第一套
Part I Writing (30 minutes)
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay on the importance of motivation and methods in learning. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.
参考范文
As an old saying goes, knowledge can change one’s life. In order to acquire knowledge, we have to study hard. However, it can not be ignored that effective learning needs both motivation and scientific methods.
It’s not difficult for us to come up with several possible reasons accounting for this perspective. In the first place, learning is a kind of serious and hard work. Therefore, not everyone is able to keep going without certain internal motivations. Besides, scientific methods play a significant role in improving learning efficiency. Many of us believe that the longer you study, the better grades you will get. But a lot of experiences of our classmates prove that this view is not entirely correct. In details, studying for a long time is exhausting and it is very likely to decrease study efficiency, which is critical to academic performance.
From what has been mentioned above, we can easily draw a conclusion that the importance of motivation and methods in learning is self-evident. And it is necessary for us to develop good learning methods.
PartⅡ Listening Comprehension (30 minutes)
Section A
Directions: In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation, you will hear four questions. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A)，B)，C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.
Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
1.
A) why Roman Holiday was more famous than Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
B)why Audrey Hepburn had more female fans than male ones.
C)Why the woman wanted to be like Audrey Hepburn.
D)why so many girls adored Audrey Hepburn.
2.
A)Her unique personality.
B)Her physical condition.
C)Her shift of interest to performing arts.
D)Her family’s suspension of financial aid.
3.
A) She was not an outgoing person.
B)She was modest and hardworking
C)She was easy-going on the whole.
D)She was usually not very optimistic.
4.
A)She was influenced by the roles she played in the films.
B)Her parents taught her to symbolize with the needy.
C)She learned to volunteer when she was a child.
D)Her family benifited from other people’s help.
Questions 5 to 8 are based on the recording you have just heard.
5.
A) Give a presentation.
B)Rise some questions.
C)Start a new company.
D)Ateed a board meeting.
6.
A) It will cut production costs.
B)It will raise productivities.
C)No staff willl be dismissed.
D)No new staff will be hired.
7.
A) The timeline of restructuring.
B) The reasons for restructuring.
C) The communication channels.
D) The company’s new missions.
8.
A) By consulting their own department managers.
B) By emailing questions to the man or the woman.
C) By exploring various channels of communication.
D) By visiting the company’s own computer network.
答案
1. D) 2. B) 3. A) 4. D) 5. A) 6. C) 7. B) 8. B)
Section B
Directions:In this section, you will hear two passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear three or four questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A)，B)，C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.
Questions 9 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard.
9.
A) It helps passengers to take care of their pet animals.
B) It has animals to help passengers carry their language.
C) It uses therapy animals to soothe nervous passengers.
D) It allows passengers to have animal travel with them.
10.
A) Avoiding possible dangers.
B) Finding their way around.
C) Identifying drug smugglers.
D) Looking after sick passengers.
11.
A) Schedule their flights around the animal visits.
B) Photograph the therapy animals at the airport.
C) Keep some animals for therapeutic purposes.
D) Bring their animals on board their plane.
Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.
12.
A) Beside a beautifully painted wall in Arles.
B) Beside the gate of an ancient Roman city.
C) At the site of an ancient Roman mansion.
D) At the entrance to a reception hall in Rome.
13.
A) A number of different images. B) A number of mythological heroes.
C) Various musical instruments. D) Paintings by famous French artists.
14.
A) The originality and expertise shown. B) The worldly sophistication displayed.
C)The stunning images vividly depicted. D) The impressive skills and costly dyes.
15.
A) His artistic taste is superb. B) His identity remains unclear.
D) He was a collector of antiques. D) He was a rich Italian merchant.
答案
9. C) 10. B) 11.A) 12. C) 13. A) 14. D) 15. D)
Section C
Directions: In this section, you will hear three recordings of lectures or talks followed by three or four questions. The recordings will be played only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.
Questions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard.
16.
A) They encourage international cooperation.
B) They lay stress on basic scientific research.
C) They place great emphasis on empirical studies.
D) They favour scientists from its member countries.
17.
A) Many of them wish to win international recognition.
B) They believe that more hands will make light work.
C) They want to follow closely the international trend.
D) Many of their projects have become complicated.
18.
A) It requires mathematicians to work independently.
B) It is faced with many unprecedented challenges.
C) It lags behind other disciplines in collaboration.
D) It calls for more research funding to catch up.
Questions 19 to 21 are based on the recording you have just heard.
19.
A) Scientists tried to send a balloon to Venus.
B) Scientists discovered water on Venus.
C) Scientists found Venus had atmosphere.
D) Scientists observed Venus from a space vehicle.
20.
A) It resembles Earth in many aspects.
B)It is the same as fiction has portrayed.
C)It is a paradise of romance for alien life.
D)It undergoes geological changes like Earth.
21.
A) It might have been hotter than it is today.
B)It might have been a cozy habitat for life.
C)It used to have more water than Earth.
D)It used to be covered with rainforests.
Questions 22 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.
22.
A) Causes of sleeplessness.
B)Cross-cultural communication.
C)Cultural psychology.
D)Motivation and positive feelings.
23.
A) They attach great importance to sleep.
B)They often have trouble falling asleep.
C)They pay more attention to sleep efficiency.
D)They generally sleep longer than East Asians.
24.
A) By asking people to report their sleep habits.
B)By observing people’s sleep patterns in labs.
C)By having people wear motion-detecting watches.
D)By videotaping people’s daily sleeping processes.
25.
A) It has made remarkable progress in the past few decades.
B)It has not yet explored the cross-cultural aspect of sleep.
C)It has not yet produced anything conclusive.
D)It has attached attention all over the world.
答案
16. A) 17. D) 18. C) 19. B) 20.A) 21. C) 22. C) 23. D) 24. C) 25. B)
Part Ⅲ Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)
Section A
Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.
Questions 26 to 35 are based on the following passage.
Pasta is no longer off the menu, after a new review of studies suggested that the carbohydrate can form part of a healthy diet, and even help people lose weight. For years, nutritionists have recommended that pasta be kept to a 26 , to cut calories, prevent fat build-up and stop blood sugar 27 up.
The low-carbohydrate food movement gave birth to such diets as the Atkins, Paleo and Keto, which advised swapping foods like bread, pasta and potatoes for vegetables, fish and meat. More recently the trend of swapping spaghetti for vegetables has been 28 by clean-eating experts.
But now a 29 review and analysis of 30 studies by Canadian researchers found that not only does pasta not cause weight gain, but three meals a week can help people drop more than half a kilogram over four months. The reviewers found that pasta had been unfairly demonized (妖魔化) because it had been 30 in with other, more ft-promoting carbohydrates.
“The study found that pasta didn’t 3 to weight gain or increase in body fat,” said lead author Dr John Sievenpiper. “In 32 the evidence, we can now say with some confidence that pasta does not have an 33 effect on body weigh outcomes when it is consumed as part of a healthy dietary pattern.” In fact, analysis actually showed a small weigh loss 34 to concerns. perhaps pasta can be part of a healthy diet
Those involved in the 35 trials on average ate 3.3 servings of pasta a week instead of other carbohydrates, one serving equaling around half a cup. They lost around half a kilogram over an average follow-up of 12 weeks.
A) adverse
B) championed
C clinical
D) contrary
E) contribute
F) intimate
G) lumped
H) magnified
D) minimum
J) radiating
K) ration
L) shooting
M) subscribe
N) systematic
O) weighing
答案 26. K) 27. L) 28. B) 29. N) 30. G) 31. E) 32. O) 33. A) 34. D) 35. C)
Section B
Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.
The Best Retailers Combine Bricks and Clicks
A) Retail profits are falling sharply. Stores are closing. Malls are emptying. The depressing stories just keep coming. Reading the earnings announcements of large retail stores like Macy’s, Nordstrom, and Target is about as uplifting as a tour of an intensive care unit. The interact is apparently taking down yet another industry. Brick and mortar stores (实体店) seem to be going the way of the yellow pages. Sure enough, the Census Bureau just released data showing that online retail sales surged 15.2 percent between the first quarter of 2015 and the first quarter of 2016.
B) But before you dump all of your retail stocks, there are more facts you should consider. Looking only at that 15.2 percent "surge" would be misleading. It was an increase that was on a small base of 6.9 percent. Even when a tiny number grows by a large percentage terms, it is often still tiny.
C) More than 20 years after the internet was opened to commerce, the Census Bureau tells us that brick and mortar sales accounted for 92.3 percent of retail sales in the first quarter of 2016. Their data show that only 0.8 percent of retail sales shifted from offline to online between the beginning of 2015 and 2016.
D) So, despite all the talk about drone (无人机) deliveries to your doorstep, all the retail executives expressing anxiety over consumers going online, and even a Presidential candidate exclaiming that Amazon has a "huge antitrust problem," the Census data suggest that physical retail is thriving. Of course, the closed stores, depressed executives, and sinking stocks suggest otherwise. What's the real story?
E) Many firms operating brick and mortar stores are in trouble. The retail industry is getting reinvented, as we describe in our new book Matchmakers. It's standing in the Path of what Schumpeter called a gale (大风) of creative destruction. That storm has been brewing for some time, and as it has reached gale force, most large retailers are searching for a response. As the CFO of Macy’s put it recently, “We’re frankly scratching our heads.”
F) But it’s not happening as experts predicted. In the peak of the dot. com bubble, brick and mortar retail was one of those industries the internet was going to kill-and quickly. The
dot.corn bust discredited most predictions of that sort and in the years that followed, onventional retailers’ confidence in the future increased as Census continued to report weak online sales. And then the gale hit.
G) It is becoming increasingly clear that retail reinvention isn’t a simple battle to the death between bricks and clicks. It is about devising retail models that work for people who are making increasing use of a growing array of internet-connected tools to change how they search, shop, and buy. Creative retailers are using the new technologies to innovate just about everything stores do from managing inventory, to marketing, to getting paid.
H) More than drones dropping a new supply of underwear on your doorstep, Apple’s massively successful brick-and-mortar-and-glass retail stores and Amazon’s small steps in the same direction are what should keep old-fashioned retailers awake at night. Not to mention the large number of creative new retailers, like Bonobos, that are blending online and offline experiences in creative ways.
I) Retail reinvention is not a simple process, and it’s also not happening on what used to be called "Internet Time." Some internet-driven changes have happened quickly, of course. Craigslist quickly overtook newspaper classified ads and turned newspaper economics upside down. But many widely anticipated changes weren’t quick, and some haven’t really started. With the benefit of hindsight (后见之明), it looks like the interact will transform the economy at something like the pace of other great inventions like electricity. B2B commerce, for example, didn’t move mainly online by 2005 as many had predicted in 2000, nor even by 2016, but that doesn’t mean it won’t do so over the next few decades.
J) But the gale is still blowing. The sudden decline in foot traffic in recent years, even though it hasn’t been accompanied by a massive decline in physical sales, is a critical warning. People can shop more efficiently online and therefore don’t need to go to as many stores to find what they want. There’s a surplus of physical shopping space for the crowds, which is one reason why stores are downsizing and closing.
K) The rise of the mobile phone has recently added a new level of complexity to the process of retail reinvention. Even five years ago most people faced a choice. Sit at your computer, probably at home or at the office, search and browse, and buy. Or head out to the mall, or Main Street, look and shop, and buy. Now, just about everyone has a smartphone, connected to the internet almost everywhere almost all the time. Even when a retailer gets a customer to walk in the store, she can easily see if there’s a better deal online or at another store nearby.
L) So far, the main thing many large retailers have done in response to all this is to open online stores, so people will come to them directly rather than to Amazon and its smaller online rivals.Many are having the same problem that newspapers have. Even if they get online traffic, they struggle to make enough money online to compensate for what they are losing offline.
M) A few seem to be making this work.Among large traditional retailers, Walmart recently reported the best results, leading its stock price to surge, while Macy’s, Target, and Nordstrom’s dropped. Yet Walmart’s year-over-year online sales only grew 7 percent, leading its CEO to lament (哀叹), “Growth here is too slow.”Part of the problem is that almost two decades after Amazon filed the one.click patent, the online retail shopping and buying experience is filled with frictions.A recent study graded more than 600 internet retailers on how easy it was for consumers to shop, buy, and pay.Almost half of the sites didn’t get a passing grade and only 18 percent got an A or B.
N) The turmoil on the ground in physical retail is hard to square with the Census data. Unfortunately, part of the explanation is that the Census retail data are unreliable.Our deep 100k into those data and their preparation revealed serious problems.It seems likely that Census simply misclassifies a large chunk of online sales.It is certain that the Census procedures, which lump the online sales of major traditional retailers like Walmart with“non-store retailers"1ike food trucks.can mask major changes in individual retail categories.The bureau could easily present their data in more useful ways.but they have chosen not to.
O) Despite the turmoil, brick and mortar won’t disappear any time soon.The big questions are which, if any, of the large traditional retailers will still be on the scene in a decade or two because they have successfully reinvented themselves, which new players will operate busy stores on Main Streets and maybe even in shopping malls, and how the shopping and buying experience will have changed in each retail category.Investors shouldn’t write off brick and mortar.Whether they should bet on the traditional players who run those stores now is another matter
36.Although online retailing has existed for some twenty years, nearly half of the internet retailers still fail to receive satisfactory feedback from consumers, according to a recent survey.
37.Innovative retailers integrate internet technologies with conventional retailing to create new retail models.
38.Despite what the Census data suggest, the value of physical retail’s stocks has been dropping.
39.Innovative—driven changes in the retail industry didn’t take place as quickly as widely anticipated.
40. Statistics indicate that brick and mortar sales still made up the lion’s share of the retail business.
41. Companies that successfully combine online and offline business models may prove to be a big concern for traditional retailers.
42.Brick and mortar retailers’ faith in their business was strengthened when the dot com bubble burst.
43. Despite the tremendous challenges from online retailing, traditional retailing will be here to stay for quite some time.
44. With the rise of online commerce, physical retail stores are likely to suffer the same fate as i the yellow pages.
45. The wide use of smartphones has made it more complex for traditional retailers to reinvent their business.
答案
36. M 37. G 38. D 39. I 40. C 41. H 42. F 43. 0 44. A 45. K
Section C
Directions: There are 2 passages in this section.Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements.For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C)and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.
Professor Stephen Hawking has warned that the creation of powerful artifcial intelligence (AI) will be “either the best, or the worst thing, ever to happen to humanity”, and praised the creation of an academic institute dedicated to researching the future of intelligence as “ crucial to the future of our civilisation and our species”.
Hawking was speaking at the opening of the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence(LCFI) at Cambridge University, a multi-disciplinary institute that will attempt to tackle some of the open-ended questions raised by the rapid pace of development in AI research. “We spend a great deal of time studyin history,” Hawking said, “which, let’s face it, is mostly the history of stupidity. So it;s a welcome change that people are studying instead the future of intelligence.”
While the world-renowned physicist has often been cautious about AI, raising concerns that humanity could be the architect of its own destruction if it creates a super-intelligence with a will of its own, he was also quick to highlight the positives that AI research can bring. “The potential benefits of creating intelligence are huge,” he said. “We cannot predict what we might achieve when our own minds are amplified by AI. Perhaps with the tools of this new technological revolution, we will be able to undo some of the damage done to the natural world by the last one-industrialisation. And surely we will aim to finally eradicate disease and poverty. And every aspect of our lives will be transformed. In short, success in creating AI could be the biggest event in the history of our civilisation.”
Huw Price, the centre’s academic director and the Bertrand Russell professor of philosophy at Cambridge University, where Hawking is also an academic, said that the centre came about partially as a result of the university’s Centre for Existential Risk. That institute examined a wider range of potential problems for humanity, while the LCFI has a narrow focus.
AI pioneer Margaret Boden, professor of cognitive science at the University of Sussex, praised the progress of such discussions. As recently as 2009, she said, the topic wasn’t taken seriously, even among AI researchers. “AI is hugely exciting,” she said, “but it has limitations, which present grave dangers given uncritical use.”
The academic community is not alone in warning about the potential dangers of AI as well as the potential benefits. A number of pioneers from the technology industry, most famously the entrepreneur Elon Musk, have also expressed their concerns about the damage that a super-intelligent AI could do to humanity.
46. What did Stephen Hawking think of artificial intelligence?
A) It would be vital to the progress of human civilisation.
B) It might be a blessing or a disaster in the making.
C) It might present challenges as well as opportunities.
D) It would be a significant expansion of human intelligence.
47. What did Hawking say about the creation of the LCFI?
A) It would accelerate the progress of AI research.
B) It would mark a step forward in the AI industry.
C) It was extremely important to the destiny of humankind.
D) It was an achievement of multi-disciplinary collaboration.
48. What did Hawking say was a welcome change in AI research?
A) The shift of research focus from the past to the future.
B) The shift of research from theory to implementation.
C) The greater emphasis on the negative impact of AI.
D) The increasing awareness of mankind’s past stupidity.
49. What concerns did Hawking raise about AI?
A) It may exceed human intelligence sooner or later.
B) It may ultimately over-amplify the human mind.
C) Super-intelligence may cause its own destruction.
D) Super-intelligence may eventually ruin mankind.
50. What do we learn about some entrepreneurs from the technology industry?
A) They are much influenced by the academic community.
B) They are most likely to benefit from AI development.
C) They share the same concerns about AI as academics.
D) They believe they can keep AI under human control.
答案 46. B 47. C 48. A 49. D 50. C
Passage Two
Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.
The market for products designed specifically for older adults could reach $30 billion by next year, and startups (初创公司) want in on the action. What they sometimes lack is feedback from the people who they hope will use their products. So Brookdale, the country’s largest owner of retirement communities, has been inviting a few select entrepreneurs just to move in for a few days, show off their products and hear what the residents have to say.
That’s what brought Dayle Rodriguez, 28, all the way from England to the dining room of Brookdale South Bay in Torrance, California. Rodriguez is the community and marketing manager for a company called Sentab. The startup’s product, SentabTV, enables older adults who may not be comfortable with computers to access email, video chat and social media using just their televisions and a remote control.
“It’s nothing new, it’s nothing too complicated and it’s natural because lots of people have TV remotes,”says Rodriguez.
But none of that is the topic of conversation in the Brookdale dining room. Instead, Rodriguez solicits residents’ advice on what he should get on his cheeseburger and how he should spend the afternoon. Playing cards was on the agenda, as well as learning to play mahjong (麻将).
Rodriguez says it’s important that residents here don’t feel like he’s selling them something. “I’ve had more feedback in a passive approach,”he says. “Playing pool, playing cards, having dinner, having lunch,”all work better “than going through a survey of questions. When they get to know me and to trust me, knowing for sure I’m not selling them something—there’ll be more honest feedback from them.”
Rodriguez is just the seventh entrepreneur to move into one of Brookdale’s 1,100 senior living communities. Other new products in the program have included a kind of full-body blow dryer and specially designed clothing that allows people with disabilities to dress and undress themselves.
Mary Lou Busch, 93, agreed to try the Sentab system. She tells Rodriguez that it might be good for someone, but not for her.
“I have the computer and FaceTime, which I talk with my family on,”she explains. She also has an iPad and a smartphone. “So I do pretty much everything I need to do.”
To be fair, if Rodriguez had wanted feedback from some more technophobic (害怕技术的) seniors, he might have ended up in the wrong Brookdale community. This one is located in the heart of Southern California’s aerospace corridor. Many residents have backgrounds in engineering, business and academic circles.
But Rodriguez says he's still learning something important by moving into this Brookdale community: “People are more tech-proficient than we thought.”
And besides, where else would he learn to play mahjong?
51. What does the passage say about the startups?
A) They never lose time in upgrading products for seniors.
B) They want to have a share of the seniors’ goods market.
C) They invite seniors to their companies to try their products.
D) They try to profit from promoting digital products to seniors.
52. Some entrepreneurs have been invited to Brookdale to
A) have an interview with potential customers
B) conduct a survey of retirement communities
C) collect residents’ feedback on their products
D) show senior residents how to use IT products
53. What do we know about SentabTV?
A) It is a TV program catering to the interest of the elderly.
B) It is a digital TV which enjoys popularity among seniors.
C) It is a TV specially designed for seniors to view programs.
D) It is a communication system via TV instead of a computer.
54. What does Rodriguez say is important in promoting products?
A) Winning trust from prospective customers.
B) Knowing the likes and dislikes of customers.
C) Demonstrating their superiority on the spot.
D) Responding promptly to customer feedback.
55. What do we learn about the seniors in the Brookdale community?
A) Most of them are interested in using the Sentab.
B) They are quite at ease with high-tech products.
C) They have much in common with seniors elsewhere.
D) Most of them enjoy a longer life than average people.
答案 51-55 BCDAB
Part Ⅳ Translation (30 minutes)
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English.You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.
成语(Chinese idioms)是汉语中的一种独特的表达方式，大多由四个汉字组成。它们高度简练且形式固定，但通常能形象地表达深刻的含义。成语大多数来源于中国古代的文学作品，通常与某些神话、传说或者历史事件有关。如果不知道某个成语的出处，就很难理解其确切含义。因为，学习成语有助于人们更好地理解中国传统文化。成语在日常会话和文学创作中广泛使用。恰当使用成语可以使一个人的语言更具表现力，交流更有效。
参考译文：
Chinese idiom is a unique way of expression in Chinese, mostly composed of four Chinese characters. Although highly concise and fixed in form, they usually entail profound meanings. Most idioms stem from ancient Chinese literature and are usually related with certain myths, legends or historical events. It is difficult to understand its exact meaning with little knowledge of its origin as learning idioms helps people better understand Chinese traditional culture. Idioms are widely used in daily conversation and literary creation. Proper use of idioms can make a person's language more expressive and help to deliver a more effective communication.
第二套
Part I Writing (30 minutes)
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay on the importance of mutual understanding and respect in interpersonal relationships. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.
参考范文：
When it comes to interpersonal relationships, it is important to show mutual understanding and respect.
It is apparent that mutual understanding and respect are crucial. Hardly can any one achieve success in his career without this. When we are in the workplace, mutual understanding and respect also should be emphasized.For example, you may have a different perspective on how a task will proceed with your college, if you understand that it is natural that people could have different perspectives because of diverse upbringing and education, quarrels could be avoided and a solution might be found. Also,if you respect one another at work, automatically you will be able to earn respect in return. And one of the biggest benefits of respecting one another in workplace is that you begin to improve relationships and a friendly and productive working environment can be created.
On the basis of the analysis above, we may draw a conclusion that mutual understanding and respect really count in this competitive society. Hence ,we should learn to respect people around us.
PartⅡ Listening Comprehension (30 minutes)
Section A
Directions: In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation, you will hear four questions. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A)，B)，C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.
Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
1. What did Cathy and Brenda finished doing last week?
A) A six- month-long negotiation.
B) Preparations for the party.
C) A project with a troublesome client.
D) Gift wrapping for the colleagues.
2. What is John going to do for Brenda?
A) Take wedding photos.
B) Advertise her company.
C) Start a small business.
D) Throw a celebration party.
3. How did Kathy feel when asked to bake the cake?
A) Hesitant.
B) Nervous.
C) Flattered.
D) Surprised.
4. What does the man suggest the woman do?
A) Start her own bakery.
B) Improve her baking skill.
C) Share her cooking experience.
D) Prepare for the wedding.
答案 1. C 2. A 3. B 4. A
听力原文
Cathy: Hi, my name's Cathy, nice to meet you.
John: Nice to meet you too Kathy, my name's John. I'm a university friend of the bride. What about you? Who do you know at this party?
Cathy: I am a colleague of Brenda. I was a little surprised to be invited to be honest. We've only been working together the last six months, but we quickly became good friends. (1) We just wrapped up a project with a difficult client last week. I bet Brenda is glad it's done with, and she can focus on wedding preparations.
John: Oh, yes. So you are Cathy from the office. Actually I've heard a lot about you in that project, the client sounded like a real nightmare.
Cathy: Oh, he was, I mean we deal with all kinds of people on a regular basis, it's part of the job, but he was especially particular. Enough about that, what line of work are you in?
John: Well, right out of college I worked in advertising for a while. Recently though, I turn my photography hobby into a small business. (2) I'll actually be taking photos during the big event as a wedding gift.
Cathy: That sounds wonderful and very thoughtful of you. I bake, just as a hobby. (3) But Brenda has asked me to do the cake for the wedding. I was a bit nervous saying yes because I'm far from a professional.
John: Did you bake the cookies here at the party tonight?
Cathy: Yes, I got the idea from a magazine.
John: They're delicious! You've got nothing to worry about. You are a natural.
Cathy: You really think so?
John: If you hadn’t told me that. I would have guessed they were baked by the restaurant. (4) You know, with your event planning experience you could very well open your own shop.
Cathy: (laughing) One step at a time. First, I'll see how baking the wedding cake goes. If it's not a disaster, maybe I'll give it some more thought.
Questions 5 to 8 are based on the recording you have just heard.
5. What does the man say about college students as compared with high schoolers?
A) They have to spend more time studying.
B) They have to participate in club activities.
C) They have to be more responsible for what they do.
D) They have to choose a specific academic discipline.
6. What are college students expected to do according to the man?
A) Get ready for a career.
B) Make a lot of friends.
C) Set a long-term goal.
D) Behave like adults.
7. What kind of friends does the man suggest the woman make as a college student?
A) Those who share her academic interests.
B) Those who respect her student commitments.
C) Those who can help her when she is in need.
D) Those who go to the same clubs as she does.
8. What kind of club activities should college students engaging according to the man?
A) Those helpful for tapping their potential.
B)Those conducive to improving their social skills.
C)Those helpful for cultivating individual interests.
D)Those conducive to their academic studies.
答案 5. C 6. D.7. B 8. D
听力原文
M: You are heading for a completely different world, now that you are about to graduate from high school.
W: I know it’s the end of high school, but many of classmates are going on to the same university, and we are still required to study hard. So what’s the difference?
M: (5) Many aspects are different here at the university. The most important one is that you have to take more individual responsibility for your actions. It’s up to your own self-discipline—how much efforts you put into study. Living in college dormitories, there are no parents to tell you that study harder or stop wasting time. Lectures have hundreds of students and they are not going to follow you up or question you if you miss the lectures.
W: Nobody cares you mean?
M: It’s not that nobody concerned about you, (6) it’s just that suddenly at the university you are expected to behave like an adult. That means concentrating on the direction of your life in general and your own academic performance specifically.
W: For example…?
M: Well, like you need to manage daily, weekly and monthly schedules, so that you study regularly. Be sure to attend all classes and leave enough time to finish your assignments and prepare well for examinations.
W: Ok, and what else is different?
M: Well, in college there are lots of distractions, and you need to control yourself. You will make interesting friends, (7) but you need only keep the friends who respect your students’ commitments. Also, there are a lot of wonderful clubs, but you shouldn’t allocate too much time to club activities, unless (8) they are directly related to your study. It’s also your choice if you want to go out at night, but you will be foolish to let that affect class performance during the day.
W: Well, I’m determined to do well at the university and I guess I’m going to have to grow up fast.
Section B
Directions:In this section, you will hear two passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear three or four questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A)，B)，C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.
Questions 9 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard.
9. What does the speaker say about most successful people?
A) They break away from traditional ways of thinking.
10. What does the speaker say about Killy's experiments?
B) They resulted in a brand-new style of skiing technique.
11. What is said to be Killy's biggest honor in his skiing career?
C) He won three gold medals in one Winter Olympics.
答案 ABC
听力原文
(9) Most successful people are unorthodox persons whose minds wonder outside traditional ways of thinking. Instead of trying to refine old formulas, they invent new ones. When Jean-Claude Killy made the French national ski team in the early 1960s, he was prepared to work harder than anyone else to be the best. At the crack of dawn, he would run up the slopes with his skis on, an unbelievably backbreaking activity. In the evening, he would do weightlifting and running. But the other team members were working as hard and long as he was. He realized instinctively that simply training harder would never be enough. Killy then began challenging the basic theories of racing technique.
Each week, he would try something different to see if he could find a better, faster way down the mountain. (10) His experiments resulted in a new style that was almost exactly opposite the exact technique of the time. It involved skiing with his legs apart for better balance and sitting back on the skis when he came to a turn. He also used ski poles in an unorthodox way--to propel himself as he skied. The explosive new style helped cut Killy's racing time dramatically. (11) In 1966 and 1967, he captured virtually every major skiing trophy. The next year, he won three gold medals in the Winter Olympics, a record in ski racing that has never been topped. Killy learned an important secret shared by many creative people: innovations don't require genius, just a willingness to question the way things have always been done.
Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.
12. What happens to guinea pigs when blood samples of angry people are injected into them?
A) They appear restless.
B) They lose consciousness.
C) They become upset.
D) They die almost instantly.
13. What does the speaker say about every thought you have?
A) It has an instant effect on your body chemistry.
B)It keeps returning to you every now and then.
C)It leaves you with a long lasting impression.
D)It contributes to the shaping of you mind.
14. What does the speaker say is impossible?
A) To succeed while feeling irritated.
B) To feel happy without good health.
C) To be free from frustration and failure.
D) To enjoy good health while in dark moods.
15. What does the passage say about our mind and body?
A) They are closely connected.
B) They function in a similar way.
C) They are too complex to understand.
D) They reinforce each other constantly.
答案 12.D 13.A 14.D 15.A
听力原文
Scientific experiments have demonstrated incredible ways to kill a guinea pig, a small furry animal. Emotional upsets generate powerful and deadly toxic substances. (12) Blood samples taken from persons experiencing intense fear or anger when injected into guinea pigs have killed them in less than two minutes. Imagine what these poisonous substances can do to your own body.
(13) Every thought that you have affects your body chemistry within a split second. Remember how you feel when you are speeding down the highway and a big truck suddenly brakes twenty meters in front of you. A shock wave shoots through your whole system. Your mind produces instant reactions in your body.
The toxic substances that fear, anger, frustration and stress produce not only kill guinea pigs but kill us off in a similar manner. (14) It is impossible to be fearful, anxious, irritated and healthy at the same time. It is not just difficult, it is impossible. Simply put, your body’s health is a reflection of your mental health. Sickness will often then be a result of unresolved inner conflicts which in time show up in the body.
(15) It is also fascinating how our subconscious mind shapes our health. Do you recall falling sick on a day when you didn’t want to go to school? Headaches brought on by fear? (15) The mind-body connection is such that if, for example, we want to avoid something, very often our subconscious mind will arrange it. Once we recognize that these things happen to us, we are half way to doing something about them.
Section C
Directions: In this section, you will hear three recordings of lectures or talks followed by three or four questions. The recordings will be played only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.
Questions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard.
16. What does the speaker say about beginners and expert pianists?
A) They differ in their appreciation of music.
B) They focus their attention on different things.
C) They finger the piano keys in different ways.
D) They choose different pieces of music to play.
17. What do smart basketball players do according to the speaker?
A) They manage to cooperate well with their teammates.
B) They use effective tactics to defeat their competitors.
C) They try hard to meet the spectators’ expectations.
D) They attach great importance to high performance.
18. What do we learn about the new study published in an online video?
A) It marks a breakthrough in behavioral science.
B) It adopts a conventional approach to research.
C) It supports a piece of conventional wisdom.
D) It gives rise to controversy among experts.
答案 16. B. 17. D.18.C
听力原文
(16) Teachers and students alike have experienced the curious paradox that beginners, as a rule, tend to think too little about what they are doing because they think too much about what they are doing. Take for example people who are learning to play basketball or the piano. They have to give so much thought and attention to the low-level mechanics of handling the ball or fingering the keys or reading the music, that they are unable to give any thought to the thing that matters – the game, or the music, respectively. With experts, it’s just the other way around. They are open to the tactical possibilities and the musical challenges precisely because they are freed, through skill, from the need to pay attention to the low-level details of how to play. Indeed, when the expert pays attention to the mechanics, this is liable to disrupt performance.
This has led some to say that the expert operates in a zone ‘beyond thought’, in a state of flow. But this is misleading. Expert performance is not beyond thought. (17)Smart basketball players or skilled musicians need to pay close attention to the demands of high performance, to the challenges to be overcome. What they don’t need to do – what would be a distraction – is to have to think about where their fingers are, or how to control the ball while running. It’s not mechanics, but the play itself, that absorbs the experts’ intelligence. A nice video published online last month sheds light on (18) expertise and the conscious mind. The video reports a new study using an eye-tracking device. It turns out that the less-skilled pianist spends more time looking at her fingers than does the expert who, in contrast, is more likely to be looking at the sheet music, or looking ahead at keys he’s not yet playing. In general, the expert’s gaze was calmer and more stable.
This is not a surprising finding. It supports what we might almost think of as conventional wisdom. But it’s remarkable for all that, nonetheless. The eye tracker gives expert and learning performers a glimpse into what they do without thinking about it. The topic of the nature of skill – and the differences between beginners and experts – has been one of considerable discussion in cognitive science and philosophy.
Questions 19 to 21 are based on the recording you have just heard.
19. What overwhelms the speaker when she buys her summer outfits each year?
A) People’s envy of slim models.
B) People’s craze for good health.
C) The increasing range of fancy products.
D) The great variety of slimming products.
20. What does the speaker think of girls wrapping their legs up with slimming tape?
A) They appear vigorous.
B) They appear strange.
C)They look charming.
D) They look unhealthy.
21.What does the speaker think affects people’s interpretation of beauty?
A) Culture and upbringing.
B) Wealth and social status.
C)Peer pressure.
D) Media influence.
答案 19.D 20.B 21.A
听力原文
Every summer when I top up my selection of summer outfits from the department stores, my eyes would nearly pop out of my head.(19)I’m overwhelmed with the wide range of different slimming products each year. And more shockingly, these products are often advocated by very slim models. Having lived in Asia for almost ten years now, I’ve seen various dieting tips come and go. I remember in Japan people heading directly to the food section in the supermarket when the banana diet was at its peak. Then, there was the black tea and oolong tea diet followed by the soybean diet and the tomato juice diet. The list goes on and on.
Apart from what people eat, I’ve also seen many interesting slimming products. In Hongkong, I’ve seen girls wrapping their whole body or both legs up with a special type of slimming tape which is supposed to help make them thinner.(20)But it just reminded me of the roasted ham my mother usually puts on the dinner table of Christmas. Then there were the face slimming rollers that were said to improve your blood circulation and make your face smaller. Personally,(20)I do not believe in any of these slimming gadgets. And I think I have a very different perspective when it comes to the definition of what is beautiful. Asian women prefer to avoid the sun because being pale or white is considered beautiful, whereas a tanned complexion is considered much more beautiful and sexy in the west.(21)It is most certainly shaped by a person’s culture as well as how they were raised in their childhood. As each summer season approaches, there’s no escape from it.
But it’s not only women who are affected by this pressure to look good. Men aspire to be able to show off their six packs or their V-shape backs and there’s a growing market of slimming pills aimed at men too. I think no matter what diets we follow or what slimming products we obsess ourselves with, at the end of the day there’s no magic trick to shape up for the summer. Eat in a balance way and incorporate the right level of physical activity. For me, this still seems to be the best plan.
Questions 22 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.
22. What does the speaker mainly talk about?
A) The relation between hair and skin.
B) The growing interest in skin studies.
C)The color of human skin.
D) The need of skin protection.
23. What had probably caused humans to lose most of their hair one and a half million years ago?
A) The necessity to save energy.
B) Adaptation to the hot environment.
C)The need to breathe with ease.
D)Dramatic climate changes on earth.
24. What does the speaker say protected early humans from the sun?
A) Leaves and grass.
B) Man-made shelter.
C)Their skin coloring.
D) Hair on their skin.
25.What happened after humans migrated from Africa to other parts of the world?
A) Their genetic makeup began to change.
B)Their communities began to grow steadily.
C)Their children began to mix with each other.
D)Their pace of evolution began to quicken.
答案 22.A 23.B 24.C 25.A
听力原文
Skin may seem like a superficial human attribute, but it is the first thing we notice about anyone we meet. As a zoologist focusing on the studies of apes and monkeys,(22) I’ve been studying why humans evolved to become the naked ape, and why skin comes in so many different shades around the world.
We can make a very good estimate from the fossil record that humans probably evolved naked skin around a million and a half years ago. And meanwhile, they mostly lost their coat of fur. Today, we have a few patches of hair remaining on various parts of our bodies. But compared with apes and monkeys, we have very little. Basically, we turned our skin darker to serve as a natural sun-protector in the place of the hair we lost. (23) We think we lost this hair because of the need to keep ourselves cool, when we were moving around vigorously in a hot environment. We can’t really lose heat by breathing quickly and loudly like dogs. We have to do it by sweating. So we evolved the ability to sweat plentifully, and lost most of our fur.
Most animals protect themselves from the sun with fur. (24) What we did in our ancestry was to produce more permanent natural coloring in our skin cells. This was really an important revolution in human history, because it allowed us to continue to evolve in equatorial environments. It really made it possible for us to continue along the path toward modern humans in Africa.
For most of the human history, we all had dark skin. What we see today is the product of evolutionary events, resulting from the dispersal of a few human populations out of Africa around 60,000 to 70,000 years ago. Our species originated around 200,000 years ago, and underwent tremendous diversification, culturally, technologically, linguistically, artistically, for 130,000 years. After that, a few small populations left Africa to populate the rest of the world. These early ancestors of modern Eurasians disperse into parts of the world that had more seasonal sunshine and much lower levels of sun radiation. (25) It’s in these populations that we begin to see real changes in the genetic makeup of natural coloring.
Today, skin color is evolving via new mixtures of people coming together and having children with new mixtures of skin color genes. We can see this in almost every large city worldwide. Not only the coloring genes, but lots of other genes are getting mixed up, too.
Part Ⅲ Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)
Section A
Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.
Questions 26 to 35 are based on the following passage.
The dream of personalised flight is still vivid in the minds of many inventors, some developing cycle-powered craft, others 26 money into jetpacks (喷气飞行背包). However, the flying car has always remained the 27 symbol of personal transport freedom.
Several companies around the world have produced 28 that can drive on roads and fly. Airbus has a futuristic modular (组件式的) concept involving a passenger capsule that can be
29 from the road-going chassis (底盘) and picked up by a helicopter-type machine.
But all these concepts are massively expensive, require safety certification standards for road and air, need 30 controls, involve complex folding wings and propellers, and have to be flown from air-strips. So they are likely to remain rich people’s playthings rather than practical transport solutions for the masses.
“A car that takes off from some London street and lands in another 31 street is unlikely to happen,” says Prof. Gray, a leading aeronautical engineer. “Sky taxis are much more likely.” But that won’t stop inventors from dreaming up new ways to fly and trying to persuade investors to back their sometimes 32 schemes.
Civilian aviation is being disrupted, not by the age-old desires for speed, romanticism and
33 , but by the pressing need to respond to a changing climate. New electric engines coupled with artificial intelligence and 34 systems will contribute to a more efficient, integrated transport system that is less polluting and less noisy. That may sound simple, but as Prof. Gray says, “When I travel somewhere I like this notion that when I finish my journey I feel better than when I started it. That’s completely at 35 with how I feel today.” Now that would be progress.
A) autonomous I) pouring
B) detached j) prototypes
C) dual K) random
D) glamour L) repressing
E) imminent M) segmented
F) odds N) spectrum
G) opposites O) ultimate
H) outrageous
答案 26. I 27. 0 28. J 29. M 30. C 31. K 32. H 33. D 34. A 35. F
Section B
Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.
Companies Are Working with Consumers to Reduce Waste
A) As consumers, we are very wasteful. Annually, the world generates 1.3 billion tons of solid waste. This is expected to go up to 2.2 billion by 2025. The developed countries are responsible for 44% of waste, and in the U.S. alone, the average person throws away their body weight in rubbish every month.
B) Conventional wisdom would seem to suggest that companies have no incentive to lengthen the life cycle of their products and reduce the revenue they would get from selling new goods. Yet, more and more businesses are thinking about how to reduce consumer waste. This is partly driven by the rising price of raw materials and metals. It is also partly due to both consumers and companies becoming more aware of the need to protect our environment.
C) When choosing what products to buy and which brands to buy from, more and more consumers are looking into sustainability. This is opposed to just price and performance they were concerned about in the past. In a survey of 54 of the world’s leading brands, almost all of them reported that consumers are showing increasing care about sustainable lifestyles. At the same time, surveys on consumers in the U.S. and the U.K. show that they also care about minimizing energy use and reducing waste.
D) For the most part, consumers control what happens to a product. But some companies are realizing that placing the burden of recycling entirely on the consumer is not an effective strategy, especially when tossing something away seems like the easiest and most convenient option.
E) Some retailers and manufacturers in the clothing, footwear, and electronics industries have launched environmental programs. They want to make their customers interested in preserving their products and preventing things that still have value from going to the garbage dump. By offering services to help expand the longevity of their products, they’re promising quality and durability to consumers, and receiving the reputational gains for being environmentally friendly.
F) For example, the Swedish jeans company Nudie Jeans offers free repair at twenty of their shops. Instead of discarding their old worn-out jeans, customers bring them in to be renewed. The company even provides mail-order repair kits and online videos, so that customers can learn how to fix a pair of jeans at home. Their philosophy is that extending the life of a pair of jeans is not only great for the environment, but allows the consumer to get more value out of their product. When customers do want to toss their pair, they can give them back to the store, which will repurpose and resell them. Another clothing company, Patagonia, a high-end outdoor clothing store, follows the same principle. It has partnered with DIY website iFixit to teach consumers how to repair their clothing, such as waterproof outerwear, at home. The company also offers a repair program for their customers for a modest fee. Currently, Patagonia repairs about 40,000 garments a year in their Reno, Nevada, service center. According to the company’s CEO, Rose Marcario, this is about building a company that cares about the environment. At the same time, offering repair supports the perceived quality of its products.
G) In Brazil, the multinational corporation Adidas has been running a shoe-recycling program called “Sustainable Footprint” since 2012. Customers can bring shoes of any brand into an Adidas store to be shredded and turned into alternative fuels for energy creation instead of being burned as trash. They are used to fuel cement ovens. To motivate visitors to bring in more old shoes, Adidas Brazil promotes the program in stores by showing videos to educate customers, and it even offers a discount each time a customer brings in an old pair of shoes. This boosts the reputation and image of Adidas by making people more aware of the company’s values.
H) Enormous opportunities also lie with e-waste. It is estimated that in 2014 the world produced some 42 million metric tons of e-waste (discarded electrical and electronic equipment and its parts) with North America and Europe accounting for 8 and 12 million metric tons respectively. The materials from e-waste include iron, copper, gold, silver, and aluminum materials that could be reused, resold, salvaged, or recycled. Together, the value of these metals is estimated to be about $52 billion. Electronics giants like Best Buy and Samsung have provided e-waste take-back programs over the past few years, which aim to refurbish (翻新) old electronic components and parts into new products.
I) For other companies interested in reducing waste, helping the environment, and providing the sustainable lifestyles that consumers seek, here are some first steps for building a relationship with customers that focuses on recycling and restoring value to products:
J) Find partners. If you are a manufacturer who relies on outside distributors, then retailers are the ideal partner for collecting old products. Power tool maker DeWalt partners with companies, such as Lowes and Napa Auto Parts, to collect old tools at their stores for recycling. The partnership benefits both sides by allowing unconventional partners (for example, two companies from two different industries) to work together on a specific aspect of the value chain, like, in this example, an engine firm with an accessory one.
K) Create incentives. Environmental conscientiousness isn’t always enough to make customers recycle old goods. For instance, DeWalt discovered that many contractors were holding on to their old tools, even if they no longer worked, because they were expensive purchases and it was hard to justify bringing them in to recycle. By offering instant discounts worth as much as $100, DeWalt launched a trade-in program to encourage people to bring back tools. As a result, DeWalt now reuses those materials to create new products.
L) Start with a trial program, and expect to change the details as you go. Any take-back program will likely change over time, depending on what works for your customers and company goals. Maybe you see low customer participation at first, or conversely, so much success that the cost of recycling becomes too high. Best Buy, for instance, has been bearing the lion’s share of e-waste volume since two of its largest competitors, Amazon and Wal-mart, do not have their own recycling programs. Since the launch of its program, Best Buy changed its policy to add a $25 fee for recycling old televisions in order to keep the program going.
M) Build a culture of collective values with customers. A stronger relationship between the retailer/producer and the consumer isn’t just about financial incentives. By creating more awareness around your efforts to reduce waste, and by developing a culture of responsibility, repair, and reuse, you can build customer loyalty based on shared values and responsibilities.
N) These examples are just the tip of the iceberg, but they demonstrate how helping customers get more use of their materials can transform value chains and operations. Reducing waste by incorporating used materials into production can cut costs and decrease the price of procurement (采购): less to be procured from the outside and more to be re-utilized from the inside.
O) Companies play a big role in creating a circular economy, in which value is generating less from extracting new resources and more from getting better use out of the resources we already have--but they must also get customers engaged in the process.
36. Some companies believe that products’ prolonged lifespan benefits both the environment and customers.
37. A survey shows shoppers today are getting more concerned about energy conservation and environmental protection when deciding what to buy.
38. Companies can build customer loyalty by creating a positive culture of environmental awareness.
39. When companies launch environmental programs, they will have their brand reputation enhanced.
40. One multinational company offers discounts to customers who bring in old footwear to be used as fuel.
41. Recycling used products can help manufacturers reduce production costs.
42. Electronic products contain valuable metals that could be recovered.
43. It seems commonly believed that companies are not motivated to prolong their products’ lifespan.
44. It is advisable for companies to partner with each other in product recycling.
45. Some businesses have begun to realize it may not be effective to let consumers take full responsibility for recycling.
答案 36. F 37. C 38. M 39.G 40. G 41. N 42. H 43. B 44. J 45. D
Section C
Directions: There are 2 passages in this section.Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements.For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C)and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.
Effective Friday, Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has declared a strike against 11 video game publishers over games that went into production after Feb. 17, 2015. The companies include some of the heavyweights of the industry, like Electronic Arts Productions, Insomniac Games, Activision and Disney.
The strike comes in light of an unsuccessful 19 months of negotiations after the existing labor contract known as the Interactive Media Agreement expired in late 2014. overall, the strike is an effort to provide more secondary compensation along with other concerns, such as transparency upon hiring talent and on-set (制作中) safety precautions.
The video gaming industry has ballooned in recent years. The Los Angeles Times reports that the industry is in the midst of an intense increase in cash flow. In 2015, gaming produced $23.5 billion in domestic revenue.
But SAG-AFTRA says voice actors don’t receive residuals (追加酬金) for their gaming work. Instead, they receive a fixed rate, which is typically about $825 for a standard four-hour vocal session. So the voice actors are pushing for the idea of secondary compensation—a performance bonus every time a game sells 2 million copies or downloads, or reaches 2 million subscribers, with a cap at 8 million.
“It’s a very small number of games that would trigger this secondary compensation issue,” said voice actor Crispin Freeman, who’s a member of the union’s negotiating committee. “This is an important aspect of what it means to be a freelance (从事自由职业的) performer, who isn’t regularly employed every single day working on projects.”
Another major complaint from the actors is the secrecy of the industry. “I can’t imagine if there’s any other acting job in the world where you don’t know what show you’re in, when you’re hired,”says voice actor Keythe Farley, who chairs the SAG-AFTRA negotiating committee.
“And yet that happens every day in the video game world,”Farley told reporters during a press conference Friday. “I was a main character in Fallout 4, a character by the name of Kellogg, and I never knew that I was doing vocal recording for that game throughout the year and a half.”
Scott Witlin, the lawyer representing the video game companies, says voice actors “represent less than one tenth of 1 percent of the work that goes into making a video game.” So “even though they’re the top craftsmen in their field,”Witlin says, “if we pay them under a vastly different system than the people who do the 99.9 percent of the work, that’s going to create far more problems for the video game companies.”
46. Why did SAG-AFTRA declare a strike against some video game publishers?
A) The labor contract between them had been violated.
B) Its appeal to renegotiate the contract had been rejected.
C) It had been cheated repeatedly in the 19 months of talks.
D) The negotiations between them had broken down.
47. What do we learn from the passage about the video gaming industry?
A) It has reaped huge profits in recent years.
B) It has become more open and transparent.
C) It has attracted many famous voice actors.
D) It has invested a lot in its domestic market.
48. What are the voice actors demanding?
A) More regular employment.
B) A non-discriminatory contract.
C) Extra pay based on sales revenues.
D) A limit on the maximum work hours.
49. What does Keythe Farley say about voice actors?
A) They are kept in the dark about many details of their job.
B) They are discriminated against in the gaming industry.
C) They are not paid on a regular basis.
D) They are not employed full-time.
50. What is the argument of lawyer Scott Witlin?
A) Voice actors should have a pay raise if they prove to be top craftsmen.
B) Changing the pay system would cause the industry more problems.
C) Voice actors are mere craftsmen, not professional performers.
D) Paying voice actors on an hourly basis is in line with the law.
答案 46. D 47. A 48. C 49. A 50. B
Passage Two
Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.
Officials at the White House announced a new space policy focused on managing the increasing number of satellites that companies and governments are launching into space. Space Policy Directive-3 lays out general guidelines for the United States to mitigate (缓解) the effects of space debris and track and manage traffic in space.
This policy sets the stage for the Department of Commerce to take over the management of traffic in space. The department will make sure that newly launched satellites don’t use radio frequencies that would interfere with existing satellites, and schedule when such new satellites can be launched. This only applies to American space activities, but the hope is that it will help standardize a set of norms in the dawning commercial spaceflight industry throughout the world.
Space, especially the space directly around our planet, is getting more crowded as more governments and companies launch satellites. One impetus for the policy is that companies are already starting to build massive constellations (星座), comprising hundreds or thousands of satellites with many moving parts among them. With so much stuff in space, and a limited area around our planet, the government wants to reduce the chances of a collision. Two or more satellites slamming into each other could create many more out-of-control bits that would pose even more hazards to the growing collection of satellites in space.
And it’s not like this hasn’t happened before. In 2009 an old Russian craft slammed into a communications satellite, creating a cloud of hundreds of pieces of debris and putting other hardware at risk. Journalist Sarah Scoles reports that NASA currently tracks about 24,000 objects in space, and in 2016 the Air Force had to issue 3,995,874 warnings to satellite owners alerting them to a potential nearby threat from another satellite or bit of debris.
That’s why this new policy also includes directions to update the current U.S. Government Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices, which already require any entity that launches a satellite or spacecraft to vigorously analyze the likelihood that any of their actions, from an unexpected failure or normal operations, will create more space debris. It includes accounting for any piece of debris they plan to release over 5mm that might stay in orbit for 25 years or more. It might seem surprising to think about an item staying in space for that long, but the oldest satellite still in orbit-Vanguard 1-turned 60 in 2018.
Agencies and companies throughout the world are working on developing technology that would dispose of or capture space debris before it causes serious damage. But for now, the U.S. government is more focused on preventing new debris from forming than taking the trash out of orbit.
51. What is the purpose of the new U.S. space policy?
A) To lay out general guidelines for space exploration.
B) To encourage companies to join in space programs.
C) To make the best use of satellites in space.
D) To improve traffic conditions in space.
52. What is the Department of Commerce expected to do under the new policy?
A) Reduce debris in space.
B) Monitor satellite operations.
C) Regulate the launching of new satellites.
D) Update satellite communications technology.
53. What does the U.S. government hope to do with the new space policy?
A) Set international standards for the space flight industry.
B) Monopolize space industry by developing a set of norms.
C) Facilitate commercial space flights throughout the world.
D) Promote international collaboration in space exploration.
54. What is a space vehicle launching entity required to do according to the current U.S. Government Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices?
A) Give an estimate of how long its debris will stay in space.
B) Account for the debris it has released into space at any time.
C) Provide a detailed plan for managing the space debris it creates.
D) Make a thorough analysis of any possible addition to space debris.
55. What are space agencies and companies aiming to do at present?
A) Recycle used space vehicles before they turn into debris.
B) Develop technology to address the space debris problem.
C) Limit the amount of debris entering space.
D) Cooperate closely to retrieve space debris.
答案 51. D 52. C 53. A 54. D 55. B
Part Ⅳ Translation (30 minutes)
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English.You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.
汉语现在是世界上用作本族语人数最多的语言。汉语与西方语言的一个重要区别在于它是以方块字(character)而不是以字母构成的。目前仍在使用的书写系统中，汉语是最古老的。在中国，来自不同地区的人可能听不懂对方的方言，但由于汉子有统一的书写形式，他们交流起来几乎没有任何困难。汉语历史上对团结中华民族发挥了重要作用。今天，随着中国经济的快速增长和全球影响力的增强，越来越多其他国家的人也开始学习汉语。
参考译文
The Chinese language is used as the mother tongue by the great number of people in the world. One of the significant differences between Chinese and Western languages lies in its composition of characters instead of letters. Although people from different parts of China may not understand each other's dialect, they have no difficulty in communicating simply because there exists a unified writing form for Chinese characters. Chinese played a very important role in the unification of the Chinese nation. Today, with China's rapid economic growth and increasing global influence, more and more foreign people begin to study Chinese.
第三套
Part I Writing (30 minutes)
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay on the importance of team spirit and communication in the workplace. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.
参考范文：
The Importance of Team Spirit and Communication in the Workplace
When it comes to the team spirit and communication, all of us ought to see it in perspective. Fortunately, with the society commercializing and competition becoming fierce, a substantial number of people are paying due attention to it.
It is apparent that we are supposed to be aware of the importance of team spirit and communication, especially in workplace. Hardly can anyone achieve success in his career without the assistance of his colleagues and communication with his partners. As grows increasingly fierce, we must defeat our rivals through powerful team work. Take basketball star Yao Ming for an example. He can slam the duck smartly because all his teammates contribute more or less to his outstanding performance. If we work separately, we will be confined to frail minds and limited resources.
On the basis of the analysis above, we may draw a conclusion that team spirit and communication really count in this competitive society. Therefore, we should associate ourselves harmoniously with our companions in every attempt towards our goals. In addition, it is indispensable to train our kids frequently to interact smoothly with others in a team. As the frequently-quoted proverb goes, unity is strength.
PartⅡ Listening Comprehension (30 minutes)
Section A
Directions: In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation, you will hear four questions. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A)，B)，C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.
Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
1. What did Cathy and Brenda finished doing last week?
A) A six- month-long negotiation.
B) Preparations for the party.
C) A project with a troublesome client.
D) Gift wrapping for the colleagues.
2. What is John going to do for Brenda?
A) Take wedding photos.
B) Advertise her company.
C) Start a small business.
D) Throw a celebration party.
3. How did Kathy feel when asked to bake the cake?
A) Hesitant.
B) Nervous.
C) Flattered.
D) Surprised.
4. What does the man suggest the woman do?
A) Start her own bakery.
B) Improve her baking skill.
C) Share her cooking experience.
D) Prepare for the wedding.
答案 1. C 2. A 3. B 4. A
听力原文
Cathy: Hi, my name's Cathy, nice to meet you.
John: Nice to meet you too Kathy, my name's John. I'm a university friend of the bride. What about you? Who do you know at this party?
Cathy: I am a colleague of Brenda. I was a little surprised to be invited to be honest. We've only been working together the last six months, but we quickly became good friends. (1) We just wrapped up a project with a difficult client last week. I bet Brenda is glad it's done with, and she can focus on wedding preparations.
John: Oh, yes. So you are Cathy from the office. Actually I've heard a lot about you in that project, the client sounded like a real nightmare.
Cathy: Oh, he was, I mean we deal with all kinds of people on a regular basis, it's part of the job, but he was especially particular. Enough about that, what line of work are you in?
John: Well, right out of college I worked in advertising for a while. Recently though, I turn my photography hobby into a small business. (2) I'll actually be taking photos during the big event as a wedding gift.
Cathy: That sounds wonderful and very thoughtful of you. I bake, just as a hobby. (3) But Brenda has asked me to do the cake for the wedding. I was a bit nervous saying yes because I'm far from a professional.
John: Did you bake the cookies here at the party tonight?
Cathy: Yes, I got the idea from a magazine.
John: They're delicious! You've got nothing to worry about. You are a natural.
Cathy: You really think so?
John: If you hadn’t told me that. I would have guessed they were baked by the restaurant. (4) You know, with your event planning experience you could very well open your own shop.
Cathy: (laughing) One step at a time. First, I'll see how baking the wedding cake goes. If it's not a disaster, maybe I'll give it some more thought.
Questions 5 to 8 are based on the recording you have just heard.
5. What does the man say about college students as compared with high schoolers?
A) They have to spend more time studying.
B) They have to participate in club activities.
C) They have to be more responsible for what they do.
D) They have to choose a specific academic discipline.
6. What are college students expected to do according to the man?
A) Get ready for a career.
B) Make a lot of friends.
C) Set a long-term goal.
D) Behave like adults.
7. What kind of friends does the man suggest the woman make as a college student?
A) Those who share her academic interests.
B) Those who respect her student commitments.
C) Those who can help her when she is in need.
D) Those who go to the same clubs as she does.
8. What kind of club activities should college students engaging according to the man?
A) Those helpful for tapping their potential.
B)Those conducive to improving their social skills.
C)Those helpful for cultivating individual interests.
D)Those conducive to their academic studies.
答案 5. C 6. D.7. B 8. D
听力原文
M: You are heading for a completely different world, now that you are about to graduate from high school.
W: I know it’s the end of high school, but many of classmates are going on to the same university, and we are still required to study hard. So what’s the difference?
M: (5) Many aspects are different here at the university. The most important one is that you have to take more individual responsibility for your actions. It’s up to your own self-discipline—how much efforts you put into study. Living in college dormitories, there are no parents to tell you that study harder or stop wasting time. Lectures have hundreds of students and they are not going to follow you up or question you if you miss the lectures.
W: Nobody cares you mean?
M: It’s not that nobody concerned about you, (6) it’s just that suddenly at the university you are expected to behave like an adult. That means concentrating on the direction of your life in general and your own academic performance specifically.
W: For example…?
M: Well, like you need to manage daily, weekly and monthly schedules, so that you study regularly. Be sure to attend all classes and leave enough time to finish your assignments and prepare well for examinations.
W: Ok, and what else is different?
M: Well, in college there are lots of distractions, and you need to control yourself. You will make interesting friends, (7) but you need only keep the friends who respect your students’ commitments. Also, there are a lot of wonderful clubs, but you shouldn’t allocate too much time to club activities, unless (8) they are directly related to your study. It’s also your choice if you want to go out at night, but you will be foolish to let that affect class performance during the day.
W: Well, I’m determined to do well at the university and I guess I’m going to have to grow up fast.
Section B
Directions: In this section, you will hear two passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear three or four questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A)，B)，C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.
Questions 9 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard.
9. What does the speaker say about most successful people?
A) They break away from traditional ways of thinking.
10. What does the speaker say about Killy's experiments?
B) They resulted in a brand-new style of skiing technique.
11. What is said to be Killy's biggest honor in his skiing career?
C) He won three gold medals in one Winter Olympics.
答案 ABC
听力原文
(9) Most successful people are unorthodox persons whose minds wonder outside traditional ways of thinking. Instead of trying to refine old formulas, they invent new ones. When Jean-Claude Killy made the French national ski team in the early 1960s, he was prepared to work harder than anyone else to be the best. At the crack of dawn, he would run up the slopes with his skis on, an unbelievably backbreaking activity. In the evening, he would do weightlifting and running. But the other team members were working as hard and long as he was. He realized instinctively that simply training harder would never be enough. Killy then began challenging the basic theories of racing technique.
Each week, he would try something different to see if he could find a better, faster way down the mountain. (10) His experiments resulted in a new style that was almost exactly opposite the exact technique of the time. It involved skiing with his legs apart for better balance and sitting back on the skis when he came to a turn. He also used ski poles in an unorthodox way--to propel himself as he skied. The explosive new style helped cut Killy's racing time dramatically. (11) In 1966 and 1967, he captured virtually every major skiing trophy. The next year, he won three gold medals in the Winter Olympics, a record in ski racing that has never been topped. Killy learned an important secret shared by many creative people: innovations don't require genius, just a willingness to question the way things have always been done.
Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.
12. What happens to guinea pigs when blood samples of angry people are injected into them?
A) They appear restless.
B) They lose consciousness.
C) They become upset.
D) They die almost instantly.
13. What does the speaker say about every thought you have?
A) It has an instant effect on your body chemistry.
B)It keeps returning to you every now and then.
C)It leaves you with a long lasting impression.
D)It contributes to the shaping of you mind.
14. What does the speaker say is impossible?
A) To succeed while feeling irritated.
B) To feel happy without good health.
C) To be free from frustration and failure.
D) To enjoy good health while in dark moods.
15. What does the passage say about our mind and body?
A) They are closely connected.
B) They function in a similar way.
C) They are too complex to understand.
D) They reinforce each other constantly.
答案 12.D 13.A 14.D 15.A
听力原文
Scientific experiments have demonstrated incredible ways to kill a guinea pig, a small furry animal. Emotional upsets generate powerful and deadly toxic substances. (12) Blood samples taken from persons experiencing intense fear or anger when injected into guinea pigs have killed them in less than two minutes. Imagine what these poisonous substances can do to your own body.
(13) Every thought that you have affects your body chemistry within a split second. Remember how you feel when you are speeding down the highway and a big truck suddenly brakes twenty meters in front of you. A shock wave shoots through your whole system. Your mind produces instant reactions in your body.
The toxic substances that fear, anger, frustration and stress produce not only kill guinea pigs but kill us off in a similar manner. (14) It is impossible to be fearful, anxious, irritated and healthy at the same time. It is not just difficult, it is impossible. Simply put, your body’s health is a reflection of your mental health. Sickness will often then be a result of unresolved inner conflicts which in time show up in the body.
(15) It is also fascinating how our subconscious mind shapes our health. Do you recall falling sick on a day when you didn’t want to go to school? Headaches brought on by fear? (15) The mind-body connection is such that if, for example, we want to avoid something, very often our subconscious mind will arrange it. Once we recognize that these things happen to us, we are half way to doing something about them.
Section C
Directions: In this section, you will hear three recordings of lectures or talks followed by three or four questions. The recordings will be played only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.
Questions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard.
16. What does the speaker say about beginners and expert pianists?
A) They differ in their appreciation of music.
B) They focus their attention on different things.
C) They finger the piano keys in different ways.
D) They choose different pieces of music to play.
17. What do smart basketball players do according to the speaker?
A) They manage to cooperate well with their teammates.
B) They use effective tactics to defeat their competitors.
C) They try hard to meet the spectators’ expectations.
D) They attach great importance to high performance.
18. What do we learn about the new study published in an online video?
A) It marks a breakthrough in behavioral science.
B) It adopts a conventional approach to research.
C) It supports a piece of conventional wisdom.
D) It gives rise to controversy among experts.
答案 16. B. 17. D.18.C
听力原文
(16) Teachers and students alike have experienced the curious paradox that beginners, as a rule, tend to think too little about what they are doing because they think too much about what they are doing. Take for example people who are learning to play basketball or the piano. They have to give so much thought and attention to the low-level mechanics of handling the ball or fingering the keys or reading the music, that they are unable to give any thought to the thing that matters – the game, or the music, respectively. With experts, it’s just the other way around. They are open to the tactical possibilities and the musical challenges precisely because they are freed, through skill, from the need to pay attention to the low-level details of how to play. Indeed, when the expert pays attention to the mechanics, this is liable to disrupt performance.
This has led some to say that the expert operates in a zone ‘beyond thought’, in a state of flow. But this is misleading. Expert performance is not beyond thought. (17)Smart basketball players or skilled musicians need to pay close attention to the demands of high performance, to the challenges to be overcome. What they don’t need to do – what would be a distraction – is to have to think about where their fingers are, or how to control the ball while running. It’s not mechanics, but the play itself, that absorbs the experts’ intelligence. A nice video published online last month sheds light on (18) expertise and the conscious mind. The video reports a new study using an eye-tracking device. It turns out that the less-skilled pianist spends more time looking at her fingers than does the expert who, in contrast, is more likely to be looking at the sheet music, or looking ahead at keys he’s not yet playing. In general, the expert’s gaze was calmer and more stable.
This is not a surprising finding. It supports what we might almost think of as conventional wisdom. But it’s remarkable for all that, nonetheless. The eye tracker gives expert and learning performers a glimpse into what they do without thinking about it. The topic of the nature of skill – and the differences between beginners and experts – has been one of considerable discussion in cognitive science and philosophy.
Questions 19 to 21 are based on the recording you have just heard.
19. What overwhelms the speaker when she buys her summer outfits each year?
A) People’s envy of slim models.
B) People’s craze for good health.
C) The increasing range of fancy products.
D) The great variety of slimming products.
20. What does the speaker think of girls wrapping their legs up with slimming tape?
A) They appear vigorous.
B) They appear strange.
C)They look charming.
D) They look unhealthy.
21.What does the speaker think affects people’s interpretation of beauty?
A) Culture and upbringing.
B) Wealth and social status.
C)Peer pressure.
D) Media influence.
答案 19.D 20.B 21.A
听力原文
Every summer when I top up my selection of summer outfits from the department stores, my eyes would nearly pop out of my head.(19)I’m overwhelmed with the wide range of different slimming products each year. And more shockingly, these products are often advocated by very slim models. Having lived in Asia for almost ten years now, I’ve seen various dieting tips come and go. I remember in Japan people heading directly to the food section in the supermarket when the banana diet was at its peak. Then, there was the black tea and oolong tea diet followed by the soybean diet and the tomato juice diet. The list goes on and on.
Apart from what people eat, I’ve also seen many interesting slimming products. In Hongkong, I’ve seen girls wrapping their whole body or both legs up with a special type of slimming tape which is supposed to help make them thinner.(20)But it just reminded me of the roasted ham my mother usually puts on the dinner table of Christmas. Then there were the face slimming rollers that were said to improve your blood circulation and make your face smaller. Personally,(20)I do not believe in any of these slimming gadgets. And I think I have a very different perspective when it comes to the definition of what is beautiful. Asian women prefer to avoid the sun because being pale or white is considered beautiful, whereas a tanned complexion is considered much more beautiful and sexy in the west.(21)It is most certainly shaped by a person’s culture as well as how they were raised in their childhood. As each summer season approaches, there’s no escape from it.
But it’s not only women who are affected by this pressure to look good. Men aspire to be able to show off their six packs or their V-shape backs and there’s a growing market of slimming pills aimed at men too. I think no matter what diets we follow or what slimming products we obsess ourselves with, at the end of the day there’s no magic trick to shape up for the summer. Eat in a balance way and incorporate the right level of physical activity. For me, this still seems to be the best plan.
Questions 22 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.
22. What does the speaker mainly talk about?
A) The relation between hair and skin.
B) The growing interest in skin studies.
C)The color of human skin.
D) The need of skin protection.
23. What had probably caused humans to lose most of their hair one and a half million years ago?
A) The necessity to save energy.
B) Adaptation to the hot environment.
C)The need to breathe with ease.
D)Dramatic climate changes on earth.
24. What does the speaker say protected early humans from the sun?
A) Leaves and grass.
B) Man-made shelter.
C)Their skin coloring.
D) Hair on their skin.
25.What happened after humans migrated from Africa to other parts of the world?
A) Their genetic makeup began to change.
B)Their communities began to grow steadily.
C)Their children began to mix with each other.
D)Their pace of evolution began to quicken.
答案 22.A 23.B 24.C 25.A
听力原文
Skin may seem like a superficial human attribute, but it is the first thing we notice about anyone we meet. As a zoologist focusing on the studies of apes and monkeys,(22) I’ve been studying why humans evolved to become the naked ape, and why skin comes in so many different shades around the world.
We can make a very good estimate from the fossil record that humans probably evolved naked skin around a million and a half years ago. And meanwhile, they mostly lost their coat of fur. Today, we have a few patches of hair remaining on various parts of our bodies. But compared with apes and monkeys, we have very little. Basically, we turned our skin darker to serve as a natural sun-protector in the place of the hair we lost. (23) We think we lost this hair because of the need to keep ourselves cool, when we were moving around vigorously in a hot environment. We can’t really lose heat by breathing quickly and loudly like dogs. We have to do it by sweating. So we evolved the ability to sweat plentifully, and lost most of our fur.
Most animals protect themselves from the sun with fur. (24) What we did in our ancestry was to produce more permanent natural coloring in our skin cells. This was really an important revolution in human history, because it allowed us to continue to evolve in equatorial environments. It really made it possible for us to continue along the path toward modern humans in Africa.
For most of the human history, we all had dark skin. What we see today is the product of evolutionary events, resulting from the dispersal of a few human populations out of Africa around 60,000 to 70,000 years ago. Our species originated around 200,000 years ago, and underwent tremendous diversification, culturally, technologically, linguistically, artistically, for 130,000 years. After that, a few small populations left Africa to populate the rest of the world. These early ancestors of modern Eurasians disperse into parts of the world that had more seasonal sunshine and much lower levels of sun radiation. (25) It’s in these populations that we begin to see real changes in the genetic makeup of natural coloring.
Today, skin color is evolving via new mixtures of people coming together and having children with new mixtures of skin color genes. We can see this in almost every large city worldwide. Not only the coloring genes, but lots of other genes are getting mixed up, too.
Part Ⅲ Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)
Section A
Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.
Questions 26 to 35 are based on the following passage.
Steel is valued for its reliability, but not when it gets cold. Most forms of steel 26 become brittle (脆的) at temperatures below about -25℃ unless they are mixed with other metals. Now, though, a novel type of steel has been developed that resists 27 at much lower temperatures, while retaining its strength and toughness - without the need for expensive 28 .
Steel's fragility at low temperatures first became a major concern during the Second World War. After German U-boats torpedoed (用鱼雷攻击) numerous British ships, a 2700-strong fleet of cheap-and-cheerful“Liberty ships”was introduced to replace the lost vessels, providing a lifeline for the 29 British. But the steel shells of hundreds of the ships 30 in the icy north Atlantic, and 12 broke in half and sank.
Brittleness remains a problem when building steel structures in cold conditions, such as oil rigs in the Arctic. So scientists have 31 to find a solution by mixing it with expensive metals such as nickel.
Yuuji Kimura and colleagues in Japan tried a more physical 32 Rather than adding other metals, they developed a complex mechanical process involving repeated heating and very severe mechanical deformation, known as tempforming.
The resulting steel appears to achieve a combination of strength and toughness that is 33 to that of modem steels that are very rich in alloy content and, therefore, very expensive.
Kimura's team intends to use its tempformed steel to make ultra-high strength parts, such as bolts. They hope to reduce both the number of 34 needed in a construction job and their weight - by replacing solid supports with 35 tubes, for example. This could reduce the amount of steel needed to make everything from automobiles to buildings and bridges.
A) abruptly I) cracked
B) additives J) fractures
C) approach K) hollow
D) ardently L) relevant
E) besieged M) reshuffled
F) channel N) strived
G) comparable O) violent
H) components
答案 26-30 AJBEI 31-35 NCGHK
Section B
Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.
The future of personal satellite technology is here - are we ready for it?
A) Satellites used to be the exclusive playthings of rich governments and wealthy corporations. But increasingly, as space becomes more democratized, they are coming within reach of ordinary people. Just like drones (无人机) before them, miniature satellites are beginning to fundamentally transform our conceptions of who gets to do what up above our heads.
B) As a recent report from the National Academy of Sciences highlights, these satellites hold tremendous potential for making satellite-based science more accessible than ever before. However, as the cost of getting your own satellite in orbit drops sharply, the risks of irresponsible use grow. The question here is no longer “Can we?”but “Should we?” What are the potential downsides of having a slice of space densely populated by equipment built by people not traditionally labeled as “professionals”? And what would the responsible and beneficial development and use of this technology actually look like? Some of the answers may come from a nonprofit organization that has been building and launching amateur satellites for nearly 50 years.
C) Having your personal satellite launched into orbit might sound like an idea straight out of science fiction. But over the past few decades a unique class of satellites has been created that fits the bill: CubeSats. The “Cube”here simply refers to the satellite's shape. The most common CubeSat is a 10cm cube, so small that a single CubeSat could easily be mistaken for a paperweight on your desk. These mini-satellites can fit in a launch vehicle's formerly “wasted space.”Multiples can be deployed in combination for more complex missions than could be achieved by one CubeSat alone.
D) Within their compact bodies these minute satellites are able to house sensors and communications receivers/transmitters that enable operators to study Earth from space, as well as space around Earth. They're primarily designed for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) - an easily accessible region of space from around 200 to 800 miles above Earth, where human-tended missions like the Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station (ISS) hang out. But they can attain more distant orbits; NASA plans for most of its future Earth-escaping payloads (to the moon and Mars especially) to carry CubeSats.
E) Because they're so small and light, it costs much less to get a CubeSat into Earth's orbit than a traditional communications or GPS satellite. For instance, a research group here at Arizona State University recently claimed their developmental small CubeSats could cost as little as $3,000 to put in orbit. This decrease in cost a11ows researchers, hobbyists and even elementary school groups to put simple instruments into LEO or even having them deployed from the ISS.
F) The first CubeSat was created in the early 2000s, as a way of enabling Stanford graduate students to design, build, test and operate a spacecraft with similar capabilities to the USSR's Sputnik (前苏联的人造卫星). Since then, NASA, the National Reconnaissance Office and even Boeing have all launched and operated CubeSats. There are more than 130 currently in operation. The NASA Educational Launch of Nano Satellite program, which offers free launches for educational groups and science missions, is now open to U.S. nonprofit corporations as well. Clearly, satellites are not just for rocket scientists anymore.
G) The National Academy of Sciences report emphasizes CubeSats' importance in scientific discovery and the training of future space scientists and engineers. Yet it also acknowledges that widespread deployment of LEO CubeSats isn't risk-flee. The greatest concern the authors raise is space debris - pieces of “junk” that orbit the earth, with the potential to cause serious damage if they collide with operational units, including the ISS.
H) Currently, there aren't many CubeSats and they're tracked closely. Yet as LEO opens up to more amateur satellites, they may pose an increasing threat. As the report authors point out, even near-misses might lead to the “creation of a burdensome regulatory framework and affect the future disposition of science CubeSats.”
I) CubeSat researchers suggest that now's the time to ponder unexpected and unintended possible consequences of more people than ever having access to their own small slice of space. In an era when you can simply buy a CubeSat kit off the shelf, how can we trust the satellites over our heads were developed with good intentions by people who knew what they were doing? Some“expert amateurs”in the satellite game could provide some inspiration for how to proceed responsibly.
J) In 1969, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) was created in order to foster ham radio enthusiasts' (业余无线电爱好者) participation in space research and communication. It continued the efforts, begun in 1961, by Project OSCAR- a U.S.-based group that built and launched the very first nongovernmental satellite just four years after Sputnik. As an organization of volunteers, AMSAT was putting “amateur” satellites in orbit decades before the current CubeSat craze. And over time, its members have learned a thing or two about responsibility. Here, open.source development has been a central principle, Within the organization, AMSAT has a philosophy of open sourcing everything making technical data on all aspects of their satellites fully available to everyone in the organization, and when possible, the public. According to a member of the team responsible for FOX 1-A, AMSAT's first CubeSat, this means that there s no way to sneak something like explosives or an energy emitter into an amateur satellite when everyone has access to the designs and implementation.
K) However, they're more cautious about sharing information with nonmembers, as the organization guards against others developing the ability to hijack and take control of their satellites. This form of “self-governance” is possible within long-standing amateur organizations that, over time, are able to build a sense of responsibility to community members, as well as society in general. But what happens when new players emerge, who don't have deep roots within the existing culture?
L) Hobbyists and students are gaining access to technologies without being part of a long-standing amateur establishment. They're still constrained by funders, launch providers and a series of regulations - all of which rein in what CubeSat developers can and cannot do. But there's a danger they're ill-equipped to think through potential unintended consequences. What these unintended consequences might be is admittedly far from clear. Yet we know innovators can be remarkably creative with taking technologies in unexpected directions. Think of something as seemingly benign as the cellphone - we have microfinance and text-based social networking at one end of the spectrum, and improvised (临时制作的) explosive devices at the other.
M) This is where a culture of social responsibility around CubeSats becomes important - not simply to ensure that physical risks are minimized, but to engage with a much larger community in anticipating and managing less obvious consequences of the technology. This is not an easy task. Yet the evidence from AMSAT and other areas of technology development suggests that responsible amateur communities can and do emerge around novel technologies. The challenge here, of course, is ensuring that what an amateur communities considers to be responsible, actually is. Here's where there needs to be a much wider public conversation that extends beyond government agencies and scientific communities to include students, hobbyists, and anyone who may potentially stand to be affected by the use of CubeSat technology.
36. Given the easier accessibility to space, it is time to think about how to prevent misuse of satellites.
37. A group of mini-satellites can work together to accomplish more complex tasks.
38. The greater accessibility of mini-satellites increases the risks of their irresponsible use.
39. Even school pupils can have their CubeSats put in orbit owing to the lowered launching cost.
40. AMSAT is careful about sharing information with outsiders to prevent hijacking of their satellites.
41. NASA offers to launch CubeSats free of charge for educational and research purposes.
42. Even with constraints, it is possible for some creative developers to take the CubeSat technology in directions that result in harmful outcomes.
43. While making significant contributions to space science, CubeSats may pose hazards to other space vehicles.
44. Mini-satellites enable operators to study Earth from LEO and space around it.
45. AMSAT operates on the principle of having all its technical data accessible to its members, preventing the abuse of amateur satellites.
36-40 MCBEK 41-45 FLGDJ
Section B
Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.
The future of personal satellite technology is here - are we ready for it?
A) Satellites used to be the exclusive playthings of rich governments and wealthy corporations. But increasingly, as space becomes more democratized, they are coming within reach of ordinary people. Just like drones (无人机) before them, miniature satellites are beginning to fundamentally transform our conceptions of who gets to do what up above our heads.
B) As a recent report from the National Academy of Sciences highlights, these satellites hold tremendous potential for making satellite-based science more accessible than ever before. However, as the cost of getting your own satellite in orbit drops sharply, the risks of irresponsible use grow. The question here is no longer “Can we?”but “Should we?” What are the potential downsides of having a slice of space densely populated by equipment built by people not traditionally labeled as “professionals”? And what would the responsible and beneficial development and use of this technology actually look like? Some of the answers may come from a nonprofit organization that has been building and launching amateur satellites for nearly 50 years.
C) Having your personal satellite launched into orbit might sound like an idea straight out of science fiction. But over the past few decades a unique class of satellites has been created that fits the bill: CubeSats. The “Cube”here simply refers to the satellite's shape. The most common CubeSat is a 10cm cube, so small that a single CubeSat could easily be mistaken for a paperweight on your desk. These mini-satellites can fit in a launch vehicle's formerly “wasted space.”Multiples can be deployed in combination for more complex missions than could be achieved by one CubeSat alone.
D) Within their compact bodies these minute satellites are able to house sensors and communications receivers/transmitters that enable operators to study Earth from space, as well as space around Earth. They're primarily designed for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) - an easily accessible region of space from around 200 to 800 miles above Earth, where human-tended missions like the Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station (ISS) hang out. But they can attain more distant orbits; NASA plans for most of its future Earth-escaping payloads (to the moon and Mars especially) to carry CubeSats.
E) Because they're so small and light, it costs much less to get a CubeSat into Earth's orbit than a traditional communications or GPS satellite. For instance, a research group here at Arizona State University recently claimed their developmental small CubeSats could cost as little as $3,000 to put in orbit. This decrease in cost a11ows researchers, hobbyists and even elementary school groups to put simple instruments into LEO or even having them deployed from the ISS.
F) The first CubeSat was created in the early 2000s, as a way of enabling Stanford graduate students to design, build, test and operate a spacecraft with similar capabilities to the USSR's Sputnik (前苏联的人造卫星). Since then, NASA, the National Reconnaissance Office and even Boeing have all launched and operated CubeSats. There are more than 130 currently in operation. The NASA Educational Launch of Nano Satellite program, which offers free launches for educational groups and science missions, is now open to U.S. nonprofit corporations as well. Clearly, satellites are not just for rocket scientists anymore.
G) The National Academy of Sciences report emphasizes CubeSats' importance in scientific discovery and the training of future space scientists and engineers. Yet it also acknowledges that widespread deployment of LEO CubeSats isn't risk-flee. The greatest concern the authors raise is space debris - pieces of “junk” that orbit the earth, with the potential to cause serious damage if they collide with operational units, including the ISS.
H) Currently, there aren't many CubeSats and they're tracked closely. Yet as LEO opens up to more amateur satellites, they may pose an increasing threat. As the report authors point out, even near-misses might lead to the “creation of a burdensome regulatory framework and affect the future disposition of science CubeSats.”
I) CubeSat researchers suggest that now's the time to ponder unexpected and unintended possible consequences of more people than ever having access to their own small slice of space. In an era when you can simply buy a CubeSat kit off the shelf, how can we trust the satellites over our heads were developed with good intentions by people who knew what they were doing? Some“expert amateurs”in the satellite game could provide some inspiration for how to proceed responsibly.
J) In 1969, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) was created in order to foster ham radio enthusiasts' (业余无线电爱好者) participation in space research and communication. It continued the efforts, begun in 1961, by Project OSCAR- a U.S.-based group that built and launched the very first nongovernmental satellite just four years after Sputnik. As an organization of volunteers, AMSAT was putting “amateur” satellites in orbit decades before the current CubeSat craze. And over time, its members have learned a thing or two about responsibility. Here, open.source development has been a central principle, Within the organization, AMSAT has a philosophy of open sourcing everything making technical data on all aspects of their satellites fully available to everyone in the organization, and when possible, the public. According to a member of the team responsible for FOX 1-A, AMSAT's first CubeSat, this means that there s no way to sneak something like explosives or an energy emitter into an amateur satellite when everyone has access to the designs and implementation.
K) However, they're more cautious about sharing information with nonmembers, as the organization guards against others developing the ability to hijack and take control of their satellites. This form of “self-governance” is possible within long-standing amateur organizations that, over time, are able to build a sense of responsibility to community members, as well as society in general. But what happens when new players emerge, who don't have deep roots within the existing culture?
L) Hobbyists and students are gaining access to technologies without being part of a long-standing amateur establishment. They're still constrained by funders, launch providers and a series of regulations - all of which rein in what CubeSat developers can and cannot do. But there's a danger they're ill-equipped to think through potential unintended consequences. What these unintended consequences might be is admittedly far from clear. Yet we know innovators can be remarkably creative with taking technologies in unexpected directions. Think of something as seemingly benign as the cellphone - we have microfinance and text-based social networking at one end of the spectrum, and improvised (临时制作的) explosive devices at the other.
M) This is where a culture of social responsibility around CubeSats becomes important - not simply to ensure that physical risks are minimized, but to engage with a much larger community in anticipating and managing less obvious consequences of the technology. This is not an easy task. Yet the evidence from AMSAT and other areas of technology development suggests that responsible amateur communities can and do emerge around novel technologies. The challenge here, of course, is ensuring that what an amateur communities considers to be responsible, actually is. Here's where there needs to be a much wider public conversation that extends beyond government agencies and scientific communities to include students, hobbyists, and anyone who may potentially stand to be affected by the use of CubeSat technology.
36. Given the easier accessibility to space, it is time to think about how to prevent misuse of satellites.
37. A group of mini-satellites can work together to accomplish more complex tasks.
38. The greater accessibility of mini-satellites increases the risks of their irresponsible use.
39. Even school pupils can have their CubeSats put in orbit owing to the lowered launching cost.
40. AMSAT is careful about sharing information with outsiders to prevent hijacking of their satellites.
41. NASA offers to launch CubeSats free of charge for educational and research purposes.
42. Even with constraints, it is possible for some creative developers to take the CubeSat technology in directions that result in harmful outcomes.
43. While making significant contributions to space science, CubeSats may pose hazards to other space vehicles.
44. Mini-satellites enable operators to study Earth from LEO and space around it.
45. AMSAT operates on the principle of having all its technical data accessible to its members, preventing the abuse of amateur satellites.
36-40 MCBEK 41-45 FLGDJ
Passage Two
Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.
In a few decades, artificial intelligence (AI) will surpass many of the abilities that we believe make us special. This is a grand challenge for our age and it may require an “irrational” response.
One of the most significant pieces of news from the US in early 2017 was the efforts of Google to make autonomous driving a reality. According to a report, Google’s self-driving cars clocked 1,023,330 km, and required human intervention 124 times. That is one intervention about every 8,047 km of autonomous driving. But even more impressive is the progress in just a single year: human interventions fell from 0.8 times per thousand miles to 0.2, a 400% improvement. With such progress, Google’s cars will easily surpass my own driving ability later this year.
Driving once seemed to be a very human skill. But we said that about chess, too. Then a computer beat the human world champion, repeatedly. The board game Go (围棋) took over from chess as a new test for human thinking in 2016, when a computer beat one of the world’s leading professional Go players. With computers conquering what used to be deeply human tasks, what will it mean in the future to be human? I worry about my six-year-old son. What will his place be in a world where machines beat us in one area after another? He’ll never calculate faster, never drive better, or even fly more safely. Actually, it all comes down to a fairly simple question: What’s so special about us? It can’t be skills like arithmetic, which machines already excel in. So far, machines have a pretty hard time emulating creativity, arbitrary enough not to be predicted by a computer, and yet more than simple randomness.
Perhaps, if we continue to improve information-processing machines, we’ll soon have helpful rational assistants. So we must aim to complement the rationality of the machine, rather than to compete with it. If I'm right, we should foster a creative spirit because a dose of illogical creativity will complement the rationality of the machine. Unfortunately, however, our education system has not caught up to the approaching reality. Indeed, our schools and universities are structured to mould pupils to be mostly obedient servants of rationality, and to develop outdated skills in interacting with outdated machines. We need to help our children learn how to best work with smart computers to improve human decision-making. But most of all we need to keep the long-term perspective in mind: that even if computers will outsmart us, we can still be the most creative. Because if we aren’t, we won’t be providing much value in future ecosystems, and that may put in question the foundation for our existence.
51. What is the author’s greatest concern about the use of AI?
A) Computers are performing lots of creative tasks.
B) Many abilities will cease to be unique to human beings.
C) Computers may become more rational than humans.
D) Many human skills are fast becoming outdated.
52. What impresses the author most in the field of AI?
A) Google’s experimental driverless cars require little human intervention.
B) Google’s cars have surpassed his driving ability in just a single year.
C) Google has made huge progress in autonomous driving in a short time.
D) Google has become a world leader in the field of autonomous driving.
53. What do we learn from the passage about creativity?
A) It is rational.
B) It is predictable.
C) It is human specific.
D) It is yet to be emulated by AI.
54. What should schools help children do in the era of AI?
A) Cultivate original thinking.
B) Learn to work independently.
C) Compete with smart machines.
D) Understand how AI works.
55. How can we humans justify our future existence?
A) By constantly outsmarting computers.
B) By adopting a long-term perspective.
C) By rationally compromising with AI.
D) By providing value with our creativity.
答案 51-55 BCDAD
Part Ⅳ Translation (30 minutes)
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.
中国幅员辽阔，人口众多，很多地方人们都说自己的方言。方言在发音上差别很大，词汇和语法差别较小。有些方言，特别是北方和南方的方言，差异很大，以致于说不同方言的人常常很难听懂彼此的讲话。方言被认为是当地文化的一个组成部分，但近年来能说方言的人数不断减少。为了鼓励人们更多说本地语言，一些地方政府已经采取措施，如在学校开设方言课，在广播和电视上播放方言节目，以期保存本地的文化遗产。
参考译文:
As China boasts a vast land and a huge population, many people speak their own dialects, which vary greatly in pronunciation but slightly in vocabulary and grammar. Some dialects, esp. those of the north and the south, are so different that their speakers have great difficulty in understanding each other. Although the dialect is considered as a component of the local culture, the number of people who can speak the dialect is dropping continuously. In order to encourage people to use the dialect more often, some local governments have taken measures such as dialect lessons and dialect programmes on TV or radio in the hope of preserving the local cultural legacy.
