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According to the ancient Greek mythology, King Midas might be one of the world’s earliest alchemist, who was granted by the god Dionysus the magic power to turn anything he touched into gold. Unfortunately, the king soon realized that this ability was more of a curse than of a gift as he had to suffer the loss of many of life’s real pleasures, including the taste of good food and the embrace of his beloved daughter.

While the story of the greedy Midas is meant to warn against becoming a slave to one’s desires, it also reflects our human greed for gold. This extremely attractive metal has captivated humans over thousands of years, ever since the days of the ancient Egyptians, and has been the basis of currency for many civilizations over centuries.

Today gold remains the foundation of the luxury jewellery industry and, in recent years, has become one of the most prominent materials in the production of our latest necessity --- modern electronics. Gold is used to make many of the devices we love, such as cellphones, tablets and laptops. This is due to its highly efficient electrical properties and its resistance to  corrosion, which are unmatched by any other metal. But the manufacturing of just 40 mobile phones requires approximately one gram of gold, which corresponds to nearly a ton of mined ore. Given the persistent rise in electronics production, and the limited and decreasing supply of gold, how will we maintain the supply of this precious material for many years to come?

One solution might be found in the recycling of electronic waste, a process often referred to as urban mining. Given that a metric tonne of recycled laptop circuit boards can have between 40 and 800 times more gold than found in a metric tonne of ore, it seems unreasonable to redeposit the precious metal into the earth via landfills. Despite this, and the fact that urban mining is growing more cost-effective by the day, only 20 per cent of all electronic waste is currently recycled. In 2017, the Global E-Waste Monitor projected that the amount of electronic waste generated by the end of 2021 would reach 52.2 million metric tonnes.

It is estimated that the value of the gold in our garbage exceeds €10 billion  ($11.2 billion). On top of that, the many other precious metals in the garbage, such as silver, copper and platinum, add even more value to our waste. Therefore, given its economic and technological importance, it is time to consider whether other sources of gold, which are not yet decidedly possible to access, can also be exploited in the future.

While King Midas might have appealed to the gods for an easy solution to acquire gold, modern alchemists use the latest technology to achieve ancient dreams. It is these qualities that might eventually lead to environmentally mindful and energy-efficient technologies for extracting gold from incredible places.

1.The underlined word “captivated” in paragraph two can be best replaced by    .

A.cultivated B.jailed C.satisfied D.tempted

2.Which of the following is NOT one of the many uses of gold in history and modern time?

A.aiding the business of waste recycling industry.

B.being used in manufacturing jewellery.

C.constituting an essential part of electronic devices.

D.forming the basis of currency.

3.According to paragraph four, what is the purpose of “urban mining”？

A.To save more laptop circuit from being wasted.

B.To deposit more precious gold.

C.To preserve gold for future use.

D.To make a profit by recycling life garbage.

4.The author uses the story of “King Midas” to    .

A.analyze the loss caused by electronic waste

B.illustrate the magic power of urban mining

C.interest the readers with the rich history of ancient Greece

D.warn the world against becoming slaves to material gains

    If you’re going to be a straight talker, you have to believe that it’s a virtue, that it’s an attribute you want associated with yourself.

If you have an opinion and you just_______it, it allows the other person to either try to    change your opinion, to agree with you, or to agree to_______-they have an action they can     take. If you are quiet, people think you agree. How can you then_______the conversation when  you’re at different points and it’s not really exposed? Agreeing is easy. Disagreeing takes more _______.

Several years back, when I was CEO at Autodesk(欧特克，美国电脑软件公司), there was a senior-level woman who was very smart and well spoken, but she didn’t wear_______clothes. It was_______ and she was not being taken seriously. I said to her manager, who was male, “You need to tell her.” He said, “Oh, no way.”

So I called her in and_______stated what I thought was happening. I told her, “You’re not getting the respect you_______.” I said, “Go to Nordstrom’s(诺德斯特龙,美国高档连锁百货店) and get a_______shopper. Just say, “I’m a senior businessperson and need help dressing like one.” She came back, and honest to God, it was a different person. She said she felt really good. And her currency went way up.

Early in my business career, if people asked me a question, I’d try to answer it honestly. And that was________. I had managers who wanted me around because I would actually tell  them what was happening.

I was raised by my grandma, and she was a pretty________ talker because she thought you could________ it. My advice is,________ your toe in. If you’re honest and truthful, what is somebody going to say, that you’re ________because you believe something?

Being honest and ________is part of being a good friend, a good associate, and a good leader. It’s also why I know I could never be a politician.

1.A.explain B.exclaim C.claim D.state

2.A.favour B.approve C.disagree D.doubt

3.A.continue B.further C.change D.stop

4.A.efforts B.trouble C.time D.courage

5.A.appropriate B.smart C.formal D.uniform

6.A.ignored B.distracting C.disappointing D.disapproving

7.A.rightly B.timidly C.cautiously D.frankly

8.A.demand B.require C.expect D.deserve

9.A.personal B.catalog C.fellow D.secret

10.A.rewarded B.awarded C.paid D.responded

11.A.direct B.straight C.reasoning D.creative

12.A.grant B.recognize C.handle D.acknowledge

13.A.cast B.drop C.remove D.dip

14.A.frank B.generous C.modest D.stupid

15.A.competent B.disciplined C.truthful D.aggressive

Questions are based on the following passage.

1.

A.People can drive their cars at a high speed on the PRT system.

B.Each car on the PRT system can carry 300 passengers at a time.

C.The cars running on the PRT system can be controlled by a wire.

D.The power that sets the cars on the PRT system running comes from the sun.

2.

A.The traffic jam in Masdar City. B.Building more roads with wider lanes.

C.Solutions to traffic jams. D.Encouraging people to cycle more.

3.

A.Taxi drivers. B.Shop assistants.

C.Teachers and students. D.The elderly and the sick.

4.

A.The benefit of cycling lies in that more people can travel at the same time.

B.The man thinks that building more roads with wider lanes is not a perfect solution.

C.The woman disagrees with the second expert because riding is practical on rainy days.

D.The woman agrees with the first expert because it is very expensive to build more roads.

Questions are based on the following passage.

1.

A.Drinking a lot of alcohol. B.Going shopping in stores.

C.Gathering around tables for hotpot. D.Eating fried food and barbecued meat.

2.

A.Movies are available to people in Shanghai at midnight.

B.People in Hangzhou attach great importance to dinner.

C.A total of nine online platforms provide data for the report.

D.People in Beijing are most likely to order Starbucks in the afternoon.

3.

A.People’s eating habits in different regions of China.

B.The impact of mobile payment on Chinese people’s lifestyle.

C.The difference of nightlife among residents in Chinese cities.

D.The pressure of urban life brought by the nightlife activities.

Questions are based on the following passage.

1.A.8:30. B.9:00. C.8:45. D.9:15.

2.

A.When the interview begins, you should shake hands with the interviewer first.

B.If you don’t understand a question, you should answer it as quickly as possible.

C.Your answer should contain all the skills you have to convince the interviewer.

D.A good response can help you sell the interviewer on yourself as the best candidate.

3.

A.Ask the next step in the hiring process.

B.Offer to shake hands with the interviewer again.

C.Ask more questions about the position and the salary.

D.Take the opportunity to catch your breath and stay calm.