1 . 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.

Romantic Attraction

Sometimes, it seems we are attracted towards people romantically in a puzzling manner. We see someone and our romantic side bursts out. However, it is not a mystery to science and people who study sociology. There are definite causes as to why people become romantically attracted to each other. These factors are, similarity, communication, and honesty.

Though people often say opposites attract, similarity often connects individuals in a romantic way. In fact, based on research done by the University of Colorado Boulder, we tend to choose partners who have a similar DNA to ours. Of course we cannot examine the DNA of others readily, but we can naturally “feel” if people are a genetic match for us.

Communication is another essential factor in the romantic attraction way. If we feel a deep connection to someone through the ease of talking with them, we are much more likely to be attracted to that person. It is difficult to be romantically involved with someone you can barely communicate with. And as a side note, there are people we are not attracted to each other in appearance, but after communicating with them for some time, we suddenly become romantically interested in them.

Friends often connect through noticing the honesty of others, but this also lends to romantic attraction. According to Kelly Campbell, PhD, “Chemistry occurs most often between people who are down-to-earth and sincere. This is because if a person is comfortable with themselves, they are better able to express their true self to the world, which makes it easier to get to know them, even if perspectives on important matters differed”. This adds to the perspective that easy communication between people contributes to romantic attraction.

2 . Transhumanism, first coined in 1957 by biologist Julian Huxley, meant “man remaining man, but going beyond himself by realizing new possibilities of and for his human nature.” Generally speaking, transhumanism in its modern meaning implies that human beings can be enhanced by the means of science to the extent when they rise above biological limitations and capabilities programmed by nature. The species into which humanity transforms this way will be called post human, or trans human, as it would have been something new — based on human nature, but going beyond it at the same time.

There are numerous areas which, according to transhumanists, require enhancement, as well as there are countless proposals on the means of such enhancement. In particular, transhumanists work on such problems as overcoming the physical boundaries of the human body. Starting with aging, which they believe to be rather a disease than a natural process, and ending up with replacing organs with their artificial ones, transhumanists believe that the human body is imperfect, and that it should be improved. All kinds of nanotechnologies for repairing damaged organs; nerve stimulants and drugs to alter mood and eliminate negative emotions; brain implants and implanted technologies to allow interconnectivity between multiple human beings and to advance intelligence—these and many more actions are just some of the means transhumanists plan to use to make humanity better. Some of the technologies transhumanists plan to employ to push the boundaries of humanity are available already. For example, gene therapy allowing to cure or stop certain diseases that were considered terminal; CRISPRi or SHARP-2 methods, which were discovered not so long ago, have already proved to be efficient in treating a number of complicated medical conditions, and in case further research is conducted, they might significantly improve the quality of medicine worldwide. Virtual reality, another technology from science-fiction movies of the late 1980s, has become not so virtual either, after all. VR device can be easily purchased from online stores, and the prices are affordable — given that we are speaking of technology capable of substituting actual reality. So far, it has been mostly used for games and education, but in the future, the range of its useful applications will definitely broaden. Other technologies, which have not yet been invented but which definitely will, include large scale engineering, self-copying robotics, artificial intelligence, mind uploading technologies, molecular manufacturing, space colonization, and other technological wonders.

About a hundred years ago, the idea of flying in the skies seemed absurd, until Wilbur and Orville Wright proved this assumption wrong. Who knows, perhaps in a couple of decades the concepts listed here, no matter how fantastic they look now, will become reality. Moral aspects and the price humanity will have to pay for such advancements are a different subject.

1. Which of the following statements is true about transhumanism?

A．Promoting human health but remaining their physical appearances

B．Improving the human condition through social and cultural change

C．Developing human beings beyond their natural capabilities by technology.

D．Going beyond human beings physical limitations through natural evolution.

2. Transhumanists’ plan is based on the belief that_________.

A．replacing organs with their artificial ones is ideal

B．aging is rather a disease than a natural process

C．it’s practical to use nanotechnologies to improve life

D．the human body is imperfect and needs improvement

3. The underlined word “absurd” (last paragraph) is closest in meaning to_________.

A．ridiculous

B．creative

C．reasonable

D．practical

4. This passage is particularly written about_________.

A．various kinds of definitions of transhumanism

B．different technologies substituting human reality

C．proposals on the human beings enhancement

D．artificial intelligence and human beings life

3 . Why You Should Not Worry About Procrastination

Perhaps every person on Earth has at least once been in a situation when he or she has an urgent task to do, but instead of challenging it head on, he or she postpones working on this task for as long as possible. This delay can take various forms: from doing nothing, to doing a lot of work–just not the work that should be done. The phenomenon described here is called procrastination, and its roots go much deeper than mere laziness.

    1    . They invent dozens of strategies how to stop procrastinating and increase their efficiency, forgetting about the fact that like many other psychological mechanisms, procrastination serves its own purpose, and probably even carries a message worth decoding. So, instead of blaming yourself for being lazy, the next time you procrastinate, try to look past it, and figure out what is happening to you. Most likely, procrastination is your friend. Why?

There are several arguments proving this statement. First of all, it helps you figure out your most pressing priorities. Usually, you will not procrastinate over some minor task such as sharpening a pencil or drinking a glass of water. Problems start when there is something important or difficult that needs to be done. Reasons keeping you from doing work can be different, but here is a clue to remember: try to figure out what exactly makes you avoid–as a rule, it should be exactly what your top priority task is at the moment.     2    . On the other hand, procrastination may serve you as an indicator that you are doing something wrong, or that you are pushing yourself too hard and need to take some time to rest. Either way, the means you use to overcome procrastination is a different story; so far, try seeing procrastination as a marker, an index–and you will discover that it can be quite useful.

Surprisingly enough, procrastination can even help you fix a relationship with another person. If you had a fight, for example, there is a period of time when whatever you say to each other will most likely be perceived with skepticism or even hostility.     3    . In this case, procrastination may give you enough time to make up your mind, find your courage, and think of the proper words or actions for an apology. The same works for another person: after a cool down period, he or she will be more susceptible to what you have to say. Use this to your advantage.

As we can see, procrastination is not necessarily a bad thing.     4    . But it is rather a psychological instrument, the main function of which is to slow you down and give you enough time to sort out your priorities, gather information before making an important decision, or finding proper words to make your amends with another person. Thus, instead of avoiding and denying procrastination, you might want to embrace it–at least sometimes.examly.cn

A．Besides, you might have noticed how unwilling you may be when having to apologize in front of a different person–even if it was you who were wrong.

B．This varies depending on the weight of a decision that needs to be made.

C．Unlike many people got used to believing, procrastination is not a negative feature of character such as laziness.

D．Usually, people tend to see procrastination as something bad.

E．In fact, procrastinating in this case is also beneficial.

F．A pressing matter, an urgent document that needs to be written by the end of the day, an especially difficult piece of work, whatever.

4 . While people who are both trustworthy and capable are the most sought after when it comes to team assembly, friendliness and trustworthiness are often more important factors than ability.

“We assume that people are_________for important task forces and teams because of the knowledge, skills and abilities they bring to the table. However, this research suggests that people may often get picked because team members feel_________with them,” said Cynthia Maupin, assistant professor of organizational behavior and leadership in Binghamton University’s School of Management. “People may be willing to_________a bit in terms of performance in order to have a really positive team experience.”

Maupin and her colleagues focused on a group of MBA students to conduct their study. Students were_________ assigned to teams at the beginning of the semester to work on class projects and assignments. Toward the end of the semester, students were asked to form their own teams and _________why they selected each member of their group.

“We wanted to find out what people did to_________ to others that they might be someone who would be good to team up with in the future,” Maupin said.

The researchers_________looked at how students signaled their human capital, the ability to do their tasks well, and their social capital, the_________to which they were friendly and trustworthy, to other students by studying their use of either challenging or supportive voice:

●Challenging voice: Communicating in a way that challenges the present circumstances and is _________new ideas and efficiency.

●Supportive voice: Communicating in a way that __________ social ties and trust, and builds friendly unity of a team.

The researchers found that people who__________both abilities, through the use of challenging voice, and trustworthiness, through the use of supportive voice, were the most in-demand people when it came to__________teams.

“As might be expected, anyone who was very strong in terms of signaling both their human and social capital were extremely sought after. They’re doing all the right things to__________that they’re both trustworthy and a good worker,” Maupin said.

However, the researchers found that students who only exhibited social capital through__________voice were more sought after than those who only signaled their ability through the use of challenging voice.

“Our findings suggest that when people feel like they can trust you, even if you’re not__________ the best worker, they’re going to be more likely to want to work with you,” Maupin said. “They know that there are likely to be fewer interpersonal issues in that case.”

1.

A．qualified

B．selected

C．examined

D．accounted

2.

A．dissatisfied

B．favourite

C．permanent

D．comfortable

3.

A．sacrifice

B．exchange

C．prohibit

D．contribute

4.

A．deliberately

B．originally

C．randomly

D．purposefully

5.

A．bargain

B．assess

C．negotiate

D．neglect

6.

A．signal

B．contribute

C．devote

D．manage

7.

A．indefinitely

B．frequently

C．considerably

D．specifically

8.

A．occasion

B．mission

C．degree

D．opinion

9.

A．engaged in

B．focused on

C．gotten across

D．taken off

10.

A．adjusts

B．decreases

C．monitors

D．strengthens

11.

A．exhibited

B．developed

C．evaluated

D．concealed

12.

A．separating

B．dominating

C．assembling

D．maintaining

13.

A．establish

B．resolve

C．analyze

D．estimate

14.

A．challenging

B．moderate

C．healthful

D．supportive

15.

A．doubtfully

B．necessarily

C．questionably

D．fortunately

5 . 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. potentially       B. results       C. rewards       D. sensitive       E. survival        F. transmit       G. distinguish       H. responding       I. developed       J. conscious       K. rapidly

Sense of smell is our most rapid warning system

“The human avoidance response to unpleasant smells associated with danger has long been seen as a    1     perceivable process, but our study shows for the first time that it’s unconscious and extremely rapid,” says the study’s first author Behzad Iravani, researcher at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet.

The organ relating to the sense of smell takes up about five per cent of the human brain and enables us to    2    between many million different smells. A large proportion of these smells are associated with a threat to our health and    3    , such as that of chemicals and rotten food. Smell signals reach the brain within 100 to 150 milliseconds after being breathed in through the nose.

The survival of all living organisms depends on their ability to avoid danger and seek    4    . In humans, the smell sense seems particularly important for detecting and reacting to    5    harmful substance.

It has long been a mystery just which sensory systems are involved in the change of an unpleasant smell into avoidance behavior in humans. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have now    6    a method that for the first time has made it possible to measure signals from the human smell organ, which processes smells and in turn can    7    signals to parts of the brain that control movement and avoidance behavior.

Their    8     are based on three experiments in which participants were asked to rate their   experience of six different smells, some positive, some negative, while the electrophysiological activity of the smell organ when    9    to each of the smells was measured.

“It was clear that the organ reacts specifically and    10    to negative smells and sends a direct signal to the outer layer of the organ within about 300 ms,” says the study’s last author Johan Lundström. ” The signal causes the person to unconsciously lean back and away from the source of the smell.”

6 . 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.

Rising To the Challenge

Cyclists must dig deep to complete what’s been called the toughest climb in the world. They race up to Wuling Peak to the finish line in the King of the Mountain (KOM) Challenge. Every October some of the world’s best cyclists battle     1    the title. Starting at sea level, the route climbs to   a height of 3, 275 meters at the end, covering 105 kilometers.

Ever since I started cycling seven years ago, completing the KOM climb     2     (be) a goal of mine. Every year I thought that I needed to prepare for it and used that as my excuse. But     3     (look) back, I realize I would have been fine. Cycling uphill was no problem for me then- it was thrilling. Now it’s exhausting.

Last summer I finally decided to take on Wuling with some friends. Our 89-kilometer route started at the base of the mountain and was a little shorter than the official KOM race. But it’s the final 10 kilometers     4    are the most demanding: This is the steepest part,     5    makes the climb so hard.

We began early in the morning as a group of 17 riders. But only three of us would make it to the top. A support car was necessary, especially on a ride like this,     6     (help) keep us energetic.

The first part of the ride went through Taroko Valley, a magnificent park. I’ve hiked there,     7    I’ve always wanted to bike it. I saw dramatic rocky outcrops, canyons, waterfalls and forests as I zipped through the valley and up the mountain road. Even though it was August, the weather was perfect. Unfortunately, the support car that carried our lunch     8     (delay). By the time it arrived, I was starving. Being consumed of energy even for that short time affected the rest of my ride. When the hard last 10 kilometers arrived, I really struggled to complete them. At one point I     9     see how close the top of the peak was, but it still felt so far away. Fortunately, determination carried me to the finish.     10     (exhaust), I conquered Wuling! What a tremendous feeling!

7 . 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

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. 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.

9 . 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!

10 . 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.