1 . In the rich countries of the West, the electric vehicle revolution is well occurring. Climate-conscious consumers drive Teslas or Polestars for reasons of morality (道德) and fashion. Poorer countries are also experiencing a wave of electrified trend. In Bangladesh, electric three-wheeler taxis, known as tuk-tuks, are rapidly replacing gas-powered ones on the streets. Such electric vehicles are climate friendly, cost effective, and help reduce air pollution.
Yet a glance under the hood (引擎盖) of these vehicles shows a poisonous secret: each tuk-tuk runs on five massive lead-acid batteries (铅酸电池), containing almost 300 pounds of lead (铅) in total. Every year and a half or so, when those batteries need to be replaced and recycled, about 60 pounds of lead leaks into the environment. Battery recycling, often at small-scale unregulated factories, is a highly profitable (高利润的) but deadly business.
Lead is dangerous, and any exposure to it is harmful to human health. Lead that has entered the environment hurts people on an unexpected scale. The numerous ways lead enters air, water, soil, and homes across the developing world and the enormous damage it does to human health, wealth, and welfare cause one of the biggest environmental problems in the world yet receives little attention.
The World Bank estimates that lead kills 5.5 million people per year, making it a bigger global killer than AIDS, malaria, diabetes, and road traffic deaths combined. On top of the shocking deaths, the social burden of lead poisoning is heavy, as is its contribution to global inequality — our research on the cognitive (认知的) effects of lead poisoning suggests that it may explain about one-fifth of the educational achievement gap between rich and poor countries.
But unlike many challenges faced by developing countries, lead poisoning is a problem that can be resolved through financial investment (财政投入). Better monitoring, research, and rules can help protect children all over the world from the unpleasant effects of lead poisoning and reduce the massive global costs it brings.
1. How does the author describe the lead problem in paragraph 2?| A．By listing some numbers. | B．By analyzing hidden causes. |
| C．By making an interesting comparison. | D．By explaining its working principle. |
| A．Lead enters poor countries in one way. |
| B．Lead leaking has been avoided in all the countries. |
| C．Lead will definitely not harm anymore. |
| D．Lead poisoning may make poor societies poorer. |
| A．Fixing these used batteries. | B．Reducing the cost of recycling lead. |
| C．Ignoring the illegal use of lead. | D．Putting certain effort and money. |
| A．The Impacts of Lead Poisoning on Man. |
| B．The Global Lead Poisoning Problem. |
| C．The Ways to Solve Lead Problem. |
| D．The Benefits of Using Electric Vehicles. |
1. Who did Fred have a fight with last night?
| A．A storekeeper. | B．A policeman. | C．His brother. |
| A．At home. | B．In the hospital. | C．In the police station. |
3 . The “Bystander Apathy Effect” was first studied by researchers in New York after neighbours ignored — and in some cases turned up the volume on their TVs — the cries of a woman as she was murdered (over a half-hour period). With regard to helping those in difficulty generally, they found that:
(1) women are helped more than men;
(2) men help more than women;
(3) attractive women are helped more than unattractive women.
Other factors relate to the number of people in the area, whether the person is thought to be in trouble through their own fault, and whether a person sees himself as being able to help.
According to Adrian Furnham, Professor of University College, London, there are three reasons why we tend to stand by doing nothing:
(1) “Shifting of responsibility” — the more people there are, the less likely help is to be given. Each person excuses himself by thinking someone else will help, so that the more “other people” there are, the greater the total shifting of responsibility.
(2) “Fear of making a mistake” — situations are often not clear. People think that those involved in an accident may know each other or it may be a joke, so a fear of embarrassment makes them keep themselves to themselves.
(3) “Fear of the consequences if attention is turned on you, and the person is violent.”
Laurie Taylor, Professor of Sociology at London University, says: “In the experiments I’ve seen on intervention, much depends on the neighborhood or setting. There is a silence on public transport which is hard to break. We are embarrassed to draw attention to something that is happening, while in a football match, people get involved, and a fight would easily follow.”
Psychotherapist Alan Dupuy identifies the importance of the individual: “The British as a whole have some difficulty intervening, but there are exceptional individuals in every group who are prepared to intervene, regardless of their own safety: These would be people with a strong moral code or religious ideals.”
1. Which factor is NOT related with intervention according to the passage?| A．Sex. | B．Nationality. |
| C．Profession. | D．Setting. |
| A．When one is in trouble, people think it’s his own fault. |
| B．On hearing a cry for help, people keep themselves to themselves. |
| C．In a football match, people get involved in a fight. |
| D．Seeing a murder, people feel sorry that it should have happened. |
| A．to explain why bystanders behave as they do |
| B．to urge people to stand out when in need |
| C．to criticize the selfishness of bystanders |
| D．to analyze the weakness of human nature |
| A．At about 7. | B．At about 8. | C．At about 9. |
| A．He became severely ill. | B．He had a car accident. | C．He was hit by a car. |
6 . People know the dangers of fires. It’s good for a family to learn how to prepare for afire.
Put a smoke alarm in the house. Smoke from a fire causes the alarm to go off.
Practice for a fire at home now and then because it can teach children about fire safety. Everyone in the family should know the following fire rules:
▲Don’t open a hot door! The fire can grow more quickly if you open the door.
▲Stay close to the floor! Everyone should follow your plan.
| A．Make escape plans. |
| B．Here are some suggestions. |
| C．The alarm makes a loud sound. |
| D．If there is a fire, don’t forget to call 119 for help. |
| E．The best air is near the floor because smoke rises. |
7 . Nowadays, schools still focus on traditional subjects more than modern subjects. Many subjects can not meet the needs of the future jobs. I completely agree with the statement that schools too much concentrate on traditional subjects.
To begin with, schools must be more flexible in the education because every student will choose and follow the different ways. So they need a different knowledge’s source. For example, the technology development is becoming a vital part in modern society which demands a number of skilled workforce (劳动力). As a result, if students are skilled in using computer or machine, they will achieve success in their career.
In addition, the traditional subjects always teach a lot of theories than skills. That is the reason why many students feel bored when studying them, such as history, literature or geography. But people can ignore them because all the subjects are concerned about culture and the society’s problems. So the education system should be improved. Instead of researching lessons in class or books, we need to hold the meeting or game shows to exchange knowledge and skills between students. Besides, schools have to add some soft skill subjects.
In conclusion, the traditional subjects are still being concentrated too much, Schools should improve systems so that students can acquire many new things and meet the needs in the world of work.
1. Why should education be flexible in schools?| A．Students are tired of studying |
| B．Each student has different needs |
| C．Students’ interests are various |
| A．Theories. | B．Skills. | C．Grades. |
| A．Read books aloud. | B．Research lessons in class. | C．Increase soft skill subjects. |
| A．They require improving. |
| B．They are discouraging. |
| C．They prove useless. |
8 . Fire Prevention Information
The University of Adelaide employs a full-time staff of fire prevention professionals. They inspect all campus buildings and test and maintain all sprinkler (喷水灭火装置)systems, fire alarms, and fire extinguishers (灭火器). They also provide educational programs on fire safety in the residence halls.
Fire Alarms
The floors of all campus buildings are equipped with manual (手动的) fire alarm systems which include fire alarm pull stations and pipes. Most are also equipped with automatic fire alarm systems consisting of heat detectors, smoke detectors and sprinklers. For your safety, never tamper with (胡乱摆弄)these systems. False fire alarms are illegal and may lead to imprisonment.
Fire Extinguishers
Fire extinguishers are located on each floor and in each apartment. Use a fire extinguisher only if you have been trained to do so. Irresponsible use of a fire extinguisher can create a dangerous situation for other residents and could result in damage to personal property. Misuse of a fire extinguisher will result in fines.
Smoke Detectors
A smoke detector is on the ceiling in your room. Some buildings also have heat detectors on the ceilings. Do the following to ensure the safe operation of your smoke detector:If your smoke detector is working properly, the red light should be on.·Do not cover or block your smoke detector in any way.
1. What is the main duty of the fire prevention professionals?| A．To provide part-time jobs for students. |
| B．To lead the students to the nearest exits. |
| C．To check and maintain fire prevention equipment. |
| D．To train teachers to be fire prevention professionals. |
| A．Pipes and smoke detectors. | B．Heat and smoke detectors, and sprinklers. |
| C．Fire alarm pull stations and pipes. | D．Sprinklers and fire alarm pull stations. |
| A．Using them wrongly results in punishment. |
| B．Irresponsible use of them can damage them. |
| C．Improper use of them can destroy the apartment. |
| D．Using them without a trainer present is forbidden. |
1. How does the man think of the security checks?
| A．Acceptable. | B．Unreasonable. | C．Interesting. |
| A．Take off shoes. | B．Have cars checked. | C．Leave water behind. |
| A．Twice. | B．Three times. | C．Four times. |
10 . Nearly half of all employees are close to “breaking point” at work due to increased stress levels. A survey of 2,000 professionals found the average working adult feels stressed for almost a third of their working day.
The mounting pressure faced in their job also contributes to five hours of lost sleep per employee every week. Checking work emails after hours, last-minute deadlines, having to do a speech or presentation and an overly demanding manager were named as some of the biggest causes of workplace stress.
It also revealed that in the average week, employees will complain about their boss for 31 minutes and their job in general for another two hours and 45 minutes. Richard Jenkins, psychologist and spokesman for well-being charity CABA, said: “Everyone will experience pressure day-to-day.”
“A level of pressure can actually make us work better, however too much pressure that rises to an unmanageable level leads to stress. The working public needs to know how to manage their pressure to avoid reaching boiling point. Some people cope by blowing off steam through physical activity like the gym or going for a run while for some, things like breathing exercises can help. Everyone will have a strategy that they find works better to help them release the pressure. Unfortunately, in many cases we don’t introduce these decompressing (减压) moments in our lives which can help release the pressure and reduce stress. Finding ways to manage your stress is essential, it is also worth addressing the root causes of your stress to try to manage the source rather than just treat the symptoms.”
The study also found seven in 10 adults have vented about their workplace to a colleague, partner, family member or friend. 46 percent of those who have felt stressed at work didn’t end up doing anything about it, hoping the problem would go away on its own. Of those who do take action, 38 percent have told their manager about it, while 51 percent have gone for a walk to cool down.
1. What is the possible result of pressure faced by workers?| A．Giving a public presentation. | B．His demanding department head. |
| C．Loss of about 5 hours’ sleep weekly. | D．Constantly checking email after work. |
| A．Pressure will not do you any good in your daily life. |
| B．It’s better to turn to medicine when one is faced with great stress. |
| C．Women tend to feel more pressure at work than their male colleagues. |
| D．Almost everybody will adopt his own way to deal with their stress in their lives. |
| A．complained. | B．argued. | C．wandered. | D．asked. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Objective. | C．Positive. | D．Negative. |
