单选题 微博(microblog)是一种以博客形式存在的广播媒介。通过微博，人们不仅能够快速获取并分享大量的信息，还可以与其他网民交流。美国的推特(Twitter)是最早也是最著名的微博。2009年，“新浪微博”横空出世，成为中国第一个微博网站。现在，至少70%的网民(netizen)是微博用户。微博已经成为实时新闻更新的重要来源，以至于眼下的时代被称为“微博时代”。

单选题 Few creations of big technology capture the imagination like giant dams. Perhaps it is humankind's long suffering at the mercy of flood and drought that makes the idea of forcing the waters to do our bidding so fascinating. But to be fascinated is also, sometimes, to be blind. Several giant dam projects threaten to do more harm than good. The lesson from dams is that big is not always beautiful. It doesn't help that building a big, powerful dam has become a symbol of achievement for nations and people striving to assert themselves. Egypt's leadership in the Arab world was cemented by the Aswan High Dam. Turkey's bid for First World status includes the giant Ataturk Dam. But big dams tend not to work as intended. The Aswan Dam, for example, stopped the Nile flooding but deprived Egypt of the fertile silt that floods left—all in return for a giant reservoir of disease which is now so full of silt that it barely generates electricity. And yet, the myth of controlling the waters persists. This week, in the heart of civilized Europe, Slovaks and Hungarians stopped just short of sending in the troops in their contention over a dam on the Danube. The huge complex will probably have all the usual problems of big dams. But Slovakia is bidding for independence from the Czechs, and now needs a dam to prove itself. Meanwhile, in India, the World Bank has given the go-ahead to the even more wrong-headed Narmada Dam. And the bank has done this even though its advisors say the dam will cause hardship for the powerless and environmental destruction. The benefits are for the powerful, but they are far from guaranteed. Proper, scientific study of the impacts of dams and of the cost and benefits of controlling water can help to resolve these conflicts. Hydroelectric power and flood control and irrigation are possible without building monster dams. But when you are dealing with myths, it is hard to be either proper, or scientific. It is time that the world learned the lessons of Aswan. You don't need a dam to be saved.

单选题Accustomed though we are to speaking of the films made before 1927 as 'silent', the film has never been, in the full sense of the word, silent. From the very beginning, music was regarded as an 27 accompaniment; when the Lumiere films were shown at the first public film exhibition in the United States in February 1896, they were 28 by piano improvisations (即兴创作) on popular tunes. At first, the music played 29 no special relationship to the films; an accompaniment of any kind was 30 . Within a very short time, however, the incongruity (不协调) of playing lively music to a 31 film became apparent, and film pianists began to take some care in 32 their pieces to the mood of the film. As movie theaters grew in number and importance, a violinist, and perhaps a cellist, would be added to the pianist in certain 33 , and in the larger movie theaters small orchestras were formed. For a number of years the selection of music for each film program 34 entirely in the hands of the conductor or leader of the orchestra, and very often the principal 35 for holding such a position was not skill or taste so much as the ownership of a large personal library of musical pieces. Since the conductor seldom saw the films until the night before they were to be shown, the musical arrangement was 36 improvised in the greatest hurry. A. sufficient B. incredible C. accompanied D. comparatively E. matching F. rested G. normally H. occasions I. bore J. qualification K. solemn L. indispensable M. severe N. according O. cases

单选题 In bringing up children, every parent watches eagerly the child's acquisition of each new skill—the first spoken words, the first independent steps, or the beginning of reading and writing. It is often tempting to hurry the child beyond his natural learning rate, but this can set up dangerous feelings of failure and states of worry in the child. This might happen at any stage. A baby might be forced to use a toilet too early, a young child might be encouraged to learn to read before he knows the meaning of the words he reads. On the other hand, though, if a child is left alone too much, or without any learning opportunities, he loses his natural enthusiasm for life and his desire to find out new things for himself. Parents vary greatly in their degree of strictness towards their children. Some may be especially strict in money matters. Others are severe over times of coming home at night or punctuality for meals. In general, the controls imposed represent the needs of the parents and the values of the community as much as the child's own happiness. As regards the development of moral standards in the growing child, consistency is very important in parental teaching. To forbid a thing one day and excuse it the next is no foundation for morality. Also, parents should realize that 'example is better than precept'. If they are not sincere and do not practise what they preach (说教), their children may grow confused and emotionally insecure when they grow old enough to think for themselves, and realize they have been to some extent fooled. A sudden awareness of a marked difference between their parents' principles and their morals can be a dangerous disappointment.

单选题 Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay to describe the most ideal job you will take in the future. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.

单选题 The Lost Art of Listening A 'Why won't he even listen to my idea? Why am I cut off before I provide the whole story?' How many times have you been frustrated by someone not listening to what you have to say? How many times have you frustrated others by not listening to them? We tend to think that listening is the same as hearing; but listening is the art of being alert to the problems of the person you are with. Problems caused by not listening can be serious, not only at work, but also with family and friends. Many times we jump in to say what's on our minds before we've even acknowledged what the other person has said, short circuiting the possibility of mutual understanding. Speaking without listening, hearing without understanding. In fact we're often baffled and dismayed by the feeling of being left sitting around in the dark. B Effective managers are proactive (主动的) listeners. They don't wait for members of their staff to come to them; they make an active effort to find out what people think and feel by asking them. The manager who meets frequently with staff members keeps informed and, even more importantly, communicates interest in the people themselves. An open-door policy allows access, but it doesn't substitute for an active campaign of reaching out and hstening to people. The manager who doesn't ask questions communicates that he or she doesn't care. And if he or she doesn't listen, the message is 'I'm not there for you.' Even if a manager decides not to follow a subordinate's suggestion, listening with sincere interest conveys respect and makes the employee feel appreciated. C Communicating by memo or e-mail—however witty or informal—is not substitute for personal contact, because it closes off the chance to listen. Simply going through the motions of meeting with people doesn't work either. The fake listener doesn't fool anyone. Poor eye contact, shuffling feet, busy hands, and meaningless replies, like 'That's interesting' and 'Is that right?' give them away. The insincere listener's lack of interest in the conversation betrays a larger problem: lack of interest in the person with whom the listener is communicating. D Most people don't listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply. Even at work, where performance takes priority over relationships, listening carefully to understand the other person's point of view—before you even think about replying—is the key to productive communication. Effective managers develop a routine in which communication time is an integral part of the job. They meet with their staff and ask questions. They don't react before gathering all the facts. If they don't know what their people are thinking and feeling, they ask—and' they listen. E When we don't feel heard by our' superiors, few of us give up right away. We write memos, we ask to meet with them, we try to communicate our needs and convey our points of view. Then we give up. Frequently, we complain to our coworkers and our family and friends. Venting feelings of frustration with third parties rather than addressing conflicts at their source can take on epidemic proportions in work settings. Sometimes it takes the form of gossip, running down someone who's not present. F But, some of you might be thinking, my boss really is insensitive. I've tried to talk to him, and he just doesn't listen. The mistake people make in trying to get through to unreceptive superiors is the same mistake most of us make in dealing with the difficult people in our lives: we try to change them. And when that doesn't work, we give up. Instead, start by examining your own expectations. What do you want and how are you programmed to go about getting it? Are you expecting to have your personal needs met at work? Do you work hard and wait patiently for the boss to tell you that you're doing a great job, like a good little boy or girl? G Listening is important at work because it enables people to understand each other, get along and get the job done. But don't get too personal. Don't let your compassion allow someone to talk about their personal problems, which is interfering with work. This may be happening if you're the only person he talks to. A good supervisor keeps channels of communication open—and keeps them focused on the task at hand--by asking for frequent feedback about how things are going (on the job). 'What do you like and dislike so far about working here? Is there anything you think we should change to make things smoother?' H Remember that it can be intimidating for subordinates to give criticism or make suggestions. If you want them to feel safe enough to open up, reassure them that you appreciate their ideas. 'I'm glad you spoke up.' 'Thanks for letting me know.' 'I didn't realize... I'm glad you told me.' Listening to the people we work with isn't the same as becoming friends with them. Many people worry that if we allow ourselves to get personal at the workplace, things might get sticky. But those who think that effective teamwork isn't about listening (it's about getting things done) are wrong. Without being heard we are diminished, as workers and as people. I Keep in mind the difference between dissent (异议) and defiance (挑衅). Defiance means attacking the other person's position and making him wrong. Dissent means having the courage to stand up for what you think and feel. It's the difference between saying 'You're wrong' and 'This is how I feel.' Clearly, a dissenting message is much easier to hear than a defiant one. The listener is more willing and interested in hearing a dissenter's objection. Someone who hears a defiant objection will tend to either ignore the comment or be rudely counter-defiant. This is a common problem that tends to increase barriers between people, something you don't want in a work environment where teamwork is necessary. Careful listening is difficult and takes practice to improve. Try harder to understand the other person's perspective.

单选题 在中国视频网站上，英剧已然成为新的焦点。中国一些主要门户网站近日已经发布近1000集英剧。这些网站开始探索新的市场。中国著名的视频网站—搜狐日前也在运营英国频道，其中既包含英剧，也有英国音乐。相比于美剧，英剧更短小精悍，也更深奥。根据中国一家公司的报告显示，中国的英剧爱好者多为受过良好教育的年轻一族。

单选题Linda Jones's two-year-old son, Reilly, was sharing a hot dog on the deck overlooking her friend Lisa Roth's swimming pool. One moment Jones was watching Reilly play around with the other children at this 25 of moms and kids last July. The next moment he was gone. Jones turned to her friend Maschel Rawlings and asked, 'Have you seen Reilly?' Rawlings stood, scanned the pool and 26 screamed. Reilly was 27 facedown in the deep end. What happened next was a 28 textbook response: As Rawlings dived in the pool, 29 the boy, rolled him over and swam him to the edge, their host, Lisa Roth, rushed into the house and called 911. At the pool's 30 , Rawlings handed Reilly up to his mother. His skin was blue, his eyes had rolled back in his head. He wasn't breathing. Jones laid him next to the pool, and Rawlings, who'd taken a CPR course with Jones just four months earlier, 31 began rescue breathing. Hanging up the phone, Roth, a former flight attendant who'd had seven CPR courses over the years, ran back out to the pool and took over CPR from Rawlings. Three long minutes went by with Roth breathing into Reilly's mouth and performing chest compressions while Rawlings and Jones 32 his condition. Gradually his color returned, and then, just as paramedics were arriving on the scene, Rawlings looked at Roth. 'He's breathing,' she said. The 33 with which the women acted saved Reilly's life. Linda Jones finds it hard to express her feelings for her two friends. 'I'm eternally 34 ,' she says simply. 'They did everything right.' A. noticeable B. decisiveness C. immediately D. monitored E. expanding F. typical G. precaution H. grasped I. floating J. initially K. edge L. grateful M. gathering N. resumed O. suddenly

单选题 Teach Kids to Daydream Today's children are exhausted, and not just because one in three kids is not getting sufficient sleep. Sleep deprivation (缺乏，不足) in kids has been found to significantly decrease academic achievement, lower intelligence test scores, slower physical growth, heighten moodiness and so on. While the argument for protecting our children's sleep time is compelling, there is another kind of rest that is equally beneficial to our children's academic, emotional, and creative lives: daydreaming. Daydreaming, which looks lazy from the outside, may just be the hidden wellspring (源泉) of creativity and learning. Not all mental downtime (停工休息期) is alike, of course. Downtime spent playing a videogame or watching a television show may have its charms, but the kind of downtime I am talking about is different. I'm talking about the kind of mind-wandering that happens when the brain is free of interruption and allowed to get rid of the worries of the day. Television, videogames, and other electronic distractions prevent this kind of mental wandering because they interrupt the flow of thoughts and memories that strengthen the foundation of positive, productive daydreaming. In 'Ode to Positive Constructive Daydreaming'—an article Scott Barry Kaufman cowrote with Rebecca McMillan—reads: For the individual, mind wandering offers the possibility of real, personal reward, some immediate, some more distant. These rewards include self-awareness, goal driven thought, future planning, simulating the perspective of another person, evaluating the implications of self and others' emotional reactions, moral reasoning, etc. In other words, daydreaming only appears lazy from the outside, but viewed from the inside—or from the perspective of a psychologist, such as Kaufman—a complicated and extremely productive neurological process is taking place. Viewed from the inside, our children are exploring the only space where they truly have autonomy (自治权): their own minds.

单选题 武则天，中国历史上唯一的一位女皇帝，于唐朝(the Tang Dynasty)690年称帝。虽然她很残暴，但是她对国家的统治还是比较成功的。她任人唯贤，完全不考虑其家庭地位。通过奖励积极发展农业的官员，惩罚对农民课征重税的官员，武则天极大地促进了农业的发展。中国的佛教(Buddhism)在她统治期间也发展到了顶峰。宋庆龄评价她为“封建时代(feudal period)杰出的女政治家”。

单选题 众所周知，吸烟不仅有害我们的健康，对环境也不利。吸烟能引起许多疾病，如肺癌(lung cancer)。吸烟也会影响不吸烟的人。被动吸烟者(passive smokers)生病的几率甚至高于吸烟者。有些年轻人认为吸烟很酷，有些人则认为吸烟能提神。如今，越来越多的公共场合挂起了禁止吸烟的标志。这是我们取得的巨大进步。为了我们的健康，我们需要做出更大的努力，禁止人们在公共场所吸烟。

单选题 毛笔，是一种源于中国的传统书写工具，也逐渐成为传统绘画工具。毛笔是汉族人民在生产实践中发明的。随着人类社会的不断发展，勤劳智慧的汉民族又不断地总结经验，存其精华，弃其糟粕，勇于探索，敢于创新。几千年以来，它为创造汉族民族光辉灿烂的文化，为促进汉民族与世界各族的文化交流，做出了卓越的贡献。毛笔是汉民族对世界艺术宝库提供的一件珍宝。

单选题When retailers want to entice customers to buy a particular product, they typically offer it at a discount. According to a new study to be published in The Journal of Marketing, they are missing a 26 . A team of researchers, led by Akshay Rao of the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management, looked at consumers' attitudes to discounting. Shoppers, they found, much prefer getting something extra free to getting something cheaper. The main reason is that most people are 27 at fractions. Consumers often 28 to realise, for example, that a 50% increase in quantity is the same as a 33% discount in price. They overwhelmingly assume the former is better value. In an experiment, the researchers sold 73% more hand lotion when it was 29 in a bonus pack than when it carried an equivalent discount. This numerical blind spot remains even when the deal clearly favor the discounted product. In another experiment, this time on his undergraduates, Mr. Rao offered two deals on loose coffee beans: 33% extra free or 33% off the price. The discount is by far the better proposition, but the 30 clever students viewed them as equivalent. Studies have shown other ways in which retailers can exploit consumers' innumeracy. One is to confuse them with double discounting. People are more likely to see a 31 in a product that has been reduced by 20%, and then by an additional 25%, than one which has been bargain to an equivalent, one-off, 40% 32 . Marketing types can draw lessons beyond just pricing, says Mr. Rao. When advertising a new car's 33 , for example, it is more 34 to talk about the number of extra miles per gallon it does, rather than the equivalent percentage fall in fuel 35 . A. bargain B. consumption C. convincing D. deduction E. doubtfully F. efficiency G. hopeless H. afforded I. paid J. persuading K. reduction L. struggle M. supposedly N. trick O. useless

单选题 马可·波罗(Marco Polo)是来自意大利的著名旅行家。他于1275年到达元朝(the Yuan Dynasty)的首都。从那时起他在中国游历17年，访问了中国的许多城市。回到意大利后，马可·波罗与他人合作，写下了《马可·波罗游记》(The Travels of Marco Polo)。在这本游记里，马可·波罗描绘了一个辉煌的东方世界，详细介绍了中国的著名城市。该书一出版，就受到了欧洲人的热烈欢迎，激起他们对东方文明的兴趣。