1 . Some ants have figured out how to avoid getting lost: build taller anthills, according to a recent study.
Desert ants living in the hot, flat salt pans of Tunisia spend their days looking for food and reach as far as 1.1 kilometers from their nests. To find their way home, desert ants use a navigation system, relying on the sun’s position and counting their steps to track their location relative to their nest.
But this system becomes increasingly unreliable as the distance from the nest increases. “We realized that, whenever the ants in salt pans came closer to their nest, they suddenly pinpointed the nest hill from several meters distance,” says Markus Knaden, a researcher at Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology. “This made us think that the hill serves as a nest-defining landmark.”
So Knaden and colleagues captured ants from nests in the middle of salt pans and from along their shorelines. Only salt-pan nests had distinct hills, up to 40 centimeters tall, whereas the hills on shoreline nests were lower or barely noticeable. Next, the team removed any hills and placed the captured insects some distance away from their nests. Salt-pan ants struggled more than shore ants to find homes. Shore ants relied on the shoreline for guidance and weren’t affected by the hill removal, the researchers concluded.
The team further conducted another study to see if desert ants were deliberately building a taller hill when their surroundings lacked any visible landmarks. So, the researchers removed the hills of 16 salt-pan nests and installed (安装) two 50-centimeter-tall blocks near eight of them. The other eight nests were left without any artificial visual aid. After three days, the researchers found that seven ants from the unaided nests had rebuilt their hills. But only two ants from the nests with man-made blocks nearby had bothered to rebuild.
“It implies that ants regularly assess the complexity of their environment and change their decisions based on their conclusion,” says ecologist Judith Bronstein of the University of Arizona.
1. What aspect of ants is the recent study mainly about?| A．Challenges of survival. | B．Landmarks of habitats. |
| C．Intelligence of navigation. | D．Comparison of varieties. |
| A．Explored. | B．Recognized. | C．Climbed. | D．Crossed. |
| A．To observe different ants’ reactions. | B．To prove impacts of various habitats. |
| C．To disturb desert ants’ navigation system. | D．To test anthills’ functions and significance. |
| A．Evaluate and make changes. | B．Visual aid is a must. |
| C．Cooperation brings victory. | D．No man-made blocks are used. |
Abby Jaramillo never lost her enthusiasm. She believed that with age came courage, vision (远见卓识) and a true appreciation of life — all life. That’s why, at the age of eighty-six, Abby became the only caretaker of a flock of chickens abandoned alongside one of Southern California’s busiest freeways. The chickens were never rescued. Instead, they simply lived in the roadside bushes, becoming known to locals as the Hollywood Freeway Chickens.
Like many seniors, Abby lived alone and survived on a small amount of money. But to her, life was precious and not to be cruelly given up or ignored-not even the lives of abandoned chickens. Abby simply saw creatures in need and without hesitation, stepped into action. For nine years, while others sped past unaware and unconcerned, Abby made two visits a day to provide food and water for the abandoned chickens, using what little money she had available. As the years passed, she worried about the day when she would no longer be able to care for her adopted chickens and her cat Tiffy. Who would look after these poor helpless creatures if she could no longer make her journey?
At ninety-five, just when the cruelties of time began to damage Abby’s body, a heroine (女英雄) appeared. Alice Kahn, a young actress and a founding member of the organization Actors and Others for Animals, was Abby’s neighbor. Alice had observed Abby and noticed that the older woman also fed many of the homeless cats in the neighborhood. Alice approached Abby to see if her neighbor could identify the owner of a stray (走失的) dog that Alice had recently rescued. A quick and lasting friendship resulted.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150个左右；2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Learning of Abby’s concern for the fate of her flock, Alice volunteered to help
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Abby is gone now, but her concern for her fellow creatures lives on.
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3 . Over 7,000 species around the world are considered endangered. That number doesn’t even include the plants, animals, and other lifeforms that are listed by some scientists as vulnerable, critically endangered, or extinct in the wild.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) maintains the most-comprehensive list of endangered species around the world. The Red List of Threatened Species, as it’s called, judges each species on five different standards for an in-depth scientific approach. According to the IUCN, an endangered species is one that meets any one of the following criteria (标准): a 50%-70% population decrease over 10 years, a total geographic area less than 5,000 square kilometers, a population size less than 2,500 adults, a restricted population of 250 adults, or a statistical prediction that it will go extinct within the next 20 years.
Though the IUCN’s Red List covers a wide range of what qualifies as an endangered species, it doesn’t quite say how a species reaches those low points. Prepare to feel guilty: the most common factor when it comes to species decline is human intervention. Loss of habitat, the introduction of a foreign species into the environment, hunting, pollution, disease, and loss of genetic variation (基因变异) are all causes of species decline and most often are a result of human activities. Take the bald eagle for example: the rise in human population and urban development of North America limited the animal’s habitat; an increase in hunting the eagles for sport lowered their population size; and the use of the pesticide DDT on farms harmed the animal’s reproductive capabilities.
But even though humans are the number one cause of species decline, classifying species as endangered encourages action to reverse the effects of human intervention. Conservation efforts by the US Fish and Wildlife Service criminalized (使非法) the hunting of bald eagles and the use of the pesticide DDT in the mid- to late 20th century. The effect was positive, as bald eagles have been on the rise and were taken off the endangered species list in 1995.
1. Which of the following species can be considered endangered?| A．One that will go extinct within the next 50 years. |
| B．One whose population size is less than 5,000 adults. |
| C．One whose habitat is less than 2,500 square kilometers. |
| D．One whose population decreases 20% over twenty years. |
| A．The causes of species decline. |
| B．The disadvantages of the pesticide. |
| C．A list of worldwide endangered species. |
| D．Common features of endangered species. |
| A．To show its rareness. |
| B．To blame humans for its decline. |
| C．To stress its importance in nature. |
| D．To show the meaning of ranking it endangered. |
| A．Entertainment. | B．Health. | C．Science. | D．Education. |
1.汉语里的幽默对外国人来说的难点在什么地方?
2.怎么克服这些难点从而能够听懂相声里的幽默?
注意：
1.写作词数应为 50 个左右；
2.请按照如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
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5 . Retail(零售的) stores are having an identity crisis. With foot traffic falling and customers going to online stores like Amazon, many stores are looking for new ways to keep the physical shopping experience valuable. “Physical stores find themselves at a crossroads,” says Doug Stephens, retail industry futurist and author of The Retail Revival.
If storefronts want to compete with their more convenient (and usually cheaper) online alternatives, they will have to offer unique experiences worth getting off the couch for. “My expectation will be to go to the store to learn about things, to be a participant in things, to co-create, to customize the things I’m buying, and to satisfy my own needs,” Stephens says. Here are two predictions of how the retailers of tomorrow will keep us shopping.
Stephens predicts that we’ll be transported by virtual reality. The stores of the future will “be much more visual,” he says. “Technologies like virtual reality, which a lot of companies right now are sort of experimenting with, can be used to create immersive(沉浸虚拟现实式的) shopping experiences.” Outdoor clothing and equipment maker The North Face recently worked with VR company Jaunt to let shoppers at its flagship stores put on VR headsets and take a virtual tour of Yosemite National Park, or virtually rock climb alongside star athletes. After they’ve climbed down the mountains, perhaps customers will be more willing to buy some climbing equipment.
Stores will also track and identify us, says Stephens. Remember that scene from Minority Report when Tom Cruise walks into a shopping mall and all the advertisements speak directly to him and know his shopping history by scanning(扫描) his eyeballs? That’s not so far off. A company called Hoxton Analytics offers a system that can determine a shopper’s data. Instead of scanning your eyeballs, this technology works by scanning and identifying your shoes. The goal is to help companies better understand customers and traffic patterns. The company makes sure that the system “does not collect personal information, and it does not store individual photographs, nor can it recognize individuals.”
1. What does Stephens want to show by saying the underlined words?| A．Many customers still prefer visiting physical stores. |
| B．Physical stores work with online stores like Amazon. |
| C．Physical stores are facing challenges from online stores. |
| D．More and more physical stores are being built at a crossroads. |
| A．Sell much cheaper products. | B．Provide personalized services. |
| C．Offer better after-sales service. | D．Create nice shopping environments. |
| A．How physical stores support VR. | B．How VR will help physical stores. |
| C．Why people are showing more interest in VR. | D．Why immersive shopping experiences are exciting |
| A．It makes fitted shoes. | B．It respects personal privacy. |
| C．It produces better advertisements. | D．It offers customers new information. |
It was so heartbreaking for Devan Bonagura to see 81-year-old Nola Carpenter sitting in the break room of a supermarket where she works. In the short video he shared, the woman appears tired and stares at the floor as if thinking of something. The video finally went popular, earning over 30 million views and causing a movement that would change Carpenter’s life.
It is widely known that retail (零售) workers are heroes. They put up with long hours and angry customers, among a lot of other things. This work is challenging for young people and able-bodied people, so it can really be more difficult to the old. That’s why Bonagura posted the video.
He posted the short video of her with the message “Life shouldn’t be this hard. . . ”and the caption(字幕)“I feel bad”. At last, his followers asked him to find a way to support this woman, and it inspired him to open a GoFundMe campaign titled“Let’s help Carpenter retire (退休)”. The idea was to support Carpenter so that she could retire early.
Although the goal was just $10, 000, 24 hours later over $100, 000 had been collected. Two days later, Bonagura met up with Carpenter and told her how he had posted a video of her and how people had come together to help her. “They see that you’re a very hard worker,” the social media platform told the woman. “We are all super proud of you, and we want to offer you the $110, 000 that has been raised for you.” “T’d accept it, but I’d still have to work until I get the other $60, 000 to pay off the house,” she explained. “The house is what’s holding me at work. ”She then talked about her daily life and how she struggled to help those in need.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Knowing why Carpenter worked so hard at this age, every one was moved
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Reaching her goal, Carpenter won’t retire until the New Year.
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7 . The Fields Medal is awarded to recognize outstanding mathematical achievements for existing work and for the promise of future achievements. Out of a total of about 60 people, only one woman ever managed to receive these highest honors for impressive new mathematical discoveries.
Now a second woman has received this highest mathematical award: the 37-year-old Ukrainian Maryna Viazovska, holder of the Chair for Number Theory at the Swiss EPFL.
She was rewarded for solving a problem that can be explained quite clearly at first sight: It is the so-called sphere-packing(球堆积) problem that had appealed to mathematicians for more than four centuries: how to pack spheres like oranges as tightly as possible (using the smallest volume)?
Viazovska was born on Dec. 2, 1984, in Kyiv, Ukraine. “I’ve liked mathematics since my schooldays,” she says. “It always seemed like the most uncomplicated subject. And since I liked it, I spent more time on it, and eventually became better at math than other subjects. So then I liked it even more, and so on.”
After earning her Bachelor’s degree at the National Taras Shevchenko University in Kyiv, Viazovska went to Germany to earn a Master’s degree at the Technical University of Kaiserslautem (2007) before moving to the University of Bonn, where she completed her doctor degree on modular forms(模式研究) in 2013.
During her postdoctoral research at the Berlin Mathematical School and the Humboldt University of Berlin, Viazovska solved the sphere packing problem in 8 and 24 dimensions. Then, in December 2016, she accepted an offer from EPFL to become a lifelong assistant professor. Just one year later, at the age of 33, she was promoted to full professor.
What drives Viazovska is solving problems, which she describes as “doing a jigsaw puzzle” , and understanding abstract(抽象的) concepts “so I can link them to other problems and find practical applications.”
1. What can we learn from the passage?| A．Viazovska has received the Fields Medal twice for her great mathematical achievements. |
| B．The same number of outstanding male and female mathematicians won the Fields Medal. |
| C．The sphere-packing problem has attracted mathematicians’ attention at the present time. |
| D．Viazovska’s mathematical achievements are largely out of her enthusiasm and devotion. |
| A．Experience is knowledge. | B．Strike while the iron is hot. |
| C．All roads lead to Rome. | D．Interest is the seed. |
a. She received this highest mathematical award.
b. She became a lifelong assistant professor.
c. She moved to the University of Bonn and completed her doctorate on modular forms.
d. She earned her Bachelor’s degree at the National Taras Shevchenko University.
e. She solved the sphere packing problem in specific dimensions.
| A．dbcea | B．cdeba | C．dceba | D．cbdea |
| A．By comparison. | B．By listing. |
| C．By example. | D．By questioning. |
8 . The Oxford dictionary defines the word “success” as “an accomplishment of an aim” and “attaining fame, social status (地位) or wealth”. Is this how we measure success in life? If you are rich, you’ll have people say “you have everything” or “you’re already successful in life” or a similar statement that means you have money and are well settled. There are many people who feel this way, while there are many who feel that success is not just having a lot of money.
The thing is, your concept of success is connected to your beliefs and values, and if your values tell you that success in life means money, then there is nothing that will change your mind. On the other hand, if your value system says that having money, stability, peace, happiness and contentment in your life are equally important, then you have an entirely different idea of success in life. There are a lot of people in this world that are wealthy. However, they are unhappy. There are a lot of people who do not make a lot of money, but are happy with what they have.
There are different kinds of people in the world, and each one has a different view on what being successful really is about. Here are a few common opinions about success.
●Success in life means having money.
●Success in life means winning games or competitions.
●Success in life means achieving your goal.
●Success in life means getting the job you wanted.
●Success in life means owning a nice house, a good car and having all the costly comforts life has to offer.
●Success in life means being famous.
●Success in life means having influence, power and control.
●Success in life means being free from insecurities, fears and wants.
The one thing that is common to the statements above is that they include accomplishment, attainment and fulfillment (履行). Another thing is that it’s something you yearn for or that gives you an unspoken advantage over others.
1. Why is the definition of success in the Oxford dictionary mentioned in Paragraph 1?| A．To make practical suggestions. |
| B．To lead in the topic for discussion. |
| C．To clarify the exact meaning of success. |
| D．To compare different ideas about success. |
| A．One’s value system matters a lot. |
| B．One should be grateful for what he has. |
| C．Success determines one’s beliefs and values. |
| D．Happy people are more likely to obtain success. |
| A．Choose. | B．Lack. | C．Desire. | D．Achieve. |
| A．What is the concept of success? |
| B．How can success be achieved in life? |
| C．Can success really bring money in life? |
| D．Does success in life mean having money? |
1. When was the first reconstruction(重建)of Tokyo completed?
| A．In 1923. | B．In 1930. | C．In 1945. |
| A．The war. | B．An earthquake. | C．A fire disaster. |
| A．Air pollution. | B．Waste treatment. | C．Housing shortages. |
10 . According to a new study from Oxford Economics, a rise in artificial intelligence will result in an increase in “income inequality” as they estimate that 20 million manufacturing jobs will be lost in the next 11 years. In China alone, there could be 14 million robots taking work currently done by humans by 2030. While in the United States, more than 1.5 million workers would have lost their employment to technology by 2030.
The report predicts the use of robots worldwide has increased to 2.25 million over the past two decades. The researchers said, “As a result of robotisation, tens of millions of jobs will be lost, especially in poorer economies that rely on lower-skilled workers, which will therefore translate into an increase in income inequality.”
However, the researchers noted how “robotisation” has the potential to boost productivity and economic growth. They predicted a 5.3 percent rise in global gross domestic product (GDP) in 2030.The report said, “This means adding an extra $4.9 trillion per year to the global economy by 2030(in today’s prices).”
The report remained positive about the use of automation and urged lawmakers not to sand in the way of robots in the workplace, despite the threat of job losses.
The researchers said, “These findings should not lead policy-makers to seek to prevent the adoption of robot technology. Instead, the challenge should be to distribute the robot profits more evenly by helping workers prepare for and adapt to the big changes it will bring about. Explore all policy options from training, initiatives (新方案) and new welfare programs such as universal basic income.”
1. What is the number of potential job loss in Oxford Economics report based on?| A．Accurate figures. | B．Official statistics. |
| C．Artificial intelligence. | D．Approximate calculation. |
| A．It may enlarge the gap between rich and poor. |
| B．It has helped increase the global income. |
| C．It may increase international competition in lawmaking. |
| D．It has been universally recognized. |
| A．Boosting national economic development. |
| B．Providing citizens with lifelong education. |
| C．Slowing down the spread of robot technology. |
| D．Protecting workers’ interests by making new plans. |
| A．Skeptical. | B．Favorable. | C．Conservative. | D．Tolerant. |
