1 . Directions: Complete the following passages 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. overnight 　　　B. flash 　　　C. share 　　　D. enormous　　　 E. endured　　　 F. rise G. lengthy 　　　H. places　　　 I. pursue 　　　J. reflected 　　　K. plentiful

Robert Frost had aimed to be a poet since he was a teenager. But the American literary icon would not publish his first book of poetry until he was 39, and his best works would not follow until he was well into middle and old age. “Young people are good at discovering. They have a     1     here and there. It is like the stars coming out in the early evening,” he     2     at age 63, but “it is later in the dark of life that you see forms, patterns”

Frost’s     3     journey to fame during the dark of life, however, is far from the road less taken. Despite science society and silicon valley’s common belief that creativity, innovation and excellence are the near-exclusive province of the young, a surprising number of late bloomers mark the records of human history — women and men who     4     years of hardship, failure and missed opportunities before making an impact in the later stages of life. And once you move past the impressive stare of history’s Mozart-like geniuses, you find that late bloomers are quite     5    : in fact, there are many more roads to becoming an old master than a young prodigy.

Sometimes you don’t discover your passion in life until you’ve done some other things first. Sometimes you don’t get the opportunity to make the most of your experiences until relatively late in life. Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald’s, didn’t start building his business empire until he was 53 years old. Until that point, the former Red Cross ambulance driver was a traveling salesman, peddling milk shake machines and paper cups. “I was a(n)     6     success all right,” Kroc wrote in his autobiography, “but 30 years is a long, long night.”

Sometimes, instead of opportunities, life     7     obstacles on the road to success. It wasn’t until Laura Ingalls Wilder turned 65 that her epic Little House on the Prairie series was published. By then, she had already devoted decades to being a farm wife and mother, schoolteacher, loan officer and newspaper columnist, and she had endured more than her fair     8     of hardship, from droughts to house fires. Another influential writer, Miguel de Cervantes, wrote Don Quixote in his late 50s after an eventful life in which he spent years behind bars and as a captive of Barbary pirates.

Therefore, unlike the youthful genius, whose rocket-fast     9     impresses as well as depresses the rest of the world, the late bloomer demonstrates what is possible as people     10     their own versions of full bloom.

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.

The Rise of the Smart City

The information revolution is changing the way cities are run - and the lives of its residents. Cities have a way to go before they can be considered geniuses. But they’re getting smart pretty fast.

In just the past few years, mayors and other officials in cities across the country have begun to draw on     1     - about income, traffic, fires, illnesses, parking tickets and more - to handle many of the problems of urban life. Whether it’s making it easier for residents to find parking places, or giving smoke alarms to the households that are most likely to suffer fatal fires, big - data technologies are beginning to     2     the way cities work.

Cities have just     3     the surface in using data to improve operations, but big changes are already under way in leading smart cities, says Stephen Goldsmith, a professor of government and director of the Innovations in Government Program at the Harvard Kennedy School. “In terms of city governance, we are at one of the most     4     periods in the last century,” he says.

Although cities have been using data in various forms for decades, the modern practice of civic analytics（民情分析）has only begun to take off in the past few years, thanks to a host of     5     changes. Among them: the growth of cloud computing, which dramatically lowers the costs of storing information; new developments in machine learning, which put     6     analytical tools in the hand of city officials; the Internet and the rise of inexpensive sensors that can track vast amount of information such as traffic or air pollution; and the widespread use of smart phone apps and mobile devices that enable citizens and city workers alike to monitor problems and     7     information about them back to city hall.

All this data collection raises understandable privacy     8    . Most cities have policies designed to safeguard citizen privacy and prevent the release of information that might     9     any one individual. In theory, anyway. Widespread use of sensors and video can also present privacy risks unless     10     are taken. The technology “is forcing cities to face questions of privacy that they haven’t had to face before,” says Ben Green, a fellow at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society and lead author of a recent report on open-data privacy.

3 . 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.

They’re still kids, and although there’s a lot that the experts don’t yet know about them, one thing they do agree on is that what the kids use and expect from their world has changed rapidly. And it’s all because of technology.

To the psychologists, sociologists, and media experts who study them, their digital devices set this new group       1     , even from their Millennial (千禧年的) elders, who are quite familiar with technology. They want to be constantly connected and available in a way even their older brothers and sisters don’t quite get. These differences may seem slight, but they    2     the appearance of a new generation.

The     3     between Millennialelders and this younger group was so evident to psychologist Larry Rosen that he has     4     the birth of a new generation in a new book, Rewired: Understanding the ingeneration and the Way They Learn, out next month. Rosen says the technically     5     life experience of those born since the early 1990s is so different from the Millennial elders he wrote about in his 2007 book, Me, MySpace and I: Parenting the Net Generation, that they distinguishthemselves as a new generation, which he hasgiven them the nickname of “ingeneration”.

Rosen says portability is the key. They are    6    from their wireless devices, which allow them to text as well as talk, so they can be constantly connected—even in class, where cell phones are     7     banned.

Many researchers are trying to determine whether technology somehow causes the brains of young people to be wired differently. “They should be distracted and should perform more poorly than they do,” Rosen says. “But findings show teens     8     distractions much better than we would predict by their age and their brain development.”

Because these kids are more devoted to technology at younger ages, Rosen says, the educational system has to change     9     .

“The growth on the use of technology with children is very rapid, and we run the risk of being out of step with this generation as far as how they learn and how they think. We have to give them options because they want their world     10     ,” Rosen says.

4 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Not that there is one word more than you need.

UNIQLO’s founder tries to find a way to beat Zara and H&M

When asked what guides his vision of UNIQLO, Tadashi Yanai, its founder and chief executive, pulls off the shelf the 1987 autumn/winter collection catalogue of Next, a mass-market British retailer. All of the clothes are so     1    , he says, that they could be worn today. While Zara of Spain and H&M of Sweden follow fashion trends without having any original thought, UNIQLO of Japan     2     to timeless basics.

Mr. Yanai has a/an     3     base at home from which to develop into his Western competitors’ main markets of Europe and America. But instead his     4     remains Asia. “Asia is the engine of growth today,” he says, pointing to the millions of consumers across the     5     who are reaching the middle class. UNIQLO will open its first shop in India this year and is considering     6     into Vietnam and other countries (it has already opened networks of shops in Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand).

The success or not of UNIPLO’s overseas operations     7     greatly to investors at home. Fast Retailing’s shares --- Mr. Yanai owns just over 20% of the firm --- have been rising since 2015, analysts estimate, largely owing to its international expansion and improved logistics (物流). At home the firm is closing stores because the population is     8    . Last year UNIQLO’s international profits overtook its     9     sales for the first time and its foreign operation profits almost equaled its Japanese equivalent.

Though they are very different markets, Europe and America offer a cautionary tale. UNIQLO in America struggled outside the big cities of the east and west coasts. Growth in America remains     10     for UNIQLO both there and in Europe. However, Mr. Yanai, an enthusiastic fan of globalization, is confident that he can guide UNIQLO through the changes needed.

5 . 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.

Identify the problem, a goal, and a reward

Novelist Sarah Howery Hart says it's important that writers identify a specific problem, a goal, and a reward for any behavior they wish to change. In her conference workshops titled “Stuck, Tired, Bored, and Distracted: How Writers in Distress can use Psychology Tools to Overcome Common Writing-related Problems, she teaches techniques learned in her doctoral study of psychology to help writers become more     1     and efficient.

One of the most common     2     she hears is the lack of time to write. “First, we need to determine what that means,” she says. “Maybe it means that you do things that     3     your own writing, like checking emails and social media. Your next step is to determine how     4     this is happening.”

She offers her participants worksheets to help them measure how often a particular behavior occurs, and then asks them to     5     whether the behavior is truly a problem. “Let’s say you find that you check your email once an hour while you're writing. Is that too frequent? Only you can determine that, ’’ she says. “If you check your email and then move on to Facebook and then to Twitter-even if you’ve only checked once, this can take a(n)     6     15 minutes out of your writing hour. Also, you lose your     7     of thought and can’t remember what you were going to write next.”

She advises writers to set a goal - for instance, writing for an hour without checking email or social media. “And then you have to determine your reward     8    ,” she says. “How often will you need to reward yourself?”

She urges writers to assess their progress    9    . “After a day, after a few days，are you meeting your goals?” she says. “If the reward didn’t work, you may need to     10     it. Maybe reading a book for 15 minutes wasn't the strongest reward for you because you read for two hours when you go to bed at night. Maybe you’d rather go to the gym or out for a half-hour run.”

6 . 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.

Renaissance

The French word renaissance means rebirth. It was first used in 1855 by the historian Jules Michelet in his History of France. Then it was adopted by historians of culture, by art historians, and eventually by music historians, all of whom     1     it to European culture during the 150 years from 1450 to 1600. The concept of rebirth was appropriate to this period of European history because of the     2     interest in ancient Greek and Roman culture that began in Italy and then spread throughout Europe. Scholars and artists of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries wanted to     3     the learning and ideals of the classical civilizations of Greece and Rome. To these scholars this meant a return to human rather than spiritual values. Fulfillment in life rather than concern about an afterlife became a desirable goal. Expressing the     4     range of human emotions and enjoying the pleasures of the senses were no longer looked down upon.

These changes in     5     deeply affected the musical culture of the Renaissance period--how people thought about music as well as the way music was composed, experienced, and discussed. They could see the     6     monuments, sculptures, plays, and poems that were being rediscovered , but they could not actually hear ancient music although they could read the writings of classical philosophers, poets, essayists, and music theorists that were becoming     7     in translation. They learned about the power of ancient music to move the listener and wondered why modern music did not have the same effect. For example, the influential religious leader Bernardino Cirillo expressed     8     with the learned music of his time. He urged musicians to follow the example of the sculptors, painters, architects, and scholars who had rediscovered ancient art and literature.

The musical Renaissance in Europe was more a general cultural movement and state of mind than a(n)     9     set of musical techniques. Furthermore, music changed so rapidly during this century and a half--though at different rates in different countries-that we cannot     10     a single Renaissance style.

7 . 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.

Please don’t invite me!

Do you lose sleep when you are invited to parties? I do--and I wonder if I’m part of the     1     10% of the UK’s population who suffer from what is called “social anxiety”.

The first clinical     2     on the subject, published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence last year, says the disorder is the fear of, or anxiety about, social situations that is out of proportion.

The person who suffers from social anxiety blushes （脸红）, sweats a lot, is short of breath and is focused on what he thinks are his     3    . In my case, I woπy that people at a party might notice I’m shy and my family is from a small     4     town.

The     5     of having to socialise can be in the sufferer’s head for months beforehand. A woman interviewed by the BBC, Heather, begins to worry about the Christmas period as early as September. She pays her share of money to the office party even if she plans not to go. Heather says: “I buy it to make sure people don’t think I’m tight-fisted, or that I don’t like their     6    .”

Social anxiety can affect both men and women. And even people who appear confident and extroverted （外向的） can have the disorder. Social anxiety recently made     7     when the star of the hit movie “Hunger Games” Jennifer Lawrence spoke about her battle with it.

Some experts recommend cognitive behavioral therapy, which treats the symptoms rather than the causes of anxiety.

My grandmother told me to put an end to this fear of not living up to     8    . She claims to have a(n)     9     cure for social anxiety. She told me: “when you go to a party, imagine we have all to go to the toilet. We all wake up in the morning with bad breath and messy hair.”

Maybe my granny is right. I should be more     10     about things and stop thinking everybody is better than me. Who knows, maybe I will realise I am better than I think.

8 . 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.

Welcome to Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world and the Official Residence of the Queen of Britain. Over a period of nearly 1,000 years it has been    1    continuously, and altered and redecorated by monarchs(君主) one after the other. Some were great builders, strengthening the Castle against    2    and rebellion; others, living in more peaceful times, created a grand Royal residence. William the Conqueror chose the site, high above the river Thames and on the edge of a Saxon hunting ground. It was a day’s march from the Tower of London and intended to guard the western    3    to the capital. The outer walls of today’s structure are in the same position as those of the    4    castle built by William the Conqueror in the 1070s.The Queen uses the Castle both as a private home, where she usually spends the weekend, and as a Royal residence at which she undertakes certain formal duties. Windsor Castle is    5    used by the Queen to host State Visits from overseas monarchs and presidents. Every year the Queen takes up official residence in Windsor Castle for a month over Easter (March-April).

The Castle is huge, so people tend to head for the most    6    bits -- the State Apartments, St. George’s Chapel, the Gallery and the delightful Queen Mary’s Dolls House. Works of art, antique furniture, curiosities and impressive architecture reflect the tastes of many different royal generations. The State Apartments are    7    decorated formal rooms still used for state and official functions.

The magnificent and beautiful St. George’s Chapel was started in 1475 by Edward IV and was completed 50 years later by Henry VIII. It    8    among the finest examples of late medieval architecture in the UK.

The Drawings Gallery    9    the exhibition “The Queen: 60 Photographs for 60 Years”. The exhibition presents portraits of the Queen    10    in brief moments on both official occasions and at relaxed family gatherings.

A. uprising 　　　　B. original　　　 　 C. frequently 　　　　D. spectacular E. features 　　　 　F. luxuriously　　　 G. captured 　　 　　H. approaches I. inhabited 　　　　J. matters 　　 　　K. ranks

9 . 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.

Food for the digital age

Do you shop for groceries online and have them delivered to your door? Well, this might be just the start of a digital     1     in food. How about tattooed 0CM) fruit, ice cubes which send text messages, and wine from the bottom of the ocean?

All these things are on the    2    , according to global innovation research firm Stylus.

They say stickers and wasteful packaging on fruit could be replaced by    3     tattoos. These would be    4     “directly to the skin of the fruit without actually damaging skin cells,” according to Stylus’s senior vice-president of content, Tessa Mansfield.

Our kitchens are changing rapidly too, and some companies are cooking up a menu of technological advances. For instance, there’s a smart knife which can analyse the freshness of food and any bacteria    5     as it is being used.

Innovative ways to     6     what we consume are always being developed. Mandy Saven, Stylus’s head of food, beverage and hospitality, says new digital ice cubes send a text message to a friend if you drink too much alcohol.

Indeed, some companies are helping consumers stay healthy and make environmentally- friendly choices. Dutch firm Bilder and De Clercq sells food     7     by recipe(菜谱),which helps customers avoid waste by buying too much.

This makes the retailer more than just a supplier of food - it becomes “a kind of food     8    to a shopper”, says Tessa Mansfield.

For the drinker, the future holds another new     9    . How would you like to try 'ocean-aged wine’? This is wine which has been sunk to the bottom of the ocean to help it     10     before you

10 . People Think Meals Taste Better If They Are Expensive

It is said that there’s no such thing as a free lunch, but even if you manage to bag a bargain meal, it will not taste as good as a more expensive meal, according to scientists.

A new study has found that restaurant     1     who pay more for their meals think the food is tastier than if it is offered for a smaller price. The experts think that people tend to associate cost with quality and this changes their     2     of how food tastes.

Scientists at Cornell University in New York studied the eating habits of 139 people enjoying an Italian buffet (自助餐) in a restaurant. The price of the food was set by the     3     at either $4 or $8 for the all-you-can-eat meal. Customers were asked to     4     how good the food tasted, the quality of the restaurant and to leave their names.

The experiment     5     that the people who paid $8 for the food enjoyed their meal 11 percent more than those who ate the “cheaper” buffet. Interestingly those that paid for the $4 buffet said they felt guiltier about loading up their plates and felt that they     6    . However, the scientists said that both groups ate around the same quantity of food in total, according to the study     7     at the Experimental Biology meeting this week.

Brian Wansink, a professor of     8     behaviour at the university, said: “We were fascinated to find that pricing has little impact on how much one eats, but a huge impact on how you     9     the experience.” He thinks that people enjoyed their food more as they associated cost with quality and that small changes to a restaurant can change how tasty people find their meals.

In a(n)     10     study, scientists from the university showed that people who eat in dim lighting consume 175 less calories (卡路里) than people who eat in brightly lit areas.