_____ more effectively with others, more and more people equip themselves with a higher education.

A. Compete B. Being competed C. To compete D. Competing

Health experts believe that even a little exercise is far better than _____at all.

A. noneB. little C. everythingD. anything

Thanks to a combination of young businessmen, large numbers of university students and revitalization (新生) efforts by the local and national governments, today’s Nanjing has an of youthful exuberance (繁茂) that would have been only a few decades ago. , the city, a booming city of 6.5 million on the banks of the Yangtze River some 185 miles west of Shanghai, bears resemblance to the former capital of China that suffered the worst cruelty and violence of World War II.

Nanjing has shown a remarkable capacity for reinvention during its 2,500-year history. And in recent years, the city has moved its tragic past to become a vital engine of China’s economic growth, thanks to its position in the middle of China’s prosperous eastern seaboard. Growth has also thanks to improved ground transportation: A new bullet train linking Nanjing and Shanghai started service last year, travel time between the cities from several hours to just 75 minutes, and a Beijing-Shanghai high-speed line is to open later this year, with a stop in Nanjing. Within the city, two metro lines were built in the last few years; 15 more are planned to begin service by 2030.

Signs of Nanjing’s wealth and optimism can be seen everywhere. In the heart of the downtown Xinjiekou district, a bronze statue of Sun Yat-sen, the father of modern China, looks over a busy area.

There is perhaps no more symbol of the city’s transformation than the Zifeng Tower, a 1,480-foot skyscraper that opened its doors last May. offices, restaurants and an InterContinental hotel, the tower is the second-tallest building in China and billed as the seventh-tallest in the world.

Underlying all this development is a large Chinese and student population — there are several major universities, plus a branch of Johns Hopkins’s international studies school. In fact, art and music in all sorts of places.

On a larger , local government officials and private investors are pushing the city as a rising center for contemporary art and architecture, hoping to attract from the neon-bathed streets of its neighbor Shanghai.

1.A. advance B. affectionC. airD. ability

2.A. unforgettable B. unthinkableC. unbearableD. unnecessary

3.A. Actually B. RegretfullyC. Hopefully D. Consequently

4.A. closeB. slightC. muchD. little

5.A. Because B. ButC. AsD. Since

6.A. beyond B. onC. offD. out

7.A. in addition B. in allC. in partD. in fact

8.A. startedB. enlargedC. existedD. accelerated

9.A. removingB. cuttingC. dividingD. lowering

10.A. scheduledB. inventedC. desiredD. meant

11.A. attractiveB. well-receivedC. newfoundD. discovered

12.A. thoughtB. treatedC. consideredD. elected

13.A. outB. atC. aboutD. for

14.A. remoteB. regionalC. ruralD. commercial

15.A. universalB. visibleC. traditionalD. political

16.A. KeepingB. ConsistingC. OpeningD. Housing

17.A. BritishB. westernC. AmericanD. foreign

18.A. spring upB. stand upC. set upD. keep up

19.A. extentB. degreeC. scaleD. level

20.A. businessmenB. studentsC. touristsD. painters

In the 19th century, there used to be a model of how to be a good person. There are all these torrents of passion flowing through you. Your job, as captain of your soul, is to erect dams to keep these passions in check. Your job is to just say no to laziness, lust, greed, drug use and the other sins.

　　These days that model is out of fashion. You usually can’t change your behavior by simply resolving to do something. Knowing what to do is not the same as being able to do it. Your willpower is not like a dam that can block the torrent of self-indulgence. It's more like a muscle, which tires easily. Moreover, you're a social being. If everybody around you is overeating, you’ll probably do so, too.

　　The 19th-century character model was based on an understanding of free will. Today, we know that free will is bounded. People can change their lives, but ordering change is not simple because many things, even within ourselves, are beyond our direct control.

　　Much of our behavior, for example, is guided by unconscious habits. Researchers at Duke University calculated that more than 40 percent of the actions we take are governed by habit, not actual decisions. Researchers have also come to understand the structure of habits—cue, routine, reward.

　　You can change your own personal habits. If you leave running shorts on the floor at night, that'll be a cue to go running in the morning. Don’t try to ignore your afternoon snack craving. Every time you feel the cue for a snack, insert another routine. Take a walk.

　　Their research thus implies a different character model, which is supposed to manipulate the neural networks inside.

　　To be an effective person, under this model, you are supposed to coolly examine your own unconscious habits, and the habits of those under your care. You are supposed to devise strategies to alter the cues and routines. Every relationship becomes slightly manipulative, including your relationship with yourself. You're trying to arouse certain responses by implanting certain cues.

　　This is a bit disturbing, because the important habitual neural networks are not formed by mere routine, nor can they be reversed by clever cues. They are burned in by emotion and strengthened by strong yearnings, like the yearnings for admiration and righteousness.

　　If you think you can change your life in a clever way, the way an advertiser can get you to buy an air freshener, you’re probably wrong. As the Victorians understood, if you want to change your life, don’t just look for a clever cue. Commit to some larger global belief.

1.Which of the following is the first-to-none element in the 19th-century character model?

A. Action.　B. Capacity.　C. Resolution.D. Enthusiasm.

2.The research at Duke University indicated that ________

A. One’s behavior is tough to change.

B. Habit has an unidentified structure.

C. Habit plays a vital role in one's behavior.

D. Both habit and will power are of significance.

3.According to the new character model, personal behavior could be altered through

A. techniques to break old routines.

B. techniques to provide different physical cues.

C. cues to change all the former unconscious habits.

D. cues to manipulate the habitual neural responses.

1.What do we know about 1234 PENS?

A. It has a history of over 30 years.

B. It has built up a large pen market.

C. It has its name printed on each pen.

D. It charges a low price for extra service.

2. What is mainly discussed in Paragraph 3?

A. The different types of the products.B. The high quality of the products.

C. The quick service of 1234 PENS.D. The trade shows of 1234 PENS.

3.What is special about the pens produced in 1234 PENS?

A. They are designed in 16 styles.

B. They come in 48 different colours.

C. Their material is less harmful to the earth.

D. Their price is much lower in the pen market.

4.The main purpose of the passage is to _____.

A. persuade people to order the products

B. explain the process of making logo pens

C. show people how to choose different pens

D. introduce the different services of 1234 PENS

The extraordinary Eastgate Building in Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital city, is said to be the only one in the world to use the same cooling and heating principles as the termite mound(白蟻堆).

Architect Mick Pearce used precisely the same strategy when designing the Eastgate Building, which has no air-conditioning and almost no heating. The building—the country’s largest commercial and shopping complex—uses less than 10% of the energy of a conventional building of its size. The Eastgate’s owners saved $3.5 million on a $36 million building because an air-conditioning plant didn’t have to be imported.

The complex is actually two buildings linked by bridges across a shady, glass-roofed atrium(天井) open to the air. Fans suck fresh air in from the atrium, blow it upstairs through hollow spaces under the floors and from there into each office through baseboard vents(通風(fēng)口). As it rises and warms, it is drawn out via ceiling vents and finally exists through forty-eight brick chimneys.

During summer’s cool nights, big fans blow air through the building seven times an hour to cool the empty floors. By day, smaller fans blow two changes of air an hour through the building, to circulate the air which has been in contact with the cool floors. For winter days, there are small heaters in the vents.

This is all possible only because Harare is 1600 feet above sea level, has cloudless skies, little dampness and rapid temperature swings—days as warm as 31℃ commonly drop to 14℃ at night. “You couldn’t do this in New York, with its fantastically hot summers and fantastically cold winters,” Pearce said.

The engineering firm of Ove Arup&Partners monitors daily temperatures. It is found that the temperature of the building has generally stayed between 23℃ and 25℃, with the exception of the annual hot period just before the summer rains in October and three days in November, when a doorkeeper accidentally switched off the fans at night. And the air is fresh—far more so than in air-conditioned buildings, where up to 30% of the air is recycled.

1.Why was Eastgate cheaper to be built than a conventional building?

A. It was designed in a smaller size.

B. No air conditioners were fixed in.

C. Its heating system was less advanced.

D. It used rather different building materials.

2.What does “it” refer to in Paragraph 3?

A. Fresh air from outside.B. Heat in the building.

C. Hollow space.D. Baseboard vent.

3.Why would a building like Eastgate Not work efficiently in New York?

A. New York has less clear skies as Harare.

B. Its dampness affects the circulation of air.

C. New York covers a larger area than Harare.

D. Its temperature changes seasonally rather than daily.

4.The data in the last paragraph suggests Eastgate’s temperature control system_____.

A. allows a wide range of temperatures

B. functions well for most of the year

C. can recycle up to 30% of the air

D. works better in hot seasons

Is the ‘Go to College’ Message Overdone?

Even in a weak job market, the old college try isn’t the answer for everyone. A briefing paper from the Brookings Institution warns that “we may have overdone the message” on college, senior fellow Isabel Sawhill said.

“We’ve been telling students and their families for years that college is the only way to succeed in the economy and of course there’s a lot of truth to that,” Ms. Sawhill said. “On average it does pay off… But if you load up on a whole lot of student debt and then you don’t graduate, that is a very bad situation.”

One comment that people often repeat among the years of slow job growth has been the value of education for landing a job and advancing in a career. April’s national unemployment rate stood at 7.5%, according to the Labor Department. The unemployment rate for high-school graduates over 25 years old who hadn’t attended college was 7.4%, compared with 3.9% for those with a bachelor’s degree or more education. The difference is even bigger among those aged 16-24. The jobless rate for those with only a high school diploma in that age group is about 20%. At the same time, recent research by Canadian economists cautions that a college degree is no guarantee of promising employment.

Ms. Sawhill pointed out that among the aspects that affect the value of a college education is the field of one’s major: Students in engineering or other sciences end up earning more than ones who major in the arts or education. The cost of tuition and the availability of financial aid are other considerations, with public institutions generally a better financial bargain than private ones.

She suggested two avenues for improving the situation: increasing vocational(職業(yè)的)-technical training programs and taking a page from Europe’s focus on early education rather than post-secondary learning. “The European countries put a little more attention to getting people prepared in the primary grades,” she said. “Then they have a higher bar for whoever goes to college—but once you get into college, you’re more likely to be highly subsidized(資助).”

She also is a supporter of technical training—to teach students how to be plumbers, welders and computer programmers—because “employers are desperate” for workers with these skills.

1.People usually think that _____.

A. the cost of technical schooling is a problem

B. one will not succeed without a college degree

C. technical skills are most important for landing a job

D. there is an increased competition in getting into a college

2.What does the underlined part “taking a page from” mean?

A. Hearing from.B. Changing from.

C. Differing from.D. Learning from.

3.What can we infer from the passage?

A. Public institutions charge more for education.

B. European universities are stricter with students.

C. Students with certain skills are in great demand.

D. Canadian students prefer to major in engineering.

4.Ms. Sawhill may probably agree that _____.

A. too much stress has been put on the value of college degrees

B. technical training is more important than college education

C. a college degree will ensure promising employment

D. it’s easier for art students to find favorite jobs

請(qǐng)認(rèn)真閱讀下面短文，并根據(jù)所讀內(nèi)容在文章后表格中的空格里填上一個(gè)最恰當(dāng)?shù)膯卧~。注意：請(qǐng)將答案寫(xiě)在答題紙上。

Imagine living in a country torn by war. Or maybe you live in a place where there are few jobs and little chance to earn a living. Your family decides to move — not to another town, but to another country. You and your family have become immigrants. People are called immigrants when they move to a foreign country to make their homes.

People become immigrants for many reasons. The most common one is economic opportunities. Most immigrants are attracted to other countries by the promise of jobs, farmland, or business opportunities.

Other people become immigrants in order to get away from mistreatment or natural disasters. They are refugees. Some refugees move to avoid wars and political unrest. Others are seeking freedom to express their religious views. Still others are uprooted by disasters, such as terrible flooding or drought.

Some people have become immigrants against their will. Captured in Africa, shipped to foreign lands and forced to work as slaves, many early African immigrants to North and South America came in chains.

Except for Native Americans, all people came to the United States from someplace else. For nearly 500 years, immigrants have landed on America’s shores seeking a better life. Throughout American history, immigrants often worked low-paying, dangerous jobs that other people refused to do.

Immigrants from around the world helped shape American life. Many immigrants absorbed the customs and language common to most Americans. They also brought their own traditions, including music and foods. Over time, many of these traditions have become part of American life.

The first European immigrants to America hoped to colonize new lands. By the mid-1500s, Spaniards had ventured into Florida, California, and the American Southwest. French immigrants arrived in the early 1600s and built their first colony in Canada. The English also arrived in the early 1600s. They established 13 colonies along America’s Atlantic Coast.

In the 1700s, England became the major power in colonial North America. But many European immigrants came to live in the English colonies. They included people from Sweden, Holland, Germany, Scotland, and Ireland.

Immigrants still come to the United States seeking freedom and economic opportunities. Most new immigrants no longer come from Europe. They come mainly from Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Asia.

Today, the U.S. government limits the number of immigrants into the country each year. People who sneak illegally into the United States are called illegal immigrants, who, if caught, would be sent back to their home countries.

閱讀下面的短文，然后按照要求寫(xiě)一篇150詞左右的英語(yǔ)短文。

As we all know, the “(passenger) transport during the Spring Festival period” has been a hot phrase all through the China land.

The volume of passenger traffic(客運(yùn)量) reaches its climax before and after the Spring Festival. Especially, the number of those who decide to go back to their hometown by train is increasing rapidly, so it promotes the short of the tickets of passenger train. Luckily, the Ministry of Railways(鐵道部) has come up with solutions. For instance, it arranges extra trains during the peak time for passenger transport as well as opens 24-hour ticket sales windows for passengers in order to ease the traffic pressure. Moreover, it helps to deliver train tickets to the doorsteps, providing convenience for passengers.

One thing that has to be mentioned this year is about start of selling tickets on-line this year. For one thing, it to some degree shortens the time of purchasing tickets. However, most of the passengers are migrant workers returning home for Spring Festival. They are not familiar with the process of buying tickets and as a result cannot buy the tickets on time. What is worse, many computers selling tickets broke down under too much pressure of operation. Therefore, many people blame such a method in that it doesn’t suit nowadays’ situation.

[寫(xiě)作內(nèi)容]

以約30個(gè)詞概括上文的主要內(nèi)容。

以約120個(gè)詞對(duì)“春運(yùn)”進(jìn)一步敘寫(xiě)，內(nèi)容包括：

自己親身經(jīng)歷或者聽(tīng)聞的一次火車(chē)春運(yùn)的狀況；

“網(wǎng)上售票”引起人們不滿的原因；

給鐵道部或者農(nóng)民工提出解決“網(wǎng)上購(gòu)票”問(wèn)題的合理化建議。

[寫(xiě)作要求]

作文中可以使用親身經(jīng)歷或者虛構(gòu)的故事，也可以參照閱讀材料的內(nèi)容，但不得直接引用原文中的句子；

作文中不能出現(xiàn)真實(shí)姓名和學(xué)校名稱。

[評(píng)分標(biāo)準(zhǔn)]

概括準(zhǔn)確，語(yǔ)言規(guī)范，內(nèi)容合適，語(yǔ)句連貫。

________ the Hong Kong singer’s current popularity, she was largely unknown in the Chinese mainland before the talent show.

A. With B. Despite C. Besides D. Beyond