2 . On Friday, Japanese researchers announced a population clock that showed a dangerous situation that the Japanese nation would disappear in 1,000 years if the falling birth rate kept the present level. Researchers in the northern city of Sendai said that Japan’s population of children aged up to 14, which now stands at 16.6 million, was falling at the rate of one child per 100 seconds. It would lead to a terrible result that there would be no children left in Japan in 1,000 years.

“If the rate keeps falling at that rate in our country, there will only be one child who is able to enjoy the following Children’s Day left on May 5th,3011,” said Hiroshi Yoshida, a professor at Toholu University. “But 100 seconds later, a national disaster that there are no children left in Japan will happen,” he added, “The nation’s people will disappear for the birth rate has fallen to the level that every woman has no more than two children, which started in 1975.” Yoshida said they created the population clock to make Japanese people pay close attention to that problem for their nation’s future.

Another study showed that Japan’s population was expected to fall to one third of the present population amount: 127.7 million in the next century. The Japanese government predicted that the birth rate would just become 1.35 children per parents within 50 years.

At the same time, Japanese life expectancy which is expected to ascend from 86.93 years in 2010 to 90.93 years in 2060 for women and from 79.64 years to 84.19 years for men has already been one of the highest in the world. More than 20 percent of the Japanese are aged 65 or over.

It means that Japan has become one of the countries with aging populations in the world. The problem of aging populations is a headache for the government and the Japanese economy because there are fewer and fewer workers who can make money for the country. However, the government has to face the terrible situation that it needs to offer a growing number of pensions.

1. Why did researchers think Japanese people would disappear in 1,000 years?

A．Because the birth rate of the nation is at a very low level.

B．Because Japan will be destroyed by a serious earthquake.

C．Because the Japanese are afraid of the changing environment.

D．Because the country will sink in the Pacific Ocean gradually.

2. According to Hiroshi Yoshida, on June 1st,3011 ______.

A．Children’s Day will be called off	B．16.6 million Japanese children may die
C．Japan will become a country without children	D．The birth rate of Japan will go up slowly

3. Japanese researchers created the population clock in order to ______.

A．tell people that the Japanese life expectancy is the highest

B．show the change of the Japanese population since 1975

C．explain the reason why there is a low birth rate in Japan

D．let the Japanese give special importance to the population problems

4. According to the passage, what will happen in Japan in the following 100 years?

A．The life expectancy will be 90.93 years for women.

B．The government will receive a growing number of pensions.

C．The population of Japan may only be about 42 million.

D．The birth rate will be 1.35 children per family.

4 . After lunch I was napping near the window when there came a big bang. I ______ sat up and looked out. Across the street, a car had just backed into a chain-link fence, which was bent in exactly the ______ of the car’s back end.

The driver got off. After ______ the damage, the man tried to put the fence back into place. His first attempt ______ and he tried a little harder. He grabbed the vertical support pole and pulled with his full ______. All of a sudden, the pole ______ and the man fell hard onto the ground, the entire fence ______ him. I laughed till I cried. ______, as you could imagine, he climbed out of the ______ fence and went away.

That, I thought, would be the   ______ of it. However, the man ______ minutes later with some tools. For the next hour, I ______ out of my window as he doggedly fixed the fence and even ______   it. Now the fence would be stronger than ever.

This man was actually a hero and I was embarrassed by my ______ judgments. Years later, I still look out of my window at that fence almost every day. It makes me ______ what else that man has improved, and how I can make myself more, like him.

1.

A．gradually

B．especially

C．immediately

D．generally

2.

A．center

B．shape

C．direction

D．beginning

3.

A．assessing

B．mentioning

C．limiting

D．mending

4.

A．stopped

B．failed

C．finished

D．worked

5.

A．equipment

B．sight

C．wisdom

D．strength

6.

A．broke

B．lighted

C．burnt

D．rose

7.

A．in place of

B．on top of

C．in front of

D．in need of

8.

A．Perfectly

B．Gracefully

C．Awkwardly

D．Intentionally

9.

A．broken

B．fallen

C．repaired

D．locked

10.

A．end

B．cause

C．plan

D．form

11.

A．flew off

B．passed by

C．turned up

D．moved on

12.

A．guessed

B．counted

C．stood

D．watched

13.

A．improved

B．destroyed

C．painted

D．rebuilt

14.

A．unbalanced

B．uncertain

C．unfair

D．unhurried

15.

A．observe

B．explain

C．challenge

D．wonder

5 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式.

Teenage life is full of adventures and challenges. Doing voluntary work is popular among some teenagers. And extra-curricular activities     1     (prefer) by others, such as organizing debates, studying literature, dancing ballet and cleaning up the greenhouses. But more people sign up for advanced     2     (course) out of curiosity.     3     (actual), some teenagers feel confused in their youth, and their behaviors are sometimes confusing. They think there is a generation gap between     4     (they) and adults, so experts are trying to find a suitable solution. Johnson is     5     outgoing freshman. He is so attracted to Chinese literature that he     6     (give) up his studies in Chicago and come to China since he was 10 years old. Obviously,     7     the help of his teacher, his Chinese has improved greatly and he can speak fluent Chinese on campus now. As scheduled, he will graduate from the school     8     he has stayed for a long time next year. What he is concentrating on is the ancient Chinese literature and he is     9     (interest) in Tang poetry. The topic of his research content is “the differences between Eastern and Western literature”. An editor that acts responsibly has advised him     10     (read) some classical Chinese literature first. This suggestion means a lot to him.

7 . I recently spent half a weekend sitting on the sofa watching the Davis Cup. I thought about going for a run, but I did not want to miss the rest of the match. Soon it was starting to get dark, so I did not bother (费神). Whenever I watch tennis, I think how nice it would be to play it regularly. But I have been thinking that for almost 20 years without actually setting foot on a court. The evidence would suggest that I’m not the only one.

When a country or city competes to host an international sporting event, it often promises that more people will take up sports as a result. London was no exception. Tessa Jowell, who helped to bid for (申办) the 2012 Olympics for London, said that by 2012 two million more people would be physically active. And 60 percent of young people would be doing at least five hours of sports per week.

In the end, just over one-third of people in Britain take part in sports once a week. A report on Olympic and Paralympic influences has said that a big change in participation levels simply has not happened.

Why isn’t there a big increase in people taking part in sports after most sporting events? Perhaps it is a mistake to assume a definite link between watching sports and playing it. While the games are on, they actually encourage people to do just the opposite — to spend whole sunny days not out playing sports, but inside sitting on the sofa with the curtains shut to stop the sun shining on the TV screen. We don’t expect half the audience of a hit musical to apply to drama school the next day, yet we seem to expect it of sporting events.

The high-level performances on show only remind people that they could never match the excellent athletes in their sporting achievements even if they trained full time.

Maybe participation in sports is not the right thing to expect after a major sporting event. The Olympics can do many things, but maybe this cannot necessarily be one of them.

1. How does the author introduce the topic?

A．By sharing experiences.	B．By asking questions.
C．By listing figures.	D．By analyzing causes.

2. What can we infer from paragraph 4?

A．Watching sports is closely linked with playing it.

B．Watching games discourages people from going out.

C．Watching games encourages people to take part in sports.

D．Half the audience of a hit musical will take part in drama soon.

3. What might be the best title of the text?

A．Do people like participating in sporting events?

B．Do people prefer watching big sporting events?

C．Do the Olympics encourage people to match athletes?

D．Do big sporting events make us do more sport?

4. What’s the author’s attitude towards the possibility of people’s participating in sports after big events?

A．Positive.	B．Negative.
C．Uncertain.	D．Objective.

8 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. How does the woman feel now?

A．Shocked.

B．Afraid.

C．Angry.

2. Who could the man probably be?

A．A doctor.

B．A policeman.

C．The woman’s friend.

3. What has the woman lost?

A．A locker.

B．A letter.

C．Some money.

9 . With almost all big employers in the United States now using artificial intelligence (AI) and automation in their hiring processes, the public is considering some urgent questions: How can you prevent discrimination in hiring when a machine is keeping the discrimination? What kind of methods might help?

Some 83% of employers, including 99% of Fortune 500 companies, now use some form of automated tools as part of their hiring process, said the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s ( EEOC) chair Charlotte Burrows, at a hearing on Tuesday. She said everyone needs to speak up on the debate over these technologies. “The risks are simply too high to leave this topic just to the experts.”

Last year, the EEOC issued some guidance around the use of cutting-edge hiring tools, noting many of their shortcomings. The agency found that resume( 简历) scanners which prioritize keywords and programs which evaluate a candidate’s facial expressions and speech patterns in video interviews can create discrimination. Take, for example, a video interview that analyses an applicant’s speech patterns to determine their ability to solve problems. A person with a speech problem might score low and automatically be screened out. The problem will be for the EEOC to root out discrimination or stop it from taking place.

The EEOC is considering the most appropriate ways to handle the problem. It’s agreed that inspections are necessary to ensure that the software used by companies avoids intentional or unintentional discrimination. But who would conduct those inspections is a more challenging question. Each option presents risks, Burrows pointed out. A third party may turn a blind eye to its clients, while a government-led inspection could potentially stop innovation.

In previous remarks, Burrows has noted the great potential that AI decision making tools have to improve the lives of Americans, but only when used properly. “We must work to ensure that these new technologies do not become a high-tech pathway to discrimination,” she said.

1. What does Burrows suggest people do?

A．Make their own voice heard.	B．Follow the experts’ suggestions.
C．Stop using AI in hiring processes.	D．Watch debates about technologies.

2. How might programs in video interviews select employees?

A．By scanning keywords.	B．By evaluating resumes.
C．By analyzing personalities.	D．By assessing speech patterns.

3. What is a possible outcome of third-party inspections?

A．High expense.	B．Unfair results.
C．Age discrimination.	D．Innovation interruption.

4. What is Burrows’s attitude to AI decision-making tools?

A．Favourable.

B．Disapproving.

C．Cautious.

D．Doubtful.

10 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

Many of us were raised with the saying “waste not, want not”. None of us, however, can     1     (complete) avoid waste in our lives.

Any kind of waste is thoughtless. Whether we waste our potential talents,our own time, our     2     (limit) natural resources, our money     3     other people’s time, each of us should become more aware and careful. The smallest good habits can make a big difference.     4     is a good feeling to know in our hearts that we are doing our best in a world that is in serious trouble. By focusing     5     saving oil, water, paper, food and clothing, we are playing a part in     6     (cut) down on waste. We must keep reminding ourselves that it is     7     (easy) to get into something than it is     8     (get) out of it. Actually, severe damage     9     (do) to our land recenly in the history of our evolution. It’s time for us to say no to waste so that our descendants (后代)     10     (be) able to develop well. We can’t solve all the problems of waste, but we can encourage mindfulness (察觉).