1 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passages 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.

Beethov-hen’s first symphony

On a grey Friday morning at a Hawke’s Bay farm, members of New Zealand’s symphony orchestra dressed in black to perform their latest composition in front of a large crowd.

The music contained many marks of traditional classical music, but as it began, the instruments started to make loud, rough sounds more commonly     1     (hear) in chicken coops than in an auditorium.

However, no feathers were angered by this departure from tradition,     2     the audience that gathered to listen to the concert last week was, in fact, a couple of thousand chickens.

The piece of music – Chook Symphony No.1 –     3     (create) specifically for the birds out of an unlikely partnership between the orchestra and an organic free-range chicken farm which wanted a piece of chicken-friendly music to enrich its flocks’ lives.

“We’ve been playing classical music for the chickens for some years now because     4     is well researched that the music can calm the chickens down,” says Ben Bostock, one of the two brothers who     5     (own) the Bostock Brothers farm.

Research has shown animals can respond positively to classical music, and chickens are particularly responsive to baroque (巴洛克风格), according to some studies.

The composer, Hamish Oliver,     6     used the baroque tradition as a starting point and drew inspiration from composers such as Corelli, Bach, and Schnittke, wanted the piece to be playful by including sounds from a chicken’s world. “The trumpet imitates the chicken… the woodwind instruments are the cluckiest, especially if you take the reeds off.”

The early stages of composition were spent     7     (test) out which instruments and sounds the chickens responded to best.

“They didn’t like any big banging,” Bostock said, adding that when the birds respond positively to the music, they tend     8     (wander) farther among the trees. Bostock now hopes chicken farmers around the world will use the piece of music to calm their own birds.

For Oliver, having input from the farmers about     9     the chickens were responding to particular sounds and instruments was a highlight of the project.

The symphony has searched exhaustively     10     any other examples of orchestras making music specifically for chickens and believes this to be a world-first, says Peter Biggs, the orchestra’s chief executive.

2 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passages 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.

Japan’s robot revolution in senior care

Japan’s artificial intelligence expertise is transforming the elder care industry, with     1     (specialize) robotic care accomplishing more than just taking pressure off the critical shortage of caregivers. Senior care facilities across Japan are testing out such new robots     2     deliver a collection of social and physical health care and the government-backed initiative has been met with positive reviews by elderly residents.

The rapidly graying population     3     (eye) by the government as a potential market for medical technology now. Disappointing government predictions show that by 2025, Japan's first baby boomers will have turned 75 and about 7 million people are likely to suffer from some form of dementia (痴呆). The nation won't be able to avoid a dementia crisis     4     an additional 380,000 senior care workers.

The long-standing shortage of professional care workers has encouraged the Japanese government     5     (simplify) procedures for foreign caregivers to be trained and certified. The current Technical Intern Training Program between Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia, under     6     Economic Partnership Agreement, was extended to include nursing care as well as agriculture, fishery, and construction sectors.

    7     the government made efforts to increase the numbers of senior care workers, the target number of foreign graduates has still fallen flat, with the national caregiver examination proving a major obstacle to pass. The success rate for foreign students was a merely 106 students last year,     8     has slightly improved to 216 students this year. Another depressing reality is that 19 to 38 percent of foreign nurses who pass the exam opt to leave the industry and return home,    9     (cite) tough work conditions and long hours. Given the challenges, this is     10     the government believes care robots will be able to step in.

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.

5 . 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.

In a bid to control the nation’s growing problem with food wastage, the South Korean government has started a unique initiative – “Pay as You Trash”. As of now, the South Korean government has three methods     1     place to charge citizens for the food thrown away. One is through a RFI card. When users tap this card over a specially designed food waste bin, the lid (盖子) will open, allowing them to dump their waste. The waste     2     (weigh) automatically and a bill is recorded in the user’s account which the user needs to settle on a monthly basis. Each RFI bin costs $1,500 and     3     serve 60 households.

The second billing method is through pre-paid garbage bags. These specially designed bags are priced based on volume. There’s also an electronic management system,     4     residents put food waste directly into the bin and pay for it by purchasing a special tag     5     (attach) to the bin.

Every household in South Korea is subject to one of these payment systems.     6     the new payment method affects you depends totally on how much food you throw away. Whatever system you use, you are sure to feel the pain of food waste. The more food you throw out, the more you end up     7     (pay).

And it’s working. Residents like Seoul housewife Ms. Kwan have found it necessary to adopt innovative methods to avoid food waste. She picks     8     wet out of leftover food before throwing it away. She also separates fresh produce and other food items into     9     (small) portions so that only the required amount is used up per meal. “     10     the fees can be reduced, I’m willing to adopt any innovative method to avoid food waste,” she said.

6 . So cautious was he in their first trans-Antarctic expedition that he was the first ________ (spot) the danger caused by the tip of that floating iceberg. (所给词的适当形式填空)

8 . It is ten days since the classrooms in that remote school ________ (equip) with the up-to-date audio-visual aids, and such modern teaching equipment is becoming increasingly popular with the young students. (所给词的适当形式填空)