阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式
Earthquakes can be destructive. Unfortunately, we don t have a 1. (rely) way to predict. But technologies can still help us under such a desperate situation. China is building the world’s largest earthquake alert system and it’s 2. (possible) the most advanced. Engineers 3. (set) up over 15,000 sensors (传感器) nationwide and wiring them into a web, 4. an earthquake happens, the sensors can send electrical pulses to the control center and then ordinary people’s smartphones.
The signal travels at almost light speed and faster than the earthquake shaking, 5. (give) local people a little time to prepare, and the system can usually send messages to people thin less than two seconds. It’s life-saving. The system, 6. can be the most advanced in many ways, will be the largest earthquake observation network in the world, not only detecting the 7. (move of the continents but also calculating the possible impact 8. an earthquake. It will automatically warn local people, making 9. (it) much faster than human observation. The system, overseen by China’s Ministry of Emergency Management, is set 10. (complete) in 2022.
As a teenager in the 1960s, growing up in suburbs south of Boston, I fell under the control of the very pleasantly ____ mysteries of the Chinese language. Someday, I told myself, I would ______ the meanings of the mysteries.
So, entering college, I decided to ______ the study of Chinese. But my small college in Maine offered no courses in that language. Following graduation from college. I entered an evening course at a language center for adults, and thus ______ my personal journey in the study of Chinese. That journey ______ George Washington and Georgetown universities, the Department of State’s Foreign Language Institute’s early morning classes. and after a 15-year ______, restarted in tutoring classes starting in 1999 and later in independent study at George Mason University without:______. From 1983 and through the following decades, a dozen business trips to China ______ my study of Chinese, I experienced the amazing change of China.
My connection to China grew even stronger when quite ______ my daughter Carmen started her study of Chinese at Haverford College. After her graduation, the Confucius Institute ______ her a yearlong scholarship to study Chinese at Beijing Language and Culture University. She remained in Beijing for three years, working for a company that helps Chinese high school students ______ top U.S. colleges and universities.
In 2012, I retired.______ that I should find some way to show appreciation for the Confucius Institute’s generosity toward my family, I began to ______ weekly presentations about Chinese affairs sponsored by George Mason’s Confucius Institute, where by late 2014 this.______ contact had led to the formation of a Chinese Reading Club. By mid-2016 six experienced Chinese learners could read and discuss difficult, ______ literary shorter works of such ______ Chinese authors as Mo Yan, Liu Zhenyun, and Su Tong.
Under the teachers guidance the ______ and joys of the group meetings to understand the secrets of the short stories I read, in Chinese, have brought me to a deeper understanding of China. I am personally ______ for the opportunity provided. I can only suggest George Mason Confucius Institute consider ______ the model of this reading group to others, as the worlds most spoken and read language is ______ popular among the Westerners who have started the wonderful voyage to it.
1.A. relaxing B. inviting C. developing D. confusing
2.A. uncover B. deepen C. explain D. evaluate
3.A. look into B. break off C. take up D. seek out
4.A. spread B. postponed C. shared D. launched
5.A. wound through B. shook off C. set up D. lived with
6.A. interaction B. break C. improvement D. exchange
7.A. barriers B. inspiration C. guidance D. destinations
8.A. strengthened B. started C. interrupted D. ended
9.A. on the contrary B. on purpose C. to some extent D. by accident
10.A. returned B. lent C. showed D. awarded
11.A. try out B. apply to C. deal with D. adapt to
12.A. Requesting B. Hearing C. Reflecting D. Demanding
13.A. attend B. join C. post D. condemn
14.A. prepared B. portable C. casual D. complicated
15.A. regularly B. highly C. rapidly D. properly
16.A. rejected B. annoyed C. suspected D. respected
17.A. weaknesses B. challenges C. sufferings D. strengths
18.A. desperate B. concerned C. grateful D. anxious
19.A. guaranteeing B. canceling C. selling D. promoting
20.A. increasingly B. discouragingly C. frighteningly D. decreasingly
It doesn’t take much to break a student budget-accommodation costs can do it before term even starts. Due to unrealistic costs and lack of money-management skills, many students face and experience some degree of financial stress or hardship. The following steps can help you get back on track.
1. First, list everything you need to pay for over the next few months, from rent and bills to bus fares, laundry costs and your TV licence. The more detailed, the better. Next, reorder the list by importance. Essential items should be at the top.
Predict the problems. The trouble with running out of cash is that it has consequences, and it’s better to know what they are. It could mean no ready-made lunches for a while, or cutting back on transport costs. This is an opportunity to find free alternatives, spot ways to save cash, or mentally prepare to go without. Some course or home expenses are harder to hide. 2..
Talk to the right people. 3. Get in touch as soon as possible. Ask your uni’s student money advisor about budgeting, hardship funds or specialist support. The welfare office or your GP can advise if money worries affect your diet, sleep or mental health. Keep your course tutor informed, too. Talking can help relieve stress.
4. If you don t have a plan for spending it, extra cash wont be the magic bullet you expect. Doing the steps above first will help you see the bigger picture, and can lead you to appropriate funding. If you have a job, extra shifts may help. You can also shift any unloved clothes, books and gadgets (小玩具) for cash.
Borrow wisely. You may need to borrow money to get by, but always try to take the best option for your finances and wellbeing. Family or university loans are safer, so investigate them first. 5. If you’re not on top of your finances, get advice before using them, especially before talking commercial or payday loans. However you borrow, compare the total cost with interest, along with charges or consequences for late repayment. Plan how you’ll repay the money as soon as possible and consider how that will affect your other finances.
A. Find extra income.
B. Consider costs first.
C. Improve your money skills.
D. Spend your funding appropriately.
E. There are people out there who can help you cope.
F. The next step will help figure out how to cope with them.
G. Credit cards have their benefits, but also more potential for extra costs.
Research shows that splashing the cash can increase feelings of pleasure-but it depends on who you spend it on. According to a growing body of evidence, it seems that it can. But what makes us really happy is not buying ourselves the latest iPhone, but splashing our cash on other people. In a study published last week, looking at the link between generosity and happiness, researchers from Zurich University divided 50 participants into two groups and asked them to publicly promise how they would spend a monthly donation. One group was asked to spend 25 Swiss francs a week on gifts or outings for other people, and the second group was asked to spend it on themselves.
Levels of happiness were measured on a subjective scale before and after the commitment. Those in the first group who promised generously increased their happiness more than the group who planned to buy themselves treats.
Participants then underwent an MRI scan to see which bits of the brain were the most active during generous acts. During the scan, participants were asked to work out how they would like to spend money on a person of their choice. Some of the choices involved participants having to pay extra out of their own pocket to give a gift. For example, they were told they would have to pay 20 francs in order for the receiver of their generosity to get 15 francs. There is a part of the brain—the temporo-parietal junction (头顶骨结合点)—that neuroscientists say is associated with generosity,as well as one linked with happiness—the ventral striatum (脑纹状体). When people made generous decisions in this study, both areas of the brain showed increased activity. The researchers conclude that their findings have important implications for all of us.
It is human nature, the evidence shows, to be generous, although, when asked in surveys, we assume that self-interest is a stronger emotion. But, it turns out, such self-interest doesn’t make us nearly as happy as giving to others. Studies in which people have been given envelopes of money to spend show that those who spent a proportion of it on a gift, or gave some to charity, felt happier than those who spent it on a present for themselves or a bill they needed to pay. A study of young children found that even toddlers (学步小孩) felt happier giving rather than getting treats. Other studies show that volunteering increases happiness.
Research looking at survey data from 136 countries found that spending on others has a “consistent, causal impact on happiness.” This was true across a range of cultures and economies. The best news is that you don’t have to give much to feel the benefits. And it is morally fine to give only because it makes you happier.
1.Why do the researchers from Zurich University divide 50 participants into two groups?
A. To stress how important feeling happy is.
B. To check whether they will donate generously.
C. To show how to splash our cash on other people.
D. To look at the connection between generosity and happiness.
2.What do the words “important implications” in the last sentence of Paragraph 3 refer to?
A. To be generous is human nature.
B. It’s hard for people to make generous decisions.
C. To be generous doesn’t make one happy as expected.
D. Bits of the brain have nothing to do with generosity.
3.What message does the passage mainly convey?
A. Getting treats is more delightful than giving for toddlers.
B. Whoever spends money on others can be truly depressed or feel gloomy.
C. Whoever is a giver of a gift or to a charity will morally feel more cheerful.
D. A gift can be anything but beneficial for the giver as well as the receiver.
4.Which of the following can be the most suitable title for the text?
A. Can money buy you happiness?
B. What is the quality of personal relationships?
C. What is the purpose of undergoing an MRI scan?
D. How to balance self-interest and encourage generosity?
Like“ Titanic(1997)” and another record- breaking“ Avatar(2009)”, the very first film to hit one billion yuan at China’s box office, both directed by James Cameron, American films are an unavoidable part and hold plenty of appeal for Chinese film-goers, including me. However, while American movies have gained great influence in China and become part of everyday popular culture, Chinese films have failed to win an equal amount of recognition in the U.S. market.
Hollywood, known as a remarkable film production center, exported the biggest number of mainstream movies around the globe. Both its marvelous storytelling techniques and smooth production process have made it the most successful film industry in the world, gaining global acceptance. It has its own standards about the scriptwriting format throughout its filmmaking process while China has no such. Moreover, in Hollywood, a break during the production period is a must for all crew members whereas most Chinese film crew do not even allow their production team time to rest on the weekend.
Besides production, content is another important aspect of Hollywood’s cultural exportation. The United States is known as a melting pot, as it is a country of immigrants. Its culture, in a way, is more diversified than others’. And we can see an increased diversity in Hollywood movies over the years, especially since 2000. For example, in 2017, Hollywood blockbuster (大片) “Coco (2017)” tells the story of a Mexican boy who dreams of being a musician. Full of elements of the Mexican culture, the movie caused a global fever for Mexican music at the time. It also achieved great results in China, ranking as the 10th highest grossing (最高票房) film in the country in2017, with the box office being over one billion yuan.
In contrast, China’s highest grossing film of 2017, “Wolf Warrior 2”, despite having created a new record in the country’s box office, did not get too much attention in the U. S. market. In fact, there is hardly any Chinese movie that has become a blockbuster in foreign markets. One of the reasons may be that most Chinese films only tell domestic stories with strong domestic elements, which is not wrong but makes it hard to attract foreign viewers due to the narrow themes.
While seeking to tell Chinese stories that are able to gain global popularity is still a question for Chinese filmmakers, fortunately, the technical aspect in the Chinese film industry has been improving thanks to the abundant cash flow in the market. When that day comes, more people will get a chance to learn more about China, one of the most beautiful places on the planet, which reminds me of the famous quote from “The Shawshank Redemption (1994)”, “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies.”
1.What can we conclude from the passage?
A. Chinese films are not well worth watching compared with Hollywood movies.
B. Chinese films are in a sense not as popular globally despite abundant cash flow.
C. Who directed China’s highest grossing film of 2017, “Wolf Warrior 2” is evident.
D. American films global acceptance is bound to worsen the Chinese film industry greatly.
2.Why do most Chinese films hardly attract foreign viewers?
A. Because they have no knowledge of Chinese filmmakers.
B. Because the Chinese culture is more diversified than others’.
C. Because they only tells Chinese stories with strong domestic elements.
D. Because in China there is no unusually successful hit like Hollywood Blockbuster.
3.What is the main idea of the passage?
A. American films have gained great influence in China.
B. How Chinese stories affect the American film market.
C. The outline about the history and development of Hollywood.
D. Why Chinese films fail to gain much recognition in the U. S market.
4.What is the author’s opinion towards the present situation of Chinese films?
A. Contradictory. B. Objective.
C. Doubtful. D. Indifferent.
Videos and video calls are becoming increasingly popular on social media in China, particularly on WeChat, the country’s most-used messaging app. We Chat’s 1.08 billion monthly active users last year made 410 million daily video and audio calls. That was 5.7 times more than in 2015, when WeChat first disclosed its operational data.
Uploading videos on WeChat Moments, a function that allows users to share their latest whereabouts, has become more widely used, with the number of videos posted multiplying 4.8 times in the past 4 years.
As a one-stop solution for Chinese people’s daily lives, We Chat has been able to produce a breakdown of its users’ preferences by age group. Those born in the 1980s for example are followers of news related to state and public affairs, whereas those younger than 20 spend the most on sweet treats.
In line with previous findings, China’s elderly population are becoming adept at using WeChat as a means of communication and conducting errands (办差事). As of September 2018, over 63 million users were registered as 55 years old or above. This group recorded an average length of 11 minutes for video calls, topping all age groups. We Chat Wallet has also registered exponential (指数的) growth, with payments in public transportation and high-speed traffic rising 4.7 times and 6.3 times, separately. Spending in retail stores and dining via WeChat rose by 1.5 times and 1.7 times. The number of users who use the app for making medical appointments and paying bills almost tripled.
1.Which of the following is closer to the truth according to the passage?
A. The number of videos posted has declined in the past 4 years.
B. The users’ preferences for WeChat can be various by age group.
C. Downloading videos on WeChat Moments is widely banned officially.
D. The number of users’ spending in retail stores and dining via WeChat will be doubled.
2.From what column on a certain website is the above passage most probably taken?
A. VIDEOS B. ADVERTISING
C. BUSINESS D. CAREER DEVELOPMENT
3.What does the underlined word “adept” in the last paragraph roughly mean?
A. disappointed B. inexperienced
C. surprised D. skilled
4.What is the passage mainly concerned about accordingly?
A. Video use continues to rise sharply on WeChat.
B. WeChat video calls are more frequently used by those younger than 20.
C. The post-80s are more likely fond of public affairs as well as sweet treats.
D. Making medical appointments and payments on We Chat will be more convenient.
