1 . Suppose that 54.3 percent of your country’s population had cancer. That figure might set off a nationwide _______—a search for something wrong with people’s diet, the environment, acidity levels. In fact, that’s the percentage of Americans who show a positive skin response to one or more allergens.

The ______ of allergy—sneezing, itching, rashes—are signs of an immune system running amok, attacking foreign invaders—allergens—that mean no harm. Allergies _______ kill. They just make the sufferer miserable—sometimes for brief periods, and sometimes for life.

Allergies are essentially an epidemic of modernity. As countries become more industrialized, the percentage of population affected by them tends to grow higher. There are remote areas of South America or Africa where allergies are virtually _______.

Here’s how an allergy develops: One day, a body is exposed to a protein in something that seems perfectly ________—the wheat flour, say, in a home-baked muffin. But for some unclear reason, the body looks at the protein and sees trouble. There will be no _______ at first, but the body is remembering—and planning.

That first exposure causes the immune system to produce an antibody called IgE (immunoglobulin E). Then IgE antibodies attach to certain cells, called mast cells, in tissue throughout the body. There they stay like _______ soldiers waiting for war. With a second exposure, even months later, some of the allergen binds with the IgE on the mast cell. This time the mast cell releases a flood of _____ chemicals, which cause inflammation and itching.

There is, unquestionably, a _______ component to allergies. A child with one asthmatic parent has a good chance of developing the condition. If both parents have asthma, the chance of occurrence increases.

Still, the rise in allergies is too rapid to be explained ________ by genetics. “The genetic pool can’t change that much in such a short time,” says Donald Leung, director of an allergy-immunology program in the U.S. “There have to be environmental and _______ factors as well.” Dozens of theories have blamed everyone from urban landscapers for _______ male plants (the ones that produce pollen), to women who don’t breastfeed. Breastfeeding, the theory goes, confers greater protection against allergies.

Another probable factor: diet. “Reduced fresh fruit and vegetable intake, more processed food, fewer antioxidants, and low intake of some minerals—these are all shown to be a _______,” says professor of medicine Harold Nelson, considered one of the foremost experts on allergies in the U.S.

Another prime culprit: environmental pollutants. Exactly what pollutants and in what quantities are a _______ of heated debate. One of dozens of examples: Children who are raised near major highways and are exposed to diesel fumes from trucks register a(n) ______ sensitivity to allergens they already react to.

1.

A．awareness

B．shame

C．panic

D．campaign

2.

A．causes

B．diagnosis

C．features

D．manifestation

3.

A．absolutely

B．rarely

C．normally

D．randomly

4.

A．prevalent

B．nonexistent

C．available

D．extinct

5.

A．harmless

B．popular

C．nutritious

D．common

6.

A．warns

B．unease

C．symptoms

D．mistakes

7.

A．brave

B．sophisticated

C．wary

D．skillful

8.

A．infectious

B．poisonous

C．annoying

D．irritating

9.

A．relative

B．hereditary

C．occasional

D．natural

10.

A．mainly

B．definitely

C．necessarily

D．solely

11.

A．behavioral

B．human

C．social

D．emotional

12.

A．avoiding

B．promoting

C．planting

D．favoring

13.

A．venture

B．reason

C．risk

D．chance

14.

A．source

B．pool

C．focus

D．topic

15.

A．flexible

B．mild

C．increased

D．threatening

2 . In the future, we will be competing against medically-enhanced workers who can work longer and harder than us. Artificial intelligence will make it easier to monitor our every move in the office. This may sound like science fiction, but it’s a likely _______, according to a new report by professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.     

The report, which _______ a team of science researchers and a survey of more than 10,000 workers based in China, Germany, India, the U.K., and the U.S., predicts that rapid advances in technology, resource _______, and population demographics are among the key forces that would radically _______ the future of work by 2030.

According to PwC, these forces will result in four potential futures: one where “humans come first,” one where “innovation _______,” one where “companies care,” and one where “corporate is king.”

In the future world where corporations reign, PwC states that “human effort is _______ through sophisticated use of physical and medical enhancement techniques and equipment, and workers’ performance and _______ are measured, monitored and analysed at every step. A new breed of elite super-workers emerges.”

This is a world where performance is everything, and workers will need to create every _______ to stay ahead. This may sound like a stressful objective, but the majority of people surveyed _______ the challenge.

Seventy percent of the workers surveyed said that they would undergo ________ to improve their body and mind if it would improve their chances of employment. This could be because we believe it’s up to us to improve our careers — even if that means pill-popping performance-enhancing drugs. Of those surveyed, 74% said it was their individual ________ “to update their skills rather than relying on any employer.”

To visualize this ________ future, PwC created a mock news article reporting from 2030 that detailed the first large-scale use of brain-enhancing drugs in the workplace.

But you don’t need a fake news report to see this future; real news reports about augmented bodies in the office have existed for some time. Companies in the U.S. and Europe are already offering microchip implants to workers, so they can enter company buildings and get their chips from the vending machine with the ________ of a hand.

PwC predicts that the idea of a cyborg workforce will go from science fiction novelty to mainstream in the next few decades.

“So implants at work are already possible and happening and people will use it ________ to pay for things and to get on to buses and public transport. Why would they not 10 years later go, sure, put one in my brain to make me think harder or for ________ ?” Jon Williams, PwC’s people and organizations division leader told The Australian about its survey. “It’s just natural progression.”

1.

A．dimension

B．vision

C．integrity

D．reality

2.

A．drew upon

B．counted on

C．signed in

D．made up

3.

A．availability

B．scarcity

C．rivalry

D．privatization

4.

A．demolish

B．induce

C．alter

D．shape

5.

A．exceeds

B．offsets

C．rules

D．withdraws

6.

A．dwarfed

B．maximized

C．converted

D．marginalized

7.

A．wellbeing

B．priority

C．emotions

D．ideology

8.

A．fantasy

B．interference

C．advantage

D．expertise

9.

A．resented

B．welcomed

C．ventured

D．overcame

10.

A．reassurance

B．violation

C．reformation

D．treatments

11.

A．dream

B．expectation

C．responsibility

D．perspective

12.

A．corporate-dominated

B．career-oriented

C．human-centered

D．cognitive-enhanced

13.

A．wave

B．pulse

C．check

D．strike

14.

A．urgently

B．socially

C．privately

D．solely

15.

A．farther

B．closer

C．longer

D．shorter

3 . Everybody has heard of Jimmy Carter. As president of the United States from 1977 to 1981, he oversaw a particularly _________ time in American history. Americans taken hostage in the Middle East, major gasoline shortages around the _______, and a poor relationship with a potential enemy – the Soviet Union – are hardly the stuff of pleasant memories.

Yet even though Carter held America’s most powerful office, he will probably be _______ more for the work he has done since he left the White House. His _______ on humanitarian issues around the world sets him apart as a caring, dedicated person who wants to see those of low economic or social status _______ from the great wealth, power, and generosity of this country.

One of the major _______ Carter has focused on throughout his career is peace in the Middle East. He _______ a national energy policy designed to reduce American dependence on foreign oil long before it was popular to do so and negotiated peace treaty between Israel and Egypt. _________, he was among the first to insist publicly on basic human rights for everyone around the world, and he founded a non-profit organization, The Carter Center, to work towards that end. In his opinion, this includes _______ modern health care to developing nations in order to contain disease and improve quality of life around the world.

However, Carter does not focus all his efforts abroad. He works actively to improve the standard of living __________ as well. He and his wife Roslyn are enthusiastic supporters of Habitat for Humanity. This volunteer-based organization devotes itself to building affordable but quality housing for those who ________ might not be able to buy a home. Voluntary workers come together in their own free time to construct, paint, and landscape simple homes, working side-by-side with the families that will ________ the residences. Habitat does more than build houses; it builds ________.

For all these reasons, Carter deserves respect for dedicating his career to public ________. Everyone can agree with his impressive charity and acknowledge his obvious __________ to all of humanity.

1.

A．powerful

B．tough

C．different

D．unique

2.

A．world

B．country

C．West

D．East

3.

A．remembered

B．criticized

C．well-known

D．admired

4.

A．speech

B．theory

C．record

D．suggestion

5.

A．survive

B．start

C．benefit

D．develop

6.

A．activities

B．policies

C．ideas

D．issues

7.

A．promoted

B．questioned

C．studied

D．rejected

8.

A．Similarly

B．Namely

C．Traditionally

D．Unexpectedly

9.

A．selling

B．continuing

C．extending

D．returning

10.

A．in neighborhood

B．at home

C．on campus

D．in cities

11.

A．instead

B．rather

C．otherwise

D．moreover

12.

A．occupy

B．purchase

C．organize

D．leave

13.

A．confidence

B．communities

C．organizations

D．civilization

14.

A．relationship

B．performance

C．transportation

D．service

15.

A．challenge

B．dream

C．qualification

D．contribution

4 . A Tribute to the Dog

The best friend a man has in the world may turn against him and become his enemy. His son or daughter that he has reared with loving care may prove ______. Those who are nearest and dearest to us, those whom we trust with our happiness and our good name may become traitors to their faith.

The money that a man has, he may lose. It flies away from him, perhaps when he needs it most. A man's reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of _____ action. The people who are prone to fall on their ______ to do us honor when success is with us, may be the first to throw the stone of malice(恶意) when _____settles its cloud upon our heads.

The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never ______ him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is his dog. A man's dog stands by him in ____ and in poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives _____, if only he may be near his master's side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to _____.

He will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounters with the ______ of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master ______ he were a prince. When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wings, and reputation falls to pieces, he is as ______ in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens.

If fortune drives the master forth, an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the ______ dog asks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him, to _______ him against danger, to fight against his enemies. And when the last _______ of all comes, and death takes his master in its embrace and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all other friends pursue their way, there by the graveside will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad, but open in ______watchfulness, faithful and true even in death.

1.

A．distasteful

B．dutiful

C．regretful

D．ungrateful

2.

A．well-behaved

B．duty-bound

C．ill-considered

D．poorly-trained

3.

A．hands

B．knees

C．shoulders

D．feet

4.

A．confusion

B．fortune

C．luck

D．failure

5.

A．deserts

B．demands

C．divides

D．defeats

6.

A．property

B．prosperity

C．productivity

D．priority

7.

A．fiercely

B．gently

C．gracefully

D．randomly

8.

A．consume

B．breed

C．offer

D．apply

9.

A．subtleness

B．roughness

C．unworthiness

D．delightfulness

10.

A．as if

B．even though

C．in case

D．let alone

11.

A．constant

B．resistant

C．distant

D．instant

12.

A．faithful

B．cheerful

C．insightful

D．tearful

13.

A．prevent

B．protest

C．struggle

D．guard

14.

A．scene

B．consequence

C．memory

D．climax

15.

A．pleasant

B．alert

C．desperate

D．thrilled

5 . Many high achievers credit music with opening up the pathways to creative thinking. And their _______ suggest that music training sharpens other qualities, such as collaboration, the ability to listen, and a way of thinking that weaves together _______.

Will your school music program turn your kid into a Paul Allen, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft (guitar)? Or a Woody Allen (clarinet)? _______. These are singular achievers. But the way these and other visionaries process music is _______. As is the way many of them _______ music’s lessons of focus and discipline to new ways of thinking and communicating—even problem solving.

Look carefully and you’ll find musicians at the top of almost any _______. Woody Allen performs weekly with a jazz band. The television broadcaster Paula Zahn (cello) and the NBC chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd (French horn) attended college on music scholarships. Microsoft’s Mr. Allen has a rock band. Larry Page, a co-founder of Google, played saxophone in high school. Steven Spielberg is a clarinetist and son of a pianist. The former World Bank president James D. Wolfensohn has played cello at Carnegie Hall.

“It’s not a(n) _______,” says Alan Greenspan, former chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve. Mr. Greenspan was a professional clarinet and saxophone player. “I can tell you as a statistician, the probability that that is mere chance is _______.” The cautious former Fed chief adds, “That’s all that you can judge about the facts. The crucial question is: why does that _______ exist?”

Paul Allen offers an answer. He says music “reinforces your confidence in the ability to ________.” Mr. Allen began playing the violin at age seven and switched to the guitar as a teenager. Even in the early days of Microsoft, he would pick up his guitar at the end of marathon days of programming. The music was the emotional analog to his ________, with each channeling a different type of creative impulse. ________, there is “something pushing you to ________ what currently exists and express yourself in a new way,” he says.

The veteran advertising executive Steve Hayden ________ his background as a cellist for his most famous work, the Apple “1984” commercial depicting rebellion against a dictator. He adds that his cello performance background helps him work ________: “Ensemble playing trains you, quite literally, to play well with others, to know when to solo and when to follow.”

1.

A．rules

B．reports

C．commitments

D．experiences

2.

A．people

B．ideas

C．enemies

D．arguments

3.

A．Probably not

B．You bet

C．It depends

D．Very likely

4.

A．odd

B．threatening

C．intriguing

D．shocking

5.

A．reduce

B．apply

C．switch

D．leave

6.

A．branch

B．culture

C．industry

D．country

7.

A．problem

B．evidence

C．coincidence

D．clue

8.

A．extremely low

B．unusually high

C．incredibly mysterious

D．highly relevant

9.

A．example

B．connection

C．solution

D．demand

10.

A．listen

B．create

C．program

D．dominate

11.

A．project

B．pastime

C．addiction

D．day job

12.

A．In both

B．On the other hand

C．By contrast

D．For example

13.

A．go over

B．look beyond

C．stick with

D．give in to

14.

A．credits

B．describes

C．criticizes

D．regards

15.

A．independently

B．intuitively

C．collaboratively

D．skillfully

6 . Like many of my generation, I have a weakness for hero worship. At some point, however, we all begin to question our heroes and our need for them. This leads us to ask: What is a hero?

Despite immense differences in cultures, heroes around the world generally share a number of characteristic that instruct and inspire people. A hero does something worth talking about. A hero has a story of adventure to tell and a community who will listen. But a hero goes beyond mere fame.

Heroes serve powers or principles larger than themselves. Like high-voltage(电压) transformers, heroes take the energy of higher powers and step it down so that it can be used by ordinary people.

The hero lives a life worthy of imitation. Those who imitate a genuine hero experience life with new depth, enthusiasm, and meaning. A sure test for would-be heroes is what or whom do they serve? What are they willing to live and die for? If the answer or evidence suggests they serve only their own fame, they may be famous persons but not heroes. Madonna and Michael Jackson are famous, but who would claim that their fans find life more abundant?

Heroes are catalysts(催化剂) for change. They have a vision from the mountain top. They have the skill and the charm to move the masses. They create new possibilities. Without Gandhi, India might still be part of the British Empire. Without Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr, we might still have segregated(隔离的) buses, restaurants, and parks. It may be possible for large-scale change to occur without leaders with magnetic personalities, but the pace of change would be slow, the vision uncertain and the committee meetings endless.

1. Although heroes may come from different cultures, they      .

A．generally possess certain inspiring characteristics

B．probably share some weaknesses of ordinary people

C．are often influenced by previous generations

D．all unknowingly attract a large number of fans

2. According to the passage, heroes are compared to high-voltage transformers in that .

A．they have a vision from the mountaintop

B．they have warm feelings and emotions

C．they can serve as empowering examples of noble principles

D．they can make all people feel stronger and more confident

3. Madonna and Michael Jackson are not considered heroes because .

A．they are popular only among certain groups of people

B．their performances do not improve their fans morally

C．their primary concern is their own financial interests

D．they are not clear about the principles they should follow

4. Gandhi and Martin Luther King are typical examples of outstanding leaders who      .

A．are good at demonstrating their charming characters

B．can move the masses with the skill and the charm

C．are capable of meeting all challenges and hardships

D．can provide an answer to the problems of their people

5. The author concludes that historical changes would      .

A．be delayed without leaders with inspiring personal qualities

B．not happen without heroes making the necessary sacrifices

C．take place if there were heroes to lead the people

D．produce leaders with attractive personalities