1 . Ambition (志向，抱负) is a necessary quality in life. It is the force which drives us on to use whatever talent we have got.     1    , these talents will not be used for our own and others’ benefit. Without ambition we are just jellyfish that flop though life. We only react to events: we don't try to control them.

    2    . First of all, it can be unrealistic. We may not be able to see the limits of our own abilities, so we do ambitious things that are completely beyond us. Some people can see our good qualities and our limitations objectively. They may tell us that we haven’t the ability We refuse to take their evaluation. We keep on trying. Many years and many disappointments later we are forced to accept their judgment. But what a waste of time our ill-founded ambition has caused us!

Besides, our ambition can be too concentrated. We devote our attention to one narrow aim, such as getting distinctions in our science subjects. Everything that may draw us away from this aim is cutout of our lives. In the end we get our distinctions. But we are isolated beings who only care about particular examination. And we probably won’t make good scientists.     3    .

And our ambition can be limited to lifeless objectives.    4    . Persons who feel inferior try to make up by seeking the respect of others through owning these artificial signs of worth.

    5    . But, like all blind forces, it must be directed if not to cause disaster.

A．Still, ambition can have several disadvantages

B．Because our ambition may make us among selfish people

C．Unless we have got some degree of ambition

D．Since we don’t have the breadth of view necessary for greater success

E．Ambition is necessary in the lives of individuals

F．As long as tightly controlled by the head and the heart

G．We want to gain money, or power, or membership of some circles

2 . Rich and Famous

Twenty years ago the most common ambition of American children was to be a teacher, followed by working in banking and finance, and then medicine. But today’s situation is quite different.     1     Instead they most commonly say they want to be a sports star, a pop star, or an actor—in other words, they hope to become a celebrity .

According to experts, young people desire these jobs largely because of the wealth and the fame.     2     Let’s take athletes and singers as an example. Their careers are short-lived. Many athletes’ best time only lasts a few years and singers can have a very limited career. The field that was once the focus of their lives becomes something they have little or no involvement in. As a result, they’ll have a feeling of worthlessness and a lack of control.     3    The truth is quite simple: they have been so far removed from it for so long.

In spite of these disadvantages, there is greater ambition than ever among young people to achieve that status. They are not satisfied just making a living—they want to be rich and famous. Globally, more and more TV shows provide talent competitions where winners can achieve their goals in just a few weeks or months.    4    They unrealistically believe that this lifestyle is easily obtained and leads to great satisfaction.

While many people argue that there is nothing wrong with having such ambitions, others feel that this trend will finally lead to dissatisfaction as more and more people are unable to reach their goals.     5     That means they ignore the simple fact that great effort is needed before success. As a result, many people won’t realize their childhood dreams, which could have a negative effect on their happiness.

A．In many ways this has been brought about by the celebrity culture.

B．People no longer have a sense of satisfaction once their goals have been achieved.

C．Besides, it can be difficult for them to adapt back to a normal everyday life.

D．The younger generation don’t favor these professions any more.

E．Unfortunately, they do not always have a positive effect on people’s life.

F．The reason is that they don’t realize it takes talent and hard work to be rich and famous.

G．This quick way of gaining wealth and fame creates a celebrity culture among people.

3 . Social networks are a big part of nearly every teenager's life in this day and age. Many teens have QQ, WeChat, or Weibo but little do a lot of teens know that they can be held responsible for everything they post for the rest of their lives. Everything you post online is part of a digital footprint that can always be traced (追踪) back to you. That includes every post, even every like, comment, favorite and forward that you have ever committed. All pictures you've posted or will post have been stored in a digital database, and it is the companies' right to keep all of these documents that you believe to have been deleted or hidden.

With every post comes a consequence; whether it is good or bad, what you post could be seen by anyone. That is why you have to be very careful of what you decide to post or comment.

If you think you are safe from Servite finding out about one funny comment you made six months ago on a meaningless picture, you are probably wrong. Recently, a senior, Aaron, at Servite learned this lesson the hard way this year. He wrote a series of ugly comments towards Connelly girls on a web page, ignoring potential consequences.

This student, however, did have to face consequences from Servite as he was removed from all of his leadership roles in the school. Surprisingly enough, he fully agreed with his punishment handed down by the administration and fully understood why he was given such severe discipline (处罚). “When you agree to come to Servite, you are agreeing to defend what Servite stands for,” the young man said. “That continues from 8 am to 2 pm. It's at all times.”

So, next time you're about to post something you think could be received as offensive or inappropriate, think twice, or don't press the “Send”.

1. What does the author think the teens should do in the first paragraph?

A．Avoid using social media.

B．Remove their own digital documents.

C．Be responsible for what they put online.

D．Learn to balance their online and offline time.

2. What mistake did Aaron make online?

A．Drawing some meaningless pictures.

B．Making some bad comments.

C．Failing to take his lesson.

D．Breaking down a special web page.

3. What did Servite do with Aaron's case?

A．It reached an agreement with Connelly girls.

B．It helped Aaron get rid of ill effects.

C．It gave Aaron a severe punishment.

D．It stood on Aaron's side.

4. For whom is the text probably intended?

A．Teenagers.	B．Teachers.
C．Parents.	D．Network engineers.

4 . Nowadays, social media like Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter are becoming more and more popular. People have completely made social media part of their daily lives. As a result, many people have developed an Internet personality.

The Internet personality I am talking about is the one we shape on our social media sites. We are always posting information about ourselves for other people to know even when it can be completely untrue. Some people even go so far as to spend money in buying flowers or “likes” or buying a very expensive camera for their friends to take photos of them. I find it unbelievable. The time and energy spent on these silly things can only make us want to be accepted by more people.

Social media are also a modern cause of depression: People see the perfect lives of others and consider their own imperfect lives as bad. Even kids deal with this. They don’t realize that the reason why they struggle to love themselves is that they spend all day receiving untrue information.

I find that many people spend more time and energy in making sure that their online personality is worth accepting rather than caring for their real presence. So many times I have seen confident and beautiful girls on social media. But in the real world, they are extremely shy. They hardly talk to anyone and spend all their time using the phone.

Social media have gone so far as to even negatively affect marriages. This is because of the fact that there are now “Instagram husbands”—people whose use is to take perfect photos of their partners throughout the day. They spend a lot of time doing that whether they like it or not. Needless to say, social media likely influence relationships in a negative way.

I think everyone should stop using social media at least for a few months to experience the difference it makes to them. They may find life is very different and much better.

1. What does “the Internet personality” in the passage refer to?

A．The hope to develop a better personality.

B．The personality developed through social media.

C．The true personality shown by us on social media.

D．The information we get about others on social media.

2. Why are social media a modern cause of depression?

A．We may read some upsetting news.

B．We have to try very hard to be accepted.

C．We can’t really find much useful information.

D．We feel sad about ourselves through comparing.

3. What does the example given in Paragraph 4 show?

A．Shy people can also become confident.

B．Social media make people become more energetic.

C．Social media make people ignore their true presence.

D．People today don’t consider their presence important.

4. What’s most probably the author’s attitude towards people’s using social media?

A．Uninterested.	B．Negative.
C．Uncertain.	D．Supportive.

5 . What would your life be like without phones?

In one of my classes today we discussed the question of how our lives would be without a mobile phone. I actually felt quite sad to hear how some kids cannot ______ without their phones these days. ______, I think nowadays we are controlled and ______ by our technology to keep up. So let’s see some of the points that ______ in the debate and see if our generation really is addicted(上瘾的) to electronic connections ______ true communication.

It is true that everything ______ at a fast pace these days. For example, you can contact someone who lives on the other side of the world within ______. This is great if you think about how connected we can stay to the ______ who are far away from us. However, on the contrary, can we be too connected to the people who are ______ to us? An argument arose about the ______ that it is easier to message someone from your sofa than to meet them ______ and talk. Social skills are ______ to have and if you are not going to put effort into real-life ______, then you are not going to ______ in this ability.

Another point was that phones are very handy for ______ something that you are wondering about. For example, if you don’t know a word in another language, you can ______ and simply use an on-line translator to help you out. This can be very ______ in many situations, but it can also make a person dependent on the ______.

All in all, this question is very interesting to ______ as we become day by day more dependent on technology. We should realize how much we really need to be connected with our phones while considering the ______ and damage it can cause us.

1.

A．affect

B．survive

C．succeed

D．perform

2.

A．Personally

B．Specially

C．Entirely

D．Gradually

3.

A．suffered

B．commanded

C．forced

D．advised

4.

A．came up

B．came across

C．came down

D．came to

5.

A．more than

B．less than

C．other than

D．rather than

6.

A．appears

B．falls

C．works

D．grows

7.

A．seconds

B．hours

C．days

D．months

8.

A．customers

B．teachers

C．students

D．people

9.

A．direction

B．close

C．necessary

D．kind

10.

A．distant

B．wish

C．fact

D．suggestions

11.

A．in person

B．in advance

C．with surprise

D．with joy

12.

A．extreme

B．active

C．fair

D．important

13.

A．style

B．communication

C．expression

D．argument

14.

A．progress

B．compete

C．arise

D．settle

15.

A．looking after

B．looking back

C．looking up

D．looking out

16.

A．selflessly

B．quickly

C．hardly

D．slowly

17.

A．grateful

B．peaceful

C．painful

D．helpful

18.

A．textbook

B．dictionary

C．Internet

D．newspaper

19.

A．forecast

B．consider

C．judge

D．select

20.

A．benefits

B．skills

C．doubts

D．evidence

6 . It probably won’t surprise you that teens are texting more than ever before. Experts show great concern for teen texting. Students might not learn correct grammar and spelling if they write a lot of text messages. Also all that texting takes away from hours that could be spent studying, exercising, pursuing hobbies, or talking with others face to face. Some kids even sleep with their phones beneath their pillows and wake up several times during the night to text.

Dr. Elizabeth Dowdell points out teens need to learn that they can—and should—turn off their phones sometimes. She and her team had two teenagers, Kenny and Franchesca, carry out an experiment. They should obey the rules: No phone for 48 hours. No computer or Internet either, unless it was for schoolwork. Would these two teenagers be able to do it?

“I think I’m going to feel really alone,” Kenny worried. Franchesca was nervous but brave. “I’m excited for the challenge,” she said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen.” They handed their phones to their mothers for safekeeping. The challenge was on.

The team caught up with Kenny and Franchesca after 48 phone-free hours. “Wow, it was pure suffering,” Kenny joked. “Though life with no phone wasn’t easy,” he admitted, “it had benefits. I felt less stressed because I didn’t have to be involved.” Sure, Kenny missed his friends, and he was sad at times. But he also felt relief from the constant texting. Instead of texting, Kenny went to the gym and caught up on schoolwork. He said that the first night he slept for 10 hours. He also spent time sitting with his family and talking. “I felt closer to my parents,” said Kenny.

Franchesca had an even happier result when she put away her phone. “I loved it!” she said. “I was going to the gym and hanging out with friends and playing basketball. I had a wonderful experience.” She slept better too, and she decided to continue the experiment for a while. “I think I’ll be so much smarter and healthier,” she explained. “Everybody in the world should try it.”

Kenny doesn’t plan to give up his phone again. But he now knows that he can live without it. “It was a reality check,” said the teen.

1. Experts are concerned about teens’ texting because it ______.

A．leads to learning disabilities

B．takes up their learning time

C．develops the habit of staying up late

D．causes misunderstandings with each other

2. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Teens will live a healthier life without phones.

B．Expecting teens to live without phones is not realistic.

C．Experimenting with phone use is popular among teens.

D．Teens don’t realize how different their lives are without phones.

3. How were the two teens’ reactions to the 48-hour challenge different?

A．Only Kenny participated in physical activities.

B．Only Kenny spent time talking with his parents.

C．Only Franchesca benefited from a really good sleep.

D．Only Franchesca appreciated the freedom of having no phone.

4. Which is the best title for the passage?

A．Giving up Texting	B．Rules for Using Phones
C．Two Days with No Phone	D．Problems Caused by Texting

7 . Getting less sleep has become a bad habit for most American kids. According to a new survey(调查) by the National Sleep Foundation, 51% of kids aged 10 to 18 go to bed at 10 pm or later on school nights, even though they have to get up early. Last year the Foundation reported that nearly 60% of 7- to 12-year-olds said they felt tired during the day, and 15% said they had fallen asleep at school.

How much sleep you need depends a lot on your age. Babies need a lot of rest: most of them sleep about 18 hours a day! Adults need about eight hours. For most school-age children, ten hours is ideal(理想的). But the new National Sleep Foundation survey found that 35% of 10- to 12-year-olds get only seven or eight hours. And guess what almost half of the surveyed kids said they do before bedtime? Watch TV.

“More children are going to bed with TVs on, and there are more opportunities(机会) to stay awake, with more homework, the Internet and the phone,” says Dr. Mary Carskadon, a sleep researcher at Brown University Medical School. She says these activities at bedtime can get kids all excited and make it hard for them to calm down and sleep. Other experts say part of the problem is chemical. Changing levels of body chemicals called hormones not only make teenagers’ bodies develop adult characteristics, but also make it hard for teenagers to fall asleep before 11 pm.

Because sleepiness is such a problem for teenagers, some school districts have decided to start high school classes later than they used to. Three years ago, schools in Edina, Minnesota, changed the start time from 7:25 am to 8:30 am. Students, parents and teachers are pleased with the results.

1. What is the new National Sleep Foundation survey on?

A．American kids’ sleeping habits.	B．Teenagers’ sleep-related diseases.
C．Activities to prevent sleeplessness.	D．Learning problems and lack of sleep.

2. How many hours of sleep do 11-year-olds need every day?

A．7 hours.	B．8 hours.
C．10 hours.	D．18 hours.

3. Why do teenagers go to sleep late according to Carskadon?

A．They are affected by certain body chemicals.

B．They tend to do things that excite them.

C．They follow their parents’ examples.

D．They don’t need to go to school early.

8 . Since a university education in the United States     1    (be) very expensive, most students work in addition to studying. Students     2    (usual) work part-time, but some students take full-time jobs.

A typical job for a students would be working     3    a waiter or waitress. Other typical off-campus jobs would include being a clerk in a store or delivering pizza. Sometimes students also find jobs on campus such as cleaning, working in a cafeteria or library or answering     4    (telephone). Most student jobs are entry-level and low paying, but have flexible schedule    5    (allow) students to attend classes.

Sometimes students also hold more responsible positions such as managers, or if they are lucky, positions in their area of study,     6    they hope will help them find employment after they graduate.

    7    double responsibilities of working and studying result in a very busy,     8    (stress) life for some students.     9    , it is the only way for many people to finance their college educations. Some Americans believe that the work experience is good for the students     10    (they) since it gives them a taste of “the real world” outside the school.

9 . Rujuta Teredesai grew up in Pune, a city in India. She saw that girls and boys in her community were not treated equally. Girls were responsible for all the household work.    1    women didn't have the same rights as men. They often suffered from mistreatment and sometimes even physical violence.

    2    But she saw that organizations working to end gender discrimination usually paid attention only to the actions and attitudes of girls. "Nobody talked to young boys about equality," she said.    3    The organization, Equal Community Foundation (ECF), now reaches 40,000 people in 20 communities in Pune.

ECF matches small groups of boys, ages 14 to 17, with male mentors for a 15-week period. The mentors talk to the boys about treating girls with respect.    4    They discuss times when the boys experienced unfair treatment. Then they work with the boys to come up with ways the boys can help spread tolerance. Boys have completed projects like making maps of the safest routes for girls to walk at night.

"What we have found is that these boys don't mean to be discriminatory," Teredesai says. "They don't mean to hurt someone.    5    " When boys work to make girls' lives better, everyone in the community wins.

A．They help boys relate to girls' experiences.

B．It's part of the solution to end discrimination.

C．It's just that they don't realize they’re doing it.

D．Many families didn't send their daughters to school.

E．Unfair treatment of girls and women is a problem in India.

F．Teredesai wanted to make a difference for girls and women.

G．So she decided to create a space for boys to learn about girls' rights.

10 . Everyone in business has been told that success is all about attracting and retaining (留住) customers. It sounds simple and achievable. But,_______, words of wisdom are soon forgotten. Once companies have attracted customers they often_______the second half of the story. In the excitement of beating off the competition, negotiating prices, securing orders, and delivering the product, managers tend to become carried away. They forget what they regard as the boring side of business—_______that the customer remains a customer._______to concentrate on retaining as well as attracting customers costs business huge amounts of money annually. It has been estimated that the average company loses between 10 and 30 per cent of its customers every years. In constantly changing_______, this is not surprising. What is surprising is the fact that few companies have any idea how many customers they have lost.

Only now are organizations beginning to wake up to those lost opportunities and calculate the_______implications. Cutting down the number of customers a company loses can make a big_______in its performance. Research in the US found that a five per cent decrease in the number of defecting (流失的) customers led to_______increases of between 25 and 85 per cent.

In the US, Domino’s Pizza estimates that a regular customer is worth more than $5,000 over ten years. A customer who receives a poor quality product or service on their first visit and_______never returns, is losing the company thousands of dollars in__________profits (more if you consider how many people they are likely to tell about their bad experience).

The logic behind cultivating customer__________is impossible to deny. “In practice most companies’ marketing effort is focused on getting customers, with little attention paid to__________them”, says Adrian Payne of Cornfield University’ School of Management. “Research suggests that there is a close relationship between retaining customers and making profits.__________customers tend to buy more, are predictable and usually cost less to service than new customers. Furthermore, they tend to be less price__________, and may provide free word-of-mouth advertising. Retaining customers also makes it__________for competitors to enter a market or increase their share of a market.

1.

A．in particular

B．in reality

C．at least

D．first of all

2.

A．emphasize

B．doubt

C．overlook

D．believe

3.

A．denying

B．ensuring

C．arguing

D．proving

4.

A．Moving

B．Hoping

C．Starting

D．Failing

5.

A．markets

B．tastes

C．prices

D．expenses

6.

A．culture

B．social

C．financial

D．economical

7.

A．promise

B．plan

C．mistake

D．difference

8.

A．cost

B．opportunity

C．profit

D．budget

9.

A．as a result

B．on the whole

C．in conclusion

D．on the contrary

10.

A．huge

B．potential

C．extra

D．reasonable

11.

A．beliefs

B．loyalty

C．habits

D．interest

12.

A．altering

B．understanding

C．keeping

D．attracting

13.

A．Assumed

B．Respected

C．Established

D．Unexpected

14.

A．agreeable

B．flexible

C．friendly

D．sensitive

15.

A．unfair

B．difficult

C．essential

D．convenient