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.
The Decline of Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the range of living things in an area. During the last 100 years, scientists have seen a great decline in biodiversity. Some studies show that one in eight plant species is threatened with extinction. It is estimated that 140,000 species of plants are lost each year.
Most of the extinctions in the last thousand years are due to humans. The main cause is the chopping down of tropical rain forests. Most of this destruction is done to create pasture (牧场) for beef cattle. Many rainforests in Central and South America have been burnt down to make way for cattle farming, which supplies beef to the rest of the world. It is estimated that for each pound of beef produced, 200 square feet of rainforest are destroyed. The forests are also cut down to make wheat for bread as well as fruit for human consumption.
The introduction of exotic (外来的) species is another threat. The latest research from the University of Southampton has revealed the impact of exotic species upon native wildlife, which could potentially lead to the extinctions of local species. When exotic species are introduced to a place, they try to establish a self-sustaining population. While the local species, which haven’t had a chance to evolve, often lack defenses and thus cannot compete against the exotic species.
The disappearance of certain food animals can be disastrous not only to larger animals but also to the entire ecosystem. It is these small creatures which convert much of the energy in an ecosystem from unusable (i.e. microscopic plants, decaying matter, etc.) into usable forms, namely their bodies. Their absence makes most energy and nutrients trapped in forms unusable to other species. This makes the environment less suitable for healthy living, and less capable of producing resources that humans need.
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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.
Essential Creativity
In a recent survey in America, 62% of people said that creativity was more important to success in the workplace than they had anticipated it would be when they were in school.
1. It is of course possible to scan people’s brains and see which parts are firing when an idea is created, but rather more romantically it can be thought of as something that cannot be identified. Creativity is what comes to you when you least expect it. You cannot demand creativity from your mind, nor can you demand that you are creative in a particular way.
One misconception about creativity is that it is reserved for a few special people. This is not true. 2. Another misconception is that creativity is all about the arts but this simply isn’t true: creativity extends to maths and science in just the way it does to music and literature.
Those who see things differently to others and are confident enough to make their ideas a reality are the ones who make the greatest changes in the world. Consequently, it is incredibly important that schools do not prevent creativity. 3. Students should be taught to ask questions and investigate when things do not make sense. They need to learn to view mistakes as opportunities for learning rather than something that was unsuccessful.
It is worrying that many schools are less concerned now with nurturing creativity when this is the most important time in history for it. It used to be that people worked hard, went to university, and got a job. That was it. But now, everyone works hard, goes to university — and there aren’t the jobs out there that guarantee a safe future. 4. We can use it to set ourselves apart, and channel it to face the challenges of the future.
A. Creativity is associated with many factors.
B. Rather, they should work to expand, grow, and exercise it.
C. Without creativity, we are indistinguishable from the masses.
D. However, creativity can be acquired at any age.
E. It’s hard to work out where exactly creativity comes from.
F. Everyone has the capacity to be creative.
On August 29th, as Hurricane Dorian tracked towards America’s east coast, Elon Musk, the boss of Tesla, an electric-car maker, announced that some of his customers in the storm’s path would find that their cars had suddenly developed the ability to drive farther on a single battery charge. Like many modern vehicles, Mr. Musk’s products are best thought of as internet-connected computers on wheels. The cheaper models in Tesla’s line-up have parts of their batteries disabled by the car’s software in order to limit their range. At the tap of a keyboard in Palo Alto, the firm was able to remove those restrictions and give drivers temporary access to the full power of their batteries.
Mr. Musk’s computerized cars are just one example of a much broader trend. As computers and connectivity become cheaper, it makes sense to bake them into more and more things that are not, in themselves, computers, creating an “internet of things”.
Such a world will bring many benefits. Consumers will get convenience, and products that can do things non-computerized versions cannot. Businesses will get efficiency, as information about the physical world that used to be uncertain becomes concrete and analyzable.
In the long term, though, the most obvious effects will be in how the world works. Ever more companies will become tech companies; the internet will become everywhere. As a result, a series of unresolved arguments will spill over from the virtual world into the real one.
Start with ownership. As Mr Musk showed, the internet gives firms the ability to stay connected to their products even after they have been sold, transforming them into something closer to services than goods. That has already made the traditional ideas of ownership unclear. When Microsoft closed its ebook store in July, for instance, its customers lost the ability to read titles they had bought (the firm offered refunds). That shifts the balance of power from the customer to the seller.
Virtual business models will jar in the physical world. Tech firms are generally happy to move fast and break things. But you cannot release the beta version (测试版) of a fridge. Apple, a smartphonemaker, provides updates for its phones for only five years or so after their release; users of Android smartphones are lucky to get two. But goods such as washing machines or industrial machinery can have lifespans of a decade or more. Firms will need to work out how to support complicated computerised devices long after their original programmers have moved on.
Data will be another flashpoint. For much of the internet the business model is to offer “free” services that are paid for with valuable user data, collected with consent (同意) that is half-informed at best. In the virtual world, arguments about what should be tracked, and who owns the resulting data, can seem airy and theoretical. In the real one, they will feel more urgent.
Predicting the consequences of any technology is hard — especially one as universal as computing. The emergence of the consumer internet, 25 years ago, was met with starry-eyed optimism. These days the internet’s faults dominate the headlines. But the people have the advantage of having lived through the first internet revolution — which should give them some idea of what to expect.
1.From the passage we can tell that Tesla can ______.
A.drive faster than usual in extreme weather B.adjust the range of its battery power
C.charge the battery at the tap of a keyboard D.operate when the battery is fully drained
2.Which of the following is NOT an example of the “unresolved arguments” mentioned in the passage?
A.Early adopters of certain apps find that they ceased to work after the firm lost interest.
B.The insurance company uses data from fitness trackers to adjust customers’ premiums(保费).
C.Computerized machinery can’t predict its breakdowns or schedule preventive maintenance.
D.A high-tech fridge company restricts its customers from repairing their fridges themselves.
3.The underlined word jar probably means _______ in this context.
A.boom B.conflict C.vanish D.expand
4.This passage is mainly about _______.
A.how the world will change as computers spread into everyday objects
B.the adoption of electric vehicles and the possible problems to expect
C.what should be done to prevent the breakdown of computerized devices
D.different views on the current application of Internet Technology
Shipping containers are gaining popularity as an alternative to traditional houses. These 20-or 40-foot containers can be obtained for a little as several hundred US dollars apiece, and it’s not surprising that some industry professionals and even city planners consider them the future of home building. Below are details of some amazing homes made out of shipping containers.
London Container City(I and II)
London’s Container City first sprang up in the heart of the docklands in 2001. It took just five months to complete the original 12 work studios. Shortly after that, a fourth floor of studios and living apartments was built on top of these. The first container city was so successful that another — Container City II — was added to it.
Los Angeles Redondo Beach house
With its modern lines and appealing spaces, the award-winning Redondo Beach House is a luxury beachside showpiece built from eight recycled steel shipping containers, along with some traditional building materials. According to the architects, the modified containers are “nearly indestructible”.
Amsterdam Keetwonen
Amsterdam’s massive Keetwonen complex houses 1,000 students and it is the largest container city in the world. The housing project is a roaring success and features units that are quiet and comfortable. Each resident enjoys a bathroom, kitchen and separate sleeping and studying quarters. The complex even has central heating and high-speed internet as well as areas for parking bikes.
Mexico M2ATK Container House
M2ATK designed this unique container house for an artist. It’s fully equipped with heating and cooling, a kitchen and bathroom. On the bottom floor of the house are ‘‘public spaces” such as the kitchen and living room. The second floor is the bedroom, and the top floor is a studio space in which to work, read and “let fly the imagination”.
1.Compared to traditional houses, container houses are _____.
A.easier to maintain B.less expensive to build
C.more comfortable to live in D.more fashionable in style
2.What can be learned about Amsterdam’s Keetwonen complex?
A.It is the first container city in the world. B.It’s equipped with modern facilities.
C.It features a luxury and unique style. D.It includes living space and car parks.
3.Which of the following is the best title for the poster?
A.Recycled material for Ideal Home B.Shipping Container Home Challenges
C.Home in a Steel Box D.Housing Options and Solutions
Agnes de Mille was a dancer and a choreographer (编舞). Early in her career, de Mille had created the choreography for a ballet called Three Virgins and a Devil. She thought it was good work, but nobody made much of it.
A few years later, de Mille choreographed a ballet named Rodeo. Again, she thought her work was solid, but it resulted in little commercial fame.
Then, in 1943, de Mille choreographed Oklahoma!, a musical show that enjoyed nearly instant success. In the coming years, Oklahoma! would run for an incredible 2,212 performances, both around the nation and abroad. In 1955, the film version won an Academy Award.
But the success of Oklahoma! didn’t bring her much happiness. She thought that her work on Oklahoma! was only average compared to some of her other creations. She later said, “After the opening of Oklahoma!, I suddenly had unexpected success for a work I thought was only fairly good, after years of neglect for work I thought was fine. I began to think that perhaps my entire scale of values was untrustworthy. I talked to Martha.”
Martha was Martha Graham, perhaps the most influential dance choreographer of the 20th century. (Although not as well-known by the general public, Graham has been compared to other creative geniuses like Picasso or Frank Lloyd Wright.)
During their conversation, de Mille told Martha Graham about her frustration. “I confessed that I had a burning desire to be excellent, but no faith that I could be.”
Graham responded by saying:
“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.”
1.What can be learned about de Mille’s ballet named Rodeo?
A.It earned her a large fortune. B.It made her rise to fame overnight.
C.It didn’t enjoy much success. D.It laid a solid foundation for her career.
2.How did de Mille feel about the great success of the musical Oklahoma!?
A.Relieved. B.Ashamed. C.Confused. D.Proud.
3.Picasso and Frank Lloyd Wright were mentioned in the passage to suggest that Martha Graham ______.
A.was outstanding in visual arts and architecture
B.enjoyed the same popularity as them
C.had been influenced greatly by them
D.was the most influential artist in her field
4.Which of the following statements best represents Graham’s words in this passage?
A.Comparing with others prevents you from maintaining uniqueness.
B.You should always keep yourself open to the urges that motivate you.
C.Your action reveals the inner landscape, which is the soul of music.
D.Choosing to be positive is going to determine how you live your life.
Since 2008, the average labour-force participation rate of 55- to 64-year-olds in OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries has risen by eight percentage points. A new OECD report, “Working Better with Age”, points out that the employment of older workers is ______, if prosperity is to be maintained. That can be taken as a sign that our society is finally ______ the value of its older employees.
Retirement gives you the chance to sleep late and avoid the morning rush hours. No longer do you have to sit through endless meetings or check email frequently. But work can keep the mind active and gives people a ______ in life. The first month of retirement may seem pleasant, but ______ is sure to come. Grand plans to learn languages and travel the world can quickly lose their appeal. ______, the company of colleagues provides a social network; spending all week at home can lead to loneliness.
Working longer should be easier now that most jobs require ______, rather than manual, labour. Of course, many people are working longer not because they enjoy what they do, but because they cannot afford to ______. That is not just because governments have been pushing up the state retirement age. ______, the average age at which people actually retire differs from the official age by several years. In part, that is because many people do not rely on the state pension as their only source of income and need work-related pensions to supplement it.
However, companies are gradually ______ pensions linked to final salaries with “defined contribution” schemes. Under the latter, workers end up with a pot of savings at retirement that needs to be ______. The income from such pots has been reduced by very low interest rates. Women tend to have smaller retirement pots (thanks to their years spent raising children), making their difficulties even more ______. They need to keep working.
Older workers may feel ______, particularly when it comes to promotion. Two issues seem to hold ______ back. The first is that older workers tend to ______ higher salaries, because of the seniority system. The second is a ______ of skills；one in three 55- to 65-year-olds in OECD countries either lack computer experience or cannot pass technology tests. Such problems can be resolved with proper training, but the over-55s should take it upon themselves to keep up with technological changes.
1.A.shortsighted B.vital C.adequate D.unnecessary
2.A.recognizing B.assessing C.questioning D.transforming
3.A.frame B.choice C.lesson D.purpose
4.A.liberty B.boredom C.priority D.motivation
5.A.However B.Instead C.Therefore D.Furthermore
6.A.mental B.simple C.physical D.routine
7.A.proceed B.continue C.persist D.quit
8.A.In conclusion B.In other words C.In practice D.In particular
9.A.replacing B.furnishing C.increasing D.combining
10.A.registered B.reinvested C.refunded D.removed
11.A.personal B.severe C.emotional D.practical
12.A.competitive B.dominant C.distinguished D.disadvantaged
13.A.employers B.researchers C.employees D.female workers
14.A.command B.ensure C.oppose D.ignore
15.A.range B.discipline C.shortage D.set
