M: Amelia, you seem very busy now. But I do have something to tell you. Could you spare a few minutes? W: Sure. What do you need? M: Well, I wanted to let you know that(12)I’ve put in my notice. W: Really? Why? M: It’s complicated. But basically it boils down to one thing.(13)This company is downsizing and I can’t continue working for a company that may let me go. W: But surely they won’t fire you! You’re one of the most experienced managers here! M: Well, to be honest, there’s another reason.(12)I’ve got a better offer. W: Well, that’s great news! Congratulations! Where will you be located? M: The head office is in New York,(14)but I’ll be dealing with overseas companies and flying to this side of the world from time to time. W: It’ll be sad to see you go, but it sounds like you’ve found yourself a great opportunity. M: I have. I feel lucky. I look forward to dealing with overseas companies and at the same time having a chance to use English more. W: I’m sorry to bring this up,(15)but would it be possible for you to write me a letter of recommendation before you go? M:(15)Of course I can. In fact, if there are other job opportunities at this new company, I’ll recommend you personally. W: Thanks. I appreciate that. 12. What are the speakers talking about? 13. What does the man say about his current company? 14. What does the man say about his new job? 15. What will the man do for the woman next? Job hopping. Putting up a notice. Travelling by plane. Learning a foreign language.

Carbon Capture Has climate change made it harder for people to care about conservation? A)Last September, as someone who cares more about birds than the next man, I was following the story of the new stadium that the Twin Cities are building for their football Vikings. The stadium’s glass walls were expected to kill thousands of birds every year, and local bird-lovers had asked its sponsors to use a specially patterned glass to reduce collisions: the glass would have raised the stadium’s cost by one tenth of one per cent, and the sponsors had hesitated. Around the same time, the National Audubon Society issued a press release declaring climate change “the greatest threat“ to American birds and warning that “ nearly half“ of North America’s bird species were at risk of losing their home by 2080. Audubon’s announcement was retransmitted by national and local media, including the Minneapolis Star Tribune, whose blogger on bird-related subjects, Jim Williams, drew the inevitable inference: Why argue about stadium glass when the real threat to birds was climate change? In comparison, Williams said, a few thousand bird deaths would be “nothing. “ B)I was in Santa Cruz, California, and already not in a good mood. The day I saw the Williams quote was the two hundred and fifty-fourth of a year in which, so far, sixteen had qualified as rainy. To the injury of a very dry weather came the daily insult of radio forecasters describing the weather as beautiful. It wasn’t that I didn’t share Williams’s anxiety about the future. What upset me was how a terrible prediction like Audubon’s could lead to indifference toward birds in the present. C)Whether it’s prehistoric North Americans hunting the mastodon(乳齿象)to extinction, Maori wiping out the large animals of New Zealand, or modern civilization deforesting the planet and emptying the oceans, human beings are universal killers of the natural world. And now climate change has given us an eschatology(末世论)for reckoning with our guilt: coming soon, some terribly overheated tomorrow, is Judgment Day. Unless we confess and mend our ways, we’ll all be sinners in the hands of an angry Earth. D)Rarely do I board an airplane or drive to the grocery store without considering my carbon footprint and feeling guilty about it. But when I started watching birds, and worrying about their welfare, I became attracted to a strain of Christianity, inspired by St. Francis of Assisi’s example of loving what’s concrete and sensitive and right in front of us. I gave my support to the focused work of the American Bird Conservancy and local Audubon societies. Even the most obviously worsened landscape could make me happy if it had birds in it. E)And so I came to feel miserably conflicted about climate change. I accepted its supremacy as the environmental issue of our time, but I felt threatened by its dominance. Not only did it make every grocery-store run a guilt trip: it made me feel selfish for caring more about birds in the present than about people in the future. What were the eagles killed by wind turbines(涡轮机)compared with the impact of rising sea levels on poor nations? What were the local cloud-forest birds of the Andes compared with the atmospheric benefits of Andean water-power projects? F)A hundred years ago, the National Audubon Society was an active organization, campaigning against random bird killing and the harvesting of large birds for their feathers, but its spirit has since become gentler. In recent decades, it’s been better known for its holiday cards and its toy birds, which sing when you squeeze them. When the organization shifted into Jonathan Edwards mode, last September, I wondered what was going on. G)In rolling out its climate-change initiative, Audubon mentioned the “citizen science data“ it had mobilized(调动), and a “ report“ prepared by its own scientists, that justified its terrible predictions. Visitors to its updated Web site were treated to images of climate-endangered species and asked to “take the pledge“ to help save them. The actions that Audubon suggested to pledge-takers were gentle stuff—tell your stories, create a bird-friendly yard—but the Web site also offered a “Climate Action Pledge“ , which was long and detailed. H)The climate-change report was not immediately available, but from the Web site’s graphics, which included range maps of various bird species, it was possible to deduce that the report’s method involved a comparison of a species’ present range with its predicted range in a climate-altered future. When there was broad overlap between the two ranges, it was assumed that the species would survive. When there was little or no overlap, it was assumed that the species would be caught between an old range that had grown inhospitable(荒凉的，不适合居住的)to it and a new range in which the place where the species live was wrong, and would be at risk of disappearing. I)This kind of modelling can be useful, but it’s full of uncertainties. A species may currently breed in a place with a particular average temperature, but this doesn’t mean that it couldn’t tolerate a higher temperature, or that it couldn’t adapt to a slightly different place farther north, or that the more northerly place won’t change as temperatures rise. North American species in general, having contended with hot July days and frosty September nights as they evolved, are much more tolerant of temperature fluctuations than tropical species are. Although, in any given place, some familiar back-yard birds may have disappeared by 2080, species from farther south are likely to have moved in to take their place. North America’s birds may well become more diverse. J)The eagle was an especially odd choice of poster bird for Audubon’s initiative. The species nearly became extinct fifty years ago, before DDT was banned. The only reason we can worry about its future today is that the public—led by the then energetic Audubon—rallied around an immediate threat to it. The eagle’s dilemma was a primary impetus for the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and the eagle is one of the act’s great success stories. Once its eggs were no longer weakened by DDT, its population and range expanded so dramatically that it was removed from the endangered-species list in 2007. It’s hard to think of a species less liable to be trapped by geography. Even if global warming squeezes it entirely out of its current summer and winter ranges, the melting of ice in Alaska and Canada may actually result in a larger new range.

For years, high school students have received identical textbooks as their classmates. Even as students have different learning styles and abilities, they are force-fed the same materials. “ Imagine a digital textbook where because I’m a different person and learn differently, my book is different than your book,“ said Richard Baraniuk, founder of OpenStax. OpenStax will spend two years developing the personalized books and then test them on Houston-area students. The books will also go through a review and evaluation process similar to traditional textbooks. Baraniuk expects 60 people to review each book before publication to ensure its quality. The idea is to make learning easier, so students can go on to more successful careers and lives. Baraniuk isn’t just reproducing physical textbooks on digital devices, a mistake e-book publishers have made. He’s seriously rethinking that the educational experience should be in a world of digital tools. To do this means involving individuals with skills traditionally left out of the textbook business. Baraniuk is currently hiring cognitive scientists and machine learning experts. Baraniuk wants to use the tactics(策略)of Google, Netflix and Amazon to deliver a personalized experience. These Web services all rely on complex algorithms(算法)to automatically adjust their offerings for customers. Just as Netflix recommends different movies based on your preferences and viewing history, a textbook might present materials at a different pace. The textbook—which will be stored on a range of digital devices—will automatically adjust itself thanks to machine learning. As a student learns about a topic, he or she could be interrupted by brief quizzes that evaluate whether he or she masters the area. Depending on how the student does, the subject could be reinforced with more material. Or a teacher could be automatically e-mailed that the student is struggling with a certain concept and could use some one-on-one attention. This personalized learning experience is possible thanks to the wealth of data a digital textbook can track. This data can be used to better track students’ progress during a course. Parents and teachers can monitor a student’s development and provide in time more proper assistance. With personalized learning methods, our students’ talents will be better developed.

Knowing that you are paid less than your peers has two effects on happiness. One is negative: a thinner pay packet hurts self-esteem(自尊). The other is called the “tunnel“ effect: the income gap is seen as improving your own chances of similar riches. A paper co-authored by Felix FitzRoy of the University of St. Andrews separates the two effects using data from household surveys in Germany. Previous work showed that the income of others can have a small, or even positive, overall effect on employees’ satisfaction in individual firms in Denmark or in very dynamic economies, such as Eastern Europe. But Mr. FitzRoy’s team proposed that older workers, who largely know their lifetime incomes already, will enjoy a much smaller tunnel effect. The negative effect on reported levels of happiness of being paid less than your peers is not visible for people aged under 45. In western Germany, seeing peers’ incomes rising actually makes young people happier. It is only those people over 45, when careers have “reached a stable position“, whose happiness is harmed by the success of others. The prospect of more than 20 years of hard work might make retirement seem more attractive. Those with jobs are no happier after they retire, however, perhaps because their lives already agree with social expectations. Unemployment is known to damage happiness because not working falls short of social expectations. Pensions or increased leisure time cannot make up for the loss of social acceptance. Unemployed people are dissatisfied with their life not only because they have lower incomes, but also because they may get low and negative recognition from others. Indeed, retiring early from work can have side-effects. Another paper, co-authored by Andreas Kuhn of the University of Zurich, investigates the effect of a change in Austrian employment-insurance rules that allow blue-collar workers earlier retirement in some regions than others. Men retiring a year early lower their chance of surviving to age 67 by 13% . Almost a third of this higher death rate seemed to be concentrated among those who were forced into early retirement by job loss. The death was caused by smoking and alcohol consumption. If you’re in a job, even when you are paid less, hang on in there.

职业教育是指让受教育者获得和提高从事某种职业所必需的知识和技能的教育。相较于基础教育而言，职业教育侧重于实践技能和专业技能的培养，为学生提供良好的就业平台，为国家提供更多更专业的人才。它是国家高等教育不可或缺的重要部分，是促使高等教育走向大众化的重要因素。因此，大力发展职业教育已成为推进中国工业化、现代化的迫切需要。

Have you planned for your next vacation? There are many destinations to choose from, both stateside and internationally. First, perhaps you need to decide on a climate, or if weather doesn’t bother you, then where is that one place that you would like to go? (19)If you go to central or South America, then you can see thriving cultures set against what are still considered to be wild and uninhabited. You can see something fairly similar in South Africa but with a whole different culture and with an extremely different kind of wild. Perhaps the bustling cities of northern Africa, sometimes called the Middle East, are more to your taste, if you like to live close to the edge. What about the ancient cultures mixed with cutting edge technology in parts of Asia? Then you have Europe, with some of the most traveled areas in the world. Each area does bring a totally different perspective in so that within each general area there are more specific areas.(20)If you are looking for something as vague as someplace with a small population and minimal inhabitation, then you can look at parts of Australia, Asia, Canada, South America, South Africa, northern Europe and Russia. (21)If you want bustling cities, then you have your pick of many on every continent and just about every country. It is probably safe to say that most people have an idea of where they want to go, but if you don’t, take a look around—there are literally millions of places. 19. What do we know about South America and South Africa? 20. Which places have a small population and minimal inhabitation? 21. Where can we find bustling cities? They have the same kind of culture. They are wild in different ways. They have most traveled areas. They have cutting edge technology.

For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay about a place which you like most. You should state the reasons and write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.

W: I’m going to work in a multinational enterprise after graduation. M: But you said your dream was to be an entrepreneur, to be your own boss. Q: What does the man imply? The woman has changed her original career planning. The woman is fit for a multinational enterprise. It is difficult to be an entrepreneur. The woman made a wrong decision.

M: Do you want to go out for dinner tonight? W: Sure. Have you got anywhere in mind? M: I’m starving, so maybe we could go somewhere with large portions. W: That Italian restaurant in the city centre always has large portions. Do you want to go there? M: I’m not really in the mood for Italian, actually. I was thinking of something a bit spicy. W: If you want spicy food, then I’d recommend going to a Thai, Indian or Chinese restaurant. How about that Chinese restaurant on Cowley Road? M:(9)I really like that restaurant: you get a lot for your money there. But, they’ve westernized their food, so it’s not actually that spicy. W: You’re right. Most of their dishes have sweet sauces.(10)We could try that Indian restaurant just down the road from us. M:(10)The Taj? They’re a bit expensive, but they do serve large portions of very hot food. W:(10)The Taj it is then. M: Shall we bring our own bottle of wine to save some money? W: They’ll still charge us for opening a wine bottle. M: That’s right. It’ll probably work out to be about the same then anyway. W: Don’t worry about money. I’ll treat you tonight. M: Are you sure? We could go Dutch. W: No,(11)I’ll pay. It’s my turn anyway. You paid last time. M:(11)I won’t argue with that! Let’s go! 9. What does the man say about the Chinese restaurant on Cowley Road? 10. Which restaurant will the speakers probably go to? 11. What can be inferred from the conversation? It has changed the flavor. It is spicy as usual. It is too expensive. It sells western food.

(16)It should come as no surprise that there is a strong link between self-esteem and the health of our relationships. If you have a low sense of self-worth, that affects a lot of your behavior, which in turn affects your connections with others. Specifically, having little love for ourselves tends to make us more negative in general. Think about how you react when someone around you is negative about almost everything. In contrast, you probably prefer to be around people who are comfortable in their own skin. (17)A common symptom of low self-worth is that you don’t believe that the things you do are good enough, so you obsess over seeking compliments from others. What you may not realize is that this really bothers people and can damage your relationships with friends, co-workers or a significant other. Even if you are doing so with the best of intentions, people will typically view your behavior as “ fishing for compliments“ in order to suit your ego.(18)That said, you need to take a look at everything you’ve accomplished and give yourself some credit. Otherwise, you can become prone to social anxieties that will make it nearly impossible for you to be confident. I know for me, I fear letting pride inhibit my ability to relate and connect genuinely with others. But it’s also important for us to recognize the good we’ve done and let it sink in. Once you start doing this regularly, you’ll find yourself being less reliant on the remarks of others. 16. What is the passage mainly about? 17. What is the symptom of low self-worth? 18. According to the passage, what should people do to overcome low self-worth? The link between self-worth and relationships. The importance of people’s health. The symptoms of low self-esteem. How to seek compliments from others.

By teaching your children fire safety you can make sure they know what to do when a house fire occurs. Making sure that your children know exactly what is required of them cutting down on the chaos of the emergency situation and helping keep your family safe and secure. All children should know about important fire safety procedures such as the need to stay low to the ground in a smoky room and the need to stop, drop, and roll if their clothes should catch fire.(22)Staying low to the ground keeps you from breathing in smoke, as smoke always rises towards the ceiling. Breathing smoke into the body can lead to unconsciousness, and it is a big component of deaths caused by house fires.(23)Tell your family members that they can put a damp rag or a piece of clothing over their faces and breathe in through it in order to cut down on the effects of smoke even more. However, you generally shouldn’t waste time finding a damp rag in an emergency: it’s also dangerous to use a tap to wet a damp rag depending on the severity of the fire,(24)as if the water pipes in your home are exposed to high temperatures, the water traveling through them may be converted to steam which will blast out of the pipe and cause burns. Make sure your children know how to correctly stop, drop, and roll and feel confident in the fact that it works and make sure your children understand that they should never play with lighters or matches.(25)Do regular fire drills to practice your escape plan so that your family knows what to do in an emergency. 22. Why should people stay low when a fire occurs? 23. According to the passage, what is the proper behavior in a fire? 24. What may happen if you turn on the tap during a fire? 25. What method is mentioned for your family to know what to do in a fire? Because the temperature on the ground is lower. Because people can see more clearly in the low area. Because there is less smoke in the low area. Because the exit signs are in the low area.

Cigarette smoking kills. That we know. So, manufacturers made【B1】______cigarettes as a safer smoking choice—safer than tobacco. E-cigarettes contain the drug nicotine(尼古丁)like cigarettes. But they do not use tobacco. And you do not light them. They are【B2】______by battery. So, if e-cigarettes are so safe, why have poison control centers around the United States seen an【B3】______in telephone calls about e-cigarette poisonings? The answer is children. Most of the calls are from people【B4】______children who have played with the devices. In the period of one month this year, the United States Centers for Disease Control say 215 people called the Center with e-cigarette【B5】______. More than half of these calls were for children aged five and younger. The devices【B6】______had made them sick. Tim McAfee, director of the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health, says the problem is【B7】______. Meaning, the U. S. federal government does not control e-cigarettes even though they contain liquid nicotine. Mr. McAfee adds that liquid nicotine is a well-known danger. Mr. McAfee explains that nicotine poisoning happens when the【B8】______gets into the skin, gets into the eyes or is swallowed. Even a small amount, he says, can make a person sick. Nicotine poisoning can cause stomach pain or a sense of unbalance. Headaches are also【B9】______of nicotine poisoning. And too much nicotine can kill. Tim McAfee says e-cigarettes do not create the level of risk to people that tobacco products do. He【B10】______that almost 500,000 Americans die each year from cigarettes.

For centuries, boys were top of the class. But these days, that’s no longer the【C1】______. A new study by the OECD, examined how 15-year-old boys and girls performed at reading, mathematics and science. Boys still score somewhat better at maths, and in science the genders are【C2】______equal. But when it comes to the students who really【C3】______, the difference is obvious: boys are 50% more likely than girls to fall【C4】______of basic standards in all three areas. Why are girls performing better at school than their male classmates? First, girls read more than boys. Reading【C5】______is the basis upon which all other learning is built. When boys don’t do well at reading, their performance in other school subjects【C6】______too. Second, girls spend more time on homework. Researchers suggest that doing homework【C7】______by teachers is linked to better performance in maths, reading and science. Boys, it【C8】______, spend more of their free time in the virtual world: they are 17% more likely to play online games than girls every day. They also use the Internet more. Third, peer pressure plays a【C9】______. A lot of boys decide early on that they are just too cool for school which means they’re more likely to be【C10】______in class. Teachers mark them down for this. In anonymous(匿名的)tests, boys perform better. In fact, the gender gap in reading drops by a third when teachers don’t know the gender of the pupil they are marking. A)appears I)proficiency B)case J)role C)distinguishes K)roughly D)dramatically L)set E)engaged M)short F)experience N)struggle G)lazy O)suffers H)noisy