1 . Last year, 138,000 San Francisco residents used Airbnb, a popular app designed to connect home renters and travelers. It’s a striking number for a city with a population of about 850,000, and it was enough for Airbnb to win a major victory in local elections, as San Francisco voters struck down a debatable rule that would have placed time restrictions and other regulations on short-term rental services.
The company fiercely opposed the measure, Proposition F, with a nearly $10 million advertising campaign. It also contacted its San Franciscan users with messages urging them to vote against Proposition F.
Most people think of Airbnb as a kind of couch-surfing app. The service works for one-night stays on road trips and longer stays in cities, and it often has more competitive pricing than hotels. It’s a textbook example of the “sharing economy”, but not everyone is a fan.
The app has had unintended consequences in San Francisco. As the San Francisco Chronicle reported last year, a significant amount of renting on Airbnb is not in line with the company’s image: middle-class families putting up a spare room to help make ends meet. Some users have taken advantage of the service, using it to turn their multiple properties into vacation rentals or even full-time rentals. Backers of Proposition F argued that this trend takes spaces off the conventional, better-regulated housing market and contributes to rising costs.
“The fact is, widespread abuse of short-term rentals is taking much needed housing off the market and harming our neighborhoods,” said ShareBetter SF, a group that supported Proposition F. Hotel unions have protested the company’s practices in San Francisco and other cities, saying that it creates an illegal hotel system.
San Francisco is in the middle of a long-term, deeply rooted housing crisis that has seen the cost of living explode. Actually, explode is a generous term. The average monthly rent for an apartment is around $4, 000. Located on a narrow outcropping of land overlooking the bay, San Francisco simply doesn’t have enough space to accommodate the massive inflow of young, high-salaried tech employees flocking to Silicon Valley.
As the Los Angeles Times reported, some San Francisco residents supported the measure simply because it seemed like a way to check a big corporation. Opponents of Proposition F countered that the housing crisis runs much deeper, and that passing the rule would have discouraged a popular service while doing little to solve the city’s existing problems.
1. The intention of Proposition F is to ________.| A．place time limits in local election. | B．set limits on short-term rental. |
| C．strike down a controversial rule. | D．urge users to vote against Airbnb. |
| A．It shrinks the living space of middle-class families. |
| B．Users are taken advantage of by the service financially. |
| C．It makes the house market more competitive. |
| D．It indirectly leads to high house rental price. |
| A．explosion of the living cost | B．its geographic characteristics |
| C．generosity of local enterprises | D．inflow of migrant population |
| A．objective | B．supportive |
| C．negative | D．indifferent |
2 . It happens in every disaster (灾难): For those in need, people often donate (捐赠) things that turn out to be more of a trouble.
Juanita Rilling remembers it happened in 1988 when she was a disaster expert trying to help people suffering from a hurricane (飓风) in Honduras. “One morning I received a call from one of our logistic operators (物流运营商), and he explained to me that there was a plane carrying medical supplies that needed to land,” says Rilling. “But the ground was full, with lots of donations that no one had required. The plane—full of needed supplies—had to find someplace else to go. And it ended up stopping everyone’s plans by about 48 hours, which is important time in a disaster.”
Rilling now runs the Center for International Disaster Information, which is trying to make sure things like that don’t happen again. So when Superstorm Sandy hit, Rilling’s group started a project to encourage money donation. “Even a small donation can make a big difference and can quickly become exactly what people affected by a disaster need most,” Rilling says. But despite this, donators do that over and over. About 60% of the things donated after a disaster couldn’t be used. Often it’s old clothing or food.
Meghan Hara, who deals with kind donations for the American Red Cross, says she knows that some people are careful with giving money. And she doesn’t think that the need to give something concrete (实物) should be completely stopped.
“Part of what people are doing is that they’re helping, and they’re trying to help. What we need to work out is how to effectively deal with that,” Hara says.
1. What caused needed supplies to be put off after the hurricane in 1988?| A．Workers on the plane. | B．A weather report. |
| C．Useless donations on the ground. | D．The call from the operator. |
| A．Clothing. | B．Money. | C．Medicine. | D．Food. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Doubtful. | C．Uncaring. | D．Worried. |
| A．Studies on natural disasters. |
| B．The benefits of helping others. |
| C．Tips on choosing useful donations. |
| D．The ways of managing people’s donations. |
3 . It’s common that everyone wants to be happy. Everything we think, say, and do is connected with our innermost(内心深处的) desires to achieve happiness.
So how is it that some people seem to be happy all the time?
They smile.
Happy people smile, even when they don’t have much to smile about.The important part about smiling is that the change in physiology actually causes a change in psychology.
They create value.
Happy people often focus on the long term.
They eat healthy.
It’s hard to be happy when you spend most of your day worrying about the past or living in fear of the future.Happy people are present in the here and now.
They set goals.
Happy people also tend to set goals for the future.The goals give them an intended direction of travel. They’re buried in their hopes and aspirations of whatever they’re trying to achieve in life.
They think positive.
When thinking positive, and looking past problems and negativity, not only do we feel better mentally, but our minds are better able to process the heretonow.
Stick to the advice above for two or three months, and maybe you’ll find some amazing changes on yourself.
| A．They live in the moment. |
| B．In fact, positive thinking is the basis for being happier in life. |
| C．They build and develop relationships. |
| D．But for some reasons, often whatever we do, happiness is just out of reach. |
| E．The goals give them a clear direction of travel. |
| F．Happy people eat foods that are high in energy, raw and nutritious. |
| G．They work to create value in whatever they’re doing in life. |
4 . Nowadays, cellphones play a big part in our life. Besides being a means of communication, cellphones also provide
A recent study was designed to
Researcher Dunn says, “Using a phone at the table is contagious(传染的）.” His words are
Yesterday when I was at a restaurant, I noticed a woman never once looked at her cellphone when waiting for food; so I fought the
Actually, what
| A．advice | B．protection | C．education | D．enjoyment |
| A．choose | B．consider | C．experience | D．expect |
| A．common | B．funny | C．special | D．strange |
| A．amazing | B．understandable | C．uncomfortable | D．curious |
| A．because of | B．rather than | C．along with | D．other than |
| A．reduce | B．collect | C．use | D．determine |
| A．decisions | B．interests | C．feelings | D．characters |
| A．put away | B．stick to | C．pick up | D．turn on |
| A．so | B．because | C．while | D．if |
| A．hardly | B．quickly | C．indirectly | D．frequently |
| A．communicated | B．argued | C．worked | D．finished |
| A．true | B．confusing | C．friendly | D．misleading |
| A．agreement | B．fear | C．wish | D．ability |
| A．question | B．design | C．change | D．follow |
| A．matters | B．encourages | C．challenges | D．improves |
5 . As Torri’ell Norwood drove through St. Petersburg, Florida, last February, the laughter and chatter from the four teenage girls quickly gave way to screams. As they approached a crossroads, another car crashed into their car, sending it to hit a tree.
Smoke and fire surged from the car and a bystander shouted, “It’s about to blast! Get out!” Norwood crawled out through the window. Along with two of her friends, she ran for her life.
But halfway down the street, she realized that her best friend, A’zarria Simmons, wasn’t with them. Norwood ran back and found Simmons sank in the back seat. She opened the back door and pulled her out. She dragged Simmons a few feet to safety and laid her on the ground. “I checked her pulse.” Norwood said to Inside Edition. Nothing. “I put my head against her chest.” No sign of life. “That’s when I started CPR.”
Had the accident happened a few weeks earlier, she might not have known what to do. But Norwood, who wants to pursue a career in medicine, had earned her CPR certificate just the day before. Looking down at her dying friend, Norwood started pumping Simmons’s chest with her interlocked fingers and breathing into her friend’s mouth in hope of filling her lungs with the kiss of life. No response. And then, after the 30th compression, Simmons began coughing and gasping for air. The CPR had worked.
Soon, medics arrived and rushed Simmons to the hospital, where she heard how her best friend had saved her life. “I wasn’t shocked,” Simmons told CNN. “She is always helping anyhow she can.”
1. What do we know about the car accident?| A．Norwood was disturbed by her friends while driving. |
| B．The car crashed into the tree due to the driver’s carelessness. |
| C．The accident happened not far from a crossroads. |
| D．Norwood helped two of her friends escape at first. |
| A．spring up. | B．blow up. |
| C．roll over. | D．pull over. |
| A．She realized she forgot something important. |
| B．She heard a noise coming from the car. |
| C．She wanted to apply CPR to her friend. |
| D．She failed to find her best friend. |
| A．A Lesson in a Crash. | B．The Breath of Life. |
| C．Trust Between Friends. | D．The Power of Determination |
6 . Raegan Byrd tries to complete her homework every night. But the high school student in Hartford, Connecticut, has to use her mobile phone to search for the necessary information because she does not have internet connection at home.
In May, the US Department of Education(DOE) published its findings that the number of homes without access(接入) to internet has been getting smaller, but 14 percent of homes in city areas and 18 percent of homes in the countryside still do not have internet connections.
In some states, the problem is much more serious. For example, in the countryside of northern Mississippi, a third of the 294 homes in Maben do not have computers. And close to half have no access to internet whether they can pay for it or not.
Sharon Stidham, a mother in Maben, has to take her four boys to the school library at East Webster High School. Her husband works there, so the children can use the internet for their schoolwork. A signal tower can be seen through the trees from their home, but they could not put aside any money for the internet.
Research results from the National Center for Education(NCE) have shown that students with internet at home get much better scores in reading, math and science than the ones who do not.
Some teachers call this problem “the homework divide”. Jessica Rosenworcel, an NCE member, said, “The so-called homework divide is the cruelest part of the digital age and it is hurting the poor students and creating a big obstacle to their dreams.”
Local communities(社区) have started to help. They made lists of restaurants and other businesses with Wi-Fi places where children are welcome to come and do their homework. And many public libraries have also planned to provide free access to the students next year.
1. What has DOE found out in its survey?| A．Students with internet at home are doing better at school. |
| B．4% more homes in the countryside don’t have internet access. |
| C．About 33% of the students in Mississippi do not have internet at home. |
| D．An increasing number of students do not have access to internet at home. |
| A．Her husband is a teacher in the library. |
| B．She does not want to pay for the internet at home. |
| C．She wants her sons to study in a better environment. |
| D．Her sons have to use the internet to do their schoolwork. |
| A．Block. | B．Help. |
| C．Goal. | D．Chance. |
| A．Local communities are called on to take actions. |
| B．Libraries have opened their doors to the students. |
| C．Restaurants have volunteered to take in the children. |
| D．Helps are coming from the public and the local communities. |
7 . Mike was 11. As his birthday was coming up，he
On his
After a week，when Mike was walking home from school, he saw a boy riding a bike. Mike
Mike helped him stand up and provided him with water.
An ambulance （救护车）came and carried Sam to hospital. He then rushed to Sam's home and
Sam and his parents thanked Mike for the
Sam got a new bike and he came to know that Mike didn't have the
| A．persuaded | B．arranged | C．requested | D．ordered |
| A．jumping | B．driving | C．walking | D．wandering |
| A．drop | B．discover | C．hug | D．pick |
| A．gathered | B．spotted | C．fixed | D．located |
| A．holiday | B．birthday | C．graduation | D．celebration |
| A．frightened | B．hopeful | C．unhappy | D．impatient |
| A．calm | B．grateful | C．puzzled | D．upset |
| A．felt | B．learned | C．agreed | D．argued |
| A．Suddenly | B．Eventually | C．Thankfully | D．Actually |
| A．treated | B．remembered | C．regarded | D．recognized |
| A．Before | B．Since | C．Unless | D．Though |
| A．slightly | B．necessarily | C．seriously | D．gently |
| A．church | B．school | C．hospital | D．shelter |
| A．complained | B．reminded | C．impressed | D．informed |
| A．generous | B．pleasant | C．honored | D．limited |
| A．unlikely | B．possible | C．exciting | D．unbelievable |
| A．worried | B．injured | C．beat | D．attacked |
| A．broke out | B．missed out | C．checked out | D．pulled out |
| A．interest | B．confidence | C．right | D．chance |
| A．permission | B．admission | C．guidance | D．introduction |
8 . Starbucks recently made plans to build nearly 3, 000 new stores in China over the next five years. That almost doubles the number of stores here now. The company just opened its largest stores in Shanghai, China, which often has a long line of people waiting. It is opening a new store in China every 15 hours, and it now has plenty of competition. That marks an important change in the tastes and buying power of the growing market.
It’s no secret there’s a lot of tea in China. But coffee, not tea, is increasingly becoming the choice for China’s rapidly growing middle class.
Starbucks keeps opening hundreds of new stores here mainly because of China’s young people who are accepting coffeehouse culture. “You have a very young population that has got in touch with Western cultures easily,” Dave Seminsky said. He owns Sumerian Coffee in Shanghai.
There’s still a lot of room for the bean business here to grow. The ordinary person in China drinks just 3 cups of coffee every year, while the ordinary person in the U.K. drinks 250 cups and in the U.S., the number is 363. But that need and the influence of climate change on the world’s supply could lead to fewer beans and higher prices.
In the next 30 years, China could be bringing two to three million tons of coffee into the nation and the world’s supply of coffee now is 6.9 million tons. If coffee really does take off here, is there enough supply? Luckily, there’s still all that tea in China.
1. Why are China’s young people fond of drinking coffee?| A．They can afford Western products. |
| B．They want to look more international. |
| C．Their taste gradually changes as they grow up. |
| D．They grow up influenced by Western cultures. |
| A．Competition in the coffee market. | B．Changes in natural conditions. |
| C．More new drinks coming out. | D．Terrible taste of coffee beans. |
| A．The supply of coffee cannot meet people’s needs. |
| B．Tea will be the main drink for the Chinese. |
| C．Coffee beans cannot be grown in China. |
| D．Fewer companies will offer coffee. |
| A．leave the ground and begin to fly | B．become popular |
| C．go away in a hurry | D．remove clothing from the body |
9 . Having a smart phone may not be as smart as you think.They may let you surf the Internet,listen to music and take photos wherever you are…but they also turn you into a workaholic（工作狂）,it seems.
A study suggests that,by giving you access to emails at all times,the smart phone adds as much as two hours to your working day. Experts found that British people work an additional 460 hours a year on average as they are able to respond to emails on their mobiles.The study shows the average UK working day is between 9 and 10 hours,but 2 more hours is spent responding to or sending work emails,or making work calls.
Almost one in ten admits spending up to three hours outside their normal working day checking work emails. Some workers say they are on call almost 24 hours a day. Nearly two-thirds say they often check work emails just before they go to bed and as soon as they wake up, while over a third have replied to one in the middle of the night.The average time for first checking emails is between 6 a.m and 7 a.m, with more than a third checking their first email in the period, and a quarter checking them between 11p.m.and midnight.
Ghadi Hobeika,marketing director of Pixmania,said:“The ability to access millions of Apps has made smart phone invaluable for many people.However,there are disadvantages.Many companies expect their employees to be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week,and smart phones mean that people cannot get away from work.The more frequently in contact we become,the more is expected of us in a work capacity.”
1. With a smart phone the average UK working day is .| A．11 to 12 hours | B．9 to 10 hours |
| C．8 hours | D．2 hours |
| A．prefer to check emails in the morning | B．are crazy about different smart phone |
| C．work more hours with smart phones | D．shorten their normal working hours |
| A．useless | B．necessary |
| C．expensive | D．cheap |
| A．They are unimportant for most of people. |
| B．They have disadvantages for some companies. |
| C．They are useful to improve a work ability. |
| D．They make it impossible for people to rest. |
10 . If you’ve watched Grey’s Anatomy, then you’ve gotten an insight into the complex hierarchies (等级) that rule a hospital. Over 17 seasons, the show’s heroine, Meredith Grey, got promoted from a lowly intern (实习生) to chief of general surgery, learning from the presiding residents and older surgeons along the way. There’s rarely doubt about who is in charge, who has more expertise, or who should be supervising and training other staff. Grey’s fictional journey illustrates the complicated dynamics of a health care setting, whether it’s a local clinic or a busy city hospital. Those hierarchies can help teams provide care efficiently, but what happens when those traditional roles are disrupted?
“These status barriers are tricky,” says Sara Singer, a professor of organizational behavior and a professor of medicine.“They can get in the way of medical professionals learning new skills, particularly when junior employees are asked to show more senior coworkers how to use a new technology. ” But, as Singer and her coauthors reveal in a recent paper, upending these complex hierarchies can be a useful training strategy.
Singer and her coauthors studied observations from five different primary care settings over the course of nearly two years. At each, medical assistants and patient-service representatives had to learn several new digital technologies. Even though these positions are fairly low in the medical and administrative order, Singer says that within these jobs, tenure and status are still important. So when younger employees were selected to be trainers, that threw the typical power balance off the good state. At some sites, employees struggled to pick up the skills they needed. “There were some groups where the training seemed to be taking and people seemed to be following on with the work that was intended,” Singer says. “But at other places it just wasn’t working out.”
By creating a system that gave everyone a chance at those opportunities, clinics could remove the jealousy that might come from selecting one younger employee over another time and time again.
1. Why is Grey’s Anatomy mentioned in the text?| A．To review the main heroine. | B．To introduce the main topic. |
| C．To tell readers a new movie. | D．To show the author’s attitude. |
| A．The status barriers in existence. |
| B．The way to provide care efficiently. |
| C．The learning spirits of a new employee. |
| D．The traditional managing system of medical institutions. |
| A．Hospitals should offer equal opportunities to accept training. |
| B．Newly-employed medical workers work hard to learn skills. |
| C．It is challenging to change the conventional training approach. |
| D．A new system should be created to evaluate doctors and nurses. |
| A．Younger colleagues can be trained to teach older workers new skills. |
| B．Health care settings in the world are extremely complex. |
| C．Everybody likes to give the younger people instructions. |
| D．Medical residents are too busy to balance their work and life. |
