Young people in the United States do not have a strong understanding of the world and their place in it.
Two US-based groups, the Council on Foreign Relations and the National Geographic Society, conducted an online survey last year. They wanted to know what young people in American colleges knew about geography, U.S. foreign policy, recent international events, and economics.
The survey was given to over 1,200 Americans between the ages of 18 and 26 years. All of them presently attending, or having previously graduated from, a 2- or 4-year college or university.
The average test score, out of 75 total possible answers, was 55 percent. The study identifies a few important problems. For example, only 30 percent knew that the only part of the U.S. government that can declare war is Congress. Only 60% of those taking the survey could identify Brazil on a world map.
Part of the problem, argue the organizers of the survey, is the Internet. They say it is becoming harder to find high-quality information about world events amongst all the fake news and trivia which swamp the web. Forty-three percent of those questioned said they read about the news on Facebook.
Another problem is that most college courses do not require students to learn about international issues. If such information is not required, Richard Haass from the Council on Foreign Relations said, then the United States could have leaders like Gary Johnson. He was a recent presidential candidate who did not know about the Syrian city of Aleppo when a reporter asked him about it.
The survey results were not all bad. The young people also demonstrated a good understanding of climate change and renewable energy. And the majority of them said that international issues were becoming more important to them.
Haass says these findings suggest the need to find ways to get good information to students, both in school and online. To help, the Council on Foreign Relations is creating a new program called CFR Campus, designed to help build knowledge about global issues.
1.What do we know about the survey?
A. The participants were all recent university graduates.
B. It was an online survey conducted by two US universities.
C. It was given to over 1,200 American people aged from 18 to 26.
D. It aimed to find out what the young people know about America.
2.What’s one reason survey organizers give for young people’s lack of knowledge?
A. The poor quality of the US university system.
B. Young people’s unwillingness to travel abroad.
C. The sources from which they get their information.
D. Their lack of interest in knowing more about the world.
3.What topic did the young Americans understand best according to the survey?
A. Government organizations. B. Geographic information.
C. Foreign relations. D. Environmental matters.
4.In which column of a newspaper could we find this article?
A. Economics. B. Education.
C. National Politics. D. Entertainment.
I have just returned from a visit to my landlord, Mr. Heathcliff. I am delighted with the house I am renting from him, which suits me perfectly.
Mr. Heathcliff is my only neighbour, and I think his character is similar to mine. He does not like people either.
When I introduced myself, he said nothing, but frowned, and did not encourage me to enter. After a while, however, he decided to invite me in.
“Joseph!” he called. Joseph was an old servant. He looked crossly up at me as he took my horse. “God help us! A visitor!” he whispered to himself. Perhaps there were no other servants, I thought. And it seemed that Heathcliff hardly ever received guests.
His house is called Wuthering Heights. The name means “a windswept house on a hill”, and it is a very good description. The trees around the house are bent by the north wind, which blows fiercely every day of the year. Fortunately, the house is strongly built, and is not damaged even by the worst winter storms.
Mr. Heathcliff and I entered the huge main room. We sat down by the fire, in silence.
“Joseph!” shouted Mr. Heathcliff. No answer came from the cellar, so he dived down there, leaving me alone with several rather fierce-looking dogs. Suddenly one of them jumped angrily up at me, and in a moment all the others were attacking me.
“Help! Mr. Heathcliff! Help!” I shouted. My landlord was nowhere to be seen, but luckily a woman, who might be the housekeeper, rushed into the room to calm the dogs.
“What is the matter?” Mr. Heathcliff asked me rudely, as he finally entered the room, accompanied by his man-servant.
“Your dogs, sir!” I replied. “You shouldn’t leave a stranger with them. They’re dangerous.”
“Come, come, Mr. Lockwood. Have some wine. We don’t often have strangers here. I’m afraid neither I nor my dogs are used to receiving them.” I could not feel offended after this, and accepted the wine. We sat drinking and talking together for a while. I suggested visiting him tomorrow. He did not seem eager to see me again, but I shall go anyway. He seems a fascinating man.
1.In which order should the following events be arranged?
a. Mr. Lockwood introduced himself to his landlord.
b. Mr. Lockwood and Mr. Heathcliff sat drinking and talking together.
c. Mr. Heathcliff invited Mr. Lockwood into the house.
d. Mr. Lockwood was attacked by some dogs.
e. Mr. Lockwood and Mr. Heathcliff sat down by the fire, in silence.
f. Mr. Heathcliff appeared in the main room with Joseph.
A. a, c, f, b, d, e. B. c, a, b, e, d, f.
C. a, c, e, d, f, b. D. c, a, f, e, d, b.
2.Why did Joseph say “God help us! A visitor!” when he met Mr. Lockwood?
A. He was very shocked to have a visitor.
B. He thought Mr. Lockwood was a new servant.
C. He had waited for Mr. Lockwood for a long time.
D. He was happy his prayer for guests was answered.
3.Why is the house called “Wuthering Heights”?
A. It is struck by strong winds all the year round.
B. It is protected well by the trees surrounding it.
C. The trees around it are bent by the north wind.
D. It is specially designed to resist strong winds.
4.What was the writer’s impression of Mr. Heathcliff?
A. He was rich but foolish. B. He was rude but interesting.
C. He was handsome but boring. D. He was strange but friendly.
He was the man who inspired the Beat Generation, and nearly half a century after his death Jack Kerouac is still receiving grateful letters from his fans.
Most letters are sent in the post to his last home in St Petersburg, Florida, and the mail box in the front yard is full to bursting. But others are delivered by hand, pushed under the front door or left on the doorstep.
They usually thank the author of On the Road for inspiring them to travel and be independent. “You remind me to stay true to who you are and to encourage a sense of adventure in all of us.” reads one letter, handwritten by “Cindy” on paper covered with pictures of butterflies and flowers. She adds, “I hope you’re writing, liberated and drinking a glass of wine.”
Another, signed “Friend of Jack”, reads, “I prefer to think of myself as a free spirit and a person who follows a path of her own choosing. You have always been my inspiration.”
His home, where he was living with his mother Gabrielle and his wife Stella, has become a destination for hundreds of fans every year.
Kerouac rocketed to fame at the age of 35, with the publication of On the Road in 1957.
But after becoming a symbol and leader of the alternative lifestyle movement, he struggled with that fame and claimed that he only wanted people to read his books.
Kerouac died just 12 years after On the Road was published. He was suffering from liver problem, following years of heavy drinking largely brought on by his love-hate relationship with fame.
Kerouac, the creator of vivid characters such as Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty, died at a St Petersburg hospital in 1969, at the age of 47.
1.Why do people still write to Kerouac after his death?
A. His wife and mother still live in his home.
B. They are also suffering from serious illness.
C. People benefiting from his books want to say thanks.
D. People hope to learn how to deal with overnight fame.
2.What is On the Road probably about?
A. How to deal with becoming famous.
B. How vivid characters can be created.
C. Teaching people to appreciate his books.
D. Getting to know oneself better through travel.
3.What can we learn about Kerouac from the text?
A. He had great difficulty dealing with fame.
B. He was depressed because people didn’t read his books.
C. He drank a lot to celebrate his being famous for his works.
D. He was scolded because he promoted an alternative lifestyle.
假如你是李华，你校外教Rita对中国传统文化感兴趣。端午节即将来临，你打算邀请她来家里过端午节。请写一份电子邮件给Rita，要点如下；
1．说明写信目的；
2．介绍端午节（时间、纪念屈原）；
3．你计划的庆祝活动。
Dear Rita,
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Looking forward to your reply.
Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上，老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。作文中共有10处错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词。
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Dear Tom,
I’m glad to accept your last letter. Thanks for your concern about the heavy haze affecting normal teaching activities in our school. We have actual taken several practical measures to handle.
To begin with, attach great importance to the health of the young, our government has fixed a set of equipments to provide fresh air in our school, that can basically solve the problem. In addition to, parents donate lots of air purifiers. However, inside the buildings of our school, we did have fresh and refined air. Besides these, our school avoids outdoor activities when haze attacks.
I do believe a disturbing issue will be solved pretty soon in China.
Yours,
Li Hua
A television series is fast gaining its word-of-mouth 1.(popular) among not only Chinese households but also some foreigners. The drama, 2.(call) In the Name of the People, offers viewers, 3.(particular) foreigners, an opportunity to better understand China’s politics and culture and also the nations’ iron-fist resolve in the fight 4.corruption(腐败) among the country’s officials. The drama is 5.effort rarely seen in recent memory that carries the anti-corruption topic onto mainstream television. Before that, the discussion of this topic was widespread 6.mostly remains private in Chinese society.
“I was quite 7.(impress) by the jaw-dropping scene8.the cash hidden on a giant wall was found in a low-level official’s house. It is a bribe(行贿)he’s accepted which is worth 230 million yuan (about 33 million U. S. dollars)”, said Eric Ivarsen from Norway, a master’s student 9.(major) in the public management and social development at the University of Chinese Academy of Science.
“My subject has a very high requirement of knowledge about Chinese politics and culture. After watching the drama, I 10.(well) understand China’s political terms, for example, seats order according to official rankings, languages being used in a meeting, which is quite different from my country,” lvarsen added.
