C

It’s such a happy-looking library, painted yellow, decorated with palm-tree stickers and sheltered from the Florida sun by its own roof. About the size of a microwave oven, it’s pedestrian-friendly, too, waiting for book lovers next to a sidewalk in Palm Beach country Estates, along the northern boundary of Palm Beach Gardens.

It’s a library built with love.

A year ago, shortly after Janey Henriksen saw a Brian Williams report about the Little Free Library organization, a Wisconsin-based nonprofit that aims to promote literacy and build a sense of community in a neighborhood by making books freely available, she announced to her family of four, “That’s what we’re going to do for our spring break!”

Son Austin, now a 10th-grader, didn’t see the point of building a library that resembles a mailbox. But Janey insisted, and husband Peter unwillingly got to work. The 51-year-old owner of a ship supply company modified a small wooden house that he’d built years earlier for daughter Abbie’s toy horses, and made a door of glass.

After adding the library’s final touches (装点), the family hung a signboard on the front, instructing users to “take a book, return a book,” and making the Henriksen library, now one of several hundred like it nationwide and among more than 2,500 in the world, the only Little Free Library in Palm Beach County.

They stocked it with 20 or so books they’d already read, a mix of science fiction, reference titles, novels and kids’ favorites. “I told them, keep in mind that you might not see it again,” said Janey, a stay-at-home mom.

Since then, the collection keeps replenishing (补充) itself, thanks to ongoing donations from borrowers. The library now gets an average of five visits a day.

The project’s best payoff, says Peter, are the thank-you notes left behind. “We had no idea in the beginning that it would be so popular.” (317 words)

66. In what way is the library “pedestrian-friendly”?

A. It owns a yellow roof. B. It stands near a sidewalk.

C. It protects book lovers from the sun. D. It uses palm-tree stickers as decorations.

67. Janey got the idea to build a library from __________.

A. a visit to Brian Williams B. a spring break with her family

C. a book sent by one of her neighbors D. a report on a Wisconsin-based organization

68. The library was built __________.

A. by a ship supply company B. on the basis of toy horses

C. like a mailbox D. with glass

69. What can we infer about the signboard?

A. It was made by a user of the library. B. It marked a final touch to the library.

C. It aimed at making the library last long. D. It indicated the library was a family property.

70. The passage tells us that the users __________.

A. donate books to the library

B. get paid to collect books for the library

C. receive thank-you notes for using the library

D. visit the library over 5 times on average daily

Part IV Writing (45 marks)

Section A (10 marks)

Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in the numbered blanks by using the information from the passage.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

While there is no widely accepted definition of MOOCs, their key features are open access：they are currently free to participants, no entry qualifications are required, they support an unlimited number of participants and as yet, very few include any form of accreditation (认证).

Currently offered by some famous universities, MOOCs are attractive to people who do not have the financial resources to meet the growing costs of university education, or who do not have formal qualifications. They also allow participants to study at their own pace.

The potential for MOOCs to deliver education is obviously vast—they could be considered as a huge step forwards in widening participation. They also have the potential to provide a unique window on universities that offer popular and valuable courses, they may attract some participants to register for formal fee-paying programmes at the same or other universities and are likely to promote new ways of on-line education.

However, it is still very early days for MOOCs. The quality of the education provision is highly variable, with many courses offering only recordings of lectures, and delivery is particularly difficult in some special fields that require practical classes, research projects or extensive library access. Besides, wider engagement with participants requires very considerable resource. Even limited feedback or examination becomes a major task if there are several thousand students in the class.

Considering the challenges, some people argue MOOCs will soon evaporate (蒸发). But they certainly provide good opportunity for widening higher education, are a means of raising awareness of universities to audiences of tens or hundreds of thousands, and are well worthy of serious consideration. (271 words)

Section B (10 marks)

Directions: Read the following passage. Answer the questions according to the information given in the passage.

“Let’s Talk”：The Free Advice Project

A few weeks ago, I took a walk around Washington Square Park. I met all the usual people：street performers, the Pigeon Guy, a group of guitarists singing in harmony. But off to the side, sitting on a bench was a woman doing something vastly different—giving free advice.

A week or two later, I set up an interview with her and we discussed her project at length.

Lisa Podell, 32, started the Free Advice Project this past May. It began as an experiment;she sat in Washington Square Park for a day with a sign that read “Free Advice” as a simple way to reach out to people. Podell was astonished at the strong response.

Podell admits that she was doubtful at first, but now she describes the project as mutually (相互地) beneficial. People learn from her—but she also learns from them. She says that the majority of those who come to her are dealing with some pretty heavy issues, and they expect her not only to listen, but also provide real answers.

Having worked as a full time teacher and now as an adolescent advisor, Podell believes that talking things out is an important in the decision-making process.

Sometimes, people walk around all day, keeping their problems in their own head and thinking about them in the same way. Podell simply strives to provide people with perspective.

I asked if there is a future plan for the Free Advice Project. Podell said she would like to promote it to each public space in New York, which would be carried out by various volunteers across the city.

It was truly inspiring to meet someone with such a big heart, especially in New York—where it is sometimes very hard to find anybody to listen. (303 words)

81. In what way was Podell different from other people in the park? (No more than 6 words) (2 marks)

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82. What do people in need expect Podell to do? (No more than 10 words) (3 marks)

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83. According to Podell, what should people do when making decisions?

(No more than 6 words) (2 marks)

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84. How would Podell promote her project in New York? (No more than 15 words) (3 marks)

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