Young people in the United States do not have a strong understanding of the world and their place in it.

Two US-based groups, the Council on Foreign Relations and the National Geographic Society, conducted an online survey last year. They wanted to know what young people in American colleges knew about geography, U.S. foreign policy, recent international events, and economics.

The survey was given to over 1,200 Americans between the ages of 18 and 26 years. All of them presently attending, or having previously graduated from, a 2- or 4-year college or university.

The average test score, out of 75 total possible answers, was 55 percent. The study identifies a few important problems. For example, only 30 percent knew that the only part of the U.S. government that can declare war is Congress. Only 60% of those taking the survey could identify Brazil on a world map.

Part of the problem, argue the organizers of the survey, is the Internet. They say it is becoming harder to find high-quality information about world events amongst all the fake news and trivia which swamp the web. Forty-three percent of those questioned said they read about the news on Facebook.

Another problem is that most college courses do not require students to learn about international issues. If such information is not required, Richard Haass from the Council on Foreign Relations said, then the United States could have leaders like Gary Johnson. He was a recent presidential candidate who did not know about the Syrian city of Aleppo when a reporter asked him about it.

The survey results were not all bad. The young people also demonstrated a good understanding of climate change and renewable energy. And the majority of them said that international issues were becoming more important to them.

Haass says these findings suggest the need to find ways to get good information to students, both in school and online. To help, the Council on Foreign Relations is creating a new program called CFR Campus, designed to help build knowledge about global issues.

1.What do we know about the survey?

A. The participants were all recent university graduates.

B. It was an online survey conducted by two US universities.

C. It was given to over 1,200 American people aged from 18 to 26.

D. It aimed to find out what the young people know about America.

2.What’s one reason survey organizers give for young people’s lack of knowledge?

A. The poor quality of the US university system.

B. Young people’s unwillingness to travel abroad.

C. The sources from which they get their information.

D. Their lack of interest in knowing more about the world.

3.What topic did the young Americans understand best according to the survey?

A. Government organizations. B. Geographic information.

C. Foreign relations. D. Environmental matters.

4.In which column of a newspaper could we find this article?

A. Economics. B. Education.

C. National Politics. D. Entertainment.

You can’t make a call or send a text on your mobile phone in the US town of Green Bank, West Virginia. Wireless Internet is outlawed, as is Bluetooth. As you approach the tiny town on a two-lane road that snakes through the mountains, your mobile phone signal drops out, and your radio stops working. The rusted pay phone on the north side of town is the only way for a visitor to reach the rest of the world. It’s a pre-modern place by design, lacking of the latest technologies that define life today.

The reason for the town’s empty airwaves is apparent the moment you arrive. It’s the Robert C. Byrd telescope, also known as the GBT, a shiny white, 147-metre-tall satellite dish. It’s the largest of its kind in the world and one of nine in Green Bank, all of them government owned and operated by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO).

You don’t look through these kinds of telescopes. They’re radio telescopes, so instead of looking for distant stars, they listen for them. There’s a long line of astronomers all over the world who want to use the telescope which is so sensitive that it could hear a single snowflake hitting the ground 1,000 miles away.

Such a sensitive listening tool needs total technological silence to operate, so in 1958 the US government created a National Radio Quiet Zone, a 33,000 km2 area covering Green Bank where, to this day, electronic and radio signals are forbidden every hour of every day.

People who live within a 15km of the Green Bank telescope are allowed to use landline telephones, wired Internet and cable televisions, but microwave ovens, wireless Internet and radios are forbidden. You can have a mobile phone, but you won’t get a signal.

Because of how much its way of life varies from the rest of America, Green Bank seems to be a somewhat isolated (隔绝), even alien place. For locals, the technology ban is annoying. For others who come to Green Bank for a little rest and relaxation, the town has become a refuge.

1.What do we know about the town of Green Bank from Paragraph 1?

A. It’s located at the base of a large mountain.

B. It is geographically and technologically isolated.

C. Its telecommunications are affected by its geography.

D. Many people live in the town and its surrounding areas.

2.How does the GBT work?

A. It traps light waves in its huge dish.

B. It stops all electronic and radio signals.

C. It receives pictures from space satellites.

D. It listens for and receives noises from space.

3.What equipment are locals of the Green Bank allowed to use?

A. Cable TV, wired Internet and radio.

B. Landline phones, wired Internet and cable TV.

C. Public phones, wireless Internet and mobile phones.

D. Landline phones, microwave ovens and cable internet.

4.What does the underlined word “refuge” in the last paragraph most probably mean?

A. A place of escape. B. A source of confusion.

C. An area of interest. D. A sign of danger.

You wait in a long queue in the supermarket, but when it’s finally your turn to pay, you can’t find enough money in your purse. 1. While you are bending down to look for them, the people behind you are getting angry. The cashier is pounding her fingers impatiently on the counter.

2. But the good news is: scientists have thought of a way to make queues shorter and paying for things easier. They have invented an eye scanner. In the future, when you pay for food at the supermarket, an eye scanner will take a picture of your eyes and a computer will identify you. 3.

Students at Venerable Bede School, England, have already got an eye scanner in their cafeteria. After the students choose the food they want, the scanner looks for their information and sends a list of the food to their parents. 4. Also, parents pay for the meals at the end of the week, so the students don’t have to take money to school and wait in long queues to pay for their lunch.

If all shops had eye scanners, shopping would be easier. 5. So, it seems that it will be a while before most of us get our eyes scanned at the cashier.

A. Sometimes shopping can be unpleasant.

B. You take out your credit cards, but they fall on the floor.

C. If students aren’t eating a healthy diet, their parents will know.

D. Stores are trying several new ways to get shoppers to spend more.

E. Parents are urging the government to introduce better security safeguards.

F. However, eye scanners are very expensive and many shops can’t afford them.

G. As soon as the machine finds your information, it will send it to your bank which pays for your food automatically.

My family spent one summer vacation enjoying the beaches of beautiful Gulf Shores, Alabama. We bought a boat thinking this would make for a really ______ day at the beach for my two little girls.

I probably became too ______ with my younger daughter on the sand. When I looked up I became ______. The little boat with my older daughter in it had ______ far out from the shore. I called to her to come in ______ to shore and, although she seemed frightened, she was doing all she could to ______ just that. But there were no oars (桨) and her little ______ were too short to reach across the boat and into the ______.

Others on the beach seemed to be doing nothing to help except ______. I was standing as far out ______ the water as I could — ______ instructions to her, but with no ______. At last I thought to myself, “I know I’m a ______ swimmer but my daughter needs my help. I have no

____.” I jumped into the water.

At first my arms started moving very ______. I couldn’t believe I was doing this. I swam until I was breathless. I just kept hoping and ______ her. Finally, I reached the edge of the

____, grabbed the rope and began making my way back to shore. My child was crying so I tried

____ her, even though everything inside me was _______.

My life was forever changed by that ______. I learned if I believe in myself and dive right in I will have all the strength I need.

1.A. lucky B. fun C. moving D. peaceful

2.A. busy B. patient C. angry D. pleased

3.A. excited B. angry C. concerned D. amused

4.A. sunk B. stayed C. lost D. moved

5.A. closer B. faster C. earlier D. safer

6.A. avoid B. accomplish C. claim D. behave

7.A. legs B. fingers C. arms D. clothes

8.A. water B. shore C. board D. sand

9.A. applauding B. noticing C. swimming D. watching

10.A. off B. among C. in D. on

11.A. reading B. taking C. following D. shouting

12.A. hope B. reason C. end D. success

13.A. skillful B. poor C. brave D. new

14.A. choice B. way C. reason D. support

15.A. gently B. slowly C. confidently D. casually

16.A. keeping an eye on B. getting in touch with C. looking back at D. waving over to

17.A. strength B. oar C. boat D. beach

18.A. scolding B. calming C. praising D. helping

19.A. overjoyed B. changed C. missing D. trembling

20.A. point B. story C. experience D. scene

English teacher and Internet entrepreneur (企业家) Jack Ma founded Alibaba 18years ago in his tiny apartment in Hangzhou, China. Now, Ma has become the richest man in China. Every current entrepreneur and business leader should learn from how a Chinese English teacher became such a great success.

Start here, go anywhere. Recognizing the importance of English, young Ma would ride his bike to a nearby hotel and guide foreigners around the city just to learn and practice the language.

He has vision and he had help. Ma saw the Internet’s enormous potential to bridge businesses across China’s huge population early on. So he and his wife brought 17 friends together and pooled $60,000 to start the company. That formed the basis for the company’s dynamic partnership structure and unique culture.

Big problems lead to big opportunities. China’s lack of infrastructure (基础设施) has always been a problem for the enormous nation’s small businesses. Alibaba solved that and now accounts for 80% of the country’s e-commerce.

Innovation comes from unique individuals who think and act differently. Everyone talks about changing the world and making tones of money these days, but those who actually do it are exceptional individuals with breakthrough ideas, uncommon vision and a passion to do great work.

What’s is in a name? Jack Ma was sitting in a San Francisco coffee shop when he thought of how Alibaba overheard the secret of the 40 thieves in his story —“open sesame (芝麻)”—and unlocked untold riches. He simply wanted his company to have a global and interesting name, and realized that Alibaba was a story known across the world. As an additional bonus, Ma said that because it begins with A, it also appears at the top of lists.

1.The article is about ______.

A. Jack Ma’s life story B. the secrets to Jack Ma’s success

C. Jack Ma’s business team D. the development of Alibaba

2.According to the article, the first step in Jack Ma’s success came from ______.

A. mastering the English language B. the unique culture of his partnership

C. innovation from his team D. the foundation of his company

3.Jack Ma named his company after Alibaba because ______.

A. it begins with an A

B. his team worked out such a good idea.

C. inspiration came to him when he was listening to a story.

D. it came from a story that is well-known around the world.

4.Which of the following words best describe Jack Ma?

A. Ambitious and creative B. Humorous and innovative

C. Strict and intelligent D. Passionate and considerate

Cheating has been around forever, and millions of ways to cheat have been fashioned. Copying homework and cheat sheets are some of the most basic ways. Desperate students have even gone as far as to steal the test or scan in bottle wrappers and put answers into the nutrition label. The Internet has now become available in almost every location, which opens a doorway for even more methods of cheating to be born.

There are countless opinions on whether or not cheating can be justified. Students often rationalize their cheating by claiming they forgot to look over the material or did not understand what the teacher was saying. Some other reasons students believe cheating is justified are their heavy workloads and they are struggling to find time for school, sports and etc. The majority of students who think cheating is acceptable may believe the reason for this is that there is not enough time given for assignments, or that the information is too much for the course.

It may be difficult to accomplish, but cheating can be prevented. Teachers and professors have tried many options to stop cheating, from simply spreading test-takers out in a room, to expelling(驱逐)a student. One simple way to fix the problem is to scold the student when caught. They may be so scared or embarrassed that they never do it again. This is a risky way to prevent cheating in some cases, however, because it can possibly damage self-esteem. Another simple way to avoid cheating is to create many different kinds of the same test, but students still have the option of using other cheating tactics.

There may be a million ways to cheat and get away with it, but there are few times, if any, that it is justified. Cheating never has to be a necessity. This problem is spreading throughout America; with everyone's help, it can be stopped.

1.What does the underlined word “justified” probably mean in this passage?

A. reasonable B. necessary

C. praiseworthy D. preventable

2.The reason that is given by most students who think cheating is understandable is that _____.

A. they don't understand their teachers' words

B. they bury themselves in a lot of homework

C. they don't have enough time to complete the study tasks

D. they forget to look over the material

3.What is the disadvantage of scolding the cheating students according to the passage?

A. They may continue to cheat next time.

B. They may be hurt mentally.

C. They may use other cheating tactics.

D. They may get on badly with their teachers.

A new American weather satellite could save more lives by better predicting extreme weather conditions. The satellite was launched in the state of Florida on November 19, 2016. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, also known as NOAA, has been working with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on the project.

NOAA officials are calling the new satellite GOES-R. That is short for a much longer name the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R Series.

NOAA said GOES-R could improve the nation’s ability to observe weather conditions and make weather predictions. It said the satellite’s device would lead to more exact and timely weather forecasts, watches and warnings.

The government agency said the satellite will require testing of its six instruments and will be ready to work “within a year.” One of the six instruments on the satellite is designed to help scientists study lightning strikes and map them. This, NOAA says, will help the agency follow the movement of severe storms and provide more detailed warnings.

“The next generation of weather satellites is finally here,” said NOAA Administrator Kathryn Sullivan. She described GOES-R as one of the most effective Earth-observing machines ever created. Sullivan said its instruments will be able to study Earth five times faster and with four times more details than any other NOAA satellite currently in operation. An NOAA statement said the greater detail will help improve the agency’s study of ocean storms, as well as “the prediction and warnings of severe weather.” In addition, GOES-R will be able to provide improved rainfall estimates, which will lead to more timely and detailed flood warnings.

Craig Fugate, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA in short, says that the GOES-R satellite will improve the ability of people and organizations across America to prepare for, and react to, weather-related disasters.

1.What can we learn about the new weather satellite?

A. It has been put into service for more than 5 months already.

B. It is the most effective Earth-observing machine ever made.

C. It works faster and provides more detailed information than any other American satellite.

D. It can help America to get prepared for and react to climate catastrophes better.

2.The satellite gets its name directly from ______.

A. NOAA B. NASA

C. GOES-R D. FEMA

3.Why does the reporter quote the words from different people and organizations in the news?

A. To show opinions vary from person to person.

B. To show the development of the satellite.

C. To convince the readers of superb functions of the satellite.

D. To prove they are authorities.

4.The passage mainly focuses on ______.

A. a new American satellite that can be used for military purposes

B. what the next generation of American weather satellites will be like

C. the fact that NOAA and NASA work together to develop a new technology

D. the comparison between a new satellite and the older ones

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