1 . According to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, we might all be braggarts (大话王) in this competitive society addicted to social networking.
Take a close look at your social-networking sites. Do you like to post photos of yourself in restaurants to show others what an exciting life you have? Or do you like to write about how happily in love you are? Or perhaps you are of the subtle type who constantly complain about jobs but really just want to impress others with your important position.
According to the results of a series of experiments conducted by Harvard University neuroscientists (神经科学家), the reward areas of our brain — the same areas that respond to “primary rewards” such as food — are activated when we talk about ourselves. We devote between 30 to 40 percent of our conversation time to doing just that. Unfortunately, Bernstein says, some people can’t tell the difference between sharing positive information that others might actually want to know and direct bragging. She suggests that bragging involves comparison, whether stated or implied.
“We are expected to be perfect all the time. The result is that more and more people are carefully managing their online images,” says Elizabeth Bernstein, a columnist with the Wall Street Journal.
But the issue is not limited to the Internet. In a fiercely competitive job market we must sell ourselves on multiple platforms and show that we are better than others. In fact, we have become so accustomed to bragging that we don’t even realize we are doing it, says Bernstein. This is harmful to our relationships and puts people off.
Bernstein talked to some experts who said that people brag for all sorts of reasons: to appear worthy of attention; to prove to ourselves we are doing fine and that people who said we would fail are wrong; or simply because we’re excited when good things happen to us.
“Feel sorry for them, because they’re doing this unconscious, destructive thing that won’t help them in the long run,” said Professor Simian Valier, a research psychologist at Washington University.
1. The underlined word “subtle” in Para.2 is closest in meaning to “________”.| A．hidden | B．apparent | C．outstanding | D．simple |
| A．They control conversation and only talk about themselves. |
| B．They know well how to share positive information. |
| C．They self-promote to stand out in their career. |
| D．They don’t pay much attention to their online image. |
| A．Braggarts make a good first impression but the effect decreases over time. |
| B．People who like bragging know what they are doing. |
| C．Braggarts always adopt comparison directly to show they are excellent. |
| D．They care much about the feelings of others when talking. |
| A．Are you a braggart? | B．Society addicted to networking |
| C．Why do we keep on bragging? | D．How to deal with a braggart? |
1. How did Eric get hurt?
| A．He got hit by a ladder. | B．He tripped over a rock. | C．He fell from the height. |
| A．His arm. | B．His ankle. | C．His head. |
| A．Lift Eric onto the bed. |
| B．Send Eric to the hospital for an X-ray. |
| C．Apply ice to the injured part. |
3 . Showrooming
One of the biggest challenges facing brick-and-mortar retailers (实体零售店) in recent years has been the “showrooming”. Driven by the desire to get the best prices, many shoppers are now visiting brick-and-mortar stores to personally check on products that interest them, only to leave and then buy the items online. The new trend is forcing retailers to find out new ways to keep consumers from leaving their store for cheaper prices online.
Recent research found that 40 percent of U.S. shoppers have showroomed previously, with big-box retailers suffering the most. Specifically, the study shows that Best Buy, Walmart and Target are the most likely brick-and-mortar stores to have shoppers test out a product in-store and then purchase it online later, while Amazon is benefiting most from the practice, with nearly 60 percent of shoppers using the online retail giant (巨人) most often to make their showrooming purchases.
Smartphones have pushed showrooming into the front. Shoppers no longer have to wait until they get home to see if they can find a cheaper price for the products they’re considering buying. With smartphones, consumers can now compare virtual prices, at both other brick-and-mortar stores and online ones while still inside a retail store. If they can find what they’re seeking for less online, the majority will be seeking the first exit. A recent study showed that 45 percent of customers shopping at brick-and-mortar stores walk out and buy their purchase online for a discount of as little as 2.5 percent.
This puts pressure on retailers to provide both an in-store experience worth staying for and an online presence that can attract shoppers who are showrooming in other businesses.
To cut down on showrooming, many retailers are adopting new methods to keep shoppers in their stores. Among the steps they’re taking are price-matching assurances that allow shoppers to pay a discounted price if they find it cheaper online. This ensures that even a showrooming shopper can make the purchase in the store — regardless of whether they find the cheaper price online.
Another popular method to fight against showrooming is to give shoppers the ability to buy something online and pick it up at the store. This reduces shipping costs and gets customers in the store, where they may be encouraged to make an additional purchase.
It is also important for businesses to take into consideration what makes shoppers purchase something in-store rather than online, and meet those needs. Research has found that more than 8 in 10 Americans consider being able to take the goods home immediately and the ability to touch and feel them—the most important aspects when deciding to purchase in a store rather than online.
1. What contributes to the growing popularity of showrooming?| A．The wide use of smartphones. | B．The competition between big stores. |
| C．The advertisement by online retail giants. | D．The decline of the brick-and-mortar stores. |
| A．searching for lower prices | B．leaving as soon as possible |
| C．locating the first exit quickly | D．making a purchase on the spot |
| A．increasing sales at stores | B．preventing purchase online |
| C．satisfying customers’ needs | D．advising shoppers to buy more |
1. What happened to the speakers?
| A．They got lost in Stanton. |
| B．Their car broke down. |
| C．They got stuck in traffic. |
| A．He forgot to charge the battery. |
| B．It is out of service. |
| C．It has no signal now. |
5 . The case for and against social media
Is social media harmful to teenagers?
An argument for social media claims it can strengthen social bonds by facilitating relationships with people in different geographical areas. For example, social media has helped old school friends to get back in touch after many years without contact.
Ideally, we should have enough self-control to be able to limit our use of social media, enjoying the benefits it can bring.
| A．The disadvantages of social media. |
| B．In my opinion, the disadvantages of social media outweigh the benefits. |
| C．It is all too easy to become absorbed in this online life rather than communicate in real life. |
| D．People secure jobs now through social media or research information for their studies. |
| E．This is the question we are going to examine. |
| F．We will look at the arguments for and against using social media before answering the question. |
| G．We aim to control our use of social media. |
6 . Keeping animals safe on the road
Roadkill is not a rare sight when driving down most highways and sometimes also on roadways in cities.
They chose Nanjing as the study subject, where there are more than 9,700 kilometers of paved roads. A total of nine roads were chosen for the research, including three national highways.
| A．You may not feel good about seeing roadkill |
| B．The object is to educate people about road safety |
| C．The length of the roads combined was over 224.27 kilometers |
| D．It refers to animals being hit by cars or other vehicles by accident. |
| E．Cats, dogs and blackbirds were the three commonly killed animals |
| F．In the past, research in China focused on roadkill in nature reserves |
| G．Roadkill incidents are more likely to happen in November and January |
7 . With the rising cost of living, a growing number of adult children are moving back in with their parents. While lots of parents will enjoy the chance to spend more time with their grown-up children, having them move back in can also cause some problems.
Sit down and talk
While the situation is clearly hard for the parents, Counselling Directory member Octavia Landy advises them to take a step back. “
When things get heated, it can be easy to just storm off and not really hear each other out. But every effort needs to be made, on both sides, to properly listen. “As parents, you need a cool head,” suggests Landy. “Bring the conversation back to the matter at hand, and listen to your kids.”
Set clear boundaries (界限)
“Boundaries and communication lie at the heart of this difficult situation,” says Landy. “At the moment, it feels as if no boundaries will lead to a sense of anger on your part. Consider what your boundaries look like.
Ask yourself what you need to feel happy in your home
Landy suggests parents ask themselves what they need to feel happy and safe in their home—and the answer might be a difficult one to come to terms with. “It might mean that you need to ask your kids to leave,” she says. “
| A．So, what can parents do |
| B．Put everything in good order |
| C．Be prepared to listen patiently |
| D．Are they cheered by the news from home |
| E．You’d better set a proper time for a family meeting |
| F．Work together to set basic rules and a timeline to be reviewed |
| G．If you fear your kids get homeless, then address these fears directly |
8 . For those of us who grew up watching Star Trek, exploring space has been about discovering strange new worlds. And there are plenty of worlds to explore in time, but we still need major technological advancements to reach planets that are light years away.
What we are doing in space today is providing unbelievable benefits right now, right here on Earth. From space, we can monitor, manage and care for our planet. Satellite-based sensors show us the short- and long-term effects of human activity on our environment. Many companies are using their interest in space to help solve problems here, from using hyperspectral imaging(高光谱成像), which enable us to map vegetation(植被) and rain forests, to microsatellites that provide global connectivity for the network of things.
My company, OneWeb, is focusing on what I believe is one of the world’s most important issues: the need for equal access to the Internet. The Internet has become our economic lifeblood. And yet, nearly half of the world’s population doesn’t have Internet access. Space is playing a key role in bridging this digital divide. OneWeb is launching 1,980 satellites to help bring Internet access to people everywhere, and our first production satellites are already flying in space and have shown very high download speeds.
Fiber and cable Internet access technologies already cover most financially viable(可行的) major cities. Similarly, these regions will also be the first to be served with 5G. Poor communities are the last to get connected, and without connectivity, those communities have no chance to lift themselves from poverty. OneWeb’s satellites will reach every community in the world and enable equal access to the Internet for the world’s less developed places.
Fifty years from the day when man first walked on the moon, we are still only approaching the possible. There will be tens of thousands of new satellites, space stations and factories in the coming years to bring advancements in communications, scientific research, monitoring the earth, exploring space and more. This is exciting, but we must take action carefully.
1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?| A．Benefits space exploration can bring to us. |
| B．Problems space exploration leads to. |
| C．Steps of space exploration requires. |
| D．Equipment space exploration needs. |
| A．Increase download speeds. |
| B．Narrow the gap in Internet learning. |
| C．Help people set up and maintain a website. |
| D．Enable people to make use of the Internet equally. |
| A．More than six decades ago, man first walked on the moon. |
| B．More than half of the world’s people have no access to the Internet. |
| C．OneWeb’s satellites will make it possible for most people to be served with 5G. |
| D．Without the Internet, poor communities can hardly help themselves out of poverty. |
| A．The risks of furthering space exploration. |
| B．The value of setting up space stations. |
| C．The way we could monitor our earth. |
| D．The features of microsatellites. |
9 . The cotton harvest is about to get underway in the Texas High Plains, the windswept region that grows most of the crop in the nation’s top cotton-producing state. But Barry Evans, a third-generation cotton grower, has already walked away from more than 2,000 acres (英亩) of his bone-dry fields. “It just didn’t come up. We hardly had anything,” said Evans.
Extreme heat and a lack of rainfall have severely damaged much of this year’s cotton harvest in the U.S., which produces about 35% of the world’s crop. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) forecast that more than 40% of what U.S. farmers planted in the spring would be abandoned because of drought. Nowhere is this more apparent than the flat, dry stretch of Texas. The USDA says Texas cotton farmers are likely to abandon nearly 70% of their spring planting. That has been the worst harvest since 2009.
The region normally receives around 18 to 20 inches of rain per year, but saw less than three inches of rain from August through the summer, as nearly all of Texas baked under drought. Much of the cotton grown in the region needs rain. Even those with irrigated (灌溉的) fields are expecting low yields (产量) this year.
The losses in cotton could cost the Texas High Plains $1.2 billion after farmers receive federal (联邦的) crop insurance payments, estimates Darren Hudson, director of the International Center for Agricultural Competitiveness at Texas Tech University. That leaves out others who depend on the crop, such as cotton gins (轧棉机) and storehouses. “Any time you have a bad year in cotton, it has a role to play in the overall economy,” Hudson said.
Fortunately, most cotton farmers in this part of Texas plan to use cotton seed varieties that can resist drought. Varieties are continuously developed and will be adjusted to generate high yields if dry conditions continue. “Even though it’s drought resistant,” Hudson added, “we still have to have a little bit of help from Mother Nature.”
1. What are the statistics in paragraph 2 mainly about?| A．The impact of extreme weather on U.S. farmers. |
| B．The world’s cotton distribution. |
| C．USDA’s measures to address drought. |
| D．The amount of U.S. cotton harvest in 2009. |
| A．Texas is unfriendly to cotton farmers. | B．Cotton is vital to the American economy. |
| C．Farmers depend much on Mother Nature. | D．Cotton gins are unaffected by cotton losses. |
| A．Build effective irrigation systems. | B．Apply for federal crop insurance. |
| C．Switch to growing a different crop. | D．Use further improved cotton seeds. |
| A．Drought pushes cotton prices to a new high. | B．The world’s cotton supply keeps falling. |
| C．Texas cotton takes a hit during drought. | D．Drought impacts the quality of cotton. |
10 . “Her Education, Our Future” is a documentary film produced by CGTN in partnership with UNESCO. It tells the story of four girls on three continents. All the girls have been involved in UNESCO programmes aimed at widening their access to education, enhancing their skills for life and work, and expanding their educational and career opportunities.
Anee is from Gilgit-Baltistan, a remote area in the north of Pakistan. She dropped out of school as her parents couldn’t afford her education — only that of her brothers. Her father also didn’t believe that girls should be educated but rather stay home and help their mothers. Anee was reached out to through UNESCO’s Girls’Right to Education programme, originally funded by the Government of Pakistan with additional support from Italy, Korea, Norway and the Qatar Foundation, which is UNESCO’s largest programme on girls’ education, and has covered 19 of Pakistan’s most isolated districts. UNESCO assisted Anee’s family to overcome the financial barriers to her education. Her parents have re-enrolled her in school, and are supporting her to continue her education.
Mkasi is from Pemba, a Tanzanian island. Mkasi is the sixth of eleven children. She left school in 2014, as she didn’t score well enough on her exams to continue to high school. Mkasi was connected by a District Social Welfare Officer to a UNESCO program, funded by Korea. She enrolled into a community-based entrepreneurship (企业家职能) and alternative (可供选择的) education programme supported by UNESCO that enabled her to gain new vocational (职业的) skills. She now works as a seamstress (裁缝), and makes handicrafts and soap which she sells at the market. Economically independent now, She wants to become a designer and to open a clothing store — the first in her area — and sell her soap locally and abroad.
Fabiana and Taina are from Brazil. They both have a keen interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education but have faced different barriers to pursuing (追求) studies in these fields. Fabiana must rise at four every morning to go to school on a road which is bothered with robberies targeting students and passengers. Taina has faced racism and discrimination, and went through a rebellious phase (叛逆阶段) in her teenage years which took her away from her studies and down a harmful path before finding her way back. Both have been engaged in UNESCO’s EDUCASTEM2030 programme, which aims to close gender gaps in STEM education. Through this initiative (倡议), Fabiana and Taina have expanded their skills and gained confidence in their abilities. Fabiana has a full scholarship to study production engineering in the Fall — the same studies that Taina is currently pursuing. Tania is also a student leader now, sharing her own story and building more pathways for girls in STEM in Brazil.
1. What is the purpose of UNESCO’s EDUCASTEM2030 programme?| A．build more pathways for girls in STEM in Brazil |
| B．enlarge gender gaps in STEM education |
| C．fight against racism in STEM education |
| D．widen girls’ access to STEM education |
| A．reminded | B．re-registered | C．recalled | D．reopened |
| A．Anee dropped out of school for financial reasons |
| B．Mkasi enhanced her skills for work with the help of UNESCO |
| C．Fabiana and Taina faced similar barriers to pursuing studies in STEM fields |
| D．Tania is making efforts to help girls in STEM in her motherland. |
| A．The future of girls’ education | B．The transformative power of education |
| C．The shooting of a documentary film | D．The course of UNESCO programmes |
