Directions: Read the passage carefully. Fill in each blank with a proper sentence given behind. Each sentence can be used only once. Note that there are two more sentences than you need.
Living off grid
When you need electricity, you just plug in the machine and switch it on. If you need water, you turn on the tap. 1. For many people, these facilities are the basics of civilized society and the idea of living without them seems risky. Yet for a growing number of people, the idea of living off grid — without electricity, water or sewage — is an increasingly attractive lifestyle.
Off-gridders do not have to give up electricity or a modern lifestyle — some choose to, but most use small hydroelectric power systems, solar panels or windmills to generate enough power for their needs. Heating and cooking needs are met by solar energy or wood burning systems, and toilet facilities range from non-water toilets to outside compost toilets. 2. It ranges from traditional yurts (a type of tent) to luxury house with high-speed internet and central heating. Whether they live in simple homes or luxury houses, what they all have in common is that their lifestyles do not create any pollution or carbon emissions — the ultimate goal for off-gridders.
Around 100,000 people are thought to be living off grid in the UK now. 3. They grow their own food, home-school their children and provide their own medical care. They are people who have been priced out of the housing market or who have grown disillusioned with what modern society can offer and who decides that an alternative lifestyle isn’t a pipe dream, but a viable option.
A part from living an alternative lifestyle, cost is a big factor in choosing to live off-grid. Off-grid houses are far cheaper to build than ordinary homes since they don’t need to be connected to the electricity or water supplies and even road access is not necessary. Materials tend to be cheaper, too. Popular options include straw or old tyres and cement.
Surprisingly, the biggest problem off-gridders face is not building their homes or becoming self-sufficient but getting permission to build. Rural areas away from town are the perfect choice but these are often protected by law from construction of any kind or have building restrictions. There are now several websites dedicated to land-sharing so that the costs of buying land and getting permission can be shared, and there are increasing numbers of off-grid communities. 4. Off-gridding could soon be common all over Europe and America.
A.Many are self-sufficient, not just providing their own electricity, water and sewage systems, but in all aspects.
B.After you use the toilet, you flush it and the waste disappears.
C.This shift from individual to group off-gridding reflects the fact that the trend is growing noticeably.
D.They live in a huge variety of types of accommodation.
E.Living off-grid still has a long way to go before it becomes a mainstream way of living.
F.Rather than building permanent homes, vans or mobile homes or even old shipping containers are other options.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Directions: After reading the passage, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in the blank with the proper form of the given word; for the others, use one word that best fits each blank.
Electronic devices can seem like 1. “third party” in some relationships because some partners spend more time on them than with each other.
When Amanda Gao, a 26-year-old white-collar worker in Beijing, went to a hotpot restaurant with her boyfriend on Friday night several weeks ago, she expected that they would have a good time together. To her disappointment, however, it did not turn our that way later. As soon as they 2. (lead) to their seats and she began to order dishes, he buried himself in his mobile phone.
“It seemed that his phone was making its way 3. us. A date that 4. have belonged to us turned into one where my boyfriend dated a third party and I felt left out.” Gao said, Some people, like her, have found that electronics have been sabotaging (破坏) their romantic relationships.
A study, 5. (publish) in the journal Psychology of Popular Media Culture in April 2017, questioned nearly 200 college aged adults who were in committed relationships to report on their and their partner’s smartphone dependency. The results showed people who were more dependent 6. their phones were less sure about their relationships, and people who considered their partners excessively (过度地) dependent on their devices were 7. (satisfied) in their relationship.
Lin Yuan, a relationship advisor in Beijing, noted that 8. more and more electronics come out and spice up people’s lives, they are at the same time becoming a third party in relationships, especially for young people.
Lin said she knew of some people who suggest that electronics should be kept out of bedrooms, 9. she considered challenging and hard to be put into practice for most couples. She recommended that 10. people are feeling neglected in their relationship, they need to respectfully let their partners know their feeling. “Communication is always the best and the most efficient way,” she said.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Today’s cinema has improved a great deal in presentation. Gone are the golden days when eager crowds were packed on wooden benches in poor buildings, which seemed to be about to _________ in the next minute. Audience were staring, with great interest, at the funny and amusing movements of silent figures on the screen. It was only through the body movements and facial expressions that the character’s feelings could be _________ to the audience. However, film goers all the same turned a blind eye to the _________ cinema surroundings and seemed crazy about almost all the films. Box office hits were a normal thing and stories about movie stars took full _________ of the newspapers. They were _________ with almost all positive wordings compared with today’s pitiful stars who are all the time alert to such news as divorces or affairs.
Nowadays, it is quite easy to find a cinema that exceeds the hotel luxury. Cinemas are spacious, well-lit places where one can kill time in comfort. Small favors offered by modern cinemas such as the well-printed booklets, which are _________ available, the mouth-watering snacks on sale and even the gifts are all sending the implied message to the audience that the film to watch will provide the equivalent _________. Audience, on the other hand, don’t always _________ the story. Before a film is released, the potential spectator is usually exposed to a(n) _________ of advertisements. Film trailers are seen everywhere and crew interviews are televised. And in tempting people to enter cinemas, second to none is __________.People rely much no friends’ advice in choosing films.
Once the audience have settled on the chair, the cinema is learning from the theatre. The projectionists are to given the audience time to prepare themselves for the film. Talk first degrades to whisper then __________ altogether. Spotlights are focused on the curtains which are drawn slowly apart, often in the __________ of music, to reveal title of the film. Every detail has been designed so thoughtfully that the spectator will never actually see the __________ screen, which will remind him all too sharply that what he is about to see is nothing but different shadows flashing on the white. However much the cinema tries to __________ theatre, it fully succeeds. Nothing can __________ the awe (敬畏) and sense of expectation felt by the audience as the curtain is slowly raised.
1.A.disappear B.collapse C.freeze D.rise
2.A.interpreted B.responded C.invented D.applied
3.A.special B.inferior C.standard D.loose
4.A.coverage B.use C.benefit D.responsibility
5.A.exposed B.reviewed C.overheard D.equipped
6.A.temporarily B.carefully C.readily D.traditionally
7.A.luxury B.expense C.convenience D.information
8.A.prove B.buy C.investigate D.convey
9.A.explosion B.promotion C.shift D.spread
10.A.walls of ears B.seeing is believing C.word of mouth D.grave of teeth
11.A.drives out B.wears out C.pays off D.dies away
12.A.company B.introduction C.benefit D.end
13.A.decorated B.distinct C.blank D.mechanical
14.A.imitate B.guide C.exploit D.replace
15.A.refer to B.compare with C.suffer from D.persist in
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
Some plants get so hungry that they eat flies, spiders, and even small frogs. What’s more amazing is that these plants occur naturally (in special environments) in every state. In fact, they’re found on every continent except Antarctica.
You’ve probably seen a Venus’ flytrap. It’s often sold in museum gift stores, department stores, and even supermarkets. A small plant, it grows 6 to 8 inches tall in a container. At the end of its stalks (茎) are specially modified leaves that act like traps. Inside each trap is a lining of tiny trigger hairs. When an insect lands on them, the trap suddenly shuts. Over the course of a week or so, the plant feeds on its catch.
The Venus flytrap is just one of more than 500 species of meat-eating plants, says Barry Meyers-Rice, the editor of the International carnivorous (食肉的) Plant Society’ s Newsletter. Note: Despite any science-fiction stories you might have read, no meat-eating plant does any danger to humans.
Dr. Meyers-Rice says a plant is meat-eating, only if it does all four of the following “attract, kill, digest, and absorb” some from of insects, including flies, butterflies, and moths. Meat-eating plants look and act like other green plants -- well, most of the time.
All green plants make sugar through a process called photosynthesis (光合作用). Plants use the sugar to make food. What makes “meat-eating” plants different is their bug-catching leaves. They need insects for one reason: nitrogen. Nitrogen is a nutrient that they can’t obtain any other way. While almost all green plants on our planet get nitrogen from the soil, “meat-eating” plants can’t. They live in places where nutrients are hard or almost impossible to get from the soil because of its acidity. So they’ve come to rely on getting nitrogen from insects and small animals. In fact, nutrient-rich soil is poisonous to “meat-eating” plants. Never fertilize them! But don’t worry, either, if they never seem to catch any insects. They can survive, but they’ll grow very slowly.
1.According to the passage, carnivorous plants ________.
A.only grow in wild field B.are rare to see
C.are as common as flies D.cannot grow on Antarctica
2.Venus flytrap preys on insects with ________.
A.its numerous long an thin stalks B.a container where it grows
C.its insect-catching leaves D.the lining of tiny trigger hairs
3.We can conclude from the third paragraph that ________.
A.carnivorous plants are dangerous
B.carnivorous plants are fictional
C.carnivorous plants occasionally eat book
D.carnivorous plants are harmless to humans
4.In the eyes of the author, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.Carnivorous plants cannot grow in acid soil
B.Carnivorous plants can grow in nutrient-poor soil
C.Carnivorous plants will die if they cannot catch any insects
D.Carnivorous plants can get nitrogen from nutrient-rich soil
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
The Honors Program in Biochemistry Molecular Biology (HPBMB) is offered mature high school seniors with strong academic ability and achievement who seek careers in biological or biomedical science. Students can earn both a bachelor of Science (B.S.) and a doctor of Philosophy Degree (Ph.D.) in approximately 6 years.
Applicants to the Honors Program in biochemistry Molecular Biology must be in their last year of high school.
Undergraduates will have the opportunity to work with top-level research scientist in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and also in clinical laboratories with scientist that are associated with the department. They will conduct intensive laboratory work in the areas of biochemistry, molecular biology or nutritional biochemistry starting in the summer before their first fall semester starts. By spring of their junior year, students will prepare an undergraduate thesis as preparation for their entry into graduate school. At that time they will start taking graduate courses and continue to do research with a graduate faculty member.
To be considered students must:
● have a combined SAT Ⅰ score of 1400 (combined Math and critical Reading scores)
● meet the SAT Ⅱ score requirement of at least 600 in Math, and one science (Biology, Chemistry or Physics)
● have completed eight semesters of English and mathematics and two semesters each of biology and chemistry by the time they graduate from high school
● complete all components of your Common Application for undergraduate admission by November I of your senior year
● complete a supplemental application from for the Honors Program in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
● include a counselor recommendation, three letters of recommendation from teachers in support of your application to the Honors Program and a personal statement
Send all Dual admission Honors Program application materials to:
Dual Admission Honors Programs
Office of admission
University of Miami
P.O. Box 248025
Coral Gables, FL 33124-4616
Fax number: (513)529-7592 (513)529-1950
For more information on the hpbmb, contact:
Dr. Thomas K. Harris
Director, Undergraduate and Medical Education
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Office: Gautier Building, Room 111
Phone: 305-243-3358
E-Mail: tkharrislamiami.edu
1.We can learn from the passage that ________.
A.Grade one students in a high school can apply for the program.
B.it’s possible for graduates to obtain both a bachelor’s degree and a doctor’s degree.
C.graduates are promised to have a chance to work with top biomedical scientists.
D.a thesis is not necessary if an undergraduate wants to go to graduate school.
2.Which of the following is an unnecessary requirement for application?
A.A combined sat I score of 1400.
B.A combined sat ll score of 600 in Math and one science.
C.Three letters of recommendation from his teachers.
D.A letter of recommendation from the principal.
3.What’s the purpose of this passage?
A.To tell the students how to learn well in Biochemistry Molecular Biology.
B.To introduce a very famous university “University of Miami”.
C.To attract excellent high school graduates to apply for the Honors Program.
D.To give information on how to contact Director of the Honors Program.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
Philosophy of Education is a label applied to the study of the purpose, process, nature and ideals of education. It can be considered a branch of both philosophy and education. Education can be defined as the teaching and learning of specific skills, and the imparting of knowledge, judgment and wisdom, and is something broader than the societal institution of education we often speak of.
Many educationalists consider it a weak and imprecise field, too far removed from the practical applications of the real world to be useful. But philosophers dating back to Plato and the Ancient Greeks have given the area much thought and emphasis, and there is little doubt that their work has helped shape the practice of education over the millennia.
Plato is the earliest important educational thinker, and education is an essential element in “The Republic” (his most important work on philosophy and political theory, written around 360 B.C.). In it, he advocates some rather extreme methods: removing children from their mothers’ care and raising them as wards of the state, and differentiating children suitable to the various castes(社会等级), the highest receiving the most education, so that they could act as guardians of the city and care for the less able. He believed that education should be holistic(全面的), including facts, skills, physical discipline, music and art. Plato believed that talent and intelligence is not distributed genetically and thus is to be found in children born to all classes, although his proposed system of selective public education for an educated minority of the population does not really follow a democratic model.
Aristotle considered human nature, habit and reason to be equally important forces to be cultivated in education, the ultimate aim of which should be to produce good and virtuous citizens. He proposed that teachers lead their students systematically, and that repetition be used as a key tool to develop good habits, unlike Socrates’ emphasis on questioning his listeners to bring out their own ideas. He emphasized the balancing of the theoretical and practical aspects of subjects taught, among which he clearly mentions reading, writing, mathematics, music, physical education, literature, history, and a wide range of sciences, as well as play, which he also considered important.
During the period of Middle Age, the idea of Perennialism was first formulated by St. Thomas Aquinas in his work “De Magistro”. Perennialism holds that one should teach those things deemed to be of everlasting importance to all people everywhere, namely principles and reasoning, not just facts (which are apt to change over time), and that one should teach first about people, not machines or techniques. It was originally religious in nature, and it was only much later that a theory of worldly Perennialism developed.
During the Renaissance(文艺复兴), the French doubter Michel de Montaigne (1533 - 1592) was one of the first to critically look at education. Unusually for his time, Montaigne was willing to question the conventional wisdom of the period, calling into question the whole structure of the educational system, and the assumption that university-educated philosophers were necessarily wiser than uneducated farm workers, for example.
1.Why do many educationists consider philosophy a ‘weak and imprecise field’?
A.It is the practical applications of the real world.
B.Its theoretical concepts are easily understood.
C.It is irrelevant for education.
D.It is not practically applicable.
2.What is the difference between the approaches of Socrates and Aristotle?
A.Aristotle felt the need for repetition to develop good habits in students; Socrates felt that students need to be constantly questioned.
B.Aristotle felt the need for rote-learning; Socrates emphasized on dialogic learning.
C.There was no difference.
D.Aristotle emphasized on the importance of paying attention to human nature; Socrates emphasized upon science.
3.According to the passage, the underlined word “Perennialism” most probably refers to something _____________
A.that is unnecessary. B.that is of ceaseless importance.
C.that is abstract and theoretical. D.that exists no more.
4.Why did Aquinas propose a model of education which did not lay much emphasis on facts?
A.Facts are not important.
B.Facts do not lead to holistic education.
C.Facts change with the changing times.
D.Facts are frozen in time.
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize in no more than 60 words the main idea of the passage and how it is illustrated. Use your own words as far as possible.
In spite of all of the years spent in school preparing to enter the workplace, many recent graduates say that they struggle with the transition from classroom to career world and have difficulty adjusting to life on the job.
Writer and editor Joseph Lewis suggests one reason why this is the case. Lewis believes that most of our school experiences — from childhood through university -are fairly predictable, while life in the working world is far more ambiguous. In school, for example, the pattern stays more or less the same from year to year. In the workplace, however, constant change is the norm, and one has to adapt quickly. A project you are working on this month might suddenly change next month or next week, and it’s often hard to anticipate what you’ll be doing six to twelve months from now.
Another problem that graduates entering the workforce encounter is that they are unprepared to think analytically. In school, many students including those in college, spend a lot of time memorizing facts and repeating what they “learned” on tests. But in the workplace employees are often expected to think critically and make decisions about their work, not just follow a supervisor’s instructions.
Finally, many recent graduates say that one of the biggest difficulties they face is adapting to teamwork on the job. In some ways, school does prepare one for collaborative nature of the workplace. Learners sit classes every day with many other students. They must listen to others’ opinions, participate at times in group discussions, and learn how to get along outside the classroom. Nevertheless, in school, a student normally works independently to complete most tasks and receives a grade according to how well he or she has done. In the workplace, however, employees must regularly interact with others and are often dependent on their co-workers for their success.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Translation
1.在任何情况下，坚持原则、明辨是非都是明智的行为。(sense)
2.发展中国家越来越多的人日收入超过1.9美元，象征着他们已经摆脱了极度贫困。(indicate)
3.微信朋友圈的照片常常让人看了非常羡慕朋友们的生活，但他们的实际生活可能并不像照片看上去的那么吸引人。(as…as…)
4.在高中毕业的这一刻，回首往事，我们再怎么感谢师长的教诲、同学的帮助和学校的包容都不为过。(cannot…too)
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Guided writing
4月，《复仇者联盟》（ The avengers）迎来终章，《权利的游戏》（Game of Thrones）、《生活大爆炸》（The Big Bang Theory）等热播美剧也都进入了最终季。满怀着期待与不舍，我们终将见证初代复联英雄的谢幕战、画上冰与火之歌的休止符、告别“谢耳朵”引发的种种笑料与欢乐……俗话说，天下无不散之筵席，再美好的事物终究会有结束的一天，很多人放不下，很多人却将旧的结束看作新的开始。你是如何看待离别的呢？面对离别，你会怎么做？
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难度: 中等查看答案及解析