1 . In a letter he wrote in 1884, Mark Twain complained that “Telephones, telegraphs and words are too slow for this age; we must get something that is faster.” “We should communicate by thought only, and say in a couple of minutes what should have ballooned into ________ in an hour and a half,” said him.

Despite the progress the previous century brought for our understanding of both language and the brain, we are no closer to telepathy(心灵感应), communication from one mind to another by ________ means, than we were in Twain’s time. The reason is that the telepathy we’ve been promised, the sort imagined by Twain, and ________ in countless movies and TV shows, is, for the time being, groundless.

“Good old-fashioned telepathy” (GOFT) involves a direct transfer of ________ from one mind to another. It has fascinated people for good reasons. It removes the ________ of language. With GOFT, we no longer need to put each concept into words or to ________ someone’s language. You know instantly what one means as the former channel of communication, language, is not at all necessary. The ________ of language is the central feature of GOFT. It is what enables science-fiction writers to imagine humans and aliens from other planets communicating telepathically despite not sharing a language. But can it really come true with current science and technology?

Besides, GOFT promises genuine communication. However, ________ is universal. We all have experiences of saying one thing, only to be understood as saying something else. Because language is so flexible, it is also easy to lie or ________ oneself.   We aren’t even certain if Bob’s expression could be in line with what he believes in a year’s time.

These weaknesses have driven people to look for alternatives and finally inspired inventions of artificial languages trying to remove misunderstanding. Of course, one day when technology allows, a direct thought-to-thought transfer seems the ________ solution.

Many of us have the confidence that we can think faster than we can speak or write. Having to rely ________ on language to communicate, however, is depressing. Therefore, the ________ of adding new direct brain-to-brain communication channels is exciting. By channels of this kind, our brains can be “________ ” and allowed to be committed to other ________ practices instead of conveying messages.   New brain-to-brain channels have the potential to increase ________, turning us into super-actors, handling so many tasks in a short period of time as we cannot yet imagine.

1.

A．words

B．gestures

C．actions

D．costs

2.

A．extra-genetic

B．extra-familial

C．extra-sensory

D．extra-legal

3.

A．sacrificed

B．popularized

C．enclosed

D．balanced

4.

A．strength

B．intelligence

C．thoughts

D．structures

5.

A．limitations

B．expenses

C．command

D．evolution

6.

A．replace

B．update

C．decode

D．imitate

7.

A．avoidance

B．discrimination

C．employment

D．expansion

8.

A．reluctance

B．privacy

C．fear

D．misinterpretation

9.

A．contradict

B．indicate

C．delay

D．justify

10.

A．multiple

B．invisible

C．ultimate

D．equivalent

11.

A．roughly

B．casually

C．entirely

D．willingly

12.

A．distraction

B．prospect

C．origin

D．regulation

13.

A．fed up

B．set up

C．cut off

D．let loose

14.

A．profitable

B．meaningful

C．steady

D．typical

15.

A．charm

B．recognition

C．efficiency

D．endurance

2 . 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. disadvantage B. notably     C. energetic   D. insufficient   E. alternate F. evolved     G. contribution   H. periodic   I. withdrawal   J. coexist     K. adjusted

The degree to which seasonal changes affect mood, energy, sleep, appetite, food preference, or the wish to socialize with other people has been called seasonality. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a condition where depressions in fall and winter     1     with non-depression periods in spring and summer, is the most marked form of seasonality.

The typical symptoms of     2     winter depression include lowered mood, social     3    , increased appetite and weight gain. Mild or no symptoms often occur in spring and summer. It is argued that such pattern of depression occurrence forms an adaptive mechanism which enhances the likelihood of reproductive success, most     4     for females, among populations living at temperate latitudes(纬度). Women are more likely to become pregnant in the summer and thus to give birth at a time of year when their babies have a higher chance of survival. Low chance of summer depression also indicates     5     individuals and promotes healthier pregnancies, which increase the survival chances of both mothers and babies. In the modern era, it is probable that repeated winter depression is becoming a reproductive     6    .

Several lines of evidence also suggest that genetic factors play an important role in the seasonality and SAD. Millions of years of evolution had     7     human biochemical systems for survival under equatorial(赤道的) environmental conditions. Modern humans began to move out of Africa only about 150,000 years ago. Little change in our ‘equatorial’systems might have been expected over this relatively short evolutionary span. And a genetic defenselessness against seasonal changes in mood and behavior is out of     8     adaptation to the new living conditions.

Today, more studies of SAD and seasonality are receiving considerable attention. Studies on relatives of patients with SAD also suggested a familial     9     to the development of SAD. Researchers are trying to find out whether SAD and seasonality are acquired at birth as a composite entity(实体) or whether the two are separate acquired traits that happen to     10     in certain individuals.

3 . 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.

Ever got to grips with a problem? Picked up a new skill? Grasped a difficult concept? The language of learning is full of references to parts of the body outside the brain. Perhaps that’s because these phrases hint at     1     deeper. Since the beginning of this century, researchers have been working on the mechanism of learning. They are discovering that learning is easier, quicker with the body movements     2    (involve). According to many, the effect could be huge     3     it’s gesturing with the arms or moving around a room. Can these insights enhance teaching and learning? And should it inform the way technology     4    (employ) in the classroom?

In some ways, the idea that the body can aid learning should come     5     no surprise. Consider that many of us probably began to understand basic arithmetic by counting on our fingers     6     we learned to count in our head.

A theory called embodied cognition suggests that what goes on in our minds comes from our actions and interactions with the world around us. It means that     7    (encourage) children to think and learn in a purely abstract way might actually make lessons harder for them to understand and remember.

Science backs up the idea that actions really might speak louder than words in the classroom. Even at the subconscious level, we appreciate the communicative value of our body language. There is evidence that teachers,     8     in various cases use arms and hand movements in lessons, achieve better teaching results.

In light of this, it’s tempting to conclude that teachers, and their students, had better jump up and down, or wave their arms about like windmills during lessons. Professor Manches, however, advises caution. The concern is that science has not quite worked out     9     the relationship between body and mind works. “We     10     not jump into the intervention stage too early,” says Manches.

4 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。1.

A．Check bills regularly.

B．Make a plan before buying.

C．Head to cheap supermarkets.

D．Store food in advance.

2.

A．Pick a cheap café.

B．Bring leftover food home.

C．Eat with reusable containers.

D．Reduce chances to dine out.

3.

A．People can eat them.

B．People should process them before eating.

C．People should throw them away.

D．People should wait until they get peak quality.

4.

A．Ways to spend less on living.

B．Ways to reduce food waste.

C．Ways to lengthen food shelf life.

D．Ways to treat fresh food and processed food.

5 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。1.

A．Because she couldn’t afford to pay for education at school.

B．Because she hated being separated from her daughter.

C．Because home-schooling was encouraged by the government.

D．Because many parents chose to home school their kids.

2.

A．That it saves schooling budget.

B．That it enables kids to be more prepared for real world life.

C．That it prevents kids from having conflicts with classmates.

D．That lesson plans can be arranged with more flexibility.

3.

A．That she combines learning with life.

B．That she forbids mobile phone use.

C．That she teaches her kids by herself.

D．That she never has troubles with her kids.

6 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。1.

A．People are bored with electronic devices.

B．People can pick up drawing skills from coloring-in books.

C．Childhood memories can be brought to people.

D．People can experience a simpler and quieter life.

2.

A．Because social media promote pencil sales.

B．Because pencils fall victim to digital age.

C．Because good coloring-in works need good pencils.

D．Because pencils are needed by hikers.

3.

A．By raising pencil prices.

B．By expanding its factories.

C．By hiring more workers.

D．By increasing work shifts.

7 .

A．She is interested in visiting scenic spots in Canada.

B．She won’t visit Niagara Falls because of tight schedule.

C．She prefers to visit Niagara Falls rather than have enough sleep.

D．She enjoys attending business conferences in Canada.

8 .

A．Peter is worried about his body check results.

B．Peter is usually a silent person.

C．Peter will get his health check result tomorrow.

D．There’s something wrong with Peter’s health.

10 .

A．The man can count on her for financial matters.

B．She is not suitable to be taken by the group.

C．Good calculating ability is one of her specialties.

D．Every member of the group should handle financial matters.