For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay on celebration of western festivals. Your essay should focus on the reasons for Chinese enjoying western festivals. You are required to write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.

How to Duck Cabin Fevers and Other Aches on a Plane?[A] On the first leg of this season's holiday travel tour, I had the delightful experience of watching my 20-month-old touch nearly every surface on our airplane, from numerous armrests and people we passed in the aisle to our fingerprint-stained window. As a somewhat uncontrollable germaphobe (洁癖), it took everything I had not to dip my son in hand sanitizer (消毒剂) and then physically restrain him. But I was flying alone with two children and he was happy eating those snacks off the floor, and so, for the sake of my fellow passengers, I let him handle pretty much anything he wanted. Hence, I wasn't surprised when his nose started running shortly after we arrived at our destination, followed by the inevitable cough, which his older brother also picked up. Our "vacation" ended at a CVS Minute Clinic, with ear infections for both kids.[B] Coming down with a cold, cough or other illness after air travel is a common refrain, even from adults who don't try to lick the seatback tray table. But is the plane really to blame? Not particularly, says aviation medicine specialist Mark Gendreau, vice chair of emergency medicine at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Mass. "You do have a higher risk of contracting a viral infection while traveling, but you have to remember that it's really the door-to-door experience that's exposing you to germs: the crowds on the subway to the airport, the escalator, the security line, getting on and off the aircraft," he explains. "It's almost impossible to say where, exactly, you get sick."[C] In fact, experts point out that the environment of a plane is probably less risky, health-wise, than many other crowded, confined spaces. Given airliners' improved ventilation systems, germs aren't being constantly circulated through the plane, stresses Gendreau. Instead, he says, you are most likely to pick up a bug from close contact with a sick person or by touching a surface that's been coughed or sneezed on or otherwise contaminated, such as an armrest or an overhead bin lock.[D] Studies have shown that the highest risk of germ transmission on a plane, by far, comes from those around you, particularly those seated within two rows, says Michael Zimririg, director of the Center for Healthy Travel at the Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. "The closer the proximity and the longer the time you're confined with someone in a closed compartment—and usually it's at least a couple of hours—the better the chance of catching a cold," he says.[E] Research published last May in the journal BMJ studied a packed, long-haul 747 flight from Los Angeles to New Zealand that had at least nine passengers who were later confirmed to have swine flu. Researchers found that the three additional travelers who appeared to have contracted the virus on the flight were all sitting within two rows of an infected person; that put the chance of transmission at 3.5 percent within two rows and roughly 1.9 percent for anyone in the same section of the plane.[F] "There's no doubt that planes are pretty germy," says Charles Gerba, a professor of microbiology at the University of Arizona who studies how diseases are transmitted in indoor environments. "There is no requirement or regulation for the cleaning and disinfection of airplanes—it's up to individual airlines—and it just doesn't get done regularly," he said. The dirtiest spot on board? By far, the restrooms, according to Gerba, who says that in the course of his research, he has identified E. coli bacteria on almost every toilet surface, with the worst offenders being sink handles and faucets, soap dispensers and door handles.[G] Of course, just because such germs are there doesn't mean they're a problem. "There is definitely an unpleasant factor, but it's one thing to say there's a virus or bacteria on a surface, and another thing for that to make you sick," says Katherine Andms, assistant general counsel for the Air Transport Association, a trade group representing major U.S. airlines. "Most of us, if we're relatively healthy and have good immune systems, don't have to worry that much about all of the surfaces in the world that may be contaminated." She adds that frequent, proper hand washing goes a long way toward preventing illness in any crowded environment.[H] There are several other steps you can take. Zimring, author of "Healthy Travel: Don't Travel Without It," says it's important get enough sleep, eat healthfully, exercise and get a flu shot to build up immunity before traveling. Gendreau suggests the following to stay healthy while flying:[I] Drink up. Proper hydration (水合作用) is critical to optimal immune function. Given that the relative humidity in a passenger cabin can be as low as 10 percent on long flights, it's essential to drink as much water while in the air as possible; avoiding alcohol will help, too. Staying well hydrated can also help prevent mild altitude sickness, with symptoms such as headache, lightheadedness and nausea (恶心 ) which people often mistake for a post-flight cold or flu.[J] Pack a hand sanitizer. Soap and water do a great job, but the restroom's sink handle, soap dispenser and doorknobs may be contaminated with germs. So use alcohol-based sanitizer after leaving the restroom and throughout the rest of your flight. And think twice before you rub, scratch or otherwise pat your face during a flight; those simple acts can provide ample opportunity for the transmission of bacteria and viruses.[K] Be wary about that tray. Air carriers with flight turnover times of less than an hour do not routinely disinfect the trays or other surfaces such as the armrests and windows. So wipe them down with an alcohol-based sanitizer when you first take your seat.[L] Keep the air turned on at your seat. When people cough, sneeze or speak, they eject up to 30,000 droplets, which can travel several feet. To minimize the chance of infected droplets landing on you, turn your air vent to medium flow and position it so that the air current is directed just slightly in front of your face. That will help direct germs away from your eyes, nose and mouth.[M] As for me, I think I will run with my germaphobic tendencies from now on, forbidding floor snacks, using a great amount of sanitizer on both my children and wiping down our immediate surroundings as soon as we board. The travel might not be happier—for me or for my fellow passengers—but if it's even slightly more healthful, I think it's worth it.

北斗卫星导航系统 (Bei Dou Navigation Satellite System)是中国自主开发的全球卫星导航系统。该系统的投入运行使中国成为继美国和俄罗斯之后第三个拥有自己的卫星导航系统的国家。该系统具有导航、定位和 援时 (timing)的功能，已经成功应用于 测绘 (surveying and mapping)、电信、渔业、交通运输、森林防火、减灾救灾和国家安全等领域。北斗卫星导航系统的应用产生了显著的经济和社会效益，在北京奥运会中发挥了非常重要的作用。目前该系统已经提供了覆盖亚太地区的服务。

五四运动 (the May Fourth Movement)是1919年5月4日发生的一场 反帝反封建 (anti—imperialist，anti-feudal)的政治文化运动。这次运动以北京为中心，很快扩大到上海、天津、青岛等许多城市。五四运动是以青年学生为主力，市民、商人和工人等广泛参与的一次爱国运动。他们通过示威游行、罢工等各种活动来抗议软弱的政府，要求恢复国家 主权 (sovereignty)。五四运动对中国的政治、文化、教育，以及 中国共产党 (the Communist Party of China)的发展有着重要的作用。为了纪念这次运动，中华人民共和国成立后正式宣布5月4日为 中国青年节 (the Chinese Youth Day)。

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BSection A/B

BPart I Writing/B

The Price of Oil and the Price of Carbon[A] Fossil fuel prices are likely to stay "low for long". Notwithstanding important recent progress in developing renewable fuel sources, low fossil fuel prices could discourage further innovation in, and adoption of, cleaner energy technologies. The result would be higher emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.[B] Policymakers should not allow low energy prices to derail the clean energy transition. Action to restore appropriate price incentives, notably through corrective carbon pricing, is urgently needed to lower the risk of irreversible and potentially devastating effects of climate change. That approach also offers fiscal benefits.[C] Oil prices have dropped by over 60% since June 2014. A commonly held view in the oil industry is that "the best cure for low oil prices is low oil prices". The reasoning behind this saying is that low oil prices discourage investment in new production capacity, eventually shifting the oil supply curve backward and bringing prices back up as existing oil fields—which can be tapped at relatively low marginal cost—are depleted. In fact, in line with past experience, capital expenditure in the oil sector has dropped sharply in many producing countries, including the United States. The dynamic adjustment to low oil prices may, however, be different this time around.[D] Oil prices are expected to remain lower for longer. The advent of new technologies has added about 4.2 million barrels per day to the crude oil market, contributing to a global over-supply. In addition, other factors are putting downward pressure on oil prices: change in the strategic behavior of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, the projected increase in Iranian exports, the scaling-down of global demand ( especially from emerging markets) , the long-term drop in petroleum consumption in the United States, and some displacement of oil by substitutes. These likely persistent forces, like the growth of shale (页岩) oil, point to a low for long" scenario. Futures markets, which show only a modest recovery of prices to around $60 a barrel by 2019, support this view.[E] Natural gas and coal—also fossil fuels—have similarly seen price declines that look to be long-lived. Coal and natural gas are mainly used for electricity generation, whereas oil is used mostly to power transportation, yet the prices of all these energy sources are linked. The North American shale gas boom has resulted in record low prices there. The recent discovery of the giant Zohr gas field off the Egyptian coast will eventually have impact on pricing in the Mediterranean region and Europe, and there is significant development potential in many other places, notably Argentina. Coal prices also are low, owing to over-supply and the scaling-down of demand, especially from China, which burns half of the world's coal.[F] Technological innovations have unleashed the power of renewables such as wind, hydro, solar, and geothermal (地热). Even Africa and the Middle East, home to economies that are heavily dependent on fossil fuel exports, have enormous potential to develop renewables. For example, the United Arab Emirates has endorsed an ambitious target to draw 24% of its primary energy consumption from renewable sources by 2021.[G] Progress in the development of renewables could be fragile, however, if fossil fuel prices remain low for long. Renewables account for only a small share of global primary energy consumption, which is still dominated by fossil fuels—30% each for coal and oil, 25% for natural gas. But renewable energy will have to displace fossil fuels to a much greater extent in the future to avoid unacceptable climate risks.[H] Unfortunately, the current low prices for oil, gas, and coal may provide little incentive for research to find even cheaper substitutes for those fuels. There is strong evidence that both innovation and adoption of cleaner technology are strongly encouraged by higher fossil fuel prices. The same is true for new technologies for alleviating fossil fuel emissions.[I] The current low fossil fuel price environment will thus certainly delay the energy transition from fossil fuel to clean energy sources. Unless renewables become cheap enough that substantial carbon deposits are left underground for a very long time, if not forever, the planet will likely be exposed to potentially catastrophic climate risks.[J] Some climate impacts may already be discernible. For example, the United Nations Children's Fund estimates that some 11 million children in Africa face hunger, disease, and water shortages as a result of the strongest El Nifio (尼尔尼诺) weather phenomenon in decades. Many scientists believe that El Nifio events, caused by warming in the Pacific, are becoming more intense as a result of climate change.[K] Nations from around the world have gathered in Paris for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 21, with the goal of a universal and potentially legally-binding agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We need very broad participation to fully address the global tragedy that results when countries fail to take into account the negative impact of their carbon emissions on the rest of the world. Moreover, non-participation by nations, if sufficiently widespread, can undermine the political will of participating countries to act.[L] The nations participating at COP 21 are focusing on quantitative emissions-reduction commitments. Economic reasoning shows that the least expensive way for each country is to put a price on carbon emissions. The reason is that when carbon is priced, those emissions reductions that are least costly to implement will happen first. The International Monetary Fund calculates that countries can generate substantial fiscal revenues by eliminating fossil fuel subsidies and levying carbon charges that capture the domestic damage caused by emissions. A tax on upstream carbon sources is one easy way to put a price on carbon emissions, although some countries may wish to use other methods, such as emissions trading schemes. In order to maximize global welfare, every country's carbon pricing should reflect not only the purely domestic damage from emissions, but also the damage to foreign countries.[M] Setting the right carbon price will therefore efficiently align the costs paid by carbon users with the true social opportunity cost of using carbon. By raising relative demand for clean energy sources, a carbon price would also help align the market return to clean-energy innovation with its social return, spurring the refinement of existing technologies and the development of new ones. And it would raise the demand for technologies such as carbon capture and storage, spurring their further development. If not corrected by the appropriate carbon price, low fossil fuel prices are not accurately signaling to markets the true social profitability of clean energy. While alternative estimates of the damage from carbon emissions differ, and it's especially hard to reckon the likely costs of possible catastrophic climate events, most estimates suggest substantial negative effects.[N] Direct subsidies to research and development have been adopted by some governments but are a poor substitute for a carbon price: they do only part of the job, leaving in place market incentives to over-use fossil fuels and thereby add to the stock of atmospheric greenhouse gases without regard to the collateral (附带的) costs. [O] The hope is that the success of COP 21 opens the door to future international agreement on carbon prices. Agreement on an international carbon-price floor would be a good starting point in that process. Failure to address comprehensively the problem of greenhouse gas emissions, however, exposes all generations, present and future, to incalculable risks.

Ask most people how they define the American Dream and chances are they'll say, "Success." The dream of individual opportunity has been at home in American since Europeans discovered a "new world" in the Western Hemisphere. Early immigrants like Hector St. Jean de Crevecoeur praised highly the freedom and opportunity to be found in this new land. His glowing descriptions of a classless society where anyone could attain success through honesty and hard work fired the imaginations of many European readers: in Letters from an American Farmer(1782)he wrote, "We are all excited at the spirit of an industry which is unfettered(无拘无束的)and unrestrained, because each person works for himself... We have no princes, for whom we toil(干苦力活), starve, and bleed: we are the most perfect society now existing in the world." The promise of a land where "the rewards of a man's industry follow with equal steps the progress of his labor" drew poor immigrants from Europe and fueled national expansion into the western territories. Our national mythology(神话)is full of illustrations of the American success story. There's Benjamin Franklin, the very model of the self-educated, self-made man, who rose from modest origins to become a well-known scientist, philosopher, and statesman. In the nineteenth century, Horatio Alger, a writer of fiction for young boys, became American's best-selling author with rags-to-riches tales. The notion of success haunts us: we spend millions every year reading about the rich and famous, learning how to "make a fortune in real estate with no money down," and "dressing for success." The myth of success has even invaded our personal relationships: today it's as important to be "successful" in marriage or parenthood as it is to come out on top in business. But dreams easily turn into nightmares. Every American who hopes to "make it" also knows the fear of failure, because the myth of success inevitably implies comparison between the haves and the have-nots, the stars and the anonymous crowd. Under pressure of the myth, we become indulged in status symbols: we try to live in the "right" neighborhoods, wear the "right" clothes, eat the "right" foods. These symbols of distinction assure us and others that we believe strongly in the fundamental equality of all, yet strive as hard as we can to separate ourselves from our fellow citizens.

{{B}}Part II Listening Comprehension{{/B}}

户外广告是现代城市景观中不可或缺的部分，反映着城市的繁荣程度，文化特色和品位。企业热切地希望通过户外广告不断提升形象，传播商业信息。各级政府也希望通过它树立城市形象， 美化 (beautify)城市。户外广告将会有广阔的市场，同时也对其提出了更高的要求。随着现代科学技术的迅猛发展，户外广告开始采用新材料、新技术、新设备。户外LED媒体是一种能够显示文字、图像、二维或 三维 (three-dimensional)动画等内容 的显示媒体，它的产生开创了户外媒体的新时代。

Can Mix of Teachers, Computers Lead to Pupil Success? [A]When visitors to the Carpe Diem charter school see 175 students wearing headphones and staring into computer screens from small cubicles, principal Mark Forner is ready for a skeptical reaction. "Our critics say it looks like a telemarketing call center," he said, pre-emptively(先发制人地). "I tell people it reminds me of a university library." [B]The tightly arranged cubed seating in a large, open room isn't the only way Carpe Diem doesn't look like a traditional school. There's also this fact—there are only five teachers for 175 students. That's a 35-1 student-to-teacher ratio, a little out of line for what many middle and high schools offer. Eventually, the five teachers—with the assistance of aides—will be expected to educate 300 students as the school grows, creating a 60-1 ratio more common in Third World countries. [C]That's because Carpe Diem offers a "blended learning" curriculum. It's a cutting-edge and controversial concept that delivers a big chunk of instruction to students via computer at school and occasionally at home and mixes it with periodic small group discussions and one-on-one instruction. [D]Carpe Diem, which serves grades 6 to 12 with a 13-member staff, brought blended learning to Indianapolis for the first time last year. Three more blended learning charter schools recently opened in Indianapolis—Phalen Leadership Academy, Nexus Academy and Enlace Academy—but the concept is only starting to ramp up. More than a dozen blended learning schools are planned to open here over the next five years. [E]"Our intuition is that it does work," said Earl Martin Phalen, founder of the Phalen Academy charter school. "If you watch a two-year-old grab an iPad and flip through it, you see our kids are pretty adept with technology. We certainly understand it can be a learning tool." [F]Electronic instruction is hardly new—online-only schools have been around for more than a decade. But blended schools claim to have developed a hybrid they say is more effective for many kids. It allows students to work at their own pace to conquer concepts they can handle and consult a teacher or their peers when they need extra help. Learning model or profit machine? [G]Critics of blended learning, however, lump this concept in with other online schools and say they have concerns about the quality of the learning experience and the true motivations of the purveyors(承办商)of electronic instruction. Some wonder if they care more about learning or profits. After all, it can be far cheaper to teach a student with a computer in a cubicle than with an actual person standing in front of the classroom. That, in turn, can free up dollars that can be paid out in profit that can go to school operators and the testing companies that make several of the hot-selling software programs they buy. [H]Last year, the consulting firm The Parthenon Group did a study that aimed to estimate the cost of blended learning instruction compared with a traditional classroom model. It found the difference could be as much as $2,400 per student below what traditional public schools spend on instruction. That's almost 25% less than what the typical traditional public school spends, the study said. [I]Phalen, whose charter school opened in Indianapolis this year, acknowledged that there are those who use online tools to cut costs. But he said his schools and others like them are trying to do what every business aims to do—find ways to deliver services that are cheaper and better at the same time. Phalen Academy is not entirely a blended learning school but uses some blended learning techniques in its classes. [J]Rick Ogston, who founded Carpe Diem in Arizona, said cost-cutting was the last thing on his mind when he began experimenting with blended learning at his first school. His motivation, he said, was to find a way to tailor instruction to the point where it was personalized to each student. Personalized instruction [K]Carpe Diem's Indianapolis principal, Mark Forner, is a former insurance agent who changed careers to become a teacher by joining Teach for America, a program that places new teachers in needy schools nationwide. Forner, 47, said he studied blended learning in graduate school. "The great thing about blended learning is no two kids move at the same pace," he said. "In traditional school if you are a kid who gets it, you have to wait until the next year to move up to the grade. Here you don't have to wait for the cohort(大部队)." [L]That's what brought student Sydney Pedigo to Carpe Diem from Western Boone High School last year as a 10th-grader. A math genius, she said she was often bored in math class. Even when teachers gave her more advanced work to do on her own she would often zip through it and be stuck waiting for the rest of the class. [M]Carpe Diem's approach is sometimes called the "flipped" classroom. Lectures that used to take place in class are instead routinely watched online on video. Students then work their way through exercises based on the lecture content and take a short quiz. A lesson typically takes about 40 minutes to complete. Then, when students go to class, their work is focused on discussion, group work and individual help, said Liz Retana, the school's English teacher. So far, the results are impressive. [N]Most new charter schools start with low student scores, and the good ones raise them over time. In its first year, Carpe Diem saw 73% of its students pass English and math on Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress, just a half-point below the state average. By comparison, Indianapolis Public School 27, which two years ago converted to the highly regarded Center for Inquiry curriculum, saw just 54.7% pass. The two schools have very similar demographics. Carpe Diem has slightly more poor and minority students and slightly fewer students learning English as a second language or in special education. Moving too quickly? [O]Butler University education professors Shelly Furuness and Kelli Esteves, who have experimented with blended learning in their college classes and support the idea, nonetheless worry about the workload for teachers such as Retana. [P]Furuness and Esteves have used blended learning for core foundation courses in learning theories, education concepts and educational history at Butler. Their decision to try blended learning was also influenced by the goal of individualized instruction. But the two were quick to point out that they co-teach a class with 25 students when they do blended learning—a 12-1 ratio of students to teacher—and only for select classes. The two are skeptical of blended learning as a central concept for a whole school. [Q]Furuness said she worries when she hears about students who quickly complete high school courses by relying heavily on online tools. At college level, she said, students often struggle not because they haven't passed tests on basic concepts but because they can't connect those concepts through critical thinking. That sort of skill is typically polished up in conversation with teachers and peers. "Sometimes they're collecting gold stars when they should be connecting dots," Furuness said. [R]Forner, Carpe Diem's principal, doesn't disagree. "We are very clear with parents we are not an online school and that we have high-quality teachers," he said. "There are some things you cannot get from an online-only school that you can only get with a high-quality teacher. That includes real-world application. You can only get that from a great teacher down in the classroom.

中国姓氏的来源多种多样，有的来源于地名，有的来源于官职，有的来源于职业。

During the next several weeks I went completely to the wolves. I took a tiny tent and set it up on the shore of bay. The big telescope was set up in the mouth of the tent in such a way that I could observe the wolves by day or night. Quite by accident I had pitched my tent within ten yards of one of the major paths used by the wolves. Shortly after I had taken up residence, one of the wolves came back and discovered me and my tent, but he did not stop or hesitate in his pace. Later, one or more wolves used the track past my tent and never did they show the slightest interest in me. I felt uncomfortable at being so totally ignored. The next day I noticed a male wolf make boundary markers by passing water on the rounds of his family lands. Once I had become aware of the strong feeling of property rights which existed among the wolves, I decided to use this knowledge to make them at least recognize my existence. One evening, after they had gone off for their regular nightly hunt, I staked out a property claim of my own, including a long section of the wolves' path. In order to ensure that my claim would not be overlooked, I made a property mark on stones, dumps of moss, and patches of vegetation with a lot of tea. Before the hunters came back, task was done, and I retired, somewhat exhausted, to observe results. A few minutes later the leading male appeared. As usual he did not bother to glance at the tent, but when he reached the point where my property line intersected the trail, he stopped as abruptly as if he had run into an invisible wall. Cautiously he extended his nose and sniffed at one of my marked bushes. After a minute of hesitation he backed away a few yards and sat down. Then, he looked directly at the tent and at me. His glare seemed to become fiercer as I attempted to stare him down. The situation was becoming intolerable. To break the impasse I turned my back on the wolf. Then briskly, and with an air of decision, he turned his attention away from me and began a systematic tour of the area. I had staked out as my own. As he came to each boundary marker he sniffed it once or twice, then carefully placed his mark on the outside of mine.

The increase in global trade means that international companies cannot afford to make costly advertising mistakes if they want to be competitive. Understanding the language and culture of target markets in foreign countries is one of the keys to successful international marketing. Too many companies, however, have jumped into foreign markets with embarrassing results. Translation mistakes are at the heart of many blunders in international advertising. General Motors, the US auto manufacturer, got a costly lesson when it introduced its Chevrolet Nova to the Puerto Rican market. "Nova" is Latin for "new (star)" and means "star" in many languages, but in spoken Spanish it can sound like "no va", meaning "it doesn't go". Few people wanted to buy a car with that cursed meaning. When GM changed the name to Caribe, sales picked up dramatically. Marketing blunders have also been made by food and beverage companies. One American food company's friendly "Jolly Green Giant" (for advertising vegetables) became something quite different when it was translated into Arabic as "Intimidating Green Ogre". When translated into German, Pepsi's popular slogan, "Come Alive with Pepsi" came out implying "Come Alive from the Grave". No wonder customers in Germany didn't rush out to buy Pepsi. Even a company with an excellent international track record like Kentucky Fried Chicken is not immune to the perils of faulty translation. Many sales were lost when the catch phrase "finger licking food" became "eat with your fingers off' in Chinese translation. A manufacturer of one laundry detergent also made an expensive mistake in the Middle East. Its advertisements showed a picture of a pile of dirty clothes on the left, a box of the company's detergent in the middle, and clean clothes on the right. Unfortunately, the message was incorrectly interpreted because most people looked at it from right to left, the way Arabic is read. Having awakened to the special nature of foreign advertising, companies are becoming much more conscientious in their translation and more sensitive to cultural distinctions. The best way to prevent errors is to hire professional translators who understand the target language and its idiomatic usage, or to use a technique called "back translation" to reduce the possibility of blunders. The process uses one person to translate a message into the target language and another to translate it back. Effective translators aim to capture the overall message of an advertisement because a word-for-word duplication of the original rarely conveys the intended meaning and often causes misunderstandings.

BSection C/B

据相关资料显示，到去年年底，中国智能手机市场已成为全球智能手机出货量(shipment)第一的市场。

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