1 . Distance or Face-to-Face Learning: What’s the Difference?

Although many people think it is a modern phenomenon, distance learning has been around for at least 200 years in one form or another.

When comparing the two systems, the first and most obvious area to focus on is the way that learning is delivered. Distance learning is heavily dependent on technology, particularly the internet.    1    In comparison, when learning remotely, technology is the principal means of communication. The flexibility this provides means that students may be better able to learn at their own pace, following their own timetable, but it may also mean that learners have to be well-organized and self-disciplined. They must therefore be highly motivated in order to do well on the distance-learning courses.

    2    . Namely, the teacher is the “knower”, and is responsible for helping students understand the key components of the course. However, the nature of the relationship may differ slightly within the two modes of delivery. With face-to-face learning, the teacher and student have the opportunity to develop a personal relationship through lectures, seminars and tutorials. This is different from a distance-learning course, where the teacher may seldom or indeed never actually meet the student. This may make it hard for teachers to understand their learners’ specific learning needs.

    3    . Generally, students like to meet regularly and talk to people on the same course. However, this kind of interaction on a distance-learning course is less common. Although people can increasingly interact through online conversations and message boards, there is a significant difference between virtual and real interaction. Time and geography must also be considered when contrasting these two types of learning. Face-to-face learning must take place in real time and in one location.    4    .

In conclusion, it is difficult to state whether one form of learning is better than another, as they cater for different audiences. What is important to understand is the different ways in which they operate, and that there are strong similarities between the two systems, which can both produce positive results.

A．Historical examples of long-distance learning include students being sent a series of weekly lessons by post.

B．On the contrary, distance learning can happen at any time and in any location, since the learning is not restricted by geography.

C．On a face-to-face course, students may only require a computer for the purpose of writing an essay.

D．The technological advances of the past 20 or so years have meant that distance learning is now able to rival face-to-face learning as a credible alternative.

E．For many students, interaction with their peers is one of the best aspects of university education.

F．In terms of the teacher-student relationship, the core principles remain the same.

2 .
Let it go

Song: Let it Go（2013）on Disney’s Frozen soundtrack
Meaning: If you “let go” of a bad feeling or memory, you stop thinking about it or being upset by it; literally, if you “let go” of something, you stop holding onto it with your hands.
Example: I know you are upset that she left you, but you have to let it go and get on with your life.

Turn the page

Song: Turn the Page(1973) on the album Back in '72 album by Bob Seger
Meaning: If you “turn the page”, you forget about the past and start your life again after a bad period. Literally, if you “turn the page” while reading, you go to the next page in a book and start reading that one.
Example: “Six months after her divorce, she decided to turn the page and start a new relationship.”

Rock the boat

Song: Rock the boat（1974）on the album Freedom for the Stallion by the Hues Corporation
Meaning: If you “rock the boat”, you do or say something that might upset people or cause problems or trouble. Literally, if you “rock a boat” (a small one), you move if from side to side, often to frighten other people.
Example: during the dinner, I didn’t want to rock the boat, so I kept quiet about the terrible money situation.

Let your hair down

Song: Let your Hair down(2014) on the album Don’t kill the Magic by Magic.
Meaning: If you “let your hair down”, you act more freely than usual and really enjoy yourself. Literally, if someone with long hair “lets their hair down”. they untie it and let it fall freely.
Example: “Come on, this is a party！Let your hair down and have some fun!”

Poker face

Song: Poker face(2008) on the album The Fame by Lady Gaga.
Meaning: If you have a “poke face”, you have a neutral expression on your face that doesn’t show an emotion, and which doesn’t let other people know that what you are thinking or feeling. Literally, during a game of poker ,players often have a “poker face” (a neutral expression)，so they do not give other players any information about which cards they might have.
Example: “It is often useful to keep a poker face during business negotiations.”

1. One can comfort a friend who has failed an exam by saying “_____ ,” as quoted in a 1970s song.

A．let it go

B．let your hair down

C．turn the page

D．keep a poker face

2. What can we infer about “the current money situation” mentioned in the third box?

A．The diners were likely to be short of capital.

B．The restaurant chef was probably in heavy debt.

C．The speaker was confident of an economic boom.

D．The boat owner threatened to withdraw his funds.

3. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A．Magic of English Idioms in Animations

B．Idioms-Inspiration for Popular Music

C．Cheer Yourself up in the World of Music

D．Useful Idioms from Popular Song Titles

3 . Women are still underrepresented in top academic positions. One of the possible explanations for this is the increasing importance of obtaining research funding. Women are often less successful in this than men. Psychology researchers Dr. Romy van der Lee and professor Naomi Ellemers investigated whether this difference also occurs at the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) and examined potential explanations.

The researchers were assigned by NWO to carry out this study as part of the broader evaluation of NWO’s procedures and its gender diversity policy. The aim was to gain more insight into the causes of the differences in awarding rates for male and female applicants for research funding. The analysis addressed an important “talent programme” of NWO, the Veni grant. “Whoever receives this grant has a greater chance of obtaining an important appointment at a university, ” says Naomi Ellemers.

Van der Lee and Ellemers investigated all the applications submitted by male and female researchers over a period of three years: a total of 2823 applications. Under the direction of NWO these applications were assessed by scientific committees consisting of men and women. The results demonstrate that the awarding rates for female applicants (14.9%) are systematically lower than those for male applicants (17.7%). “If we compare the proportion of women among the applicants with the proportion of women among those awarded funding, we see a loss of 4%,” said Ellemers.

The study reveals that women are less positively evaluated for their qualities as researcher than men are, “Interestingly the research proposals of women and men are evaluated equally positively. In other words, the reviewers see no difference in the quality of the proposals that men and women submit,” says Romy van der Lee.

In search for a possible cause for the differences in awarding rates and evaluations, the researchers also investigated the language use in the instructions and forms used to assess the quality of applications. This clearly revealed the occurrence of gendered language. The words that are used to indicate quality are frequently words that were established in previous research as referring mainly to the male gender stereotype (such as challenging and excellent). Romy van der Lee explains: “As a result, it appears that men more easily satisfy the assessment criteria, because these better fit the characteristics stereoty-pically associated with men.”

In response to the results of this research, NWO will devote more attention to the gender awareness of reviewers in its methods and procedures. It will also be investigated which changes to the assessment procedures and criteria can most strongly contribute to more equal chances for men and women to obtain research funding. This will include an examination of the language used by NWO. NWO chair Jos Engelens said, “The research has yielded valuable results and insights. Based on the recommendations made by the researchers we will therefore focus in the coming period on the development of evidence-based measures to reduce the difference in awarding rates.”

1. Van der Lee and Ellemers carried out the research to find out whether _________.

A．women are less successful than men in top academic positions

B．female applicants are at a disadvantage in getting research funding

C．NOW’s procedures and gender diversity policy enhance fair play

D．there are equal chances for men and women to be admitted to a university

2. Van der Lee and Ellemers’ study shows that _________.

A．grant receivers were more likely to get appointments at universities

B．men applicants for research funding outnumbered women applicants

C．the research proposals of women are equally treated with those of men

D．the reviewers have narrow, prejudiced conceptions of women candidates

3. What might be the main cause for the differences in awarding rates and evaluations?

A．The words used in the instructions and forms.

B．The reviewers’ preference to applications.

C．The methods and procedures for evaluation.

D．The vague and unclear assessment criteria.

4. What will NWO probably do next in response to the results of this research?

A．Eliminate possibilities for difference in awarding rates.

B．Design a language examination for all the reviewers.

C．Emphasize the importance of gender awareness.

D．Improve the assessment procedures and criteria.

4 . The Old Man and The Sea

The old man took one look at the great fish as he watched the shark close in.     1    .

The shark closed fast on the boat and when he hit the fish the old man saw his mouth open and his strange eyes and his sharp teeth as he drove forward in the meat just above the tail. The old man could hear the noise of skin and flesh ripping on the big fish when he threw the fishing spear(叉)into the shark’s head at a place where the line between his eyes crossed with the line that ran straight back from his nose. There were no such lines.     2     He hit it with his wet, bloody hands driving a good spear with all his strength. He hit without hope but with determination and complete hatred.

The shark turned over and the old man saw his eye was not alive and then he turned over once again, wrapping himself in the rope.     3     Then, on his back, with his tail still moving and his mouth opening and closing, the shark swam over the water as fast as a speed boat. The water was white where his tail beat it and three quarters of his body was clear above the water when the rope broke.

    4     Then he went down very slowly. “He took about forty pounds,” the old man said aloud. He took my spear too and all the rope, he thought, and now my fish bleeds again and there will be others. He did not like to look at the fish any longer since the shark had bitten it. When the shark had hit the fish, it was as though he himself had been hit. But I killed the shark that hit my fish, he thought. And that was the biggest shark that he had ever seen. And he had seen big ones in his lifetime. It was too good to last, he thought. I wish it had been a dream now and that I had never caught the fish.

A．Finally, he wanted to give up because of lack of strength.

B．It was hard for me to escape from the shark but I will try.

C．But that was the location of the brain and the old man hit it.

D．The old man knew that he was dead but the shark would not accept it.

E．I cannot keep him from hitting me, he thought, but maybe I can get him.

F．The shark lay quietly for a little while on the surface and the old man watched him.

5 . Climate change disproportionately affects the world’s most vulnerable people, particularly poor rural communities that depend on the land for their livelihoods and coastal populations throughout the tropics. We have already seen a chain of tough suffering that results from extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, floods, droughts, wildfires, and more.

For remedies, advocates and politicians have tended to look toward cuts in fossil-fuel use or technologies to capture carbon before it enters the atmosphere—both of which are crucial. But this focus has overshadowed the most powerful and cost-efficient carbon capture technology in the world. Recent research confirms that forests are absolutely essential in reducing climate change, thanks to their ability to absorb and isolate carbon. In fact, natural climate solutions such as conservation and restoration of forests, along with improvements in land management, can help us achieve 37 percent of our climate target of limiting warming to a maximum of two degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, even though they currently receive only 2.5 percent of public climate financing.

Forests’ power to store carbon dioxide is staggering: one tree can store an average of about 48 pounds in one year. Intact(完整的)forests could take in the CO₂ emissions of some entire countries.

For this reason, policymakers and business leaders must create and enforce policies to prevent deforestation, foster, reforestation of degraded land, and promote the sustainable management of standing forests in the fight against climate change. Protecting the world’s forests ensures they can keep performing essential functions such as producing oxygen, filtering water and supporting biodiversity. Not only does the world’s entire population depend on forests to provide clean air, clean water, oxygen and medicines, but 1.6 billion people also rely on them directly for their livelihoods.

Unfortunately, a huge amount of forest continues to be converted into agricultural land to produce a handful of resource-intensive commodities - despite zero-deforestation commitments from companies and governments. So now is the time to increase forest protection and restoration. This action will also address a number of other pressing global issues. For example, in less developed, rural areas - especially in the tropics - community-based forest-management programs can forge pathways out of poverty. In the Peten region of Guatemala, for instance, community-managed forests boasted a near-zero deforestation rate from 2000 through 2013, as compared with 12 percent in nearby protected areas and buffer(缓冲)zones. These communities have built low-impact, sustainable forest-based businesses that have stimulated the economy of the region enough to fund the creation of local schools and health services. Their success is especially noticeable in a location where, outside these community-managed zones, deforestation rates have increased 20-fold.

1. Which of the following statements about natural climate solutions is true according to the passage?

A．They are the only effective strategies available to address the climate change.

B．They pale in comparison with the reduction in fossil-fuel use or technologies.

C．They can and should play a more important role in cutting carbon emissions.

D．They manage to limit warming to two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

2. The word “staggering” (Paragraph 3) is closest in meaning to “_________”.

A．documented	B．incredible
C．unsteady	D．negligible

3. Which of the following statements is the author most likely to agree with?

A．The policies to prevent deforestation have borne fruit.

B．Developed countries are hit the hardest by climate change.

C．Economic growth contributes a lot to reducing deforestation.

D．Some governments fail to keep their promises to preserve forests.

4. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．Keeping forests undamaged can go a long way toward saving the planet.

B．A high-tech climate fix is required to dramatically lessen global warming.

C．Governments should work together with businesses to stop deforestation.

D．Sustainable management of forests is crucial in powering regional development.

6 . 1. Blood is blue inside your body.

Human blood is the same color inside your body as it is outside: red. Our veins look blue because the tissue covering them changes the way light is absorbed and scattered, which affects our perception of their color.

2. Paul Revere shouted “The British are coming!”

You can thank Henry Weds-worth Longfellow and his poem “Paul Revere’s Ride” for spreading that tale. No one knows what, if anything. Revere shouted through the streets of Lexington, Massachusetts, though we don know he told one guard that “the regulars are coming out.”

3. The hottest part of a chill pepper is the seeds

Capsaicia, a chemical compound that binds to the pain receptors on our nerves to produce that very heat, is most concennrated in the inner white rib of the chili pepper. The seeds don’t actually contain any capsaicin, but they may be coated in it because they touch the rib.

4. Jesus Christ was born on December 25.

The Gospels of Matthew and Luke never mention the date of Jesus’s birth. So why do we celebrate December 25 as the day that Christ was born? It could be because of a Roman Catholic historian from the third century, Sextus Julios Africanus, who believed Jesus was conceived on March 25 - nine months before what is now Christmas Day.

5. The Sahara is the world’s largest desert.

Technically, Antarctica is. The U. S. Geological Survey defines a desert as “arid land with meager rainfall [usually less than ten inches per year] that supports only sparse vegetation and a limited population of people and animals.” Antarctica averages only six inches of rain a year (mostly as snow) and is almost 5.5 million square miles. The Sahara is only 3.3 million square miles.

6. Chameleorts can change their coloring to match any background.

The lizards do adjust their skin tone to camouflage themselves in certain environments, but their color range is limited. The really vibrant hues you see on TV and in books aren’t usually meant for tricking predators. Those chameleons are trying to attract a mate or defend their territory. Male chameleons have even been known to change their colors to appear female, which helps them sneak by other males without the threat or fight.

1. It is _________ that essentially make(s) the pepper taste spicy.

A．the concentration of capsaicin	B．the coating of the seeds
C．the pain receptors on our nerves	D．the size of the inner rib

2. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．The Sahara isn’t seen as the world’s largest desert because it receives less rain than Antarctica.

B．Chameleons change their coloring to serve purposes other than fooling their enemies.

C．Wads-worth witnessed Paul Revere shout “The British are coming” with his own eyes.

D．The absorption of light by the tissue changes the blood inside our body from red into blue.

3. Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?

A．Discoveries That Are Amazing	B．Facts That Are Misleading
C．Findings That Are Significant	D．Myths That Are Unknown

7 . Intrigued by Maya civilization from a very young age, 15-year-old Canadian William Gadoury thought he had made an incredible discovery from his study of ancient star charts. Through comparison, he found that the locations of the 117 known Maya cities correspond to the positions of the stars. Based on this, he believed he had spotted an unknown Maya city buried deep in the jungle.     1    

It isn’t difficult to see why. Extending south from parts of what we now know as Mexico into Central America, Maya civilization has been surrounded by mystery since its rediscovery in the 19th century. The Maya built impressive palaces and temples, including their representative step pyramids. What is most extraordinary about these complex structures is how they were built without the use of wheels, metal tools or even animal power. The Maya’s understanding of mathematics and astronomy was also quite amazing.     2    

The fact that Maya society was technologically primitive makes its achievements all the more incredible and mysterious.     3     By 700 AD, Maya civilization was at its peak. Yet, within just a couple of generations, it began to mysteriously decline. The cities were left to be taken back by the jungle. When Europeans arrived in Central America in the early 16th century to claim its riches, the remaining Maya people were living in small settlements.

Why Maya civilization collapsed remains a mystery. Was it a natural disaster? A deadly disease? Conflicts between cities? Or was it a combination of several different factors?     4     They had turned wetlands into fields for growing grains, and had dug huge canal systems. As their population expanded, yet more land was needed for agriculture and more trees for construction. By changing the landscape in this way, it is possible that the Maya people unknowingly reduced their ability to deal with natural disasters.

Whatever the reasons, Maya civilization largely disappeared within the deep jungle. Its once—great cities fell into ruin, leaving various mysteries for later people to solve.

A．Research suggests that those natural disasters may have led to the decline of the Maya.

B．But the greatest mystery of all is what caused the Maya to abandon most of their great cities.

C．It turned out that the lucky boy hit the jackpot and the Maya city was eventually brought to light.

D．Some research seems to indicate that the Maya people themselves may have played a part in their downfall.

E．Although his theory has been dismissed by scholars, it shows how powerful the secrets of Ancient Maya civilization are among people.

F．They applied this understanding to the Maya calendar, which was accurate to within 30 seconds per year.

8 . By the twentieth century, New York City had long since reached its destiny of becoming the most powerful city in America. In less than 300 years it had grown from a tiny Dutch outpost in the wilderness to the business capital of the world. It was a city built on dreams,

But it was made out of bricks and cement that had come from the banks of the Hudson. The river which had fed all those dreams was now fading into the background. New York didn’t seem to need the river anymore, except as a sewer. And that’s what it became.

Industry on the river had made some New Yorkers filthy rich. But it had just made the river filthy. Garbage, factory waste, plant chemicals and the raw sewage of the cities and towns along its banks were dumped directly into the river. The water turned greenish brown, except by the GM plant, where it turned red or yellow or whatever color they were painting the cars that day.

The fishing industry collapsed. The few fish that survived were too poisonous to eat. Smog from the factory smoke and dust from the cement plants blanketed the valley. And it was all legal.

Most people don’t start out which dreams of polluting a river. But it was often the result of people chasing their dreams of wealth with little care of how they reached it. The Hudson Valley had always drawn them.

But now there were other dreamers in the valley, with their own dreams of wealth. They dreamed of the wealth of wildlife in a healthy forest, the abundance of fish in oxygen—rich water, and the great fortune of living in a beautiful river valley.

So perhaps it was a matter of time before the two types of dreamers would meet each other—in court. In 1963, Con Edison, New York City’s power company, proposed a plan for constructing the largest hydroelectric pumping station ever built. The plan called for carving out a gigantic hole in the side of majestic Storm King Mountain on the Hudson River.

But then they met Franny Reese, a longtime valley resident with a simple point to make: the mountain could not speak for itself. If she didn’t speak for it, who would?

Franny and a group of like—minded people founded Scenic Hudson and took on the power company in a landmark court case. Con Ed challenged the right of private citizens to participate, but the court sided with the citizens, in the ruling now known as the Scenic Hudson Decision.

After dragging out the case for seven years, Con Ed finally gave up and Storm King survived unblemished. It was the beginning of the environmental movement in this country, and and again, the Hudson Valley was the birthplace.

1. According to the first two paragraphs, the Hudson River that once helped realize people’s dreams was now ______.

A．disappearing from view

B．losing its importance in people’s minds

C．moving farther and farther away from the city

D．remaining important only to those who want to seek their fortune

2. Which of the following is NOT the factor contributing to the pollution of the river?

A．The automotive plant.	B．The raw sewage.
C．The fishing industry.	D．The cement plants.

3. What does the underlined word “unblemished” probably mean?

A．Unaware.

B．Unknown.

C．Unharmed.

D．Unstable.

4. What can we infer from the passage?

A．Scenic Hudson may be an environmental organization that protects the Hudson River.

B．Con Ed and Franny Reese settled the case out of court.

C．Two types of dreamers signed an agreement in court.

D．The Hudson Valley, once a magnet for dreamers, is now completely abandoned.

9 . For the decade between the end of the financial crisis and the coronavirus pandemic, the ride-hailing app Uber boomed. The company’s business model relied on the flexibility of the rapidly-growing gig economy(零工经济), and its sky-high valuation directly represented its dominant market position.     1    .

Now its sufferings illustrate how those trends are shifting again. After almost a decade of being able to rely on cheap and swift Ubers to get around, city residents must get used to a new experience. A shortfall of British drivers got so bad that the chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi met with unions to recruit new workers on a visit to London.

There are some factors accounting for this shortage. During lock-downs few were taking trips, but with the reopening, and the urge to mingle(社交往来)again, came a sudden bounce-back(反弹). Uber said that demand in London had risen by about a fifth in 2021 and even more in smaller UK cities.     2    .

The flexibility and casual working arrangements that once so benefited the company now work in reverse in times of labour shortage.     3    . Uber has been forced to raise charges in London and offers a bonus if drivers can recruit others.

In the past two years, the price of an Uber has increased by 92 percent, according to Rakuten Intelligence. Higher prices are likely to be here to stay.     4    . Perhaps, then, Uber will demonstrate just how abnormal the decade between the end of the financial crisis and the arrival of the pandemic really was. The era of cheap Ubers may be at an end.

A．Workers have little, or no, loyalty to the company and can switch between different apps depending on which offers the better, or closer, ride

B．The government is now racking its brain to figure out ways to help support Uber to get through this difficult time.

C．The prospect of this huge industry cannot be underestimated.

D．In the meantime, thousands of drivers had found other jobs; even while economies were locked down drivers were still needed for takeaway and online shopping deliveries.

E．The question is what happens when more normal circumstances return.

F．It even sparked the word “Uberisation” to describe how its example helped transform industries, jobs and society.

10 . How can the train operators possibly justify yet another increase to rail passenger fares? It has become a grimly reliable annual ritual: every January the cost of travelling by train rises, imposing a significant extra burden on those who have no option but to use the rail network to get to work or otherwise. This year’s rise, an average of 2.7 percent, may be a little bit lower than last year’s, but it is still well above the official Consumer Price Index (CPI) measure of inflation(通货膨胀).

Successive governments have permitted such increases on the grounds that the cost of investing in and running the rail network should be borne by those who use it, rather than the general taxpayer. Why, the argument goes, should a car-driving pensioner from Lincolnshire have to subsidise(补贴)the daily commute(通勤)of a rail traveller from Surrey? Equally, there is a sense that the sufferings of commuters in the South East, have received too much attention compared to those who must endure the relatively poor infrastructure of the Midlands and the North.

However, over the past 12 months, those commuters have also experienced some of the worst rail strikes in years. It is all very well train operators boasting about the improvements they are making to the network, but passengers should be able to expect a basic level of service for the substantial sums they are now paying to travel. The responsibility for the latest wave of strikes rests on the unions. However, there is a strong case that those who have been worst affected by industrial action should receive compensation for the disruption they have suffered.

The Government has promised to change the law to introduce a minimum service requirement so that, even when strikes occur, services can continue to operate. This should form part of a wider package of measures to address the long-running problems on Britain’s railways. Yes, more investment is needed, but passengers will not be willing to pay more indefinitely if they must also endure cramped, unreliable services, along with regular chaos when timetables are changed, or planned maintenance is managed incompetently. The threat of nationalisation may have been seen off for now, but it will return with a revenge if the justified anger of passengers is not addressed in short order.

1. The author holds that this year’s increase in rail passengers fares ________.

A．creates extra burden on taxpayers.

B．has kept pace with inflation.

C．is beyond the expectation of commuters

D．remains an unreasonable practice.

2. According to the passage, which of the following is right?

A．Compensations are to be given to the commuters affected by the strikes.

B．A minimum service requirement will be likely to settle the railway problems.

C．In terms of service, there is a conflict between train operator’s claim and the reality.

D．Train operators have suffered huge losses owing to the strikes.

3. If unable to calm down passengers, the railways may have to face ________.

A．the loss of investment.	B．the collapse of operations.
C．a reduction of revenue(收入)	D．a change of ownership.

4. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

A．Who Are to Blame for the Ever-rising Fares?

B．Rail Strikes Need to Be Stopped

C．Enhance Railway Service, Ease Passenger Anger

D．Ever-rising Fares Are Unreasonable