A panel of experts appointed by the White House has warned that current plans to send astronauts back to the moon in preparation for manned missions to Mars are just not possible. [3]One of the panel members Li Ruoqiao says the space agency NASA hasn’t been given enough funds to realize the plans. “That is when the visions for space aspirations were first announced ten years ago there was expectation of a certain budget level of the next several years. In fact over the last five years those numbers are nothing realized. So because of that we are in trouble that we are in now.“ The experts say the current budget of the space agency NASA would need to be increased by billions of dollars. Without the extra money, the experts say, [4] NASA would have to work with private companies now trying to engage in commercial space flights. 3. Why is it unrealistic to send astronauts back to the moon now? 4.How can NASA settle the financial matter? The White House warned them not to do now. The panel of experts objected the proposals. NASA didn’t get adequate money. It would be too costly to do so.

An international team of doctors and scientists is calling for more focus on the causes of death among young people around the world, age between 10 and 24, [1]saying the issue is largely ignored by policy makers. A study published in the medical journal the Lancet found that [2]40% of adolescent deaths are caused by various forms of injury. Until this research was published there were little data on how many young people die worldwide in which countries and for what reasons. Now a pattern is emerging. The study suggests the death rate is strongly linked to how poor a country is. Most deaths are in the developing world driven by high rate of infectious disease and of maternal death rate. [2]But globally 40% of adolescent deaths are caused by types of injury including road traffic accident, suicide and violent attacks. 1. Why should more attention be paid to young people’s health? 2. What’s the primary reason that makes teenagers die in the world? Their death rate is too high to be neglected. Governments pay little attention to the issue. They want to win the public’s praise. There are little data about them to do research.

[5]At this week’s CES technology expo, LG will be one of many TV makers to show off an impressive group of super-high-definition TVs. But there’s one thing that separates LG from the competition. [6]You can roll up one of LG’s TVs like a newspaper. The 18-inch display is just one of the concept designs LG will be unveiling, as it attempts to predict the future of television screens. Also on display will be a 55-inch TV that is as thin as a piece of paper and a 65-inch “extreme-curve“ set of TVs that bend inwards and outwards. None of these TV will be sold this year—and it’s possible they may never hit stores. It’s also not totally clear why you’d want to roll up or bend your TV. Like automakers’ “concept cars“, LG’s TVs are meant to show off what’s possible, even if it’s not yet marketable, affordable or able to be mass-produced for consumers. TV makers continue to take a risk, by developing ultra-high definition televisions that produce richer pictures, and thinner profiles. But those TVs are becoming virtually indistinguishable from one another. [7]It’s concepts like LG’s that may one day push the industry forward into new markets and technologies it hasn’t yet considered. 5. What is the news report mainly about? 6.What do we learn about LG’s TVs on the expo? 7.What may probably push TV industry into new markets? LG has exposed new concept TVs. The market of TVs decreased. TV will be replaced by computers. LG is lagging behind in the TV competition.

Wall-to-wall mirrors in gyms and dance studios might stop women getting the exercise they [19]need because women who work out in front of a mirror get discouraged and feel tired, Canadian researchers said. The study, published in the journal Health Psychology, focused on young women who exercised less than 15 minutes a week. It found that, regardless of how they viewed their bodies, women who worked out in front of a mirror felt worse, or no better, and less at peace after 20 minutes of activity. [20]The survey questioned 58 women with an average age of 22—young enough to be concerned about body image. Participants took turns on fixed bicycles, working out either in front of a mirror or with the mirror hidden behind. And whether the participant felt comfortable about her body or not, the outcome was the same-women who did not have to watch themselves exercise felt calmer and more positive at the end of their session. Still, lead author of this study, Kathleen Martin Ginis, stressed that mirrors can be positive and functional, because exercisers often need to see their form, or assess if they are using the correct muscles groups during strength training. But things were different for beginners. Martin Ginis suggested gyms provide areas without mirrors to encourage beginners. “Women don’t need to exercise in a gym,“ she said. “Thirty minutes of walking, or hiking is good too. [21]There are other ways to get your exercise.“ 19.According to researchers, how do women feel when they exercise in front of a mirror? 20.Why did the survey choose women with an average age of 22 as participants? 21.What advice does Martin Ginis give to the women? Confident. Energetic. Discouraged. Anxious.

For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay. You should start your essay with a brief description of the picture and then express your views on success and persistence. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words. Write your essay on Answer Sheet 1. [*]

舞龙(dragon dance)是中华文化中一种传统的舞蹈表演形式。传统上来讲，其表演动作象征着龙的历史地位，展示了力量与尊贵。舞龙起源于汉代(the Han idlynasty)。人们认为它最初是作为耕作收成文化的一部分；同时也是一种治病防病的方法起源。舞龙在宋代(the Song idlynasty)已十分盛行，成为了一项民间活动，且最常见于各种节日庆典中。舞龙是世界各地唐人街举办春节庆典的一个重头戏。

The first English dictionary was published in 1604. The dictionary was actually nothing more than a list of about 3,000 difficult words, [16]each followed by a one-word definition. The author, Robert Tawdry, made no attempt to include everyday words in his dictionary. No one, he reasoned, would ever have to look up a word in a dictionary if he already knew the meaning of the word. During the 1600’s more dictionaries were published. Each followed Tawdry’s lead and presented a few thousand hard words. Around 1700 one dictionary maker, John Kelsey, did define easy words as well as hard ones. But until the 1750’s all dictionaries were rather crude and not very valuable. A man named Dr. Samuel Johnson changed all this. In 1755 Dr. Johnson produced the first modem dictionary. He included in his dictionary all important words, both easy and hard, and he gave good meanings. [17]He also gave good sentences to show how each word was actually used in speech and in writing. By the end of the 1700’s most dictionary makers had followed Johnson’s lead. Dictionaries were getting better and better. The 1800’s saw the greatest improvement in the quality of dictionaries. In England scholars planned and prepared the Oxford English Dictionary, a twenty volume work. [18]One of the most interesting features of the Oxford Dictionary is its word histories. It traces the history of each word from its earliest recorded use up to the time of the printing of the dictionary. 16.What do we learn about the first English dictionary? 17.What was the breakthrough in Dr. Johnson’s dictionary? 18.What is an interesting feature of the Oxford Dictionary? It was published in 1608. It was a list of everyday words. It included 3,000 important words. Each word in it was defined by one word.

In many businesses, computers have largely replaced paperwork, because they are fast, flexible, and do not make mistakes. [22]Many banks advertise that their transactions are “untouched by human hands“ and therefore safe from human temptation. Obviously, computers have no reason to steal money. But the growing number of computer crimes shows they can be used to steal. Computer criminals don’t use guns. And even if they are caught, [23]it is hard to punish them because there are no witnesses and often no evidence. A computer cannot remember who used it: it simply does what it is told. A clerk at a New York bank used a computer to steal more than $1,500,000,000 in just four years. [24]No one noticed this theft because he moved the money from one account to another. Each time a customer he had robbed questioned the balance in his account, the clerk claimed a computer error, then replaced the missing money from someone else’s account. This clerk was caught only because he was a gambler. When the police broke up an illegal gambling operation, his name was in the records. Most computer criminals have been minor employees. Now police wonder if this is “the tip of the iceberg.“ As one official says, “[25]I have the feeling that there is more crime out there than we are catching. What we are seeing now is all so poorly done. I wonder what the real experts are doing—the ones who know how a computer works.“ 22.Why do many banks claim that their transactions are safe? 23. Why is it difficult to punish computer criminals? 24.How did the New York bank clerk cover up his crime? 25.What are the police officials concerned about? The transactions are under close supervision. Paperwork has been totally replaced by computers. The transactions are processed only by computers. There is no reason for the staff to steal money.

How Should Teachers Be Rewarded? [A] We never forget our best teachers—those who inspired us with a deeper understanding or an enduring passion, the ones we come back to visit years after graduating, the educators who opened doors and altered the course of our lives. [B] It would be wonderful if we knew more about such talented teachers and how to multiply their number. How do they come by their craft? What qualities and capacities do they possess? Can these abilities be measured? Can they be taught? Perhaps above all: How should excellent teaching be rewarded so that the best teachers—the most competent, caring and compelling—remain in a profession known for low pay and low status? [C] Such questions have become critical to the future of public education in the U.S. Even as politicians push to hold schools and their faculty members responsible as never before for student learning, the nation faces a shortage of teaching talent. About 3.2 million people teach in U.S. public schools, but, according to an estimate made by economist William Hussar at the National Center for Education Statistics, the nation will need to recruit an additional 2.8 million over the next eight years owing to baby-boomer retirement, growing student enrollment and staff turnover (人员调整)—which is especially rapid among new teachers. Finding and keeping high-quality teachers are key to America’s competitiveness as a nation. Recent test results show that U.S. 10th-graders ranked just 17th in science among peers from 30 nations, while in math they placed in the bottom five. Research suggests that a good teacher is the single most important factor in boosting achievement, more important than class size, the dollars spent per student or the quality of textbooks and materials, [D] Across the country, hundreds of school districts are experimenting with new ways to attract, reward and keep good teachers. Many of these efforts borrow ideas from business. They include signing bonuses for hard-to-fill jobs like teaching high school chemistry, housing allowances and what might be called combat pay for teachers who commit to working in the most distressed schools. But the idea gaining the most motivation—and controversy—is merit pay, which attempts to measure the quality of teachers’ work and pay teachers accordingly. [E] Traditionally, public-school salaries are based on years spent on the job and college credits earned, a system favored by unions because it treats all teachers equally. Of course, everyone knows that not all teachers are equal. Just witness how hard parents try to get their kids into the best classrooms. And yet there is no universally accepted way to measure competence, much less the great charm of a truly brilliant educator. In its absence, policymakers have focused on that current measure of all things educational: student test scores. In districts across the country, administrators are devising systems that track student scores back to the teachers who taught them in an attempt to assign credit and blame and, in some cases, target help to teachers who need it. Offering bonuses to teachers who raise student achievement, the theory goes, will improve the overall quality of instruction, retain those who get the job done and attract more highly qualified candidates to the profession—all while lifting those all-important test scores. [F] Such efforts have been encouraged by the government, which in 2006 started a program that awards $99 million a year in grants to districts that link teacher compensation to raising student test scores. Merit pay has also become part of the debate in Congress over how to improve the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act. Last summer, the president signed merit pay at a meeting of the National Education Association, the nation’s largest teachers’ union, so long as the measure of merit is “developed with teachers, not imposed on them and not based on some test score.“ Hillary Clinton says she does not support merit pay for individual teachers but does advocate performance-based pay on a schoolwide basis. [G] It’s hard to argue against the notion of rewarding the best teachers for doing a good job. But merit pay has a long history in the U.S., and new programs to pay teachers according to test scores have already had an opposite effect in Florida and Houston. What holds more promise is broader efforts to transform the profession by combining merit pay with more opportunities for professional training and support, thoughtful assessments of how teachers do their jobs and new career paths for top teachers. [H] To the business-minded people who are increasingly running the nation’s schools, there’s an obvious solution to the problems of teacher quality and teacher turnover: offer better pay for better performance. The challenge is deciding who deserves the extra cash. Merit-pay movements in the 1920s, ’50s and ’80s turned to failure just because of that question, as the perception grew that bonuses were awarded to principals’ pets. Charges of unfairness, along with unreliable funding and union opposition, sank such experiments. [I] But in an era when states are testing all students annually, there’s a new, less subjective window onto how well a teacher does her job. As early as 1982, University of Tennessee statistician Sanders seized on the idea of using student test data to assess teacher performance. Working with elementary-school test results in Tennessee, he devised a way to calculate an individual teacher’s contribution to student progress. Essentially, his method is this: he takes three or more years of student test results, projects a trajectory (轨迹) for each student based on past performance and then looks at whether, at the end of the year, the students in a given teacher’s class tended to stay on course, soar above expectations or fall short. Sanders uses statistical methods to adjust for flaws and gaps in the data. “Under the best circumstances,“ he claims, “we can reliably identify the top 10% to 30% of teachers.“ [J] Sanders devised his method as a management tool for administrators, not necessarily as a basis for performance pay. But increasingly, that’s what it is used for. Today he heads a group at the North Carolina-based software firm SAS, which performs value-added analysis for North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and districts in about 15 other states. Most use it to measure schoolwide performance, but some are beginning to use value-added calculations to determine bonuses for individual teachers.

　　Looking for a new weight loss plan? Try living on top of a mountain. Mountain air contains less oxygen than air at lower altitudes, so breathing it causes the heart to beat faster and the body to burn more energy. A handful of studies have found that athletes training at high altitudes tend to lose weight. Doctor Florian Lippl of the University Hospital of Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich wondered how the mountain air would affect overweight individuals if they weren’t doing any more physical activity than usual. Lippl and his colleagues invited 20 overweight men to an environmental research station about 300 meters below the summit of Zugspitze, a mountain around 2,970 meters near the Austrian border. They were allowed to eat as much as they liked. The men also gave blood so that researchers could test for hormones (荷尔蒙) linked to appetite and fatness. At the end of the week, the men, whose mean weight starting out was 105 kg, had lost on average about 1.5 kg. The men’s blood pressure also dropped, which the researchers attributed to weight lost. Exactly what caused the weight loss is uncertain. Loss of appetite is common at higher altitudes, and indeed the men ate significantly less than usual-about 700 calories fewer per day. Lippl also notes that because their consumption was being recorded, they may have been more self-conscious about what they ate. Regardless, eating less accounts for just 1 kg of the 1.5 kg lost, says Lippl. He thinks the increased metabolic (新陈代谢的) rate, which was measured, also contributed to weight loss but cannot separate the different effects with the given data. Appetite loss at high altitudes could certainly be key, notes Damian Bailey, a physiologist at the University of Glamorgan, UK, who recently lost 11 kg during a 3-month expedition to the Andes in Chile. Unfortunately, for the average person there’s no treatment that can resemble living at high altitude, says Lippl. The only alternative is a hypobaric chamber, which exposes subjects to low oxygen and isn’t practical as a therapy. He says, half-jokingly, “if fat people plan their holidays, they might not go to the sea, but maybe to the mountains.“

　　Men are much “smarter“ than women when it comes to shopping, according to a survey of 1,000 people which found that 42% of men arm themselves with loyalty cards and vouchers (优惠券) before they 【C1】 ________ the stores, compared with 38% of women. Actually this is【C2】 ________ for several reasons. Firstly when men are out shopping, they are 【C3】 ________ always with a female partner. When men go shopping as part of a couple, nine times out of 10 it is his female partner who 【C4】 ________ the purse-fattening loyalty cards. Secondly, a lot of men 【C5】 ________ to stay in the car, waiting outside the front door. A fat lot of use a loyalty card or discount voucher is to them—unless it’s for money off petrol. Thirdly, women are much more 【C6】 ________ about what they need to feed their family. They will survey the fridge, plan meals, write a list of【C7】 ________ and pretty much stick to it. Then the survey claims that 46% of us buy own-label goods rather than 【C8】 ________ products. The findings don’t specify whether this percentage is mainly【C9】 ________ of men or women, but in reality you will find more valuable and own-brand products in a female shopper’s cart. However, there was one 【C10】 ________ that made us understand what this survey was all about. It said: “In fact, 84% of men will do everything in their power to be smart about their spending rather than go without treats for themselves or their family.“ A) shares E) carries I) branded M) reasonable B) nearly F) unbelievable J) realistic N) hit C) mainly G) statement K) composed O) intend D) prefer H) staples L) arrive

　　Scores of university halls of residences and lecture theatres in the UK were judged “at serious risk of major failure or breakdown“ and “unfit for purpose“, a secret database obtained after a legal battle by the Guardian reveals. Some of the most popular, high-ranking institutions, such as the London School of Economics, had 41% of their lecture theatres and classrooms deemed unsuitable for current use, while Imperial College London had 12% of its non-residential buildings branded “inoperable“. At City University, 41% of the student apartments were judged unfit for purpose. Universities argue they have spent hundreds of millions in freshening them up since the judgments were made two years ago and use some of the buildings for storage purposes only. The government agency that holds the information, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce), was forced to reveal it after an information tribunal (法庭) ruled in the Guardian’s favour, agreeing that it was in the public’s interest for the data to be made public. Hefce is thought to have spent up to £50,000 trying to conceal the data from the Guardian, which requested it two and a half years ago. The newspaper’s lawyer, Aidan Eardley, said the case would make it harder for government agencies to withhold information in future. The database, which aims to help universities compare the condition of their estate with their competitors, shows more than 90% of higher education institutions had at least 10% of their buildings judged below the “sound and operationally safe“ category. One in 10 institutions had at least 10% of their estate judged inoperable and at serious risk of major breakdown. Universities employ surveyors to judge the condition of their estate according to four categories: as new; sound and operationally safe; operational but in need of major repair and inoperable; posing a serious risk of major failure and breakdown. The surveyors also record whether buildings are suitable for student living, teaching and learning under four more categories, from “excellent“ to “unsuitable for current use“. Property consultants who advise universities said that, at its most extreme, buildings deemed inoperable could break fire regulations, have leaks and rot.

A panel of experts appointed by the White House has warned that current plans to send astronauts back to the moon in preparation for manned missions to Mars are just not possible. [3]One of the panel members Li Ruoqiao says the space agency NASA hasn’t been given enough funds to realize the plans. “That is when the visions for space aspirations were first announced ten years ago there was expectation of a certain budget level of the next several years. In fact over the last five years those numbers are nothing realized. So because of that we are in trouble that we are in now.“ The experts say the current budget of the space agency NASA would need to be increased by billions of dollars. Without the extra money, the experts say, [4] NASA would have to work with private companies now trying to engage in commercial space flights. 3. Why is it unrealistic to send astronauts back to the moon now? 4.How can NASA settle the financial matter? The White House warned them not to do now. The panel of experts objected the proposals. NASA didn’t get adequate money. It would be too costly to do so.

M: Today, as our guest on Student Radio Westmark is student organizer and well-known Biology major and activist, Adeline Reed. Adeline, welcome to the show. W: Thank you. I am glad to be here. M: First, can you give us some ideas about your work? W: Well, [9]we’ve been trying to pressure the local government to resume funding of its recycling center. As you may know, they cut off funding to the main plant. Our group, Restoring Recycling Radars (or RRR), called for funding. [9]We hope to succeed in not only getting the funding restored, but also increased. M: Since you have repeatedly said in the previous interview in the newspapers that the city government doesn’t care about this. So my question is why would they listen to your group? W: Well, [10]we’ve been advocating these issues for a long time and now the council is pretty split on this issue. So a push in the right direction couldn’t hurt. M: Any light, so far, at the end of the tunnel? W: Plenty. [11]The council wasn’t happy about the garbage we dumped on the City Hall lawn, but they got the message. Now, they’re reviewing their actions and voting tomorrow in a special council meeting. M: Well, thanks for that briefing and it was a pleasure once again to talk with you. Stay tuned now for some fine tunes from our DJ, so don’t touch that dial! 8.What does the woman mainly talk about? 9.What is the goal of the woman’s group? 10.Why would the government listen to the woman’s group? 11.What form of protest did the RRR use? Recycling and its benefits. The group she belongs to. Her belief on environmental protection. The project her group is involved in.

W: Welcome to our city, Mr. Lorden. But, of course, you have been here before, haven’t you? M: Yes, I have, what a good memory you have! I was here for the Arts Festival last year. W: And what will you be doing on this visit? M: Oh, [12]I came here primarily for a holiday and to see some friends. But I will also be giving some private cello lessons as well. W: I believe that your cello is rather special. Is that true? M: Oh, yes. [13]It was made for my uncle by a very expert Italian cello maker called Mario. When I began cello lessons at the age of eight, he said that when I grew big enough to handle a full-sized cello, he would give it to me, W: So when a child begins to play the cello, he or she starts on a smaller instrument? M: Of course, or he would be very uncomfortable. [14]Many children begin with a half-sized cello, but as I was big for my age, I began with a two-thirds-sized cello. W: Are you going to other places on this trip and will you take your cello with you? M: Yes, very definitely, W: But, isn’t it difficult taking a cello around with you? M: Not really. [15]I just reserve two seats when I’m traveling anywhere, one for me and one for my cello. It’s such a precious instrument to me that it hardly ever leaves my side. 12.What is the main purpose of the man’s visit this year? 13.What do we learn about the man’s cello? 14.What is the size of the man’s cello when he began to learn? 15.How does the man do with his cello when he’s traveling? To spend a holiday and see friends. To attend the Arts Festival. To visit the exhibition of cellos. To give private cello lessons.