November not only marks the publication of Toni Morrison’s eagerly anticipated(期待) eighth novel, Love, but it is also the tenth anniversary of her Nobel Prize for Literature. Morrison is the first black woman to receive a Nobel, and so honored before her in literature are only two black men:Wole Soyinka, the Nigerian playwright, poet and novelist, in 1986; and Derek Walcott, the Caribbean-born poet, in 1992. But Morrison is also the first and only American-born Nobel prizewinner for literature since 1962, the year novelist John Steinbeck received the award.
Like Song of Solomon, Love is a multigenerational story, revealing the personal and communal Legacy(遗产) of an outstanding black family. As Morrison scholars will tell you, Love is the third volume of a literary master’s trilogy(三部曲)investigating the many complexities of love. This trilogy began with Beloved(1988), which deals with a black mother’s love under slavery and in freedom. Jazzy(1993), the second volume, tells a story of romantic love in 1920s Harlem. This latest novel looks back from the 1970s to the 1940s and 50s.
The emotional center of Love is Bill Cosey, the former owner and host of the shabby Cosey’s Hotel and Resort in Silk, North Carolina, described in the novel as “the best and best-known vacation sport for colored folk on the East Coast.” We get to know Cosey through the memories of five women who survive and love him: his granddaughter, his widow, two former employees, and a homeless young girl.    
The latest novel, Love, had been described in the promotional material from her publisher as “Morrison’s most accessible work since Song of Solomon.” This comparison to her third novel, published in 1977, was an effective selling point.

  1. 1.

    What would be the best title for the text?

    1. A.
      Toni Morrison’s latest novels
    2. B.
      Toni Morrison and her trilogy
    3. C.
      Toni Morrison and her novel Love
    4. D.
      Toni Morrison, the Nobel prizewinner
  2. 2.

    What can we learn about John Steinbeck?

    1. A.
      He was a black writer.
    2. B.
      He was born in America.
    3. C.
      He received the Nobel Prize after Morrison
    4. D.
      He was the first American novelist to win a Nobel
  3. 3.

    The similarity between Love and Song of Solomon is that they both _____.

    1. A.
      belong to the same trilogy together with Beloved
    2. B.
      concern families of more than one generation
    3. C.
      deal with life of blacks under slavery
    4. D.
      investigate life in 1920s Harlem
  4. 4.

    The novel Love mainly describes ______.

    1. A.
      the best-known vacation spot for blacks
    2. B.
      the life of an outstanding black family under slavery
    3. C.
      the miserable experience of the five women in Harlem
    4. D.
      the memories of five women about Bill Cosey

Mass media are tools of communication. They allow us to record and pass information rapidly to a large, scattered audience. They extend our ability to each other by helping us overcome limits caused by time and space. Mass media can be divided into two groups: print media and electronic media. By print media, we mean books, newspapers and magazines. Electronic media include television, radio and movie.
There are a number of ways in which mass media make daily life easier for us. First, they inform and help us keep a watch on our world. They gather and pass on information we would be unlikely or unable to gain on our own.
Second, mass media help us to arrange our time and life. What we talk about and what we think about are greatly influenced by the media. When people get together, they tend to talk about certain happenings on the newspapers or on TV. Because we are provided with differing points of view through different kinds of media every day, we are able to comment on all sides of a certain issue.
Third, mass media help us to connect with various groups in society. Through mass media, we are able to keep in contact with politicians in the world; with famous actors and actresses, and with our beloved singers.
Fourth, the media help to socialize us. We learn about the preferred behavior and values from the people we meet as well as from the media. Through portrayals of people, the media tell us what proper behaviors are. By doing so, they teach us standards of behavior and values, and help us in our daily life.  
Fifth, the media are used to persuade people. A good example is advertisements through the media. Newspapers, magazines and TV are filled with all kinds of colorful, persuasive advertisements. Though many advertisements may not say openly that they want you to buy a certain product, they describe their products in such a way that you may want to but them.
Sixth, the media entertain. All of the media make some effort trying to entertain their audience. For example, even though the newspaper is a main medium of information, it also contains entertainment features. Many newspapers offer their readers at least some of the following: comics, fiction books and puzzle games, televisions and magazines are devoted mainly to entertainment. It is guessed that in the future, the entertainment function of mass media will become even more important than it is now.

  1. 1.

    They underlined word “scattered” in paragraph 1 means______.

    1. A.
      faraway
    2. B.
      nearly
    3. C.
      a small number of
    4. D.
      small and far apart
  2. 2.

    The underlined word “portrayal” in Paragraph 5 means ______.

    1. A.
      photograph
    2. B.
      words
    3. C.
      description
    4. D.
      clothes
  3. 3.

    According to the passage, which of the following statements isn’t true about medium?

    1. A.
      Mass media have an effect on our speech and thoughts.
    2. B.
      Mass media keep us informed and connected.
    3. C.
      Mass media persuade us into buying what we don’t need at all.
    4. D.
      Mass media help us spend time with others in a friendly way.
  4. 4.

    Which of the following isn’t included about mass media in the passage?

    1. A.
      entertainment
    2. B.
      sports
    3. C.
      famous people
    4. D.
      advertisements
  5. 5.

    ______ is an old form of mass media now.

    1. A.
      Mobile phone
    2. B.
      Computer
    3. C.
      Radio
    4. D.
      Television

We might like to think we're not influenced by other people, but a new study into the group-buying mechanisms(机制) - like those used on coupon(优惠券) sites such as Groupon and LivingSocial - reveals that telling buyers who come later to the offer how many have already signed up increases the number of purchasers.
Researchers at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management wanted to understand why group buying sites that have entered the market recently have enjoyed greater success than those operating a decade ago, such as Mercata and MobShop.
Earlier attempts typically left potential buyers waiting for days before confirming whether or not they had got the offer they had signed up for.
“We think one of the reasons group-buying has been successful recently is because of the short time horizon,” says Rotman Professor Ming Hu, who co-wrote the study with Professor Mengze Shi and PhD student Jiahua Wu. “It allows for a herding effect.”
Another reason is the use of an information structure that discloses to later arrivals how many have already signed onto the deal.
Researchers looked at two ways of designing the purchasing mechanism for a group buy:a simultaneous mechanism, where no one knows how many buyers have come before them, and asequential(连续的) mechanism, where a second group of buyers has the advantage of knowing the size of the first group.
The researchers' analytical(分析的) model shows the most successful mechanism is the sequential one because it eliminates uncertainty for those coming later to the deal, and improves the confidence of those who sign on early, as they're able to track the numbers of those who come after them.
“That boosts confidence,” says Professor Hu, who teaches operations management. Deals for "luxury" services, versus everyday items, work better in a group buy scenario(方案) because they offer consumers a greater benefit.

  1. 1.

    It can be learned from the text that ______.

    1. A.
      the short time horizon is the reason why group-buying has been successful.
    2. B.
      a simultaneous mechanism is where a group of buyers has the advantage of knowing how many people have signed up.
    3. C.
      a sequential mechanism allows a herding effect which boosts the confidence of the buyers.
    4. D.
      researchers at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management carried out an experiment about why group buying sites entered the market successfully, such as Mercata and MobShop.
  2. 2.

    The underlined word “eliminates” in paragraph 7 probably means“______”.

    1. A.
      to become or to make something greater in amount, number, value
    2. B.
      to remove or get rid of something
    3. C.
      to deliberately not include something in what you are doing or considering
    4. D.
      to make something known to somebody
  3. 3.

    What can be the best title for the passage?

    1. A.
      Secret for marketing success – boosting confidence.
    2. B.
      Secret for group-buying mechanism—herding effect.
    3. C.
      Comparison between a simultaneous mechanism and a sequential mechanism.
    4. D.
      What others do influences our decisions.

Pushy parents and teachers who “hothouse” the under-5s risk causing damage to the children’s long term development, a leading education expert said.
Lilian Katz, Professor of Education at the University of Illinois, said that four-year-olds engaged in reading and writing went on to perform worse academically than those engaged in imaginative learning. They scored higher in tests at the age of 5, but children whose first year at school was stimulating outstripped them four years later.
The findings suggest that the government's structured approach to early years' learning could be storing up problems for children. They also raise serious questions about the plan for all children to be able to read by the age of 6.
In many countries formal teaching does not start until children are 6 or 7 and have improved their social and manual skills. Children start learning to read and write at 6 in the United States, France and Germany, and at 7 in Finland and Sweden.
Professor Katz said that in many schools the courses were "boring children to tears". Much academic teaching required children to learn by memorizing pieces of information out of context, she said. Teaching in reception class should instead allow children to develop their intellect by exploring their environments and asking questions.
"Research suggests the benefits of formal academic instruction for four- and five-year-olds seem to be promising when they are tested early, but considerably less so in the long term. When these children are followed over a period of three or more years, those who had early experience in more intellectually engaging curricula were more likely to do well in school than their peers, who had received early academic instruction." She advocates teaching children through first-hand experience and play, in mixed-aged classes. This can include puppet shows, drawing or running a pretend shop in the classroom.

  1. 1.

    According to the passage, those who “hothouse” the under-5s would probably _________.

    1. A.
      prefer a lot of interaction and stimulation while teaching
    2. B.
      teach in a lively way to motivate kids’ interest
    3. C.
      push the kids to memorize pieces of information
    4. D.
      care about the kids’ physical development
  2. 2.

    What does the underlined word “ outstripped” in Paragraph 2 mean?

    1. A.
      did better than
    2. B.
      looked down upon
    3. C.
      caught up with
    4. D.
      performed worse than
  3. 3.

    According to Lilian Katz, the government’s structured approach to early-years learning __.

    1. A.
      is necessary for improving children’s reading and writing ability
    2. B.
      needs to be improved to develop children’s academic ability
    3. C.
      will cause problems to children in their future learning
    4. D.
      has more advantages than disadvantages
  4. 4.

    The message the author wants to deliver through the passage is that formal teaching _____.

    1. A.
      can start at different times in different countries.
    2. B.
      should not be started too early
    3. C.
      is best carried out in Finland and Sweden
    4. D.
      should include teaching children social and manual skills
  5. 5.

    Which of the following is NOT the opinion of Lilian Katz?

    1. A.
      Children should be taught through first-hand experience.
    2. B.
      Learning in a mixed-age class is good for children.
    3. C.
      Running a shop can help children get good marks.
    4. D.
      Puppet shows and drawing are useful in teaching children.

Joey is loyal, encouraging and self-sacrificing, always putting others’ interests ahead of his own. He is a hard worker, who also loves to run and play. In short, he’s an ideal friend and a heroic character.
Here is the thing: Joey is a horse, who appears as the main character in Steven Spielberg’s new film War Horse.
It is based on Michael Morpurgo’s 1982 novel, which also caused the same-titled Tony Awards winning play.
The film follows the saga of Joey, a racehorse that’s trained for farm work under the loving care of Albert (Jeremy Irvine )after Albert’s drunk father Ted(Peter Mullan ) overpays for the animal at auction(拍卖会).
Then the World War I tears Albert and Joey apart. Joey is sold into the war effort for the British and starts his episodic adventures in Europe.
Splendidly staged, the battle plots in the film are visually astounding and impressive.
And with Spielberg’s unique, top-notch direction and storytelling skills, War Horse cannot escape its episodic nature, calling to mind another Spielberg film about the horrors of war and its effects upon soldiers and civilians—Saving Private Ryan.
While that film shocked with horrific scenes of bleeding, it relied on a company of easily-described characters and a focused storyline to present heroic themes.
Like Saving Private Ryan, War Horse clings to a series of characters, not only Albert, but also British officers, French civilians and German soldiers, who display courage in the face of danger. Everyone who comes in contact with Joey is either already in touch with their inner angel or is quickly moved to become more humane.
Although none of this covers the fact that we’ve seen this stuff elsewhere before, the lovely sentiment will steal your heart.
And the emotional signature of Spielberg can be felt as he establishes the relationship between the boy and the horse and the mood of the piece – there will be tears.
Therefore, calling this beautiful, dramatically incomplete film “ Saving Private Joey”, is entirely justifiable.

  1. 1.

    In common with “ Saving Private Ryan”, the film War Horse _________ .

    1. A.
      is full of terrifying scenes of bleeding and killing
    2. B.
      received the title of Tony Awards Winning Play
    3. C.
      covers a lot of characters
    4. D.
      tells the story happening in the Second World War
  2. 2.

    Which statement is true according to the passage?

    1. A.
      War Horse is based on the same-titled novel by Steven Spielberg.
    2. B.
      Joey is a heroic character because he saved many people’s lives.
    3. C.
      Albert sold Joey into the war effort for Europe.
    4. D.
      Joey came to Albert’s care after Ted paid a lot of money for it.
  3. 3.

    According to the passage, what does the underlined word astounding mean?

    1. A.
      astonishing
    2. B.
      confusing
    3. C.
      satisfying
    4. D.
      disappointing
  4. 4.

    What is the best title for the passage?

    1. A.
      Joey ─ a heroic race horse
    2. B.
      Albert and Joey
    3. C.
      Saving Private Joey
    4. D.
      Spielberg’s Joey

They may be small and not able to speak, but babies are proving their amazing cleverness. Scientists began finding infants’ skills are more than they are supposed to be.
_________
Speaking of music, babies can’t seem to resist it. Not only are their ears turned to the beats, babies can actually dance to the music.
To test babies’ dancing ability, the researchers played recordings of classical music, rhythmic beats and speech to infants, and recorded the results. They also invited professional dancers to analyze how well the babies matched their movements to the music. The babies moved their arms, hands, legs feet and heads in response to the music, much more than to the speech. The finding suggests this dancing ability is innate(与生俱来的) in humans, though the researchers aren’t sure why it becomes weaker later in their life.
Learning Quickly while Sleeping
Babies can learn even while asleep, according to a 2011 study. In experiments with 26 sleeping infants, each just 1 to 2 days old, scientists played a musical tone followed by a puff of air to their eyes 200 times over the course of a half-hour. 124 electrodes(电极) stuck on the head and face of each baby recorded brain activity during the experiments. The babies rapidly learned to foretell a puff of air upon hearing the tone, showing a four-time increase on average in the chances of tightening their eyelids in response to the sound by the end of the experiments.
As newborns spend most of their time asleep, this newfound ability might be crucial to rapidly adapting to the world around them and help to ensure their survival, researchers said.
Judging Characters Well
Judging another person helpful or harmful is crucial when choosing friends. And that ability starts early. Kiley Hamlin of Yale University showed both 6-and 10-month-olds a puppet(木偶) show, in which one character helped another climb a hill. In another scene a third character pushed the climber down. The little ones then got to choose which character they preferred. For both age groups, most babies chose the helper character. This character-judging ability could be baby’s first step in the formation of morals, Hamlin thought.

  1. 1.

    Which of the following subtitles can fill in the underlined blank?

    1. A.
      Dancing to Music
    2. B.
      Babies’ Amazing Abilities
    3. C.
      Learning to Dance Quickly
    4. D.
      Born to Dance
  2. 2.

    The underlined word “it” in the third paragraph refers to______.

    1. A.
      the finding
    2. B.
      the dancing ability
    3. C.
      the response
    4. D.
      the baby
  3. 3.

    The experiment with 26 sleeping infants prove that_______.

    1. A.
      babies can learn even while asleep
    2. B.
      babies can respond to the world around them
    3. C.
      babies can tighten their eyelids in response to the sound
    4. D.
      babies can communicate with others while asleep
  4. 4.

    In the last experiment, most babies chose the helper character, showing that________.

    1. A.
      babies can judge a person helpful or harmful
    2. B.
      babies love to see a puppet show
    3. C.
      babies were born to help others
    4. D.
      babes have learned to help others

Mobile phones are an important business tool for farmers in rural areas. But they also put a valuable educational tool in their hands.
The University of Illinois in the United States has a project called SAWBO—Scientific Animations Without Borders. It produces educational videos that can be downloaded to cell phones. The goal is to help people in developing countries improve their lives.
One video shows farmers how to make a natural insecticide from neem seeds to prevent insect damage to crops. The process starts with sorting and drying the neem fruits. Then let the fruit dry in the sun for about three or four days, until they become brown. Using a mortar(碾槌) and stick, the fruits are slightly pounded to remove the shells from the fruits without breaking the seed inside.
The videos use computer animation(动画). Some of the animated characters are a little funny looking-like a farmer with a long nose. But the subjects are serious, including a health video on preventing cholera(霍乱). Team member Francisco Seufferheld says the information in the videos is meant to be quickly understood. He says, “The information is digested in such a way that in two minutes, we can transmit a complex idea.”
The researchers tested the seven-minute video on seven mobile phones. They wanted to see if people would share the video using Bluetooth wireless technology. With Bluetooth, files can be passed to a nearby phone even if neither phone is connected to the Internet. As a result, in one month, the video had spread to one hundred eighteen people in fifty different villages. “This is just incredible impact,” said Francisco Seufferheld.
The team has made a few videos so far. These are available in a total of eighty languages, dialects and accents. Professor Barry Pittendrigh says there are plans for more videos later this year.

  1. 1.

    What is the text mainly about?

    1. A.
      A best-selling mobile phone
    2. B.
      A valuable educational project for farmers
    3. C.
      United States support for developing countries
    4. D.
      A new type of scientist –farmer relationship
  2. 2.

    The SAWBO program is introduced in order to ____.

    1. A.
      raise farmers’ standard of living
    2. B.
      do some research on mobile phones
    3. C.
      develop farmers’ practical skills
    4. D.
      help farmers prevent insect damage to corps
  3. 3.

    The biggest advantage of the program is that it______.

    1. A.
      includes health video on preventing cholera
    2. B.
      can be passed to farmers using Bluetooth technology
    3. C.
      can be used to sort and dry the neem fruits
    4. D.
      is easy for farmers to understand
  4. 4.

    Which of the following words can best take the place of the word “ pound” in the 3rd paragraph?

    1. A.
      moved
    2. B.
      beat
    3. C.
      picked
    4. D.
      cut

A lot of teachers hate doodlers(乱写乱画的人)during classes.“Pay attention!”Teachers will often warn doodling students,sure that they must be daydreaming.
However, according to a recent study, doodling while listening to a boring lecture helps  concentrate the attention:   
Andrade,a psychology professor in England asked participants(参加者)to listen to a boring lecture. Half the participants were told to color in squares and circles freely on a piece of paper while listening to the lecture.The other half weren’t given a task.After it was over, the participants were asked to retell the lecture.   
Those given the doodling task(color in squares and circles)remembered 29 percent more information than the non-doodlers.Andrade said.  
“If someone is doing a boring task,like listening to a dull conversation,they may start daydream,”said Professor Andrade.
“Daydreaming distracts(使分心)them from the task,resulting in poorer performance.A  simple task,like doodling,can stop them from daydreaming without affecting their performance at the task,”he said.   
So the next time you’re doodling during a class,and you hear“pay attention”,you can tell  the teacher with confidence that you’ve been paying attention to every word. 

  1. 1.

    Teachers hate doodlers because they thought         .

    1. A.
      doodlers are not good at study
    2. B.
      doodlers are doing no task
    3. C.
      doodlers pay no attention in class
    4. D.
      doodlers are not polite to them
  2. 2.

    According to the text,it is helpful to doodle when    .

    1. A.
      a boring lecture is given
    2. B.
      an interesting story is told
    3. C.
      watching a long TV programme
    4. D.
      having a conversation with the teacher
  3. 3.

    Professor Andrade thinks      .

    1. A.
      those given the doodling task can remember less information
    2. B.
      if you have daydream during classes you’ll have a good memory
    3. C.
      daydreaming is better than doodling
    4. D.
      doodling can stop us from daydreaming

Shopping in the United States changes a lot.About ninety years ago most people shopped in small stores that were owned by one person or a family.Women went from the bakery to the butcher's to the grocer and on to the fruit and vegetable seller in order to get their food for the week.
Then about sixty years ago, supermarkets were born.In a supermarket, people could get all the different kinds of food they needed without going to different stores.
The next big change in shopping in the United States was the shopping mall.A shopping mall is a group of stores under one roof.Because malls allowed people to shop without worrying about the weather, they soon became very popular.The mall became a place for people to socialize in addition to shopping.If you walk through a mall, you will see older people sitting, chatting and drinking coffee.Malls are places for teenagers to hang out.Many teens will often just "go to the mall" and spend time with their friends.
The recent change in American shopping was the superstore.Large chain stores such as Wal-Mart, Office Depot and Toys "R" Us have been built all across the United States.Because they are so large, they can buy goods at a great discount and sell them much cheaper than smaller stores.
Sometimes, when they are built near small towns, many of the small town stores have to close.They just cannot compete with their giant neighbors.
And now, online shopping is becoming more and more popular all over the States.People are too busy to go to the physical stores, so they go shopping over the Internet.Online shopping has lots of advantages.For instance, online stores are usually available 24 hours a day.Searching or browsing online shops can be faster than browsing the physical stores.While, online shopping also has its disadvantages.People are at higher risk of being cheated on the part of the merchant than in a physical store.And privacy of personal information may be let out.

  1. 1.

    Which of the following shows the right order of shopping development in the United States?
    ①small stores ②superstores ③shopping malls  ④shopping online
    ⑤supermarkets

    1. A.
      ①②③④⑤
    2. B.
      ①⑤②③④
    3. C.
      ①⑤③②④
    4. D.
      ②③④①⑤
  2. 2.

    Which is the place for people to spend time with others according to the passage?

    1. A.
      Shopping malls.
    2. B.
      Small stores.
    3. C.
      Supermarkets.
    4. D.
      Superstores.
  3. 3.

    Why can the superstores sell products at much lower prices?

    1. A.
      Because they are built near small towns.
    2. B.
      Because they are across the United States.
    3. C.
      Because they sell all kinds of products people need.
    4. D.
      Because they can buy goods at a reduction in the price.
  4. 4.

    What's the disadvantage of online shopping according to the passage?

    1. A.
      Wasting time.
    2. B.
      Leaking personal information.
    3. C.
      Fixed prices.
    4. D.
      No chance to do physical activities.
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