Turn on the TV or web page, and you may see a mouse trying to sell you something. Go into an Internet chatroom, and you may see people using monsters as avatars. We are entering an age where characters stand in for us. From businesses to online identities to top, character culture is taking over. [*] For decades, companies have used characters as mascots. Two famous ones are Tony the Tiger from the US and the Michelin Man from France. Thanks to modem technology, characters like these have grown into walking, talking spokespeople. We have reached a point where a 3D pig selling us credit cards is perfectly normal. Maybe it is because there are already too many ads featuring real people. Or, it could be that we feel less pressure when sold something by a cute character. This shift is also seen in the way we represent ourselves online. On social networking sites, forums, and chatrooms, few people use photos of themselves as avatars. They are more likely to use images of things they like and relate to. Cartoon and movie characters are two popular types. Interestingly, when we see someone using a Snoopy or Mickey Mouse avatar, that becomes the way we imagine the person. Internet friends often comment that it is strange to meet in person. They are used to referring to each other by Internet nicknames and imagining people as their avatars. It is a good example of the “virtual“ world becoming just as important as the “real world.“ Connected to these trends is the growth of character toys. They are collected by children as well as adults. Popular ones include characters from comic books, cartoons, and video games. Then there are toys based on original characters created by artists. These “designer toys“ are sold everywhere from convenience stores to clothing shops. You can even have a toy of yourself made. Using several photographs, a specialty company can quickly turn you into a 3D figure! We are becoming comfortable with the idea of listening to, speaking with, and even becoming characters. The next generation of online communities may take a step further. Instead of 2D avatars, we may have 3D characters standing in for us. We are also likely to see more farm animals and cute monsters selling us things. And, of course, there will always be new toys. As character culture grows, the line between the real world and the virtual world will continue to blur. Questions 66—70 Answer the following questions according to the passage.

What is the aim of Theresa May’ s plan?In this section, you will hear five short news items. Each item will be read only once. After each item, there will be a fifteen-second pause. During the pause, read the question and the four choices marked A, B, C and D, and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on the answer sheet with a single line through the centre. 16.The British Parliament has rejected Prime Minister Theresa May’s plan for Britain to leave the European Union. The House of Commons voted 432 to 202 against the plan negotiated by members of May’s government. The prime minister said she is trying to carry out the “democratic decision” voters made 18 months ago to leave the EU. The vote against May’s plan was widely expected, but it is not clear what comes next for the withdrawal, known as Brexit. Before the vote, May warned members of Parliament that the EU would not offer an “alternative deal.” 17.It is often difficult for farmers to identify diseases quickly enough to protect their crops and those on neighboring farms. Now, some farmers are using a simple device directly in the field to find viruses before they spread. In Tanzania, several viruses are a threat to cassava crops. Farmers struggle to identify the diseases in an urgent effort to avoid severe crop damage. The disease identification process is often difficult when farmers are acting on their own. If they do not know what is attacking their crops, they cannot decide the best way to fight the disease. 18.Scientists have long known that pain’s intensity is difficult to measure because people experience pain differently. In the case of 17-year-old Sarah Taylor, doctors struggled to understand her levels of pain from childhood. “It’s really hard when people can’t see how much pain you’re in, because they have to take your word on it and sometimes, they don’t quite believe you,” she said. Some scientists working with Taylor are now trying to develop an objective way to measure pain. 19.The New York City train system has a new unofficial stop— for people who love grammar...or even just have questions about it. English language expert Ellen Jovin has put together an unusual “classroom.” There is a foldable table, books, a smile and a deep knowledge of grammar. She calls it Grammar Table. Jovin sits at the table in the subway and on city streets. She smiles and waits for people to come by with grammar questions. 20.After falling for three years, carbon emissions in the United States rose in 2018. That information is based on early estimates from an independent research group. The Rhodium Group studies U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide, a gas linked to rising temperatures in Earth’s atmosphere. Its new report estimates that the country’s carbon emissions increased 3.4 percent last year. This would be the largest yearly increase since 2010. To negotiate with the EU for an alternative Brexit deal. To win the House of Commons’ support for her reelection. To reject the British Parliament’ s proposal on Brexit. To seek Parliament’ s approval of Britain’ s withdrawal from the EU.

You should try to make some________of your differences so that you can work together without quarrels. adjustment arrangement development improvement movement

When Catherine told me that she was going to ride the horse herself in the race I was ________and for a while couldn’ t think of anything to say. caught up driven away wiped out pulled off taken aback

—Have you heard an English expression about dogs and tricks? —Yeah, it is “You can’t teach an________dog________tricks.“ old; new idle; any old; difficult idle; such old; odd

—Come on! I forgot how to play this computer game. —It’ s easy. Just follow the instructions. —______ I’ m sorry to hear that. Oh, now I see. You’ re welcome. Please try again. Are you kidding?

Writing Brush, Ink Stick, Paper and Ink Slab are collectively called “Four Treasures of a Chinese Study“ . These four treasures were traditionally kept in a scholar’ s study in the old days. “ Study “ in Chinese is “wen fang“ , which originally meant governmental departments in charge of record making and keeping. Later, this word became exclusively for scholars’ study. The first one in history who used the phrase “the four treasures of the study“ was Su Yijian (苏易简)of the Northern Song Dynasty. In his writing Wen Fang Si Pu, he detailed each of them. Thus the phrase was born. [*]

【T1】顶级足球员都有志为顶级球队效力，如今，西班牙、意大利、英格兰和德国联盟的顶级球队都来自全球各个角落的球员组成的。 (make up)有来自南美且多年来在欧洲球队效力的球员，如马拉多纳、罗纳尔多，如今更有来自亚洲、非洲和中东地区的球员。也许最国际化的联盟当属英超联赛。切尔西队现在有来自16个不同国家的球员，上个赛季的阿森纳队在头阵出场的11名球员无一是英国队员。 [*] 【T2】那么，来自欧洲之外的球员要如何适应聚集众多新面孔的新环境呢? (adapt to)他们又如何在诸多困扰中最大程度地发挥自己的能力?有些球员难以适应，表现糟糕，在球队中失去了位置。【T3】因此，俱乐部能帮助这些球员感觉宾至如归，享受新生活极其重要。 (feel at home) 【T4】当这些球员抵达欧洲时，他们必须学习一门新语言，习惯极其不同的食物。 (get used to)可是，对于他们当中的某些人来说，最难的是适应如何与队友沟通、与教练沟通的方式。【T5】例如，在亚洲，球员们不会在队友表现糟糕时抱怨，而且如果遇到他们不喜欢采用的战术也不会告诉教练。 (neither…nor)

When traveling, some people think protecting one’s safety is most important while others believe that seeking adventures is most important. What’ s your opinion? Write an essay in about 180 words to state your opinions on the answer sheet. [*]

1. W：Scientists say rest is one of the most important things a human brain needs. Do you know you will have more creative ideas if you are well-rested? M：To be honest I hardly have any good ideas. I drink a lot of coffee and can manage to finish my work, but I don’t have any creative ideas. W：Maybe that’s because your brain is overloaded. Q: What do scientists say about rest? 2. M：I’ve had it with Tim! I think I’m going to quit! He’s all nice and friendly to my face. But the second I turn around he stabs me in the back! W：You know I had a worker like that once. She was always taking credit for my ideas. After a while I learned to document my work very clearly so the boss knew 100% that this was my work. M：Yeah! That’s a good idea. I should keep a better record of my correspondence with the clients, so if necessary I can prove it was my effort. Q: How did the woman cope with the problem she met? 3. M：Well, I started learning Chinese a long time ago. First I learned a little bit when I was in college. But I probably picked up most of it when I was overseas in Beijing. W: Did you meet any difficulties in your learning? M：Two of the most challenging things when you study Chinese are the tones and the characters. I think that’s just extremely difficult. And it was frustrating to be teaching... teaching kindergarten students and realizing that their reading was much better than mine. Q: What are the most challenging things for the man in learning Chinese? 4.W: Hey, do a lot of people in America know about The Art of War? M: Not many. They say the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers has a copy of The Art of War and he teaches his players some of its strategies. Miss Yang, you know who the Lakers are, right? W: Of course, I know the Lakers, it’s a great team. Q: How does the head coach of Lakers use The Art of War according to the man? 5.W: Traffic in New York can be a nightmare during rush hours. It’s bumper-to-bumper everywhere in the city. M: Doesn’t the subway service get really backed up too? I’ve heard there’re lots of delays. W: Yeah, the subway can run late sometimes too, but it’s still more dependable than the bus. M: Yeah, the subway is probably a good idea, but I hate being squeezed into those smelly coaches with all those strangers. Q: How is the subway service in New York according to the man? The more one rests, the better one performs duties. A good rest makes one’ s brain more creative. Drinking a cup of coffee is also a good way to rest. Working without rest is harmful to health.

The woman wanted to know why Robert was applying for a year off during his university life.Listen to the conversation, and mark each statement as either true（T） or false（F） according to what you hear. W: Robert. I notice from your application form that you took a year off between high school and university. What did you do during this year? M: Well, I’d say I got plenty of work experience, but what I did was mostly travel. I went over to Australia for the year and spent the time travelling and working all around the country. At the end I went to New Zealand and travelled around there for a couple of months. W: What kind of work did you do out there? M: It was fairly menial stuff. I delivered furniture, helped in a pub, served in a hotel and worked on a building site, and things like that. W: Working on a building site must be some good experience for engineering? M: I suppose so. I mean it was interesting to see the brass tacks side of things, and a good engineer has to get his hands dirty, my father says. W: He’s absolutely right. Now, why did you choose Westley University to study Civil Engineering? M: Well, first of all I know the department has a very good reputation in this field and, before applying, I checked out the statistics and saw that the percentage of graduates going straight into industry was very good. W: Yes, we’re very proud of that. M: I’m also very interested in mountaineering and your campus here in the Midlands is within reasonable distance of Snowdonia so I’ll be able to go hiking at weekends when work allows it. W: That’s good. It’s very important for students to have interests outside of their studies. It helps deal with the stress. M: I also play football a lot, and the University runs quite a few teams in the local leagues, so I’d like to get into that. W: Is there anything you’d like to ask me about the course, Robert? TRUE FALSE

How many scientists did the man cite as examples to illustrate his point?Listen to the conversation. Then read the four choices marked A, B, C and D, and decide which is the best answer according to what you hear. W: Can you tell us about what happens when geniuses relax? M: Without doubt, great scientists don’t always make their discoveries in the lab. Archimedes’s famous ‘Eureka’ moment came while he was having a bath. Physicist Richard Feynman saw a plate flying through the air in a college cafeteria, and was inspired to calculate electron orbits. He later won the Nobel Prize. And Alexander Fleming was making mould for his hobby, microbe painting, when he accidentally developed penicillin. W: So what does this tell us? M: Well, we’re looking into the psychology of high achievers. A recent study by Robert Root Bernstein compared the hobbies of 134 Nobel Prize winning chemists with those of other scientists. He found that most Nobel Prize winners acquired their accomplishments outside the lab. Over half were artistic and almost all had a long-lasting hobby: chess or insect collecting. Twenty-five percent of the Nobel Prize winners played a musical instrument and 18 percent drew or painted regularly. Of the common scientists, under one percent had a hobby. W: Fascinating. So should we conclude then, that only a creative person can be a genius? M: Well, I think that’s debatable. Perhaps it’s true up to a point, but I don’t think it’s as clear-cut as that. What we do know is that to a certain extent, creative thinking can help people to solve problems, even scientific ones. If you’re thinking about a problem all the time, often the answer eludes you. But it may come in an inspiration when you’re least expecting it— perhaps when you’re asleep, or thinking about other things, doing a hobby, for example. It’s not 100 percent certain, but it seems that the mind has the ability to make connections from one part of your life to another, so that actually stepping back from a problem can often provide the answer. And people who’re good at making these connections, people who pursue creative hobbies and interests, often excel in their particular fields. 3. 4. 134. 135.

Dictation Listen to the passage. For questions 21 ~ 25, fill in the blanks with the exact words or phrases you hear. Tomatoes originally come from South America and have been eaten by people there for thousands of years. Today, tomatoes are popular 【D1】________. However, when they were first introduced, there was quite a bit of【D2】________surrounding them. Ancient Aztec writings mention recipes for dishes of tomatoes, pepper, and salt— probably the first salsa recipe! Spanish soldiers conquered the Aztecs and brought tomato seeds back with them to Europe. In Europe, these yellowish tomatoes were first called 【D3】“________.“ People were afraid to eat tomatoes because the plant looked similar to the nightshade plant, a deadly poison. German people even thought that if someone ate tomatoes, they would【D4】________a werewolf. However, by the mid-1800s, people all over the world had accepted tomatoes as a good food to eat. Nevertheless, tomatoes were due for more problems. Do you think tomatoes are a fruit or vegetable. Actually they are a fruit. However, in America, they are a vegetable by law. Why are tomatoes legally vegetable in America? In the 1800s, there was no import tax on fruit from other countries, but there was an import tax on vegetables. At that time, many tomatoes were coming from other countries into America, and American tomato farmers became worried about【D5】________. The government made tomatoes a vegetable by law so that non-American tomatoes would be taxed.In this section, you will hear two short passages. The passages will be read twice. After each passage, there will be a thirty-second pause. During the pause, write the answers on the answer sheet. Dictation Listen to the passage. For questions 21~25, fill in the blanks with the exact words or phrases you hear. Tomatoes originally come from South America and have been eaten by people there for thousands of years. Today, tomatoes are popular the world over. However, when they were first introduced, there was quite a bit of controversy and worry surrounding them. Ancient Aztec writings mention recipes for dishes of tomatoes, peppers, and salt—probably the first salsa recipe! Spanish soldiers conquered the Aztecs and brought tomato seeds back with them to Europe. In Europe, these yellowish tomatoes were first called “apples of gold.” People were afraid to eat tomatoes because the plant looked similar to the nightshade plant, a deadly poison. German people even thought that if someone ate tomatoes, they would change into a werewolf. However, by the mid-1800s, people all over the world had accepted the tomato as a good food to eat. Nevertheless, tomatoes were due for more problems. Do you think tomatoes are a fruit or vegetable? Actually they are a fruit. However, in America, they are a vegetable by law. Why are tomatoes legally a vegetable in America? In the 1800s, there was no import tax on fruit from other countries, but there was an import tax on vegetables. At that time, many tomatoes were coming from other countries into America, and American tomato farmers became worried about making a living. The government made tomatoes a vegetable by law so that non-American tomatoes would be taxed.

The police accused him ________ setting fire to the building but he firmly denied ________in the area on the night of the fire. from; being in; being of; having been on; to be on; to have been

The United Nations is trying to________the serious problems created by the energy crisis. comply with cope with come up with put up with submit to

The company’ s profits last year were worse than expected so they are certainly going to________some workers. care for help out lay off put down strike on

I can’ t give you an answer yet. I need________more time to consider my decision. ever fairly quite rather some

The painter Jacob Lawrence frequently incorporated patterns into his compositions, making them more striking than they would________have been. therefore still otherwise rather better

Celebrities and the media have a distinctly ’ love-hate’ relationship and, whilst they recognize their mutual dependency, striking a balance between their 【C1】res________ interests is an on-going challenge for both groups. [*] In the worlds of sport, entertainment and politics, celebrities depend on the press, social media, photographers and radio and television to raise their public profile, and afford them the visibility essential to success in their highly 【C2】________ (compete)professions. For example, top-class sports celebrities rely on income from commercial sponsorship to pay for 【C3】________(expense)coaching, fitness and training facilities. In the entertainment business, glamorous award ceremonies and opening nights of much-anticipated films not only 【C4】pro________the cast with what is undoubtedly an enjoyable and well-deserved celebration of their success, but also an opportunity for valuable exposure to their fans as well as to influential figures in their own 【C5】ind________. At the same time, sales revenues from advertising and audience ratings are boosted by stories about famous figures, which range from casual gossip to carefully researched information, 【C6】dep________on their purpose and target audience. The 【C7】con________between these apparently compatible interests lies in deciding how much access the media should have to the daily lives of the famous and the amount of privacy any individual should be entitled to. This clash has been intensified in the first two decades of the 21st century by recent developments in communications and digital science. There can be little doubt that the 【C8】________(drama)expansion of online social media has made it possible to spread rumours, true or false, instantly across the globe. This has significantly increased the power of the press to enhance or damage the reputation of any public figure. Due to advances in high-tech photographic equipment, it has become easier than ever for photojournalists to intrude on the private lives of well-known personalities without their knowledge or agreement. This has led, on many occasions, 【C9】________legal battles between the media and celebrities to determine whether newspapers should be entitled to publish images of high-profile personalities taken when they are not appearing in public. Another example of how the press has used dubious methods to obtain information about famous personalities is phone hacking, or listening in to private phone calls, which has also 【C10】res________in a number of court cases.

The demand for energy is certain to increase...as an ever larger population strives to improve its standard of living. Petroleum, natural gas, hydroelectricity, supply networks, new renewable energy technology, nuclear energy and more... Managing the energy challenge each country faces is very complex nowadays and will be decisive for the future. [*] The future for petroleum use at the moment looks rather uncertain, despite enjoying the major benefit of a very advanced infrastructure already in place. The downsides from the environmental point of view are patently obvious: harm to public health through carbon dioxide emissions in exhaust fumes. The picture for natural gas is similarly mixed. While its main strength lies in its being a relatively clean fuel involving little processing and being easily transportable via pipelines, natural gas requires compression or low temperatures if it is to be used for cars or other vehicles. Yet there is another problem with natural gas. It may produce less carbon dioxide than other fossil fuels, but the major stumbling block to its use is that the methane released lives for a long time in the atmosphere. In addition, as it is a no-renewable energy source like petroleum, in coming years natural gas will not be in use. But in the short term at least, the situation looks rosy. Ethanol, the production from grain is relatively straightforward. It is made from harvested crops. As the demand for alternative ’clean’ fuels increases, farmers are switching from planting crops for consumption to fuel crops like corn, barley, wheat or others that produce oil like palm and rape seed. Despite the drawback of a shortage of commercial outlets, ethanol heralds a new dawn for the energy market. But, before we consider ethanol in depth, let’ s look at hydrogen. It is perhaps the most attractive of all renewable fuels. Its greatest appeal is that it is readily available everywhere in the form of water. Solar energy is used to split the water into hydrogen and oxygen and then recombine it, with water being the waste by-product. Perhaps its main drawback is making the hydrogen production units small enough to fit cars. But once this happens, the future of hydrogen is bright indeed. We are facing a real urgency with the climate crisis aroused by burning fossil fuels like coal and oil for energy. Many scientists say we need to lower CO₂ level by sixty percent over the next forty years. If we don’ t, there could be terrible consequences for the environment and the world economy. Though governments are talking about ways to lower pollution levels, they may not be enough. By going carbon neutral, people and businesses can really do something to meet this global challenge. Questions 56 ~ 60 Complete the following schema with no more than three words according to the passage. [*]

Turn on the TV or web page, and you may see a mouse trying to sell you something. Go into an Internet chatroom, and you may see people using monsters as avatars. We are entering an age where characters stand in for us. From businesses to online identities to top, character culture is taking over. [*] For decades, companies have used characters as mascots. Two famous ones are Tony the Tiger from the US and the Michelin Man from France. Thanks to modem technology, characters like these have grown into walking, talking spokespeople. We have reached a point where a 3D pig selling us credit cards is perfectly normal. Maybe it is because there are already too many ads featuring real people. Or, it could be that we feel less pressure when sold something by a cute character. This shift is also seen in the way we represent ourselves online. On social networking sites, forums, and chatrooms, few people use photos of themselves as avatars. They are more likely to use images of things they like and relate to. Cartoon and movie characters are two popular types. Interestingly, when we see someone using a Snoopy or Mickey Mouse avatar, that becomes the way we imagine the person. Internet friends often comment that it is strange to meet in person. They are used to referring to each other by Internet nicknames and imagining people as their avatars. It is a good example of the “virtual“ world becoming just as important as the “real world.“ Connected to these trends is the growth of character toys. They are collected by children as well as adults. Popular ones include characters from comic books, cartoons, and video games. Then there are toys based on original characters created by artists. These “designer toys“ are sold everywhere from convenience stores to clothing shops. You can even have a toy of yourself made. Using several photographs, a specialty company can quickly turn you into a 3D figure! We are becoming comfortable with the idea of listening to, speaking with, and even becoming characters. The next generation of online communities may take a step further. Instead of 2D avatars, we may have 3D characters standing in for us. We are also likely to see more farm animals and cute monsters selling us things. And, of course, there will always be new toys. As character culture grows, the line between the real world and the virtual world will continue to blur. Questions 66—70 Answer the following questions according to the passage.

What is character culture?

Why can characters grow into walking, talking spokespeople?

What are people more likely to use to represent themselves in Internet communities?

What can a specialty company do if you give them several photos of yourself?

In the future, what may represent people in Internet communities?