3 . The expression, "everybody's doing it," is very much at the center of the concept of peer pressure. It is a social influence applied on an individual in order to get that person to act or believe in a(n) ___ way as a larger group. This influence can be negative or positive, and can exist in both large and small groups.

People are social creatures by nature, and so it is hardly ___that some part of their self-respect comes from the approval of others. This instinct explains why the approval of peers, and the fear of ____, is such a powerful force in many people's lives. This instinct drives people to dress one way at home and another way at work, or to answer a simple “fine" when a stranger asks "how are you?" even if it is not necessarily true. There is a(n) _____aspect to this: it helps society to function efficiently, and encourages a general level of self-discipline that ___day-to-day interaction between people.

For certain individuals, seeking social acceptance is so important that it becomes a(n) ___: in order to satisfy the desire, they may go so far as to ___their sense of right and wrong. Teens and young adults may feel forced to use drugs, or join gangs that ____criminal behavior. Mature adults may sometimes feel ___ to cover up illegal activity at the company where they work, or end up in debt because they are unable to hold back the desire to buy a house or car that they can't afford in an effort to ___ the peers.

However, peer pressure is not always negative. A student whose friends are good at ___may be urged to work harder and get good grades. Players on a sports team may feel driven to play harder in order to help the team win. This type of ___can also get a friend off drugs, or to help an adult take up a good habit or drop a bad one.

Although peer pressure is sometimes quite obvious, it can also be so ___that a person may not even notice that it is affecting his or her behavior. For this reason, when making important decisions, simply going with a(n) ___is risky. Instead, people should seriously consider why they feel drawn to taking a particular action, and whether the real ____ is simply that everyone else is doing the same thing.

1.

A．traditional

B．similar

C．peculiar

D．opposite

2.

A．understandable

B．believable

C．acceptable

D．surprising

3.

A．disapproval

B．failure

C．absence

D．independence

4.

A．uncertain

B．practical

C．impossible

D．vague

5.

A．promotes

B．prevents

C．simplifies

D．increases

6.

A．challenge

B．inspiration

C．promise

D．addiction

7.

A．recognize

B．abandon

C．decrease

D．define

8.

A．avoid

B．encourage

C．decline

D．punish

9.

A．pressured

B．respected

C．delighted

D．regretted

10.

A．catch sight of

B．stay away from

C．make fun of

D．keep up with

11.

A．competitions

B．interaction

C．academics

D．adaptation

12.

A．knowledge

B．interest

C．assistance

D．influence

13.

A．abstract

B．ridiculous

C．subtle

D．reasonable

14.

A．consciousness

B．motivation

C．instinct

D．encouragement

15.

A．motivation

B．danger

C．support

D．achievement

4 . By now you’ve probably heard about the “you’re not special” speech, when English teacher David McCullough told graduating seniors at Wellesley High School: "Do not get the idea you're anything special, because you're not." Mothers and fathers present at the ceremony — and a whole lot of other parents across the internet — took issue with McCullough's ego-puncturing words. But lost in the anger and protest was something we really should be taking to heart: our young people actually have no idea whether they're particularly talented or accomplished or not. In our eagerness to elevate their self-esteem, we forgot to teach them how to realistically assess their own abilities, a crucial requirement for getting better at anything from math to music to sports. In fact, it's not just privileged high-school students: we all tend to view ourselves as above average.

Such inflated (膨胀的) self-judgments have been found in study after study, and it's often exactly when we're least competent at a given task that we rate our performance most generously. In a 2006 study published in the journal Medical Education, for example, medical students who scored the lowest on an essay test were the most charitable in their self-evaluations, while high-scoring students judged themselves much more strictly. Poor students, the authors note, "lack insight" into their own inadequacy. Why should this be? Another study, led by Cornell University psychologist David Dunning, offers an enlightening explanation. People who are incompetent, he writes with co-author Justin Kruger, suffer from a "dual burden": they're not good at what they do, and their wry ineptness (笨拙) prevents them from recognizing how bad they are.

In Dunning and Kruger's study, subjects scoring at the bottom of the heap on tests of logic, grammar and humor "extremely overestimated" their talents. Although their test scores put them in the 12^th percentile, they guessed they were in the 62^nd. What these individuals lacked (in addition to clear logic, proper grammar and a sense of humor) was "metacognitive skill" (元认知技巧): the capacity to monitor how well they're performing. In the absence of that capacity, the subjects arrived at an overly hopeful view of their own abilities. There's a paradox (悖论) here, the authors note: “The skills that develop competence in a particular domain are often the very same skills necessary to evaluate competence in that domain. "In other words, to get better at judging how well we’re doing at an activity, we have to get better at the activity itself.

There are a couple of ways out of this double bind (两难). First, we can learn to make honest comparisons with others. Train yourself to recognize excellence, even when you yourself don't possess it, and compare what you can do against what truly excellent individuals are able to accomplish. Second, seek out feedback that is frequent, accurate and specific. Find a critic who will tell you not only how poorly you're doing, but just what it is that you're doing wrong. As Dunning and Kruger note, success indicates to us that everything went right, but failure is more ambiguous: any number of things could have gone wrong. Use this external feedback to figure out exactly where and when you screwed up.

If we adopt these strategies — and most importantly, teach them to our children — they won't need parents, or a commencement(毕业典礼) speaker, to tell them that they're special. They'll already know that they are, or have a plan to get that way.

1. The underlined phrase "took issue with" in paragraph 1 most probably means      .

A．totally approved of	B．disagreed with
C．fully understood	D．held discussion about

2. The author thinks the problem that shouldn't be overlooked is that      .

A．we don’t know whether our young people are talented or not

B．young people can't reasonably define themselves

C．no requirement is set up for young people to get better

D．we always tend to consider ourselves to be privileged

3. Which is NOT mentioned about poor students according to the passage?

A．They lack the capacity to monitor how well they are performing.

B．They usually give themselves high scores in self-evaluations.

C．They tend to be unable to know exactly how bad they are.

D．They are intelligently inadequate in tests and exams.

4. We can infer from the passage that those high-scoring students      .

A．are not confident about their logic and grammar

B．tend to be very competent in their high-scoring fields

C．don't know how well they perform due to their stringent self-judgment

D．is very careful about their self-evaluations because they have their own limits

5. The strategies of becoming special suggest that      .

A．the best way to recognize excellence is to study past success and failure

B．through comparison with others, one will know where and when he fails

C．we need internal honesty with ourselves and external honesty from others

D．neither parents nor a commencement speaker can tell whether one is special

6. Which can be the best title of this passage?

A．Special or Not? Teach Kids To Figure It Out

B．Let's Admit That We Are Not That Special

C．Tips On Making Ourselves More Special

D．Tell The Truth: Kids Overestimate their Talents

5 . Though the spread of good reproduction (复制品) of works of art can be culturally valuable, museums continue to promote the special status of original work and highlight the authenticity (真实) of its exhibits. Unfortunately, this seems to place severe limitations on the kind of experience offered to visitors.

One limitation is related to the way the museum presents its exhibits. Art museums are often called “treasure houses”. We are reminded of this even before we view a collection by the presence of security guards who keep us away from the exhibits. In addition, a major collection like that of London’s National Gallery is housed in numerous rooms, where a single piece of work is likely to be worth more than all the average visitor possesses. In a society that judges the personal status of the individual so much by their material worth, it is therefore difficult not to be impressed by one’s own relative “worthlessness” in such an environment.

Furthermore, consideration of the “value” of the original work in its treasure house setting impresses upon the viewer that since these works were originally produced, they have been assigned a huge value in terms of money by some person or institution more powerful than themselves. Evidently, nothing the viewer thinks about the work is going to alter that value, and so today’s viewer is discouraged from trying to extend that spontaneous, immediate, self-reliant kind of interpretation which would originally have met the work.

The visitor may then be struck by the strangeness of seeing such a variety of paintings, drawings and sculptures brought together in an environment for which they were not originally created. This “displacement effect” is further heightened by the huge volume of exhibits. In the case of a major collection, there are probably more works on display than we could realistically view in weeks or even months.

This is particularly distressing because time seems to be a vital factor in the appreciation of all art forms. A fundamental difference between paintings and other art forms is that there is no prescribed time over which a painting is viewed. Operas, novels and poems are read in a prescribed time sequence, whereas a picture has no clear place at which to start viewing, or at which to finish. Thus art works themselves encourage us to view them superficially, without appreciating the richness of detail and labor that is involved.

Consequently, the dominant critical approach becomes that of the art historian, a specialized academic approach devoted to “discovering the meaning” of art within the cultural context of its time. This is in harmony with the museum’s function, since the approach is dedicated to seeking out and conserving “authentic”, “original” readings of the exhibits.

1. The writer mentions London’s National Gallery to illustrate ______.

A．the undesirable cost to a nation of maintaining a huge collection of art

B．the conflict that may arise in society between financial and artistic values

C．the negative effect a museum can have on visitors’ opinion of themselves

D．the need to put individual well-being above large-scale artistic schemes

2. The writer says that today viewers may be unwilling to criticize a work because they ______.

A．lack the knowledge needed

B．fear it may have financial implications

C．have no real concept of the work’s value

D．feel their personal reaction is of no significance

3. The writer says that unlike other forms of art, the appreciation of a painting does not ______.

A．involve direct contact with an audience

B．require a specific location for performance

C．need the involvement of other professionals

D．call for a specific beginning or ending

4. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

A．Original work: killer of artistic appreciation

B．Original work: reduction to value of art works

C．Original work: substitute for reproduction

D．Original work: art historians’ bread and butter

6 . Each stage of life has different major demands mainly because our needs change. As children, a period of deep uncertainty and sensitivity,___ and   family   are   the   top   needs although we may not think of them in those terms. As teenagers, we are__the waters of adult life, preparing ourselves for the exciting unknown and as young adults, we search for a__. The drive to fulfill each stage is so strong that sometimes we have to hold the breath to___.

At each stage, although everyone may___in dreams, we will all try to   take hold of the means to achieve our particular dreams. Some will be driven with   almost   tunnel vision,   others take a(n)____attitude to getting there. Anyway,   without dreams it is   hard to direct   life. If   you   are   fortunate   enough   to   achieve   your   current   dreams,   you   can   move   forward   for___desires and prepare yourself for a new conquest.

For each period of life,   the   needs are   decided by that stage,   and as we grow older, whether we like it or not, we gain___, which, on the basis of former facts and information,   permits us to see a broader view if we are wise enough to take on board what is there. As we mature,   the sharpness of the___of youth, the black and white approach to life, will be tempered by what is possible, kind, just and fair.   Ageing helps us to grow if we allow it.   So often   we___that process, holding on tightly to   rooted beliefs   which do not do us   any favour, yet our needs change and in result we will___be different.

Physically,   even when we stay fit and able, the body cannot deliver in quite the   same way as youth. This comes as a(n)___to most of us who start life in the belief that we are unbeatable and will live forever. Again, coming to terms with this fact helps us to___anxiety, and finally realize the unexpected benefits which come along with___face and slowed body.   What was important when we were young can be seen now in a new light, and a different list of importance emerges. In the end, extreme age can be as demanding and sensitive as babyhood, so while ones need changes through life, it seems to come___.

1.

A．finance

B．security

C．marriage

D．education

2.

A．testing

B．sharing

C．changing

D．setting

3.

A．financial advisor

B．childhood companion

C．life partner

D．household keeper

4.

A．take action

B．calm down

C．look forward

D．pay attention

5.

A．believe

B．persevere

C．vary

D．persist

6.

A．easy

B．random

C．formal

D．similar

7.

A．noble

B．fresh

C．reasonable

D．superior

8.

A．experience

B．responsibility

C．respect

D．agreement

9.

A．individualism

B．materialism

C．idealism

D．socialism

10.

A．resist

B．enjoy

C．evolve

D．strengthen

11.

A．unexpectedly

B．terribly

C．comparatively

D．necessarily

12.

A．inquiry

B．instinct

C．refusal

D．shock

13.

A．worsen

B．manage

C．judge

D．feel

14.

A．wrinkled

B．depressed

C．impressive

D．serious

15.

A．with high requirements

B．in full circle

C．without difficulty

D．on a large scale

7 . We love letters. Just as John Donne, a poet, _________ it, “Letters, to me and my friends mean _________ greetings; they get souls together. Thanks to letters, friends who are _________ speak.” He wrote these words nearly 400 years ago. Today, in the age of instant text message, social media, and email, they _________ ring truer than ever, because writing or receiving a letter has become such a _________ event.

A UK-wide survey undertaken by Sunday Times suggests that one in four of us has not _________ a letter for at least 10 years. That’s ten years without the bitter-sweet _________ of pacing the floor waiting for the _________; ten years without recognizing the handwriting on the envelope and eagerly _________ the letter to read its content.

We ____________ not get them any more, but we still love handwritten letters. In the same survey, one third of ____________ people interviewed say that they ____________ the content of sentimental (充满情感的) letters. Shouldn’t we make ____________ to give our friends and families what they will treasure forever? Ann Bickley went online in 2013 and offered to handwrite a letter to anyone who ____________ her. Her website received 50,000 ____________ in its first three months. Five years later, she is still the main ____________ behind one-million-lovely-letter.com and has personally written 4,000 letters offering hope and ____________ to strangers.

The thought behind a letter ____________ as much as its contents. “I never tell anyone that ____________ is going to be OK,” Ann Bickley says, “I am letting someone know that there is someone in the world who ____________ them.”

Who wouldn’t love to receive a letter like that? Let’s get writing!

1.

A．made

B．put

C．helped

D．managed

2.

A．rather than

B．less than

C．more than

D．other than

3.

A．absent

B．active

C．amused

D．admirable

4.

A．also

B．yet

C．already

D．still

5.

A．popular

B．common

C．rare

D．simple

6.

A．received

B．sent

C．written

D．rejected

7.

A．success

B．pleasure

C．concern

D．calmness

8.

A．engineer

B．doctor

C．police

D．postman

9.

A．seizing

B．tearing

C．hiding

D．carrying

10.

A．can

B．must

C．may

D．shall

11.

A．American

B．Chinese

C．Australian

D．British

12.

A．forget

B．change

C．remember

D．notice

13.

A．money

B．room

C．history

D．time

14.

A．contacted

B．interviewed

C．consulted

D．admired

15.

A．guests

B．visitors

C．friends

D．partners

16.

A．force

B．strength

C．source

D．energy

17.

A．effort

B．comfort

C．surprise

D．experience

18.

A．educates

B．guides

C．matters

D．rewards

19.

A．nothing

B．anything

C．something

D．everything

20.

A．looks after

B．cares about

C．struggles for

D．agrees with

8 . As the international demand for narrative(叙事的) film/TV content continues to increase with popular streaming services like Netflix and others the two questions then come: will the coming generations receive most of their entertainment through visual means rather than through the written word and will such an increase of narrative film/ TV reduce the importance of reading?

Growing examples of this trend include the diminishment(减少) of fiction in the common core (核心的)curriculum, the ever－rising culture of computer games, the wave of streaming services of wide international reach, and movies filled with special effects made for children and teenagers. Nor must we ignore the economic dangers that lie ahead for the written word. The narrative film industry is a moneymaker that dwarfs(使相形见绌) the publishing industry.

The other underlying question, of course, is “does it really matter if the written word bows to the world of film/TV?” From my point of view, any diminishment of fiction delivered by words is a loss for mankind.

There is no greater human feature than the imagination. It lies at the very soul of the human species. It is the brain’s most powerful engine. It is the essential muscle of life and like all muscles it must be exercised and strengthened.

Writing and reading are the principal tools that inspire, create and empower our imagination. Anything that diminishes that power is the enemy of mankind.

It should be known that I am not opposed to new media and technological advances. Instead, I have always felt it necessary to adapt to advancing technology. In fact, a number of my novels are in various stages of development for film, TV, and live stage productions. My hope is that the written word will only stand to be complemented(补充)by its visual counterparts(对应物), not pushed to the edge of extinction.

Of course, there are those who will present arguments for the superiority of the moving image over the written word. Each has its place. My argument is for finding the right balance between it and the moving image.

1. In what way does narrative film/TV embarrass the written word?

A．Economic benefits	B．International reach
C．Cultural influence	D．Educational importance

2. Why does the author value the role of the written word?

A．It strengthens our muscles.	B．It helps sharpen imagination.
C．It distinguishes man from each other.	D．It paves the way for narrative film/TV.

3. What is the author’s attitude towards technology?

A．Cautious	B．Skeptical
C．Positive	D．Critical

4. What’s the author concerned about?

A．The fate of reading.	B．The extinction of fiction.
C．The impact of the written word.	D．The future of the moving image.

9 . The networked computer is an amazing device. It is the first media machine that serves as   the mode of production (you can make stuff), means of distribution (you can upload stuff to the network), site of _____ (you can download stuff and interact with it), and place of praise        and criticism (you can comment on the stuff you have downloaded or uploaded). _____, the computer is the 21st century’s culture machine.

But for all the reasons there are to _____ the computer, we must also act with caution.   This is because the networked computer has started a secret war between downloading and uploading—between passive consumption and active   _____—whose outcome will shape     our collective future in ways we can only begin to imagine.

All animals download, but only a few upload anything besides faces and their own bodies. Humans are _____ in their capacity to not only make tools but then turn around and use them to create superfluous( 过 剩 的 ) material goods (paintings, sculpture and architecture) and superfluous experiences (music, literature, religion and philosophy). _____, it is precisely       these superfluous things that define human culture and ultimately what it is to be human. Downloading and consuming culture requires great   skills, but _____ to   move   beyond downloading is to rob oneself of a defining ingredient of humanity.

Despite the possibilities of our new culture   machines, most people are   still _____ download mode, brought about by television watching. Even after the _____ of widespread social media, a pyramid of production remains, with a small number of people uploading material, a slightly larger group commenting on or modifying that content, and a huge percentage   remaining satisfied to just _____.

The networked computer offers the first chance in 50 years to _____ the flow caused       by TV viewing, to encourage thoughtful downloading and, even more importantly, meaningful uploading. The computer offers the opportunity to bring about a complete _____ from the     culture of television and a shift from a consumption model to a production model. This is   a historic opportunity. Fifty years of television dominance has given birth to an unhealthy culture. The _____ is now in our collective grasp. It involves controlling our intake, or downloading, and _____ our levels of activity—uploading.

Of course people will still download. Nobody uploads more than a tiny percentage of the culture they consume. But using the networked computer as a download-only device, or even a download-mainly device, is a _____ opportunity that history affords us. Therefore, the goal must be to establish a balance between consumption and production.

1.

A．celebration

B．conversations

C．reception

D．ceremonies

2.

A．Without doubt

B．In return

C．In particular

D．By contrast

3.

A．liberate

B．celebrate

C．concern

D．reject

4.

A．request

B．support

C．defense

D．creation

5.

A．unique

B．familiar

C．efficient

D．loyal

6.

A．In addition

B．In fact

C．For instance

D．By the way

7.

A．striving

B．comparing

C．failing

D．attempting

8.

A．optimistic about

B．unfamiliar with

C．stuck in

D．ashamed of

9.

A．transformation

B．emergence

C．encounter

D．maintenance

10.

A．consume

B．neglect

C．combine

D．innovate

11.

A．enhance

B．quicken

C．reverse

D．extend

12.

A．outcome

B．exposure

C．break

D．evolution

13.

A．puzzle

B．cure

C．regret

D．favor

14.

A．analyzing

B．maintaining

C．featuring

D．increasing

15.

A．wasted

B．treasured

C．multiplied

D．revised

10 . Abraham Lincoln turns 200 this year, and he’s beginning to show his age. When his birthday arrives, on February 12, Congress will hold a special joint session in the Capitol’s National Statuary Hall, a wreath (花环) will be laid at the great memorial in Washington, and a webcast will link school classrooms for a "teach-in" honoring his memory.

Admirable as they are, though, the events will strike many of us Lincoln fans as inadequate, even halfhearted — and another sign that our appreciation for the 16th president and his towering achievements is slipping away. And you don’t have to be a Lincoln enthusiast to believe that this is something we can’t afford to lose.

Compare this year’s celebration with the Lincoln centennial, in 1909. That year, Lincoln’s likeness made its debut on the penny, thanks to approval from the U. S. Secretary of the Treasury. Communities. and civic associations in every comer of the country erupted in parades, concerts, balls, lectures, and military displays. We still feel the effects today: The momentum unloosed in 1909 led to the Lincoln Memorial, opened in 1922, and the Lincoln Highway, the first paved transcontinental thoroughfare (大道) .

The celebrants in 1909 had a few inspirations we lack today. Lincoln’s presidency was still a living memory for countless Americans. In 2009 we are farther in time from the end of the Second World War than they were from the Civil War; families still felt the loss of loved ones from that awful national trauma (创伤) .

But Americans in 1909 had something more: an unembarrassed appreciation for heroes and an acute sense of the way that even long-dead historical figures press in on the present and make us who we are.

One story will illustrate what I’m talking about.

In 2003 a group of local citizens arranged to place a statue of Lincoln in Richmond, Virginia, former capital of the Confederacy (南方联邦). The idea touched off a firestorm of controversy. The Sons of Confederate Veterans held a public conference of carefully selected scholars to “reassess” the legacy of Lincoln. The verdict — no surprise — was negative: Lincoln was labeled everything from a racist totalitarian to a teller of dirty jokes.

I covered the conference as a reporter, but what really unnerved me was a counter-conference of scholars to refute the earlier one. These scholars drew a picture of Lincoln that only our touchy-feely age could recall. The man who oversaw the most savage war in our history was described — by his admirers, remember — as “nonjudgmental,” “unmoralistic,” “comfortable with ambiguity (模棱两可) .”

I felt the way a friend of mine felt as we later watched the unveiling of the Richmond statue in a subdued (征服) ceremony: “But he’s so small!”

The statue in Richmond was indeed small; like nearly every Lincoln statue put up in the past half century, it was life-size and was placed at ground level, a conscious rejection of the heroic — approachable and human, yes, but not something to look up to.

The Richmond episode taught me that Americans have lost the language to explain Lincoln’s greatness even to ourselves. Earlier generations said they wanted their children to be like Lincoln: principled, kind, compassionate, resolute. Today we want Lincoln to be like us.

“This helps to explain the long string of recent books in which writers have presented a Lincoln made after their own image. We’ve had Lincoln as humorist and Lincoln as manic-depressive, Lincoln the business sage, the conservative Lincoln and the liberal Lincoln, the emancipator and the racist, the stoic philosopher, the Christian, the atheist (无神论者) — Lincoln over easy (两面煎的) and Lincoln scrambled (把…搅乱) .

What’s often missing, though, is the timeless Lincoln, the Lincoln whom all generations, our own no less than that of 1909, can lay claim to. Lucky for us, those memorializers from a century ago — and, through them, Lincoln himself — have left us a hint of where to find him. The Lincoln Memorial is the most visited of our presidential monuments. Here is where we find the Lincoln who endures: in the words he left us, defining the country we’ve inherited. Here is the Lincoln who can be endlessly renewed and who, 200 years after his birth, retains the power to renew us.

1. The author thinks that this year’s celebration inadequate and even halfhearted because ________.

A．no Lincoln statue will be unveiled.

B．no memorial coins will be issued.

C．no similar appreciation of Lincoln will be seen.

D．no activities can be compared to those in 1909.

2. In the author’s opinion, the counter-conference ________.

A．approved of the judgment by those carefully selected scholars.

B．offered a brand new reassessment perspective.

C．came up with somewhat favourable conclusions.

D．resulted in similar critical remarks on Lincoln.

3. According to the author, the image Lincoln conceived by contemporary people ________.

A．conforms to traditional images.

B．reflects the present-day tendency of worship.

C．shows the present-day desire to match Lincoln.

D．reveals the variety of current opinions on heroes.

4. Which of the following best explains the implication of the last paragraph?

A．Lincoln’s greatness remains despite the passage of time.

B．The memorial is symbolic of the great man’s achievements.

C．Each generation has its own interpretation of Lincoln.

D．People get to know Lincoln through memorializers.