1 . The Internet is a global network, which allows digital information to travel around the world. Let’s view some most popular uses of the Internet.
Information search
We search for information every day.
One of the most significant and popular use of the Internet is email. Email is a common thing that a majority of people check after they have logged (登录) on to the Internet.
Online shopping
Education
The Internet plays an important role in effectively shaping today’s school education process. It has the availability and the quality of learning for many students. They can study what they want and whenever they feel the most productive.
We are witnessing the rise of informal education where college graduates have online access and can sharpen their skills and get faster progress in a specific field.
A.Communication |
B.Online bill payments |
C.Our habits of buying things have changed a lot |
D.They can also attend classes or take exams online at home |
E.It is done by typing a question for which we seek specific information |
F.Many other personal businesses create their online shops every day |
G.The email has enabled easier and faster communication between people |
2 . To reach a sustainable food system, “integrity has to run through the whole system, especially with the farmers,” say Jan and Steve Petersen, Niman Ranch farmers. “We have to learn to care for our shared resources, like soil, water, air, and ecosystems.”
Jan and Steve created a family of sustainability advocates. To them, sustainable farming means protecting soil, water, and ecosystems for future generations. The Petersen family always farmed crops sustainably and raised their pigs naturally, using mostly organic practices. Their son Ted continues to work on the farm part-time, while their oldest son Luke works with farmers in California to encourage sustainable farming practices as a conservation biologist who received a Niman Ranch Next Generation Scholarship Award in 2008 to help him continue his farming practices. “He doesn’t hesitate to feed his dad ideas on new practices and technologies,” says Jan.
The Petersens joined Niman Ranch in 2003 for the support it provided for farmers raising pigs naturally after the pig market crashed in 1998. “We suddenly had a sense of belonging and support, becoming part of a whole network of farmers who shared similar values,” explain Jan and Steve. “This matched our personal passion for community revitalization (复兴) and the promotion of responsible land use practices.”
In their community, the Petersens have a great passion for responsible land use and its benefits for the food system. They realized early on how farmland preservation is connected to all sorts of land use issues, so they got involved on many levels. Steve chairs the local planning committee. And Jan not only started the community’s farmers’ market, but also serves on the county Brownfield Redevelopment Authority, encouraging businesses to redevelop ignored properties. Together, the Petersens also brought historic property in their community back to life.
“We feel we are caretakers of not just the land on this fifth generation farm, but also the historic house and barns, around 1871, here on the Petersen Farm. We always hope the wildlife appreciates our commitment to avoiding farming the whole place into the ground,” say the Petersens.
1. How did the Petersen family advocate sustainable farming?A.By engaging neighbors in part-time laboring. |
B.By cooperating with conservation professionals. |
C.By encouraging practices on organic farming. |
D.By awarding biologists for ecological conservation. |
A.It applied innovation to farming. |
B.It supplied assistance to farmers in need. |
C.It introduced them to bigger markets. |
D.It offered convenience to communities in trouble. |
A.They assumed leading roles. | B.They advocated land expansion. |
C.They modernized historic properties. | D.They founded various organizations. |
A.A Family’s Efforts to Protect Land | B.The Benefits of Sustainable System |
C.The Protection of Shared Resources | D.The Progress in Organic Farming |
In a heartwarming event that has touched the nation, a police officer in Warren, Michigan, was considered as a true hero by saving the life of an 18-month-old boy who had suddenly stopped breathing. This event happened on the evening of August 29 and has since touched the hearts of many.
Officer Brandan Fraser was on duty, focusing on speed and absent-minded driving, when he noticed a car speeding past him. What in the beginning seemed like a common traffic violation (违规) rapidly turned into a life-and-death crisis.
As Fraser came up to the car, he was met with a sad cry from a woman, who screamed, “We got a baby in here dying. Help! Help!” Both the woman and the man in the car were frightened as they handed over the baby boy, who appeared to be lifeless, not breathing and turning blue.
Rather than giving in to the pressure of the moment, Fraser immediately sprang into action. He examined the baby and doubted that he might be choking (窒息). Fraser quickly positioned the baby on his forearm and performed a series of back blows to force any obstruction (阻塞物) from the baby’s airway out.
However, the baby still showed no signs of breathing. Fraser’s heart raced, but his training kicked in here. After making sure the baby’s airway was clear, he then continued to perform CPR on the baby. His hands pressed the baby’s tiny chest and at the same time, he blew some air into the baby’s mouth to help make his heart beat again. Fraser continued these life-saving efforts tirelessly, knowing that every second counted.
Surprisingly, the baby began to breathe once more. Fraser described the moment, saying, “The baby started breathing, and you saw that color started coming back around his lips. You realized that something happened here, and we were heading in the right direction.”
注意:
1.续写词数应为150左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
After a while, the baby gave out a cry, a sign that life was returning.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Then the baby was quickly transported to a nearby hospital.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4 . A new study, led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst, reveals that the wealthiest Americans, those whose income places them in the top 10% of earners, are responsible for 40% of the nation’s total greenhouse gas emissions (排放).
More than that, they also discovered that the top 1% of earners alone generate 15-17% of the nation’s emissions. In general, white, non-Spanish-speaking households had the highest emission-linked income and black households the lowest. Emissions tended to increase with age, peaking with the 45-54 age group, before declining.
Scientists and environmentalists have long known that consumption—the amount and kind of food we eat, the vehicles we drive and all the stuff we buy—is closely linked to greenhouse gas emission. Traditional environmental policy has then sought to either limit consumption or guide it into more environmentally friendly approaches; replacing red meat with plant-based diets or replacing a gas-car with an electric vehicle.
“But,” says Jared Starr, a sustainability scientist at UMass Amherst and the lead author of the new study, “consumption-based approaches to limiting greenhouse gas emissions have downsides. They unfairly punish the poor while having little impact on the extremely wealthy, who tend to save and invest (投资) a large share of their income.”
“Consumption-based approaches miss something important: carbon pollution generates income, but when that income is reinvested into stocks (股票), rather than spent on necessities, it isn’t subject to a consumption-based carbon tax,” Jared continued.
The study is the first to link income, especially income from financial investments, to the emissions used in generating that income. The authors suggest that policymakers adopt taxes focused on shareholders and the carbon intensity of investment incomes in order to justly meet the goal of keeping the global temperature to 1.5℃ of warming.
1. Which of the following generates the most emissions?A.An English-speaking black teenager. |
B.A 48-year-old Spanish-speaking white worker. |
C.A 49-year-old Spanish-speaking billionaire. |
D.A 50-year-old English-speaking billionaire. |
A.By controlling. | B.By punishing. | C.By preventing. | D.By recycling. |
A.Unconcerned. | B.Critical. | C.Favourable. | D.Uncertain. |
A.A book review. | B.A science fiction. | C.A science journal. | D.A travel guide. |
5 . Mark never stops socializing with his friends online.
Where am I? What am I doing? If you’re one of my 500 friends online, you’ll always be the first to know. As soon as I open my eyes in the morning, I check through all my social networking apps, read my emails and answer text message.
I live in a university dorm with a couple of great roommates. Yet the truth of the matter is:
I constantly feel depressed, dissatisfied and alone.
What is really worrying is that no one I know could go cold turkey. I can’t even imagine going without social networking for a week! After all, I need it for my studies because my teachers and classmates need to contact me at any time.
A.I feel lonely. I’m barely the only person who feels this way |
B.Since I spend so much time socializing online |
C.I do the same thing all over again while I’m having breakfast |
D.But he’s also never felt more alone |
E.Social networking dominates my life in so many ways |
F.So, that’s the problem with social networking |
G.Alcoholics who want to quit drinking can avoid booze, but how do we give up our phones |
6 . It seems obvious now how we acquire knowledge and understanding. To start with, we need questions. Then, to find answers, we observe the world around us and study the facts. After that, we consider possible answers and test each to find the right ones. Although today we are more used to typing a few key words into a search engine and waiting for the Internet to give us an answer, modern scientists and thinkers are still solving the world’s problems with this type of analysis—luckily for us.
However, in the 17th century when Francis Bacon (1561-1626) suggested that this type of thinking was the way to gain knowledge, he was going against the views of the day. Although Bacon held an important rank in King James’ royal court of England, his true interest was not the day-to-day, slow and inefficient working style of the government, but the worthy search for knowledge. This was certainly not the interest of most people in his days. At that time, people believed more in the church than in facts, and people like Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), who proved the idea that “the Earth is not the centre of the universe”, were often punished by the church with no one coming to their defence. The church and many people tended to ignore the facts and didn’t want to challenge what they had always comfortably believed. In fact, when Galilei proved that the Earth was not the centre of the universe, instead of believing him, people chose to believe views that were almost 2,000 years old!
It is not surprising that people wanted to believe these primitive ideas as they had been put forward by the great philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BCE). He said that the Earth must be the centre of the universe because it felt like the Earth was standing still. Galilei disagreed. At first, people approved of his studies and urged him to continue, but later when he proved Aristotle wrong, they grew angry and put him in prison. They didn’t want to abandon what they’d always thought as true. And this is still often true today. People make the assumption that if someone important and respected says that something is right, then it must be so. But even though Aristotle was a great man who inspired many great scientists and philosophers after him, he was wrong at times. And Galilei also made mistakes. He is now known as the father of astronomy but he believed that the Earth moved round the sun in a perfect circle. He was wrong.
Therefore, our understanding of the world around us is constantly growing and changing. In other words, we learn more every day and none of us can ever sit back and say, “We know it all.” We need to thank the great men of the past for their wisdom. They understood that we don’t know everything and probably never will, as this would mean a world with questions.
We owe so much of our knowledge and understanding of the world to people like Bacon and Galilei, who were brave enough to step out from the shadows of conventional thought in order to find the kingdom of knowledge that today’s civilization is built upon. These men knew that knowledge and understanding are things to fight for; more vital to a man, and more beneficial to mankind, some might say, than all the money in the world.
1. How are we used to finding answers of questions today?A.we observe the world around us and study the facts. |
B.we consider possible answers and test each to find the right ones. |
C.we type a few key words into a search engine and wait for the Internet to give us an answer. |
D.First of all, we need questions. |
A.many people tended to ignore the facts and didn’t want to challenge what they had always comfortably believed. |
B.No one is perfect and our understanding of the world around us is constantly growing and changing. |
C.Even great men like Aristotle and Galileo Galilei can make mistakes. |
D.People make the assumption that if someone important and respected says that something is right, then it must be so. |
A.stop study | B.relax in a chair | C.wait for success to come | D.stop work |
A.feel sorry | B.sympathize | C.feel grateful | D.in memory of |
7 . Huang Yang is a native(本地人)of Zibo city in Shandong Province who works outside his hometown. He recently returned home for a visit and wanted to have some barbecue(烧烤). But he failed to find seats in four different restaurants.
“A barbecue restaurant owner told me to come back on Monday, so as to leave the weekends to out-of-town visitors. Another restaurant owner told me that they had run out of meat. I’ve been eating barbecue for over 20 years and this is the first time I’ve heard something like that,”Huang said.
Thanks to social media recommendations, Zibo barbecue has become popular overnight. The small city was crowded with visitors on weekends for a taste of the mouth-watering dishes. Most visitors are young people, who share online their experience of traveling to Zibo to experience the city’s barbecue culture, drawing even more visitors.
Behind Zibo’s sudden fame(名声)are the efforts and services of the local government. To promote Zibo-style barbecue, Zibo has provided two dozen “special barbecue trains,” where local officials would serve tourists themselves. Zibo’s tourism officials have been promoting the city’s food and attractions and sending gifts to tourists on the barbecue-themed trains.
At the city’s train station, volunteers have been working at train stations to offer help. Buses are ready to take visitors from train stations straight to barbecue restaurants.
Another key to the success, according to Peng Han, director of the Center for Strategic Studies at the Ctrip Research Institute, is that before Zibo became popular on the internet, the city had developed mature(成熟的)tourism products and service standards. For example, the barbecue-themed train services, bus services, barbecue map, the youth hostels that offer discounts for college students and the strict requirements for local tourism businesses were not achieved overnight, Peng noted.
Although Zibo is still enjoying the great fame, the local government has begun to make longer-term plans.
As the home of the Shandong businessmen and having origins(源头)in the Silk Road, Zibo will work to develop its historical and cultural resources into cultural brands, noted Wang Shenghua, a senior tourism official in Zibo.
1. Why did the barbecue restaurant owner tell Huang Yang to come back on Monday?A.Because there would be a barbecue festival on Monday. |
B.Because the restaurant was open only on Monday. |
C.Because there were too many visitors on weekends. |
D.Because the restaurants ran out of meat on weekends. |
A.Young people share their happy experience in Zibo. |
B.Zibo offered free barbecue and hotels to the visitors. |
C.Zibo had already improved their tourism service. |
D.Zibo spared no effort to provide visitors with a happy experience. |
A.Zibo will open more barbecue restaurants. | B.Zibo will develop its silk business. |
C.Zibo will develop its own cultural brands. | D.Zibo will provide better service for businessmen. |
A.Big on barbecue, Zibo’s star shines | B.Zibo, a historical and cultural city |
C.Top barbecue restaurants in Zibo | D.Tips for traveling in Zibo |
8 . Teenagers need eight to ten hours of sleep per night. However, in adolescence (青春期) changes to the body’s sleep cycle make it difficult for teens to fall asleep early. Many cannot fall asleep until 10:30 p.m. or even later and most of them will feel sleepy if they have to get up too early.
Scientists recommend that both middle and high schools begin no earlier than 8:30 a.m. Later school start times support the natural needs of teenagers and increase their sleeping time.
Here are some other benefits of later school start times:
More time for a healthy breakfast
When running late in the mornings, students are likely to go without breakfast. With an empty stomach, one finds it difficult to focus (集中) in class. When they are always in a hurry, students may form unhealthy eating habits.
With extra time before going to school, students can eat a well-balanced breakfast and focus more on learning.
Fewer behavioral (行为的) problems
Teens experience mood changes as a common result of this special period of life. Less sleep may cause worries, stress and unhappiness.
When they get enough sleep, students are calm and peaceful and their moods do not change suddenly. They’re less likely to feel worried, unhappy or get angry. For parents, children with more sleep are easier to live with.
Better performance (表现) in study
Sleep loss hurts attention, memory and brain development. Students with less sleep have difficulty paying attention in class and are likely to have lower grades. Students with enough sleep can be more energetic during the day and more willing to learn. They are also less likely to fall asleep in class and more able to understand what they learn.
In conclusion, starting school later helps students get a better night’s sleep. It improves their chances of eating, behaving and performing better.
1. According to the passage, what may cause teenagers to stay up?A.Their low grades. | B.Their empty stomachs. |
C.Their body’s sleep cycle. | D.Their heavy homework. |
A.It gives them much energy. | B.It does harm to the brain. |
C.It saves more time for study. | D.It improves their memory. |
A.To explain reasons for students’ stress. | B.To describe bad habits caused by sleep loss. |
C.To discuss scientists’ research on healthy food. | D.To introduce benefits of later school start times. |
A.Education. | B.Fashion. | C.Sports. | D.Technology. |
9 . In the rush of day-to-day life, we don’t always have the time to slow down and move at our own speed. Even on vacation, we always try to visit, do and taste as many things as possible in a new place or many places.
“I’ve heard countless times how tired people are when they come back from their vacation and feel like they ‘need a vacation from their vacation,’ and that’s because many times we pack so much into a very short time,” said travel blogger Esther Susag. “We want to see everything, do everything, and not waste a minute.
There is, however, another method that many experienced travelers suggest: slow travel. But what exactly is slow travel, and how do you take full advantage of this kind of trip? Below ,travel experts break it down.
As the name suggests, slow travel generally needs travelers to slow down and enjoy each moment, rather than rushing to check off the list items. “Slow travel may mean different things to different travelers, but I define (定义) it as staying in one place for longer and going deeper into the local culture,” said Paul Jacobs, general manager and vice president of Kayak North America. “It’s taking the time to make real connections with locals instead of packing a schedule full of tours.”
For travel expert and author La Carmina, slow travel allows people to stop and smell the roses-quite directly. “It’s about being fully present in the moment and experiencing the sights, sounds and sensations (感觉) around you completely “letting the experience develop at its own speed and without expectations,” she said. “To me, slow travel doesn’t have a strict definition or certain things to do, but rather focuses on the feeling of being a visitor to a place.”
Slow travel is becoming more and more popular now, because it can do good to us in many ways.
1. Why are people tired when they return from their vacation?A.They have no place to rest. |
B.They are on a busy schedule when traveling. |
C.They travel to some places far away. |
D.They feel quite excited and enjoy their trip fully. |
A.It can let travelers experience the place deeply. |
B.It can make travelers save a lot of money. |
C.It can allow travelers to explore more places. |
D.It can save travelers much more time. |
A.Other ways of travel. |
B.The definition of slow travel. |
C.The proper places for slow travel. |
D.The advantages of slow travel. |
A.Life. | B.Society. | C.Sports. | D.Education. |
10 . Since 1992, people have been talking about “Dunbar’s number”, the supposed upper limit of the number of people with whom a person can maintain stable social relationships. Named for British scientist Robin Dunbar, its value, rounded from 148 to 150, has permeated both professional and popular culture.
The Swedish taxation authority keeps offices under 150 people as a result of it, and the standard facilities of the W. L. Gore and Associates company are based around the concept. Dunbar’s number was cited in the bestselling book Tipping Point, and it also has a fair amount of academic influence, the original paper having been cited 2, 500 times.
Despite its fame, Dunbar’s number is probably wrong, according to a new study.
Less well known than the value of Dunbar’s number is how he came up with it. The value of 150 is determined by looking at the ratio (比率) between the size of a certain part of the primate (灵长类动物) brain and the average size of groups they form. These ratios were then applied to data on the human brain, and the average value of roughly 150 relationships was determined.
In the new study, the researchers did similar calculations but with updated information on the size of monkey brains and social networks. When the researchers applied Dunbar’s exact same methods to their new data, they found that the value was between roughly 5 and 292 people. This is far too wide a range to be of any use.
Additionally, the researchers noted the fact that human brains often work differently than those of our nearest evolutionary (进化的) cousins, as evidenced by our ability to create things. The idea that we would process social information exactly like other primates do is a bold and largely unsupported claim.
So, is there a new Dunbar number? Well, this isn’t the point of this study. The researchers end their paper with: “It is our hope that this study will put an end to the use of ‘Dunbar’s number’ within science and in popular media…”
1. What does the underlined word ”permeated“ in paragraph 1 mean?A.Well preserved. | B.Deeply affected. |
C.Depended heavily on. | D.Taken full advantage of. |
A.Dunbar’s number has always been the subject of debate. |
B.The samples in the study were too small to be of any use. |
C.The calculations leading to Dunbar’s number were too complex. |
D.The ratio from primates couldn’t be carried over to humans. |
A.To replace Dunbar’s number. |
B.To offer Dunbar’s number new evidence. |
C.To stop the spreading of Dunbar’s number. |
D.To find new applications of Dunbar’s number. |
A.Animal. | B.Science. |
C.Culture. | D.Education. |