Section Ⅱ Reading Comprehension

　　Part A

Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions after eachtext by choosing [A],[B],[C] or[ D]. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (40points)

　Text 1

It is curious that Stephen Koziatek feels almost as though he has tojustify his efforts to give his students a better future.

Mr. Koziatek is part of something pioneering. He is a teacher at a NewHampshire high school where learning is not something of books and tests androte memorization, but practical, reports staff writer Stacy Teicher Khadaroo inthis week’s cover story. When did it become accepted wisdom that students shouldbe able to name the 13th president of the United States but be utterlybamboozled by a busted bike chain?

As Koziatek knows, there is learning in just about everything. Nothing isnecessarily gained by forcing students to learn geometry at a graffitied deskstuck with generations of discarded chewing gum. They can also learn geometry byassembling a bicycle.

But he’s also found a kind of insidious prejudice. Working with your handsis seen as almost a mark of inferiority. Schools in the family of vocationaleducation “have that stereotype … that it’s for kids who can’t make itacademically,” he says.

On one hand, that viewpoint is a logical product of America’s evolution.Manufacturing is not the economic engine that it once was. The job security thatthe US economy once offered to high school graduates has largely evaporated.More education is the new mantra. We want more for our kids, and rightfullyso.

But the headlong push into bachelor’s degrees for all – and the subtledevaluing of anything less – misses an important point: That’s not the onlything the American economy needs. Yes, a bachelor’s degree opens more doors. Buteven now, 54 percent of the jobs in the country are middle-skill job, such asconstruction and high-skill manufacturing. But only 44 percent of workers areadequately trained.

In other words, at a time when the working class has turned the country onits political head, frustrated that the opportunity that once defined America isvanishing, one obvious solution is staring us in the face. There is a gap inworking-class jobs, but the workers who need those jobs most aren’t equipped todo them Koziatek’s Manchester School of Technology High School is trying to fillthat gap.

Koziatek’s school is wake-up call. When education becomesone-size-fits-all, it risks overlooking a nation’s diversity of gifts.

21. A broken bike chain is mentioned to show student’s lack of_______.

A. academic training

B. practical ability

C. pioneering spirit

D. mechanical memorization

　21. 第21题考查事实细节，由题干里的broken bikechain可定位回原文第一段最后一行，再往上看到重点结构：not…but…结构，表达了学生现在学的不再是something of books andtests，而是practical(实际性)的东西，故选B。

22. There exists the prejudice that vocational education is for kidswho_______.

A. have a stereotyped mind

B. have no career motivation

C. are financially disadvantaged

D. are not academically successful

22. 事实细节题，由题干的prejudice和vocational可定位到第三段，最后一句”who can’t make itacademically,”和D选项同义替换。

23. We can infer from Paragraph 5 that high school graduates_______.

A. used to have more job opportunities

B. used to have big financial concerns

C. are entitled to more educational privileges

D. are reluctant to work in manufacturing

23. 推断题，提炼Paragraph 5第二句主干：Job security once offered has evaporated.反过来，则选A选项：过去的就业机会更多。

24. The headlong push into bachelor’s degrees for all_______.

A. helps create a lot of middle-class jobs

B. may narrow the gap in working-class jobs

C. indicates the overvaluing of higher education

D. is expected to yield a better-trained workforce

　24. 由题干的The headlong push into bachelor’s degrees forall不难定位到第6段第一句，紧接着的双重否定的表达：the subtle devaluing of anythingless和C选项的肯定表达同义替换。

25. The author’s attitude toward Koziatek’s school can be described as.

A. tolerant

B. cautious

C. supportive

D. disappointed

25. 作者观点态度题，由最后三行中的积极性质的词汇，如：trying to fill that gap, wake-upcall可知，作者对于Koziatek’s school是持支持的态度的，故选C, supportive。

　Text 2

While fossil fuels – coal, oil, gas – still generate roughly 85 percent ofthe world’s energy supply, it’s clearer than ever that the future belongs torenewable sources such as wind and solar. The move to renewable is picking upmomentum around the world: They now account for more than half of new powersources going on line.

Some growth stem from a commitment by governments and farsighted businessesto fund cleaner energy sources. But increasingly the story is about theplummeting prices of renewables, especially wind and solar. The cost of solarpanels has dropped by 80 percent and the cost of wind turbines by close toone-third in the past eight years.

In many parts of the world renewable energy is already a principal energysource. In Scotland, for example, wind turbines provide enough electricity topower 95 percent of homes. While the rest of the world takes the lead, notablyChina and Europe, the United States is also seeing a remarkable shift. In March,for the first time, wind and solar power accounted for more than 10 percent ofthe power generated in the US, reported the US Energy InformationAdministration.

President Trump has underlined fossil fuels – especially coal – as the pathto economic growth. In a recent speech in Iowa, he dismissed wind power as anunreliable energy source. But that message did not play well with many in Iowa,where wind turbines dot the fields and provide 36 percent of the state’selectricity generation – and where tech giants like Microsoft are beingattracted by the availability of clean energy to power their data centers.

The question “what happens when the wind doesn’t blow or the sun doesn’t sshine?” has provided a quick put-down for skeptics. But a boost in the storagecapacity of batteries is making their ability to keep power flowing around theclock more likely.

The advance is driven in part by vehicle manufacturers, who are placing bigbets on battery-powered vehicles. Although electric cars are still a rarity onroads now, this massive investment could change the picture rapidly in comingyears.

While there’s a long way to go, the trend lines for renewables are spiking.The pace of change in energy sources appears to be speeding up – perhaps just intime to have a meaningful effect in showing climate change. What Washington does– or doesn’t do – to promote alternative energy may mean less and less at a timeof a global shift in thought.

26. The word “plummeting” (Line 3, Para.2) is closest in meaning to______.(语义题)

A. stabilizing

B. changing

C. falling

D. rising

　26. 词义题，plummeting所在的句子和后一个句子是顺承的关系，由后面的举例:cost of solar panels havedropped可推测出plummeting 是falling的意思，故选C。

27. According to Paragraph 3, the use of renewable energy inAmerica_____.

A. is progressing notably

B. is as extensive as in Europe

C. faces many challenges

D. has proved to be impractical

27. 例证题，由题干里的关键词renewable energy in America 可定位到第三段的中后处，a remarkableshift和A选项同义替换。并且也符合例子是为了支撑论点的原则，A选项的表达和该段主旨也就是首句意思也吻合。

28. It can be learned that in Iowa, ____.

A. wind is a widely used energy source.

B. wind energy has replaced fossil fuels

C. tech giants are investing in clean energy

D. there is a shortage of clean energy supply

28. 例证题，由题干的Iowa不难定位到第四段，第四段转折处后面一句说明的就是wind energy is widely used,故选A。

29. Which of the following is true about clean energy according toParagraphs 5 & 6?

A. Its application has boosted battery storage.

B. It is commonly used in car manufacturing.

C. Its continuous supply is becoming a reality.

D. Its sustainable exploitation will remain difficult.

29. 事实细节题，由第6段的最后一句”this massive investment could change the picturerapidly”可知选C, 意为：清洁能源的持续供应已经成了一个事实。

30. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that renewableenergy____.

A. will bring the US closer to other countries

B. will accelerate global environmental change

C. is not really encouraged by the US government

D. is not competitive enough with regard to its cost

　30. 推断题，最后一段是总分结构，由第一句也就是主旨句：要走的路还很长，趋势线被阻止可知选C, 意为：可再生能源目前还不被美国政府鼓励。

Text 3

The power and ambition of the giants of the digital economy is astonishing– Amazon has just announced the purchase of the upmarket grocery chain WholeFoods for $13.5bn, but two years ago Facebook paid even more than that toacquire the WhatsApp messaging service, which doesn’t have any physical productat all. What WhatsApp offered Facebook was an intricate and finely detailed webof its users’ friendships and social lives.

Facebook promised the European commission then that it would not link phonenumbers to Facebook identities, but it broke the promise almost as soon as thedeal went through. Even without knowing what was in the messages, the knowledgeof who sent them and to whom was enormously revealing and still could be. Whatpolitical journalist, what party whip, would not want to know the makeup of theWhatsApp groups in which Theresa May’s enemies are currently plotting? It may bethat the value to Amazon is not so much the 460 shops it owns, but the recordsof which customers have purchased what.

Competition law appears to be the only way to address these imbalances ofpower. But it is clumsy. For one thing, it is very slow compared to the pace ofchange within the digital economy. By the time a problem has been addressed andremedied it may have vanished in the marketplace, to be replaced by new abusesof power. But there is a deeper conceptual problem, too. Competition law aspresently interpreted deals with financial disadvantage to consumers and

this isnot obvious when the users of these services don’t pay for them. The users oftheir services are not their customers. That would be the people who buyadvertising from them – and Facebook and Google, the two virtual giants,dominate digital advertising to the disadvantage of all other media andentertainment companies.

The product they’re selling is data, and we, the users, convert our livesto data for the benefit of the digital giants. Just as some ants farm the bugscalled aphids for the honeydew they produce when they feed, so Google farms usfor the data that our digital lives yield. Ants keep predatory insects away fromwhere their aphids feed; Gmail keeps the spammers out of our inboxes. It doesn’tfeel like a human or democratic relationship, even if both sides benefit.

31. According to Paragraph1, Facebook acquired WhatsApp for its

A. digital products

B. user information

C. physical assets

D. quality service

31.答案：B. user information

　　分析：问题中给了定位信息词Paragraph1，Facebook和WhatsApp，回到原文第一段最后就提到What WhatsApp offeredFacebook was an intricate and finely detailed web of its users’ friendships andsocial lives.WhatsApp给予Facebook的是web of its users’ friendships and sociallives，对应选项中的user information用户信息。

32. Linking phone numbers to Facebook identities may ______.

A. worsen political disputes

B. mess up customer records

C. pose a risk to Facebook users

D. mislead the European commission

32. 答案:C. pose a risk to Facebook users

　　分析：根据定位Linking phone numbers, Facebookidentities，定位至第二段首句。但题问的是可能产生什么后果，接着往后看。Even without knowing what was in themessages, the knowledge of who sent them and to whom was enormously revealingand still could be.即使不知道信息的内容，也可以知道是谁发送以及是谁接收了这些信息。这就可能导致用户的信息泄露，所以选项中pose arisk to Facebook users，指出可能会给Facebook的用户带来风险，属于同义替换。

33. According to the author, competition law ______.

A. should serve the new market powers

B. may worsen the economic imbalance

C. should not provide just one legal solution

D. cannot keep pace with the changing market

33.答案：D. cannot keep pace with the changing market

　　分析：根据competition law定位到第三段。Competition law appears to be the only way toaddress these imbalances of power. But it is clumsy. Clumsy表示笨拙的，不灵活的。For onething, it is very slow compared to the pace of change within the digitaleconomy.相比较于数字经济中变化的脚步，它是相对滞后的。所以对应于选项D中的不能跟上变化市场的脚步。

34. Competition law as presently interpreted can hardly protect Facebookusers because ______.

A. they are not defined as customers

B. they are not financially reliable

C. the services are generally digital

D. the services are paid for by advertisers

　34.答案：A. they are not defined as customers

　　分析：根据Competition law还是定位在第三段，问的是几乎不能保护Facebook的用户是由于什么。Competition law aspresently interpreted deals with financial disadvantage toconsumers处理的是与顾客间的经济纠纷。this is not obvious when the users of these servicesdon’t pay for them.而当使用那些服务的用户不付钱的时候这个法律就不是很起作用。The users of their services arenot their customers. 这些使用服务的用户并不是他们的顾客， That would be the people who buyadvertising fromthem他们的顾客是购买广告的Facebook和Google。之所以不能保护用户是因为用户不付钱，他们并不是真正的顾客，真正的顾客是Facebook。所以答案选D。

35. The ants analogy is used to illustrate ______.

A. a win- win business model between digital giants

B. a typical competition pattern among digital giants

C. the benefits provided for digital giants’ customers

D. the relationship between digital giants and their users

35.答案：D. the relationship between digital giants and their users

　　分析：根据ants定位到最后一段。蚂蚁的类比用来说明什么。Just as some ants farm the bugs called aphidsfor the honeydew they produce when they feed, so Google farms us for the datathat our digital lives yield.正如蚂蚁养殖蚜虫获得甘汁，谷歌从我们这获得数据，所以说明的是谷歌和用户之间的关系。D为正确选项。

Text 4

To combat the trap of putting a premium on being busy, Gal Newport, antherof Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Districted world, recommendsbuilding a habit of “deep work”,—the ability to focus without distraction.

There are a number of approaches to mastering the mastering the art of deepwork- be it lengthy retreats, dedicated to a specific task;developing a dailyritual; or taking a “journalistic” approach to seizing moments of deep work whenyou can throughout the day. Whichever approach, the key is to determine yourlength of focus time and stick to it.

Newport also recommends “ deep scheduling” to combat constant interruptionsand get more down in less time. At any given point, Ishold has deep workscheduled for roughly the next month. Once on the calendar I protect this timelike, I would a doctor’s appointment or important meeting ,he writes.

Another approach to getting more down in less time is to rethink how youprioritize your day -in particular how we craft our to – do lists. Tim Harford,author of Messy. The Power of Disorder to Transform Our Lives, points to a studyin the early 1980s, that divided undergraduates into two groups: some wereadvised to set out monthly goals and study activities; others were told to planactivities and golds in much time detail day by day.

While the researchers assumed that the well- structured daily plans wouldbe most effective when it came to the execution of tasks, they were wrong: thedetailed daily plans demotivated students. Hartford argues that inevitabledistractions often render the daily to- do list ineffective, while living roomfor improvisation in such a list can reap the best results.

In order to make the most of our focus and energy. We also need to embracedowntime, or as Newport suggests, “ be lazy.”

“ Idleness is not just a vacation, an indulgence or a vice; it isindispensable to the brain as Vitamin D is to the body…[ idleness] is,paradoxically, necessary to getting any work done, ”he argues.

Sriri Pillay an assistant of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, believesthis counter – intuitive link between downtime and productivity may be due tothe way our brains operate. When our brains switch between being focused andunfocused on a task, they tend to be more efficient.

“What people don’t realise is that, in order to complete these tasks theyneed to use both the focus and unfocus circuits in their brain”, saysPillay.

36. The key to mastering the art of deep work is to____.

A.keep to your focus time

B.list your immediate tasks

C.make specific daily plans

D.seize every minute to work

36.答案：A.keep to your focus time

　　分析：问题中给了定位信息词mastering，art of deepwork，问的是key关键，根据关键词定位到第二段第一句。随后列举了掌握这项能力的多种要素，而题问的是关键因素，所以定位到第二段最后一句，Whicheverapproach, the key is to determine your length of focus time and stick to it.关键在于你集中注意力的时长。对应于选项A

37. The study in the early 1980s cited by Harvard shows that____.

A.distractions may actually increase efficiency

B. daily schedules are indispensable to studying

C. students are hardly motivated by monthly goals

D. detailed plans may not be as fruitful as expected

37.答案：D. detailed plans may not be as fruitful as expected

　　分析：问题中给了定位信息词study， early 1980s，Harvard。根据关键词定位到第四段。第四段讲述的是实验的具体过程，而题问的是实验表明了什么，问的是结果，所以重点定位到第五段。第五段中提到虽然实验人员假设每日的计划是有效的，但事实是他们错了， the detailed daily plans demotivatedstudents.详细的每日计划反而使学生们失去动力。 Hartford argues that inevitable distractions oftenrender the daily to- do list ineffective, Hartford也认为不可避免的干扰会让每日要完成的任务清单失效。所以答案选D。

38. According to Newport, idleness is ____.

A. a desirable mental state for busy people

B.a major contributor to physical health

C.an effective way to save time and energy

D.an essential factor in accomplishing any work.

38.答案：D. an essential factor in accomplishing any work.

　　分析：问题中给了定位信息词Newport， idleness。根据关键词定位到第七段。 “ Idleness is not just avacation, an indulgence or a vice; it is indispensable to the brain as Vitamin Dis to the body…[ idleness] is, paradoxically, necessary to getting any workdone, ”he argues. necessary to getting any work done对应于选项D中的an essential factorin accomplishing any work.

39. Pillay believes that our brains’ shift between being focused andunfocused______.

A. can result in psychological well-being

B. can bring about greater efficiency

C. is aimed at a better balance in work

D. is driven by task urgency

39.答案：B. can bring about greater efficiency

　　分析：问题中给了定位信息词 Pillay， brains’ shift 。When our brains switch between beingfocused and unfocused on a task, they tend to be moreefficient.当我们的大脑在参与任务时在集中和不集中之间转换，我们的大脑就会更加有效率。

40. This text is mainly about______.

A. ways to relieve the tension of busy life

B. approaches to getting more done in less time

C. the key to eliminating distractions

D. the cause of the lack of focus time

　40.答案：B. approaches to getting more done in less time

　　分析：这是一道主旨题。结合各段落首句对文章进行概括，第三段首句Newport also recommends “ deep scheduling”to combat constant interruptions and get more down in less time.第四段首句Anotherapproach to getting more down in less time is to rethink how you prioritize yourday，以及文章结尾都在反复强调approach，less time，efficiency，所以可知文章的主旨是如何减少工作时间，提升工作效率的方法。

新题型

　　Part B

　　Directions:

Read the following text and match each of the numbered items in the leftcolumn to its corresponding information in the right column. There are two extrachoices in the right column. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. (10points)

A. Just say it

B. Be present

C. Pay a unique compliment

D. Name, places, things

E. Find the “me too”s

F. Skip the small talk

G. Ask for an opinion

Five ways to make conversation with anyone

Conversations are links, which means when you have a conversation with anew person a link gets formed and every conversation you have after that momentwill strengthen the link.

You meet new people every day: the grocery worker, the cab driver, newpeople at work or the security guard at the door. Simply starting a conversationwith them will form a link.

Here are five simple ways that you can make the first move and start aconversation with strangers.

41.__________

Suppose you are in a room with someone you don’t know and something withinyou says “I want to talk with this person”- this is something the mostly happenswith all of us. You wanted to say something- the first word- but it just won’tcome out. It feels like it is stuck somewhere, I know the feelings and here ismy advice just get it out.

Just think: that is the worst that could happen? They won’t talk with you?Well, they are not talking with you now!

I truly believe that once you get that first word out everything else willjust flow. So keep it simple: “Hi”, “Hey” or “Hello”—— do the best you can togather all of the enthusiasm and energy you can, put on a big smile and say“Hi”.

42.____________________

It’s a problem all of us face: you have limited time with the person thatyou want to talk with and you want to make this talk, memorable.

Honestly, if we got stuck, in the rut, of “hi”, “hello”, “how are you” “andwhat’s going on?” you will fail to give the initial Jolt to the conversationthat can make it so memorable.

So don’t be afraid, to ask more personal questions. Trust me, you’ll besurprised to see how much people are willing to share if you just ask.

43.____________________

When you meet a person for the first time, make an effort to find thethings which you and that person, have in common so that you can build theconversation, from that point. When you start a conversation from there and thenmove outward, you will find all of a sudden that the conversation becomes a loteasier.

44.____________________

Imagine you are pouring your heart out to someone and they are just busy ontheir phone, and if you ask, for their attention, you get the response “I canMultitask”.

So when someone tries, to communicate with you, just be in thatcommunication wholeheartedly. Make eye contact, you can feel theconversation.

45.____________________

You all came into a conversation, where you first met the person, but aftersome time you may have met again, and have forgotten their name. Isn’t thatawkward!

So remember the little details of the people you might, or you talked with;perhaps the places they have been to, the place they want to go, the things theylike, the thing they hate – whatever you talk about

When you remember such thing you can automatically become investor in theirwellbeing. So they feel a responsibility to you to keep bad relationshipgoing

That’s it. Five amazing ways that you can make conversation with almostanyone. Every person is a really good book to read, or to have a conversationwith!
　41.答案B. just say it

解析：每个段落的小标题，都围绕着整个篇章的大标题。大标题“Five ways to make conversation withanyone”表明是为如何更好与人交流提建议的。最后一段出现关键逻辑词so, “So keep it simple: “Hi”, “Hey” or“Hello”—— do the best you can to gather all of the enthusiasm and energy youcan, put on a big smile and say “Hi”.”根据此句得到答案。

42.答案B. just say it

解析：第二段用if假设论证，不能陷入在“hi”之类没有营养的交流中，第三段逻辑词so,表明跳过那些信息，因此才可以 “to ask morepersonal questions”。C选项强干扰，不是问opinion，而是more personal questions。

　43.答案：E. find the “me too”s

解析：第一句话就提到，“make an effort to find the things which you and that person,have in common ”，第二句you在说这样做的好处。

44. 答案A. be present

解析：逻辑词so仍然是解题关键。“So when someone tries, to communicate with you, just be inthat communication wholeheartedly.”

45. 答案：D. name, places, things

解析：此部分注意so,such等逻辑。So remember the littledetails,定冠词the回指，指的是第一段细节信息name,第二段分号后面讲到place,接着又讲到不能忘记对方细化的things。

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