Beauty is big business in China. The country's cosmetics market is worth $26 billion a year, making it the third-biggest in the world. Euromonitor, a research firm, believes it will grow 8% each year from now to 2017. It would seem【C1】______then, that some of the world's best-known brands are giving up on such an【C2】______market. This week L'Oreal of France, the world's biggest cosmetics firm, said that it will stop selling its Garnier line of beauty products in China. This came on the【C3】______of an announcement by Revlon, an American【C4】______that it would leave the country altogether. L'Oreal insists that this is not a step【C5】______from the Chinese market, of which it【C6】______an 11% share, but rather a【C7】______in strategy. It says it will henceforth【C8】______selling Chinese consumers its L'Oreal Paris and Maybelline New York lines. Revlon has done rather less well in China, which【C9】______a tiny share of its global【C10】______. It is said to have【C11】______a big fall in sales in recent months and【C12】______this on a slowing Chinese economy. A few years ago, when China's annual GDP growth was in double digits and its consumers had【C13】______begun to fill their repressed desire for foreign luxury, the firms that sold it set themselves ambitious targets. Now China is coming to【C14】______a more normal emerging market: still with much potential for growth,【C15】______with no guarantee that every【C16】______foreign product entering it will get a piece of the action. Consumers are becoming more【C17】______, and are increasingly unwilling to pay extra money for all but the very best brands. At the same time costs are high. Wages for "beauty assistants" and other saleswomen are【C18】______at double-digit rates annually. Marketing in such a huge and diverse country, are【C19】______To cap it all, Chinese cosmetics firms are quickly catching up with the foreign ones. As the costs rise and the【C20】______slows, L'Oreal and Revlon are unlikely to be the last foreign cosmetics firms to think again about their ambitions in China

If you can't resist the chance to put on a bet, blame your insula—a region of your brain. Scientists think that when this brain area is overactive, the heart rules our head and we can't help but【C1】______our losses. The Cambridge University researchers said: "Future treatments for gambling addiction could seek to reduce this overactivity, either by drugs or psychological techniques." The researchers made the【C2】______after asking people with various brain injuries and healthy people play slot machine and roulette (a gambling game). A near miss on the slot machines made the players,【C3】______those with the damaged insulas, extra-keen to try their luck again.【C4】______, all of the players, apart from those with faulty insulas, made a【C5】______mistake when playing roulette. Dr Luke Clark from the University of Cambridge, who led the research, explained that during gambling games, people often【C6】______their chances of winning【C7】______a number of errors of thinking called【C8】______distortions. For example, 'near-misses' seem to encourage further play,【C9】______they are no different from any other loss. In a【C10】______sequence like tossing a coin, a【C11】______of one event (heads) makes people think the other【C12】______(tails) is due next; this is known as the 'gambler's fallacy'. There is increasing【C13】______that problem gamblers are particularly prone to these erroneous beliefs. By studying these people, the researchers found that all of them—【C14】______the exception of the patients with insula damage—reported a【C15】______motivation to play following near-misses in the slot machine game, and also fell【C16】______to the gambler's fallacy in the roulette game. The finding, which is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that the insula, which is【C17】______in gut feelings and decision-making, is key to the psychology of gambling. "Based on these results, we【C18】______that the insula could be overactive in problem gamblers, making them more【C19】______to these errors of thinking," said Dr Clarke. "Future treatments for gambling addiction could seek to reduce this overactivity, either by drugs or by psychological techniques like mindfulness【C20】______."

It has become a recurring theme, and worryingly so. Since October 2015, our planet has experienced ten consecutive months of human-influenced, record-breaking temperature increases. The previous October, November, December, January, February, March, April, May and June months were all documented as the warmest Octobers, the warmest Januarys, the warmest Aprils; global heat highs are the hot new trend and the data suggests they are here to stay. According to NASA, July 2016 is not only the warmest July in history, but the warmest month in recorded history. NASA has tallied temperature changes from 1880 to the present day, with its data showing no signs of a slow-up in rising temperatures. Climate scientists have been perplexed in their attempts to understand the factors pushing the mercury so far up the thermometer this year. El Nino—the phenomenon explaining the unusual warming of surface waters in the east-central zone of the Pacific Ocean—has been tied to increased ocean water temperatures and changes in weather patterns. Important as it is to factor El Nino into the climate change framework, it is highly unlikely that it has contributed significantly to the hurried, upward trend witnessed these past ten months. If anything, focus on the subsiding effects of El Nino risks detracting attention from the pressure asserted on the climate by human activity. Greenhouse gases continue to bloat the atmosphere, trapping heat as atmospheric escape routes are obscured. Further exacerbating the climate change panic seems to be an unusually high temperature currently being experienced in the Arctic region. Arctic sea ice is the most vulnerable to climate change, and is now at a new low with ice cover down to 14. 54m sq km. With no clear solution in sight, the ice is destined to continue melting, with longer melting seasons becoming a normal occurrence. The U. S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration have noted a similar trend for the past 14 months, and are expected to release a similar figure for July. Though the rise is expected to taper off towards the end of the year, a scientist drew attention to how there is a "99 percent chance of a new annual record in 2016". As we confront the reality that many of these changes are as a direct consequence of human intervention, it is very possible that without the appropriate response, we could be contending with broken records for years to come.

Directions:Writeanessaybasedonthedrawing.Inyourwriting,youshould1)describethedrawingbriefly,2)explainitsintendedmeaning,and3)giveyourcomments.Youshouldwriteabout150words.

High-quality customer service is preached by many, but actually keeping customers happy is easier said than done. Shoppers seldom complain to the manager or owner of a retail store, but instead will alert their friends, relatives, co-workers, strangers—and anyone who will listen. Store managers are often the last to hear complaints, and often find out only when their regular customers decide to frequent their competitors, according to a study jointly conducted by Verde group and Wharton school. "Storytelling hurts retailers and entertains consumers," said Paula Courtney, President of the Verde group. "The store loses the customer, but the shopper must also find a replacement." On average, every unhappy customer will complain to at least four others, and will no longer visit the specific store. For every dissatisfied customer, a store will lose up to three more due to negative reviews. The resulting "snowball effect" can be disastrous to retailers. According to the research, shoppers who purchased clothing encountered the most problems. Ranked second and third were grocery and electronics customers. The most common complaints include filled parking lots, cluttered (塞满了的) shelves, over-located racks, out-of-stock items, long check-out lines, and rude salespeople. During peak shopping hours, some retailers solved the parking problems by getting moonlighting (业余兼职的) local police to work as parking attendants. Some hired flag wavers to direct customers to empty parking spaces. This guidance eliminated the need for customers to circle the parking lot endlessly, and avoided confrontation between those eyeing the same parking space. Retailers can relieve the headaches by redesigning store layouts, pre-stocking sales items, hiring speedy and experienced cashiers, and having sales representatives on hand to answer questions. Most importantly, salespeople should be diplomatic and polite with angry customers. "Retailers who're responsive and friendly are more likely to smooth over issues than those who aren't so friendly," said Professor Stephen Hoch. "Maybe something as simple as a greeter at the store entrance would help." Customers can also improve future shopping experiences by filling complaints to the retailer, instead of complaining to the rest of the world. Retailers are hard-pressed to improve when they have no idea what is wrong.

BPart ADirections: Write a composition/letter of no less than 100 words on the following information./B

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

Ever since Muzak started serenading patrons of hotels and restaurants in the 1930s, piped-in music has been part of the consumer experience. Without the throb of a synthesiser or a guitar's twang, shoppers would sense something missing as they tried on jeans or filled up trolleys. Specialists like Mood Media, which bought Muzak in 2011, devise audio programmes to influence the feel of shops and cater to customers' tastes. The idea is to entertain, and thereby prolong the time shoppers spend in stores, says Claude Nahon, the firm's international chief. Music by famous artists works better than the generic stuff that people associate with Muzak. The embarrassing brand name was dropped in 2013. Online shopping is an under-explored area of merchandising musicology. A new study commissioned by eBay, a shopping website, aims to correct that. Some 1,900 participants were asked to simulate online shopping while listening to different sounds. Some results were unsurprising. The noise of roadworks and crying babies soured shoppers' views of the products on offer. Chirruping birds encouraged sales of barbecues but not blenders or board games. Sounds associated with quality and luxury seemed to be hazardous for shoppers' wallets. The study found classical music and restaurant buzz caused them to overestimate the quality of goods on offer and to pay more than they should. That backs up earlier research which found that shoppers exposed to classical music in a wine store bought more expensive bottles than those hearing pop. EBay wants consumers to avoid such unhealthy influences when shopping online. It has blended birdsong, dreamy music and the sound of a rolling train—thought to be pleasant but not overly seductive—to help them buy more sensibly. Retailers could presumably counter by turning up the Chopin. "Classical music does seem to be the way to go" if your only interest is the narrow one of squeezing as much money as possible from your clientele, says the study's author, Patrick Fagan, a lecturer at Goldsmiths, part of the University of London. Few traditional shops are likely to use that tactic. H&M, a clothes retailer, airs "trendy, up-tempo" music from new artists, while Nespresso's coffee boutiques go for "lounge-y" sounds, says Mr. Nahon. Grocery stores, with a broad following, play top 40 hits. The tempo tends to be slower in the mornings, when shoppers are sparser and older, and becomes more quick and lively as the day goes on.

Thinner isn' t always better. A number of studies have【C1】______that normal-weight people are in fact at higher risk of some diseases compared to those who are overweight. And there are health conditions for which being overweight is actually【C2】______. For example, heavier women are less likely to develop calcium deficiency than thin women. 【C3】______, among the elderly, being somewhat overweight is often an【C4】______of good health. Of even greater【C5】______is the fact that obesity turns out to be very difficult to define. It is often defined【C6】______body mass index, or BMI. BMI【C7】______body mass divided by the square of height. An adult with a BMI of 18 to 25 is often considered to be normal weight. Between 25 and 30 is overweight. And over 30 is considered obese. Obesity, 【C8】______, can be divided into moderately obese, severely obese, and very severely obese. While such numerical standards seem【C9】______, they are not. Obesity is probably less a matter of weight than body fat. Some people with a high BMI are in fact extremely fit, 【C10】______others with a low BMI may be in poor【C11】______. For example, many collegiate and professional football players【C12】______as obese, though their percentage body fat is low. Conversely, someone with a small frame may have high body fat but a【C13】______BMI. Today we have a(an) 【C14】______to label obesity as a disgrace. The overweight are sometimes【C15】______in the media with their faces covered. Stereotypes【C16】______with obesity include laziness, lack of will power, and lower prospects for success. Teachers, employers, and health professionals have been shown to harbor biases against the obese. 【C17】______very young children tend to look down on the overweight, and teasing about body build has long been a problem in schools. Negative attitudes toward obesity, 【C18】______in health concerns, have stimulated a number of anti-obesity【C19】______My own hospital system has banned sugary drinks from its facilities. Many employers have instituted weight loss and fitness initiatives. Michelle Obama has launched a high-visibility campaign【C20】______childhood obesity, even claiming that it represents our greatest national security threat.

Directions: Most of us are happy to have long holidays, such as Labor Day, National Day and Spring Festival. But there are also some disadvantages of a long holiday. In this section, you are asked to write an essay on a major advantage/disadvantage of a long holiday. You can take either stand and provide specific reasons and examples to support your idea. You should write at least 150 words.

BPart BDirections: Write an essay of 160-200 words based on the following information./B

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

BPart ADirections: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D./B

The happier you are, the better, right? Not necessarily. Studies show that there is a darker side to feeling good and that the【C1】______of happiness can sometimes make you less happy. Too much cheerfulness can make you deceivable, less successful—and that"s only the tip of the iceberg. Happiness does have【C2】______. It can protect us from stroke and from the common cold, makes us more【C3】______to pain and even【C4】______our lives. Yet, June Gruber, a psychologist warns that it"s important to experience positive moods in moderation. She compares happiness to food:【C5】______necessary and beneficial, too much food can cause problems;【C6】______, happiness can lead to bad outcomes. "Research indicates that very high levels of positive feelings【C7】______risk-taking behaviors, excess alcohol and drug consumption, overeating, and may lead us to【C8】______threats," she says. How else can excessive joy, or having lots of positive emotions and a relative absence of【C9】______ones, hurt you? First, it may【C10】______your career prospects. Psychologist Edward Diener, known for his happiness research, and his colleagues analyzed a variety of studies, and discovered that those who early in their lives reported the highest life【C11】______years later reported lower income than those who felt slightly less【C12】______when young. What"s more, they【C13】______school earlier. Included in the studies was one【C14】______a group of American college freshmen who in 1976 claimed to be very cheerful. Surveyed again when they were in their late 30s, they earned, on average, almost $3,500 a year less than their slightly less cheerful【C15】______. Why? Diener suggests that people who don"t experience much sadness or anxiety are【C16】______dissatisfied with their jobs and therefore feel less pressure to get more education or change careers. Psychologists point out that emotions are【C17】______: They make us change behavior to help us【C18】______. Anger prepares us to fight; fear helps us flee. But what about sadness? Studies show that when we are sad, we think in a more systematic manner. Sad people are attentive【C19】______details and externally oriented, while happy people【C20】______make snap judgments that may reflect racial or sex stereotyping.

BPart ADirections: Write a composition/letter of no less than 100 words on the following information./B

In this section, you are asked to write an essay based on the following information. Make comments and express your own opinion. You should write at least 150 words. 如今许多大学生喜欢追求名牌；有一些人甚至为了追求名牌，毫不考虑家庭的经济负担。你如何看待这个问题?

Marion Nestle's heavyweight criticism against Coca-Cola and PepsiCo comes at an odd moment for the industry. Americans are drinking fewer sugary sodas—in 2012 production was 23% below what it had been a decade earlier. Even sales of diet drinks are losing their fizz, as consumers question the merits of artificial sweeteners. From one angle, it would seem that health advocates such as Ms Nestle have won. Yet in America companies still produce 30 gallons of regular fizzy drinks per person per year. In many countries, particularly developing ones, consumption is on the rise. Ms Nestle, a professor at New York University, is both inspired by recent progress and dissatisfied with it. That is no surprise. Her first book, Food Politics, remains a bible for those who complain about the power of food companies. In her new book she attacks the industry's most widely consumed, least healthy product. Soda Politics, she says, is a book "to inspire readers to action". As a rallying cry, it is verbose. When readers learn on page 238 that she will pick up a particular subject in chapter 25, it is with no little dismay that they realize they are only on chapter 17. But what the author wants most is to craft a detailed guide to the producers' alleged violation, and how to stop them. Ms Nestle says she would have no complaint with sweet fizzy drinks if they were sipped occasionally, as a treat. However, for millions of people in many countries, they are not. In Mexico companies sold 372 cans of fizzy drinks per person in 2012. About half of Americans do not drink them regularly, but those who do are disproportionately poor, less educated, male, Hispanic or black. 10% of Americans down more than four cans a day. Drinking a lot of sweet fizzy drinks is plainly unhealthy. Unlike a Big Mac, they have no nutritional value; nor do their calories satisfy hunger. One large study found that for each can added to a person's daily diet, the risk of diabetes jumped by 22%. There are also links between sugar and heart disease, stroke and cancer. Drinking lots of sodas imposes clear costs on individuals, Ms Nestle argues, but it has a broader cost, too. American taxpayers subsidize corn production and let the poor use government food vouchers to buy fizzy drinks. More important, taxpayers foot the health bill for those who develop chronic disease.

Like a tired marriage, the relationship between libraries and publishers has long been reassuringly dull. E-books, however, are causing heartache. Libraries know they need digital wares if they are to remain valuable, but many publishers are too wary of piracy and lost sales to co-operate. Among the big six, only Random House and HarperCollins license e-books with most libraries. The others have either denied requests or are reluctantly experimenting. In August, for example, Penguin will start a pilot with public libraries in New York. Electronic borrowing is awfully convenient. Unlike printed books, which must be checked out and returned to a physical library miles from where you live, Electronic book files can be downloaded at home. Digital library catalogues are often browsed at night, from a comfy sofa. The files disappear from the device when they are due (which means no late fees, nor angst about lost or damaged tomes). E-lending is not simple, however. There are lots of different and often incompatible e-book formats, devices and licences. Most libraries use a company called OverDrive, a global distributor that secures rights from publishers and provides e-books and audio files in every format. Some 35 million titles were checked out through OverDrive in 2011, and the company now sends useful data on borrowing behavior to participating publishers. Yet publishers and libraries are worried by Over-Drive's market dominance, as the company can increasingly dictate fees and conditions. Publishers were miffed when OverDrive teamed up with Amazon, the world's biggest online bookseller, last year. Owners of Amazon's Kindle e-reader who want to borrow e-books from libraries are now redirected to Amazon's website, where they must use their Amazon account to secure a loan. Amazon then follows up with library patrons directly, letting them know they can "Buy this book" when the loan falls due. So publishers keep tweaking their lending arrangements in search of the right balance. Random House raised its licensing prices earlier this year, and HarperCollins limits libraries to lending its titles 26 times. Penguin plans to keep new releases out of libraries for at least six months, and each book will expire after a year. Hachette is engaged in some secret experiments, and the others are watching with bated breath. In Britain the government will soon announce a review of the matter. The story of the library e-book is a nail-biter.

Writeanessaybasedonthefollowingtable.Youshould1)describethetableand2)giveyourcomments.Youshouldwriteabout150wordsontheANSWERSHEET.(15points)

Wholesale prices in July rose more sharply than expected and at a faster rate than consumer prices,【C1】______ that businesses were still protecting consumers【C2】______ the full brunt(冲击) of higher energy costs. The Producer Price Index,【C3】______ measures what producers receive for goods and services,【C4】______ 1 percent in July, the Labor Department reported yesterday, double【C5】______ economists had been expecting and a sharp turnaround from flat prices in June. Excluding【C6】______ and energy, the core index of producer prices rose 0.4 percent,【C7】______ than the 0. 1 percent that economists had【C8】______ . Much of that increase was a result of an【C9】______ increase in car and truck prices. On Tuesday, the Labor Department said the【C10】______ that consumers paid for goods and services in July were【C11】______ 0.5 percent over all, and up 0. 1 percent, excluding food and energy. 【C12】______ the overall rise in both consumer and producer prices【C13】______ caused by energy costs, which increased 4. 4 percent in the month. (Wholesale food prices【C14】______ 0. 3 percent in July.【C15】______ July 2004, wholesale prices were up 4. 6 percent, the core rate【C16】______ 2. 8 percent, its fastest pace since 1995.) Typically, increases in the Producer Price Index indicate similar changes in the consumer index【C17】______ businesses recoup(补偿) higher costs from customers.【C18】______ for much of this expansion, which started【C19】______ the end of 2001 , that has not been the【C20】______ In fact, many businesses like automakers have been aggressively discounting their products.