1
①Every Saturday morning, at 9 am, more than 50,000 runners set off to run 5km around their local park. ②The Parkrun phenomenon began with a dozen friends and has inspired 400 events in the UK and more abroad. ③Events are free, staffed by thousands of volunteers. ④Runners range from four years old to grandparents; their times range from Andrew Baddeley’s world record 13 minutes 48 seconds up to an hour.
①Parkrun is succeeding where London’s Olympic “legacy” is failing. ②Ten years ago on Monday, it was announced that the Games of the 30th Olympiad would be in London. ③Planning documents pledged that the great legacy of the Games would be to lever a nation of sport lovers away from their couches. ④The population would be fitter, healthier and produce more winners. ⑤It has not happened. ⑥The number of adults doing weekly sport did rise, by nearly 2 million in the run-up to 2012—but the general population was growing faster. ⑦Worse, the numbers are now falling at an accelerating rate. ⑧The opposition claims primary school pupils doing at least two hours of sport a week have nearly halved. ⑨Obesity has risen among adults and children. ⑩Official retrospections continue as to why London 2012 failed to “inspire a generation.” ⑪The success of Parkrun offers answers.
①Parkrun is not a race but a time trial: Your only competitor is the clock. ②The ethos welcomes anybody. ③There is as much joy over a puffed-out first-timer being clapped over the line as there is about top talent shining. ④The Olympic bidders, by contrast, wanted to get more people doing sport and to produce more elite athletes. ⑤The dual aim was mixed up: The stress on success over taking part was intimidating for newcomers.
①Indeed, there is something a little absurd in the state getting involved in the planning of such a fundamentally “grassroots” concept as community sports associations. ②If there is a role for government, it should really be getting involved in providing common goods—making sure there is space for playing fields and the money to pave tennis and netball courts, and encouraging the provision of all these activities in schools. ③But successive governments have presided over selling green spaces, squeezing money from local authorities and declining attention on sport in education. ④Instead of wordy, worthy strategies, future governments need to do more to provide the conditions for sport to thrive. ⑤Or at least not make them worse.
2
①With so much focus on children’s use of screens, it’s easy for parents to forget about their own screen use. ②“Tech is designed to really suck you in,” says Jenny Radesky in her study of digital play, “and digital products are there to promote maximal engagement. ③It makes it hard to disengage, and leads to a lot of bleed-over into the family routine.”
①Radesky has studied the use of mobile phones and tablets at mealtimes by giving mother–child pairs a food-testing exercise. ②She found that mothers who used devices during the exercise started 20 per cent fewer verbal and 39 per cent fewer nonverbal interactions with their children. ③During a separate observation, she saw that phones became a source of tension in the family. ④Parents would be looking at their emails while the children would be making excited bids for their attention.
①Infants are wired to look at parents’ faces to try to understand their world, and if those faces are blank and unresponsive—as they often are when absorbed in a device—it can be extremely disconcerting for the children. ②Radesky cites the “still face experiment” devised by developmental psychologist Ed Tronick in the 1970s. ③In it, a mother is asked to interact with her child in a normal way before putting on a blank expression and not giving them any visual social feedback: The child becomes increasingly distressed as she tries to capture her mother’s attention. ④“Parents don’t have to be exquisitely present at all times, but there needs to be a balance and parents need to be responsive and sensitive to a child’s verbal or nonverbal expressions of an emotional need,” says Radesky.
①On the other hand, Tronick himself is concerned that the worries about kids’ use of screens are born out of an “oppressive ideology that demands that parents should always be interacting” with their children: “It’s based on a somewhat fantasised, very white, very upper-middle-class ideology that says if you’re failing to expose your child to 30,000 words you are neglecting them.” ②Tronick believes that just because a child isn’t learning from the screen doesn’t mean there’s no value to it—particularly if it gives parents time to have a shower, do housework or simply have a break from their child. ③Parents, he says, can get a lot out of using their devices to speak to a friend or get some work out of the way. ④This can make them feel happier, which lets them be more available to their child the rest of the time.
26. According to Jenny Radesky, digital products are designed to_______.
[A] absorb user attention
[B] increase work efficiency
[C] simplify routine matters
[D] better interpersonal relations
27. Radesky’s food-testing exercise shows that mothers’ use of devices_______.
[A] takes away babies’ appetite
[B] distracts children’s attention
[C] slows down babies’ verbal development
[D] reduces mother-child communication
28. Radesky cites the “still face experiment” to show that_______.
[A] it is easy for children to get used to blank expressions
[B] verbal expressions are unnecessary for emotional exchange
[C] parents need to respond to children’s emotional needs
[D] children are insensitive to changes in their parents’ mood
Text 3
①Today, widespread social pressure to immediately go to college in conjunction with increasingly high expectations in a fast-moving world often causes students to completely overlook the possibility of taking a gap year. ②After all, if everyone you know is going to college in the fall, it seems silly to stay back a year, doesn’t it? ③And after going to school for 12 years, it doesn’t feel natural to spend a year doing something that isn’t academic.
①But while this may be true, it’s not a good enough reason to condemn gap years. ②There’s always a constant fear of falling behind everyone else on the socially perpetuated “race to the finish line,” whether that be toward graduate school, medical school or a lucrative career. ③But despite common misconceptions, a gap year does not hinder the success of academic pursuits—in fact, it probably enhances it.
①Studies from the United States and Australia show that students who take a gap year are generally better prepared for and perform better in college than those who do not. ②Rather than pulling students back, a gap year pushes them ahead by preparing them for independence, new responsibilities and environmental changes—all things that first-year students often struggle with the most. ③Gap year experiences can lessen the blow when it comes to adjusting to college and being thrown into a brand new environment, making it easier to focus on academics and activities rather than acclimation blunders.
①If you’re not convinced of the inherent value in taking a year off to explore interests, then consider its financial impact on future academic choices. ②According to the National Center for Education Statistics, nearly 80 percent of college students end up changing their majors at least once. ③This isn’t surprising, considering the basic mandatory high school curriculum leaves students with a poor understanding of the vast academic possibilities that await them in college. ④Many students find themselves listing one major on their college applications, but switching to another after taking college classes. ⑤It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but depending on the school, it can be costly to make up credits after switching too late in the game. ⑥At Boston College, for example, you would have to complete an extra year were you to switch to the nursing school from another department. ⑦Taking a gap year to figure things out initially can help prevent stress and save money later on.
31. One of the reasons for high-school graduates not taking a gap year is that_______.
[A] they think it academically misleading
[B] they have a lot of fun to expect in college
[C] it feels strange to do differently from others
[D] it seems worthless to take off-campus courses
32. Studies from the US and Australia imply that taking a gap year helps_______.
[A] relieve freshmen of pressures
[B] lower risks in choosing careers
[C] ease freshmen's financial burdens
[D] keep students from being unrealistic
33. The word “acclimation” (Para. 3) is closest in meaning to _______.
[A] motivation
[B] application
[C] competition
[D] adaptation
34. A gap year may save money for students by helping them_______.
[A] switch to another college
[B] decide on the right major
[C] avoid academic failures
[D] establish long-term goals
35. The most suitable title for this text would be_______.
[A] In Favor of the Gap Year
[B] The ABCs of the Gap Year
[C] The Gap Year Comes Back
[D] The Gap Year: A Dilemma
Text 4
①Though often viewed as a problem for western states, the growing frequency of wildfires is a national concern because of its impact on federal tax dollars, says Professor Max Moritz, a specialist in fire ecology and management.
①In 2015, the US Forest Service for the first time spent more than half of its $5.5 billion annual budget fighting fires—nearly double the percentage it spent on such efforts 20 years ago. ②In effect, fewer federal funds today are going towards the agency’s other work—such as forest conservation, watershed and cultural resources management, and infrastructure upkeep—that affect the lives of all Americans.
①Another nationwide concern is whether public funds from other agencies are going into construction in fire-prone districts. ②As Moritz puts it, how often are federal dollars building homes that are likely to be lost to a wildfire?
①“It’s already a huge problem from a public expenditure perspective for the whole country,” he says. ②“We need to take a magnifying glass to that. ③Like, ‘Wait a minute, is this OK?’ ④Do we want instead to redirect those funds to concentrate on lower-hazard parts of the landscape?”
①Such a view would require a corresponding shift in the way US society today views fire, researchers say.
①For one thing, conversations about wildfires need to be more inclusive. ②Over the past decade, the focus has been on climate change—how the warming of the Earth from greenhouse gases is leading to conditions that worsen fires.
①While climate is a key element, Moritz says, it shouldn’t come at the expense of the rest of the equation.
①“The human systems and the landscapes we live on are linked, and the interactions go both ways,” he says. ②Failing to recognize that, he notes, leads to “an overly simplified view of what the solutions might be. ③Our perception of the problem and of what the solution is becomes very limited.”
①At the same time, people continue to treat fire as an event that needs to be wholly controlled and unleashed only out of necessity, says Professor Balch at the University of Colorado. ②But acknowledging fire’s inevitable presence in human life is an attitude crucial to developing the laws, policies, and practices that make it as safe as possible, she says.
①“We’ve disconnected ourselves from living with fire,” Balch says. ②“It is really important to understand and try and tease out what is the human connection with fire today.”
36. More frequent wildfires have become a national concern because in 2015 they_______.
[A] consumed a record-high percentage of budget
[B] severely damaged the ecology of western states
[C] caused a huge rise of infrastructure expenditure
[D] exhausted unprecedented management efforts
37. Moritz calls for the use of "a magnifying glass" to_______.
[A] avoid the redirection of federal money
[B] find wildfire-free parts of the landscape
[C] raise more funds for fire-prone areas
[D] guarantee safer spending of public funds
38. While admitting that climate is a key element, Moritz notes that_______.
[A] public debates have not settled yet
[B] a shift in the view of fire has taken place
[C] other factors should not be overlooked
[D] fire-fighting conditions are improving
39. The overly simplified view Moritz mentions is a result of failing to_______.
[A] discover the fundamental makeup of nature
[B] explore the mechanism of the human systems
[C] understand the interrelations of man and nature
[D] maximize the role of landscape in human life
40. Professor Balch points out that fire is something man should_______.
[A] do away with
[B] come to terms with
[C] pay a price for
[D] keep away from
Part B
Directions:
Read the following text and match each of the numbered items in the left column to its corresponding information in the right column. There are two extra choices in the right column. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. (10 points)
The decline in American manufacturing is a common refrain, particularly from Donald Trump. “We don’t make anything anymore,” he told Fox News, while defending his own made-in-Mexico clothing line.
Without question, manufacturing has taken a significant hit during recent decades, and further trade deals raise questions about whether new shocks could hit manufacturing.
But there is also a different way to look at the data.
Across the country, factory owners are now grappling with a new challenge: Instead of having too many workers, they may end up with too few. Despite trade competition and outsourcing, American manufacturing still needs to replace tens of thousands of retiring boomers every year. Millennials may not be that interested in taking their place. Other industries are recruiting them with similar or better pay.
For factory owners, it all adds up to stiff competition for workers – and upward pressure on wages. “They’re harder to find and they have job offers,” says Jay Dunwell, president of Wolverine Coil Spring, a family-owned firm. “They may be coming [into the workforce], but they’ve been plucked by other industries that are also doing as well as manufacturing,” Mr. Dunwell has begun bringing high school juniors to the factory so they can get exposed to its culture.
At RoMan Manufacturing, a maker of electrical transformers and welding equipment that his father cofounded in 1980, Robert Roth keeps a close eye on the age of his nearly 200 workers. Five are retiring this year. Mr. Roth has three community-college students enrolled in a work-placement program, with a starting wage of $13 an hour that rises to $17 after two years.
At a worktable inside the transformer plant, young Jason Stenquist looks flustered by the copper coils he’s trying to assemble and the arrival of two visitors. It’s his first week on the job. Asked about his choice of career, he says at high school he considered medical school before switching to electrical engineering. “I love working with tools. I love creating,” he says.
But to win over these young workers, manufacturers have to clear another major hurdle: parents, who lived through the worst US economic downturn since the Great Depression, telling them to avoid the factory. Millennials “remember their father and mother both were laid off. They blame it on the manufacturing recession,” says Birgit Klohs, chief executive of The Right Place, a business development agency for western Michigan.
These concerns aren’t misplaced: Employment in manufacturing has fallen from 17 million in 1970 to 12 million in 2015. When the recovery began, worker shortages first appeared in the high-skilled trades. Now shortages are appearing at the mid-skill levels.
“The gap is between the jobs that take no skills and those that require a lot of skill,” says Rob Spohr, a business professor at Montcalm Community College. “There’re enough people to fill the jobs at McDonalds and other places where you don’t need to have much skill. It’s that gap in between, and that’s where the problem is.”
Julie Parks of Grand Rapids Community College points to another key to luring Millennials into manufacturing: a work/life balance. While their parents were content to work long hours, young people value flexibility. “Overtime is not attractive to this generation. They really want to live their lives,” she says.
|
|
[A] says that he switched to electrical engineering because he loves working with tools. |
| 41. Jay Dunwell |
[B] points out that there are enough people to fill the jobs that don’t need much skill. |
| 42. Jason Stenquist |
[C] points out that the US doesn’t manufacture anything anymore. |
| 43. Birgit Klohs |
[D] believes that it is important to keep a close eye on the age of his workers. |
| 44. Rob Spohr |
[E] says that for factory owners, workers are harder to find because of stiff competition. |
| 45. Julie Parks |
[F] points out that a work / life balance can attract young people into manufacturing. |
|
|
[G] says that the manufacturing recession is to blame for the lay-off of the young people’s parents. |
Section III Translation
46. Directions:
Translate the following text into Chinese. Write your translation on the ANSWER SHEET. (15 points)
My dream has always been to work somewhere in an area between fashion and publishing. Two years before graduating from secondary school, I took a sewing and design course thinking that I would move on to a fashion design course. However, during that course I realised I was not good enough in this area to compete with other creative personalities in the future, so I decided that it was not the right path for me. Before applying for university I told everyone that I would study journalism, because writing was, and still is, one of my favourite activities. But, to be honest, I said it, because I thought that fashion and me together was just a dream—I knew that no one could imagine me in the fashion industry at all! So I decided to look for some fashion-related courses that included writing. This is when I noticed the course “Fashion Media & Promotion.”
Section IV Writing
Part A
47. Directions:
Suppose you are invited by Professor Williams to give a presentation about Chinese culture to a group of international students. Write a reply to
1) accept the invitation, and
2) introduce the key points of your presentation.
You should write about 100 words on the ANSWER SHEET.
Do not use your own name. Use “Li Ming” instead.
Do not write your address. (10 points)
Part B
48. Directions:
Write an essay based on the chart below. In your writing, you should
1) interpret the chart, and
2) give your comments.
You should write about 150 words on the ANSWER SHEET. (15 points)