1 . Every year around August, millions of teens take their parents to stores to buy new clothes for the start of the school year. Not every parent can afford this, and some teens are forced to go to school in the same clothes they wore last year. The obvious differences in clothes cause differences among students. There is a simple solution to this problem; school uniforms (校服).
I know from personal experience and surveys that wearing uniforms creates a sense of equality among peers (同龄人).
From sixth grade until I graduated from senior high school, I attended a school that required students to wear uniforms. The uniform was very simple: dark brown shoes, green-brown pants, and a white shirt. The uniform left little room for any kind of self-expression, especially through clothes.
However, I learned how to stand out by expressing myself through my personality, art, and sports. I did not know I could draw until the sixth grade. I also would never have learned of my musical abilities if it hadn’t been for my desire to find ways to express myself. Uniforms taught me that I was myself, except what I wore.
Uniforms also contribute to a much safer learning environment. I remember a particular event that happened in my junior high school. A man ran away from prison and wanted to hide in the gym of our school. Luckily, cameras all over the school quickly found the stranger before any danger could ever happen as he was out of place. School officials kept the man locked inside our gym until the police came to take him back to prison.
Uniforms help provide a better educational experience for all students no matter what race, culture, or economic class (经济阶层). In closing, wearing uniforms is good for both schools and students.
1. How does the author introduce the topic?| A．By explaining a basic rule. |
| B．By challenging others’ views. |
| C．By describing a common problem. |
| D．By sharing his parents’ experience. |
| A．Uniforms should be more modern. |
| B．Uniforms can help shape better students. |
| C．Uniforms are popular with students. |
| D．Uniforms are bad for self-development. |
| A．Dressing differently. | B．Standing straight. |
| C．Running fast. | D．Breathing heavily. |
| A．To record his high school life. |
| B．To show his supportive view towards uniforms. |
| C．To ask students to like what they wear. |
| D．To introduce high school uniforms. |
2 . It was a quiet early afternoon in the library, and we librarians were enjoying a chat at the library desk. Suddenly, a regular reader, who had been reading a magazine, marched up to us, gave us an annoyed “Shush (嘘)!” and went back to her seat.
Shocked into silence, we tried not to laugh. How strange for a group of librarians to be shushed by a reader! Shouldn’t it be the other way around?
Well, it seems hard to explain. If you’re a baby boomer (婴儿潮出生的人) like me, you probably remember libraries as places of adults’ silent reading. These days, however, libraries are more like busy community centers, where being noisy to some degree is the new normal, especially when kids are taking part.
I am a loud librarian. My voice is naturally on the louder side. The hundreds of programs I led as a children’s librarian were filled with singing, dancing, movement exercises and cheerful readings of books with crowds of children and their caregivers. No shushing allowed!
Growing knowledge about the importance of kids and teens learning through hands-on experiences has since caused a sea change in how public libraries connect with young readers. These types of programs like board games, poetry reading and story times certainly aren’t designed to be silent.
But it’s a balancing act. Not all readers—or librarians—like the idea of a noisy library. It’s clear to me now that on the day my colleagues and I were shushed by a reader, we should have been using our “library voices” as we talked. Still, it’s unlikely that libraries will ever return to the days when they were places of silence. There’s just too much fun and learning happening. I heartily agree with my friend Rachel Payne, an early-childhood service educator at the Brooklyn Public Library, who told me, “When I visit a library and it is quiet, I always feel a bit sad. A library where conversations are happening and tables are full is a very good thing!”
1. How did the author think of the shush from a reader?| A．Unexpectedly funny. | B．Really annoying. | C．Quite necessary. | D．Very heartwarming. |
| A．They serve kids only. | B．They become quieter. |
| C．They are less popular. | D．They have different functions. |
| A．To show different voices. | B．To express the author’s idea. |
| C．To make the end interesting. | D．To promote a new reading method. |
| A．How to Act in the Library | B．It’s OK for a Library to Be Noisy |
| C．Why to Keep Silent in the Library | D．It’s Necessary for Librarians to Change |
3 . Have you ever run into a careless cell phone user on the street? Perhaps they were busy talking, texting or checking updates on WeChat without looking at what was going on around them. As the number of this new “species” of human has kept rising, they have been given a new name — phubbers (低头族).
Recently, a cartoon made by students from China Central Academy of Fine Arts put this group of people under the spotlight. In the short film, phubbers with various social identities (身份) are buried in their phones. A doctor plays with his cell phone while letting his patient die, a pretty woman takes selfie (自拍照) in front of a car accident site, and a father loses his child without knowing about it while using his mobile phone. A chain of similar events eventually destroys the world.
Although the ending sounds overstated (夸大), the damage phubbing can bring is real. Your health is the first to bear the effect and result of it. “Continuously stretching (伸展) your head to check your cell phone could damage your neck,” Guangming Daily quoted doctors as saying. “The neck is like a rope that breaks after long-term stretching.” Also, staring at cell phones for long periods of time will damage your eyesight gradually, according to the report.
But that’s not all. Being a phubber could also damage your social skills and drive you away from your friends and family. At reunions with family or friends, many people stick to their cell phones while others are chatting happily with each other and this creates a strange atmosphere, Qilu Evening News reported.
It can also cost you your life. There have been lots of reports on phubbers who fell to their death, suffered accidents, and were robbed (抢劫) of their cell phones in broad daylight.
1. The author gives the example of a cartoon in Paragraph 2 ________.| A．to inform people of the bad effects of phubbing. |
| B．to advertise the cartoon made by students. |
| C．to show the world will finally be destroyed by phubbers. |
| D．to warn doctors against using cell phones while treating patients. |
| A．Hide. | B．Use. | C．Pay all attention to. | D．Cover. |
| A．his social skills could be affected |
| B．his neck and eyesight will be gradually harmed |
| C．he might get separated from his friends and family |
| D．he will cause the destruction of the world |
| A．supportive | B．negative | C．positive | D．objective |
4 . Academic dishonesty is nothing new. As long as there have been homework assignments and tests, there have been cheaters. The way that cheating looks has changed over time, though, particularly now that technology has made it easier than ever. A study by the Josephson Institute of Ethics interviewed 23,000 high school students and asked them a variety of questions about academic ethics. Of the teens surveyed, 51 percent said that they had knowingly cheated at some point on an exam but that they did not feel uneasy about the behaviour. A Common Sense Media survey found that 35 percent of students had cheated via smartphone, though the parents surveyed in that particular study did not believe their kids had ever cheated. In many cases, students did not realize that strategies like looking up answers on a smartphone were actually cheating at all.
In today’s classrooms, students who cheat are rarely caught. There are no formulas written on the insides of hands or students looking across the aisle, or whispering answers to their classmates. Today’s students use smartphones, tablets or even in-class computers to aid their cheating attempts and leave no trace of their crimes. Since cheating through technology is not listed specifically as being against the rules in many school policies, students do not view the actions unethical (不合道德的).
The technology is being adopted so quickly that school districts cannot adequately keep up with cheating policies, or even awareness campaigns that alert students to the problem with using technology to find answers in a certain way. From a young age, students learn that answers exist conveniently at their fingertips through search engines and expert websites.
Schools must develop anti-cheating policies that include technology and these policies must be updated consistently. Teachers must stay on guard when it comes to what their students are doing in classrooms and how technology could be playing a negative role in the learning process. Parents must also talk to their kids about the appropriate ways to find academic answers and alert them to unethical behaviours that may seem innocent in their own eyes.
1. What do we learn from the study by the Josephson Institute of Ethics?| A．Over half of the students interviewed were unaware they were cheating. |
| B．Cheating was becoming a way of life for a majority of high school teens. |
| C．Cheating was getting more and more difficult for high school students. |
| D．More than half of the interviewees felt no sense of guilt over cheating. |
| A．Most parents tended to overprotect their children. |
| B．Parents and kids had conflicting ideas over cheating. |
| C．Students were in urgent need of ethical education. |
| D．Many students committed cheating without parents’ awareness. |
| A．Alert parents to their children’s behaviour. | B．Reform their exam methods constantly. |
| C．Take advantage of the latest technologies. | D．Bring policies against cheating up to date. |
| A．Prevent students from using electronic devices. | B．Develop more effective anti-cheating strategies. |
| C．Guard against students’ misuse of technology | D．Find more ways to stop students’ unethical acts. |
5 . Although being famous might sound like a dream comes true, today’s stars, feeling like zoo animals, face pressures that few of us can imagine. They are at the center of much of the world’s attention. Paparazzi (狗仔队) camp outside their homes, cameras ready. Tabloids (小报) publish thrilling stories about their personal lives. Just imagine not being able to do anything without being photographed or interrupted for a signature.
According to psychologist Christina Villareal, celebrities -famous people -worry constantly about their public appearance. Eventually, they start to lose track of who they really are, seeing themselves the way their fans imagine them, not as the people they were before everyone knew their names. “Over time,” Villareal says, “they feel separated and alone.”
The phenomenon of tracking celebrities has been around for ages. In the 4th century B.C., painters followed Alexander the Great into battle, hoping to picture his victories for his admirers. When Charles Dickens visited America in the 19th century, his sold-out readings attracted thousands of fans, leading him to complain about his lack of privacy. Tabloids of the 1920s and 1930s ran articles about film-stars in much the same way that modern tabloids and websites do.
Being a public figure today, however, is a lot more difficult than it used to be. Superstars cannot move about without worrying about photographers with modern cameras. When they say something silly or do something ridiculous, there is always the Internet to spread the news in minutes and keep their “story” alive forever.
If fame is so troublesome, why aren’t all celebrities running away from it? The answer is there are still ways to deal with it. Some stars stay calm by surrounding themselves with trusted friends and family or by escaping to remote places away from big cities. They focus not on how famous they are but on what they love to do or whatever made them famous in the first place.
Sometimes a few celebrities can get a little justice. Still, even stars who enjoy full justice often complain about how hard their lives are. They are tired of being famous already.
1. It can be learned from the passage that stars today________.| A．can no longer have their privacy protected |
| B．care little about how they come into fame |
| C．spend too much on their public appearance |
| D．are often misunderstood by the public |
| A．The problem faced by celebrities has a long history. |
| B．Great heroes of the past were generally admired. |
| C．Well-known actors are usually targets of tabloids. |
| D．Works of popular writers often have a lot of readers. |
| A．Little social recognition | B．Availability of modern media. |
| C．Lack of favorable chances. | D．Huge population of fans. |
| A．Sincere. | B．Positive. |
| C．Sorry. | D．Disapproving. |
6 . Who is a genius? This question has greatly interested humankind for centuries.
Let’s state clearly: Einstein was a genius. His face is almost the international symbol for genius. But we want to go beyond one man and explore the nature of genius itself. Why is it that some people are so much more intelligent or creative than the rest of us? And who are they?
In the sciences and arts, those praised as geniuses were most often white men, of European origin. Perhaps this is not a surprise. It’s said that history is written by the victors, and those victors set the standards for admission to the genius club. When contributions were made by geniuses outside the club—women, or people of a different color or belief—they were unacknowledged and rejected by others.
A study recently published by Science found that as young as age six, girls are less likely than boys to say that members of their gender(性别)are “really, really smart.” Even worse, the study found that girls act on that belief: Around age six they start to avoid activities said to be for children who are “really, really smart.” Can our planet afford to have any great thinkers become discouraged and give up? It doesn’t take a genius to know the answer: absolutely not.
Here’s the good news. In a wired world with constant global communication, we’re all positioned to see flashes of genius wherever they appear. And the more we look, the more we will see that social factors(因素)like gender, race, and class do not determine the appearance of genius. As a writer says, future geniuses come from those with “intelligence, creativity, perseverance(毅力), and simple good fortune, who are able to change the world.”
1. What does the author think of victors’ standards for joining the genius club?| A．They’re unfair. | B．They’re conservative. |
| C．They’re objective. | D．They’re strict. |
| A．They think themselves smart. |
| B．They look up to great thinkers. |
| C．They see gender differences earlier than boys. |
| D．They are likely to be influenced by social beliefs |
| A．Improved global communication. |
| B．Less discrimination against women. |
| C．Acceptance of victors’ concepts. |
| D．Changes in people’s social positions. |
| A．Geniuses Think Alike | B．Genius Takes Many Forms |
| C．Genius and Intelligence | D．Genius and Luck |
7 . There are multiple experiences a Westerner can describe as a “culture shock” in China, one of the fastest-growing economies, like eating mouthwatering baozi for breakfast. These experiences, however, paled in comparison to the one I experienced during my time in an organization I’ve been serving in for two years to provide free educational tours at my leisure — the advancement and equalizing of China’s known wealth disparity（差异）through the social network and cashless payment giant（巨头）, WeChat, which I rarely used before.
Last month, the organization led a thrilling trip to camp. Initially, we went through a village kept alive by the residents. The views there are so attractive and refreshing. Walking through endless red apple trees, I saw an elderly woman who gently offered to sell me apples. Unfortunately, I informed her I didn’t have cash on hand. She quickly told me to scan the QR code（二维码）on her phone, which in seconds would get my money into her bank account via WeChat. Needless to say, I was blown away. And of course, the apples were tasty.
As an advocate of financial growth opportunities in under-served communities, it was inspiring to witness that technology lets people contribute to the economy regardless of socioeconomic background in China. Though the socioeconomic problems remain to some extent, access to and adoption of technology creating financial opportunities transforms the lives of everyday citizens and enables communities to flower.
While I once didn’t believe a “cashless society” was possible and thought it could cause more unfavorable conditions, I now stand corrected. Perhaps it might take longer for New York City to adapt, as we lag behind in this transformation and there is so much we can learn. I also wonder what the human race can achieve when technology provides endless opportunities for people of all backgrounds to advance.
1. What does the first paragraph tell us about the author?| A．She is struggling with culture shock. |
| B．She really enjoys Chinese breakfast. |
| C．She does voluntary work when free. |
| D．She likes using social networks. |
| A．Scenery of the village. | B．Taste of the apples. |
| C．Popularity of WeChat. | D．The way of paying. |
| A．Critical. | B．Positive. |
| C．Concerned. | D．Curious. |
| A．Technology helps narrow the wealth gap |
| B．New York will be the next cashless society |
| C．Humans will achieve more with technology |
| D．China becomes the fastest-growing economy |
8 . “I think I’m nothing more than a dead fish.” “I don’t want to do anything.” “I’m so beat and so sad.”…The young generation in our country used to enjoy their “happy culture” but now they have become “beat and sad” slowly and secretly. Some people even called it “the beat culture”. The “Beat” youths don’t want to do anything. They have no purpose, no desire and they are totally depressed so that they only want to live an aimless life. The “Ge You slouch (葛优瘫)” and the song I feel like having been drained are the examples.
Many media concern themselves about this phenomenon and try to persuade the youths into embracing positive and healthy feelings and encourage them to work hard to get rid of decadence. This is really a kind gesture. However, we don’t have to worry too much about this “beat culture.” In fact, it’s not a negative thing. “Beat” never means despair, but a way of self-mockery(自嘲)and pressure relief.
In general, the youths in China are not “beat”. According to a recent international research, the youths in China hold positive attitude towards the future. 29% of the Chinese interviewees believe they will live and work in peace in China because “as long as you work hard, you can have your own day”. Around 93% of the Chinese interviewees believe the future is promising because of medicine industry, renewable energy sources and computer. Compared with Chinese youngsters, youths in developed countries are more pessimistic (悲观的).
Of course there are some social reasons for the appearing of “the Beat Culture”. As urbanization develops rapidly, youths living in big cities are facing new challenges that their forefathers have never met before. Loneliness and feelings of insignificance and powerlessness are easy to get hold of the young people. Without proper care, they could threaten our mentality and cause many social problems. These problems probably need our attention more.
1. “The Beat culture” includes the following examples except that _______| A．the young generation don’t feel like doing anything. |
| B．the young generation consider themselves dead fish. |
| C．the young generation in big cities are facing new challenges. |
| D．the young generation enjoy the song I feel like having been drained. |
| A．loneliness | B．laziness |
| C．sufferings | D．pessimism |
| A．Most people believe that with hard work, people can have their own day. |
| B．These days, young people suffer much more loneliness than their parents. |
| C．Chinese youths are more negative than young people in developed countries. |
| D．Social development does bring some pressure to the younger generation. |
| A．The Chinese youths are not the beat generation. |
| B．How does “the Beat Culture” affect the Chinese youth. |
| C．“The Beat Culture” is positive to Chinese youngsters. |
| D．“The Beat culture” is popular among the Chinese youngsters. |
9 . Punks, Ravers, Mods and Teddy Boys. No, these aren’t some hot new bands, but the names of a number of British youth subcultures from the last 70 years. Youth Club, a UK not-for-profit organization, released a book earlier this year celebrating many different subcultures from throughout Britain’s recent history.
“A catalyst for creativity on the worldwide stage, British youth culture movements from the Teddy Boys of the 1950s to the Grime Scene of the 2000s continue to play a pioneering role in music, fashion and creativity across the globe,” it wrote on its website.
These subcultures were traditionally a way for young people to show their personalities to others. Walking around London in the 1970s would have meant seeing dozens of young “punks” — people dressed in ripped denim, leather jackets, body piercings and with brightly-dyed hair on the streets. And in the 90s, “ravers” were young people who threw all-night parties in abandoned buildings or car parks.
So, what was the reason behind these subcultures?
“On both sides of the Atlantic, more and more young disappointed teenagers were looking for an escape from the boredom and restrictions of society,” wrote Ian Youngs, BBC entertainment reporter. “Unemployment, racial tensions and social changes added fuel to their fires.”
Youth subcultures have almost disappeared in the West. Some experts believe the reason for this is the instant and low-priced availability of music and clothing in the Internet age. “Fashion and music, they’re much cheaper and they’re much faster today,” Ruth Adams, a culture lecturer at King’s College London told The Guardian.
“When I was a teenager, you had to stick to one type of music or fashion, because it cost more money. Now, it's all a bit vaguer,” she said, believing that it's harder to figure out someone’s personality or music tastes nowadays just by looking at them.
Despite this, Adams believes that today’s young people are still finding their own way to express themselves, but in a more modern way. “It’s certainly happening online, ”she said. “It’s a lot easier to use personas online just by showcasing certain types of mysterious knowledge. ”
1. What do we know about British youth subcultures?| A．They date back to the 1970s. | B．They were started by Youth Club. |
| C．They are contemporary culture movements. | D．They were a way for youths to express themselves. |
| A．The easy access to music and clothing. | B．Young people’s desire for freedom and fun. |
| C．The political pressure young people suffered. | D．Young people’s longing for fame and wealth. |
| A．The faster and cheaper music. | B．The instant and low-priced fashion. |
| C．The disappearance of youth subcultures. | D．The availability of music and clothing. |
| A．Young people are less willing to express themselves. |
| B．Young people are less interested in music and fashion. |
| C．Music and fashion develop too fast for young people to follow. |
| D．The Internet makes it harder to tell the young’s real personalities. |
Worse, nearly 18 million children under the age of five around the world are estimated to be overweight. What’s going on?
We really don’t have many excuses for our weight problems. The dangers of the problem have been drilled into us by public health campaigns since 2001 and the message is getting through—up to a point.
In the 1970s, Finland, for example, had the highest rate of heart disease in the world and being overweight was its main cause. Not any more. A public health campaign has greatly reduced the number of heart disease deaths by 80 per cent over the past three decades.
Maybe that explains why the percentage of people in Finland taking diet pills doubled between 2001 and 2005, and doctors even offer surgery of removing fat inside and change the shape of the body. That has become a sort of fashion. No wonder it ranks as the world’s most body conscious country.
We know what we should be doing to lose weight—but actually doing it is another matter. By far the most popular excuse is not taking enough exercise. More than half of us admit we lack willpower.
Others blame good food. They say: it’s just too inviting and it makes them overeat. Still others lay the blame on the Americans, complaining that pounds have piled on thanks to eating too much American style fast food.
Some also blame their parents—their genes. But unfortunately, the parents are wronged because they’re normal in shape, or rather slim.
It’s a similar story around the world, although people are relatively unlikely to have tried to lose weight. Parents are eager to see their kids shape up. Do as I say—not as I do.
1. What is the “strange” point mentioned in the first sentence?
| A．The good life is a greater risk than the bad life. |
| B．Starvation is taking more people’s lives in the world. |
| C．WHO report shows people’s unawareness of food safety. |
| D．Overweight issue remains unresolved despite WHO’s efforts. |
| A．A lot of effective diet pills are available. |
| B．Body image has nothing to do with good food. |
| C．They have been made fully aware of its dangers. |
| D．There are too many overweight people in the world. |
| A．the cause of heart disease |
| B．the fashion of body shaping |
| C．the effectiveness of a campaign |
| D．the history of a body conscious country |
| A．Actions or Excuses? |
| B．Overweight or Underweight? |
| C．WHO in a Dilemma |
| D．No Longer Dying of Hunger |
