The blogosphere can’t be expected to take up the     4     of serious journalism. First-class reporting on national and international affairs isn’t for     5    . it requires lots of training and lots of contacts and lots of expenses. It also requires reporters with the well-trained capacity to write for a broad audience. The modern newspaper created the right incentives, but without a(an)     6     business model for the new technology, blogging will degenerate into a postmodern nightmare — with millions     7     without any concern for the facts.

We can’t afford to wait for the     8     hand to come up with a new way to provide economic support for serious journalism. To be sure, the financial press has proved     9     successful in persuading readers to pay for online access; and mainstream media are now trying to imitate this success. Each news article on the web will end by asking readers whether it     10     to their political understanding. If so, they can click the yes-box, and send the message to a National Endowment for Journalism — which would obtain an annual appropriation from the government. This way, serious journalism will succeed in gaining mass support.

6 . Whether it is tossing the Frisbee (掷飞盘) on the campus or representing your town in the local baseball league, sports remain prevalent in American society.

Athletics begin at a young age. As they learn to walk and talk, kids in America also learn to run, throw and kick. They are _________ to sports at a young age so that they form a habit of remaining _________ and fit, while also _________ themselves. Most towns offer a “Parks and Recreation” program, which sponsors various educational physical activities, such as sports summer camps or monthly hikes. _________, towns often create youth leagues that _________ children to complete against other towns. These programs, run by volunteers, stress not only skill development, but also values of _________ and enjoyment no matter what the outcome.

Athletics continue at more _________ levels throughout elementary school to university, with extracurricular programs playing a development role and training students to perhaps even eventually become _________.

At the professional level, spectator sports have become a staple (重要部分) of American tradition and culture. Families and friends gather around the television or endure hours of _________ to support their favorite teams, while these athletes are made into international celebrities.

Professional sports in the U.S. are largely __________ by the Big Four Leagues: the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the National Hockey League (NHL). With teams __________ major cities, these spectator sports draw large crowds and are followed almost __________ by some fans.

Soccer has __________ to rise to prominence in America; however, with their performance in the 2010 World Cup and more exposure to Europeans teams through the arrival of star such as David Beckham and Thierry Henry, Major League Soccer (MLS) in America as a spectator sport has certainly __________.

International competition is rare and often considered not as __________ as the domestic leagues. However, during the Olympics and the World Cup, Americans do rally around their countrymen to perform at the international level.

1.

A．exposed

B．treated

C．devoted

D．attributed

2.

A．young

B．active

C．hopeful

D．positive

3.

A．enjoying

B．pushing

C．supporting

D．protecting

4.

A．For example

B．However

C．Consequently

D．Furthermore

5.

A．force

B．warn

C．allow

D．advise

6.

A．sportsmanship

B．curiosity

C．creativity

D．citizenship

7.

A．friendly

B．amateur

C．competitive

D．international

8.

A．winners

B．professionals

C．managers

D．rivals

9.

A．competition

B．traffic

C．labor

D．argument

10.

A．divided

B．dominated

C．owned

D．followed

11.

A．entering

B．representing

C．sponsoring

D．occupying

12.

A．blindly

B．secretly

C．religiously

D．leisurely

13.

A．attempted

B．refused

C．aimed

D．struggled

14.

A．decreased

B．remained

C．slowed

D．grown

15.

A．predictable

B．respectable

C．significant

D．extensive

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. Write your answers on the answer sheet.

John, an ESL tutor of a community college, moved to New York City with all the members of his family. John is a remarkable teacher, so     1     (be) his students for several years, we all missed him very much since he left. It was not long     2     John came back to North Carolina to handle some rounding-off (结束) affairs, ESL teachers and we students held a small party for him.

At the party,     3    people walked around and talked with each other cheerfully, I certainly would not lightly give up that good opportunity to learn English. Then I tried to think of all sorts of topics to converse with Monica, another ESL teacher.

Just before I was about     4     (run) out of my topics of conversation when I heard John said to others loudly, “I dig New York!” I immediately asked Monica seriously, “Is it really difficult to find a job in New York? Why does John, such     5     outstanding ESL teacher, have to do laborious work?”

Looking puzzled, Monica asked, “Why do you have such a feeling?”

“Haven’t you heard him say that he     6     (dig) New York? Is he building a tunnel?” I replied. When she finally understood     7     I said, Monica laughed so hard as to narrowly escape spewing (喷出) her food in her mouth. Wearing a broad smile, she gestured to us to stop talking, and then asked us, the ESL students,     8     we knew the meaning of “I dig New York.” All of us shook our heads and said no. Monica then requested John to explain it to us.

    9     turns out that, in American slang, “I dig New York” means, “I love New York.” Though few people say like that nowadays, we can still find it     10     (use) in literary works.

8 . Beyond the Terracotta Army

ON MY FIRST TRIP to Xi’an in 2002, I came to see what everyone comes here to see: the Terracotta Army. But like many group tours to China, the trip had an itinerary (行程) that was perfunctory — a checklist of must-sees that frequently left me wondering whether there was more to see. With this goal, I flew to China again in November.

The weather was mild when I arrived, ideal for surveying Xi’an from the beautifully restored City Wall. I rented a bike and spent more than an hour covering the nearly flat nine-mile circle, eye-to-eye with rooftops on one side and modern towers on the other.

I spent the late afternoon riding the city’s modern subway to other sites: the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower. A block away, the Drum Tower is a kind of gateway to the Muslim Quarter. This marketplace is lined with restaurants and vendors selling mouthwatering snacks — skewers (串) of lamb cooked over coals, chewy persimmon (柿子) doughnuts, and roujiamo.

The next morning, a local driver picked me up and took me to Hua Shan, about 120 kilometers east of Xi’an. I checked the trail map I had just picked up at a gift shop, looking for the Plank Walk (长空栈道), my hoped-for destination. By the time we reached a cable car station for the ride to the top, the rocky walls surrounding the building were displaying a dusting of snow, Hua Shan’s first of the season.

I learned about the Plank Walk on my previous visit. Tourists climbed along the cliffs, tightly holding onto heavy metal chains that lined the riskier sections.

I didn’t have time on my previous trip. On this visit, the long West Peak cable car route rose into morning clouds, down into a valley and back up, eventually arriving at a station covered in snow and ice. Lacking gloves, the hat or the scarf, I made my way into a frozen wonderland.

I covered a good bit of Hua Shan’s trails this time, ascending three of the five peaks. But when I arrived at the Plank Walk, it was closed for the day. Still, the long day here was rewarding, with smiling faces spotted everywhere of people happy to be exploring China’s magnificent scenery on a more micro level.

And the Plank Walk? It just might be reason enough to return again.

1. The underlined word “perfunctory” in the first paragraph could probably be replaced by “________”.

A．hurried	B．particular
C．selective	D．unique

2. We can learn from the article that the tourist attractions the author visited during his second trip to Xi’an included ________.
① the Terracotta Army
② the City Wall
③ the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower
④ the Muslim Quarter
⑤ Hua Shan

A．①②③④⑤

B．②③④⑤

C．①②③⑤

D．①③④⑤

3. According to the article, why did the author return to Xi’an?

A．To revisit the Terracotta Army.	B．To further explore the city of Xi’an.
C．To cover a famous hiking trail.	D．To have a taste of the local snacks.

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

A．The Plank Walk is open to visitors every day.

B．When the writer visited Xi’an, it happened to be snowing heavily there.

C．If a visitor wants to have snacks, he has only one choice — the Muslim Quarter.

D．You can enjoy historic sites and natural scenery in Xi’an as well as its modernity.

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. economical	B. explore	C. experience	D. formal	E. former	F. found
G. opportunity	H. replaced	I. respect	J. share	K. spread

The idea of the youth hostel started with one man: Richard Schirrmann (1874~1961), a German school teacher, who felt that there was a need for overnight accommodation (住宿) for his students in order that they could     1     new things and have new experiences outside the classroom.

He felt that one learns by observing, and tried to make his dream come true in the year 1909, when he started providing accommodation for his students in inns, farmhouses and the like.

The first youth hostel was opened in Schirrmann’s own school in Altena, after which it was     2     by a permanent hostel in Altena Castle. Schirrmann went on to     3     the German Youth Hostel Association in the year 1919. By this time, the idea of the youth hostel had     4     far and wide, all over the lands of Europe and further.

And then, in the year 1932, a(n)     5     organization called the International Youth Hostel was founded in Amsterdam, which was made up of youth hostels from Switzerland, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Norway, Britain, Ireland, France, Czechoslovakia, Denmark and Belgium. Richard Schirrmann became its chairman in 1933.

The idea of the youth hostel is for young people who are on nature trips to get     6     accommodation in exchange for some money and a helping hand with domestic chores (家务活). These hostels were said to build character and a sense of independence, as the youth who stayed in them got the     7     to see how other people lived as well as to help to do work.

Youth hostels are also places to meet and make new friends. They have no class divisions and everyone has to do their     8    . Here, wealth and position does not help you gain     9    , but friendliness does. The friendlier you are, the more you learn from the     10     of staying in a youth hostel.

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.

Hosting the Olympics

Today, the Olympic Games are one of the most popular and most watched events on earth. Every four years, many countries bid for the Games. Why do they do this? What are the advantages of hosting such an event?

A world-class event demands world-class facilities from the host city, and any which do not already exist will have to be built. These will remain for the local population to enjoy after the Games are over. An example of this is the accommodation which will have to be built, not only for the athletes in their Olympic village, but also for visitors. Later this can be transformed into permanent accommodation for tourists and students. The transport system must also be taken into consideration. Hosting the Olympics means having an effective wide-reaching system, which is essential to carry people safely and efficiently to their destinations. Such a transport system is a great advantage for any city and will be in service for the years to come.

Funding any great event is a costly business, but many companies fiercely compete to become sponsors of such global events as it is an ideal platform for advertising. This means that advertising profits can easily cover a large proportion of the cost involved. In addition, the broadcasting rights can be a source of finance. For example, the national American TV company NBC paid $3.5 billion to broadcast the Olympic Games between 2000 and 2008.

Another consideration is employment. High-tech video cameras are already common in most of our big cities today, and increasing the manpower necessary to guarantee the safety of all concerned provides valuable employment opportunities. Indeed, the organization of such an event gives rise to a large number of jobs in a variety of sectors including security, catering and hospitality.

It’s universally agreed that the host city gains overall in terms of improvements in facilities and infrastructure. But this is not all. Not only do the improved facilities remain after the Games have gone, but the city also becomes a significant place in its own right.