1 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one more word than you need.

A. community       B. emerging       C. address       D. effortlessly       E. vehicle       F. encouraged I. challenge       G. noticeably       H. welcoming       J. prioritized       K. lack

The Power of Poetry

“Thank you for leading us to these places of comfort,” one participant said. “It helped me feel connected to a greater sense of being, which is so needed during these times.” Her words echoed (和……共鸣) many of the participants’ feelings in Finding Comfort, the first installment of the Hope Storytelling Project.

We were inspired to create the project, a series of virtual poetry workshops held in partnership with the Cambridge Public Library and the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, for a simple reason: to create     1     through poetry.

In this time of social isolation and uncertainty, the need for meaningful connections is more apparent than ever. The longer the pandemic continues, we, as a nation, are quickly realizing how there is a(n)     2     of tools to fight the growing feelings of loneliness. Therefore we decided to use poetry as a(n)     3     for connection: to cultivate a safe space where free expression is     4    , different opinions are tolerated, and sharing stories offers therapeutic reflection. Through the combination of introspective writing and open group discussions, we have built a model in which poetry can directly     5     feelings of loneliness.

One of the most powerful and simple ways of dealing with emotional issues is communicating and listening to others with our undivided attention and open minds. Therefore, in designing the Hope Storytelling Project, we     6     designing our workshops for that particular purpose—to use poetry as a way to heal through individual reflection and group discussion. Divided into five parts (Finding Comfort, On Perspective, Approaching Emotion, Being a Witness and A New Hope), the Hope Storytelling Project seeks to guide participants through different forms of writing poetry, and finally, to uplift each other and create a sense of unity.

In our first workshop, participants shared childhood stories, memories about loved ones, and about the things they missed, such as hiking, going to work or simply hugging a friend. In the span of an hour, the virtual space felt     7     more tight-knit, warmed by shared poems and experiences. As we closed, many participants noted how this workshop     8     offered the space to simply write, listen and connect.

It is time to recognize how powerful creative expression, through mediums such as poetry, can be in times of despair, and we believe all aspects of poetry—reading, writing and sharing—can serve as an incredible cure for loneliness. In times like these, poetry will     9     us to imagine and to consider our journeys within the collective landscape, and we can use this to heal and to create meaningful connections. Poetry can be a(n)     10     medium of comfort and beauty, reminding us of how we were all closely connected, even in isolation.

2 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A.attraction       B.promise     C.bitten     D.small       E.presents F.priced G. physically     H.substitute     I.wrapped   J.emotional     K.psychologically

The secret to eating less and being happy about it may have been uncovered years ago — by McDonald’s. According to a new study from Cornell University’s Food and Brand Lab,     1     non-food rewards — like the toys in McDonald’s Happy Meals — stimulate the same reward centers in the brain as food does.

The researchers, led by Martin Reimann, carried out a series of experiments to see if people would choose a smaller meal if it was     2     together with a non-food item.

They found that the majority of both kids and adults chose a half-sized portion (部分) when combined with a prize. Both options were     3     the same.

Even more interesting is that the     4     of a future reward was enough to make adults choose the smaller portion. One of the prizes used was a lottery ticket (彩票), with a $10, $50 or $100 payout, and this was as effective as a tangible (有形的) gift in persuading people to eat less.

The fact that participants were willing to     5     part of a food item for the mere prospect of a relatively small monetary award is interesting,” says Reimann.

He theorizes that it is the     6     component of these intangible prizes that make them effective. In fact, vaguely-stated (含糊的) possibilities of winning a prize were more effective than options with hard odds (可能性) included.

“One explanation for this finding is that possible awards may be more emotionally exciting than certainty awards,” says Reimann. “The uncertainty of winning provides added     7     and desirability through emotional ‘thrills.’ The possibility of receiving an award also produces a state of hope — a state that is in itself     8     rewarding.” In other words, there’s a reason why people like to gamble (赌博).

How might this knowledge be used to help people eat more healthily?

One possibility is a healthy choice that     9     the chance to win a spa weekend. Or maybe the reward of a half-sized portion that could be a half-sized dessert to be     10     only on a future date. That would get you back in the restaurant — and make you eat a little less.

3 . 从方框中选出合适的短语，并用适当形式完成句子。

take advantage of       account for       make fun of       be aimed at get through       in spite of       be absorbed in       get access to

1. So far, Sam ________ his homework and can have a good rest.
2. The project of building commercial center will go ahead, ________ protests from local residents.
3. Charity projects ________ supporting the children are increasing in many parts of the country.
4. I soon ________ the necessary equipment, learned how to use the technology from a friend and took part in the virtual classroom.
5. ________ drawing pictures, Picasso worked deep into the night, unaware of what’s happening around him.
6. In modern man, the brain ________ about 3% of total body weight but it uses 25% of the body’s energy when the body is at rest.
7. Festivals are becoming more commercial, with businesses ________ the celebrations to promote products and services.
8. When she ________ in public, she bravely demanded an apology.

4 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. bear B. detect C. enhance D. lack E. monitor F. multiply G. seek       H. shift       I. signal       J. spark       K. venture

No wonder they are called “patients”. When people enter the health-care systems of rich countries today, they know what they will get: endless tests, baffling jargon, rising costs and, above all, long waits. This week three of the biggest names in American business — Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase — announced a new     1     to provide better, cheaper health care for their employees. A fundamental problem with today’s system is that patients     2     knowledge and control. Access to data can bestow both.

The Internet already enables patients to     3     online consultations when and where it suits them. You can take over-the-counter tests to analyze your blood, sequence your genome and check on the bacteria in your gut. Yet radical change demands a     4     in emphasis, from providers to patients and from doctors to data. Technologies such as the smartphone allow people to     5     their own health. The possibilities     6     when you add the crucial missing ingredients — access to your own medical records and the ability to share information with those you trust. That allows you to reduce inefficiencies in your own treatment and also to provide data to help train medical algorithms (计算程序；算法). You can enhance your own care and everyone else’s too.

Medical data may not seem like the type of kindling to     7     a revolution, but the flow of information is likely to     8     fruit in several ways. One is better diagnosis. Someone worried about their heart can now buy a watch strap containing a medical-grade monitor that will     9     arrhythmias (心律不齐). APPs are competing to see if they can diagnose everything from skin cancer to Parkinson’s disease. Research is under way to see whether sweat can be analyzed for molecular biomarkers without the need for an invasive blood test. Some think that changes in how quickly a person swipes a phone’s touchscreen might     10     the onset (开端) of cognitive problems.

5 . 选用适当的词或词组并用其正确形式填空。

court,   suit,   serve,   take advantage of,     set off

1. She made a gesture to follow her back to the jungle. George and I looked at each other, then ________ after her.
2. Teacakes should________ hot with butter.
3. There’s a range of restaurants to________ all tastes.
4. My mother would say if you really want something, you work hard, you________ opportunity, you never give up, you find a way.
5. I hope they do their best on the _________.

6 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. double          B. intense          C. pressures       D. stock          E. agriculture       F. trapped G. withdrawal     H. availability   I. drive             J. expanding     K. rising

Throughout history, people have fought bitter wars over political ideology, national sovereignty and religious expression. How much more     1     will these conflicts be when people fight over the Earth’s most indispensable resource water? We may find out in the not-too-distant future if projections about the     2     of water in the Middle East and other regions prove correct.

Less than three percent of the planet’s     3     is fresh water, and almost two-thirds of this amount is     4     in ice caps, glaciers, and underground aquifers too deep or too remote to access. In her book, Pillars of Sand-Can the Irrigation Miracle Last, Sandra Postel outlines three forces that     5     tension and conflict over freshwater. Using up the water “resource pie”. In India, the world’s second-most populous nation, with over 1 billion inhabitants, the rate of groundwater     6     is twice that of recharge, a deficit higher than in any other country. Although water is a renewable resource, it is not a(n)     7     one. The freshwater available today for more than 6 billion people is no greater than it was 2,000 years ago, when global population was approximately 200 million. (The current U.S. population is 287 million.)

Global     8     accounts for about 70% of all freshwater use. In five of the world’s most water-stressed, controversial areas the Aral Sea region, the Ganges, the Jordan, the Nileland and Tigris-Euphrates population increases of up to 75% are projected by 2025. With the fastest rate of growth in the world, the population of Palestinian territory will more than     9     over the next generation. Most experts agree that, because of geography, population     10     and politics, water wars are most likely to break out in the Middle East, a region where the amount of available freshwater per capita will decrease by about 50% over the next generation.

7 . 选择正确的短语填空。

as if        a number of        lose heart        turn to        think highly of in return        as well        be/get familiar with        in a way        die out

1. They are not ______ charity work, which is still at an early stage in China.
2. No one has come up with a convincing explanation of why dinosaurs ______.
3. ______, I’m a little surprised when she accepted the offer to work in such a badly managed company.
4. Often life is much slower outside the big cities, as is true in other countries ______.
5. I still remember my first trip to the Taishan Mountain ______ it were yesterday
6. As China develops fast and steadily, ______ foreigners are learning Chinese as a second language.
7. We ______ their research in this field.
8. ______, the Czar sent him a troop of his best soldiers.
9. At last, I will be on my own, but I still want to have my parents to ______ whenever I need help.
10. She said that we shouldn’t ______ in times of difficulties and that we should be hopeful.

8 . 选项中选出能填入空白的最佳选项。选项中有一项为多余选项。

A. revealing   B. approved of   C. vary in   D. adjusted to   E. digest   F. defend   G. solid

1. They need time to ________ this information.
2. These cars ________ size, price, colour and so on.
3. Cheating in exams will never be ________ in school.
4. This kind of desk can be ________ the height you need.
5. He still tries to ________ his theory, although it has been proved wrong.
6. This provided a ________ foundation for their marriage.

9 . 根据课文内容，从方框中选择适当的单词或短语并用正确的形式填入空白处，使短文意义连贯。

furniture, fortune, measure, drop out of, dormitory, guilty, turn one’s back on, be regarded as, charity, make little sense

Sixteen years ago, Jason was a college professor with a huge six-bed room house and a     1     of two million dollars. But he     2     his millions a few years ago. He gave almost all of his money to     3     . When he had two thousand dollars left, he gave away small bank notes in the streets of local poor areas because he worried a lot and felt     4     . Many people think he must be mad. However, living in a small     5     room with second-hand     6     , Jason has finally found happiness. According to Jason, he was tired of     7     a person who had everything in a world where many people had nothing. And he has discovered that having a lot of money     8     . What he wants is to live simply and be helpful to others. In that way, he has got a kind of satisfaction and is pleased to     9     the successful lifestyle people commonly expect, Jason believes that success is not     10     by now much money you have but by how you understand the true meaning of life.

10 . Directions：Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box.Each word can be used only once.Note that there is one word more than you need.

A.overall     B.flooding     C.secure       D.invested     E.concentrated     F.consisted G.expense     H.prospects     I.narrowly     J.stood        K.factor

By some measures, South Korea is the most educated country in the world.Observers，however，have described Korean society as having an“almost cult（邪教）-like devotion to learning". Studying long hours at hagwons（辅导机构）has become so ubiquitous（普遍存在的）and excessive that Korean authorities in the 2000's deemed（认为）it necessary to impose curfews（宵禁令），usually at10 p.m.，and patrol prep schools in areas like Seoul's Gangnam district，where many of these schools are     1     .However，that only drives nighttime cram classes underground behind closed doors.

This extreme competitiveness has created a number of social problems：Suicide，for instance，is the leading cause of death among teens in Korea，which has the highest suicide rate     2     in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development（OECD）.Student surveys has shown that poor grades and fears of defeat are major reasons for suicidal thoughts，while Korea simultaneously has a growing teenage drinking problem.

Social pressures to succeed in the labor market，meanwhile，have given rise to a phenomenon called “employment cosmetics'"--one of the driving factors behind Korea's boom in cosmetic surgery，since job applicants are commonly required to submit an ID photo，and many employers     3     physical attractiveness into their hiring decisions. In another sign of competition at any cost,private household debt in Korea is soaring，driven in part by surging expenditures on education and private tutoring.

Social pressures are further amplified by Korea's relatively high youth unemployment rate，which     4    at 11.2 percent in 2016--a record number not seen since the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s. Despite all the time，finances，and emotional resources     5     in their education，Korean youth find it increasingly difficult to     6     desired quality，socially prestigious jobs.The country's obsession with higher education continues to sustain a “college education inflation（贬值），"     7     the Korean labor market with a supply of university graduates that hold degrees of deflated value whose earnings     8     are decreasing.

While a university degree used to be a solid foundation for social success in Korea，observers have noted that many current graduates lack the skills needed for employability in a modern information society，and that the education system is too     9     focused on university education，while under-emphasizing vocational training. Korea's Confucian-influenced system has also been criticized for relying too much on rote memorization and university entrance prep at the       10     of creativity and independent thought.