单选题 长城是世界一大奇迹。现在，每年都有几百万人到长城游览。在旺季，几处最著名的景点总是让成群结队的游客挤得水泄不通。中国人修筑长城的历史久远，可以追溯到战国时期(Warring States period)。历史上，中国共修过大约20座长城。在所有这些长城中，明长城最长，达到6700公里。当时，中国的技术在世界上处于领先地位，因此明长城的结构也是最复杂的。明长城的修筑是为了抵御北方游牧民族的入侵。

单选题 希望工程 希望工程(Project Hope)是于1989年发起的一项公益事业，以救助贫困地区失学儿童(young dropouts)为目的。帮助建设希望小学与资助贫困学生是希望工程实施的两大主要任务。中国仍然是一个发展中国家，贫困地区缺乏教育经费的问题依旧严峻。有超过3000万6～14岁的少年儿童因贫困而不能上学或者被迫辍学。希望工程的实施，改变了一大批失学儿童的命运，改善了贫困地区的学校设施，极大地促进了基础教育的发展，弘扬了助人为乐的优良传统。

单选题 吃年夜饭是春节期间家家户户最热闹的时刻。除夕夜，丰盛的年夜菜摆满一大桌，一家人团聚在一起，围坐桌旁，欢声笑语，共享美餐。年夜饭可谓一年里最为丰盛的一顿大餐，为准备年夜饭，人们往往要提前忙上好几天，配备各种各样的食材。年夜饭上的菜肴各式各样，五花八门。一些地方一般少不了两样东西：一是火锅，二是鱼。火锅沸煮，热气腾腾，说明红红火火；“鱼”和“余”谐音，象征“吉庆有余”，也喻示“年年有余”。

单选题 Barter (易货贸易), the exchange of goods and services without the use of money, is not a new idea, but over the past decade, this type of transaction has been transformed into a sophisticated business practice. Today, the barter industry is composed of several thousand independent barter exchanges representing an estimated 100000 businesses worldwide turning over US $9 billion per annum. Through bartering, businesses in Asia, US, Australia and Europe have saved millions of dollars and were consistently able to move as much extra inventory (存货) as they want. But why is barter system back in style? There are many good reasons, but underlying them all is one fundamental business motivation: profit. Businesses can use barter to conserve cash, generate new business, and turn excess and idle inventory into useful products and services. Moreover, the rising inflation, job losses and the slowing economy have prompted an explosion of bartering where businesses as well as individuals can get what they want without spending any of their precious cash. The barter system enables traders to find new buyers of their products and services from the targeted universe of participants trading within a particular exchange. Barter exchanges are done by using a trade currency to measure the exchange of goods and services between businesses and individuals. Barter currency give people the ability to purchase a future good or service that equals the amount of barter currency they own. This method allows businesses as well as individuals to get the things they need without having to expend additional money. Instead, they can use the things they no longer need or want to get the things they do need. Bartering can also be used by businesses that are seasonal in nature such as resort hotels. A bartered hotel room is more cost effective than an empty one. Bartering thus allows businesses to capitalize on unproductive assets and spare capacity. With a large exchange, it is possible to barter pretty much anything. There are exchange markets and online auctions that allow businesses to sell or trade their inventory or to purchase items that they want such as: barterplant.com, a free online community for trading items, services, and knowledge; swaptree.com, which specializes in trading books, video games, DVDs, and music and swapstyle.com, which allows members to swap clothes, shoes, cosmetics, and accessories. Although cash still in control, barter industry experts think, there is more room for barter. They predict that the globalization of barter over the next decade will be powered by a universal barter currency. Having a barter currency, which does not go up and down depending on the stability or instability of the world markets, means that the future prospects of the barter industry look pretty bright.

单选题After decades of decline, the share of mothers who stay home with their children has 29 risen over the last several years, a new report by the Pew Research Center has found. Pew 30 the rise of stay-at-home mothers to a mix of economic and societal factors. The 31 majority of married stay-at-home mothers, 85%, say they are doing so by choice in order to care for their families. That rate is much lower for single stay-at-home mothers, at 41%. The report also found a 32 in women working because of the recession, a trend that has 33 as the economy recovers. Pew cited an increase in immigrant families, for whom it is more 34 to have a mother stay at home with her children, and an increase in the number of women who said they were disabled and unable to work. A companion public opinion survey by Pew, from 2013, found that mothers are much more likely than fathers to have 35 work hours, take a significant amount of time off, quit a job or, by a small 36 turn down a promotion in order to care for a child or family member. A second Pew survey, taken this year, found most in the general public think that children are better off with a parent at home. 'This has important 37 for the day to day lives of children,' said D'Vera Cohn, the report's author. The report also looked at how stay-at-home versus working moms use their time. Those at home spend more time on housework, child care, 38 and sleep. A. reduced E. interim I. leisure M. abnormally B. impetus F. steadily J. drop N. attributed C. vast G. common K. intuitions O. margin D. implications H. cling L. lingered

单选题 中国人春节张贴门神(door gods)像是一项重要的风俗。门神像就是张贴在屋内屋外门上的神灵的画像。人们希望它们能驱鬼，保护家人，带来平安和吉祥。胖娃娃的图画通常被认为是屋内的门神，意味着好运、长寿和人丁兴旺。大门的门神有几种不同的形式，最早的门神是神荼(Shen Shu)和郁垒。如今，最常见的门神是元朝时期流行起来的秦叔宝和尉迟恭(Yuchi Gong)。秦叔宝皮肤煞白，常常佩剑；而尉迟恭皮肤黝黑，常常佩棍。他们总是成对地出现。

单选题The number of people who surf the Internet via mobile devices in China has for the first time 29 the number using computers to go online, an industry report said on Monday. The number increased by 14.42 million over the past six months, so that now 83.4 percent of China's Internet surfers are using mobile phones to go online, according to the report 30 by the China Internet Network Information Centre, a government-backed industry administrative body. The total number of Chinese netizens was 632 million by the end of June, 527 million of whom 31 onto the World Wide Web through their smartphones, the report said. It is the first time that the number of mobile Internet users has surpassed that of those surfing the Web in 32 ways, such as with personal computers and laptops, said Liu Bing, deputy director with the CINIC. 'In other words, the mobile phone can be 33 as the key terminal device for Chinese to get online,' he said. As the mobile network has taken the lead in the country's Internet development, its status has also become 34 among netizens, he said. The increasing number of smartphone owners has driven a rapid rise in e-commerce, instant messaging and entertainment applications, 'which reflects a 35 demand of netizens', he said. According to the report, the number of users who use mobile phones to make 36 has increased 63.4 percent from January to June, with the growth of payment apps likewise surging in that period. 'The mobile payment is becoming much closer with consumers and it has been making greater 37 to e-commerce development,' Liu said. Yin Jingxue, a mobile Internet analyst, confirmed that mobile devices have played the more 38 role in Web development in the country. A. traditional B. firmer C. obstacles D. logged E. contributions F. advanced G. important H. diverse I. changeable J. issued K. lagged L. regarded M. exceeded N. surfed O. payments

单选题 Questions13-15 are based on the passage you have just heard.

单选题If you're one of those people who tends to put on weight around your middle, what doctors call an 'apple shape'—what the rest of us call a beer belly—you've probably been told that you're at higher risk of heart disease. But one large new review study suggests you shouldn't be too 25 after all. It turns out that the apple-shaped among us are not at any higher risk of heart trouble as people with pear shapes or any other kind of fat 26 . In the latest study, researchers at the Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration in the UK reviewed records of more than 220000 participants in 58 different trials that followed 27 for more than 10 years for heart-related events. They found that body shape, or fat distribution, did not seem to affect heart disease risk. In fact, the researchers write in the journal Lancet, various measures of obesity, including body mass index (or BMI, a combined measure of height and weight), waist circumference (周长) and waist-to-hip ratio, all had about the same 28 value in identifying increased risk of a heart attack. What's more, 29 to the forecasting power of known risk factors such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and a history of diabetes, the obesity measures added very little to the 30 of risk assessment. Previous studies had focused not just on overweight, but on the type and 31 of fat deposits as a red flag for heart disease. The thinking was that even without blood tests for cholesterol or blood pressure, body shape alone could alert doctors and patients to the fact that patients might be at higher risk of heart problems. One headline-grabbing survey reported a three-fold 32 risk in heart disease among those with abdominal fat—folks with apple-shaped bodies—and speculated that visceral (内脏的) fat, which tends to 33 around the middle, is particularly hazardous for the heart, since it nestles deep within organs and can pump out hormones that 34 insulin (胰岛素) sensitivity and promote diabetes. A. accumulate B. accuracy C. alter D. compared E. conflicted F. decreased G. discouraged H. distinguished I. distribution J. diversion K. elevating L. increased M. location N. predictive O. volunteers

单选题 When it comes to the environment, aviation has a rather dirty reputation. The industry produced 689 million tons of CO2 in 2012, according to Air Transport Action Group and this number is sure to grow as global demand for flight continues to skyrocket. 'Aviation will double in size worldwide in the next two decades, and if we're not able to provide a sustainable means to fly, we will create a ceiling for growth in the industry,' says Ignaas Caryn, director of innovation at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. As a result, it looks like the aviation industry being ready to green up its game. In January, Boeing announced a new initiative to build a biofuel supply chain in the United Arab Emirates, as well as research it's conducting into biofuels made from salt water-consuming desert plants. To name just a few partnerships, the airplane manufacturer teamed with Virgin Australia Airlines is to produce sustainable aviation fuels from special trees in Australia. Airbus has also joined other aerospace companies in launching the ITAKA initiative, a collaborative project funded by the European Union to produce and test the use of sustainable jet fuel. Frederic Eychenne, Airbus' head of new energies, notes that no single crop will do the job for biofuels, and that to achieve true sustainability, biofuel—like food—is best when it's locally-sourced. 'Different countries grow different crops. They have different refineries in place. Sustainability isn't just about reducing emissions in the air. We have to consider the whole life-cycle in terms of production,' he notes. The main barrier to use biofuel on a larger scale, says Caryn, is the price. 'Today, bio jet fuel is still three to four times more expensive than fossil fuel, because there's no continuous production. There's a demonstrated hole in the value chain,' he notes. To solve the problem, in 2010 KLM became a joint founder of SkyNRG—a major supplier of eco-efficient jet fuel. 'We believed the development of bio jet fuel was important, and that we couldn't keep it within the boundaries of KLM, so we decided to come up with a new company. In the last five years, SkyNRG have supplied approximately 25 airlines,' he says. SkyNRG is also working with airlines and airports around the world to create bioports—or supply chains of sustainable jet fuel—in a bid to ultimately bring down the price. 'With an increase volume, we could see price parity within the next ten years,' says Caryn.

单选题 The Health Benefits of Drinking Water —Is Bottled Drinking Water Healthier Than Filtered Tap Water? A. Water is a key ingredient in a healthy diet and lifestyle. There are many health benefits of drinking water. It helps flush impurities and toxins out of our systems. It aids in the delivery of oxygen and nutrients. In fact, nearly every system in our bodies relies on water for proper functioning. But what will happen if the water you drink is unhealthy? B. In past decades, concerns about tap water and its impact on overall health led some people to turn to bottled drinking water instead. However, in those days, there were few choices of bottled waters. You could pay to have a company deliver large bulky plastic bottles of water for the water cooler. Or you could purchase gallon jugs of distilled or 'drinking water' at the grocery store. C. In recent years, there has been an explosion in the number of different bottled waters available, with big distributors such as Coke and Pepsi jumping on the bandwagon. But are bottled drinking waters like Coke's Dasani brand, Pepsi's Aquafina, or Wal-Mart's store brand really any healthier than your tap water? Or would you be better off with a drinking water filtration system? D. As we have learned more about the water we drink, the technology behind drinking water filters and purification systems has improved dramatically. There are filters to remove impurities, chemicals, heavy metals, bacteria and most every contaminant you can think of. With the fight size and filter combination for your specific home, your water can be exceptionally pure and healthy. Cost Comparison E. Drinking water filtration systems have also become more affordable and easy to use. Although the initial cost of a whole house system usually amounts to several hundred dollars, that cost is often less than $100 each year if spread out over the life of the system. There may be additional expenses to replace carbon filters, membranes in reverse osmosis drinking water filtration system, or lamps in an ultraviolet light water treatment device. These expenses can add another $100 or so to the annual costs of operating drinking water filters and purification systems. F. While some people may hesitate to spend so much each year for clean, safe drinking water, they are probably paying more for bottled drinking water. Calculations show that at a price of $1 to $4 per gallon, bottled or delivered water costs an average of $400 each year, especially if you purchase individual bottles. And that doesn't take into consideration the gas needed to drive to the store or the environmental impact of all the empty plastic bottles. Health Aspects G. Many people who choose bottled drinking water understand that it is more expensive, but they are still willing to pay the extra money because bottled water is thought to be safer and healthier than filtered drinking water. After all, bottled water is often marketed as 'natural spring water' or 'pure glacier water.' H. In reality, few bottled waters come from natural springs, and most of them use municipal tap water. The companies are able to get away with this false marketing because the regulations and standards for bottle drinking water are less stringent than those for residential drinking sources. I. The quality of bottled water is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), while drinking water systems are typically regulated by State regulations or the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This doesn't mean that the FDA isn't doing their job. It's just that the rules for bottled water only require it to be as good as tap water, not better. J. In addition, the FDA regulations only apply to bottled drinking water that is transported across state lines. If a company sells their bottled drinking water in the same state where it was bottled, the federal regulations don't apply. The result is that many bottled waters are not any healthier than filtered water, and in fact some are less pure. K. This was demonstrated in a study which was conducted in 1999 by the Natural Resources Defense Council. They tested over 100 brands of bottled drinking water and found that about one third of the waters contained contamination in the form of chemicals, bacteria, and arsenic. The study also found that up to forty percent of bottled drinking waters come from a city water system. How to Tell if Your Water Is Healthy L. So how do you tell if the water you are drinking is healthy? With tap water, it is relatively easy. If you water comes from a municipal source, the suppliers are required by law to provide annual water quality reports. If you have a well, you can have an authorized lab test your water. It may cost $100 or more, but it's a small price to pay for peace of mind. Or you can purchase a kit and test it yourself, but naturally the results may not be as conclusive or reliable as those produced by authorized labs. M. When it comes to bottled drinking water, it can be more difficult to know what you are getting. Start by checking the label or the bottle cap. Some may tell you that the water comes from a municipal source or 'community water system', which means tap water. N. If the label doesn't give any information, you can call the bottler and ask. But don't be surprised if you get the run around and are transferred to several different departments. Some states have a bottled water program that tracks bottled drinking water and can tell you the origin of the source water as well as other information. O. Safe and healthy drinking water has become big business. Thousands of companies are vying for your hard earned cash, and some are not always honest about what their products offer. The initial investment for a home drinking water filtration system can seem expensive at first, but over time, it is usually less expensive than bottled drinking water. And with a water filter, you at least know where the water you drink came from and how it was treated. P. Before going out and spending your hard earned money for bottled drinking water that may, be no better than your own tap water, it is obviously a good idea to do some research. You are likely to decide that a drinking water filtration system and/or purifier is the healthier choice and provides the best value as well.

单选题 Now listen to the following recording and answer questions20-22.