“Beijing plans to reduce the English section of National College Entrance Examination, the Gaokao, from 150 points to 100 points by 2016.”
请依据上面这则新闻，结合实际，用英语写一篇短文，谈谈你对英语学习的认识，并简单陈述你的理由。
注意：①无须写标题，不得照抄英语提示语；
②除诗歌外，文体不限；
③文中不得透露个人姓名和学校名称；
④词数为120左右。
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阅读下列各小题，根据汉语提示，用句末括号内的英语单词完成句子，并将答案写在答题卡上。
1.The phrase “Let’s be friends, tuhao!” set off a language shock, ________ in an online conversation. (appear)“土豪，我们做朋友吧！” 这句话引发了一场语言震撼, 它最初出现在一个网络对话里。
2.________, Sun Yang has been arrested for driving without a license. (as)
虽然是冠军，孙杨还是由于无证驾驶被警方拘留。
3.________ in the “shopping cart”，and you can make a list of potential purchases and avoid purchasing on impulse. (put)
把你想要的放到“购物车”中，你就可以生成一个购物清单，以避免冲动购物。
4.The air pollution in China is so serious that only when all departments take effective measures ________ damage hopefully. (reduce)
中国的空气污染如此严重，只有所有部门都采取有效措施我们才有望减少危害。
5.________ in the Wall Street Journal that Apple has already asked its suppliers to increase production of the gold model iPhone 5S to meet the market demand. (report)
《华尔街日报》已经报道，苹果公司已经通知供货方增加生产金色的iPhone 5S以满足市场需求。
6.I would have attended your party, but I __________ an examination yesterday. (busy)
我应该来参加你的晚会的，但是我昨天忙着准备考试。
7.A latest study shows that ________ the natural sunlight for a few minutes a day helps to reduce the risk of getting cancer. (expose)
最新研究表明每天晒几分钟太阳有助于减少得癌症的风险。
8._________ the cases many times, he was asked to go to the police station to receive the investigation. (involve)
多次牵涉到这些案子，他被要求去警察局接受调查。
9.I really don't know ________ he is late for school every day. (it)
我真的不知道他到底为什么天天上学迟到。
10.When Lisa stood before the audience, she felt very uneasy with ________ her. (focus)
当Lisa站在观众面前的时候，由于所有的目光都集中在她的身上，她感到很不自在。
The issue of privacy versus openness is a paradox, particularly when it comes to the American home. “Lots” or “yards” (gardens) can be large and many are not enclosed by the walls, fences or hedges so popular in other cultures. Similarly, “window treatments” frame the window. but the use of European-style net curtains to screen out nosy neighbors is rare. In the same style, first-time visitors to an American home may be proudly given the full tour; even walk-in closets and en suite bathrooms are not considered off-limits. They may also be encouraged to help themselves to a soda from the fridge. All this gives an impression of openness.
Yet Americans do value their personal space and privacy. A Brazilian expatriate (侨民) who dropped in on her usually friendly Connecticut neighbors unannounced got the clear impression she should have called first. Similarly while a typical suburban home features large, shared areas, such as an open-plan kitchen and family room or “den”, ample private space is also allowed in the floor plan. A visit to a family home in the evening would likely find the family members dispersed, each independently watching TV, on the phone, surfing the Internet, or otherwise recharging batteries in the privacy of their own bedroom.
American individualism, expansiveness, and abundance are expressed in lifestyle. Despite the fact that the average household size has declined over the past thirty years from3.1 people to 2.6 people per household, the average size of a new family home increased during the same period from 1,500 to 2,200 square feet.
A common observation is just how outsized everything is. The beds are king-sized, the TVs have giant screens, the burgers are “whoppers (庞然大物),” appliances are “industrial” size. The largest popcorn or soda at the movies can be “supersized.” Closets are “walk in,” and some cars are the size of a military vehicle.
1.The passage suggests that Americans__________.
A. are rich enough to afford large size houses and luxurious electricity appliances
B. are very shy when talking about keeping their privacy and their personal space
C. would like to express their lifestyles in public to show them off
D. enjoy openness as well as individualism although they seem to contradict each other
2.Why can we say that American individualism, expansiveness, and abundance are expressed in their lifestyle?
A. Because the average size of a new house has increased during the past thirty years.
B. Because Americans often use European-style net curtains to screen out nosy neighbors.
C. Because many houses are equipped with walk-in closets.
D. Because the house size, outsized household furniture and independent living habits have proved it.
3.The underlined phrase in the passage means________.
A. filling a battery with electrical power
B. recovering your strength and energy by resting for a while
C. changing your batteries again
D. obtaining new batteries because old ones are running out
4.According to the passage, if you drop in on an American family which is usually friendly to you in the evening, you________.
A. will be deeply impressed by their family get-together scene
B. will be invited to a party which is well-prepared
C. will find family members scattered, and enjoying themselves individually
D. will be warmly welcomed even if they don’t get informed of your visit earlier
Many skilled young people are being forced into part-time and unskilled work, the report says. It warns of a "crisis" with more than six million people so disillusioned they have given up looking for work. The ILO(International Labor Organization)wants governments to make job creation a priority. It wants more training schemes, and also tax breaks for employers.
"The youth unemployment crisis can be beaten but only if job creation for young people becomes a key priority in policymaking and private sector investment picks up significantly," said Jose Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, executive director of the ILO's employment sector.
Since 2007, the number of young people without jobs has risen by four million - up from less than 12%, the Global Employment Trends for Youth Report says. Almost 13% of people aged between 15 and 24 - or almost 75 million - have no work, although this is slightly down on its peak in 2009.
In the European Union, one in five young people are looking for work, the report claims. Some 27.9% of youths were unemployed in North Africa last year —a rise of five percentage points on 2010. In the Middle East, the figure stood at 26.5% in the report's regional breakdown. Even in East Asia, perhaps the most economically active region, the unemployment rate was 2.8 times higher for young people than for adults, the report said.
But, the ILO report reveals, the true picture of youth unemployment is even more pessimistic. Many young people are extending their time in higher education because they cannot find jobs. Others are taking part-time unskilled work because they cannot find work in the fields they trained for.
The ILO says that more than six million young people worldwide have given up looking for work and are becomingly increasingly detached from society. By not using their skills they are losing them, the report says, and if there is no improvement in the jobs market soon, they may be not only unemployed, but unemployable.
The ILO suggests offering tax breaks to businesses hiring young people and offering more programmes to help kick-start careers.
1.Which of the following is true according to Jose Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs?
A. Since 2007, the number of young people out of job has risen to 4 million.
B. Nearly 13% of the young people have no work.
C. Job creation should be made a key priority in policymaking.
D. The youth unemployment rate can never go down.
2.The various figures in paragraph 3 and 4 were used to show_______.
A. The employment situation is serious only in the European Union
B. The global youth employment situation is depressing
C. East Asia enjoys a high youth employment rate
D. Compared with the situation in 2009, the youth employment in 2007 is slightly better
3.According to ILO, the following are caused by high youth unemployment rate except_______.
A. The government calls on young people to take up whatever job is available
B. Many young people are making their time in higher education longer
C. Some young people are taking part-time unskilled work
D. Many young people have given up looking for work
4.The ILO offered many solutions to the crisis of youth unemployment, including_______.
a. making job creations a priority b. more training schemes
c. encouraging public investment d. tax breaks for employers
e. offering more entrepreneurship programmes to help start careers
A. a b c e B. b c d e C. a c d e D. a b d e
Public caught up in argument over safety of genetically modified or simply GM products, report Zhang Lei and Zhong Nan in Beijing.
More than 300 people gathered to enjoy a bowl of porridge made from genetically modified food on Saturday, an attempt to quell public fears about the safety of the product.
The first China Golden Rice Tasting Event was held at Huazhong Agricultural University in Wuhan, Hubei province, sparking another round in the nationwide debate about the safety of GM crops, often called "Frankenfood" by opponents.
Similar events have been held in more than 28 cities since May, the university said.
Both the pro and anti camps have posted conflicting comments on the Internet, with each providing evidence to back up their beliefs, but the exchanges are becoming increasingly bitter.
Jiang Tao, a senior engineer at the Center for Agricultural Resources Research at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who is in favor of GM foods, was annoyed about what he called "amateurs" spreading rumors.
"Just look at the people who are opposed to GM foods; can you find anyone from a related field in the scientific community?" he asked. Jiang also accused the anti-GM lobby of repeatedly using outdated or inaccurate data to support an "incorrect" stance.
Chen Yunfa, an independent researcher into the Yangtze River Delta economy, recently wrote a commentary on the Internet news portal Eastday in which he criticized the actions of the 61 scientists, saying they had gone "beyond their proper duty". He suggested that large multinational corporations might be behind the letter and similar incidents, prompted by a desire to freeze China's patent hybrid rice technology out of the market.
To support his contentions, Chen said that GM rice, first produced by scientists in the US, still hasn't gained official approval from the US government. However, the US authorities have actually granted licenses to six varieties of GM rice. The commercial planting of two varieties - anti-herbicide (BAR) transgenic rice LL RICE 06 and LL RICE 62 - produced by the French pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis, was approved in 1999 and a license for cultivation for edible use was granted in 2000.
The public outcry for GM labeling and boycotting has hindered the advancement of the technology. Concern about GM foods has been fueled by studies like the one published by French professor Gilles-Eric Séralini in September 2012. Séralini claimed that his research involving rats proved that the GM corn fed to them caused tumor growth. Furthermore, there is growing concern that the pesticides(杀虫剂) used on GMOs(转基因作物)are contributing to the decline of the world’s honey bee population, leading to honey bee deaths by infecting the brains of the insects with toxins. Therefore, some experts recommend the labeling of non-GM foods so that consumers can make that decision without a regulatory burden being placed on GMOs.
However, we should be cautious about anything that may risk humans’ life. Only time will tell.
1.Why did more than 300 people enjoy porridge made from genetically modified food?
A. To show evidence that GM products are dangerous.
B. To support that the first China Golden Rice Tasting is safe.
C. To rid public of fears and worries about the safety of GM foods.
D. To draw public’s attention to nationwide planting of GM products.
2.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. Those who are for GM products and those who are against keep arguing fiercely by holding conferences.
B. People are failing to show evidence to support their pros and cons, although they hold a firm belief of their own.
C. Some people think those against GM foods have a good knowledge of GM technology and are spreading rumors.
D. GM food may be just a way for some multinational corporations to drive China’s patent hybrid rice out of the market.
3.What can we infer from the second paragraph from bottom?
A. The public advocated that GM products should be labeled clearly.
B. Séralini claimed that his research proved the GM corn caused rats to grow faster.
C. Many honey bees have died because they were fed with GM corn.
D. There should be some restrictions on GM products’ selling.
4.What is the writer’s attitude towards GM products?
A. Supportive. B. Suspicious. C. Indifferent. D. Critical.
Many years ago in a small German town, a Jewish businessman had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to the moneylender. The moneylender, who was old and ugly, fancied the businessman’s beautiful daughter. So he proposed a bargain.
The moneylender told them that he would put a black pebble and a white pebble into an empty bag. The girl would then have to pick one pebble from the bag. If she picked the black pebble, she would become the moneylender’s wife and he would forgo her father’s debt. If she picked the white pebble, she need not marry him and her father’s debt would still be forgiven. But if she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be thrown into jail.
They were standing on a pebble-strewn path. As they talked, the moneylender bent over to pick up two pebbles. The sharp-eyed girl noticed that he had picked up two black pebbles and put them into the bag. He then asked the girl to pick a pebble from the bag. No doubt she was caught in a dilemma.
What would you have done if you were the girl? Careful analysis would produce three possibilities:
1.The girl should refuse to take a pebble.
2.The girl should know that there were two black pebbles in the bag and expose the money-lender as a cheat.
3.The girl should pick a black pebble and sacrifice herself in order to save her father from his debt and imprisonment.
The above story is used with the hope that it will make us appreciate the difference between lateral (横向的)and logical thinking.
Read on…
The girl put her hand into the moneybag and drew out a pebble. Without looking at it, she fumbled and let it fall onto the pebble-strewn path where it immediately became lost among all the other pebbles. “Oh, how clumsy of me!” she said. “But never mind, if you look into the bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked.” Since the remaining pebble is black, it must be assumed that she had picked the white one. And since the moneylender dared not admit his dishonesty, the girl changed what seemed an impossible situation into an extremely advantageous one.
1.The underlined word “forgo” in paragraph 2 may mean ________.
A. pay off B. run out C. take over D. give up
2.Which of the following indicates lateral thinking?
A. The girl refused to take a pebble and fled at once.
B. The girl exposed the cheat and found another way.
C. The girl picked one pebbles and made it disappear.
D. The girl picked a black pebble and accepted the result.
3.It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A. The girl dropped the pebble onto the path on purpose
B. The girl dropped the pebble onto the path by accident
C. The girl didn’t know there were two black pebbles in the bag
D. The girl replaced a black pebble in the bag
4.What lesson can we learn from the story?
A. Keeping calm when facing a difficult situation.
B. Thinking about a complicated problem in another way.
C. Thinking twice before making a final choice.
D. Coming up with a clever answer is easy.
