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Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay that begins with the sentence “ It is now widely accepted that mutual trust and openness is the key to promoting cooperation. ” You can make comments, cite examples or use your personal experiences to develop your essay. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.
Directions: In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation, you will hear four questions. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.
1. A) It enables people to earn more money.
B) It teaches the importance of financing.
C) It helps people with budgeting.
D) It introduces a novel way to invest.
2. A) Many Americans are not satisfied with their income.
B) Many Americans have no idea about how to invest.
C) Most Americans do not know how to save money.
D) Most Americans do not stick to a budget.
3. A) Keep track of his money.
B) Live within his means.
C) Find more sources of income.
D) Refrain from buying luxuries.
4. A) It offers a greater variety of items.
B) It helps avoid unnecessary spending.
C) It changes one's way of living.
D) It saves one's time for shopping.
5. A) It is brand-new.
B) It has plenty of rooms.
C) It belongs to her mother.
D) It has been vacant for months.
6. A) Space.
B) Tranquility.
C) Appliances.
D) Location.
7. A) Talk to his wife about the contract terms.
B) Pay the first month's rent and a deposit.
C) Check the references of the flat owner.
D) Consult his solicitor one more time.
8. A) She can have a wonderful view of the pond.
B) She will be much closer to her work place.
C) She can make friends with new neighbours.
D) She will have plenty of space for her shoes.
Directions: In this section, you will hear two passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear three or four questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.
9. A) The more commercials they see, the more brands they get to know.
B) The more commercials they see, the more they adore celebrities.
C) The more television they watch, the fewer conflicts in the family.
D) The more television they watch, the greater their parents' stress.
10. A) Inform children of the family's financial situation.
B) Shift children's attention to interesting activities.
C) Involve children in making purchasing decisions.
D) Help children understand advertising's intent.
11. A) Their limited cognitive ability.
B) Their strong natural curiosity.
C) Their admiration for celebrities.
D) Their lack of social experience.
12. A) Bad guys may do good deeds.
B) Bad guys may go unpunished.
C) Good guys may not always cooperate.
D) Good guys may get unfair treatment.
13. A) By what we do.
B) By fair evaluation.
C) In comparison with others.
D) In accordance with set standards.
14. A) Learn from them earnestly.
B) Compete with them actively.
C) Leave them alone temporarily.
D) Cooperate with them sincerely.
15. A) Being dismissed as hypocritical.
B) Not getting the reward they deserve.
C) Having to make too many sacrifices.
D) Being misunderstood by people around.
Directions: In this section, you will hear three recordings of lectures or talks followed by three or four questions. The recordings will be played only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.
16. A) They are increasingly aware of gender differences.
B) They engage themselves in positive recollection.
C) They begin to see the importance of friendship.
D) They make friends with peers of the same sex.
17. A) Competing for position.
B) Pursuing fashion.
C) Forging close ties with friends.
D) Fulfilling family obligations.
18. A) They prioritize romance over friendship.
B) They try to strengthen same-sex friendships.
C) They begin to take friendship more seriously.
D) They compete intensely for romantic partners.
19. A) They regard it as a matter of sheer privacy.
B) They are worried about being turned down.
C) They fear that their condition will be made widely known.
D) They are afraid to be discriminated against once recruited.
20. A) After receiving a job offer.
B) During a job interview.
C) When confirming an interview.
D) Upon completing a cover letter.
21. A) Describe the true state of their health.
B) Provide all the information required.
C) Stress the irrelevance of their disability to the job.
D) Avoid mentioning the name of their disability.
22. A) Their scores were least affected by music with speech.
B) It was the poorest when there was background speech.
C) Their scores were most depressed with instrumental music.
D) It was disrupted by the sound of an air conditioner or fan.
23. A) It has to do with the type and volume of the background noise.
B) It has to do with short-term memory for listening comprehension.
C) It depends on the overlap in processing different kinds of information.
D) It depends on the participants' ability to concentrate on the task at hand.
24. A) Keep everything as quiet as possible.
B) Play nothing but instrumental music.
C) Use vocal material as little as possible.
D) Wear a pair of earphones or headphones.
25. A) Sociable people were immune to all distractions.
B) Shy quiet people were most adversely impacted.
C) Less outgoing people were more affected by silence.
D) Confident people were unaffected by high-arousal music.
Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.
The now extinct passenger pigeon has the dubious honor of being the last species anyone ever expected to disappear. At one point, there were more passenger pigeons than any other species of bird. Rough 26 of their population went as high as five billion and they accounted for around 40 percent of the total indigenous bird population of North America in the early 19th century.
Despite their huge population, passenger pigeons were 27 to human intrusion into their nesting territory. Their nests were shabby things and two weeks after the eggs 28 , the parent pigeons would abandon their offspring, leaving them to take care of themselves. People discovered that these baby pigeons were really tasty, and the adult birds were also quite 29 . First the Native Americans and then the transplanted Europeans came to consider the birds a great 30 .
By the 1850s, commercial trapping of passenger pigeons was proceeding at an 31 pace. Hundreds of thousands of the birds were being harvested every day to be made into popular pigeon pies. In addition, large 32 of the pigeons' nesting territory were being cleared away for planting crops and creating pasture land. As numerous as the passenger pigeons were, they were not an 33 resource. By the 1880s, it was noticed that the bird population had become seriously 34 . The last passenger pigeons killed in the wild were shot in 1899.
Eventually those billions and billions of birds shrank to a single remaining 35 , a passenger pigeon named Martha, who died on September 1, 1914, in captivity at the Cincinnati Zoo. In addition to being the end of an era, it was also the first time humans were able to exactly time the extinction of a species.
A) vulnerable
B) unprecedented
C) tracts
D) specimen
E) robust
F) refuge
G) plazas
H) infinite
I) hatched
J) expired
K) excerpts
L) estimates
M) edible
N) depleted
O) delicacy
Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 .
Is computer coding a foreign language?
A) As computer coding has become an increasingly sought-after skill, more K-12 schools are working it into their curriculums. Some states have considered allowing students to forgo ( 放弃 ) foreign language for coding classes, despite opposition from educators.
B) There's a debate over whether it's appropriate to teach coding in elementary schools, with fierce opinions on each side. When it comes to allowing coding to fill foreign language requirements, though, most educators agree: Coding should be added to curriculums, but not at the expense of foreign language classes.
C) The idea is that computer programming is a language, allowing people to communicate with machines and programs. It's the language of the 21st century and more valuable than a natural language, some advocates argue. The computer science field is growing faster than schools can keep up because of budget constraints and a lack of skills training for teachers.
D) According to the 2016 U.S. News/Raytheon STEM Index, computer science jobs have helped boost wages in the U.S., and computer-related jobs hold the top seven positions in STEM fields for highest number of workers. Foreign language interest, on the other hand, is declining for the first time since 1995. The number of higher education language enrollments declined between 2009 and 2013 by more than 111,000 spots, according to the Modern Language Association of America.
E) “I think the opportunity to give people a choice is important,” says Florida state Senator Jeremy Ring, who introduced a bill last year that would allow Florida students to choose between foreign language and coding classes for the purpose of university admissions requirements. “I think if you're going to give two years of language in high school, you might as well do computer coding.”
F) The Florida bill died this year after passing 35:5 in the state Senate when the full Legislature failed to take action. It would have been the first state to try this initiative. Ring says that although he will be out of office, an identical bill will be reintroduced within the next year by others on his behalf. “In the speech I gave on the Senate floor, I said, ‘We can be the first state to do this, or we can be the 50th state to do it. It's our choice. It's going to happen,’” Ring says.
G) A Kentucky bill similar to the one in Florida was met with complaints from educators, and was then amended to promote computer science education initiatives with no mention of foreign language requirements. Instead, the state will provide support for higher quality certified teachers for programming classes. Under the Washington bill, public universities would accept two years of computer science classes in place of two years of foreign language for admission purposes. A report detailing the opinions of state university officials is due to the Legislature by November 2017.
H) Texas passed a bill in 2013 that allows students to substitute computer coding only after they have attempted and performed poorly in a foreign language class. Srini Mandyam, CTO and co-founder of kid-friendly instructional coding company Tynker, believes allowing students to forgo foreign language because they struggle with it is unproductive because every subject, whether art, math or language, is a significant contribution to a well-rounded existence. “Many students don't fare well with algebra but we never discuss eliminating it or … say chemistry is now counted as an algebra class,” he said via email. “We teach algebra because it's important and we should teach foreign language and coding for the same reason. Exposure to a wide breadth of subjects and material results in well-rounded students who are able to make informed decisions … about what they want to pursue.”
I) Computer science courses already fulfill a math or science high school graduation requirement in 28 states and the District of Columbia, up from only 12 states in 2013. And while advocates of the bills say they should count as foreign language instead, opponents stress the importance of balancing computer and foreign language skills.
J) Studies show that bilingualism ( 双语 ) correlates with cognitive development, intelligence, memory and problem solving abilities, according to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. A 2007 study showed that foreign language students outperformed their non-foreign language peers on standardized tests after only two to three years of study. And while a 2014 report from German and American universities suggests that programmers are using language (but not mathematical) regions of the brain when understanding code, critics remain wary. They say that regardless of cognitive functions, being monolingual is a disadvantage in the increasingly international economy, even if English has become the de facto ( 事实上的 ) language of business.
K) “Our world is shrinking but its problems are really growing,” says ACTFL National Language Teacher of the Year Ted Zarrow, who teaches high school Latin in Westwood, Massachusetts, and has also studied Spanish, French, German, Italian and Greek. “We need to find a way to put ourselves at the global table and to treat each other with mutual respect. And learning languages allows us to do that because language is not part of culture, language is culture.”
L) Even with the benefits and skill sets languages provide, recruiters and employers value computer skills more. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers' 2016 report, study abroad and foreign language fluency were not very influential in the employee hiring processes, but 55 percent of employers looked for computer skills on applicants' resumes. However, although 2016 computer science graduates can expect to make the second highest starting salary compared with other jobs this year, the Bureau of Labor predicts the demand for computer programmers will decrease 8 percent or by 26,500 jobs by 2024.
M) Ring says foreign language skills are important, but expresses doubt that school districts could work both coding and language into their curriculum in a significant way because they lack the time in the school day. “Nothing against language,” he says. “I just think it's something you have to start early and not just have something that you do for a couple years in high school,” he says.
N) Zarrow agrees that foreign language education should begin earlier, but says it is possible to work both computer programming and foreign language learning into schools evenly. He suggests an immersive, dual language program where students spend half the day in English and half the day in another language, as several schools around the country have successfully implemented. “The study of language fosters a respect for diversity, a respect for ethnicity and really a respect for language,” Zarrow says.
O) Though the benefits of computer programming skills are vast, foreign language and coding experts agree that computer science should be negotiated into curriculums rather than replacing foreign language outright. Mandyam says the two skill sets are essential but unrelated. “Coding is an incredibly important 21st century skill for our kids to learn, and that's why we spend so much time trying to teach it,” Mandyam says via email. “But I believe it is the same as or even really comparable to learning a foreign language. It would be a shame to lose something so important for the sake of adding something else, even something as important as coding. Clearly, education leaders must figure out a way to teach both.”
36. Employers attach more importance to applicants' computer skills than their language competence.
37. One U.S. state senator proposed that high school students be allowed to study either foreign language or computer coding.
38. Learning languages broadens students' international perspective and nurtures mutual respect among peoples, according to a high school language teacher.
39. One U.S. state will see to it that programming classes are taught by quality teachers.
40. Statistics show while computer-related jobs have been on the rise, foreign languages have become less appealing to American students since mid-1990s.
41. All school subjects are said to be essential to students' well-rounded development.
42. There is consensus among most educators that coding should be taught in schools but should not replace foreign language.
43. One study showed that foreign language learning improved students' academic performance.
44. Being short of funding and qualified teachers, schools lag behind the fast developing computer science field.
45. A distinguished high school language teacher also believes it is advisable to start learning a foreign language at an earlier age.
Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.
The U.S. and China don't agree on much these days. Germany and France share a border and a currency but are frequently at odds. The U.K. and India like to march to their own drum. But there's one issue on which all these countries see eye to eye: Technology companies are too big, too powerful, and too profitable. And that power is only likely to intensify, leaving governments with no choice but to confront it head-on by taking the companies to court, passing new competition laws, and perhaps even breaking up the tech giants.
China is the latest to implement an anti-trust crackdown, unveiling anti-monopoly rules last month. The draft rules followed the surprise suspension of a $37 billion stock offering by billionaire Jack Ma's Ant Group Co., making clear that no company can evade the government's regulation. The moves in China coincide with accelerating efforts in the U.S. and Europe to rein in Amazon.com, Apple, Facebook, and Google.
“The big get bigger and bigger but without being better,” says Andreas Schwab, a German member of the European Parliament who championed a 2014 resolution to break up Google. “Growing economic power, growing influence on local markets all over the world, and a growing concern of competitors and consumers altogether have made it happen now.”
In this new anti-trust era, the old focus on pricing power no longer applies, because several of the biggest tech companies have established trillion-dollar monopolies by charging consumers next to nothing. Tech giants are increasingly assuming powerful positions in banking, finance, advertising, retail, and other markets that force smaller businesses to rely on their platforms to reach customers.
For years, Europe alone confronted the power of digital giants. Governments were alarmed that European companies were failing to match Silicon Valley's innovations or to stop Google and Facebook from vacuuming up personal data and, with that, advertising revenue. Led by Margrethe Vestager, the European Union's competition chief, countries have sought to police the market and encourage fair play.
In China the crackdown has been driven at least partly by fear that the homegrown tech industry is becoming too powerful. The country has long championed Alibaba and Tencent, but their massive accumulation of data on the Chinese citizenry is a growing concern for Beijing.
In the U.S., a new breed of anti-trust experts argues that consideration should be given to privacy, control over data, workers' rights, and the overall impact on smaller companies. And the public in general have grown increasingly skeptical of social media companies. More than 60% say the sector has a negative effect on the country, and almost half want more regulation for social media, according to a 2020 Pew Research Center study.
46. What does the author say is the issue all major economic powers have to address?
A) How to ensure the sustainable growth of their tech giants.
B) How to keep the competitiveness of their tech companies.
C) How to break up the powerful giant tech companies.
D) How to stop tech companies from gaining monopoly.
47. What does the suspension of Ant Group Co.’s stock offering suggest?
A) All attempts to evade regulation are doomed to failure.
B) All attempts to monopolize sales must be cracked down.
C) All companies must be regulated by the government.
D) All companies, domestic or foreign, are created equal.
48. How are smaller companies impacted by tech giants' business expansion?
A) They can no longer do business independent of tech giants.
B) They are frequently denied access to tech giants' platforms.
C) They have to change marketing strategies to keep customers.
D) They no longer have the power to price their own products.
49. What have EU countries done to confront the power of digital giants?
A) They have imposed strict regulation over digital giants' advertising.
B) They have considered regulatory action to promote fair competition.
C) They have limited sales of digital giants' products.
D) They have sought to protect consumers' privacy.
50. What do Americans generally think of social media companies according to the author?
A) They are invading people's privacy.
B) They are increasingly influential.
C) They are becoming untrustworthy.
D) They are growing out of control.
Born from the accessibility of mass air travel, modern international tourism has been popularized as “holiday-making” in regions that offer comparative advantages of sand, sun and sea. Travel is often portrayed as a tool for personal growth and tourism as an economic motor for destination countries and cities. There is a tendency to assume that tourism is good for everyone involved.
Today the big bang of tourism drives over 1.2 billion tourists across international borders annually. Many popular places are literally being loved to death. Recent protests in ports of call like Venice and Barcelona against disturbances created by cruise ships show the unfortunate consequences of emphasizing quantity over quality in tourism.
Uncontrolled tourism development has become a primary driver of social and environmental disruption. Tourism studies provide much documentation of the many negative social impacts of tourism and resulting resentment that local populations direct toward visitors.
Antagonism toward tourists typically develops in mature, heavily visited destinations. Protests in heavily visited destinations suggest that traditional tourism has overstayed its welcome.
Residents often become frustrated when the benefits of tourism are not felt locally. Although it can generate foreign exchange, income and employment, there's no guarantee that multinational hotel chains will allocate these benefits equitably among local communities.
On the contrary, when people stay at large resorts or on cruise ships, they make most of their purchases there, leaving local communities little opportunity to benefit from tourist spending. These forms of tourism widen economic and political gaps between haves and have-nots at local destinations.
In recent decades, local residents in destination communities also have found themselves negotiating new cultural boundaries, class dynamics, service industry roles and lifestyle transformations. For example, data show that tourism activity corresponds to increased social problems as local residents adopt the behaviors of tourists.
What does all this mean for the everyday traveler?
First, all tourists should make every effort to honor their hosts and respect local conditions. This means being prepared to adapt to local customs and norms, rather than expecting local conditions to adapt to travelers.
Second, tourism is a market-based activity and works best when consumers reward better performers. In the information age, there's little excuse for travelers being uninformed about where their vacation money goes and who it enriches.
Informed travelers also are better able to distinguish between multinational companies and local entrepreneurs whose businesses provide direct social, environmental, and economic benefits for local residents. Such businesses are in love with the destination and are therefore deserving of market reward. In the long run, being a responsible traveler means ensuring net positive impacts for local people and environments. With the information available at our fingertips, there has never been more opportunity to do so.
51. What is the popular assumption about international tourism?
A) Its benefits may compensate for the adverse environmental consequences.
B) Its rapid development is attributed to people's improved living standard.
C) It appeals to people in places with favorable geographical conditions.
D) It contributes to the economy of destination countries and regions.
52. What do we learn from some studies about uncontrolled tourism development?
A) It gives rise to an increase in mass confrontations.
B) It incurs local residents' antagonism to tourists.
C) It inhibits the steady growth of local economy.
D) It brings in a large chunk of mobile population.
53. Why does the author say local residents of popular destinations often feel frustrated?
A) They fall victim to social conflicts and environmental disturbances.
B) They have little opportunity to enjoy themselves on cruise ships.
C) They cannot find employment in multinational hotel chains.
D) They do not think they benefit as much as they deserve.
54. How does the author say local residents in destination communities respond to tourism activity?
A) They endeavor to adapt to it.
B) They readily adopt new lifestyles.
C) They immerse tourists in their culture.
D) They try to upgrade their business models.
55. What can tourists do to exert more positive impacts on the tourist destinations?
A) Show interest in local customs and lifestyles.
B) Seek possibilities to invest in local companies.
C) Use the services provided by local businesses.
D) Give favorable comments about their services.
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2 .
贴春联（Spring Festival couplets）是中国人欢度春节的一个重要习俗。春联由一对诗句和四字横批（horizontal scroll）组成，诗句和横批用金色或黑色写在红纸上，红色代表幸运，金色代表财富。春联贴在大门左右两侧和门框上方。春联的诗句体现中国传统诗词的特点，两句诗的字数相同、内容相关。横批凸显春联的主题，更是锦上添花。春联以简洁的文字描绘生动的形象，抒发美好的愿望。当家家户户贴春联时，人们就会意识到春节已经正式拉开序幕。