The Climate of JapanP1: Meteorological features in Japan are mainly shaped by two factors. On one hand, tropical cyclone activity peaks in the late summer, when the difference between temperatures aloft and sea surface temperatures is the greatest. On the other hand, during winter months heavy masses of cold air from Siberia dictate the weather around Japan. Persistent cold winds skim across the Sea of Japan from the northwest, picking up moisture that they deposit as several feet of snow on the western side of the mountain ranges on Honshu Island. As the cold air drops its moisture, it flows over high ridges and down eastern slopes to bring cold, relatively dry weather to valleys, coastal plains, and cities.P2: In spring, the Siberian air mass warms and loses density, enabling atmospheric currents over the Pacific to steer warmer air into northeast Asia. This warm, moisture-laden air covers most of southern Japan during June and July. The resulting late spring rains then give way to a drier summer that is sufficiently hot and muggy, despite the island chain's northerly latitude, to allow widespread rice cultivation. In addition to the rain and sweltering temperatures of summer, the months of August and early September are also considered typhoon season, when high pressure systems formed in the tropical areas of the western Pacific Ocean occasionally strike Japan's southern regions, inflicting torrential rain and strong wind. The arrival of autumn in late September usually brings drier conditions and a drop in temperatures.P3: Each season has its own characteristics, with the highest precipitation in most areas falling during the rainy season, when temperatures can soar into the high 90's daily with almost 100% humidity. While the moisture fosters an exceptionally abundant forest, the combination of precipitous slopes and heavy rainfall also gives the islands one of the world's highest rates of natural erosion, intensified by both human activity and the natural shocks of earthquakes and volcanism. These factors have in turn contributed to mountainsides that are extremely susceptible to erosion and landslides, and hence generally unsuitable for agricultural manipulation.P4: The climate of Japan is predominantly temperate, but varies greatly from north to south and Japan's geographical features divide it into six principal climatic zones. Generally sunny winters along the Pacific seaboard have made habitation there relatively pleasant. Along the Sea of Japan, on the other hand, cold, snowy winters have discouraged settlement. Furthermore, the combination of warm waters and monsoons results in strong evaporation of the relatively high annual precipitation, leaving little moisture for farming.P5: In the summer, the region of Honshu is cooler than the Pacific area, though it sometimes experiences extremely hot temperatures because of the foehn. This has also discouraged agriculture. The area is subject to the yamase effect, when cool air from the north sometimes lowers temperatures sharply and damages farm production. As the the rice grown in Japan requires a mean summer temperature of 20°C or higher, a drop of 2°C -3°C can lead to a 30-50 percent drop in rice yield, and the yamase effect is capable of exceeding that level. This yamase effect does not, however, extend very far south, where most precipitation comes in the form of rain rather than snow and the bulk of it in spring, summer, and fall, when most useful for cultivation. Even the autumn typhoons, which deposit most of their moisture along the southern seaboard, are beneficial because they promote the start of the winter crops that for centuries have been grown in southern Japan.P6: To conclude, meteorological factors, including both climate on a large scale and precipitation patterns, have forced the Japanese to cluster their settlements along the southern coast, most densely along the sheltered Inland Sea, moving out of the northeast in the past two millennia. There the limits that topography imposed on production have been tightened by climate, with the result that agricultural output has been more modest and less reliable, making the risk of crop failure and hardship greater.P3: ■ Each season has its own characteristics, with the highest precipitation in most areas falling during the rainy season, when temperatures can soar into the high 90's daily with almost 100% humidity. ■ While the moisture fosters an exceptionally abundant forest, the combination of precipitous slopes and heavy rainfall also gives the islands one of the world's highest rates of natural erosion, intensified by both human activity and the natural shocks of earthquakes and volcanism. ■ These factors have in turn contributed to mountainsides that are extremely susceptible to erosion and landslides, and hence generally unsuitable for agricultural manipulation.■

Mastering the Art of Conversation1. Make eye contactGive a【T1】smiling look【T1】______Avoid forcing interaction on uninterested peopleBe outgoing instead of【T2】【T2】______Have a sense of boundaryKnow【T3】to approach others【T3】______2. Ask【T4】【T4】______More than "Yes" or "No"Encourage people to【T5】【T5】______Suggested ideasThoughts about a book/magazine【T6】to do around here【T6】______Where to shop for clothes3. Search for a(an)【T7】【T7】______Probe for things in commonSame workplace,【T8】friends【T8】______Start with scenario with strangers:Ask for【T9】in a bookstore【T9】______Make jokes when waiting in lineOffer a complimentAvoid【T10】comments【T10】______

I'm a 50-something male, the father of two mostly grown girls. I'm happy to say that both my parents are still kicking. I'm on good terms with my brothers and sisters most of the time. I am blessed with good friends and other relations, and tend to get on well with my co-workers. I am fortunate in so many ways, but feel like I consistently disappoint everyone I know. I cannot, for the life of me, give a genuine compliment. It simply doesn't come naturally. When I try, and I do, in order to maintain all the aforementioned relationships, it feels forced, more a matter of obligation than a gift that might put wind in the sa Is of someone I truly care for. I feel strongly that giving should spring from joy, or at least from a heartfelt desire to see the recipient enlivened by it. When I have nothing to offer in response to a job well done, or I can't cite the intrinsic value of those I love, everyone loses. I feel like I've warped the emotional and social development of my children, alienated any number of perfectly wonderful lovers, and generally kept the world at arm's length. I can recall certain compliments given to me through the years. Some of them made all the differences, whether in attaining some goal or simply affording me an elevated sense of self and my rightful place in the world. The value of timely acknowledgment is obvious. After years of psychotherapy and the obsessive self-examination endemic to my generation, I believe I know where this stinginess of spirit comes from. Six kids in total, at a very tender age, there were five younger, cuter kids standing between me and the object of our affection. Mama was driven to distraction, to put it mildly, by the demands placed on her, but it was the 1950s and she set a selfless and hardy example. I had complete sympathy for her difficult situation, even at the time. The fact remains, however, that, as a young child, I needed more than I got. I thirsted for my mother's attention. I needed to know that she valued me as more than her helper, her strong little man. I clearly recall, at the ripe old age of 7, coming to the conclusion that I would never get it. "That's OK, " I reckoned, "I can get by without it", "it" being her love. You can imagine the sibling rivalry in all its permutations. Eventually I took haven in the written word to get away from it. But even before I learned to read, I had realized that giving any sign of approval or encouragement to my brothers and sisters could only serve to increase the gulf between me and my mom. Does that make sense? I can rationalize otherwise, of course, and now we're all "one big happy family", but the damage is done. I want to be gracious and giving, but when I even think to reach into that purse, however, it's pretty much empty.

{{B}}PART II LISTENING COMPREHENSION{{/B}}

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It is essential that he_____all the facts first.(2014)

You just lost quite a bit of blood, which is why you feel ______.

Major-choosing has long been a hot issue for university students. Some people believe that it is not proper to ask students to choose a major before they go to university and they should be given at least one year to take different courses so as to find their field of interest. Others, however, do not think so. What's your opinion? Write a composition of about 200 words on the following topic: Should Students Decide on Majors Before University Studies? Marks will be awarded for content relevance, content sufficiency, organization and language quality. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks.

Two men have denied _____ murdering a woman at a remote picnic spot.

{{B}}PART VI WRITING{{/B}}

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PASSAGE FOUR

Acute hearing helps most animals sense the approach of thunderstorms long before people ______.[2000]

They all think that it's better to be busy than to be free, _______?

All he said was so free from effort and ______ and was said with such a captivating charm.

Your advice would be ______valuable to him, who is now at a loss as to what to do first.

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Ted couldn't remember the exact date of the storm, but he knew it was ______ Sunday because everybody was at______ church.

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The only candidate______ can hope to defeat him finally quits.