Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.
A Welcome Gift
Dario and his mother loved their new apartment. The living room was large enough for their piano. That night, the two of them set side by side at the piano. They played jazz music to celebrate their new home. The loud music filled the room, making them feel very happy.
The next morning, however, their happiness disappeared. Someone had left a note under their door during the night. Complaining about the sound of the piano. Dario’s mother asked the building manager if he knew anything about it. But he said that they were all nice people and he couldn’t imagine any of them had done that. Later that morning, Dario suggested writing a letter to apologize.
“Maybe we could visit everyone in person.” his mother said．
“What if we invited them to come here for a party instead? Dario asked．
They both loved the idea. Over the next few days, they sent out invitations and prepared desserts for their guests. They decorated the apartment with streamers (彩带) and party lights.
Finally, the day of the party arrived. Some guests brought presents. Others brought flowers. One woman, Mrs. Gilbert, presented Dario’s mother with a book of piano music by Chopin.
“I heard you playing the other night,” she said. “The sounds woke me out of bed. I worried that you might play like this every night. So I wrote a short note. I hope you don’t think I disliked the playing.”
Dario’s mother smiled at Mrs. Gilbert. “I think maybe we owe you an apology.” she said.“I didn’t realize how late it was when we were playing. Maybe we should play some quieter music at night.
“You play, you play!” Mrs. Gilbert said. “I like what you play! Just not so loud at night.” She pointed to the book she had given them. “These songs are not so loud.”
“These songs are beautiful music.” Dario’s mother said. “We will be happy to play them in the evening.” “And we won’t play so loud or late!” Dario said. He was already looking forward to practising the new music. More than that, however, he was happy to see the big smile on his mother’s face. It gave him a feeling of warmth and made him feel that they were home at last.
Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in each blank with a proper sentence given in the box. Each sentence can be used only once. Note that there are two more sentences than you need.
It doesn’t seem that US singer Bob Dylan has much in common with literary mavens like Ernest Hemingway and T.S. Elliot. 1..This year’s prize makes Dylan the first American since Toni Morrison in 1993 to win the title. At the same time, the surprise announcement has also ignited a firestorm of discussion around the globe.
Influential US writer Jodi Picoult joked that she might now deserve a Grammy. And well-known British-Indian novelist Hari Kunzru lamented on social media by saying: “This feels like the lamest Nobel win since they gave it to Obama for not being Bush.”
Dylan’s new status — a musician awarded the Nobel Prize for literature–to a degree defies convention. However, this is by no means his first prize for his writing talents. Back in 2008, the Pulitzer Prize jury awarded Dylan a special citation “for his profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power”. 2..
3.. Protest songs like Blowin in the Wind (1962) were the anthems of anti-war and civil rights movements in 1960s US. Densely poetic and image-rich songs such as Mr. Tambourine Man (1965) pushed the folk-rock movement. And even today, many of Dylan’s songs are still relevant and streamed regularly by people all over the world.
In a speech during the MusiCares pre-Grammy honors in 2015, Dylan revealed how he uses lyrics to document American culture and create an American songbook of his own. “I learned lyrics and how to write them from listening to folk songs,” said Dylan. “And I played them, and I met other people that played them, back when nobody was doing it.”
4.. “From Orpheus to Faiz, song & poetry have been closely linked,” Salman Rushdie, the Indian-born novelist also thought to have been a candidate for the prize, told The New York Times. “Dylan is the brilliant inheritor of the bardic tradition,” Rushdie added. “Great choice.”
A. There is nothing more honorable to win praise from one’s competitors.
B. In this sense, it could be argued that what the Nobel Committee is doing is simply reinforcing Dylan’s unshakable standing in the world of literature.
C. Dylan’s competitors questioned his winning the Nobel Prize for literature.
D. But, last week, these three figures became forever bonded by the Nobel Prize for literature.
E. Therefore, the Nobel committee just holds a different opinion from that of Pulitzer Prize jury.
F. The words behind Dylan’s songs address social issues and have been transmitted from generation to generation.
Much discussed and rarely achieved in full, work-life balance is an elusive prize in modern professional culture. While it can depend greatly on the priorities and values of an individual and their manager, some jobs provide strong opportunities for those looking to combine a fulfilling career with a thriving personal life.
“Work-life balance is not a situation anymore where you’re at work and then you’re at home, it’s more this balancing between the two,” said Lauren Griffin, senior vice president of Adecco Staffing U.S.
Topping the list of jobs that provide strong work-life balance is data scientist. According to IBM, “A data scientist represents an evolution from the business or data analyst role.” IBM notes that while the formal training in computer science and applications, modeling, statistics, analytics and math for these jobs is similar, “What sets the data scientist apart is strong business acumen, coupled with the ability to communicate findings to both business and IT leaders in a way that can influence how an organization approaches a business challenge.”
Stan Ahalt, director of the Renaissance Computing Institute at UNC Chapel Hill, said that the strong demand for data scientists, coupled with the anemic supply of these professionals currently available in talent pipelines, is likely creating a situation where companies will go above and beyond to attract the right talent.
“The demand for people who are able to analyze massive amounts of data and extract actionable decisions has really blossomed,” said Ahalt. “The people who are being hired are being highly sought-after, so I suspect they’re getting relatively good offers, and offers that include flexibility in their hours and locations simply because there are many more jobs than there are people.”
The list is also diverse and representative of a broad spectrum of occupations, with part-time and seasonal jobs like lifeguard and substitute teacher holding spots, as well as corporate jobs and skilled trades.
And for job-seekers or those planning a career change who want to prioritize work-life balance in their next role, Griffin said the most important step is identifying your greatest personal commitment so you can target a job that’s accommodating by nature, or an employer that will work with you to reach a solution.
“You need to define what’s non-negotiable for you,” said Griffin. “What’s that specific thing that you know you need some balance for, is it dropping your kids off, or taking your mother to a doctor’s appointment twice a month? What are those key points for you? Because then you can have a more open conversation with your employer.”
1.A job of work-life balance is suitable for those ____.
A.who gain a prize in professional culture
B.whose managers care about their priorities and values
C.who expect satisfaction from both career and personal life
D.who prefer to work anytime and anywhere at their wills
2."These jobs" in the third paragraph indicate jobs ____.
A.in the list which provide strong life-work balance
B.of the data scientists, the business analyst and the data analyst
C.that require strong business sense and communication skills
D.that influence new business challenge of an organization
3.Data scientists are people who ____.
A.are professionals likely to create a new situation in talent pipelines
B.can analyze massive amounts of data and extra actionable decisions
C.have relatively good offers including flexibility in their hours and locations
D.are more demanded than part-time lifeguards and substitute teachers
4.For job-seekers who want to highlight work life balance, they ____.
A.must be very committed to the targeted job personally
B.have to support employers decisions without negotiation
C.should first decide what the balance is needed for
D.should drop kids off on time and take care of mothers
The “Bystander Apathy Effect” was first studied by researchers in New York after neighbors ignored — and in some cases turned up the volume on their TVs — the cries of a woman as she was murdered (over a half-hour period). With regard to helping those in difficulty generally, they found that:
(1) women are helped more than men;
(2) men help more than women;
(3) attractive women are helped more than unattractive women.
Other factors relate to the number of people in the area, whether the person is thought to be in trouble through their own fault, and whether a person sees himself as being able to help.
According to Adrian Furnham, Professor of University College, London, there are three reasons why we tend to stand by doing nothing:
(1) “Shifting of responsibility”— the more people there are, the less likely help is to be given. Each person excuses himself by thinking someone else will help, so that the more “other people’ there are, the greater the total shifting of responsibility.
(2) “Fear of making a mistake” — situations are often not clear. People think that those involved in an accident may know each other or it may be a joke, so a fear of embarrassment makes them keep themselves to themselves.
(3) “Fear of the consequences if attention is turned on you, and the person is violent.”
Laurie Taylor, Professor of Sociology at London University, says: “In the experiments I’ve seen on intervention (介入), much depends on the neighborhood or setting. There is a silence on public transport which is hard to break. We are embarrassed to draw attention to something that is happening, while in a football match, people get involved, and a fight would easily follow.”
Psychotherapist Alan Dupuy identifies the importance of the individual: “The British as a whole have some difficulty intervening, but there are exceptional individuals in every group who are prepared to intervene, regardless of their own safety: These would be people with a strong moral code or religious ideals.”
1.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A.Pretty women are more likely to be helped.
B.People on a bus are more likely to stop a crime.
C.Religious people are more likely to look on.
D.Criminals are more likely to harm women.
2.Which factor is NOT related with intervention according to the passage?
A.Sex. B.Nationality. C.Profession. D.Setting.
3.Which phenomenon can be described as the “Bystander Apathy Effect”?
A.When one is in trouble, people think it’s his own fault.
B.In a football match, people get involved in a fight.
C.Seeing a murder, people feel sorry that it should have happened.
D.On hearing a cry for help, people keep themselves to themselves.
4.The author wrote this article ______.
A.to explain why bystanders behave as they do
B.to urge people to stand out when in need
C.to criticize the selfishness of bystanders
D.to analyze the weakness of human nature
Nervous suspects(嫌疑犯) locked up in Britain's newest police station may feel relieved by a pleasant yellow colour on the door. If they are close to confessing a crime, the blue on the wall might tip the balance.
Gwent Police have abandoned colours such as greys and browns of the 20th-century police cell(牢房) and have used colour psychology to decorate them.
Ystrad Mynach station, which recently opened at a cost off5 million has four cells with glass doors for prisoners who suffer from claustrophobia（幽闭恐怖症）, Designers have painted the frames yellow, which researchers say is a calming colour. Other cells contain a royal blue line because psychologists believe that the colour is likely to encourage truthfulness.
The station has 31 cells, including 12 with a"live scan" system for drunken or disturbed prisoners, which detects the rise and fall of their chest. An alarm alerts officers if a prisoner's breathing stops and carries on ringing until the door is opened.
Designers and psychologists have worked for years on colour. Blue is said to suggest trust, efficiency, duty, logic, coolness, thinking and calm. It also suggests coldness and unfriendliness.It is thought that strong blues will stimulate clear thought and lighter, soft colours will calm the mind and aid concentration.
Yellow is linked with confidence, self-respect and friendliness. Get the colour wrong and it could cause fear, depression and anxiety, but the right yellow can lift spirits and self-respect.
Ingrid Collins, a psychologist who specializes in the effects of colour, said that colour was an"energy force", She said: "Blue does enhance communication but I am not sure it would enhance truthful communication.”
Yellow, she said, affected the mind. Red on the other hand, should never be considered because it could increase aggression. Mrs Collins praised the designers for using colours in the cells. Gwent is not the first British force to experiment with colour to calm down or persuade prisoners to co-operate. In the 1990s Strathclyde Police used pink in cells based on research carried out by the US Navy.
1.The expression"tip the balance" in paragraph 1 probably indicates that the blue might_________.
A.let suspects keep their balance.
B.make suspects cold and unfriendly in law court.
C.help suspects to confess their crimes.
D.enable suspects to change their attitudes to colours.
2.Which of the following colours should not be used in cells according to the passage?
A.Pink. B.Red.
C.Blue. D.Yellow.
3.Which of the following helps alert officers if someone stops breathing？
A.Royal blue lines. B.Scanning equipment.
C.Glass doors. D.Yellow frames.
4.The passage is mainly concerned with__________.
A.the relationship between colours and psychology.
B.a comparison of different functions of colours.
C.scientific ways to help criminals reform themselves in prison.
D.the use of colours in cells to affect criminals psychology.
There is a Web site called the “World Database of Happiness.” It combines and analyzes the results of hundreds of surveys from around the world that have been conducted on life satisfaction. Most of the findings are _______, but a few are surprising.
The database makes it clear that there is not a strong connection between material wealth and general contentment. It is a cliché to say that money can’t buy happiness, but the old saying seems to be _______ by research. Many people still cling to the belief that gaining riches will be the answer to all their problems, yet they are probably _______.
Studies have been _______ on people who acquired sudden wealth, such as lottery winners. In most cases, after the _______ joy had worn off, people were not left with a sense of lasting happiness. In fact, they tended to revert to the way they _______ before they became rich. Previously contented people continue to be contented, _______ those who were miserable before sink back into misery.
If material wealth does not bring happiness, then what does? Perhaps happiness has something to do with where you live. The authorities at the World Database on Happiness have surveyed _______ of happiness in different countries. _______, people in America, Canada, and Singapore are very happy; people living in India and Russia, not surprisingly, are not happy.
Other surveys consistently ________ the importance of relationships. ________ relationships in particular seem to be the key to long-term contentment. The Web site suggests that falling in love and having children are two of the ________ that bring the greatest happiness.
Nowadays people look to technology as an ________ source of satisfaction. People increasingly spend more time alone watching TV or surfing the Internet ________ spending time with family. Can technology truly make people happy? It is too difficult to tell, but one thing is sure: If the Web site’s research is accurate, time spent with your family is a better ________ than time spent making money.
1.A.different B.predictable C.satisfactory D.unexpected
2.A.challenged B.widespread C.overtaken D.supported
3.A.generous B.positive C.hesitated D.mistaken
4.A.turned out B.done with C.carried out D.put forward
5.A.essential B.pleasant C.initial D.enviable
6.A.felt B.had C.chose D.lived
7.A.as B.so C.and D.while
8.A.levels B.standards C.senses D.examples
9.A.Strangely B.Hopefully C.Apparently D.Surprisingly
10.A.point to B.hold up C.deal with D.depend on
11.A.Partner B.Family C.Relative D.Society
12.A.situations B.relations C.destinations D.references
13.A.convenient B.alternative C.everlasting D.adequate
14.A.as far as B.rather than C.as well as D.in case of
15.A.environment B.circumstance C.investment D.civilization
