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

If you want to lose weight, but are not a fan of the gym, the results of a new study could offer a welcome alternative. People who wake up and go to bed at the same time every day are【C1】______than those with irregular sleep patterns, the study found. Researchers studied more than 300 women and found that those with the best—or most consistent—sleeping【C2】______had less body fat. The volunteers were【C3】______for body composition, and then were given an activity tracker to【C4】______their movements during the day, and their sleep patterns at night. The. study found that getting【C5】______than 6.5 hours, or more than 8.5 hours, sleep a night is【C6】______higher levels of body fat. Women with more than 90 minutes of variation in sleep and wake time during the week had higher body fat levels than those with less than 60 minutes of variation. Exercise science professor Bruce Bailey said【C7】______sleep quality can result in higher body fat【C8】______affecting the hormones levels【C9】______to appetite. He said: "We have these【C10】______clocks and throwing them off and not【C11】______them to get into a pattern does have a(an) 【C12】______on our physiology." He says there are ways to【C13】______sleep quality, such as【C14】______exercise, keeping your bedroom quiet and dark, and using beds only for sleeping. "Sleep is often a casualty of trying to do more and be better and it is often【C15】______," Professor Bailey said. Previous research from Temple University revealed that when people get a good night's sleep they don't feel so【C16】______They found that when children slept more, they【C17】______134 fewer calories a day and lost weight. These findings were supported by research from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota which also revealed that sleep【C18】______people eat more calories. The researchers studied 17 healthy young people and found that when they slept less they ate more. They believe this is【C19】______when the volunteers were tired, they had higher levels of the hormones leptin and ghrelin, both of which are【C20】______appetite.

It's midday, and your phone's battery is dangerously close to the 20 per cent mark. If you're like the majority of people, that red icon will leave you feeling panicked, annoyed and hunting for a spare charger. L Company has dubbed this condition "Low Battery Anxiety" and says that nearly 9 out of 10 people suffer from the fear of losing power on their phone. The company polled a random sample of more than 2,000 adult smartphone users in the US earlier this year. When it comes to choosing between hitting the gym or charging their smartphone, it found one in three people are likely to skip the gym. But millennials tend to have it worse— with 42 per cent likely to skip the gym when choosing between working out or charging their phone. Smart phone users will even "drop everything" and make a U-turn to head back home to charge their phone.

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

Why do we need the English major? The【C1】______is in every mouth—or, at least, is discussed extensively in columns and【C2】______. The English major is vanishing from our colleges as the Latin vanished before it, we"re told, a【C3】______choice bound to a dead subject. This spring at Pomona College, 16 students graduated【C4】______an English major out of a student body of 1,560, a terribly【C5】______number, and from other, similar schools, other, similar numbers. 【C6】______a number of defenses have been mounted, none of them, so far, terribly persuasive even to one【C7】______them to persuade. The defenses come in two kinds: one【C8】______that English majors make better people, the other that English majors (or at least humanities majors) make【C9】______better societies; that, as Christina Pax-son, the president of Brown University, just put it in The New Republic, "there are real, definite benefits to the humanistic【C10】______—to the study of history, literature, art, theater, music, and languages." We need the humanities, she explains patiently,【C11】______they may end up giving us other stuff we actually like: "We do not always know the future benefits of what we study and【C12】______should not rush to reject some forms of research as less【C13】______than others." The study of English, to be sure,【C14】______from its own discontents: it isn"t a science, and so the "research" you do is not really research. So why have English majors? Well, because many people like books. Most of those like to talk about them after they"ve read them, or while they"re in the middle. One might call this a natural or【C15】______consequence of literacy. And it"s this living, irresistible, permanent interest in reading that【C16】______English departments, and makes【C17】______of English majors.【C18】______we closed down every English department in the country, loud, good, expert, or at least hyper-enthusiastic readers would still emerge. As one important branch of humanities, studying English won"t be time-wasted. As Professor Paxson said, the humanities help us【C19】______life more and endure it better. The reason we need the humanities is because we"re human. That"s【C20】______.

BSection III Writing/B

Directions: 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. 近年来，一些学生努力学习英语，但是却忽略了汉语的学习，认为它并不重要。这样下去势必会出现一些问题。你的看法如何?

The Nobel Prize is a mysterious incarnation of power and authority, an anointed ritual whose claims are accepted as part of the order of things. The Nobel Prize is at once a relic of the past and a self-admiring mirror of our democratized, scientized, secularized modern culture. After a century of existence, the Nobel has become a problematic part of modern history: it helps shape our perception of ourselves for better or worse. Like monarchy, the Nobel Prize surrounds itself with mystery and extraordinary secretiveness. Indeed, the media have more easily breached the privacy of the British royal family than that of the Nobel institution.The prizes present themselves as if handed down from eternity. But as even a cursory inspection will reveal, the juries that pick the laureates have often shown bias, lapses of judgment and bitter infighting. In the sciences, a number of quarrels, scandals, and even lawsuits have erupted over claims to priority or credit for collaborations honored by Nobles. And while widely admired, the science prizes have also been charged with swaying research goals and funding, however inadvertently, and more insidiously with corrupting scientific ambitions by the lure of Nobel fames. Such controversies, together with public dissent from several prizes, have been part of the Nobel history since its beginning. All prizes stir arguments; the Nobel's fame simply magnifies this hugely. The very glory and stature of the Nobel Prizes prompt some sharp questions. Should such high endeavors of the human spirit as science, literature, and peace be treated as competitions, however exalted? Should these priceless efforts be paid the enormous, though "honorary," price lavished on the winners? Would it matter if there never had been a Nobel Price? Or if it vanished tomorrow? The problem is that the prices are not merely awards and medals but are aspects of power woven into our lives: it was once and future Nobelists who built the nuclear bombs that still hang fatefully over us; Nobelists now play an important part in public and military policy. It is also true that the Nobel Prizes show modern fame: the Nobel Prize pays honor to some of the highest human adventures in nature and matter, creativity and justice. Where else, moreover, can both the unfamed and the general public find a replacement for the authority and coherence, to whatever degree, the Nobel has come to possess? In a world and age as inwardly fractured as ours this is a question not lightly dismissed.

[A]Crisis Seems Far [B]The Firm Is At Risk [C]More Rivals Join In [D]Natural Foods Are Unreal [E]Stop Buying Organic Foods [F]The Recall Makes Things Worse [G]Traditional Foods Face Challenge The colourful chalkboards and baskets of fruit that greet customers at the entrances of Whole Foods Market's shops paint a rosy picture. Yet shares in the American seller of organic and natural food have fallen by more than 40% since hitting a peak last October, in a period when stock markets have been strong. 【R1】______ It is not that the retailer is in immediate crisis: its latest quarterly figures, on July 30th, showed sales and profits both up a bit. And it is not that people are going off the idea of paying more for food produced without chemical fertilisers, pesticides or additives: the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements reckons that the industry's worldwide revenues were a record of 63 billion in 2012; and Techsci Research, a market-research firm, predicts that the American market for such foods—the world's largest—may grow by 14% by 2018. 【R2】______ The problem is that at Whole Foods, shoppers have been paying way over the cost of regular produce, and its success in getting them to do so has now attracted a lot of competitors, from rival organics chains like Sprouts and Trader Joe's to mass-market retailers like Walmart and Costco. As a result, the price premium for organic produce is crashing down. On a recent shopping trip, a pound of organic apples cost 2. 99 at Whole Foods but just 1. 99 at Sprouts and even less at Costco. 【R3】______ The firm has been trimming costs to keep its margins up, but the slump in its share price reflects investors' expectation that this cannot continue, that profits will suffer and that Whole Foods' dominance of the market is coming to an end. 【R4】______ That the company has had to recall a number of products—in late July it and other grocers recalled plums and peaches suspected of contamination with Listeria bacteria—has made it harder to maintain an air of superiority over its competitors. Organic foods' claim to superiority is questionable anyway. Both Britain's Food Standards Agency and the Annals of Internal Medicine, a journal, concluded after reviewing the extensive studies on the issue that there is no substantial difference in the nutritiousness of organics and non-organics. In some respects organics may be bad for the environment, because growing them uses land less efficiently than non-organics. 【R5】______ As for "natural" foods, there is no official definition of this,in America at least; so the label, which Whole Foods also applies to many products, is close to meaningless. Alan McHughen, a botanist at the University of California, Riverside, argues that the whole industry is "99% marketing and public perception," reeling people in through a fabricated concept of a time when food, and life in general, was simple and wholesome. If true,the trick has worked nicely for Whole Foods. But its success has attracted so many imitators that it is losing its uniqueness. Even recent speculation about a takeover bid has failed to lift its shares. It may insist its food is sustainable. But it seems its prices are not.

You are scheduled to head for a job interview tomorrow afternoon. However, you have just been informed that there will be an important lecture then, and you can't excuse yourself. So write a letter to the interviewer: 1) Express your apology; 2) Explain the reason why you can't meet the appointment; 3) Request your appointment be scheduled for another time. Write your letter with no less than 100 words. Write it neatly on Answer Sheet 2. Do not sign your own name at the end of the letter, use "Li Ming" instead. You do not need to write the address. (10 points)

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

Directions: Instant foods, instant communication, faster transportation—all of these recent developments are designed to save time. Ironically, though, instead of making more leisure time available, these developments have contributed to a pace of human affairs that is more rushed than ever before. In this section, you are asked to write an essay on a major disadvantage of "instant" technology. You can provide specific reasons and examples to support your idea. You should write at least 150 words.

When Paul Gorski, the founder of an organization called EdChange, visits colleges and universities to advise them on campus diversity, he has come to see a pattern. Initially, schools are enthusiastic,【C1】______their full commitment to ensuring their campuses are【C2】______of racial, religious, and gender bias. They【C3】______participate in surveys that measure students'【C4】______of cross-cultural relations on campus. They【C5】______international dinners, sponsor diversity days, and spend weeks writing and refining diversity statements. 【C6】______when Gorski begins to suggest the work that he believes really【C7】______, for example, reevaluating policies, reallocating budgets, and【C8】______challenging the current situations—they stop returning his phone calls. They【C9】______someone new, and they start again. Since student bodies turn over so quickly, it always looks as if the school is making an effort,【C10】______they're actually just staying in the same place. It's true that many colleges and universities make【C11】______efforts to recruit racially, ethnically, and religiously diverse student bodies with the【C12】______of creating an integrated campus where diversity is truly【C13】______for students, preparing them to work in a global economy and a society with different cultures. Some are【C14】______willing to fight affirmative-action【C15】______in the highest courts to get there. But, as Gorski's experience indicates, some seem to forget that the admissions office is just the beginning of the struggle【C16】______an integrated campus. Of course it's hard for a university or college to purposefully【C17】______problems that they're not aware of. Biases and resentments are often suppressed below the【C18】______invisible to all but those directly affected. Gorski says that in 14 years on the job, his surveys have always revealed unresolved issues involving race and diversity— typically there's a profound difference between the understandings held by different【C19】______, with students of color reporting that racism is still a problem, while white students and higher-level officials【C20】______that there's anything wrong. "Diversity day is for white people to learn about people of color," Gorski says. "Generally speaking, people of color don't need organized opportunities to learn about white people."

Spring is here: flowers are in bloom, birdsong fills the air, and the inboxes of employers are filled with desperate pleas for summer internships. College students and graduates are well aware of the impact a desirable placement could have on their careers. With ever fewer entry-level jobs in many industries, internships have become a critical first step into employment. In America, three-quarters of students on a four-year university course will have labored as an intern at least once before graduation. Up to half of these sharp-sighted workers will have given their services free. Some may even have had to pay for the privilege of coming to work. Unpaid internships seem to be an example of mutual benefits: inexperienced youngsters learn something about a chosen field while employers get to farm out some unskilled work. The arrangement is consensual, and companies often use internships to test potential recruits. But the increasing popularity of these unpaid placements has caused some controversy lately. Nick Clegg, Britain's deputy prime minister, recently launched a campaign to ban them, arguing that they favor the wealthy and privileged. Others complain that uncompensated internships violate labor standards, exploit new employees and surely depress wages for everyone else. In America, they tend to be illegal at for-profit companies, according to guidelines set out in 1947. But the Department of Labor barely enforces such rules, in part because interns are often too afraid to file complaints. Organizations in America save $ 2 billion a year by not paying interns a minimum wage, writes Ross Perlin in "Intern Nation" , a new book about the "highly competitive race to the bottom of the corporate ladder". Perhaps one-third of all internships at for-profit companies are unpaid, and interns now often fill roles once held by full-time employees. To avoid legal complications, companies often encourage students to work in exchange for academic credits from their colleges. But such credits can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Some colleges exempt their fees or earn them by offering guidance and supervision. For many institutions, however, they are an easy source of revenue, more beneficial to themselves than their students. Calls for new labor laws that reflect the growing prominence of internships have got nowhere. Instead, interns will have to look out for each other, for example by rating their experiences on the Internet. At any rate, students may be encouraged by a rare bit of good news from the National Association of Colleges and Employers: employers intend to hire 19% more graduates this year than last. This should spare some from the hard boring work without pay.

Nancy Liu arrived in Sydney from China as a "skilled immigrant"with an economics degree 14 years ago. With her husband, she set up a business consultancy in the suburb in southern Sydney. However, Liu was only an epitome of thousands of Chinese investors. Since then, Chinese investment has transformed the city: many of its shop signs are now in Chinese. Ms Liu was a forerunner of a new wave of Chinese immigrants to Australia's oldest and biggest city. Hong Kong once supplied most of Australia's Chinese settlers, but over the past few years the pattern has shifted. Now it is the rising middle classes from other places of China who go there, looking for a more relaxed life style. About 4% of Sydney's people were born in China. Currently, China has become Australia's biggest trading partner, and its largest source of foreign students.

[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.

If the online service is free then you are the product, technicians say. Google and Facebook make a【C1】______collecting personal information to help them target their advertisements more【C2】______Free smart-phone apps typically【C3】______all the data they can, such as the person"s location or their【C4】______address book. More than ever, individual privacy is【C5】______threat. Julia Angwin, who oversaw a pioneering series of Wall Street Journal articles called "What They Know", starting last year,【C6】______many of the questionable activities that damage privacy—activities that most people know nothing about. Hundreds of unregulated data-agents【C7】______in America, for example, selling personal files to marketing companies. One company runs a fleet of camera—equipped cars that【C8】______the number plates of 1 million vehicles a month, mostly to find those wanted for repossession—【C9】______it sells the data to insurers or private investigators as well. Ms Angwin condemns this shadowy business. Her book tracks her attempts to【C10】______it. She gets a credit card using a fake name; she uses a(n)【C11】______search engine and conceals her e-mail and texts; she leaves LinkedIn. When she turns off basic web-browsing functions that enable tracking she becomes digitally【C12】______. Amazon items appear to be out of【C13】______and she is unable set up an appointment at an Apple store. "My daughter would stand next to me and laugh while I tried to【C14】______a page and browse through all the【C15】______," she writes. Yet "Dragnet Nation" has its【C16】______. It ignores how exciting the【C17】______uses of personal data can be to companies, governments and NGOs. It mixes state scrutiny and privacy-damaging business practices, weakening the study of both. Ms Angwin"s analysis of the problems and【C18】______regulatory remedies is shallow, and her attempts to【C19】______the dragnet eventually become wearisome. Her【C20】______is to have made herself a subject in an experiment to avoid the scrutiny found everywhere. But the real story about the e-conomy of personal information and protecting privacy in an age of big data has yet to be written.

Suppose you are going to resign from your company for personal reasons. Write a letter of resignation to your manager to 1) inform him about your decision, and 2) express your best wishes. You should write about 100 words. Do not use your own name. Use "Li Ming" instead. Do not write your address.

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