1 . The sharing economy is an economic model known as a peer-to-peer(P2P)based activity of getting, providing, or sharing goods and services that is often promoted by on-line platforms (平台) It allows persons and groups to make money from the assets (资产) which is not _______ .In a sharing economy, underused assets such as parked cars and spare bedrooms can be _______ when they are not used. In this way, physical assets are shared as _______ .

Concerns about the sharing economy often includes the uncertainty about _______ .While businesses offering rent services are often _______ by local governments, people who don’t have official permission to _______ rent services may not be following these rules or paying the costs. This could mean putting them in a better position that makes it possible for them to ask _______   prices to get a bigger market share.

Another _______ is that lack of watching over businesses will lead to _______ uses of both buyers and sellers in the sharing economy. There have been many cases ________ known to the public like hidden cameras in rented rooms, lawsuits (诉讼)over ________ treatment of ridesharing drivers by the platforms ________ employ them, and even murders of customers by real or ________ ridesharing providers.

There is also a fear that lots of information shared on online platforms can create racial or sex bias (偏见) among users. This can happen when users are allowed to ________ who they will share their homes or cars with, or because of the database of users with poor credit history or bad behaviour ________ .

1.

A．in danger

B．in use

C．in order

D．in hand

2.

A．taken out

B．picked out

C．rented out

D．sold out

3.

A．services

B．supplies

C．gifts

D．goals

4.

A．values

B．customers

C．markets

D．rules

5.

A．managed

B．punished

C．provided

D．judged

6.

A．offer

B．order

C．accept

D．stop

7.

A．higher

B．lower

C．full

D．right

8.

A．case

B．opinion

C．topic

D．concern

9.

A．impolite

B．impatient

C．improper

D．impossible

10.

A．highly

B．widely

C．narrowly

D．deeply

11.

A．official

B．special

C．unfair

D．equal

12.

A．which

B．who

C．where

D．when

13.

A．formal

B．unique

C．dishonest

D．specific

14.

A．cheat

B．choose

C．impress

D．recognize

15.

A．errors

B．styles

C．details

D．records

2 . In recent years, the number of young adults returning to their parents’ homes after leaving has risen. This is the Boomerang Generation, becoming independent only to return to their parents’ homes like boomerangs. A boomerang is a curved(呈弯曲状的) stick that, when thrown in a particular way, comes back to the person who threw it.

One of our family members had a college roommate who dropped out(辍学) and went back to her parents because she was unable to wash her clothes. This is quite a funny example, but stories like these are plentiful. The dropout and many other young adults are often short of basic life skills, so they move out of the family home for a time and then boomerang right back.

We believe having more real-life learning in high school may solve young adults’ inability to become independent. This can be achieved through simply including extra Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills requirements for life skills. The TEKS would include learning about taxes(税), banking, health, voting(选举), job interviews, cooking, and many other important skills.

These areas of study happen to go with required courses. For learning how to do taxes, we would want to include a TEKS in math classes. In an economics class, we would require students to learn about banking and housing. In history class, students would have to learn about the importance of voting. In English class, students could learn about jobs. Cooking would be added to health class.

If in high school we can teach these skills, graduates going to college or trade school won’t need to worry about their living skills and can focus on their education. More students can finish their studies and get degrees. And once out of college or trade school, young people can focus on their jobs and responsibilities as adults. Thus jobs will be done better, people will better understand their role in society and be better rounded as both students and individuals(个人).

1. Which of the following best describes the Boomerang Generation?

A．They depend on their parents.	B．They show great interest in sports.
C．They like to take on new challenges.	D．They want to leave their parents’ homes.

2. Why does the author give the example in paragraph 2?

A．To attract readers with a funny story.

B．To offer some advice for college dropouts.

C．To explain the cause of boomeranging back.

D．To show the Boomerang Generation’s influence.

3. What does the author say about the TEKS?

A．It is easy for students to learn the TEKS.

B．They can be included in required courses.

C．More life skills should be added to the TEKS.

D．The TEKS proves to be important to students.

4. What would the author like high schools to do?

A．Teach students life skills.	B．Work together with parents.
C．Accept the Boomerang Generation.	D．Offer more support to trade schools.

3 . Talking to an adult about feelings can be an uncomfortable experience for children and adolescents. While a mental health professional can provide a confidential(私密的)space, the first few interactions can still bring them a sense of uneasiness. But what if they could share how they honestly feel without interacting directly with another human? With this in mind, a recent study from the University of Cambridge tested a robot’s effectiveness in determining children’s well-being.

The study involved 28 children between the ages of 8 and 13 and their parents or guardians completing a well-being questionnaire focused on the young individuals. Then a human-like robot asked the young participants open-ended questions about happy and sad memories over the last week and had them respond to prompts(提示)around pictures. The parents or guardians and research team members observed the interaction from a separate room.

Children with mental well-being issues were likelier to divulge the extent of these problems while talking to the robot. Researchers also found they felt more negative than stated in the initial questionnaire. On the other hand, children without previously stated mental well-being concerns presented an even more positive image to the robot.

Actually, the idea that children would share more with a robot than parents or mental health professionals is easy to understand. “Not all children have a secure attachment style, meaning they feel safe and connected to their caregivers,” says Dr. Katherine Grill, a behavioral scientist. “Children without secure attachments often find comfort in companions like imaginary friends, In this instance, a robot may serve as a viable option for children to open up about their well-being. Even in cases where children have secure attachment styles, a robot may provide them with a non-judgmental relationship where they’ re willing to share their feelings.”

“While this study demonstrates the benefit of robots, it doesn’t remove the need for human interaction in the mental health field. Technology-enabled services mean digital support and even enhanced care, but they don’t replace work with a human being,” says Dr. Aaron Haddock, associate professor of Clark University. “After all, the relationship between clients and providers is a key driver of positive treatment outcomes.”

1. What were the children arranged to do in the study?

A．Share secrets with the other children.

B．Finish a questionnaire about their parents.

C．Interact with a human-like robot alone.

D．Draw pictures about their happy memories.

2. Which of the following words can replace the word “divulge” underlined in paragraph 3?

A．Reveal.

B．Assess.

C．Control.

D．Ignore.

3. What is Dr. Katherine Grill trying to do in paragraph 4?

A．Explain the results of the study.	B．Draw conclusions from the study.
C．Make evaluations about kids’ well-being.	D．Analyze the issues with health care.

4. What is Dr. Aaron Haddock’s attitude towards technology-enabled services?

A．Generally unconcerned.	B．Particularly disapproving.
C．Totally positive.	D．Relatively objective.

4 . Managers across nearly every industry believe distraction soars as the temperature rises.     1    . More than anything, our environment impacts our productivity

    2    . Think about your morning commute: It’s sticky and humid even at 8 a. m., and by the time you get into your air-conditioned office, you’re already exhausted. Heat causes many people to feel lethargic, making it much more difficult to focus on that meeting you have first thing.

Absences naturally impact productivity

Sure, people travel and do other fun activities year-round, but many people have more going on between May and September than they do any other period.     3    . “Even if you’re not taking an exciting vacation, perhaps your coworkers are out of the office a lot,” Schinke says. “This can impact the productivity of the whole team.”

    4    . The sun won’t set until past 8 p. m., so it’s natural to want to soak up every moment after you escape your overly air-conditioned office.

During these months, you’re far more likely to stay up later, meaning you feel sleepy when it’s time to clock in. It’s not too different than the decline in productivity that follows the Super Bowl or St. Patrick’s Day.     5    .

A．Here are the real reasons

B．Temperature is part of the reason

C．Here are some tips on how to deal with it

D．Your sleep (or lack of sleep) can be a factor

E．More vacation time means less progress

F．This is really why you’re less product vein the summer

G．But in summer, it could be a more frequent occurrence

5 . 英语课上，你们班准备就“分数与能力”进行一次讨论。请发表你的看法，内容包括：
1.简要评论现状； 2.你的观点及建议。
注意:1.词数100左右；             
2.题目已为你写好。       

Score and Ability

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6 . Quantum ( 量子 ) computers have been on my mind a lot lately. A friend has been sending me articles on how quantum computers might help solve some of the biggest challenges we face as humans. I’ve also had exchanges with two quantum-computing experts. One is computer scientist Chris Johnson who I see as someone who helps keep the field honest. The other is physicist Philip Taylor.

For decades, quantum computing has been little more than a laboratory curiosity. Now, big tech companies have invested in quantum computing, as have many smaller ones. According to Business Weekly, quantum machines could help us “cure cancer, and even take steps to turn climate change in the opposite direction.” This is the sort of hype ( 炒作 ) that annoys Johnson. He worries that researchers are making promises they can’t keep. “What’s new,” Johnson wrote, “is that millions of dollars are now potentially available to quantum computing researchers.”

As quantum computing attracts more attention and funding, researchers may mislead investors, journalists, the public and, worst of all, themselves about their work’s potential. If researchers can’t keep their promises, excitement might give way to doubt, disappointment and anger, Johnson warns. Lots of other technologies have gone through stages of excitement. But something about quantum computing makes it especially prone to hype, Johnson suggests, perhaps because “‘quantum’ stands for something cool you shouldn’t be able to understand.” And that brings me back to Taylor, who suggested that I read his book Q for Quantum.

After I read the book, Taylor patiently answered my questions about it. He also answered my questions about PyQuantum, the firm he co-founded in 2016. Taylor shares Johnson’s concerns about hype, but he says those concerns do not apply to PyQuantum.

The company, he says, is closer than any other firm “by a very large margin ( 幅度 )” to building a “useful” quantum computer, one that “solves an impactful problem that we would not have been able to solve otherwise.” He adds, “People will naturally discount my opinions, but I have spent a lot of time quantitatively comparing what we are doing with others.”

Could PyQuantum really be leading all the competition “by a wide margin”, as Taylor claims? I don’t know. I’m certainly not going to advise my friend or anyone else to invest in quantum computers. But I trust Taylor, just as I trust Johnson.

1. Regarding Johnson’s concerns, the author feels ________.

A．sympathetic

B．unconcerned

C．doubtful

D．excited

2. What leads to Taylor’s optimism about quantum computing?

A．His dominance in physics.	B．The competition in the field.
C．His confidence in PyQuantum.	D．The investment of tech companies.

3. What does the underlined word “prone” in Paragraph 3 most probably mean?

A．Open.

B．Cool.

C．Useful.

D．Resistant.

4. Which would be the best title for the passage?

A．Is Johnson More Competent Than Taylor?

B．Is Quantum Computing Redefining Technology?

C．Will Quantum Computers Ever Come into Being?

D．Will Quantum Computing Ever Live Up to Its Hype?

7 . 最近，你们班就“是否应该帮助陌生人”展开了讨论，同学们就这一话题意见不一，你的看法如何？根据所提供的信息，以“Should We Help Strangers?”为题，写一篇短文。

	原因
赞成	帮助他人是美德； 帮助他人就是帮助自己；
反对	怕陷入麻烦； 怕被误解；
你的观点？（至少两点）

注意：
1.表达清楚，语法正确，上下文连贯；
2.必须包括表格中所有的相关信息，并适当发挥；
3.词数：100左右（正文的开头已给出，不计入总词数）；
4.不得使用真实姓名、校名和地名等。
参考词汇：美德virtue

Should We Help Strangers?

Recently our class had a discussion about whether we should help strangers. Different students have different opinions.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8 . A small recording studio in Communication University of China (CUC) is a movie production center, which creates movie audio descriptions to serve the visually disabled. From the landscape in the background to the movements of the characters, and even emotional changes of the roles, these creators describe every detail in the movies, so visually disabled people can “watch” them like every other normal moviegoer.

However, as there are over 10 million people living with visual disability in China, the number of theaters providing the service falls short of demand. At the same time, challenges still exist. The first issue that movies are now facing is the varying levels of quality, which has resulted in the failure of some projects. Copyright can be another huge problem. To expand the range of movies that can add audio descriptions, China has applied for entry to the Marrakesh Treaty, an international treaty about copyright permission for specially adapted literature works for people with visual disability.

“Soon we can make more movies for the disabled. Our next goal is to make these audio descriptions of films available at the same time as their main cinemas release, so people with visual disability can walk into the cinemas with their families and friends to cry and laugh together. They also enjoy art, life and movies equally like the rest of the world,” Fu Haizheng, project dean from CUC, told Global Times on Wednesday.

1. How does the studio help the visually disabled watch the movies?

A．Introducing the main plot.	B．Offering background music.
C．Providing special languages.	D．Adding detailed descriptions.

2. Why does China apply for entry to the Marrakesh Treaty?

A．To make Chinese movies go global.

B．To improve the quality of the films.

C．To have permission to adapt more movies.

D．To get sponsorship from an international organization.

3. What is the text?

A．A news report.	B．A research paper.
C．A movie review.	D．A theater poster.

9 . A situation in which the student is troubled by his parents pressuring him to go into a job area that makes good money but he doesn’t want to go into that career area, is bad. The question is whether he should go into this job or not.

To start out, you need to go for what is best for YOU even if there would be some negative consequences. You can't be happy unless you make decisions that are right for you. If you do not make your own decisions and make decisions that will benefit you, your life would be a big lie to yourself.

Living a lie would not be a very good life. The truth is much better than living a lie or some fantasy world. If your whole life is a lie, then it is not a very beautiful life at all. In the song Lyin’Eyes, the woman is living a lie by pretending she loves this old man, when in reality" she is just in it for the money. As a result, her life is miserable and a big lie.

And finally, money can not buy happiness. A good example of this is from the song Lyin’ Eyes. The only reason the woman married the old man is for the money and gifts she would receive. This results in her life being not at all happy. This just goes to show that no matter how much money you have your life still might not be happy. It takes a lot more than a bunch of green paper to make your life a good one

In conclusion, doing what you want is best. If you don’t do what you want to, you won’t be happy with your life and your career.

1. What is the passage mainly about?

A．There is something more important than money in life

B．Young people should make their own career decisions

C．Parents should not pressure their children to live a lie

D．Young people are happy to make their own decisions

2. What does The song Lyin’ Eyes tell people to do?

A．to do what they are interested in	B．to be a responsible citizen
C．to live a simple life	D．to face negative consequences

3. What can we infer about the woman in the song?

A．She lived a happy life	B．She had a happy marriage
C．She married a rich man	D．She often lied to others

4. Which of the following is NOT used to support the writer’s conclusion?

A．You should make your own decisions.	B．Living a lie would not be good.
C．Wealth doesn’t mean happiness.	D．It’s wise to do what you want.

10 . A Chinese professor in Los Angeles repelled (击退) an armed robbery attempt by using martial arts last week, Southern Metropolis Daily reported on Tuesday.

Zhou Pigai, a professor at the School of Public Administration of Xiangtan University in Central China’s Hunan province, arrived in Los Angeles to participate in an academic visiting program at the University of Southern California on Oct.31.

The next day, while Zhou was looking for a place to stay in Chinatown, a neighborhood in downtown LA, a robber wearing a black mask got out of a truck parked near him and held him at gunpoint in a narrow street. Zhou, with experience in martial arts, reflexively (条件反射地) disarmed (缴械) the robber, knocking both himself and the robber down with a kick.

After Zhou got up and retreated to a nearby road, the robber pursued him, holding him at gunpoint a second time while Zhou was checking his facial injuries with his phone. Zhou handed over his luggage out of caution, but found the opportunity to strike again when the robber approached to take his backpack. The robber, struck and disarmed a second time, turned and ran with Zhou’s case toward the truck that had followed them out of the alleyway. Not knowing whether the robber had other armed suspects inside the truck, Zhou decided not to attempt to catch the robber himself.

After receiving help from several good people at a nearby Chinese market, including a witness who noted the truck’s license number, Zhou met with the community officer for the LA Chinatown Business Improvement District, and together they filed a police report.

Zhou said in interviews his actions should not be advocated due to the potential risk involved, adding his initial response was more of a reflex than a well-thought-out move. However, he also said he did not panic at the time of the incident and one should not be too quick to compromise or back down, as it would encourage criminals in the area to commit the same crime repeatedly.

1. What did Zhou go to Los Angeles for?

A．Going on a holiday.	B．Visiting one of his relatives.
C．Promoting Chinese martial arts.	D．Attending an academic program.

2. What does the underlined word “retreated” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A．Cycled in.

B．Moved away.

C．Crawled backward.

D．Drove forward.

3. Why did Zhou decide not to catch the robber himself?

A．He was sure of the danger ahead.

B．He was injured badly and couldn’t move.

C．Someone dialed the emergency call and the police arrived.

D．He didn’t know if there were other robbers in the truck.

4. Which can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Stay calm when faced with robbery	B．Martial arts should be learned in case of danger
C．Chinese professor pushed robber back with kung fu	D．Chinese professor filed a police report in Los Angeles