单选题 Artificial Intelligence(AI) A. We often don't notice it, but artificial intelligence (AI) is all around us. It is present in computer games, in the cruise control in our cars and the servers that route our email. In June 2002, a robot called Gaak gave an alarming demonstration of its independence. It made a dash for freedom from an exhibit at the Magna science centre in Rotherham. Gaak crept along a barrier until it found a gap and squeezed through. Having left the building, it reached Magna's exit by the M1 motorway before it was discovered. B. So, can a machine behave like a person? This question underlies artificial intelligence, the study of intelligent behavior in machines. In the 1980s, AI research focused on creating machines that could solve problems and reason like humans. One of the most difficult problems in artificial intelligence is that of consciousness. A consciousness gives us feelings and makes us aware of our own existence. But scientists have found it difficult getting robots to carry out even the simplest of cognitive tasks. Creating a self-aware robot with real feelings is a significant challenge faced by scientists hoping to imitate human intelligence in a machine. Since the early 1990s, researchers have concentrated on developing smaller, independent robots instead of trying to recreate human intelligence. The model for many of these machines is insect intelligence, which is—in its own way—very sophisticated. C. When it is completed in late 2004, the world's most powerful computer will be ASCI Purple, built by IBM. It is expected to carry out 100 trillion operations per second (or 100 teraflops). A super-computer with double this processing power is expected within the next two years. It is being built to replace ASCI White—formerly the world's most powerful computer—which occupies a space the size of two basketball courts at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California. A spokesman for IBM said that ASCI Purple was approaching the processing power of the human brain. But some scientists believe our brains can carry out around 10,000 trillion operations per second. HAL, the supercomputer that rebels against its human handlers in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), is a bold reference to IBM. The letters H, A and L, precede I, B and M in the alphabet. D. In 1950, mathematician Alan Turing devised a test to identify whether a machine displayed intelligence. In the Turing Test, two people (A and B) sit in a closed room, while an interrogator (询问者) (C) sits outside. Person A tries to fool the interrogator about their gender, while person B tries to assist the interrogator in their identification. Turing suggested a machine take the place of person A. If the machine consistently fooled the human interrogator, it was likely to be intelligent. E. The possible dangers posed by intelligent machines have inspired countless science fiction films. In The Terminator (1984), a computer network attacks the human race in order to achieve control. This network then manufactures intelligent robots called 'Terminators' which it programs to destroy human survivors. In The Matrix (1999) and The Matrix Reloaded (2003), a machine enslaves humanity, using people as batteries to power its mainframe. Steven Spielberg's AI: Artificial Intelligence (2002) paints a more sympathetic view of artificial life, depicting sensitive robots that are abused by brutal, selfish human masters. F. One place where artificial intelligence has found a natural home is in the development of computer games. AI in computer games is becoming increasingly sophisticated as consumer appetites for better, faster, more challenging games grows. In games, AI is often present in the opponents you play against, or in allies or other team members. G. In 1997, then world chess champion Garry Kasparov played against IBM's Deep Blue supercomputer—and lost. After six games, the mighty Kasparov lost 2.5 to 3.5 to the silicon upstart. In February 2003, Kasparov saved some credibility for humanity by drawing against the Israeli-built supercomputer Deep Junior. Kasparov went on to draw 2-2 against US company X3D Technologies' supercomputer X3D Fritz in November 2003, proving that the human brain can keep up with the latest developments in computing (at least in chess). H. Despite these entertaining applications, the original point of AI research was to create machines that could understand us. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), scientists have designed a robot called Kismet that can have realistic conversations with people. Kismet is capable of seven different facial expressions and can vary the tone of its voice. It also adjusts its gaze and the direction of its head towards the person it is speaking to. Scientists at HP have designed an electronic DJ. The 'hpDJ' selects beats and baselines from its memory bank and mixes them. Its makers say it could be made to react to the mood of clubbers. At the University of Texas, Dallas, researchers have designed a lifelike human face capable of 28 facial movements, including smiling, sneering, furrowing its brow and arching its eyebrows. It could be used to put a human face to the artificial brains of the future. I. A computer program developed at Brandeis University in Massachusetts has learnt how to design and build bridges, cranes and tables all by itself. It reinvented support structures such as the cantilever and the triangle without prior knowledge of them. Credit card companies use a computer program called The Falcon to detect card fraud. The Falcon works by constantly updating a profile of how customers use their credit cards. It then looks for uncharacteristic patterns of credit card use in the data. A robotic head built by a Scottish robotics company can determine a woman's attractiveness. It works by examining faces to determine how 'feminine' or 'masculine' they are. It doesn't work in reverse because men's appeal is supposedly not based as much on looks. Perhaps jokingly, researchers say it could be put to use as an artificial receptionist. Robots designed for the consumer market and employing very basic forms of AI have become increasingly popular in recent years. Sony's Aibo robot dog behaves like a puppy when it is first activated. But it 'learns' new behavior as it spends more time with its human owner. A software program called FACES could stop mid-air collisions between planes. When tested in a flight simulator (模拟器), the software prevented a pile-up between 35 planes sharing airspace. J. Over the coming century, breakthroughs in nanotechnology, the science of ultra-small machines constructed at the molecular level, may help us build more sophisticated machines that are more compact. We may also see breakthroughs from scientists who are experimenting with connecting biological cells to silicon circuits—a phenomenon called wetware.

单选题If a potential customer enjoys your advert, they are more likely to buy your product. It's a simple 25 , but it is extremely difficult to know how well your advert is being received in the real world. Now a new system could help 26 know exactly how their latest offering is going down with viewers, just by watching their face. The system, developed by Daniel McDuff and colleagues at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab, looks at how 27 in the face move in response to watching a video. Software can then classify what counts as positive 28 responses and smiles during the video and from that predict which adverts the viewer most enjoys. The team collected more than 3200 videos of people, whose faces were 29 by their own computer's webcam as they watched three adverts online during the Super Bowl in 2011. After each commercial—one for Doritos, one for Google and one for Volkswagen—the viewers were asked if they liked the video and whether they would want to watch it again. In tests, the system made correct 30 more than 75 per cent of the time. The system would be a 31 for advertisers trying to grab the attention of potential customers on the Internet. In future, the system could be used to personalize adverts for viewers as they watch programs online, depending on their 32 , or as a more 33 way of testing how good a new advert is at 34 to customers. A. facial F. created K. predictions B. boon G. suggestions L. advertisers C. reaction H. concept M. appealing D. filmed I. effective N. people E. face J. eyes O. muscles

单选题 Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on the following question. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words. Nowadays, food has become easier to prepare. Has this change improved the way people live?

单选题 Caring for Elderly Parents Catches Many Unprepared A．Last July, Julie Baldocchi's mother had a massive stroke and was paralyzed. Baldocchi suddenly had to become a family caregiver, something that she wasn't prepared for. 'I was flying by the seat of my pants,' says Baldocchi, an employment specialist in San Francisco. Both of her parents are 83, and she knew her father couldn't handle her mother's care. The hospital recommended putting her mother in a nursing home. Baldocchi wasn't willing to do that. But moving her back into her parents' home created other problems. Baldocchi, 48, is married and lives about a mile away from her parents. She has a full-time job and has back problems that make it difficult for her to lift her mother. 'I couldn't do it all,' she says. 'But I didn't even know how to find help.' B．With help from the Family Caregiver Alliance, she eventually hired a live-in caregiver. 'But even if you plan intellectually and legally, you're never ready for the emotional impact,' Baldocchi says. In the first two months after her mother's stroke, she lost about 30 pounds as stress mounted. More than 42 million Americans provide family caregiving for an adult who needs help with daily activities, according to a 2009 survey by the AARP. An additional 61.6 million provided at least some care during the year. And many are unprepared. C．While many parents lack an advance care directive, it's the most basic and important step they can take. The directive includes several parts, including: a durable power of attomey, which gives someone legal authority to make financial decisions on another's behalf; a health care proxy, which is similar to the power of attorney, except it allows someone to make decisions regarding medical treatment; and a living will that outlines instructions for end-of-life care. (For example, parents can say if they want to be kept alive by artificial measures.) 'It's invaluable for the kids, because it's hard to make those decisions for a parent,' says Jennifer Cona, an elder-law attorney at Genser Dubow Genser Cona in Melville, N.Y. An advance care directive is the first line of defense if a situation arises, says Kathleen Kelly, executive director of the Family Caregiver Alliance, which supports and educates caregivers. Without an advance directive, the family will have to petition the court to be appointed the parent's legal guardian, says AgingCare.com. D．It's important for families to talk about Iong-term care so the adult children know their parents' preferences, wishes and goals, says Lynn Feinberg, a caregiving expert at AARP. But it's not an easy conversation. Elderly parents are sometimes suspicious of their children's financial motives, says Susan John, a financial planner at Financial Focus in Wolfeboro, N.H. One client asked John to hold a family meeting because they needed an intermediary to talk about financial issues, she says. And when there are many siblings, the family decisions can become a three-ring circus with much acrimony, says Ann-Margaret Carrozza, an elder-law attorney in Glen Cove, N.Y. Families who need information and help sorting out disagreements can call on elder-law attorneys, financial planners, geriatric care managers and caregiver support groups. In February, AARP said it will offer its members a new caregiving support service through financial services firm Genworth. E．Many families are unprepared for quick decisions, especially when they find out that Medicare doesn't pay for long-term care, Feinberg says. The median cost of a year in a private room at a nursing home in 2011 was $77,745, according to Genworth. And only those who have spent most of their assets can qualify for Medicaid to pay for the nursing home. F．Assisted living is another option. Residents can have their own apartment to maintain some independence. But the facilities generally provide personal care services, such as meals, housekeeping and assistance with activities. Still, it's not cheap: The national median cost in 2011 was $39,135, according to Genworth. Assisted living isn't covered by Medicaid. G．If they have a choice, at least 90% of elderly parents prefer to stay at home as long as they can, according to AARP research. But if the parents can no longer safely live at home, it can be hard for children to move them into an adult care facility. There may be another option. Sometimes the home can be modified so a parent can stay there. For example, Baldocchi put in a chair lift for her mother. She also arranged for a home caregiver. H．Family caregivers take over many responsibilities. One might manage a parent's finances, while another sibling will take the parent to doctors' appointments and shopping. Those who move in with a parent take on a significant and sustained burden of care. Jan Walker moved into her mother's home in Leesburg, Fla. After her mother, who is 83, had fallen, she wasn't able to get around as well. Walker, 55, has three brothers. But she is the only daughter, is divorced and has no children. 'I always knew that this was the role that I would have, and I guess my mind was prepared for it,' says Walker, who now is a full time caregiver and works from home as a tutorial instructor for a digital scrapbooking website. 'When you get into the trenches, it's literally baptism by fire,' she says. 'New things come up. It's not just about advance planning for finances or medical care. It's everything,' she says. I．Caregivers need to also watch their own health. 'There is such a thing as caregiver burnout,' Cona says. Among female caregivers 50 and older, 20% reported symptoms of depression, according to a 2010 study on working caregivers by MetLife. 'It's a hard job,' Walker says. 'But most worthwhile things are hard. She was always there for me when I needed a helping hand. It's only natural that I be here for her now.'

单选题 Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay commenting on the saying 'Happiness lies in contentment.' You can cite examples to illustrate their relationship. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.

单选题 New research has found that those who work 11-hour days or more increase their chance of a heart attack by two thirds. If you're about to embark on your usual 12-hour day at the office, you might want to pause a while—a few hours, actually. A study has found that those who spend more than 11 hours at work increase their chance of having a heart attack by two thirds. The team from University College London looked at more than 7,000 civil servants working in Whitehall over a period of 11 years and established how many hours they worked on average a day. They also collected information including the condition of their heart from medical records and health checks. Over the period, a total of 192 had suffered a heart attack. Then the study was published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, reporting that those who worked more than 11 hours a day were 67 percent more likely to have one than those who had a 'nine to five' job. Professor Mika Kivimki, who led the study, said: 'We have shown that working long days is associated with a remarkable increase in risk of heart disease. Considering that including a measurement of working hours in a GP interview is so simple and useful, our research presents a strong case that it should become standard practice. This new information should help improve decisions regarding medication for heart disease.' 'It could also be a wake-up call for people who over-work themselves, especially if they already have other risk factors,' Professor Kivimki added. Around 2.6 million Britons have heart disease, where the organ's blood supply is blocked by the build-up of fatty deposits in the coronary arteries (冠状动脉). It is the nation's biggest killer, claiming 101,000 lives in this country every year. Heart attacks occur when a coronary artery becomes completely blocked; if the blood supply is not restored, the section of the heart being supplied by the artery will die.

单选题 Music in higher education: what is it worth? A. Music has found itself increasingly central in the subject controversy surrounding higher education (HE). Recent data showed the total number of Universities and Colleges Admissions Service entries to study music rose by 3.5% in the 2013 cycle, following significant increases in applications for medical-related sciences, mathematical sciences, computer sciences, engineering and economics. Yet numbers of prospective higher education applicants who studied music A-level fell last year by 7%. B. Many music educators speak of feeling marginalized (边缘化), with their subject excluded from the Ebacc (英国文凭考试) and noticeably absent from the Stem grouping (science, technology, engineering and maths)—absent too from the Russell Group's approved list of 'facilitating subjects' (ones that will 'keep a wide range of degree courses and career options open to you'). C. The value of studying music in higher education in the context of the economically-charged narrative on education provided the background to a recent roundtable discussion held at the Royal Academy of Music and involving senior figures from higher education, sixth-form education and the arts industry. All participants in the roundtable agreed that studying music at higher education equips students with a range of transferable skills that are of inestimable (不可估量的) value in the workplace. Music education and cultural value D. Contributing under the Chatham House rule, which allows comments to be reported freely, panel members began by disagreeing over the relationship between music education and cultural value. 'We are beginning to look at the question of music education from the other end of the telescope, not so much in terms of what happens during the period of education, but afterwards,' said one contributor. E. One speaker argued that the relationship between music education .and cultural value was not necessarily a direct one. 'Many of those who add cultural value to the country do so because there is value here already. Our cultural value is increased by a critical mass coming from all over the world that wants to be part of our scene. 'The role musical education plays in cultural value, or to put it crudely, what we are producing in terms of the economy, is probably falling rather than increasing.' This comment was contested by another member of the panel, who cited the increasing numbers of foreign students studying music at UK institutions, and personal evidence from those who claimed that paying more to study in the UK was worth it for the extra value they gained from being educated here. Another pointed to the legally binding commitments made by government to promote musical participation in 2011-12 and, more recently, the National Plan for Music. F. However, others around the table did acknowledge that UK institutions lacked the political backing enjoyed by their European peers or the financial power of America, 'only just paying the bills on the back of a British mess of fees, poor fund and a scratchy targeted portion of HE funding,' as one panellist put it. Instrumental or natural? G. The discussion over what skills music graduates hold, both on academic or vocational courses, was noticeably more one-sided. High-end ability in collaboration, analysis, work ethic, sympathy, innovation and performing well under pressure were cited by numerous contributors as those that were compulsory in any decent music student. 'The qualities one would be after in a work-force suitable to meet the challenges of today's economy are all those found in a music graduate,' noted one commentator. 'We need to break up this myth that musicians are self-prevailing and just create more musicians,' added another—top city fro-as, accountancy organisations and computing companies as among those who favour music graduates as potential employees. H. There was growing frustration among the panel concerning both the role of higher education institutions in promoting music and the continued justification of musical study from a non-musical perspective. 'It's time for music departments to wake up and promote more clearly their value and benefits,' said one contributor. 'The value of HE music itself has been clouded by the panic over school music. We don't sell music at HE by saying it will make you more literate, or better at maths. It has an inborn value.' I. 'People in music know what highly skilled music students can do, and what music adds to the lives of people, but we keep saying society does not understand,' added another. 'Why? Either because we can't assert our own value, or because we refuse to engage with society.' Education access J. Despite general consensus as to the inherent cultural-economic value of musical study, there was considerable discontent around the table about its accessibility. One speaker commented on the decreasing number of music students at top institutions coming from backgrounds other than 'music specialist schools, and private schools'. Another complained about the lack of focus from government regarding ring-fenced (专项的) money for music hubs (活动中心) beyond 2015, pointing out the risk of increased private outsourcing, uneven regional provision and, ultimately, a situation in which only those with financial advantage can access musical training to a standard that will enable them to pursue it to higher education. K. In this context, the facilitating subjects of Russell Group universities came under harsh criticism from some commentators, who argued that there was disagreement over their significance among leading universities, misunderstanding by schools and hijacking (劫持) by government in the latest round of league tables. This, two speakers agreed, was directing first generation students away from music at higher education by disconnecting the subject from a perspective on higher education dominated by tuition fees and employability. L. A general note of warning was sounded by one about the upcoming loss of students from postgraduate study in the next five years as a result of financial pressures, and all agreed that higher education departments needed to do more to just utter the value of music in a public forum. 'We need to reconnect music with the world of ideas,' one panelist concluded. 'We can pull people into music through linking the ideas, science, film and literature that surround the context of musical creation. We must not fall back into isolation, but rather communicate the obvious value of music.'

单选题 A new analysis of federal money that public schools receive for low-income students shows that a record number of the nation's school districts will receive less in the coming academic year than they did for the one just ended. For the 2005-2006 school year, spending under the Department of Education's Title I program, which helps low-achieving children in high-poverty areas, is increasing by 3.2 percent, to $12.6 billion. But because of population shifts, growing numbers of poor children, newer census data and complex formulas that determine how the money is divided, more than two-thirds of the districts, or 8,843, will not receive as much financing as before. The analysis, based on data from the department, was made by the Center on Education Policy, a group advocating for public schools. A similar study by the group last year showed that 55 percent of the schools would receive less money than they did in the previous year. 'It's an alarming number,' said Tom Fagan, a former department official who conducted the analysis. 'It's clear that the amount of overall increase is not keeping pace with the number of poor kids.' Susan Aspey, a department spokeswoman, defended the spending levels for Title I, saying, 'President Bush and Congress have invested record amounts of funding to help the nation's neediest students.' But Mr. Fagan said the increasing number of districts that are losing money is making it harder for the schools to meet the goals of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, the Bush administration's signature education program, which measures progress through annual tests in math, reading and science. That is giving critics of the program more grounds to accuse the administration of not sufficiently financing the program while demanding greater results. Title I provides the largest component of financing for No Child Left Behind. 'The federal government is concentrating more money in fewer districts,' said John F. Jennings, the president and chief executive of the Center on Education Policy. 'It means there is lots of anger and lots of tension. They're asking us to do more and more-with less and less.'

单选题 中国园林(the Chinese garden)是历经三千多年演变而形成的独具一格的园林景观(landscape)。它既包括为皇室成员享乐而建造的大型花园，也包括学者、商人和卸任的政府官员为摆脱嘈杂的外部世界而建造的私家花园。这些花园构成了一种意在表达人与自然之间的和谐关系的微缩景观。典型的中国园林四周有围墙，园内有池塘、假山(rockwork)、树木、花草以及由小路和走廊连接的建筑。

单选题 A New Prescription for the Poor A. America is developing a two-tier health system, one for those with private insurance, the other for the less well-off. 'IT'S Time for Dancing with the Stars!', a woman announces enthusiastically. At this New York health centre, wedged between housing projects to the east and Chinatown to the west, 'dancing with the stars' means dancing with a physical therapist. An old man stands up with a nurse and begins a determined samba. B. Comprehensive Care Management (CCM), which runs this centre, tries to keep old people active. To do so, explains Joseph Healy, the chief operating officer, is in the company's best interest. The government pays CCM a capped rate for the care of its members. If someone gets sick, his health costs rise and the company's margin shrinks. Mr. Healy argues that the system is the best way to provide good care at a low cost. Increasingly others seem to agree. C. Medicaid, America's health programme for the poor, is in the process of being transformed. Over the next three years, New York will move its entire Medicaid population into 'managed care', paying companies a set rate to tend to the poor, rather than paying a fee for each service. New York is not alone. States from California to Mississippi are expanding managed care. It is the culmination of a steady shift in the way most poor Americans receive their health-care treatment. D. Medicaid is America's single biggest health programme. This year roughly one in five Americans will be covered by Medicaid for a month or more. It gobbles more federal and local money than any state programme, other than education. Costs will rise even more when Barack Obama's health-care reform expands the programme by easing eligibility rules in 2014. Congress's 'supercommittee' is already considering cuts. However, there are more immediate pressures behind the present drive for change. E. Enrollment in Medicaid jumped during the downturn, from 42.7m in December 2007 to 50.3m in June 2010. Mr. Obama's stimulus bill helped to pay for some of this, but that money has dried up. Faced with gaping deficits, some desperate governors slashed payments to hospitals and doctors, or refused to pay for trips to the dentist or oculist. But much the most important result has been structural: the expansion of managed care. F. States have dabbled in managed care for decades. The trend accelerated in the 1990s, with the share of Medicaid patients under this form of care reaching 72% by 2009. Now, however, there is a strong push for the remainder. States that did not have managed care, such as Louisiana, are introducing it. Other states are extending it to people previously deemed off limits: California and New York, for example, are moving the elderly and disabled into that system of care. Texas is targeting more than 400,000 Medicaid beneficiaries in the Rio Grande Valley. Local politicians had resisted the move, nervous that care might deteriorate. But the yawning deficit meant that they were overruled. The result is a country with two distinct tiers of health care. Most Americans with private insurance are still horrified by thoughts of health-management organisations and prefer to pay fees for each medical service. For the poor, managed care is becoming the norm. G. Advocates of managed care have high expectations. First, they hope that it will make costs more predictable. Second, they believe that the change will improve patients' health. In managed care, a patient has a network of doctors and specialists. If the programme works properly, doctors can monitor all aspects of care, in contrast to the fragmented fee-for-service system. The contracts that states have with firms can set standards for quality. Texas, for instance, will cut 5% from a company's payment if it does not meet what is required. The next step is to integrate care for those eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare, the federal programme for the old. These 'duals' account for almost 40% of Medicaid's costs and just 15% of its population. 'If managed care can really deliver better care than fee-for-service', says Diane Rowland, chair of the commission that advises Congress on Medicaid, 'this is the population that could prove it.' H. But some, such as Norma Vescovo, are sceptical. As the head of the non-profit Independent Living Centre of Southern California (ILCSC), Ms. Vescovo serves Medicaid patients with severe health problems. Over the years she has often sued California on policies that she thinks will hurt her vulnerable clients. On October 3rd her case moved to the Supreme Court. The outcome of Douglas v Independent Living Centre will have profound implications for the future of Medicaid. Ms. Vescovo's suit concerns cuts to hospitals and doctors. But the case will also guide the course of managed care. If ILCSC and its co-plaintiffs win, private groups will continue to be able to challenge states on policies they think violate federal Medicaid law. Ms. Vescovo, who argues that California's payment cuts would eviscerate her clients' access to services, worries that under managed care the disabled might not be able to see the specialists they need. The question is how to supervise the experiments with managed care that are being carried out in various states. To date, Medicaid beneficiaries have been able to challenge the states in court. However, if the Supreme Court rules against ILCSC, that avenue will be closed. The Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) technically can intervene if states do not provide proper access to care. In reality, CMS has few tools to do so. I. 'I'm a big fan of managed care', says Sara Rosenbaum, a professor at George Washington University, 'but this transformation may happen with almost no federal oversight.' Medicaid beneficiaries are vulnerable, in worse health than Americans as a whole. Companies may struggle to cut costs and provide good care as well. If states do not draft their contracts properly, or fail to be vigilant in monitoring patients' health, their experiment in managed care could be a disaster. On the other hand, if states are careful they could provide an answer to the question that has vexed America for years: how to provide good, cheap health care.

单选题 When you stop to think about it, criticism is a vital part of working life. Without 26 , how would you ever discover what you were doing wrong and so earn how to put it right? Yet few managers know how to give criticism 27 and few employees know how to take it. It's only too easy to 28 a critical comment about a piece of work as a personal attack. This can make you 29 , angry and hurt. Worse you may give the impression of being someone who can't take criticism, because people stop giving you opinions and you never get the chance to 30 your work. How should you 31 when your boss make a complaint about you? First, if you feel yourself tensing up, take a deep breath. This will, 32 , give you a breathing space to take in what's being said. Your next step is to analyze what kind of criticism it is, then decide on the best way to respond: If it seems personal, try to see beyond the 33 and discover what is behind it. Start by agreeing in 34 with something your critic says, and offer willingness to talk about it later in details. If it seems 35 , don't let it knock your confidence. Be glad that your boss can approach you and takes what he says on board. A. offensive B. constructively C. diagnose D. misguided E. defensive F. principle G. intelligently H. react I. feedback J. misinterpret K. principal L. unfriendliness M. improve N. justified O. literally

单选题 Direction: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on the topic Children's Participation in Reality Shows. You should state the reasons and write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.

单选题 Across the rich world, well-educated people increasingly work longer than the less-skilled. Some 65%of American men aged 62-74 with a professional degree are in the workforce, compared with 32% of men with only a high-school certificate. This gap is part of a deepening divide between the well-educated well-off and the unskilled poor. Rapid technological advance has raised the incomes of the highly skilled while squeezing those of the unskilled. The consequences, for individuals and society, are profound. The world is facing an astonishing rise in the number of old people, and they will live longer than ever before. Over the next 20 years the global population of those aged 65 or more will almost double, from 600 million to 1.1 billion. The experience of the 20th century, when greater longevity (长寿) translated into more years in retirement rather than more years at work, has persuaded many observers that this shift will lead to slower economic growth, while the swelling ranks of pensioners will create government budget problems. But the notion of a sharp division between the working young and the idle old misses a new trend, the growing gap between the skilled and the unskilled. Employment rates are falling among younger unskilled people, whereas older skilled folk are working longer. The divide is most extreme in America, where well-educated baby-boomers(二战后生育高峰期出生的美国人)are putting off retirement while many less-skilled younger people have dropped out of the workforce. Policy is partly responsible. Many European governments have abandoned policies that used to encourage people to retire early. Rising life expectancy (预期寿命), combined with the replacement of generous defined-benefit pension plans with less generous defined-contribution ones, means that even the better-off must work longer to have a comfortable retirement. But the changing nature of work also plays a big role. Pay has risen sharply for the highly educated, and those people continue to reap rich rewards into old age because these days the educated elderly are more productive than the preceding generation.Technological change may well reinforce that shift: the skills that complement computers, from management know how to creativity, do not necessarily decline with age.