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Directions： There is one passage in this reading 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 .
Shenzhen is viewed as China’s Silicon Valley 1 and a milestone on the way to further economic prosperity .Looking at Shenzhen’s investments in research and development (R&D), it is apparent why Shenzhen plays a leading role among Chinese cities.
Last year, enterprises , universities and institutes in the city spent more than 90 billion yuan, or about 14 billion US dollars on R&D, accounting for 4.1 percent of Shenzhen’s total GDP, while the nation’s average rate is around 2.1 percent.
According to the World Intellectual Property Organization 2 , in 2017,China filed around 49,000 applications for international patents, nearly half of which came from Shenzhen, surpassing Germany in patent applications—and ranking fourth in the world.
“Unlike Beijing and Shanghai, most of the tech investment in Shenzhen is market-driven.Enterprises contributed more than 90 percent of the city’s research investment, and more than 90 percent of the new patent filings.”
Shenzhen has become a global hub for hardware innovation.Huawei is the world’s largest telecom equipment provider and the world’s third largest smartphone producer behind Apple and Samsung.Another Shenzhen telecom, Tencent—China’s largest social media and gaming platform—became the most valuable company in Asia last year and is now among the world’s top 10 companies in market capitalization 3 .
A major driver has certainly been policies supporting growth.
In October 1980, China was still a planned economy 4 when Deng Xiaoping created the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone 5 .Shenzhen was an experiment.The city officials were given the task of spearheading reforms envisioned by the paramount leader Deng Xiaoping.
Beijing granted many preferential policies to Shenzhen.Local officials adopted many business practices from neighboring Hong Kong.
Shenzhen became the first city to advertise its reformist ways—putting the slogan “Time Is Money, Efficiency Is Life” on a big billboard in the city.
In 1982, foreign banks opened their first China’s mainland branches in Shenzhen.
In 1987, China’s first joint - stock bank 6 launched in Shenzhen, breaking a monopoly of state-run banks.
In 1990, China’s first securities company opened in Shenzhen.
In 1992, the Shenzhen Stock Exchange opened.It’s one of China’s two mainland stock exchanges.
Those incentives prepared the ground for Shenzhen’s amazing growth.Hailed as China’s Silicon Valley, Shenzhen is launching more measures to upgrade its role in the global value chain.
For example, in Shenzhen, if you’re a high-tech company developing software,circuits, or computer chips, it’s possible that you won’t pay corporate taxes in the first two years.At the employee level, if you’re considered a high-end talent, the government will give you extra incentives in housing and income tax.
So basically, in Shenzhen’s free trade zone, enterprises and individuals can enjoy some of the lowest tax rates and the most flexible regulations.
All in all, with its innovation and vitality, Shenzhen has become a shining star in the the world arena over the past decades.
1.According to the text, last year, enterprises, universities and institutes in Shenzhen spent______percent of its total GDP on R&D.
A）4.1
B）2.1
C）90
D）50
2.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the author?
A）Huawei is the world’s largest telecom equipment provider.
B）Huawei is the world’s second largest smartphone producer.
C）Tencent is now among the world’s top 10 companies in market capitalization.
D）Tencent is China’s largest social media and gaming platform.
3.The underlined word “preferential” in Para.8 means______.
A）honorable
B）hostile
C）indispensable
D）favorable
4.If you’re considered high-end talent, you can enjoy______.
A）tax exemption
B）high-paying jobs
C）some of the lowest tax rates and the most flexible regulations
D）extra incentives in housing and income tax
5.All the following factors have contributed to Shenzhen’s rise as China’s Silicon Valley EXCEPT______.
A）Shenzhen’s investments in research and development
B）policies supporting growth
C）advertising its reformist ways
D）market-driven tech investment
1.application: /ˌæplɪˈkeɪʃn / n .a formal (often written) request for sth., such as a job, permission to do sth.or a place at a college or university 申请
2.enterprise: /ˈentəpraɪz / n .a company or business 公司
3.incentive: /ɪnˈsentɪv / n .something that encourages you to do sth. 激励
4.milestone: /ˈmaɪlstəʊn / n .a very important stage or event in the development of sth. 里程碑
5.prosperity: /prɒˈsperəti / n .the state of being successful, especially in making money 繁荣
6.spearhead: /ˈspɪəhed / v .to begin an activity or lead an attack against sb./sth.做……的先锋
7.surpass: /səˈpɑːs / v .to do or be better than sb./sth. 超过
1.Silicon Valley （美国）硅谷
Silicon Valley is a nickname for the southern portion of the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California in the United States.It is home to many of the world’s largest high-tech corporations, as well as thousands of tech startup companies.The region occupies roughly the same area as the Santa Clara Valley where it is centered, including San Jose and surrounding towns.The term originally referred to the region’s large number of silicon chip innovators and manufacturers, but eventually came to refer to all high-tech businesses in the area, and is now generally used as a metonym for the American high-technology economic sector.Silicon Valley is a leading hub for high-tech innovation and development, accounting for one-third of all of the venture capital investment in the United States.Geographically, Silicon Valley is generally thought to encompass all of the Santa Clara Valley, the southern San Francisco Peninsula,and southern portions of the East Bay region.
2.World Intellectual Property Organization 世界知识产权组织
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is the global forum for intellectual property (IP) services, policy, information and cooperation.It is a self funding agency of the United Nations, with 193 member states.
Its mission is to lead the development of a balanced and effective international IP system that enables innovation and creativity for the benefit of all.Its mandate, governing bodies and procedures are set out in the WIPO Convention, which established WIPO in 1967.
3.market capitalization 市值
Market capitalization (or market cap) refers to the total dollar market value of a company’s outstanding shares of stock.The investment community uses this figure to determine a company’s size instead of sales or total asset figures.In an acquisition, the market cap is used to determine whether a takeover candidate represents a good value or not to the acquirer.
4.planned economy 计划经济
A planned economy (also called a command economy) is an economic system in which a government or ruler makes most or all of the important decisions about the production and distribution of goods and services in the society.
5.special economic zone 经济特区
A special economic zone (SEZ) is an area in a country that is subject to different economic regulations than other regions within the same country.The SEZ economic regulations tend to be conducive to—and attract—foreign direct investment (FDI).FDI refers to any investment made by a firm or individual in one country into business interests located in another country.
When a country or individual conducts business in a SEZ, there are typically additional economic advantages for them, including tax incentives and the opportunity to pay lower tariffs.
6.joint-stock bank 股份制银行
A joint stock commercial bank is owned by several different investors.These investors may be private companies located in foreign countries, governments, or individuals.Ownership is typically obtained through the purchase of bank stock or equity.Each investor owns a certain percentage of the bank’s overall equity,which is a large enough amount to acquire substantial voting rights and influences the financial institution’s strategic policies.
Directions： In this reading, 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.You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.
Located at the junction of Dongjiang, Xijiang and Beijiang rivers, Guangzhou boasts a (1)______water network and many advantageous ports along the coast.Water, naturally, has been closely related to the social life of Cantonese people, and the crisscrossed waterways of the Pearl River Delta (2)______offered ancient Cantonese the best way to travel from one place to another, by boat, during the old times when there were no modern means of (3)______.
Ancient Cantonese, also called Nanyue people, were pioneers of China’s maritime industry.They inhabited the (4)______regions of the South China Sea, and developed the skills to make boats and sail.One bronze bucket (5) ______
in 1983 from the tomb of Zhao Mo, the second king of the Nanyue Kingdom * in the Western Han Dynasty, was carved with the pattern of four ships on its belly outside.
Archaeologists believe the pattern (6)______a fleet returning in triumph , as people on board seemed to be killing captives and offering sacrifice to the sea god.With so many (7)______details, the series of ship patterns are regarded as the largest and most integral drawings of seagoing vessels ever found in archaeological discoveries.
According to (8)______records, large-scale maritime expeditions were organized frequently in Guangzhou between the Three Kingdoms Periods and the Jin Dynasty.As ships were (9)______to maritime expeditions, archaeologists assume that Guangzhou was the shipbuilding (10)______back then, building a large number of warships and auxiliary vessels.
During the Tang Dynasty, as China’s shipbuilding industry ushered in its heyday, Guangzhou, as the largest port and hub for sea trade at that time, became one of the most important shipbuilding bases and could build 5,00 ships at a time.
1.archaeologist: /ˌɑːkiˈɒlədʒɪst / n .a person who studies archaeology 考古学家
2.expedition: /ˌekspəˈdɪʃn / n .an organized journey with a particular purpose,especially to find out about a place that is not well known 探险
3.inhabit: /ɪnˈhæbɪt / v .to live in a particular place 居住在
4.junction: /ˈdʒʌŋkʃn / n .a place where two or more cables, rivers or other things meet or are joined （河流等的）汇合处
5.triumph: /ˈtraɪʌmf / n .the feeling of great satisfaction or joy that you get from a great success or victory （巨大成功或胜利的）心满意足；喜悦；狂喜
Nanyue Kingdom 南越国
Nanyue was an ancient kingdom that consisted of parts of the modern Chinese provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yunnan and northern Vietnam.Nanyue was established in 204 B.C.at the final collapse of the Qin Dynasty by Zhao Tuo, who was the military commander of Nanhai Commandery at the time, and initially comprised the Nanhai, Guilin, and Xiang Commanderies.The Kingdom of Nanyue’s founding preserved the Lingnan region’s societal order and stability during the chaos surrounding the collapse of the Qin Dynasty, and allowed the southern region to avoid much of the hardships experienced by the northern, predominantly Han Chinese regions.The kingdom was founded by leaders originally from the Chinese heartland, and was responsible for bringing Chinese bureaucracy and more advanced agriculture and handicraft techniques to the inhabitants of the southern regions, as well as knowledge of the Chinese language and writing system.Nanyue leaders promoted a policy of “Harmonizing and Gathering the Hundred Yue Tribes”, and encouraged fellow Han Chinese to immigrate from their Yellow River homeland to the south.They supported mutual assimilation of the two cultures and peoples, and promulgated Han culture and the Chinese language throughout the region, though many elements of original Yue culture were preserved.
Directions： In this reading, 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.
A） Far from being an attention-seeking glossy buzzword or a trick of one’s imagination，“smart city” mindsets are right here and， rather than shaping our future， are reshaping our present by breeding a smorgasbord of innovations and applications to rectify the consequences wrought by the pandemic.
B）This smart normal will make the Digital Economy Summit—themed “Emerging with Resilience ： Fostering a Smarter Future” and co-organized by Cyberport and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government，scheduled for April 13-14—all the more apt and seminal .Slated to attract 4，000 attendees， including government officials， business leaders and technology experts in smart urban development from over 40 regions， and featuring more than 80 renowned speakers， the summit will serve as a prompt for an open discourse on how smart city technologies and the intelligent implementation of policies could supercharge smart economies as well as fast track the formation of future-proof digital societies.
C）Having their feet on the ground， global tech giants and prominent industry experts will exchange insights on how the exponential growth of future technology in the metaverse 2 ， artificial intelligence， the Cloud，5G， smart cities and more will define the new normal for smart economies and re-create future sustainable societies.
D） Dr.Will Cavendish， global leader of digital services at Arup—a global collective of designers， advisers， and digital experts dedicated to sustainable development—will deliver a keynote speech titled “Digital Innovation Driving Low-Carbon and Nature + Development”.One of the big problems motivating Dr.Cavendish is the massive potential carbon impact of the demolition of existing buildings and infrastructure.The facts are straightforward， as he describes：“When we demolish existing structures to build new， we’re effectively generating new emissions.The carbon used to construct existing buildings and other structures is significant， and every time we demolish to build new， we then create more emissions.And those emissions are released into the atmosphere， contributing to global climate change.” Smart innovations could be a key solution to such potentially devastating emissions， enabling us to retain and renew our existing buildings， while creating new from old， says Cavendish， referencing digital tools that could keep embodied carbon where it is.
E）“Being smart” has become a newly adopted metric for gauging a city’s livability， vitality， competence and resilience against precariousness .The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development defines smart cities as“cities that leverage digitalization and engage stakeholders to improve people’s well-being and build more inclusive， sustainable and resilient societies”.At its core， a smart city is designed to better serve its “people” or its dwellers.In other words， digital innovation， which is often taken as shorthand for “smart”， is not the end of a smart urban transformation.Rather， it is the improvement of people’s quality of life through seamless engagement among all stakeholders， including governments， businesses， civil society and academia，to maximize the access to smart resources， technologies， information or education.
F） Now that “people” take pride of place in smart city development，“Smart People” are the key among the other five ingredients—smart economy， smart mobility， smart governance， smart environment， and smart living—in the creation of a smart city， and are also the overriding force to fulfill a smart economy， says Winnie Tang， founder and honorary president of the Smart City Consortium in Hong Kong， who will give opening remarks on the first day of the summit.By “smart people”， she means people who are open-minded about collective open resources at their disposal， and talents who are savvy about utilizing the data pool to their legitimate benefit.While applauding the SAR government’s venture in opening up a host of data sets from early 2019 because of a belief that publicizing data will automatically yield benefits if all sectors make use of the open resources， Tang says she finds it regrettable to observe a tacit hesitancy and apprehension among the public toward using the open data.She cites the findings of a survey showing that only 20 percent of those interviewed had used open data—offbeat proof of open data’s low utility despite its ready availability.
G）“It is necessary to strengthen relevant education and professional training to cultivate more local smart people so as to realize the huge potential value of open data，” Tang says.Tang， also the founder and chairman of Esri China（Hong Kong） Ltd.， specializing in geographic information system （GIS） technology， will also moderate the first panel discussion after a keynote speech on the vital role of geospatial infrastructure in smart city development and the potential effects of geospatial data usage in future cities.
H） She deems a one-stop data platform， the Common Geospatial Information System Platform （CGISP）， for all stakeholders to be the best possible solution.“Large-scale infrastructure projects in Hong Kong and overseas， such as the Crossrail and the Elizabeth line in London， are prime examples of how CGISP can facilitate planning， construction， monitoring and maintenance.Hong Kong pioneered the use of advanced technologies such as GIS 25 years ago，” she acknowledges.“To contribute to the overall smart city development of the（Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao） Greater Bay Area， Hong Kong should break through the geographic boundaries， strengthen the integration with the rest of the GBA cities， and formulate long-term solutions for housing supply via the application of such innovative technologies as GIS.” It’s no coincidence that we resort to cities for potential “smart panaceas” in our quest for quality-of-life and future-proof solutions.
I）“Cities act as critical and impactful test beds and platforms for supporting the major technological breakthroughs in digitalization， sustainability and services，” remarks Jukka Viitanen， CEO of Resolute HQ Inc， based in Finland.He will join the panel discussion on geospatial data application in smart city development.Cities can not only crowdsource an intelligent mass of actors and ideas to ignite and maintain the innovation process， but also provide practically “functional test sites in real life context to the innovation creators.”
J） Viitanen suggests recalibrating the long-existing city structure into distinguishable innovation districts， which emerge as thematic conglomerations of talent， actors and related processes.They serve as lighthouses which can be identified， seen and organized for purposeful places to boost and promote innovation activity.
K）“Each innovation district can promote a selected theme， and structure its activities to boost either knowledge-driven， business-driven or innovation driven collaborative processes，” Viitanen says.Smart cities are not a mirage in the distance any more.They are surfacing from a collective wisdom of talents and technologies.Action is in full swing， and “action is the key，” concludes Viitanen.
L） The two-day summit will manifest the agency of collective knowledge，perspectives and foresights per se， with a smorgasbord of speeches and sharing sessions presented.One of the highlights will be a speech titled “Seizing Opportunities Arising From Smart City Development in the GBA”， to be followed by a panel discussion featuring Gary Yeung， president of the Smart City Consortium； William Gee， vice-chairman of the Asia Public Key Infrastructure Consortium； Wei Jiao， deputy director of the Science &Technology Innovation Division of the Qianhai Administrative Bureau in Shenzhen； and other experts.
M）Web3， an indispensable piece of the smart city puzzle， is bound to catalyze an overhaul of business models， in which users will become the proprietors and beneficiaries of assets and data.In his keynote speech， Dr.Xiao Feng，chairman of the board， HashKey Group， will provide insights into how Web3 will enable a new model for the economy.An in-depth dialogue will follow，revolving around “Building a Comprehensive Web3 Ecosystem”， joined by experts such as Adelyn Zhou， chief ecosystem growth officer of Chainlink； and David Lee from Global Fintech Institute， who is a professor at Singapore University of Social Sciences.The involvement of governments and policymakers， as well as the importance of other cutting-edge technologies，such as 5G and autonomous driving， will also be touched on throughout the summit.This will be a golden opportunity to pick the brains of a constellation of prescient smart-city insiders who will paint a picture of cities lying a stone’s throw away.
1.The Digital Economy Summit plans to attract attendees from many different fields and regions.
2.Cities can provide functional test sites in real life context to the innovation creators.
3.According to Winnie Tang, smart people are the overriding force to fulfill a smart economy.
4.Viitanen thinks action is the key to the creation of smart cities.
5.Viitanen claims that cities are critical and impactful test beds and platforms for supporting the major technological breakthroughs in digitalization, sustainability and services.
6.David Lee is a professor at Singapore University of Social Sciences.
7.Innovation districts can serve as lighthouses which can be identified, seen and organized for purposeful places to boost and promote innovation activity.
8.The Crossrail in London is one of the best examples of how CGISP can facilitate planning, construction, monitoring and maintenance.
9.A smart city is fundamentally designed to better serve its “people” or its dwellers.
10.Global tech giants and prominent industry experts will discuss the impact of the exponential growth of future technology on the new normal for smart economies and the reshaping of future sustainable societies.
1.apprehension: /ˌæprɪˈhenʃn / n .worry or fear that sth unpleasant may happen 忧虑；恐惧
2.buzzword:/ ˈbʌzwɜːd / n .a word or phrase, especially one connected with a particular subject, that has become fashionable and popular and is used a lot in newspapers, etc. （报刊等的）时髦术语；流行行话
3.conglomeration: / kənˌɡlɒməˈreɪʃn / n .(formal) a mixture of different things that are found all together （正式用语）混合物
4.consortium: / kənˈsɔːtiəm / n .(pl.consortiums or consortia) a group of people,countries, companies, etc., who are working together on a particular project （合作进行某项工程的）财团；联营企业
5.demolition: /ˌdeməˈlɪʃn / n .the complete destruction of a building （建筑物的）摧毁；拆毁；拆除
6.exponential: /ˌekspəˈnenʃl / adj .(formal) becoming faster and faster (of a rate of increase) （增长率）越来越快的
7.foster:/ˈfɒstə(r) / v .to encourage sth.to develop 促进；培养
8.gauge: / ɡeɪdʒ / v .to measure sth accurately using a special instrument （用仪器）测量
9.legitimate: / lɪˈdʒɪtɪmət / adj .allowed and acceptable according to the law 合法的
10.overhaul: /ˌəʊvəˈhɔːl / n .an examination of a machine or system, including doing repairs on it or making changes to it 全面改革
11.precariousness: / prɪˈkeəriəsnəs / n .being unsettled or in doubt or dependent on chance 不稳定
12.prompt: / prɒmpt / n .an action or event that is a signal for sb.to do sth. 提示
13.renowned: / rɪˈnaʊnd / adj .famous and respected 有名的
14.resilience: / rɪˈzɪliəns / n .the ability of people or things to feel better quickly after sth unpleasant, such as shock, injury, etc. 快速恢复的能力；适应力
15.seminal:/ˈsemɪnəl / adj .very important and having a strong influence on later developments 有巨大影响的
16.smorgasbord: /ˈsmɔːɡəsbɔːd / n .a number of different things that are combined together as a whole 大杂烩
17.stakeholder:/ˈsteɪkhəʊldə(r) / n .a person or company that is involved in a particular organization, project, system, etc., especially because they have invested money in it 股东
1.street smarts （尤指在都市的）生存能力；适应能力
The ability to manage or succeed in difficult or dangerous situations,especially in big towns or cities.
2.metaverse 元宇宙（虚拟空间）
The Metaverse is a collective virtual shared space, created by the convergence of virtually enhanced physical reality and physically persistent virtual space, including the sum of all virtual worlds, augmented reality, and the Internet.The word “metaverse” is a portmanteau of the prefix “meta”(meaning “beyond”) and “universe” and is typically used to describe the concept of a future iteration of the Internet, made up of persistent, shared, 3D virtual spaces linked into a perceived virtual universe.
