1、Section I Use of EnglishDirections:Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on the ANSWER SHEET. (10 points)Today, we live in a world where GPS systems, digital maps, and other navigation apps are all available on our smartphones. 1 of us just wa
2、lk straight into the woods without a phone. But phones 2 on batteries, and batteries can die faster than we realize. 3 you get lost without a phone or a compass, and you 4 cant find north, a few tricks may help you navigate 5 to civilization, one of which is to follow the land.When you find yourself
3、 6 a trail, but not in a completely 7 area of land, you have to answer two questions: Which 8 is downhill, in this particular area? And where is the nearest water source? Humans overwhelmingly live in valleys, and on supplies of fresh water. 9 , if you head downhill, and follow any H2O you find, you
4、 should 10 see signs of people.If youve explored the area before, keep an eye out for familiar sights you may be 11 how quickly identifying a distinctive rock or tree can restore your bearings.Another 12 : Climb high and look for signs of human habitation. 13 , even in dense forest, you should be ab
5、le to 14 gaps in the tree line due to roads, train tracks, and other paths people carve 15 the woods. Head toward these 16 to find a way out. At night, scan the horizon for 17 light sources, such as fires and streetlights, then walk toward the glow of light pollution. 18 , assuming youre lost in an
6、area humans tend to frequent, look for the 19 we leave on the landscape. Trail blazes, tire tracks, and other features can 20 you to civilization.1.A. FewB. MostC. SomeD. All2.A. putB. take C. runD. come3.A. SinceB. UntilC. Though D. If4.A. formallyB. literallyC. graduallyD. relatively5.A. aroundB.
7、awayC. backD. next6.A. ontoB. alongC. acrossD. off7.A. unattractiveB. unfamiliarC. unchangedD. uncrowded8.A. wayB. pointC. siteD. place9.A. InsteadB. YetC. SoD. Besides10.A. immediatelyB. eventuallyC. unexpectedlyD. intentionally11.A. frightenedB. annoyedC. surprisedD. confused12.A. problemB. result
8、C. viewD. option13.A. Above allB. For exampleC. On averageD. In contrast14.A. spotB. avoidC. bridgeD. separate15.A. fromB. underC. beyondD. through16.A. postsB. breaksC. shadesD. links17.A. hiddenB. mysteriousC. artificialD. limited18.A. FinallyB. ConsequentlyC. IncidentallyD. Generally19.A. memorie
9、sB. belongingsC. notesD. marks20.A. leadB. adaptC. restrictD. exposeSection II Reading ComprehensionPart ADirections:Read the following four texts. Answer the questions after each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. (40 points)Text 1Financial regulators in Britain h
10、ave imposed a rather unusual rule on the bosses of big banks. Starting next year, any guaranteed bonus of top executives could be delayed 10 years if their banks are under investigation for wrongdoing. The main purpose of this “clawback” rule is to hold bankers accountable for harmful risk-taking an
11、d to restore public trust in financial institutions. Yet officials also hope for a much larger benefit: more long-term decision-making, not only by banks but by all corporations, to build a stronger economy for future generations.“Short-termism,” or the desire for quick profits, has worsened in publ
12、icly traded companies, says the Bank of Englands top economist, Andrew Haldane. He quotes a giant of classical economics, Alfred Marshall, in describing this financial impatience as acting like “children who pick the plums out of their pudding to eat them at once” rather than putting them aside to b
13、e eaten last.The average time for holding a stock in both the United States and Britain, he notes, has dropped from seven years to seven months in recent decades. Transient investors, who demand high quarterly profits from companies, can hinder a firms efforts to invest in long-term research or to b
14、uild up customer loyalty. This has been dubbed “quarterly capitalism.”In addition, new digital technologies have allowed more rapid trading of equities, quicker use of information, and thus shorter attention spans in financial markets. “There seems to be a predominance of short-term thinking at the
15、expense of long-term investing,” said Commissioner Daniel Gallagher of the US Securities and Exchange Commission in a speech this week.In the US, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 has pushed most public companies to defer performance bonuses for senior executives by about a year, slightly helping reduc
16、e “short-termism.” In its latest survey of CEO pay, The Wall Street Journal finds that “a substantial part” of executive pay is now tied to performance.Much more could be done to encourage “long-termism,” such as changes in the tax code and quicker disclosure of stock acquisitions. In France, shareh
17、olders who hold onto a company investment for at least two years can sometimes earn more voting rights in a company.Within companies, the right compensation design can provide incentives for executives to think beyond their own time at the company and on behalf of all stakeholders. Britains new rule
18、 is a reminder to bankers that society has an interest in their performance, not just for the short term but for the long term.21.According to Paragraph 1, one motive in imposing the new rule is toA.guarantee the bonuses of top executives.B.enhance bankers sense of responsibility.C.build a new syste
19、m of financial regulation.D.help corporations achieve larger profits.22.Alfred Marshall is quoted to indicateA.the solid structure of publicly traded companies.B.governments impatience in decision-making.C.the conditions for generating quick profits.D.“short-termism” in economic activities.23.It is
20、argued that the influence of transient investment on public companies can beA.minimal.B.indirect.C.adverse.D.temporary.24.The US and France examples are used to illustrateA.the approaches to promoting “long-termism.”B.the prevalence of short-term thinking.C.the significance of long-term thinking.D.t
21、he obstacles to preventing “short-termism.”25.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?A.Decisiveness Required of Top ExecutivesB.Failure of Quarterly CapitalismC.Patience as a Corporate VirtueD.Frustration of Risk-taking BankersText 2Grade inflation the gradual increase in averag
22、e GPAs (grade-point averages) over the past few decades is often considered a product of a consumer era in higher education, in which students are treated like customers to be pleased. But another, related force a policy often buried deep in course catalogs called “grade forgiveness” is helping rais
23、e GPAs.Grade forgiveness allows students to retake a course in which they received a low grade, and the most recent grade or the highest grade is the only one that counts in calculating a students overall GPA.The use of this little-known practice has accelerated in recent years, as colleges continue
24、 to do their utmost to keep students in school (and paying tuition) and improve their graduation rates. When this practice first started decades ago, it was usually limited to freshmen, to give them a second chance to take a class in their first year if they struggled in their transition to college-
25、level courses. But now most colleges, save for many selective campuses, allow all undergraduates, and even graduate students, to get their low grades forgiven.College officials tend to emphasize that the goal of grade forgiveness is less about the grade itself and more about encouraging students to
26、retake courses critical to their degree program and graduation without incurring a big penalty. “Ultimately,” said Jack Miner, Ohio State Universitys registrar, “we see students achieve more success because they retake a course and do better in subsequent courses or master the content that allows th
27、em to graduate on time.”That said, there is a way in which grade forgiveness satisfies colleges own needs as well. For public institutions, state funds are sometimes tied partly to their success on metrics such as graduation rates and student retention so better grades can, by boosting figures like
28、those, mean more money. And anything that raises GPAs will likely make students who, at the end of the day, are paying the bill feel theyve gotten a better value for their tuition dollars, which is another big concern for colleges.Indeed, grade forgiveness is just another way that universities are r
29、esponding to consumers expectations for higher education. Since students and parents expect a college degree to lead to a job, it is in the best interest of a school to turn out graduates who are as qualified as possible or at least appear to be. On this, students and colleges incentives seem to be
30、aligned.26.What is commonly regarded as the cause of grade inflation?A.Colleges neglect of GPAs.B.The influence of consumer culture.C.Students indifference to GPAs.D.The change of course catalogs.27.What was the original purpose of grade forgiveness?A.To maintain colleges graduation rates.B.To incre
31、ase universities income from tuition.C.To prepare graduates for a challenging future.D.To help freshmen adapt to college learning.28.According to Paragraph 5, grade forgiveness enables colleges toA.obtain more financial support.B.improve their teaching quality.C.boost their student enrollments.D.mee
32、t local governments needs.29.What does the phrase “to be aligned” (Line 5, Para. 6) most probably mean?A.To counterbalance each other.B.To be contradictory to each other.C.To be identical with each other.D.To complement each other.30.The author examines the practice of grade forgiveness by A.assessi
33、ng its feasibility.B.listing its long-run effects.C.comparing different views on it.D.analyzing the causes behind it.Text 3This year marks exactly two centuries since the publication of Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, by Mary Shelley. Even before the invention of the electric light bulb, th
34、e author produced a remarkable work of speculative fiction that would foreshadow many ethical questions to be raised by technologies yet to come.Today the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) raises fundamental questions: “What is intelligence, identity, or consciousness? What makes humans h
35、umans?”What is being called artificial general intelligence, machines that would imitate the way humans think, continues to evade scientists. Yet humans remain fascinated by the idea of robots that would look, move, and respond like humans, similar to those recently depicted on popular sci-fi TV ser
36、ies such as “Westworld” and “Humans.”Just how people think is still far too complex to be understood, let alone reproduced, says David Eagleman, a Stanford University neuroscientist. “We are just in a situation where there are no good theories explaining what consciousness actually is and how you co
37、uld ever build a machine to get there.”But that doesnt mean crucial ethical issues involving AI arent at hand. The coming use of autonomous vehicles, for example, poses thorny ethical questions. Human drivers sometimes must make split-second decisions. Their reactions may be a complex combination of
38、 instant reflexes, input from past driving experiences, and what their eyes and ears tell them in that moment. AI “vision” today is not nearly as sophisticated as that of humans. And to anticipate every imaginable driving situation is a difficult programming problem.Whenever decisions are based on m
39、asses of data, “you quickly get into a lot of ethical questions,” notes Tan Kiat How, chief executive of a Singapore-based agency that is helping the government develop a voluntary code for the ethical use of AI. Along with Singapore, other governments and mega-corporations are beginning to establis
40、h their own guidelines. Britain is setting up a data ethics center. India released its AI ethics strategy this spring.On June 7 Google pledged not to “design or deploy AI” that would cause “overall harm,” or to develop AI-directed weapons or use AI for surveillance that would violate international n
41、orms. It also pledged not to deploy AI whose use would violate international laws or human rights.While the statement is vague, it represents one starting point. So does the idea that decisions made by AI systems should be explainable, transparent, and fair.To put it another way: How can we make sur
42、e that the thinking of intelligent machines reflects humanitys highest values? Only then will they be useful servants and not Frankensteins out-of-control monster.31.Mary Shelleys novel Frankenstein is mentioned because itA.involves some concerns raised by AI today.B.has remained popular for as long
43、 as 200 years.C.fascinates AI scientists all over the world.D.has sparked serious ethical controversies.32.In David Eaglemans opinion, our current knowledge of consciousnessA.helps explain artificial intelligence.B.is too limited for us to reproduce it.C.inspires popular sci-fi TV series.D.can be mi
44、sleading to robot making.33.The solution to the ethical issues brought by autonomous vehiclesA.can hardly ever be found.B.has aroused much curiosity.C.is still beyond our capacity.D.causes little public concern.34.The authors attitude toward Googles pledges is one ofA.contempt.B.skepticism.C.respect
45、.D.affirmation.35.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?A.The Conscience of AI: Complex But InevitableB.Frankenstein, the Novel Predicting the Age of AIC.AIs Future: In the Hands of Tech GiantsD.AI Shall Be Killers Once Out of ControlText 4States will be able to force more peop
46、le to pay sales tax when they make online purchases under a Supreme Court decision Thursday that will leave shoppers with lighter wallets but is a big financial win for states.The Supreme Courts opinion Thursday overruled a pair of decades-old decisions that states said cost them billions of dollars
47、 in lost revenue annually. The decisions made it more difficult for states to collect sales tax on certain online purchases.The cases the court overturned said that if a business was shipping a customers purchase to a state where the business didnt have a physical presence such as a warehouse or off
48、ice, the business didnt have to collect sales tax for the state. Customers were generally responsible for paying the sales tax to the state themselves if they werent charged it, but most didnt realize they owed it and few paid.Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote that the previous decisions were flawed. “Each ye
