Part I Cloze Test (20 points, 1 point each)
Directions: In this part, you are required to read the given passages carefully, and then fill in each blank with an appropriate word given in the table. Each word is allowed to be used only once. You should not change the form of the word but you can capitalize the initial letter if the word is used at the beginning of the sentence. Write your choices on Answer Sheet.
Passage One
| what | if | who | why | when |
| this | that | also | which | while |
Why does cream go bad faster than butter? Some researchers think they have the answer, and it comes down to the structure of the food, not its chemical composition---a finding 1 could help rid some processed foods of chemical preservatives.
Cream and butter contain pretty much the same substances, so 2 cream should sour much faster has been a mystery. Both are emulsions---tiny globules (小球体) of one liquid evenly distributed throughout another. The difference lies in 3 is in the globules and what’s in the surrounding liquid, says Brocklehurst, 4 led the investigation.
In cream, fatty globules drift about in a sea of water. In butter, globules of a watery solution are locked away in a sea of fat. The bacteria 5 make the food go bad prefer to live in the watery regions of the mixture. “ 6 means that in cream, the bacteria are free to grow throughout the mixture,” he says.
7 the situation is reversed, the bacteria are locked away in compartments (隔仓室) buried deep in the sea of fat. trapped in this way, individual colonies cannot spread and rapidly run out of nutrients(养料). They 8 slowly poison themselves with their waste products. “In butter, you get a self-limiting system which stops the bacteria growing,” says Brocklehurst.
The researchers are already working with food companies keen to see 9 their products can be made resistant to bacterial attack through alterations to the food’s structure. Brocklehurst believes it will be possible to make the emulsions used in salad cream, for instance, more like that in butter. The key will be to do this 10 keeping the salad cream liquid and not turning it into a solid lump.
Passage Two
| confidence | involved | insight | increasingly | asset |
| domestic | variety | accompany | qualifications | benefit |
New technology links the world as never before. Our planet has shrunk. It’s now a “global village” where countries are only seconds away by fax or phone or satellite link. And, of course, our ability to 11 from this high-tech communications equipment is greatly enhanced by foreign language skills.
Deeply 12 in this new technology is a breed of modern businesspeople who have a growing respect for the economic value of doing business abroad. In modern markets, success overseas often helps support 13 business efforts.
Overseas assignments are becoming 14 important to advancement within executive ranks. The executive stationed in another country no longer need fear being “out of sight and out of mind”. He or she can be sure that the overseas effort is central to the company’s plan for success, and that promotions often follow or 15 an assignment abroad. If an employee can succeed in a difficult assignment overseas, superiors will have greater 16 in his or her ability to cope back in the United States where cross-cultural considerations and foreign languages issues are becoming more and more prevalent（普遍的）.
Thanks to a 17 of relatively inexpensive communications devices with business applications, even small businesses in the United States are able to get into international markets.
English is still the international language of business. But there is an ever-growing need for people who can speak another language. A second language isn’t generally required to get a job in business, but having language skills gives a candidate the edge when other 18 appear to be equal.
The employee posted abroad who speaks the country’s principal language has an opportunity to fast-forward certain negotiations, and can have the cultural 19 to know when it is better to move more slowly. The employee at the home office who can communicate well with foreign clients over the telephone or by fax machine is an obvious 20 to the firm.
Part II Reading Comprehension (30 points)
Section A (10 points, 1 point each)
Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Mark your choice by writing the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet.
The Obesity Epidemic in Community Colleges
A) Life expectancy in the United States steadily increased throughout the 20th century. However, for the first time in over a century, the rise in the epidemic of obesity with its associated effect on health has seen the first decrease in life expectancy. The associated effects --- primarily the increase in diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer --- have meant that obesity is now second only to smoking as the major causes of premature death. This amounts to an estimated 325,000 deaths directly caused by obesity each year.
B) In addition to being responsible, or at least partially responsible for reducing life expectancy, obesity is also responsible for the lowering of the quality of life for those who are overweight. Health-wise, this can come in the form of psychiatric conditions---like depression and anxiety disorders---that often stem from the humiliation and discrimination shown towards obese individuals in social situations or when they apply for employment. Studies also show a definite link between obesity and poor academic outcomes in children and adolescence.
C) Obesity can have a profound impact on the financial situation of not only the overweight individual, but on employers and health care providers. This financial effect ultimately flows through to the whole of society. A person who is of average weight can expect to earn an income that is significantly more than an overweight counterpart. In addition, the obese will pay an average of $1, 400 per year more for obesity-linked health care and treatments. The combination of reduced income and increased expenses pushes the obese further down the net-income ladder and further into the trap of poverty. Employers of obese people will pay in the form of reduced productivity, increased absenteeism (旷工) and higher priced disability insurance. Employers who have experienced these extra expenses will often be unwilling to employ additional obese employees, therefore, making the obese even less likely to gain employment.
D) In less than a generation, obesity rates of adults in the United States have more than doubled from 15% to 34%. However, during the same period, it has more than tripled（增值三倍）from 5% to 17% among children and adolescence. In 2008, a survey conducted in three New York City universities found that 23% of students were overweight, with 14% classified as obese. There was a noticeably higher proportion of obesity among African-American men and among students in their final year of study.
E) These figures somewhat confirm the traditional view of the so-called freshman fifteen. The freshman 15 is the perceived 15 pounds of weight gain experienced by students in their first year of university. However, a 2003 study found that it is actually closer to a five-pound weight gain. This increase in weight is usually caused by an increase of stress, alcohol, and junk food. Students often overindulge（溺爱，放纵）when they first experience the perceived freedom of university and the dorm. This level of weight gain continues throughout university if the student's lifestyle remains the same, often resulting in obesity by the end of a four-year course.
F) When comparing 4-year colleges (universities) with 2-year colleges (community colleges), a higher proportion of African-American and Hispanic women were found to be obese in community colleges. When those surveyed were questioned about their lifestyle choices, it became apparent that female students at community colleges were more likely to have lower levels of physical activity combined with greater consumption of unhealthy foods. However, the figures for obese and overweight men were almost identical in both universities and community college.
G) There are approximately 4, 500 colleges in the USA. About 2, 800 of these are four-year colleges and 1,700 are two-year colleges. Over 40% of college undergraduates attend community colleges ---amounting to about seven million students. Generally, these students tend to work full-time while attending college part-time. They are also far more likely to be African-American or Hispanic as well as older, poorer and female---all segments（部分）of society that are prone to obesity.
H) When combined with the rising epidemic in childhood and adolescent obesity, community colleges seem to be facing a serious problem. Researchers believe that the problem will only get worse without both short-term and long-term action. Moreover, many experts and government officials have pointed out that by focusing on reducing obesity in community colleges, the results have the potential to have a significant impact on the whole of society. However, in order to implement an effective obesity prevention programme, the first thing that community colleges need to do is to accept that there is a problem, and acknowledge the complexity of the problem. The administrators at community colleges must also realize that there is no quick fix or simple solution.
I) A wide range of behavioral and environmental factors influence dietary intake（摄入）and physical exercise. Habits, emotions, attitudes and beliefs differ across all cultures. The reality of a student's economic circumstances will often impose significant barriers that stop them from accessing nutritious food or undertaking any form of physical exercise. In addition, a student also lives and functions in a variety of environmental locations. Their family, fellow students, friends, school, teachers and neighbours all influence their behaviour to varying degrees. There is also the issue of implementing programmes sensitively. It is essential that a programme shouldn't further add to the stigma（污名；烙印）and discrimination associated with obesity.
J) Community colleges already provide courses that teach nurses, dieticians and mental health professionals. They usually provide well-equipped college health centres for students and staff. They are therefore in a prime position to establish education programmes that can have far-reaching consequences in health care facilities throughout the nation. This would require relatively small changes to the current curriculums of these subjects. The college heath centres also offer a method of providing educational resources that enable students who may be at risk to prevent obesity. They can also provide assistance and treatment for patients that are already obese and overweight College health centres have played a major role in educating the community about HIV/AIDS, and reducing tobacco, alcohol and illegal drug use in recent years. So, there is no reason why the same facilities can't be just as successful in reducing the obesity epidemic in the United States.
1. Obesity causes psychiatric conditions like depression and anxiety disorders.
2. Obesity affects the financial situation of the overweight individual, employers and health care providers.
3. Experts suggest that reducing obesity in community colleges will have a significant impact on the whole.
4. About seven million students attend community colleges.
5. People lived longer and longer in the 20th century.
6. Obesity rates doubled in adults and tripled in children and adolescents.
7. First year students often gain about 15 pounds of weight.
8. A student's economic circumstances can stop them from eating nutritious food or doing physical exercise.
9. Community colleges provide health centres for students and staff.
10. There is no quick and simple way to reduce obesity.
Section B (20 points, 2 points each)
Directions: There are two passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and write down the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet.
Passage One
Questions 11 to 15 are based on the following passage.
Today’s children are exhausted, and not just because one in three kids is not getting sufficient sleep. Sleep deprivation(缺乏，不足) in kids has been found to significantly decrease academic achievement, lower intelligence test scores, slower physical growth, heighten moodiness and so on. While the argument for protecting our children’s sleep time is compelling, there is another kind of rest that is equally beneficial to our children’s academic, emotional, and creative lives: daydreaming. Daydreaming, which looks lazy from the outside, may just be the hidden wellspring(源泉) of creativity and learning.
Not all mental downtime (停工休息期) is alike, of course. Downtime spent playing a videogame or watching a television show may have its charms, but the kind of downtime I am talking about is different. I’m talking about the kind of mind-wandering that happens when the brain is free of interruption and allowed to get rid of the worries of the day. Television, videogames, and other distractions prevent this kind of mental wandering because they interrupt the flow of thoughts and memories that strengthen the foundation of positive, productive daydreaming.
In “Ode to Positive Constructive Daydreaming” --- an article Scott Barry Kaufman co-wrote with Rebecca McMillan--- reads:
For the individual, mind wandering offers the possibility of real, personal reward, some immediate, some more distant. These rewards include self-awareness, goal-driven thought, future planning, simulating the perspective of another person, evaluating the implications of self and others’ emotional reactions, moral reasoning, etc.
In other words, daydreaming only appears lazy from the outside, but viewed from the inside or from the perspective of a psychologist, such as Kaufman --- a complicated and extremely productive neurological process is taking place. Viewed from the inside, our children are exploring the only space where they truly have autonomy（自治权）: their own minds.
11. Kids’ ________ will be reduced if they do not have enough sleep.
A) interaction with others B) academic performance
C) attention span D) children’s daydreaming
12. What can we know about mental downtime according to the passage?
A) All things done in downtime are somewhat similar.
B) It happens when the brain can resist interruption.
C) It enables people to relieve them of their daily worries.
D) Many things can be efficiently done in downtime.
13. What can strengthen the foundation of the positive, productive daydreaming?
A) Playing videogames and watching TV.
B) Neurological consciousness process.
C) Meaningful mental downtime.
D) The flow of thoughts and memories.
14. What is “daydreaming” from the perspective of a psychologist?
A) It is a state in which the brain is free of worries.
B) It is a kind of mental rest not as important as sleep.
C) It is a complex and fruitful neurological process.
D) It is a state of being idle with nothing to do.
15. What’s the main idea of the passage?
A) Daydreaming may be beneficial to kids.
B) People who like daydreaming are lazy.
C) Children should explore their own minds.
D) Children’s inner world deserves more respect.
Passage Two
Questions 16 to 20 are based on the following passage.
Kim Parker of the Pew Research website starts her article “Boomerang Generation” with a spot-on quote: “If there’s supposed to be a stigma (耻辱) attached to living with mom and dad through one’s late twenties or early thirties, today’s boomerang generation（回巢族）didn’t get that memo.”
Parker is referring to the growing trend among recent college graduates to return to the family home instead of striking out on their own. As many as 36% of American students and graduates between the ages of 18 and 31 still live in the family home. Though many see this as a way to dodge（躲避）responsibility and avoid growing up, moving back in with mom and dad makes good financial sense.
Recent job markets have not been kind to young people. The unemployment rate is around 15% for the 18 to 31 age group. American students are also leaving school with staggering debt: over 20,000 dollars on average. And while a degree used to be a guarantee for work for previous generations, now it’s just the price of entry into the job market. Add a high cost of living to student loans, and recent graduates would just be running around in circles.
Living at home gives young people an opportunity to start paying off their debt. It also gives young people the ability to search out a better job, instead of just taking the first decent-paying position that comes along. Additionally, part of the reason behind fewer positions for young people is that people put off retirement. There’s a decent chance that a twenty-something’s parents are still working, most likely with a higher salary than the young person could expect. About 60% of young people still receive financial support from parents anyway.
So young people in the United States are going back to cut costs and contribute to the family. There is certainly a long history of this elsewhere. In many cultures---places as different as Italy and China--- adult children continue to live at home until they are financially stable enough to leave. Putting off one’s freedom and independence may not be ideal, but it is better than being saddled with debt for the rest of one’s life. A few more years with mom and dad are well worth the financial freedom.
16. What is this passage mainly about?
A) The rising cost of a university education.
B) The ageing population’s health-care options.
C) The trend of young people living at home.
D) The effects of the recent recession on the poor.
17. What does Kim Parker mean by her quote?
A) Young people have never found it easy to strike out on their own.
B) This generation doesn’t care about the stigma about living at home.
C) Fewer good jobs mean that more young people are going to school.
D) Student loans are affecting people until well into their thirties.
18. What is different about having a degree now compared to earlier generations?
A) It is no longer a guarantee to get work.
B) It is not as expensive as it once was.
C) It does not take as long to complete.
D) It is not as easy to get into a university.
19. What reason is given to support parents continuing to support adult children?
A) They are more likely to make investments.
B) They are happier than the next generation.
C) They are likely to be in better health.
D) They are working with a higher salary.
20. What do Italy and China have in common?
A) Their economies are very much alike.
B) Their young people stay at home longer.
C) They have similar education systems.
D) They are both experiencing growth.
Part III translation (30 points)
Section A (15 points, 3 points each)
Directions: In this part you are required to translate the given sentences into Chinese and you should write your translation on Answer Sheet.
1. As you learn to balance spending and saving, you will become the captain of your own ship, steering your life in a successful and productive direction through the choppy waters.
2. In addition to its application in people’s daily life, minimalism also finds application in many creative disciplines, including art, architecture, design, dance, film making, theater, music, fashion, photography and literature.
3. The secret of success is based upon a burning inward desire that fuels the determination to act, to keep preparing, to keep going even when we are tired and fail.
4. While conflict resolution and peacekeeping continue to be among its primary efforts, the UN, along with its specialized agencies, is also engaged in a wide range of activities to improve people’s lives around the world – from disaster relief, through education of women, to peaceful uses of atomic energy.
5. The admission of China to the WTO was an enormous multilateral achievement which marked a clear commitment toward multilateralism from the Chinese perspective.
Section B (15 points, 3 points each)
Directions: In this part you are required to translate the given sentences into English and you should write your translation on Answer Sheet.
1. 毫无疑问，上大学能让年轻人接触新思想，建立新关系，且有助于提高他们的批判性思维能力。
2. 人文学科帮助造就全面发展的人，这些人具有洞察力，并理解全人类共有的激情、希望和理想。
3. 与自由相伴而来的是照顾自己的责任，因为选择的自由承载了责任，即必须接受自己的选择所带来的后果。
4. 环境保护和生态文明建设为中国经济、社会的可持续发展提供了坚实的基础。
5. 你们的自我发现之旅和对爱好的追求带给你们的将不仅仅是个人的进步。
Part IV Writing (20 points)
Directions: In this part you are required to write a composition of no less than 160 words on the basis of the following information. Write your composition on Answer Sheet.
According to an official document on digital reading in 2019, which was released on April 23, about 470 million Chinese read on average nearly 15 digital books each last year. The development of digital technology has greatly changed the way we read books. Which do you prefer, print or digital books?
