1 . While still in its early stages, welfare reform has already been judged a great success in many states —at least in getting people off welfare. It’s estimated that more than 2 million people have left the rolls(名单) since 1994.

In the past four years, welfare rolls in Athens County have been cut in half. But 70 percent of the people who left in the past two years took jobs that paid less than $6 an hour. The result: The Athens County poverty rate still remains at more than 30 percent - twice the national average. For advocates for the poor, that’s an indication that much more needs to be done.

“More people are getting jobs, but it’s not making their lives any better,” says Kathy Lairn, a policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington.

A center analysis of US Census data nationwide found that last year, a greater percentage of single, female-headed households were earning money on their own, but that average income for these households actually went down.

But for many, the fact that poor people are able to support themselves almost as well without government aid as they did with it is in itself a huge victory.

“Welfare was a poison. It was a toxin that was poisoning the family,” says Robert Rector, a welfare-reform policy analyst. “The reform is changing the moral climate in low-income communities. It’s beginning to rebuild the work ethic, which is much more important.”

Mr. Rector and others argued that once “the habit of dependency is cracked,” then the country can make other policy changes aimed at improving living standards.

1. Why don’t people enjoy their lives better when they get jobs?

A．Because they are used to relying on welfare to make livings.

B．Because the cost of living is higher than before.

C．Because many families are not satisfied with their income.

D．Because their wages are very low.

2. From the passage we know that the reconstruction of ______ is the core of the reform.

A．government aids	B．work ethic
C．welfare funds	D．moral awareness

3. According to the example of the Athens Country, why great efforts should be made for the poor?

A．To improve their living standards.	B．To help them be employed.
C．To get them off welfare.	D．To increase their wage.

4. What can be inferred about the author based on the passage?

A．He is completely certain about the success of welfare reform.

B．He thinks that welfare reform has done little good for the poor.

C．He considers welfare reform successful in general.

D．He insists welfare reform has increased the government’s burden.

3 . The number of devices you can talk to is multiplying -- first it was your phone, then your car, and now you can boss around your appliances. Children are likely to grow up thinking everything is interactive. After interacting with Amazon's Alexa 2, my 2 year old son started talking to cup mat. But even without chatty gadgets, research suggests that under certain circumstances, people anthropomorphize (人格化) everyday products.

    1    . In one experiment, people who reported feeling isolated were more likely than others to attribute free will and consciousness to various gadgets. In turn, feeling close relationship with objects can reduce loneliness. When college students were reminded of a time they'd been excluded socially, they compensated by exaggerating their number of Facebook friends   --       2    . At other times, we personify products in an effort to understand them. One study found that three in four respondents cursed at their computer -- and the more their computer gave them problems, the more likely they were to report that it had "its own beliefs".

So how do people assign traits to an object? In part, we rely on looks. On humans, wide faces are associated with dominance. Similarly, people rated cars, clocks, and watches with wide faces as more dominant-looking than narrow-faced ones, and preferred them -- especially in competitive situations like confronting a former bully at a school reunion.     3    . An analysis of car sales in Germany found that cars with grilles (前保险杠) that were upturned like smiles and headlights like narrowed eyes sold best.

    4    . Most use symbols that were human or human-like: People (the Marlboro Man) were most popular images, accounting for 21 percent of the total, followed by birds (Twitter), domesticated animals (Morris the Cat), wild animals (Tony the Tiger), and various plants (Mr. Peanut).

A．It's little wonder so many companies use mascots to bring brands to life.

B．Sometimes we see things as human because we're lonely.

C．Some purchasers saw certain features as increasing a product's aggressiveness and friendliness, respectively.

D．There are various images that people use to anthropomorphize everyday products.

E．as if they were treated as real friends in either friendly or aggressive situations.

F．unless they were first given tasks that caused them to interact with their phone as if it had human qualities.

4 . Directions: Write an English composition in 120-150 words according to the instructions given below in Chinese.
假设你是光华中学的学生李明，最近在某英文报上看到一则调查：在你的手机、智能手表、电脑、电视机中，你更喜欢哪种电子设备？请你给该报调查专栏的编辑写一封信，内容须包括：（1）你更喜欢以上哪一种电子设备？（2）你的理由。

5 . Directions: Write an English composition in 120-150 words according to the instructions given below in Chinese.
据新闻报道，国庆长假全国各地景点游客爆满，比如杭州曾有一天接待游客人数高达100万。此新闻引发了人们对长假的不同看法。你在日记中写下了你的感受。
日记内容包括：
1. 对新闻的简要描述；
2. 你的感受和建议。
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6 . Directions: Fill in the blanks with the proper from of the given verbs:

Few facts about modern life seem more undeniable than how busy everyone seems to be. Across the industrialized world, large numbers of survey respondents tell researchers they’re overburdened     1     work, at the expense of time with family and friends.

But the total time people are working, whether paid or otherwise, has not increased in Europe or North America in recent decades. What’s more, the date also show that the people who say they’re the busiest generally aren’t.

Part of the answer is simple economics. As economies grow, and the incomes of the better-off     2     (rise) over time, time has literally become more valuable: Any given hour is worth more, so we experience more pressure     3     (squeeze) in more work.

But it’s also a result of the kind of work     4     many of us are engaged. In the past, farming work was subject to weather limits, while at present people live in an “unlimited world,” and there are always more incoming emails, more meetings, more things to read, and digital mobile technology means you have a few more to-do list items.

With time pressure     5     (weigh) us down, it’s hardly surprising that we live with one eye on the clock. But psychological research demonstrates that this time-awareness actually leads to worse performance. So the ironic consequence of the “busy feeling” is that we could handle to-do list less well than if we weren’t so rushed.

Arguable    6     (bad) of all, the feeling of rush spreads to affect our leisure time, so that even when life finally     7     permit an hour or two for recovery, we end up feeling that leisure time should be spent “productively,” too.

If there’s a solution to the busyness epidemic (流行病) , other than the universal 2l-hour workweek, it     8     lie in clearly realizing just how reasonable our attitudes have become. Historically, the ultimate symbol of wealth, achievement and social superiority was the freedom not to work. Now, it’s busyness     9     has become the indicator of high status. “The best-off in our society are often very busy, and have to be,” says Gershunny. “You ask me, am I busy, and I tell you: “Yes, of course I’m busy because I’m an important person!”

Too often, we measure our worth not by the results we achieve,     10     by how much of our time we spend. We live crazy lives, at least in part, because it makes us feel good about ourselves.

9 . Freedoms challenge in the Digital Age is a serious topic. We are facing today a strange new world and we are all wondering what we are going to do with it.

Some 2, 500 years ago Greece discovered freedom. Before that there was no freedom. There were great civilizations, splendid empires, but no freedom anywhere. Egypt and Babylon were tyrannies, one very powerful man ruling over helpless masses.

In Greece, in Athens a little city in a little country, there were no helpless masses. And Athenians willingly obeyed the written laws which they themselves passed, and the unwritten, which must be obeyed if free men live together. They must show each other kindness and pity and the many qualities without which life would be very painful unless one chose to live alone in the desert. The Athenians never thought that a man was free if he could do what he wanted A man was free if he was self-controlled. To make yourself obey what you approved was freedom. They were saved from looking at their lives as their own private affair. Each one felt responsible for the welfare of Athens, not because it was forced on him from the outside, but because the city was his pride and his safety. The essential belief of the first free government in the world was liberty for all men who could control themselves and would take responsibility for the state.

But discovering freedom is not like discovering computers. It cannot be discovered once for all. If people do not prize it, and work for it, it will go. Constant watch is its price. Athens changed. It was a change that took place without being noticed though it was of the extreme importance a spiritual change which affected the whole state. It had been the Athenians pride and joy to give to their city. That they could get material benefits from her never entered their minds. there had to be a complete change of attitude before they could took at the city as an employer who paid her citizens for doing her work. Now instead of men giving to the state, the state was to give to them. What the people wanted was a government which would provide a comfortable life for them; and with this as the primary object, ideas of freedom and self-reliance and responsibility were neglected to the point of disappearing: Athens was more and more looked on as a cooperative business possessed of great wealth in which all citizens had a right to share.

Athens reached the point when the freedom she really wanted was freedom from responsibility. There could be only one result. If men insisted on being free from the burden of self-dependence and responsibility for the common good, they would cease to be free. Responsibility is the price everyman must pay for freedom. It is to be had on no other terms. Athens, the Athens of Ancient Greece, refused responsibility; she reached the end of freedom and was never to have it again.

But "the excellent becomes the permanent," Aristotle said. Athens lost freedom forever, but freedom was not lost forever for the world. A great American, James Madison, referred to the capacity of mankind for self-government. No doubt he had not an idea that he was speaking Greek. Athens was not in the farthest background of his mind, but once man has a great and good idea, it is never completely lost. The Digital Age cannot destroy it. Somehow in this or that man s thought such an idea lives though unconsidered by the world of action. One can never be sure that it is not on the point of breaking out into action, only sure that it will do so sometimes

1. What does the underlined word "tyrannies" in Para2 refer to?

A．Countries where their people need help.

B．Powerful states with higher civilization.

C．Splendid empires where people enjoy freedom.

D．Government ruled with absolute power.

2. What does the underlined sentence "There could be only one result?" in Para 5 mean?

A．Athens would continue to be.

B．Athens would cease to have freedom.

C．Freedom would come from responsibility.

D．Freedom would stop Athens from self-dependence.

3. Why does the author refer to Aristotle and Madison?

A．He is hopeful about freedom.

B．He is cautious about self-government.

C．He is doubtful about Greek civilization.

D．He is critical of Greece's loss of freedom.

4. What is the author's understanding of freedom?

A．Freedom can be more popular in the digital age.

B．Freedom may come to an end in the digital age.

C．Freedom should have priority over responsibility.

D．Freedom should be guaranteed by responsibility.

10 . Over the last decade, demand for the cosmetic surgery has increased by more than 400 percent. According to Dr. Dai Davies, of the Plastic Surgery Partnership in Hammersmith, the majority of cosmetic surgery patients are not chasing physical perfection. Rather, they are driven to improve their appearance by a desire to look normal. “What we all crave is to look normal. The advertising media give us a perception(概念)of what is physically acceptable and we feel we must look like that.”

In America, the debate is no longer about whether surgery is normal; rather, it centres on what age people should be before going under the knife. New York surgeon Dr. Gerard Imber recommends “maintenance” work for people in their thirties. “The idea of waiting until one needs a heroic transformation is silly,” he says. “By then, you've wasted 20 great years of your life and allowed things to get out of hand.” Dr. Imber draws the line at operating on people who are under 18, however. “It seems that someone we don't consider old enough to order a drink shouldn't be considering plastic surgery.”

In the U. K. cosmetic surgery has long been seen as the exclusive domain(领土)of the very rich and famous. But the cost of treatment has fallen considerably, bringing all but the most advanced laser technology within the reach of most people. Dr. Davies says, “Of course, ￡3,000 for an operation is a lot of money. But it is also an investment for life which costs about half the price of a good family holiday.”

Dr. Davies suspects that the increasing sophistication(精密)of the fat injecting and removal techniques that allow patients to be treated with a local anesthetic(麻醉)in an afternoon has also helped promote the popularity of cosmetic surgery. One woman who recently paid f2, 500 for liposuction to remove fat from her thighs admitted, “Going into the clinic was so low key and effective that it whetted my appetite. Now I don't think there's any operation that I would rule out having if I could afford it.”

1. The statement “draws the line at operating on people” (Paragraph 2) is closest in meaning to ________.

A．removing wrinkles from the face	B．helping people make up
C．enjoying operating	D．refusing to operate

2. According to the third paragraph, Dr. Davies implies that ________.

A．cosmetic surgery, though costly, is worth having

B．cosmetic surgery is too expensive

C．cosmetic surgery is necessary even for the average person

D．cosmetic surgery is mainly for the rich and famous

3. It can be inferred from the text that ________.

A．it is wise to have cosmetic surgery under 18

B．cosmetic surgery is now much easier

C．people tend to abuse cosmetic surgery

D．the earlier people have cosmetic surgery, the better they will be

4. The text is mainly about ________.

A．the advantage of having cosmetic surgery

B．what kind of people should have cosmetic surgery.

C．the reason why cosmetic surgery is so popular.

D．the disadvantage of having cosmetic surgery