1 . 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.

Stop Asian Hate

During the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, New York City saw a sharp increase in harassment and violence against Asian people and communities, especially Asian elders. Discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, age, and disability, including having or     1     (perceive) to be exposed to COVID-19, is illegal under the Human Rights Law.    2    the start of the pandemic, there has been a significant, troubling increase in anti-Asian hate crimes and bias incidents. These have been verbal attacks, physical and even things like the tragic shooting of eight Asian-American spa technicians in Atlanta, Georgia. Beginning in February of 2020, we received a sevenfold increase in reports of anti-Asian harassment, discrimination, and violence. It is crucial to note that hate crimes and bias incidents have been found to be vastly under-reported     3    these numbers reflect just a fraction.

We all want to live in a world that is free from prejudice and    4    everyone has the right to be proud of who they are. Unfortunately, this is a pretty tough ask. We’ve joined forces with other establishments to bring you some resources of the movement of Stop Asian Hate,     5    the aim is to an end to the rising tide of racism against east and south east asian (ESEA) people.

Since the pandemic, something has been made nasty in the media by comments from Donald Trump calling it “the China virus”, and ESEA people all over the world have found that their lives have been turned upside down. In the wake of the tragic deaths in the US and several studies     6    (reveal) the real increase of racism against this minority, the Stop Asian Hate movement started a conversation about what is going on. You can find out all about it on this website, and get resources and support to help you if you are dealing with the impacts     7    racism.

Working towards a world where no racism exists is always important to us, and will always be something     8    need to strive towards. The thing is, a lot of conversations around racism fail to distinguish between the multiple groups of people who are affected, and the issues     9     (face) by ESEA people will be completely different to other people of colour.

    10    the growth of attacks and hate crimes still on the rise, we want to give you the tools to be able to understand the value and necessity of our voice, and how to stand up and fight back.

2 . Directions: After reading the two passages 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.

A road trip

Out of all possible road trips, the best one is by car. You finish packing, put everything inside the car, sit inside it, buckle up, look at your friend     1     (sit) next to you, smile and ... go! And then begins the most wonderful part of the road trip. It is not the place you are heading to but what you see from the opened window of the car     2     matters. The best part is when you leave your home before the dawn. Personally,     3     I look in the direction of the east, I am always amazed by how the sun informs the world about its arrival.

I love to meet the sun while driving a road trip in a car.     4     (bring) alive in the new sunlight, everything looks promising. It always seems as if it was the first time in your life that you had seen a green leaflet, the trees,     5     grew right next to your car window, and a light smiling over the nature.

Spring and autumn are two seasons of the year that are perfect for a road trip. In my opinion, spring is the most inspiring time of the year,     6     when you open the car windows, you can actually feel that the world is clean and ready for a new life. The green grass is so fresh that you can’t wait     7     (take) a deep breath. The air is filled with a fragrant smell of the plants.

A road trip in autumn is beautiful, too. The golden brush touches     8     around the gardens, the fields, the groves, the woods. In deep autumn, the whole earth     9     (cover) by colorful plants as if you were driving through a fine carpet. The air is sharp, cool and fresh. You simply put on a warmer sweater but never put the window up!

A road trip for me is the moment of communication with nature. It is a dialogue     10     the nature and me. The beauty that you observe during a car road trip purifies you, refreshing your soul and your mind!

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.
“Party Cries” In Ireland
Mark Twain

Belfast is a peculiarly religious community. This may be said of the whole of the North of Ireland. About one-half of the people are convinced Protestants (清教徒) and the other half Catholics (天主教徒). Each party does all it can     1    (make) its own doctrines (信条) popular and draw the affections of the irreligious toward them.    2    hears constantly of the most touching instances of this passion. A week ago a vast crowd of Catholics assembled at Armagh to dedicate a new church; and when they started home again the roadways     3     (line) with groups of meek and lowly Protestants who stoned them     4    all the region round about was marked with blood. I thought that only Catholics argued in that way,    5    it seems to be a mistake.

Every man in the community acts like a minister and carries a brick to argue against     6    holds different ideas. The law has tried to break this up, but not with perfect success. The law says that persons uttering (说) irritating “party cries”    7    be fined forty shillings (先令) and costs. And so, in the police court reports every day, one sees these fines     8     (record). Last week a girl of twelve years old was fined the usual forty shillings and costs     9    claiming in the public streets that she was “a Protestant.” The usual cry is, “To hell with the Pope!” or “To hell with the Protestants!” according to the utterer's system of salvation.

One of Belfast's local jokes was very good. It referred to the uniform and inevitable fine of forty shillings and costs for uttering a party cry--and it is no economical fine for a poor man, either, by the way. They say that a policeman found a drunken man lying on the ground, up a dark alley,    10     (amuse) himself with shouting, “To hell with! To hell with!” The officer smelt a fine--informers get half.

“What’s that you say?”

“To hell with!”

“To hell with who? To hell with what?”

“Ah, ye can finish it yourself--it's too expensive for me!”

I think the seditious disposition (倾向), restrained by the economical instinct, is finely put in that.

4 . Directions: After reading the passages 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.

As a liberal arts teacher, it is my more often average to find myself obligated(不得不) to speak to my students about books that I haven’t read,     1     in the strict sense (having never opened them) or the attenuated(宽松的) sense (having only skimmed them or almost forgotten them). I am not sure whether I have dealt with this sort of situations better than my colleagues. But I have often attempted     2     (reassure) myself with the thought that those who are listening to me are no doubt on similar ground and are probably     3     (confident) about it than I am. Of course, there is always a risk that my class will be disrupted and I will find myself humiliated, if even one of my students has read the text I’m discussing.

As a result of such all-too-familiar situations, I believe I am well positioned, if not to offer any real lesson on     4     to talk with others about unread books, at least to convey a deeper understanding of the non-reader’s experience.

Admit it or not, we still live in a society, on the decline though it may be,     5     reading remains the object of a kind of worship. This worship     6     (apply) particularly to a number of books —the list may vary based on the circles one moves in —which it is practically forbidden not to have read if one wants to be taken seriously.

To speak without shame about books we haven’t read, we would thus need to free ourselves of the oppressive image of cultural literacy     7     (impose) by school and society, for we can strive toward this image for a lifetime     8     ever managing to coincide with it. Truth destined for others is less important than truthfulness to ourselves, something attainable only by those who free themselves from the obligation to seem cultivated, which tyrannizes(欺压) us from within and prevents us from being ourselves.

5 . The money will go to the Glide Foundation, a charity ____________ (provide) food, health care, housing and job training for San Francisco's homeless. (所给词的适当形式填空)

6 . 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.

7 . 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.

Buy Now, Pay Later Spending

Buy now, pay later(BNPL) spending is expected to rise to record levels this holiday season. With so many young “buy now, pay later” shoppers already in debt from this short-term financing tool not requiring interest, questions emerge: Why do these shoppers use such a tool? And what risks does it pose to their budgets in the months     1     (come)?

The many Generation Z and millennials (typically around 40 years and younger) tend to use this short-term financing,     2     allows them to buy items and pay for them over time. Offered mostly by financial technologies, BNPL allows these customers to pay back their purchases     3     interest and with the first payment usually made at checkout. The most common “buy now, pay later” plan is     4     customers make four equal payments and pay off the debt in six weeks. It’s been a lifeline for some people, such as a university student     5     weekly income is not big enough. “BNPL provides consumers with flexible payment options so they     6     manage spending,” said Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights. That is of great importance for many consumers, especially     7     with a tendency to purchase higher-cost items.

However, since BNPL     8     (appear), warnings from experts have come into our view. They have been indicating that it’s financially unhealthy to form such a spending habit. According to New York Federal Reserve economists, BNPL may encourage debt to increase over time,     9     (influence) a consumer’s ability to meet non-BNPL commitments, or users to over extend themselves. Users should also note that     10     interest is not charged on the loan, they’ll be hit with late fees for missed payments, which can add up quickly, says the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

8 . 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.

Coping With the Sunday Scaries

A few years ago, I was in the kitchen of a friend’s house preparing a meal. When we all sat down to eat, my friend’s wife wolfed down her supper and then disappeared into another room to do some work. He smiled and said, “Sunday nights are the new Monday mornings around here.”

I was surprised at the time. Now, I find myself     1    (behave) in exactly the same manner. Every time I open up my calendar on Sunday evening, a subtle sense of dread comes over me. I feel as     2     I am behind before the week has even begun.

Apparently, my Sunday-night anxieties and Monday-morning blues are not unique to me alone. A new study led by Ilke Inceoglu from the University of Exeter found that this phenomenon often takes the form of mental concerns about the week ahead, as well as feelings of nervousness and difficulty with sleeping. “It’s as if your mind moves away from     3     has been experienced over the weekend as the general sense of relaxation or enjoyment, and quickly shifts towards whatever worries you have about everything you’ve got to do in the work week ahead,” said one of Inceoglu’s respondents.

Inceoglu found that these Sunday scaries were particularly pronounced     4     people who frequently checked their emails during the weekend, had tasks left over from the previous week, and had unreasonably high expectations of themselves. These matters seem     5    (make) worse as a result of the pandemic, where the rise of working from home     6    (blur) the boundaries between work and leisure.

What should we do about the “Sunday scaries”? Researchers have offered some useful suggestions that     7     help us make Monday less depressing. One is to change     8     you think about the weekend. One U.S. study found that when participants were asked to treat their weekend as a mini-vacation, they tended to do more cheerful activities and returned to work on Monday satisfied with their jobs.     9     second way is to redesign our Monday so that it has some of the features that make us feel good during the weekend. Introducing simple changes, such as starting the day with something you are good at, setting aside a little unstructured time where you are able to do what you want, or setting up a lunchtime date with     10     you find enjoyable to be around, could make all the difference.

10 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct.

How language transformed humanity

Language is very probably the one characteristic that separates us from the chimpanzees, our closest relatives. All other major differences between us likely stem from language. “It allows you to implant (植入) a thought from your mind directly into someone else’s mind”, says Mark Pagel, professor and head of the Evolution Laboratory at the University of Reading.

Humans use discrete (分离的) pulses of sound—their language—    1    (alter) the internal settings inside someone else’s brain to suit an individual’s interests. Language is a form of social learning instead of something     2    (pursue) all by oneself.

Social learning is visual theft: for example, if I can learn by watching you, I can steal (and benefit from) your best ideas, wisdom or skills without having to invest the time and energy to develop these     3    .

There are two options for dealing with this crisis: either return into small family groups so the benefits of each group’s knowledge     4    (share) only with one’s relatives or expand one’s group to include unrelated others.    5    our relatives, the Neanderthals, who withdrew into small groups, humans chose the second option, and language was the result.

“Language evolved to solve the crisis of visual theft and to exploit cooperation and exchange”, says Professor Pagel.

In fact, as Professor Pagel argues, language is a “social technology”     6    (allow) for cooperation between unrelated individuals and groups. According to the archaeological record, it was this cooperation and sharing of ideas     7    came before human migration around the planet and the following human population explosion.

But almost incomprehensibly, thousands of languages evolved. So just     8    a shared language facilitates communication and cooperation between unrelated groups, different languages slow the flow of ideas, technologies—and even genes.

“Can humans afford to have all these different languages?” asks Professor Pagel. In a world     9    we want to promote cooperation, in a world that is more dependent than ever on cooperation to maintain and enhance humanity’s levels of prosperity, multiple languages     10    not be practical.

In fact, humanity’s “destiny is to be one world with one language”, concludes Professor Pagel.