to be people we have never met from around the world. Suddenly, we spend all of our time __42__ other people. And we also invite them to watch us! People __43__ themselves to get attention and to feel like they are part of a community. In peep culture, ordinary people are turned into celebrities. This has never happened before, turning the spotlight on __44__regular people. There aren’t secrets anymore. The notion of private life has changed. As society has become __45__ fast-paced, most of us are really unaware of these changes in our lives. We are moving into a time when our __46__ personality is going to be more important than our actual physical __47__. What we have online is going to be more important than what we do offline. We are now socially judged by our virtual profiles. In the age of “ peep culture, ” a tell-all, show-all, know-all digital phenomenon is __48__ changing notions of privacy, individuality, security, and even humanity. Susan Boyle became a(n) __49__ celebrity because of peep culture. The entire world was staring at her after her __50__ from a resident of a small Scottish town to a global celebrity. We like the story because she’s like a movie,but she’s real.
III. Reading Comprehension Section A
Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.
New research offers fresh insight on when to launch a product or service, and shows that being first to market isn’t always a competitive advantage.
In 2004, David Cohen had an idea for a social network for mobile phones that would connect users in the real world. His company, called iContact, launched a beta version ( 测试版 ), and seemed ready to tap the muchpublicized mobile software market. Cohen, then 36, had already founded a successful software company. __51__, after 18 months, he was unable to get phone carriersto distribute his software, and he closed the company.
Bets on mobile applications didn’t begin to __52__ until Apple’s iPhone app storeopened the market in 2008.
Conventional __53__ says being first to market creates a competitive advantage. Reality is more complicated. Market opportunities are __54__ opening and closing, and a hit idea at one point could be a failure a year earlier
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or a yawning “ me too ” business a year later. It’s tough---likely __55__ ---to identify the best moment to enter a market, but common sense dictates new entrepreneurs ( 创业人 ) can improve their odds ( 机会 ) if they __56__ how much they bearto gain or lose by waiting.
New academic research suggests one way entrepreneurs can __57__whether they should enter a market first or wait on the sidelines. The decision depends on how hostile ( 不利的 ) the learning environment is; __58__, how much entrepreneurs can learn by observing other players before they __59__, compared to what they learn from participating after they enter, according to Moren Levesque, an entrepreneurship researcher at the University of Waterloo. Levesque, along with professors Maria Minniti of Southern Methodist University and Dean Shepherd of Indiana University, used a mathematical __60__ to weigh the risks and benefits of entering the market early. Their research is among the first to explore “ how different learning environments may influence the entry behavior of entrepreneurs.”
The key tothe academics’ findings on timing is this: In a hostile learning environment, entrepreneurs gain relatively __61__ benefit by watching others. For example, if the relevant knowledge is __62__intellectual property, studying the market before entering wouldn’t yield much advantage. In these situations, the trade-off ( 权衡利弊 ) __63__ entering early. But in less hostile learning environments, where entrepreneurs gain valuable information __64__to increase their success just by watching other companies, companies benefit from waiting and learning lessons from earlier players. IContact’s successors, for example, may have learned from watching the company’s trouble in getting mobile networks to distribute their software, a barrier that was __65__ by the iPhone’s app store.
51. A. Otherwise B. Moreover C.However D. Therefore 52. A. pay in B. pay back C. pay for D. pay off 53. A. custom B. wisdom C. habit D. experience 54. A. completely B. confusingly C. constantly D. increasingly 55. A. impossible B. possible C. potential D. manageable 56. A. imagine B. interpret C. weigh D. measure 57. A. value B. evaluate C. ensure D. convince 58. A. after all B. as a result C.in other words D.in addition 59. A. launch B. campaign C. strike D. function 60. A. version B. pattern C. example D. model 61. A. few B. many C. little D. much
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62. 63. 64. 65.
A. provided A. favors A. unlikely A. lowered B. protected B. dislikes B. likely B. created C. shared C. opposes C. unbelievable C. resolved D. improved D. concerns D. questionable D. removed
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 that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read.
( A )
Some plants get so hungry that they eat flies, spiders, and even small frogs. What’s more amazing is that these plants occur naturally (in special environments) in every state. In fact, they’re found on every continent except Antarctica.
You’ve probably seen a Venus’ flytrap. It’s often sold in museum gift stores, department stores, and even supermarkets. A small plant, it grows 6 to 8 inches tall in a container. At the end of its stalks (茎) are specially modified leaves that act like traps. Inside each trap is a lining of tiny trigger (触发) hairs. When an insect lands on them, the trap suddenly shuts. Over the course of a week or so, the plant feeds on its catch.
The Venus’ flytrap is just one of more than 500 species of meat-eating plants, says Barry Meyers-Rice, the editor of the International Carnivorous ( 食肉的 ) Plant Society’s Newsletter. Note: Despite any science-fiction stories you might have read, no meat-eating plant does any danger to humans.
Dr. Meyers-Rice says a plant is meat-eating, only if it does all four of the following: “attract, kill, digest, and absorb”some form of insects, including flies, butterflies, and moths. Meat-eating plants look and act like other green plants---well, most of the time.
All green plants make sugar through a process called photosynthesis (光合作用). Plants use the sugar to make food. What makes “meat-eating” plants different is their bug-catching leaves. They need insects for one reason: nitrogen (氮). Nitrogen is a nutrient that they can’t obtain any other way. While almost all green plants on our planet get nitrogen from the soil,“ meat-eating” plants can’t. They live in places where nutrients are hard or almost impossible to get from the soil because of its acidity. So they’ve come to rely on getting nitrogen from insects and small animals. In fact, nutrient-rich soil is poisonous to
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“meat-eating” plants. Never fertilize them! But don’t worry, either, if they never seem to catch any insects. They can survive, but they’ll grow very slowly.
66. According to the passage, carnivorous plants ___________. A. only grow in wild field B. are rare to see
C. are as common as flies D. cannot grow on Antarctica 67. Venus’ flytrap preys on insects by ___________.
A. its numerous long and thin stalks B. a container where it grows C. its insect-catching leaves D. the lining of tiny trigger hairs 68. We can conclude from the third paragraph that ___________. A. carnivorous plants are dangerous
B. carnivorous plants are fictional
C. carnivorous plants occasionally eat books
D. carnivorous plants are harmless to humans
69. In the eyes of the author, which of the following statements is TRUE? A. Carnivorous plants cannot grow in acid soil.
B. Carnivorous plants can grow in nutrient-poor soil.
C. Carnivorous plants will die if they cannot catch any insects. D. Carnivorous plants can get nitrogen from nutrient-rich soil
( B )
“ Asia’s Challenge 2020 ” Essay Prize
DESCRIPTION
What is the most important challenge facing Asia over the next decade? Why? What should be done about it?
The best answer in 3,000 words or less will win a prize of $2,500. Two runners-up will be awarded prizes of $1,000 each. These three prize winners will be invited to Singapore for an expenses-paid awards ceremony. The winning articles will be posted on Time. com. PURPOSE
The main purpose of the essay prize is to generate fresh ideas for tackling key challenges to Asia’s continued competitiveness and development, as well as encourage young professionals to make an impact on public policy and business in Asia.
SELECTION CRITERIA
The essay will be judged according to creativity, innovation, rigor of research and writing, as well as achievability of idea. It can be focused on one or more areas relevant to Asia, such as macro-economics, business, international relations,
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trade and investment, education, healthcare, urban development, science and technology, and energy and the environment. The essay must be written in English. It should not have been previously published in English in a publication with broad international circulation. CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS
The candidate authoring the essay must be under 32 years of age as of December 31, 2010. The candidate must be an Asian national. SUBMISSIONREQUIREMENTS
The essay should be submitted electronically to prize@ asiabusinesscouncil. Org. by August 31, 2010. Prize winners will be announced in September 2010.
The submission should contain the candidate’s full name, nationality, and month and year of birth. The essay should include a title and word count.
70. What is the main purpose of the essay prize? A. To select young professionals of both ability and imagination. B. To predict the prospects of Asia in the next decade. C. To issue the challenges facing Asia. D. To inspire brilliant ideas for solving problems in Asia.
71. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage? A. The winners of the essay prize can travel to Singapore for free. B. Articles published in local newspapers will not be accepted.
C.Young people from Russia or Australia are excluded from the essay prize. D. The candidate’s article can deal with several aspects of developments in Asia.
72. The candidate’s article should be sent ___________. A. by air mail B. by e-mail C. by surface mail D. by express mail
( C )
According to Nielsen, the average number of mobile phone calls we make is dropping every year, after hitting a peak in 2007. And our calls are getting shorter: In 2005 they averaged three minutes in length; now they’re almost half that.
We are moving, in other words, toward a fascinating cultural transition: the death of the telephone call. This shift is particularlyplainamong the young. Some college students I know go days without talking into their smartphones at all.
This generation doesn’t make phone calls, because everyone is in constant, lightweight contact in so many other ways: texting, chatting, and social-network messaging. And we don’t just have more options than we used to. We have better
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