19．Many of the world's countries have reached or are approaching zero population growth (ZPG)．Nearly——青夏教育精英家教网—

19．Many of the world's countries have reached or are approaching zero population growth （ZPG）．Nearly all such lands are economically well developed．They include much of Europe（including Russia），the United States，Canada，Japan．and Australia．As the rate of natural increase（RNI）declines，two things happen．First，the population begins to decline if the loss is not balanced by immigration．Second，a country's population ages because there are fewer births．
Is achieving ZPG good or bad？What happens when a country's population begins to drop？Many people，after all，believe that population decline is a good thing．But is it good for everyone？Does everyone agree？
An aging population can create many problems．Senior citizens require more health care and medical attention．Rather than paying into retirement programs，they begin to draw from their pensions．In the US，the Social Security program，according to many experts，will be used up by 2018．It will pay out more money than it takes in．Additionally，a great number of jobs go begging in search of people willing or entry level positions that pay low wages．With an able to do them．Many of these jobs are aging population，who will fill them？At the other extreme，some positions require a large number of training and highly specialized skills．Who will fill these positions as retirees leave the workforce？
The answer to the problem of declining and aging population is simple：increased migration．
Today many people，particularly those from less developed countries，are migrating in search of employment．Many are willing to take jobs that cannot（or will not） be filled by the domestic population．Others are well educated and highly skilled．Both groups contribute to a country's economy progress in many ways．Further，they add to the richness of a country's culture．Of greatest importance，perhaps，is the fact that they have become absolutely necessary to the economy of many lands．As you can see，for many countries and for most immigrants，migration is a win-win situation．

29．In the writer's view，which of the following statements is TRUE？C
A．Not everyone agrees that achieving ZPG is absolutely good
B．Achieving ZPG is every country's aim in spite of its side effects
C．Achieving ZPG is bad for senior citizens
D．Achieving ZPG is good for employment
30．According to the passage，the best way to solve the problem of declining and aging population isD．
A．to improve the health care system
B．to increase RNI
C．to increase employment
D．to increase migration
31．The main idea of the last paragraph isA．
A．the advantages of increased migration
B．the problem of declining and aging population
C．how to increase migration
D．some ways to enrich a country's culture．

18．Afternoon tea became popular about 150years ago，when rich ladies invited their friends to their houses for an afternoon cup of tea．Usually taken in the late afternoon，it is also called"low tea"as it is served at a low table．Since this isn't a meal，but rather like a late afternoon snack，finger foods such as sandwiches，scones and pastries are common．People are not merely taking tea to get nutrition or satisfy hunger，but to take time to relax，chat and enjoy the company of dear friends．In England，the traditional time for tea is four or five o'clock in the afternoon and no one stays after seven o'clock．
This very British tradition is said to have been started around 1840by Duchess Anna Maria，wife of the 7^th Duke of Bedford，England．During the long time between an early breakfast and very late dinner，she experienced what she called"a sinking feeling"at about 4or 5in the afternoon．So she asked her maid to bring her a pot of tea，a little bread and butter and cake in her room．She found this arrangement so pleasing that she began asking her friends to join her．
High tea，a term often mixed with afternoon tea，usually takes the place of supper．In the past the British working population did not have afternoon tea．They had meals about noon and after work between five and seven o'clock．The table would be set with dinner foods like meat，bread，butter，potatoes，cheese and of course tea．It was called"high tea"because it was eaten at a high dining table rather than a low tea table．
How much do people enjoy the afternoon tea moment？As a famous writer named Henry James said，"There are few hours in life greater than the hour dedicated to（献给） the ceremony known as afternoon tea．"

28．Who started the tradition of high tea according to the passage？D
A．Duchess Anna Maria   B．the 7^th Duke of Bedford
C．Henry James         D．Some unknown working people
29．What does the underlined phrase"a sinking feeling"probably refer to？B
A．a feeling of being bored       B．a feeling of hunger
C．a feeling of missing friends   D．a feeling of shyness
30．Why does the writer mention Henry James'words？C
A．To tell us how the name"afternoon tea"came．
B．To tell us that afternoon is in fact a ceremony．
C．To show how popular afternoon tea is．
D．To show the difference between afternoon tea and high tea．
31．Which of the following statements about high tea is true according to the passage？A
A．High tea got its name because it was eaten at a high dining table．
B．Finger foods such as sandwiches and scones are common for high tea．
C．High tea is served between breakfast and lunchtime．
D．High tea has taken the place of low tea as afternoon tea．

17．Dogs and other hairy mammals shake at just the right frequencies to get rid of water most quickly from their bodies-and directly on to any unlucky humans nearby．Mice do it．So do tigers and pandas．These animals really know how to shake．Frequency is the number of cycles-movements back and forth-per second．
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta recently recorded videos of 40different animals，standing for 15different species．The scientists wanted to see how wet，hairy mammals shake off water after they get wet．The scientists say the animals shake at just the right frequencies to lose water drops as quickly as possible．"I think it's pretty amazing that they can do that，"David Hu，one of the scientists，said．
This study was led by Andrew Dickerson，a graduate student in Hu's lab．His team calls this get-dry shake"nature's analogy（类似） to the spin cycle of a washing machine"．Both the washing machine and shaking animals can get rid of water quickly-but animals are much faster than washing machines．For animals，this process helps them control heat in their bodies．
"If a dog couldn't dry itself，it would have to use 25percent of its daily calories to heat its body to get rid of the water，"Hu said．"Every time they got wet they would get hypothermia and die．"
The bigger the animal，the slower it shakes，according to Dickerson and his team．A mouse moves its body back and forth 27times per second，but a bear shakes only four times per second．
Animals'skin also helps them get rid of water．The scientists are continuing to look at how animals interact with water in the natural world．In particular，the scientists want to know how water interacts with hair-which means studying animals that have got used to life in the water，like beavers and otters．

24．Which of the following animals is not likely to be studied in the experiments？D
A．A panda． B．A tiger． C．A cat． D．A snake．
25．What can we learn from the passage？B
A．Professor David Hu led the study．
B．A dog shakes off water at a higher speed than a washing machine．
C．Animals shake off water to keep themselves cool．
D．A dog shakes off water faster than a mouse．
26．How did David Hu feel about the video？A
A．Surprised． B．Encouraged． C．Excited． D．Amused．
27．Which of the following does hypothermia probably refer to？C
A．a disease caused by hunger
B．a disease caused by getting too hot．
C．a disease caused by getting too cold．
D．a disease caused by shaking too fast．

16．If you never read the classic F．Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby，now is your chance to catch up-by watching the latest film adaptation．Because if there's one sentence to sum up the film，it would be，as Fox News says in its review，"It's just like the book"．
Director Baz Luhrmann's main challenge was"either to find a visual equivalent（相等物） for Fitzgerald's elegant essay--the open secret of the book's staying power--or to bend the material to his own exotic（异国的） strengths，"a Time magazine review says．He tries it both ways，with varying degrees of success．
Considered to be Fitzgerald's representative work，The Great Gatsby explores themes of idealism，resistance to change，social change，and excess，creating a portrait of the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties that has been described as a cautionary tale regarding the American Dream．
Nick，the narrator，moves to New York for the summer to visit his cousin Daisy．His next-door neighbor is Jay Gatsby （Leonardo DiCaprio），who rarely contacts with others and is rumored to be a hero of the Great War．Gatsby claims to have attended Oxford University，but the evidence is suspect．As Nick learns more about Gatsby，every detail about him seems questionable，except his love for Daisy．Though Daisy is married，Gatsby still adores her as his"golden girl．"They first met when she was a young lady from a wealthy family and he was a working-class military officer．Daisy promised to wait for his return from the war．However，she married Tom，a classmate of Nick．Having obtained a great fortune，Gatsby sets out to win her back again．
"All of Fitzgerald's original creation finds its way into this film，even going as far as to include quite a bit of the original dialogue，"US film critic Justin Taroli writes in his review．"The cast is beautiful as is the script，and the scenes are a visual feast，"Taroli adds．
DiCaprio does a good and professional job as the socialite by recreating Fitzgerald's description of Gatsby's charm．"He can look at someone for an instant and understand how perfectly he or she wants to be seen，"David Denby，a film critic for The New Yorker，says in his review．
The use of music is almost reason enough to see the film．"Luhrmann is at his best mixing visual and musical styles together to create something wholly original，"the Fox News review says．
For example，in one of the most outstanding scenes in the film，the first party scene，Nick walks quickly from one party guest to another party guest trying to explain all the gossip about Gatsby until he is finally introduced to the man himself，while the most stirring version of Rhapsody in Blue （composed by American musician George Gershwin in 1924）is played in the background．
28．What did Baz Luhrmann do to make the film a success？C
A．He adapted the story in the novel as he wished．
B．He made the film more powerful than the book．
C．He mixed his style with the elegance of the essay．
D．He showed the elegance of the pictures in the film．
29．What is Taroli's attitude towards the film？A
A．Favorable．B．Sceptical．C．Amazed．D．Unconcerned．
30．What are the characteristics of Gatsby？D
A．Faithful and warm-hearted．
B．Charming and professional．
C．Selfish and stubborn．
D．Mysterious and devoted．
31．Why does the author give the example of the first party scene in the last paragraph？C
A．Unfold the fact that Nick wants to know more about Gatsby．
B．Show the version of Rhapsody in Blue matches the film well．
C．Prove that the director is good at combining visual and music．
D．Convince us that the first scene is perfectly shot by the director．

15．Andy Steele lives just a few blocks from the campus of Black Hills State University in Spearfish，S．D．，so commuting（经常往返） to class isn't the problem．But he doesn't like lectures much，isn't a morning person，and wants time during the day to restore motorcycles．
So Steele，a full-time senior business major，has been taking as many classes as he can from the South Dakota State system's online offerings．He gets better grades and learns more，he says，and insists he isn't missing out on the college experience．
"I still know a lot of people from my first two years living on campus，and I still meet a lot of people，"he says．But now，he sets his own schedule．
At least 2.3million people took some kind of online courses，according to a recent survey by the Sloan Consortium，an online education group，and two-thirds of colleges offering"face-to-face"courses also offer online ones．But what were once two different types of classes are looking more and more alike and often falling into the same pool of students．
At some schools，online courses originally intended for non-traditional students living far from campus have proved surprisingly popular with on-campus students．A recent study found 42percent of the students enrolled in its distance education courses were located on campus at the university that was hosting the online courses．
Numbers vary depending on the policies of particular colleges，but other schools also have students mixing and matching online and"face-to-face"credits．Motives range from lifestyle to adapting to a job schedule to getting into high-demand courses．
Washington State had about 325on-campus undergraduates taking one or more distance courses last year．As many as 9，000students took both distance and in-person classes at Arizona State last year．
"Business is really about providing choices to their customers，and that's really what we want to do，"said Sheila Aaker，extended services coordinator （协调人） at Black Hills State．
Many schools，such as Washington State and Arizona State，let departments and academic units decide who can take an online course．They say students with legitimate academic needs-a conflict with another class，a course they need to graduate that is full-often get permission，though they still must take some key classes in person．
21．What is the purpose of the passage？D
A．To introduce Steele to us，who prefers online courses．
B．To tell us about the development of campus courses．
C．To show the differences between campus courses and online courses．
D．To show more on-campus students are taking online courses．
22．We can learn from the passage that Andy SteeleC．
A．lives far from the campus B．knows none of his classmates
C．wants to have his own lifestyleD．doesn't get good marks
23．Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage？B
A．The undergraduates attend the online courses for different purposes．
B．It is expected that distance education is popular with on-campus students．
C．About 325on-campus undergraduates took online courses in Washington last year．
D．Different colleges have different policies about online courses．
24．From what Sheila Aaker said in the passage，we can tellD．
A．business is the most popular major in universities
B．colleges should provide more majors for students
C．where the similarity between business and colleges lies
D．why colleges offer online courses to on-campus students．

14．In a recent announcement，Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology （MIT） said that they have joined forces to offer free online courses in an effort to attract millions of online learners worldwide．
Beginning this fall，a number of courses developed by teachers at both universities will be offered online through a new $60million program，known as edX"Anyone with an Internet connection anywhere in the world can use our online courses，"Harvard President Drew Faust said during a meeting to announce the plan．
MIT has offered a program called Open Course Ware for ten years that makes materials from more than 2，000classes free online．It has been used by more than 100million people．In December，the school announced it also would begin offering a special certificate（证书），known as MITx，for people who compete certain online course．Harvard has long offered courses to a wider population through a similar program．
The MITx will serve as the foundation for the new learning platform．
MIT President Susan Hockfield said more than 120，000people signed up for the first MITx course．She said Harvard and MIT hope other universities will join them in offering courses on the open-source edX platform．
"Fasten your seatbelts，"Hockfield said
Other universities，including Standford，Yale and Canegie-Mellon，have been experimenting with teaching to a global population online．
The Hardvard-MIT program will be monitored by a not-for-profit （非盈利的） organization based in Cambridge，to be owned equally by the two countries．Both MIT and Harvard have provided 30million to start the program．They also plan to use the edX platform to research how students learn and which teaching methods and tools are most successful．

28．According to this text，edX isC．
A．a part of the free MIT Open Course Ware．
B．a free computer program by MIT and Harvard．
C．a Harvard-MIT platform of free online courses．
D．a free program online for universities world wide．
29．What is said about online education in the text？A
A．Universities have been trying online courses．
B．About 2，000online courses have been offered．
C．Over 100million people have finished courses online．
D．Standford and Yale together have similar to edX．
30．The underlined part in the text probably means"B"．
A．Get ready for the difficulties．
B．Get ready for this education change．
C．Get prepared to complete the online courses．
D．Get prepared to make materials for the edX courses．
31．What can be said about MITx according to the text？C
A．It is first offered as part of the edX learning program．
B．It is another free MIT-Harvard online learning program．
C．It is a standard to recognize online learners'achievement．
D．It is a new kind of free online course of Harvard and MIT．

13．The family does not feature heavily in the culture of the Ik of Northern Uganda．In fact，as far as the Ik are concerned，the family means very little．This is because the Ik face a daily struggle to survive in the face of drought，famine and starvation．Anyone who cannot take care of himself or herself is regarded as a useless burden by the Ik and a threat to the survival of the others．So the old are abandoned to die．Sick and disabled children too are abandoned．The Ik attitude is that，as long as you keep the breeding group alive，you can always get more children．
Ik mothers throw their children out of the village compound when they are 3years old，to defend for themselves．I imagine children must be rather relieved to be thrown out，for in the process of being cared for，he or she is reluctantly carried about in a hide sling（背婴儿带） wherever the mother goes．Whenever the mother is in her field，she loosens the sling and lets the baby to the ground none too slowly，and laughs if it is hurt．Then she goes about her business，leaving the child there，almost hoping that some fierce animals will come along and carry it off．This sometimes happens．Such behaviour does not endear children to their parents or parents to their children．
Many of you probably reacted to the Ik with some horror and shock．It is very tempting to conclude that these people are primitive，savage and inhuman，and that their concept of the‘family'is deeply wrong．However，sociologists argue that it is wrong to simply judge such societies and their family arrangements as unnatural and untypical．We need to understand that such arrangements may have positive functions．In the case of the Ik，with the exceptional circumstances they find themselves in-drought and famine-their family arrangements help ensure the survival of the tribe．
Moreover，some of you may have concluded that British family life and the Ik have some things in common．British family is not universally experienced as positive for all family members．For some members of our own society-for young and old alike-family life may be characterized by violence，abuse and isolation．
The problem with studying the family is that we all think we are experts．This is not surprising，considering that most of us are born in families and socialized into family roles and responsibilities．It is an institution most of us feel very comfortable with and regard as‘natural'．For many of us，it is a cornerstone of our social world，a place to which we can retreat and take refuge from the stresses of the outside world．It is the place in which we are loved for who we are，rather than what we are．Family living and family events are probably the most important aspects of our lives．It is no wonder that we tend to hold very fierce，emotional，and perhaps irrational views about family life and how it ought to be organized．Such‘taken for granted'views make it very difficult for us to objectively examine family arrangements that differ from our own experience-such as those of the Ik-without making critical judgments．
32．Which of the following ideas do the Ik hold according to the passage？A
A．The survival of the tribe is what they should strive for．
B．The old are the luxuries they should treasure．
C．Their children should be abandoned when born．
D．The family is the centre of their life．
33．Which of the following will the author probably agree with in the case of Ik？B
A．Mothers prefer to carry their children here and there．
B．The children are a great burden to their family．
C．The children enjoy warm relationship with their parents．
D．Many children should be left at the mercy of fierce animals in the field．
34．According to the author，both British family life and that of the IkD．
A．endear family membersB．ensure longevity
C．experience ups and downsD．contain negative elements
35．All of the following statements support"family is the cornerstone"EXCEPT thatA．
A．we pour our bad mood upon our family members
B．we find we love and are loved in the family
C．we believe family is the top priority in our life
D．we turn to family as our harbour in heart．

12．A blog can be a very effective way of spreading the words about yourself，and your other writing．It can unshroud your knowledge，and create an ongoing relationship with your readers．A good blog is more than just a marketing tool；it's also an expression of your personality．
An obvious starting point is to post samples of your work that not only show off your skills and writing ability but also leave people wanting more．Post elections from the most exciting parts of your stories but end them just as the action reaches its peak．If you write nonfiction（写实文学），show people what they can achieve，and give them a few steps to get them started．
Give tips，information and advice about the subjects you cover．For example，something about struggling with difficulty and many other issues like this．Your writing tips can also be included，as well as interesting，strange or funny things you discovered during your research．Whenever you contact an expert，ask if he or she has any interesting stories you could use．You may also give background information about your stories and locations．
Give details of Coming posts on your blog，so people can watch out for you，or come and meet you．Personal news will help people feel better connected to you．Include photos of objects and locations in your writing，famous people you meet，the views from your window，and your favorite things-with a note about where they come from and what they mean to you．Look out for things that will help your readers get to know you better，know the subject better，or anything else you think they might find useful，inspiring or entertaining．
If you only occasionally post things on your blog，people have a tendency to forget you．As a writer you shouldn't ever run out of interesting materials to fill your blog with-and your readers will love you for it．
32．Which is the best title for the text？A
A．What to Blog about？
B．How to Start a Blog？
C．Why to Launch a Blog？
D．How to Make Website Attractive？
33．What does the word"unshroud"in the first paragraph refer to？C
A．Put on． B．Turn up． C．Show off． D．Write down．
34．What can we know about personal news on your blog？B
A．It can make people watch out for you．
B．It can make people easily get in touch with you．
C．It helps to leave your privacy known．
D．It helps you improve your writing．
35．What does the author suggest for keeping a blog？C
A．Posting things on your blog once in a while．
B．Adding new stories to it every day．
C．Filling it with attractive things frequently．
D．Loving it as your life．

11．If you had a strange sound in your ear，what would you do？One man in Wales who thought he had a fly in his ear called 999，the emergency services number in Britain．And so did a woman who was worried about her green potatoes．Could she make chips with them？Were they poisonous？She didn't hesitate about calling the local ambulance service to ask．According to a recent report，more than 31，000non-urgent calls were made to the Welsh Ambulance Service in the last year．
Inappropriate calls are a headache for health professionals everywhere．In the US，prank calls to 911happen on a daily basis．Many callers use apps which hide their identity．But those who try to be funny shouldn't be surprised if the police have the last laugh．One man from Colorado was arrested for making more than 1，200prank calls，according to a report on the US television station KOAA-TV．
People who take these calls are trained to stay calm and keep a straight face，no matter how strange the call sounds．"There's no way for us to know whether the call is real，accidental or a prank call，"said a public safety worker interviewed by the American TV channel．
The Head of Clinical Services at the Welsh Ambulance Service，Richard Lee，has a warning for prank callers．He says，"When people misuse the service it means our precious time is being taken away from someone who really does need our help．"Indeed，these hotlines are supposed to help the seriously ill or those with a life-threatening injury．You never know，one day，the person who needs assistance could be you or someone in your family．
24．How does the author introduce the topic of the text？A
A．By giving examples．    B．By telling a story．
C．By listing figures．D．By making a comparison．
25．Why are prank calls usually made？D
A．To be helpful．    B．To deal with problems．
C．To get praise．D．To play tricks．
26．What does the phrase"have the last laugh"in Paragraph 2refer to？A
A．Win at last．    B．Never find them．
C．Laugh at them．D．Know nothing．
27．What does the author intend to suggest in the text？C
A．Prank calls are usually easy to identify．
B．Operators feel annoyed by strange callers．
C．Prank calls may cause serious results．
D．Prank callers should be punished by law．

10．This year，Facebook，the social media website announced that it would cooperate with several news organizations-including The New York Times，The Guardian，and the BBC-to place news stories directly into users'personal Face book webpage．Stories published using Face book Instant will load more quickly and keep the style of the original publisher，who will keep all the advertising income the stories earn-at least for now．The deal shows how important social media has become to news organizations，and is a clear sign of how the world of news is changing-and has been for a while．
Many thought of it as the death of the newspaper，when Google News began in 2002．It had no human editor．Instead Google used，and still uses，a secret computer program that selects and displays news stories according to the reader's personal interests．More recently，Associated Press and Yahoo have been publishing computer-written articles．Both use special software to automatically produce stories about company financial results and sports reports-areas where the quality of writing is felt to be of secondary importance to the accuracy of the data．
I think we should be concerned about such developments．One concern is that Facebook，Google and other social media websites see journalism as a sideline （副业），a way of putting people in front of advertisements．It isn't their primary function-so if it stops making them lots of money，they're likely to stop doing it．
There's another concern that computer-written articles are not actually journalism at all，because what a human news team produces is actually quite complex．A well-written news story puts information in context，offers a voice to each side of an argument and brings the public new knowledge．Although economics and speed of delivery mean readers will probably choose a computer-written story over a carefully shaped article-at least for daily news-I don't think the computers will be writing any in-depth articles for a while yet．

32．What is the main purpose of the article？C
A．To report on a new computer service offered by Facebook．
B．To advise readers against reading computer-written news．
C．To express concern about recent trends in online news．
D．To describe the process of online news reporting．
33．Computer-written news reports have so far focused on sports and finance becauseB．
A．these are the most popular topics for online readers
B．writing style is less important than accuracy in these areas
C．information on these topics is more easily available
D．there are fewer journalists specializing in these areas
34．What does the underlined word"It"in Paragraph 3refer to？D
A．Business．
B．Advertising．
C．Facebook．
D．Journalism．
35．In Paragraph 4，what is mentioned as a character of a well-written news article？C
A．The information presented is up-to-date．
B．The author's opinion is clear．
C．Different views on the topic are presented．
D．The language used is vivid．

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