1 . 阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空，在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个适当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

Shakespeare and Company is an English-language bookshop in the heart of Paris. It    1    (be) a meeting place for writers and readers for almost seventy years. In 1951, a bookshop named Le Mistral was opened by George-Whitman. In 1964, it was renamed Shakespeare and Company    2    honor of a bookseller he admired, Sylvia Beach, who founded the original Shakespeare and Company. Beach’s bookstore had been a gathering place for great writers of the time, including Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and Pound. From the first day, writers, artists, and intellectuals were invited    3    (sleep) for free among the shelves.

2 . Once I told someone I wanted to get a master’s degree of fine arts in creative writing and they told me it was the second-to-worst post-graduation plan they’d ever heard from a student. Arts degrees—especially fine arts degrees, which usually come in the form of music, studio art, creative writing and theater—have been, over the years, labeled useless.

It’s true that for the most part, STEM degrees lead to higher paying jobs than liberal and fine arts degrees, and it’s understandable why young people care about a higher starting salary and financial security. Student loan debt is playing a role in the physical and mental stress of young people.

And while STEM majors usually have starting salaries that are $20,000 higher than those of liberal arts majors, by the time people reach the age of 40, the salaries between those who majored in the liberal arts and those who majored in STEM are virtually the same. For example, women who major in STEM earned nearly 50% more than social science and history majors at ages 23-25, but only 10% more by ages 38-40, a New York Times analysis reported. So even in terms of salary, which doesn’t solely determine whether or not a degree is useful, liberal arts degrees aren’t all that far behind STEM.

It seems too that since people nowadays are going to have to work longer, it’s more important than ever that we actually like and care about what we’re doing. Pursuing something enjoyable, or else a passion, is continuously found to be a key factor in maintaining healthy relationships, mental health, physical health and energy. In other words, not useless.

Art is also a method of communication. It allows people from different backgrounds, from different walks of life to communicate with each other. In a world where borders and division seem to be all over the place, we need art more than ever. We need liberal arts majors. And more than anything, we need to be able to pursue what we love with confidence, and we need to not get caught up in the ”usefulness“ of what we love.

And just because someone’s primary job isn’t in their field of study—a writer who teaches high school for example—doesn’t make the degree useless. It just means that their way of finding a stable income is different. The same goes for artists who have to work multiple jobs to support themselves. They might have to find other means of supporting themselves and their artistry. It might be copy editing or it might be tutoring,

So I am going to graduate school, and I am going to graduate school for writing. I might be paying rent by way of overnight restaurant shifts—there’s so much I’m not sure of. But one thing I am sure of is this—I would rather be a writer working two jobs to pay my bills than be no writer at all.

1. A New York Times analysis report is mentioned in Paragraph 3 to           .

A．analyse the potential value of different majors

B．put forward the opinion on majors by example

C．prove the argument against arts degrees wrong

D．demonstrate the link between majors and incomes

2. Why does the author think learning arts is useful?

A．Following one’s dream of arts keeps one in good condition.

B．Doing what one loves builds up one’s self-confidence in arts.

C．Mastering arts improves one’s understanding of different jobs.

D．Developing a love for arts helps one maintain passion for work

3. What can we infer from the passage?

A．Students learning arts are more concerned about the value of life.

B．People tend to place income in the first place when choosing majors.

C．The man who doesn’t love his work won’t stick with the job for long.

D．Graduates can find a broader space of development in the field of arts.

3 . The sun is setting, brightening your kids’ faces as they play in the waves. You reach for your phone for this perfect moment. But before you do, here’s a bit of surprising science: Taking photos is not the perfect way to keep memory as you think.

Taking too many pictures could actually harm the brain’s ability to keep memories, says Elizabeth Loftus, a psychology professor at the University of California, Irvine. So we get the photo but kind of lose the memory.

Photos may outsource memories. It works in two ways: We either shake off the responsibility of remembering moments when taking pictures, or we’re so distracted (分心的) by the process that we miss the moment altogether.

The first explanation is the loss of memory. People know that their camera is recording that moment, so they don’t try to remember. Similarly, if you write down someone’s phone number, you’re less likely to remember it offhand because your brain tells you there’s just no need. That’s all well and good — until that piece of paper goes missing.

The other is distraction. We’re distracted by the process of taking a photo — how we hold our phone, composing the photo, such as smiling faces, the background to our liking and clear image, all of which uses up our attention that could otherwise help us memorize.

However, taking photos can benefit memory — when done mindfully. While taking a photo may be distracting, the act of preparation by focusing on visual details around has some upsides.

When people take the time to zoom in (拉近镜头) on specific things, memories become strengthened.

Another benefit is that we recall moments more accurately with the photos. Memory has been reshaped with the help of new information and new experiences. Thus, photos or videos help us recall moments as if they really happened.

Memories die away without a visual record backing them up. Therefore, a photo is an excellent tool to help remember when done purposefully, which is worth exploring further.

1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?

A．To bring up a topic.	B．To present an experience.
C．To show an approach.	D．To give a suggestion.

2. What does the underlined word “outsource” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Make full use of.	B．Get rid of.
C．Take the place of.	D．Are made up of.

3. What may likely be discussed next?

A．Situations when taking photos is better.

B．How to stay focused while taking photos.

C．When distraction is most likely to happen.

D．How to use photo-taking to memorize better.

4. Which of the following could be the best title for the text?

A．Photography or Memories

B．Fewer Photos, More Memories

C．Photography Does Good to Memories

D．Remember the Moment and Take Photos Properly

4 . There are many international organizations which work to save and protect endangered animals and natural environment. If you would like more information about any of the organizations listed below, you can write to the addresses given.

Friend of the Earth (FOE) campaigns on a range of problems including rainforests, the countryside, water and air pollution and energy. Friends of the Earth International Secretariat P.O. Box 19199 1000 G.D. Amsterdam The Netherlands	Greenpeace uses peaceful but direct action to protect the environment. It campaigns to protect rainforests and sea animals, stop global warming and end pollution of air, land and seas. It also opposes nuclear power. Greenpeace International Keizergracht 176 1016 D W Amsterdam The Netherlands
BirdLife International is an organization which works to save endangered birds all over the world. BirdLife International Wellbrook Court Girton Road Cambirdge CB30NA England	WWF—World Wide Fund For Nature is the World’s largest private international organization for the conservation of nature and endangered species. Information Officer WWF International Avenve du Mont-Blanc 1196Gland Switzerland

1. If you want to learn more about the organizations, you can________.

A．call them	B．write them a letter
C．visit them	D．send them an e-mail

2. Bird life International aiming to ________.

A．reduce pollution	B．protect rainforests
C．protect ocean animals	D．save endangered birds

3. If you disagree to nuclear power, you can join________.

A．Friends of the Earth	B．World Wide Fund For Nature
C．Greenpeace	D．BirdLife International

4. Which is the best title for the passage?

A．Environmental Protection Organizations	B．Global Traffic Problems
C．Endangered Animals	D．Natural Beauty

5 . Directions: Read the passage carefully. Fill in each blank with a proper sentence given behind. Each sentence can be used only once. Note that there are two more sentences than you need.

Living off grid

When you need electricity, you just plug in the machine and switch it on. If you need water, you turn on the tap.     1     For many people, these facilities are the basics of civilized society and the idea of living without them seems risky. Yet for a growing number of people, the idea of living off grid — without electricity, water or sewage — is an increasingly attractive lifestyle.

Off-gridders do not have to give up electricity or a modern lifestyle — some choose to, but most use small hydroelectric power systems, solar panels or windmills to generate enough power for their needs. Heating and cooking needs are met by solar energy or wood burning systems, and toilet facilities range from non-water toilets to outside compost toilets.     2     It ranges from traditional yurts (a type of tent) to luxury house with high-speed internet and central heating. Whether they live in simple homes or luxury houses, what they all have in common is that their lifestyles do not create any pollution or carbon emissions — the ultimate goal for off-gridders.

Around 100,000 people are thought to be living off grid in the UK now.     3     They grow their own food, home-school their children and provide their own medical care. They are people who have been priced out of the housing market or who have grown disillusioned with what modern society can offer and who decides that an alternative lifestyle isn’t a pipe dream, but a viable option.

A part from living an alternative lifestyle, cost is a big factor in choosing to live off-grid. Off-grid houses are far cheaper to build than ordinary homes since they don’t need to be connected to the electricity or water supplies and even road access is not necessary. Materials tend to be cheaper, too. Popular options include straw or old tyres and cement.

Surprisingly, the biggest problem off-gridders face is not building their homes or becoming self-sufficient but getting permission to build. Rural areas away from town are the perfect choice but these are often protected by law from construction of any kind or have building restrictions. There are now several websites dedicated to land-sharing so that the costs of buying land and getting permission can be shared, and there are increasing numbers of off-grid communities.     4     Off-gridding could soon be common all over Europe and America.

A．Many are self-sufficient, not just providing their own electricity, water and sewage systems, but in all aspects.

B．After you use the toilet, you flush it and the waste disappears.

C．This shift from individual to group off-gridding reflects the fact that the trend is growing noticeably.

D．They live in a huge variety of types of accommodation.

E．Living off-grid still has a long way to go before it becomes a mainstream way of living.

F．Rather than building permanent homes, vans or mobile homes or even old shipping containers are other options.