surprising.
I had a conversation with a Chinese colleague over the reasoning behind our use of golden Cotswold stone, which sounds dull for most people. As a student of history, I found anything___49____fascinating. However it was not the stone within British cities I found interesting. What was curious was that it was something I had never even considered, and yet here was someone___50____on something I had simply taken for granted.
We continued our discussion, yet I was left___51___that I could not answer her question. In China, as well as a wealth of new culture that fascinated me, I discovered that there were parts of the UK’s culture, history, the very structure of my identity that were so different, so unique from China that I also___52____a newly found interest in my own heritage.
In this respect, travelling enables you with two things. Firstly you develop a(n) ___53___with new cultures, understanding customs, experiencing cuisines and absorbing the sights and smells of every new city. For many employers this___54___to new locations is seen as tremendous in your personal resume. But alongside increased employability, through international, cross-cultural conversations, you develop an interest in your own history, culture, and customs. You return to your home___55___ an understanding of other people’s fascination with it and your own sense of love for its peculiarities. 41. A. leisure B. wealth C. company D. personality 42. A. question B. refuse C. detect D. experience 43. A. balancing B. forcing C. judging D. disturbing 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55.
A. course B. stamp C. diploma D. ticket A. under-stuffed B. under-travelled C. under-used D. under-expanded A. official B. vacant C. complete D. accurate A. excitement B. hatred C. astonishment D. disgust A .young B. beautiful C. remote D. small A. historical B. dramatic C. religious D. perfect A. piled B. hooked C. relied D. carried A. exhausted B. embarrassed C. puzzled D. convinced A. exchanged B. lost C. gained D. traded A. observation B. resolution C. fascination D. illustration A. relation B. preference C. agreement D. adaptability A. objecting to B. filled with C. bothered by D. searching for
Section B
Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one
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that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have read.
(A)
The Christmas of 1988, my husband and I had four children. Peter was eleven, Leigh-Ann nine,
Laura six and Matthew only two. When Santa arrived, Matthew parked himself on Santa’s lap and
remained impressed greatly by him for the rest of the evening. Anyone who had their picture taken with Santa that Christmas also had their picture taken with little Matthew.
Little did any of us know how precious those photos with Santa and Matthew would become.
Five days after Christmas, our sweet little Matthew died in an accident. When our first Christmas without Matthew approached, it was hard for us to get into the holiday spirit.
Then, on December 13, we were just finishing dinner when we heard a knock on the front door. When we went to answer it, no one was there. On the front porch was a card and gift. The gift-giver just wanted to help us get through a rough time by cheering us up with his or her name unknown, like a fairy.
In the gift bag was a cassette of favorite Christmas music, which was in a little cardboard Christmas tree. We put the cassette in our player and, song by song, the spirit of Christmas began to warm our hearts, and the thoughtfulness of our “fairy，touched our hearts.
That was the beginning of a series of gifts from the clever giver, one for each day until Christmas. Each gift followed the theme of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” in a creative way. The kids especially liked “seven swans a-swimming,” which was a basket of swan-shaped soaps plus passes to the local swimming pool. “Eight maids a-milking” included eight bottles of chocolate milk in glass bottles with paper faces. Every day was something very special.
The ingenuity and thoughtfulness shocked us as we enjoyed each surprise. We were so caught up in the excitement and curiosity of what would possibly come next, that our grief didn’t have much of a chance to rob us of the spirit of Christmas. What our fairy did was absolutely miraculous.
We give thanks for our fairy who was, we finally realized, our very own Christmas angel. We never did find out who it was, although we have our guess. We actually prefer to keep it that way.
56. The photos taken with little Mathew became valued because A. Mathew is the youngest child of our family B. they are the photos taken on Christmas Eve C. Mathew seated himself on Santa’s legs
D. we lost Mathew five days after the Christmas of 1988
57. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? A. “Seven Swans a-swimming” was a soap with swans coined.
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B. We received 12 gifts before the very first Christmas without Mathew. C. We were still in no mood for preparing for Christmas with a cassette. D. It was Santa who secretly sent us the unexpected gifts.
58. The phrase “ingenuity” (paragraph 6) can be best replaced by “ ” A. delicacy B. responsibility C. originality D. attraction
59. Which of the following serves as the best title for the passage? A. Mathew’s Present. B. An Angel among Us. C. Christmas Day. D. Five Golden Rings.
(B)
A Language Programme for Teenagers
Welcome to Teenagers Abroad! We invite you to join us on an amazing journey of language learning. Our Courses
Regardless of your choice of course, you’ll develop your language ability both quickly and effectively. Our Standard Course guarantees a significant increase in your confidence in a foreign language, with focused teaching in all 4 skill areas — speaking, listening, reading and writing.
Our Intensive Course builds on our Standard Course, with 10 additional lessons per week, guaranteeing the fastest possible language learning (see table below). Course Days Number of Lessons Course Timetable Type Standard Course Intensive Course
Evaluation
Students are placed into classes according to their current language skills. The majority of them take an online language test before their programme. However, if this is not available, students sit the exam on the first Monday of their course.
Learning materials are provided to students throughout their course, and there will never be more than 15 participants in each class.
Arrivals and Transfer
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Mon-Fri Mon-Fri 20 lessons 20 lessons 10 lessons 9:00-12:30 9:00-12:30 13:00-14:30
Our programme offers the full package — students are taken good care of from the start through to the very end. They are collected from the airport upon arrival and brought to their accommodation in comfort. We require the student’s full flight details at least 4 weeks in advance.
Meals/Special Dietary Requirements
Students are provided with breakfast, dinner and either a cooked or packed lunch (which consists of a sandwich, a drink and a dessert). Snacks outside of mealtimes may be purchased by the student individually.
We ask that you let us know of any dietary requirements as well as information about any medicines you take. Depending on the type of dietary requirements, an extra charge may be made for providing special food.
60. When can a student attend Standard Course? A.13:00-14:30 Monday. B. 13:00-14:30 Friday. C.9:00-12:30 Tuesday. D. 9:00-12:30 Saturday.
61. With the full package, the programme organizer is supposed to . A. inform students of their full flight detail
B. look after students throughout the programme C. offer students free medical care D. collect students，luggage in advance
62. Which of the following may require an extra payment? A. Cooked dinner B. Mealtime dessert. C. Packed lunch D. Special diet.
(C)
I plan to remember this year’s vacation season with just two words: NEVER AGAIN. Never
again, that is, will I take all my technology along. The Internet has ruined summer vacations.
Instead of reading dog-eared summerhouse mystery novels, this year we browsed the Internet.
Instead of long evenings of crossword puzzles or board games, we checked our Twitter feeds and updated our Facebook pages. And that, of course, is the problem with the Internet: It，s so easy that, unless you’re equipped with massive self-control, you use it if it’s there.
For several years, I kept my Internet addiction under control by using inconvenient technology: a
laptop which is old and not in good condition and a slow dial-up connection. But this year, the combination of a new iPad and very good Wi-Fi turned out to be fatal. The magical iPad signaled silently from the picnic table: What harm could it be to give the e-mail a quick check? But once that attractive touch screen lights up, who can resist?
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I’m not the first to get lost across this problem, of course. I，m a late adopter. As early as 2008, Nicholas Carr, author of The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, was warning that broadband Internet was reducing our attention spans and making us stupid. The Web, he said, encourages us to get stuck into our “natural state of distractedness.” Even before that, in 2000，Harvard’s Robert Putnam warned that television 一 and, more broadly, staring into any kind of screen — had reduced the amount of time families spent in social interactions. And last year, researchers at UC-Irvine reported that employees who were unplugged from their e-mail got more work done 一 and experienced far less stress.
Access to the Web is unquestionably a wonderful thing. I love having a bottomless library at my fingertips; I love having the world’s newspapers on my electronic doorstep. I love being able to pay bills and make airplane reservations online. And, thanks to those ugly cell phone towers in the woods, we now have a way to call for help if we need an ambulance or a fire truck. It’s also nice to have an app that identifies the constellations (星座）when you hold the iPad up to the night sky. But then, you have to remember to put the screen down and simply drink in the stars — the original, uncut version.
And that’s the point: It’s important not to let the convenience of the Internet get in the way of simpler beauties. It，s our fault instead of the Internet, for failing to control the urge to browse. My problem is learning how to limit the time I spend on it. So now I have one more thing to look forward to next summer: More time reading old novels; more time playing crossword puzzles and chasing frogs. Next year, I promise to unplug. Except, of course, when we need to find a new bike trail, or Google a recipe for wild blueberry pie.
63. Throughout the passage, what evidence does the author provide to support the claims he makes in paragraph 2?
A. Scientific studies and statistics about Internet use.
B. Historical facts regarding the effects of television and the Internet. C. Personal accounts and opinions of those who have studied the Internet. D. Results of opinion polls about Internet use.
64. According to the passage, how does the writer keep himself from getting addicted to the Internet? A. By using outdated laptops with poor Internet access. B. By only giving the e-mail a quick look.
C. By keeping the electronic devices out of reach.
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