57. What message does President Barack Obama want to convey in this speech?

A. The President underlined that all people are created equal.

B. The President celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act.

C. The President reaffirmed the commitment to protecting the right to vote.

D. The President called on everyone to seize every chance to elect officials.

B

Today, many species of animals and plants are endangered. This means they are in danger of becoming extinct and living on only in the pages of history books. The famous dodo is a classic example of a creature that became extinct. A flightless bird that lived on the island of Mauritius, it was discovered by sailors in 1598 but was hunted to extinction by 1681.

Hunting has caused the Bengal tiger and the African elephant to be endangered today but habitat destruction can also lead to extinction. This is equally true for plants. Animals and plants disappear for other reasons too, but the main cause is often a disruption in the natural food chain, whether due to hunting, habitat destruction, or even the introduction of alien species.

The natural food chain is the cycle that governs the existence of all life on this planet. It is a carefully balanced cycle and any imbalance that occurs can cause knock-on effects that have serious consequences. At the beginning of the natural food chain are plants which turn sunlight into energy and draw nutrients from the earth. Plants are called producers.

After the producers come the consumers. There are three tiers of consumers. First are creatures such as plant-eating animals, fish and insects which feed off the producers. These animals that only eat plants are called herbivores. The second tier of consumers are carnivores - animals that live off other animals. The third tier of consumers eats both other animals and plants. These consumers, including most humans, are called omnivores.

After animals and plants die, they become food for other smaller creatures, such as bacteria and some plants, such as fungi. As they feed, these creatures turn the dead bodies back into gases and minerals which are again food for the producers at the beginning of the food chain. And so the cycle continues.

All of nature is connected and governed by hundreds of these delicate food chains and if a single plant in the chain cannot survive, then the insects that live off the plant start to die and the animals that eat the insects also start to die.

When a food chain is disrupted, the consequences can be extremely serious. One estimate suggests that for each plant species that is lost, up to 30 animals and insects may also die out. One wonders how many species were affected by the extinction of the dodo?

Humans can have disastrous effects on food chains. We've already mentioned hunting but now let's look at travel. When people first started to explore the world they took plant and animal species from their home countries and introduced them wherever they went. They didn't realize that by introducing alien species they were disrupting the natural food chains of the areas they discovered. Although there are strict rules in place today controlling the import and export of alien species, some places are still fighting the effects of aliens introduced hundreds of years ago.

For example, Gough Island in the South Atlantic Ocean is a breeding ground for albatrosses that have been nesting there for centuries. But in the 19th century, mice from passing ships were brought to the island. Being a species alien to the island, they had no natural predators and have now grown to such a size that they are attacking and killing albatross chicks. If they are allowed to continue, they will wipe out the albatross population.

With import laws and people's rising awareness of how humans affect the natural environment, hopefully we can learn to fit better into the natural food chains that govern our world. Otherwise we need to accept that the loss of any more plants and animals could eventually mean our own extinction.

58. What do the first two paragraphs mainly tell us?

A. Hunting and habitat destruction lead to extinction.

B. Many species of animals and plants are endangered.

C. Plants and animals become extinct for the same reasons.

D. The main cause of extinction is often a disruption in the natural food chain.

59. Which of the following sentence is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Strict rules alone can remove the bad effects of alien species.

B. Plants, herbivores and carnivores are the three tiers of consumers.

C. If a bird becomes extinct, the relevant food chain will be disrupted.

D. Animals and plants become extinct because alien species are imported.

60. By mentioning the mice in Gough Island, the author intends to highlight ______.

A. mice worldwide are growing all the time

B. being aliens, they had no natural predators

C. some places are still fighting the effects of aliens

D. traveling can have disastrous effects on food chains

61. What is the best title of the passage?

A. Survival of the fittest.

B. Endangered animals and plants.

C. How to protect the natural environment.

D. The link between food chains and extinction.

C

Automation refers to the introduction of electronic control and automatic operation of productive machinery. It reduces the human factors, mental and physical, in production, and is designed to make possible the manufacture of more goods with fewer workers. The development of automation in American industry has been called the “Second Industrial Revolution”.

Labour’s concern over automation arises from uncertainty about the effects on employment, and fears of major changes in jobs. In the main, labour has taken the view that resistance to technical change is unfruitful. Eventually, the result of automation may well be an increase in employment, since it is expected that vast industries will grow up around manufacturing, maintaining, and repairing automation equipment. The interest of labour lies in bringing about the transition with a minimum of inconvenience and distress to the workers involved. Also, union spokesmen emphasize that the benefit of the increased production and lower costs made possible by automation should be shared by workers in the form of higher wages, more leisure, and improved living standards.

To protect the interests of their members in the era of automation, unions have adopted a number of new policies. One of these is the promotion of supplementary unemployment benefit plans. It is emphasized that since the employer involved in such a plan has a direct financial interest in preventing unemployment, he will have a strong drive for planning new installations so as to cause the least possible problems in jobs and job assignment. Some unions are working for dismissal pay agreements, requiring that permanently dismissed workers be paid a sum of money based on length of service. Another approach is the idea of the “improvement factor”, which calls for wage increases based on increases in productivity. It is possible, however, that labour will rely mainly on reduction in working time.

62. Though labour worries about the effect of automation, it does not doubt that ________.

A. automation will eventually prevent unemployment

B. automation will help workers acquire new skills

C. automation will eventually benefit the workers no less than the employers

D. automation is a trend which cannot be stopped

63. The idea of the “improvement factor” (Line 6, Para. 3) probably implies that ________.

A. wages should be paid on the basis of length of service

B. the benefit of increased production and lower costs should be shared by workers

C. supplementary unemployment benefit plans should be promoted

D. the transition to automation should be brought about with the minimum of inconvenience

and distress to workers

64. In order to get the full benefits of automation, labour will depend mostly on ________.

A. additional payment to the permanently dismissed workers

B. the increase of wages in proportion to the increase in productivity

C. shorter working hours and more leisure time

D. a strong drive for planning new installations

65. Which of the following can best sum up the passage?

A. Advantages and disadvantages of automation.  B. Labour and the effects of automation.

C. Unemployment benefit plans and automation.  D. Social benefits of automation.

D

What will higher education look like in 2050? That was the question addressed Tuesday night by Michael Crow, president of Arizona State University.

“We’re at the end of the fourth wave of change in higher education,” Crow began, arguing that research universities followed the initial establishment of higher education, public colleges, and land-grant schools in the timeline of America.

In less than a half-century, he said, global market competition will be at its fastest rates of change ever, with several multitrillion-dollar economies worldwide. According to a recent projection, the nation’s population could reach 435 million, with a large percentage of those residents economically disadvantaged. In addition, climate change will be “meaningfully uncontrollable” in many parts of the world.

The everyday trends seen today, such as declining performance of students at all levels, particularly in math and science, and declining wages and employment among the less educated, will only continue, Crow maintained, and are, to say the least, not contributing to fulfilling the dream of climbing the social ladder mobility, quality of life, sustainable environment, and longer life spans that most Americans share.

“How is it that we can have these great research universities and have negative-trending outcomes?” Crow said in a talk “I hold the universities accountable. … We are part of the problem.”

Among the “things that we do that make the things that we teach less learnable,” Crow said, are the strict separation of disciplines, academic rigidity, and conservatism, the desire of universities to imitate schools at the top of the social ranks, and the lack of the computer system ability that would allow a large number of students to be educated for a small amount of money.

Since 2002, when Crow started being in charge at Arizona State — which he calls the “new American university” — he has led more than three dozen initiatives that aim to make the school “inclusive, scalable, fast, adaptive, challenge-focused, and willing to take risks.”

Among those initiatives were a restructuring of the engineering and life sciences schools to create more linkages between disciplines; the launch of the School of Earth and Space Exploration and the School of Sustainability; the start of a Teachers College to address K-12 performance and increase the status of the Education Department at the university; and broadened access, increasing the freshman class size by 42 percent and the enrollment of students living below the poverty line by 500 percent.

Universities must start, Crow noted, “by becoming self-reflective architects, figuring out what we have and what we actually need instead of what legend tells us we have to be.” Research universities today have “run their course,” he added. “Now is the time for variety.”

During a discussion afterward, Crow clarified and expanded on some of his points. He discussed, for example, the school’s distance-learning program. “Nearly 40 percent of undergraduates are taking at least one course online,” he said, which helps the school to keep costs down while advancing interactive learning technologies.

He said that Arizona State is working to increase the transfer and completion rates of community-college students, of whom only about 15 percent, historically, complete their later degrees. “We’ve built a system that will allow them to track into universities,” particularly where “culturally complex barriers” beyond finances limit even the most gifted students.

66. The fourth wave of change in America’s higher education refers to _______.

A. public colleges    B. land-grant schools

C. research universities   D. initial higher education

67. Which is NOT part of the American dream most people share?

A. People enjoy a quality life.  B. People live longer and longer.

C. The freedom to move around. D. An environment that is sustainable.

68. Which is an initiative adopted by Crow at Arizona State University?

A. Restructuring the teachers College.

B. Launching the School of Life Sciences.

C. Ignoring the linkages between disciplines.

D. Enrolling more students from poor families.

69. Which one is similar to the underlined word “architect” in meaning?

A. The author of the guidebook is an architect by profession.

B. If you want to refurnish the house, consult the architect.

C. Deng Xiaoping is one of the architects of the PRC.

D. Tom is considered one of the best landscape architect here.

70. With the distance-learning program, Arizona State University is able to ______.

A. enroll 40% of its students online

B. keep costs down without a loss of quality

C. provide an even greater number of courses

D. attract the most gifted students all over the world

第四部分: 任务型阅读 (共 10 小题; 每小题 1 分, 满分 10 分)

请阅读下面短文,并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。

注意: 请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。每个空格只填一个单词。

The Hottest Apps

IF you’re one of those people who likes to take a look at their phone from time to time, you’re not alone. Using apps has now become part of everyday life. But with so many on the market that claim to be the best, which ones should you download onto your phone to have fun with? Below, four have been picked out for you.

Evernote

In the world of note taking, Evernote is the king. It allows users to create electronic files such as text, photos, audio, and videos. It also lets you organize your files, tag (标记) them, and search them easily.

One of the most useful features on the app, though, is being able to log onto any device with your Evernote account and use your files. The app automatically stores your content in the cloud storage, and syncs (同步) it with your other devices.

Another feature that is new in the latest version of the Evernote app is “Places”, which allows you to sort the files, photos, audio or video you have created by the location where you created them.

So if you need some organization in your life, Evernote is the app for you.

Candy Crush Soda Saga

The original Candy Crush Saga took the world by storm, leaving millions addicted to its endless candy-popping levels. But now there is a new challenge: Candy Crush Soda Saga. The app is similar to the original, but different enough to draw you in with a few new features. The app is still a match-3 game, which means that you have to move a piece of candy until there are three matching ones.

There are a few new features, though, such as soda bottles, which burst into purple liquid when you match three of them. There are also hidden gummy bears in this new version, and to complete the levels, you must clear the candies to reveal the hidden bear. These new features make the game a little harder than the old version, and you can expect to spend more time on each level.

So if you liked the original Candy Crush game, Candy Crush Soda Saga will be a new treat with much of the same fun as before.

Moment Cam

Moment Cam brings you some of the most useful and wanted features a camera app can have, such as adjusting the flash, sequence shots (连拍), adjusting the timer, and selecting different-sized frames for photo sharing sites. But what sets the app apart from all the others is the selection of simple, minimal buttons that you hardly notice are there.

The best thing about the app is not what it does, but what it leaves out. For once this app is not full of too many confusing and useless features. Instead, it is simple, clean, and easy to use.

If you love taking photos on your phone, Moment Cam might be just what you never knew you were looking for.

Lychee FM

You may have listened to a lot of radio programs. Do you now dream of making your own? With Lychee FM, you no longer need expensive hardware and complex software to do just that. You can record your shows and finish editing them within the app. Then you can upload your program to all the listeners on Lychee FM or share it through your social networks.

Apart from making your own programs, you can also listen to more than 15,000 stations through Lychee FM. One such popular show is called nühanzi, meaning “tough girls”. It discusses how women can handle just about everything. There are also shows on many other topics like sports, comedy, and music. The hosts include famous people such as music producer GaoXiaosong, and many other creative people.

The Hottest Apps

Reasons for ▲71     *Using apps has now become part of everyday life.

*With so many on the market ▲72     to be the best, it’s hard to decide which one should be downloaded.

▲73     of apps ▲74     and comments

Evernote *It allows users to create files such as text, photos, audio, and videos.

*It also enables your files to get ▲75     and tagged.

*Another new feature in the latest version is “Places”, which allows you to sort the content.

Candy Crush Soda Saga *There are hidden gummy bears in this new version.

*The old version is not ▲76     than the new one.

*The app is ▲77     to the original, but different enough to be a new treat with much of the same fun as before.

Moment Cam *The selection of simple, minimal buttons that you hardly notice is ▲78     the app differs from all the others.

*It is simple, clean and easy to use.

Lychee FM *With the app, you no longer need expensive hardware and complex software to make your own radio programs.

*▲79     making your own programs, you can also listen to more than 15,000 stations through the app.

*The shows ▲80     many topics like sports, comedy, and music. The hosts include many famous and creative people.

第二节  书面表达(满分25分)

阅读下面的短文，然后按照要求用英语写一篇150词左右的作文。

A young man was slapped in the face until he bled because he didn’t offer his seat to a woman with a baby on a bus in downtown Hangzhou.Later he was proved to be a disabled person.

In a series of cases nationwide, we see people being beaten for refusing to give up their seats on public transport, which seems to be a moral problem about correct behavior and self-sacrifice.

People without morals (who don’t give up their seats to deserving people) can be condemned, but they don’t deserve to be treated with violence because they offend moral values and not laws.In comparison, the attackers behave worse.

The attackers regard relying on violence as their only choice if people ignore their appeals to give up their seats.It seems they start a shout or a fight for the sake of justice, but can they still think of their personal intention when they call violent justice?

This “violent justice” can confuse many people and encourage them to do the same, especially when we are overpowered by illogical mood.

If cruel and rude acts are rooted in children’s hearts, society will never step into civilization.The practice violates common values, neither solving problems nor safeguarding civilized society.

1.以约30个词概括短文的要点。

2.以约120个词谈谈你对这一事件的看法,内容包括:

(1) 读完这则新闻,你有什么感受?

(2) 假如你是车上的一名乘客,你会怎样做?

(3) 就如何创建文明、和谐社会提出你的建议。

注意：

1.你可以使用实例或其他论述方法支持你的论点,也可以参照阅读材料的内容,但不要抄袭阅读材料中的句子。

2.作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。