The essential functions of the UN are to maintain international peace and security, to develop friendly relations among nations, to cooperate internationally in solving international economic, social, cultural and human problems, promoting respect for human rights, and fundamental freedoms, and to be a centre of coordinating the actions of nations in attaining these common ends. No country takes precedence over another in the UN. Each member's obligations and rights are the same. All must contribute to the peaceful settlement of international disputes, and members have pledged to refrain from the threat or use of force against other states. Though the UN has no right to intervene in any state's internal affairs, it tries to ensure that non-member states act according to its principles of peace and security. UN members must offer every assistance in an approved UN action and in no way assist states against which the UN is taking preventive or enforcement action.
What has been described as the largest ever ransomware attack—a cyber criminal scheme that locks up computer files until victims pay a ransom—holds the paradoxical distinction of being both an outrageous success (in terms of its blast radius) as well as an abject failure (in terms of its haul). The malicious software spread so far and wide, jammed up so many IT networks and generated so much panic and chaos that the wrongdoers effectively undid themselves. On May 12, the world awoke to the beginnings of hundreds of thousands of old Microsoft Windows based computers' seizing up as they subjected to a malicious software, appropriately called WannaCry. Within hours, the digital epidemic circled the globe like the Spanish flu, infecting machines running outdated operating systems in some 150 countries, spreading across numerous homes and corporate networks. The attack, which relied on powerful tools believed to have been developed by the NSA and leaked online in April by a group of hackers known as the Shadow Brokers, wormed its way through businesses, hospitals and governments, all of which found themselves suddenly locked out of their own systems. Researchers detected the wave quickly, and it wasn't long before they picked up on the criminals' self-defeating mistakes. The attackers failed to assign each victim a separate Bitcoin wallet , researchers noted, a critical error that meant they would not be able to easily track ransom payments. They neglected to automate the money collection in a way that would scale. And then there was the matter of the kill switch. No one is quite certain why the attackers coded a self-destruct button into their software, yet that's precisely what they did. Marcus Hutchins, a 22-year-old security researcher based in England who goes by MalwareTech, stumbled on the power plug largely by accident. After taking lunch on that Friday afternoon, he inspected the malware and noticed a specific web address encoded within. Curious, he registered the domain for less than $ 11. This simple act stopped the malware, killing the virus' ability to spread and buying time for organizations to upgrade their software and deploy protections.
BSection I Use of EnglishDirections: Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D./B
America has seen a drop in crime rates that in earlier years would have been universally viewed as impossible. The overall crime rate has plummeted by 45% since peaking in 1991 and by 13% just since 2007—counterintuitively continuing to drop through the recession and sharp spike in unemployment. Since 1991, according to FBI data, the number of violent crimes has fallen 36% nationally and 64% in the nation"s largest cities. And in New York and Los Angeles, the nation"s two largest cities , it has fallen even further. Property crime has also become increasingly rare. Incredibly, in New York City, car thefts have plunged 94% in the past two decades. How is this possible? In the mid-1990s, few saw this decline coming, and many warned that crime would surge once again as teens of that era grew into young adults. Today, criminologists still differ on what has caused the nationwide turnaround in crime rates and why those dire predictions never came to pass. But crime-fighting technology, better policing, aging societies, growing urban populations and declining usage of hard drugs are widely cited. For many Americans, the drop in crime has resulted not only in a much higher quality of life but in a reduced economic burden as well. Safer cities generally mean stronger urban economies. In the same category of big surprises, teen-pregnancy rates have fallen to their lowest level in more than 30 years, according to the widely respected Guttmacher Institute. They have declined 51% from their 1990 peak, based on the latest available data, and the teenage birthrate is down 43% from that year"s level. Today, fewer teens are becoming pregnant and becoming mothers than at any point since reliable data has been collected by the National Center for Health Statistics. This is also true for women in the 20-to-24 age group. To put it mildly, there were very few predictions to this effect a generation ago. In addition, overall birthrates in the U. S. have turned up for the first time since 2007—including for children born to women in a college education—to just shy of 4 million.
Imagine a world in which there was suddenly no emotion—a world in which human beings could feel no love or happiness, no terror or hate. Try to imagine the consequences of such a transformation. People might not be able to stay alive: knowing neither joy nor pleasure, anxiety nor fear, they would be as likely to repeat acts that hurt them as acts that were beneficial. They could not learn: they could not benefit from experience because this emotionlessness would lack rewards and punishments. Society would soon disappear; people would be as likely to harm one another as to provide help and support. Human relationships would not exist; in a world without friends or enemies, there could be no marriage, affection among companions, bonds among members of groups; society's economic underpinnings would be destroyed; since earning $ 10 million would be no more pleasant than earning $ 10, there would be no incentive to work.
BSection I Use of EnglishDirections: Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D./B
Writeanessaybasedonthefollowingchart.Inyourwriting,youshould1)interpretthechart,and2)giveyourcomments.Youshouldwriteabout150words.
Directions:Writeanessaybasedonthechart.Inyourwriting,youshould1)interpretthechart,and2)giveyourcomments.Youshouldwriteabout150words.
BPart ADirections: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D./B
BPart BDirections: Write an essay of 160-200 words based on the following information./B
Big companies swallow little ones every day. So the【C1】______on March 25th by Yahoo (annual revenue, $5 billion) of Summly, a British start-up (annual revenue, zero), for a reported $30m would normally【C2】______merely a shrug of the shoulders and some muttering about the【C3】______economics of the internet. The deal is worth noting,【C4】______, for two reasons. One is that Summly"s founder, Nick d"Aloisio, is only 17: this summer he will be sitting his【C5】______like other teenagers. He invented an iPhone app to【C6】______articles in 300-400 characters, ideal for the smartphone-user wondering what he should【C7】______reading. Li Ka-shing, a Hong Kong telecoms tycoon, invested money in the【C8】______, having got wind of an early version of the app after tech blogs wrote about it, Mr d"Aloisio says. Famous actors, artists and entrepreneurs have also【C9】______in, taking the sum outsiders invested in Summly to $1.5m. Mr d"Aloisio says that he remained the largest shareholder. The second reason is that Summly is just the latest of half a dozen start-ups【C10】______by Yahoo in as many months. The internet company has also bought Stamped, Alike and Jybe, which built apps for personalized recommendations of,【C11】______other things, books, food and music; OnTheAir, a video-chat company; and Snip.it, which created an app for managing and sharing articles. Marissa Mayer, Yahoo"s boss since July, says she is【C12】______make the company a stronger force on smartphones and tablets. Yahoo was born on the desktop, but【C13】______Apple, Google, Amazon and Facebook, points out Thomas Husson of Forrester, a research firm, it【C14】______a mobile platform, such as an operating system or social network, through which to provide its【C15】______. Yahoo, says Mr Husson, "will have to go through the【C16】______platforms to maximize reach". On mobile devices, thinks Mr Husson, personalized content will be especially【C17】______. The companies bought by Yahoo have all been trying to provide【C18】______that. Ms Mayer, who has also improved Yahoo"s news and e-mail apps in recent months, has neither time nor money to【C19】______. Had she waited until Mr d"Aloisio left school, it might have been too【C20】______.
An earthquake hit Kashmir on Oct. 8, 2005. It took some 75 000 lives,【C1】______ 130 000 and left nearly 3. 5 million without food, jobs or homes.【C2】______ overnight, scores of tent villages bloomed【C3】______ the region, tended by international aid organizations, military【C4】______ and aid groups working day and night to shelter the survivors before winter set【C5】______. Mercifully, the season was mild. But with the【C6】______ of spring, the refugees will be moved again. Camps that【C7】______ health care, food and shelter for 150 000 survivors have begun to close as they were【C8】______ intended to be permanent. For most of the refugees, the thought of going back brings【C9】______ emotions. The past six months have been difficult. Families of 10 many as【C10】______ people have had to shelter【C11】______ a single tent and share cookstoves and bathing【C12】______ with neighbors. "They are looking forward to the clean water of their rivers," officials say. "They are【C13】______ of free fresh fruit. They want to get back to their herds and start【C14】______ again. " But most will be returning to【C15】______ but heaps of ruins. In many villages, electrical【C16】______ have not been repaired, nor have roads. Aid workers【C17】______ that it will take years to rebuild what the earthquake took【C18】______ . And for the thousands of survivors, the【C19】______ will never be complete. Yet the survivors have to start somewhere. New homes can be built【C20】______ the stones, bricks and beams of old ones. Spring is coming and it is a good time to start again.
Peek through the inspection windows of the nearly 100 three-dimensional (3D) printers quietly making things at RedEye, a company based in Minnesota, and you can catch a glimpse of how factories will work in the future. It is not simply that the machines run day and night【C1】______by just a handful of technicians.【C2】______it is what they are making that shows how this revolutionary production process is【C3】______the manufacturing mainstream. 3D printers make things by building them up, a layer at a time,【C4】______a particular material, rather than【C5】______it by cutting, drilling or machining—which is why the process is also called additive manufacturing. There are many ways in which this can be done, and with only a【C6】______adjustment of software each item can be different,【C7】______the need for costly retooling of machines. This has made 3D printing a【C8】______way to make one-off items, especially prototype parts, mock-ups, small mechanical【C9】______and craft items. And that is about all that 3D printers are good for,【C10】______the doubters. Chief among them is Terry Gou, the boss of Foxconn. He thinks 3D printing is just "a trick" without any【C11】______value in the manufacture of real finished goods, and he has vowed to start spelling his name backwards if【C12】______wrong. Mr. Gou is right about one thing: additive manufacturing is not about to replace mass manufacturing.【C13】______the technology is improving, the finish and durability of some printed items can still【C14】______what producers require. And nor can 3D printers produce millions of【C15】______parts at low cost, as mass-production lines can.【C16】______3D printers have their【C17】______which is why they are starting to be used by some of the world"s biggest manufacturers, such as Airbus, Boeing, GE, Ford and Siemens. The market for 3D printers and【C18】______is small, but growing fast. Last year it was worth $2.2 billion worldwide, up 29% from 2011. As producers become more【C19】______with the technology, they are moving from prototypes to final【C20】______.
[A] Set a Good Example for Your Kids[B] Build Your Kids' Work Skills[C] Place Time Limits on Leisure Activities[D] Talk about the Future on a Regular Basis[E] Help Kids Develop Coping Strategies[F] Help Your Kids Figure Out Who They Are[G] Build Your Kids' Sense of Responsibility How can a Parent Help Mothers and fathers can do a lot to ensure a safe landing in early adulthood for their kids. Even if a job's starting salary seems too small to satisfy an emerging adult's need for rapid content, the transition from school to work can be less of a setback if the startup adult is ready for the move. Here are a few measures, drawn from my book Ready or Not, Here Life Comes, that parents can take to prevent what I can "work life unreadiness" : 【R1】______ You can start this process when they are 11 or 12. Periodically review their emerging strengths and weaknesses with them and work together on any shortcomings, like difficulty in communicating well or collaborating. Also, identify the kinds of interests they keep coming back to, as these offer clues to the careers that will fit them best. 【R2】______ Kids need a range of authentic role models—as opposed to members of their clique, pop stars and vaunted athletes. Have regular dinner table discussions about people the family knows and how they got where they are. Discuss the joys and downsides of your own career and encourage your kids to form some ideas about their own future. When asked what they want to do, they should be discouraged from saying "I have no idea" . They can change their minds 200 times, but having only a foggy view of the future is of little good. 【R3】______ Teachers are responsible for teaching kids how to learn, parents should be responsible for teaching them how to work. Assign responsibilities around the house and make sure homework deadlines are met. Encourage teenagers to take a part-time job. Kids need plenty of practice delaying gratification and deploying effective organizational skills, such as managing time and setting priorities. 【R4】______ Playing video games encourages immediate content. And hours of watching TV shows with canned laughter only teaches kids to process information in a passive way. At the same time, listening through earphones to the same monotonous bats for long stretches encourages kids to stay inside their bubble instead of pursuing other endeavors. All these activities can prevent the growth of important communication and thinking skills and make it difficult for kids to develop the kind of sustained concentration they will need for most jobs. 【R5】______ They should know how to deal with setbacks, stresses and feelings of inadequacy. They should also learn how to solve problems and resolve conflicts, ways to brainstorm and think critically. Discussions at home can help kids practice doing these things and help them apply these skills to everyday life situations. What about the son or daughter who is grown but seems to be struggling and wandering aimlessly through early adulthood? Parents still have a major role to play, but now it is more delicate. They have to be careful not to come across as disappointed in their child. They should exhibit strong interest and respect for whatever currently interests their fledging adult (as naive or ill-conceived as it may seem) have while becoming a partner in exploring options for the future. Most of all, these new adults must feel that they are respected and supported by a family that appreciates them.
Suppose the Ohio Program of Intensive English is enrolling students. This program is to help students learn English quickly. Write an advertisement on behalf of the program to 1) introduce the program, and 2) tell students how to contact the program for more information. You should write about 100 words.
Suppose you are a sophomore of Tsinghua University. Please write a letter to the university tutor to 1) apply for the scholarship, and 2) introduce your qualifications briefly. You should write about 100 words on the ANSWER SHEET. Do not use your own name at the end of the letter. Use "Li Ming" instead. Do not write your address. (10 points)
BPart CDirections: Read the following text carefully and then translate the underlined segments into Chinese./B
BPart BDirections: Write an essay of 160-200 words based on the following information./B
BPart B/B
BSection III Writing/B