1 . The Enigma (谜) of Beauty

The search for beauty spans centuries and continents. Paintings of Egyptians dating back over 4,000 years show both men and women painting their nails and wearing makeup. In 18th-century France, wealthy noblemen wore large wigs (假发) of long, white hair to make themselves attractive. Today, people continue to devote a lot of time and money to their appearance.

There is at least one good reason for the desire to be attractive: beauty is power. Studies suggest that good-looking people make more money, get called on more often in class, and are regarded as friendlier.

But what exactly is beauty? It’s difficult to describe it clearly, and yet we know it when we see it. And our awareness of it may start at a very early age. In one set of studies, six-month-old babies were shown a series of photographs. The faces on the pictures had been rated for attractiveness by a group of college students. In the studies, the babies spent more time looking at the attractive faces than the unattractive ones.

The idea that even babies can judge appearance makes perfect sense to many researchers. In studies by psychologists, men consistently showed a preference for women with larger eyes, fuller lips, and a smaller nose and chin while women prefer men with large shoulders and a narrow waist. According to scientists, the mind unconsciously tells men and women that these traits — the full lips, clear skin, strong shoulders — equal health and genetic well-being.

Not everyone thinks the same way, however. “Our hardwiredness can be changed by all sorts of expectations — mostly cultural,” says C. Loring Brace, an anthropologist at the University of Michigan. What is considered attractive in one culture might not be in another. Look at most Western fashion magazines: the women on the pages are thin. But is this “perfect” body type for women worldwide? Scientists’ answer is no; what is considered beautiful is subjective and varies around the world. They found native peoples in southeast Peru preferred shapes regarded overweight in Western cultures.

For better or worse, beauty plays a role in our lives. But it is extremely difficult to describe exactly what makes one person attractive to another. Although there do seem to be certain physical traits considered universally appealing, it is also true that beauty does not always keep to a single, uniform standard. Beauty really is, as the saying goes, in the eye of the beholder.

1. People’s ideas about beauty ________.

A．have existed since ancient times

B．can be easily described

C．have little influence on a person’s success

D．are based upon strict criteria

2. In Paragraph 3, the babies in the study ________.

A．were rated for their appearance

B．were entered in a beauty contest

C．were shown photos of a group of college students

D．were able to tell attractive faces from unattractive ones

3. The underlined word “traits” in Paragraph 4 probably means ________.

A．qualities	B．measurements
C．judgments	D．standards

4. We can learn from the passage that ________.

A．the ideas of beauty vary as people grow up

B．the search for beauty is rooted in lack of confidence

C．the standards for beauty are based on scientific researches

D．the understanding of beauty depends on cultural backgrounds

2 . Reading is the ability to process text, understand its meaning and to integrate it with what the reader already knows. Of all the reading skills speed-reading is a necessary skill in the Internet age. We skim over articles, e-mails and WeChat to try to grasp key words and the essential meaning of a certain text. Surrounded with information from our electronic devices, it would be impossible to cope if we read word by word, line by line. But a new trend calls on people to unplug and enjoy reading slowly, listing benefits beyond the intelligent stimulation.

A recent story from The Wall Street Journal reported on a book club in Wellington, New Zealand, where members meet in a cafe and turn off their smartphones. They sink into cozy chairs and read in silence for an hour. Unlike tradition book club, the point of the slow reading club isn’t exchanging ideas about a certain book, but to get away from electronic devices and read in a quiet, relaxed environment. According to The Wall Street Journal, the Wellington book club is just one example of a movement started by book lovers who miss the old-fashioned way of reading before the Internet and smartphones.

Slow readers, such as The Atlantic’s Maura Kelly, say a regular reading habit sharpens the mind, improves concentration, reduces stress levels and deepens the ability to sympathize. Another study published last year in Science showed that reading novels helps people understand others’ mental states and beliefs, a fundamental skill in building relationships.

Yet technology has made us less attentive readers. Screens have changed our reading patterns from the top-to-right, left-to-right sequence to a wild skimming and skipping pattern as we hunt for important words and information. Reading text punctuated with links leads to weaker comprehension than reading plain text. The Internet may have made us stupider, says Patrick Kingsley from The Guardian. Because of the Internet, he says, we have become very good at collecting a wide range of interesting news, but we are also gradually forgetting how to sit back, reflect, and relate all these facts to each other.

Slow reading means a return to an uninterrupted, straight pattern, in a quiet environment free of distractions. “Aim for 30 minutes a day,” advises Kelly from The Atlantic. “You can squeeze in that half hour pretty easily if only during your free moments, you pick up a meaningful work of literature,” Kelly said. “Reach for your e-reader, if you like. Kindles make books like War and Peace less heavy, not less substantive, and also ensure you’ll never lose your place.”

1. The book club in Wellington mentioned in Paragraph 2 shows____________.

A．the new trend of slow reading	B．the decline of electronic devices
C．the importance of exchanging ideas	D．the increasing number of club readers

2. According to Patrick Kingsley, people are stupider partly because of_____________.

A．a non-stop reading pattern	B．the straight, left-to-right screen
C．a wide range of interesting news	D．the lack of reflection

3. According to the passage, slow reading___________.

A．contributes to understanding among people

B．promotes the current technology advances

C．provides people with a quiet environment

D．cures the memory loss of elderly people

4. What’s the best title for the passage?

A．Benefit of Reading Clubs	B．Return of Slow Reading
C．Reading of the Internet Age	D．Influence of Speed Reading

3 . More students than ever before are taking a gap year (间隔年) before going to university. It used to be called the “year off” between school and university. The gap-year phenomenon originated (起源) with the months left over to Oxbridge applicants between entrance exams in November and the start of the next academic year.

This year, 25,310 students who have accepted places in higher education institutions have put off their entry until next year, according to statistics on university entrance provided by the University and College Admissions Service (UCAS).

That is a record 14.7% increase in the number of students taking a gap year. Tony Higgins from UCAS said that the statistics are good news for everyone in higher education. “Students who take a well-planned year out are more likely to be satisfied with, and complete, their chosen course. Students who take a gap year are often more mature and responsible.” he said.

But not everyone is happy. Owain James, the president of the National Union of Students (NUS), argued that the increase is evidence of student hardship—young people are being forced into earning money before finishing their education. “New students are now aware that they are likely to leave university up to £ 15,000 in debt. It is not surprising that more and more students are taking a gap year to earn money to support their study for the degree. NUS statistics show that over 40% of students are forced to work during term time and the figure increases to 90% during vacation periods,” he said.

1. What do we learn about the gap year from the text?

A．It is flexible in length.	B．It is a time for relaxation.
C．It is increasingly popular.	D．It is required by universities.

2. According to Tony Higgins, students taking a gap year       .

A．are better prepared for college studies

B．know a lot more about their future jobs

C．are more likely to leave university in debt

D．have a better chance to enter top universities

3. How does Owain James feel about the gap-year phenomenon?

A．He’s puzzled.	B．He’s worried.
C．He’s surprised.	D．He’s annoyed.

4. What would most students do on their vacation according to NUS statistics?

A．Attend additional courses.	B．Make plans for the new term.
C．Earn money for their education.	D．Prepare for their graduate studies.

4 .

Technological change is everywhere and affects every aspect of life, mostly for the better. However, social changes are brought about by new technology are often mistaken for a change in attitudes.

An example at hand is the involvement of parents in the lives of their children who are attending college. Surveys (调查) on this topic suggests that parents today continue to be “very” or “somewhat” overly-protective even after their children move into college dormitories. The same surveys also indicate that the rate of parental involvement is greater today than it was a generation ago. This is usually interpreted as a sign that today’s parents are trying to manage their children’s lives past the point where this behavior is appropriate.

However, greater parental involvement does not necessarily indicate that parents are failing to let go of their “adult” children.

In the context (背景) of this discussion, it seems valuable to first find out the cause of change in the case of parents’ involvement with their grown children. If parents of earlier generations had wanted to be in touch with their college-age children frequently, would this have been possible? Probably not. On the other hand, does the possibility of frequent communication today mean that the urge to do so wasn’t present a generation ago? Many studies show that older parents — today’s grandparents — would have called their children more often if the means and cost of doing so had not been a barrier.

Furthermore, studies show that finances are the most frequent subject of communication between parents and their college children. The fact that college students are financially dependent on their parents is nothing new; nor are requests for more money to be sent from home. This phenomenon is neither good nor bad; it is a fact of college life, today and in the past.

Thanks to the advanced technology, we live in an age of bettered communication. This has many implications well beyondthe role that parents seem to play in the lives of their children who have left for college. But it is useful to bear in mind that all such changes come from the technology and not some imagined desire by parents to keep their children under their wings.

1. The surveys inform us of ______.

A．the development of technology

B．the changes of adult children’s behavior

C．the parents’ over-protection of their college children

D．the means and expenses of students’ communication

2. The writer believes that ______.

A．parents today are more protective than those in the past

B．the disadvantages of new technology outweigh its advantages

C．technology explains greater parental involvement with their children

D．parents’ changed attitudes lead to college children’s delayed independence

3. What is the best title for the passage?

A．Technology or Attitude

B．Dependence or Independence

C．Family Influence or Social Changes

D．College Management or Communication Advancement

4. Which of the following shows the development of ideas in this passage?
I:Introduction
P:Point
Sp:Sub-point
C:Conclusion

A．

B．

C．

D．

5 . Every day we are exposed to images, videos, music and news．In this age of visual and aural hyper-stimulation, the medium of radio is making a great comeback.
“We’re at the beginning of a golden age of audio,” said US-based podcaster Alex Blumberg in an article in The Sydney Morning Herald． In the last month alone, 15 percent of US adults listened to a radio podcast (播客)．These statistics, released by Edison Research, show the successful evolution of traditional radio broadcasts to the present day’s digital podcast format．The term “podcast” was invented in 2004, but the trend only started gaining mainstream popularity in recent years．With the sharp increase in consumer demand for smartphones and tablets, podcast sales have jumped.
The appeal of the podcast partly lies in its multiplatform delivery and on-demand capabilities (功能)．You can listen during those extra minutes of the day when you’re walking to the shops, waiting in a queue or riding the subway．Similar to television shows, podcasts are generally free to download and most offer new content every week.
Donna Jackson, 22, Sydney University media graduate, listens to podcasts two or three times a week, via iTurns．“I listen while I’m wandering around the house doing something else．It makes completing a boring task much more enjoyable… And it’s an easy way of keeping in touch with what’s going on in the rest of the world,” she said, “I mainly listen to BBC podcasts, but recently I’ve also been listening to This American Life and Serial．They have a special skill to really draw you in.”
Unlike television and music, the audio format has the potential to create a deep impression on readers．Blumberg says this owes to the podcast’s ability “to create close relationship and emotional connection.” Sydney University undergraduate Hazel Proust, majoring in social work and arts, agrees．“When you’re listening, it feels as if the voice of the podcast’s storyteller is talking directly to you．It’s comforting, ” said Proust.
It seems the age-old tradition of verbal storytelling is very much alive and well.
1. From the first two paragraphs, we can learn that ________.

A．traditional broadcast has come back

B．Americans love listening to the radio

C．podcasts have become very popular today

D．smartphones sell well because of podcasts

2. The writer mentions Donna Jackson mainly to ________.

A．tell how young people relax themselves

B．explain why young people like podcasts

C．introduce what programs podcasts are presenting

D．show how popular podcasts are presenting

3. Paragraph 5 is mainly about ________.

A．the influence of radios

B．the advantage of podcasts

C．readers’ impression on radios

D．people’s reaction to the medium

4. What is probably the best title of the passage?

A．Return of Radio

B．Opinions of Podcast

C．Features of Radio

D．Technology of Podcast

6 . School phobia is a type of illness which causes the students, typically between the ages of 8-13, to be afraid to go to school. Symptoms include stomachaches, tiredness, shaking, a racing heart and frequent trips to the toilet.
    1    . Most commonly it is the result of separation anxiety, but it can also be caused by different kinds of stress. A child who has recently moved, suffered a loss, or gone through a divorce may develop school phobia, and phobias can also develop in response to an unrecognized learning disability, and poor self-image.
    2    . He or she may become physically ill when ordered to school, or pretend to be sick to avoid going. When the child arrives at school, he or she may run away, or develop behavioral problems in class. When school is discussed, the child can become impatient, upset or angry.
Many techniques can be used to manage school phobia. But research suggests that much more effective treatment is required for school phobia to prevent problems developing in later life. Children with this condition usually benefit from seeing a psychologist or doctor.    3    . As soon as a school phobia is identified, parents should take action too. Like other phobias, school phobia gets worse if it is left untreated, and it can prevent the child from succeeding in school.    4    . If bullying (child abuse) is a cause, for example, the bullying situation should be solved. A teacher can meet the child at the door and take him or her to class, and provide support so that the child feels a friendly adult is always available.
Changes at home can include supportive language from parents, along with support like assistance with homework. If a child lacks confidence, parents may encourage the child to take up new hobbies.    5    . Parents might also talk to their children about their own fears of school and how they got over them, and their own enjoyment of school and school-like activities.

A．It will help children to feel good about themselves.

B．But a child with phobia refuses to accept adults’ support.

C．A child with school phobia usually refuses to go to school.

D．Adjustments can be made at home and in the classroom to help.

E．This common phobia is associated with a wide variety of causes.

F．The most effective treatment is to help the child have a sense of success.

G．And the assistance can help parents and school officials support the child.

7 . The jobs of the future have not yet been invented.     1     By helping them develop classic skills that will serve them well no matter what the future holds.

1. Curiosity

Your children need to be deeply curious.     2     Ask kids, “What ingredients (配料) can we add to make these pancakes even better next time?” and then try them out. Did those ingredients make the pancakes better? What could we try next time?

2. Creativity

True creativity is the ability to take something existing and create something new from it.     3     There are a dozen different things you can do with them. Experimenting with materials to create something new can go a long way in helping them develop their creativity.

3. Interpersonal Skills

Understanding how others feel can be a challenge for kids. We know what’s going on inside our own head, but what about others? Being able to read people helps kids from misreading a situation and jumping to false conclusions.     4     “Why do you think she’s crying?” “Can you tell how that man is feeling by looking at his face? If someone were to do that to you, how would you feel?”

4. Self-expression

    5     There are many ways to express thoughts and ideas — music, acting, drawing, building, photography. You may find that your child is attracted by one more than another.

A．Encourage kids to cook with you.

B．And we can’t forget science education.

C．We can give kids chances to think about materials in new ways.

D．So how can we help our kids prepare for jobs that don’t yet exist?

E．Gardening is another great activity for helping kids develop this skill.

F．We can do this in real life or ask questions about characters in stories.

G．Being able to communicate ideas in a meaningful way is a valuable skill.

8 . Everywhere I look outside my home I see people busy on their high-tech devices, while driving, walking, shopping, even sitting in toilets. When connected electronically, they are away from physical reality.
People have been influenced to become technology addicted. One survey reported that “addicted” was the word most commonly used by people to describe their relationship to iPad and similar devices. One study found that people had a harder time resisting the allure of social media than they did for sleep, cigarettes and alcohol.
The main goal of technology companies is to get people to spend more money and time on their products, not to actually improve our quality of life. They have successfully created a cultural disease. Consumers willingly give up their freedom, money and time to catch up on the latest information, to keep pace with their peers or to appear modern.
I see people trapped in a pathological (病态的) relationship with time-sucking technology, where they serve technology more than technology serves them. I call this technology servitude. I am referring to a loss of personal freedom and independence because of uncontrolled consumption of many kinds of devices that eat up time and money.
What is a healthy use of technology devices? That is the vital question. Who is really in charge of my life? That is what people need to ask themselves if we are to have any chance of breaking up false beliefs about their use of technology. When we can live happily without using so much technology for a day or a week, then we can regain control and personal freedom, become the master of technology and discover what there is to enjoy in life free of technology. Mae West is famous for the wisdom that “too much of a good thing is wonderful.” But it’s time to discover that it does not work for technology.
Richard Fernandez, an executive coach at Google acknowledged that “we can be swept away by our technologies.” To break the grand digital connection people must consider how life long ago could be fantastic without today’s overused technology.
1. The underlined word “allure” in Paragraph 2 probably means ______.

A．advantage	B．attraction
C．adaption	D．attempt

2. From the passage, technology companies aim to ______.

A．attract people to buy their products

B．provide the latest information

C．improve people’s quality of life

D．deal with cultural diseases

3. It can be inferred from this passage that people ______.

A．consider too much technology wonderful

B．have realized the harm of high-tech devices

C．can regain freedom without high-tech devices

D．may enjoy life better without overused technology

4. What’s the author’s attitude towards the overusing of high-tech devices?

A．Neutral.	B．Skeptical.
C．Disapproving.	D．Sympathetic.

9 . The Importance of Accessibility Awareness

At a recent Teen Leadership of Jewish Family Services meeting, people with disabilities talked about their lives.     1     However, what amazed me most was the great importance of education about handicap accommodations (残疾人便利设施).

One school-teacher who is blind, and a woman who has used a wheelchair all her life are two important members of the National Group for Disabled Persons, devoted to raising awareness about disabilities.    2    These include handicap parking spots, handrails, and wheelchair ramps. One big concern is the people who   take advantage of aids, such as handicap parking spaces.    3    And the meeting focused on educating the public.

Some handicap spots have extra room next to them, marked with the “No Parking” signs. “As long as I'm not in the spot, I can take the no-parking area next to it,” some people say. However, the woman who uses a wheelchair disagrees to this. The space exists to allow someone in a wheelchair to have room to get in or out of their car.    4    

Some walkways have handrails next to them to help those who require extra assistance. Whether it is a blind person seeking guidance or an elderly person seeking support, the rail is there for walking. Sometimes the rail is blocked, by a parked bicycle for instance, and consequently made useless.    5    People who are informed of the rail’s use would be less likely to mistake it for a bike rack.

Meeting some of the people who are affected by the lack of education about accommodations made me see that there is work to be done. If more people were educated about the proper uses of accommodations, there would be fewer challenges for people with physical disabilities.

A．Accommodations will vary according to the needs of the disabled.

B．As with the parking spot, this is more likely a case of lack of education.

C．They educate about all the accommodations for people with disabilities.

D．Improvement must be made so that disabled people can fully participate.

E．If there is a car in that space, the handicap parking spot is no longer useful.

F．So people without disabilities need to be educated about these accommodations.

G．I was amazed to hear about the challenges faced by people with physical disabilities.

10 . Any car accident is frightening, but an accident in which your vehicle is thrown into the water, with you trapped inside, is absolutely terrifying.     1    However, most deaths result from panic, without a plan or understanding what is happening to the car in the water. By adopting a brace(支撑) position, acting decisively and getting out fast, you can save yourself from a sinking vehicle.

Brace yourself for impact (撞击力). As soon as you're aware that you're going off the road and into a body of water, adopt a brace position. The impact could set off the airbag system in your vehicle, so you should place both hands on the steering wheel in the “ten and two” position.

Undo your seat belt.     2     Unfasten the children, starting with the oldest first. Forget the cell phone call. Your car isn’t going to wait for you to make the call.

    3     Leave the door alone at this stage and concentrate on the window. A car’s electrical system should work for up to three minutes in water, so try the method of opening it electronically first. Many people don’t think about the window as an escape option either because of panic or misinformation about doors and sinking.

Break the window. If you aren’t able to open the window, or it only opens halfway, you’ll need to break it with an object or your foot. It may feel counterintuitive (有悖常理的) to let water into the car.     4    

Escape when the car has equalized. If it has reached the dramatic stage where the car cabin has been filled with water and it has become balanced, you must move quickly and effectively to ensure your survival.     5     While there is still air in the car, take slow，deep breaths and focus on what you’re doing.

A．Open the window as soon as you hit the water.

B．Surviving a sinking car is not as difficult as you think.

C．It takes 60 to 120 seconds for a car to fill up with water usually.

D．Such accidents are particularly dangerous due to the risk of drowning.

E．In conclusion, if you know what to do in the water, you will be safe.

F．This is the first thing to attend to, yet it often gets forgotten in the panic.

G．But the sooner the window is open, the sooner you can escape directly through it.