LAST-MINUTE BOOKINGS
If you wish to make a last-minute booking, please telephone the Holiday Booking Office to check availability. If your reservation is made within 10 weeks of the holiday start date, full payment is due when booking. ELECTRICITY
In most Wessex Cottages electricity must be paid for in addition to the holiday price. In some cottages, electricity is included in the rental and in very few there is no electricity at all. 21. What should you know about your booking? A. The reservation can be made on weekends. B. You need to fill a form before booking.
C. A deposit of one third of the cottage rental is needed. D. The reservation of a cottage will be kept for 7 hours.
22. When does the Holiday Booking Office open on Saturdays in December? A. At 9:30 a.m. B. At 9:00 a.m. C. At 4:30 p.m. B. At 5:00 p.m.
23. Which is TRUE about electricity according to the passage? A. There is no electricity in many cottages.
B. Electricity price is more expensive than the holiday price. C. Electricity is included in the rental in most cottages. D. You don’t need to pay for it additionally in some cottages. 24. What do we know about last-minute booking? A. Full payment is unnecessary when booking. B. Cottages may be unavailable. C. The cost is lower than before. D. Additional charges may be made.
B
Scientists in Helsinki have discovered that learning foreign languages improves our brain’s elasticity(弹性). The more foreign languages we learn, the more effectively our brain reacts and processes(处理) the data increased in the course of learning.
Researchers carried out an experiment where the brain’s activity was measured with EEG(脑电图). Twenty-two students in total joined in the experiment, with the average age being 24. The subjects had electrodes(电极) placed on their heads and then listened to recordings of different words in their native language, and in foreign languages as well, both known and completely unknown by the subjects. When the
known or unknown words appeared, changes in the brain’s activity were tracked. Researchers especially focused on the speed at which the brain readjusted its activity to treat unknown words. Afterwards, the data was compared to the subjects’ linguistic background: how many languages they knew, at which age they started to learn them, and so on.
The experiment has shown that the brain activity of those participants, who had already known some foreign languages, was higher. The author of the study, Yuriy Shtyrov commented that the more languages someone mastered, the faster the brain dealt with the new words. This shows that loading the mind with more knowledge improves its elasticity.
Scientists believe that understanding how the brain functions in acquiring languages is of great importance in helping people struggling with speaking languages after accidents, strokes(中风), and other related conditions, and finding ways to treat them. Moreover, when we achieve better insight into the principles of creating and strengthening brain networks, we will be able to use these mechanisms(机制), speed them up and improve the learning process. 25. What can we conclude from the passage?
A. The more languages you learn, the more effectively you react to different situations. B. If you learn several languages, you are bound to have a creative imagination. C. People speaking several languages are better at dealing with information. D. Researches suggest that learning languages can treat serious diseases. 26. How does the author develop the second paragraph? A. By describing a process. B. By making comparisons. C. By giving examples.
D. By following the time order.
27. The research finding is significant in______. A. raising people’s awareness of spreading cultures. B. encouraging the development of languages. C. changing the focus of education. D. helping solve some health issues.
C
In May, 2010, Christine Jones saw an ad for a customer service job at a call center in Mobile, Alabama. A company, which handles calls for insurance companies(保险公司), needed people with professional phone skills. Jones filled out an online application and was asked for an interview.
A few days later, she arrived at the company in a blue business suit and waited with other applicants
for the interview. Jones was among several candidates offered a position that very day by the company’s human resource manager Wilson. All that remained was for Jones to fill out some paperwork and take a drug test, which was scheduled for a future date. When Jones realized she was not available that day, she privately told Wilson about the conflict, and Wilson replied that she could reschedule her test for another day. But right before Jones turned to leave the office, Wilson raised a strange question: Did Jones have dreadlocks(骇人的长辫)? Jones, who is a black, was wearing a dread--very short ones. Wilson, who is white, explained the company couldn’t employ Jones “with the dreadlocks”, since they “tend to get messy, although I’m not saying yours are, but you know what I’m talking about”. Although Jones would never communicate with callers face to face, the company had “a policy”, which stated that “hairstyles should show a business image”, and that “excessive(过分的) styles and unusual colors” weren’t allowed. Wilson asked Jones to choose whether to get rid of the dread or leave the job. Jones walked out, jobless.
In September, 2013, the Equal Employment Opportunity(EEOC) accused the company on behalf of Jones in the District Court. It argued that the company’s policy broke the state’s law by discriminating(歧视) against a black job applicant because of her hairstyle, which is “a manner of wearing a hair that is physiologically(生理上地) and culturally associated with people of African origin.”
But the company claimed that the issue wasn’t Jones’ race. It was simply about a hairstyle, which Jones, or any applicant, black or white, with dreads, could have changed if she wanted to land the job. 28. What can we know according to the first two paragraphs? A. The job Jones applied for mainly dealt with insurance. B. Jones didn’t prepare well for the job interview. C. Wilson was in charge of the insurance company.
D. Jones rescheduled her test because she wasn’t free on that day. 29. What does the underlined word “messy” in Para.3 mean? A. dirty B. straight C. loose. D. attractive. 30. The passage shows that ______.
A. Wilson was accused of discriminating against a black applicant.
B. Jones’ hairstyle suggested her African origin in physiology and culture. C. Jones had no choice but to leave the company.
D. Jones went jobless because of her excessive hair color. 31. What is the best title of the passage?
A. A case of discrimination. B. Dreadlocks, a dread? C. A black with dreadlocks. D. An argument on dreadlocks.
D
When you’re tired, getting behind the wheel can be nearly as dangerous as driving drunk. And yet everyday, sleepy Americans hit the roadways--sometimes with deadly consequences.
To shine a spotlight on the danger of sleepy driving, Toyota, Uber and The Huffington Post are teaming up to provide discounted Uber rides to college students across the country this month.
Starting Friday, The Huffington Post’s co-founder and editor-in-chief, Arianna Huffington, will be touring college campuses(校园) to educate students on the importance of sleep and promote her newest book, The Sleep Revolution. At each college Huffington visits, students will receive a $ 15 discount on one Uber ride to or from campus, provided by Toyota.
Everyone gets tired, and far too often drivers are putting themselves and others at risk by getting behind the wheel without enough sleep. College students have become known for brushing off sleep and for wearing their sleeplessness as a badge(徽章) of honor. Indeed, a full 70 percent of them aren’t getting enough sleep, according to a study published in the journal Nature and Science of Sleep.
In the long run, the lack of sleep can seriously harm the brain and body. In the near term, sleep loss affects the brain in much the same way alcohol does, research has found. Staying awake for 19 hours can have the same effect as knocking back a couple of drinks, and pulling an all-nighter is equal to having a blood alcohol level of 0.1 percent.
It should come as little surprise, then, that car crashes related to sleepy driving result in 8,000 deaths every year--almost as many deaths as are caused by drunk driving. And yet, despite the danger, over 80 percent of American adults say they’ve driven while sleepy within the past year.
Toyota, Uber and The Huffington Post hope that by taking advantage of discounted Uber rides, college students will wake up to the danger of sleepy driving and the importance of a good night’s sleep. 32. Discounted Uber rides are offered to college students by the following EXCEPT________.
A. Toyota B. Uber C. The Sleep Revolution D. The Huffington Post 33. What does the text tell us about college students?
A. They enjoy taking discounted Uber rides. B. They’re concerned about sleepy driving. C. They are fond of wearing badges. D. They take pride in sleeping less.
34. Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
A. Students can get a 15% discount on one Uber ride. B. Sleepy driving is very common in the United States.
C. Getting behind the wheel can be nearly as dangerous as driving drunk.
D. The lack of sleep can greatly harm the brain and body in the near term. 35. What’s the purpose of this text? A. To advertise The Sleep Revolution. B. To show the danger of sleep loss. C. To prevent students driving while sleepy.
D. To encourage sleepy students to go to school.
第二节 （共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分）
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
How do very busy, successful people spend their down time?
The following is the answer by Evan Asano, founder and CEO of Mediakix, a leading influencer marketing company.
Work is similar to training for a sport. To maximize your performance, you need periods of rest and recovery. 36 . I perform my best with about 45-55 hours of work per week. More than that, I tend to see a big drop in performance, productivity and creativity.
For time off, I look to do the activities that will most refresh me. Here are some of them. 1. 37 . Turn off your devices and even better go to a place where you cannot check your phone. Checking your phone and reading information on social sites have become a nervous habit. You spend enough time doing all these during the week.
2. Be unproductive. You have all week to be productive. 38 . If you have tasks to do, do them all on a single day, so you have one day to do nothing but the activities you most enjoy. Don’t feel rushed; don’t feel like you have to get a lot done or overplan your day.
3. Exercise(preferably outside). 39 . Find an activity you love and friends to do it with. Go out and do it.
4. Experience new things. 40 . There new experiences refresh us. Travel, new hobbies, hikes, sports, music, and other activities can tap into the youthful, curious part of your brain and make you feel young and strong again. A. Minimize screen time.
B. Do everyday things differently.
C. There are countless benefits of exercise. D. Spend your time off doing as little as possible. E. Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.
F. Otherwise, there’s no way you can perform at your highest level.