2017-1 Text 1
1-First two hours, nowthree hours —this is howfar inadvance authorities are recommending people
showupto catch a domesticflight, at least at somemajorU.S. airports withincreasingly massivesecurity
lines.
2-Americans are willingto tolerate time-consuming security protocols inreturn forincreased safety.
The crash ofEgypt AirFlight 804,which terrorists may have downed over theMediterranean Sea, provides
another tragic reminder ofwhy.
But demanding too much ofair travelers orproviding too littlesecurity in return undermines publicsupport
for theprocess.
And itshould: Wasted timeis adrag onAmericans’economic and private lives, not tomention infuriating.
3-Last year, theTransportation Security Administration (TSA)foundin asecret check that undercover
investigators were able to sneak weapons — bothfake and real —past airport security nearly every time
they tried.
1Enhanced security measures sincethen, combined with arise in airlinetravel dueto theimproving
economy andlowoil prices, have resulted in longwaits at majorairports such as Chicago’sO’Hare
International.
It is not yet clear how much moreeffective airlinesecurity has become —but thelines are obvious.
4-Part oftheissueis that thegovernment didnot anticipate thesteep increase in airlinetravel, sotheTSA
is nowrushing to get new screeners ontheline.
Part of theissueisthat airports have onlyso much room forscreening lanes.
Another factormay be that morepeople are trying to overpack theircarry-on bags to avoid
checked-baggage fees, though theairlines strongly disputethis.
5-There isone step theTSAcould take that would notrequire remodeling airports or rushing to hire:
Enroll more peoplein thePreCheck program.
PreCheck is supposed tobea win-win fortravelers and theTSA.
2Passengers whopass a background check are eligible to useexpedited screening lanes.
This allows theTSAto focus ontravelers whoare higherrisk, saving timeforeveryoneinvolved. TSA
wants toenroll 25millionpeople in PreCheck.
6-It has not gotten anywhereclose to that, and onebig reason is stickershock.
Passengers mustpay $85every fiveyears to process their background checks.
Since thebeginning, thisprice taghas been PreCheck’s fatal flaw.
Upcoming reforms might bring theprice to amore reasonable level.
But Congress should lookinto doing so directly, byhelping to finance PreCheck enrollment orto cut costs
in otherways.
7-The TSAcannot continuediverting resources intounderused PreCheck lanes whilemost ofthetraveling
publicsuffers in unnecessary lines.
It is longpast timeto maketheprogram work.
321.Thecrash ofEgyptAirFlight804is mentioned to____.
[A]explainAmerican’s toleranceof current security checks.
[B]stress theurgency to strengthen security worldwide.
[C]highlight thenecessity of upgrading majorU.S. airports.
[D]emphasizetheimportance ofprivacy protection.
22.Which ofthefollowing contributes tolong waits atmajor airports?
[A]New restrictions oncarry-on bags.
[B]The declining efficiency oftheTSA.
[C]An increaseinthenumber oftravellers.
[D]Frequent unexpected secret checks.
23.Theword“expedited”(Liner 4,Para.5)is closet inmeaning to____.
[A]quieter.
[B]cheaper.
[C]wider.
[D]faster.
24.Oneproblemwith thePreCheck program is____.
[A]adramatic reduction ofits scale.
[B]its wrongly-directed implementation.
[C]the government’sreluctance to back it.
[D]an unreasonable price for enrollment.
25.Which ofthefollowing wouldbethebestforthe text?
[A]Less Screening for MoreSafety
[B]PreCheck – a Belated Solution
[C]Getting Stuck in Security Lines
4
[D]Underused PreCheck Lanes2017-1 Text 2
1-“Theancient Hawaiians were astronomers,” wroteQueen Liliuokalani, Hawaii’s last reigning monarch,
in 1897.
Starwatchers were among themost esteemed members of Hawaiian society.
Sadly, all is not well with astronomy in Hawaii today.
Protests have erupted over construction oftheThirty Meter Telescope (TMT), agiant observatory that
promises to revolutionizehumanity’s viewofthe cosmos.
2-At issueis the TMT’s planned location onMauna Kea, a dormant volcano worshiped bysome
Hawaiians as the piko,that connects the Hawaiian Islands to theheavens.
But Mauna Keais also hometosomeofthe world’s most powerful telescopes.
Rested inthe PacificOcean, Mauna Kea’speak rises above thebulk ofour planet’s dense atmosphere,
where conditionsallowtelescopes to obtain images ofunsurpassed clarity.
3-Opposition totelescopes onMauna Keais nothing new.
5A smallbut vocal group ofHawaiians and environmentalists havelong viewed theirpresence as disrespect
far sacred land and a painful reminder oftheoccupation ofwhat was once asovereign nation.
4-Someblame forthe current controversy belongs toastronomers.
In their eagerness to build biggertelescopes, they forgot that science is notthe onlyway ofunderstanding
the world.
They did not always prioritize the protection of Mauna Ke’s fragile ecosystems or its holiness tothe islands’
inhabitants. Hawaiian culture is nota relicof thepast；itis a livingcultureundergoing arenaissance today.
5-Yet science has a cultural history, too,with roots goingback to thedawn ofcivilization.
The samecuriosity to find what lies beyond thehorizonthat first brought early Polynesians to Hawaii’s
shores inspires astronomers today toexplorethe heavens.
Calls to disassembleall telescopes onMaunaKea or to ban futuredevelopment there ignore thereality that
astronomy and Hawaiian culture bothseek toanswer big questions about whoweare, where wecome from
and where weare going.
6Perhaps that iswhy weexplorethestarry skies, as ifanswering aprimal calling to knowourselves and our
true ancestral homes.
6-The astronomy community ismaking compromises tochange itsuseof MaunaKea.
The TMT sitewas chosen to minimizethe telescope’s visibilityaround theisland and toavoid
archaeological and environmental impact.
Tolimitthe numberoftelescopes onMauna Kea, oldones will beremoved at theend of theirlifetimes and
theirsites returned toa natural state.
There is noreason why everyone cannot be welcomed onMaunaKea to embrace theircultural heritage and
to study thestars.
26.Queen Liliuokalani’s remark inParagraph 1indicates____.
[A]her conservativeviewonthe historical roleof astronomy.
[B]the importanceof astronomy in ancient Hawaiian society.
[C]theregrettabledecline ofastronomy inancient times.
[D]her appreciation ofstar watchers’feats in her time.
727.Mauna Kea is deemed asan ideal astronomical site dueto____.
[A]itsgeographical features.
[B]its protective surroundings.
[C]its religious implications.
[D]itsexisting infrastructure.
28.Theconstruction ofthe TMT isopposedby some locals partly because____.
[A]it may risk ruining theirintellectual life.
[B]it reminds them of ahumiliating history.
[C]their culture willloseachance ofrevival.
[D]theyfear losingcontrol of MaunaKea.
29.It can beinferred fromParagraph 5that progress in today’s astronomy____.
[A]is fulfillingthedreams ofancient Hawaiians.
[B]helps spread Hawaiian cultureacross theworld.
[C]may uncover theorigin ofHawaiian culture.
[D]will eventually soften Hawaiians’hostility.
30.Theauthor’s attitudetoward choosingMauna Kea as theTMT siteis oneof____.
[A]severe criticism.
[B]passive acceptance.
[C]slight hesitancy.
[D]full approval.
82017-1 Text 3
1-Robert F.Kennedy once said that a country’s GDP measures “everything except that which makes life
worthwhile.”
With Britain votingtoleave theEuropean Union, and GDP already predicted toslowas a result, itis nowa
timely momenttoassess what he was referring to.
2-The question ofGDP and its usefulness has annoyed policymakers forover halfa century.
Many argue that it is aflawed concept.
It measures things that donotmatter and miss things that do.
By mostrecent measures, theUK’s GDP has been theenvy ofthe Western World,with record low
unemployment and high growth figures.
If everything was going so sowell, then why did over 17million peoplevotefor Brexit, despitethe
warnings about what it coulddoto theircountry’s economicprospects?
93-A recent annual studyof countries and theirabilityto convert growth into well-being sheds somelight
onthat question.
Across the163countries measured, theUKis one ofthepoorest performers in ensuring that economic
growth is translated into meaningful improvement for itscitizens.
Rather than justfocusing onGDR over 40different sets ofcriteria from health, education and civil society
engagement have been measured to get amore rounded assessment ofhowcountries are performing.
4-While all ofthese countries face theirown challenges, there are anumber ofconsistent themes.
Yes, therehas been abudding economicrecovery since the2008global crash, but in key indicators in areas
such as health and education, major economies have continued todecline.
Yet thisisn’t thecase with all countries.
Somerelatively poor European countries have seen huge improvements across measures including civil
society; incomeequality and theenvironment.
105-This is a lesson that rich countries can learn: When GDP isnolonger regarded as thesolemeasure of a
country’s success, theworld looks very different.
6-So, what Kennedy was referring to was that whileGDP has been themostcommon method for
measuring theeconomic activity ofnations, as a measure, it is nolongerenough.
It does not includeimportantfactors suchas environmental equality oreducation outcomes - all things that
contribute toa person’s senseof well-being.
7-The sharp hit to growth predicted around theworld and in theUKcould lead to adecline in theeveryday
services we depend onforour well-being and forgrowth.
But policymaker who refocus efforts onimproving well-being rather than simplyworrying about GDP
figures could avoid the forecasted doom and may even see progress.
31.Robert F.Kennedy iscited becausehe_____.
[A]praised theUK foritsGDP.
[B]identified GDP with happiness.
[C]misinterpreted therole ofGDP.
[D]had a lowopinionof GDP.
1132.It can beinferred fromParagraph 2that____.
[A]theUK is reluctant to remold its economicpattern.
[B]the UKwill contributeless to theworld economy.
[C]GDP as themeasure ofsuccess is widely defied in theUK.
[D]policymakers inthe UKare payingless attention to GDP.
33.Which ofthefollowing istrue abouttherecentannual study?
[A]It excludes GDP as an indicator.
[B]It issponsored by163countries.
[C]Its criteria are questionable.
[D]Its results are enlightening.
34.In thelasttwo paragraphs,theauthorsuggests that____.
[A]theUK is preparing for an economicboom.
[B]high GDP foreshadows aneconomic decline.
[C]it is essential to consider factors beyond GDP.
[D]it requires caution to handleeconomic issues.
35.Which ofthefollowing isthe besttitleforthe text?
[A]High GDP But InadequateWell-being, aUK lesson
[B]GDP figures, a WindowonGlobal Economic Health
[C]Robert F.Kennedy, a Terminator ofGDP
[D]Brexit, theUK’s Gateway toWell-being
122017-1 Text 4
1-In arare unanimousruling, the USSupreme Court has overturned thecorruption conviction ofa former
Virginiagovernor, Robert McDonnell.
But itdid so whileholding itsnose at theethics ofhis conduct,which included accepting gifts such as a
Rolex watch and a Ferrari Automobilefrom acompany seeking access togovernment.
2- The highcourt’s decision saidthejudge inMr. McDonnell’strail failed to tell ajury that itmust look
only at his “official acts,” ortheformer governor’sdecisions on“specific” and “unsettled” issuesrelated to
his duties.
3-Merely helping a gift-givergainaccess to otherofficials, unless donewith clear intent to pressure those
officials, is not corruption, thejustices found.
4-The court didsuggest that accepting favors in return foropening doors is “distasteful”and “nasty.”
But under anti-bribery laws, proofmust bemade ofconcrete benefits, such as approval ofa contract or
regulation.
13Simply arranging ameeting, making aphone call, orhosting anevent is notan “official act.”
5-The court’s rulingis legally sound indefining a kind offavoritism that is notcriminal.
Elected leaders must beallowed tohelp supporters deal with bureaucratic problems withoutfear of
prosecution ofbribery.
“Thebasiccompact underlying representativegovernment,”wrote ChiefJustice JohnRoberts forthecourt,
“assumes that publicofficials will hear from theirconstituentsand act ontheirconcerns.”
6-But theruling reinforces theneed forcitizens andtheir elected representatives, not thecourts, toensure
equality ofaccess to government.
Officials must not beallowed toplay favorites inproviding information orin arranging meetings simply
because anindividual orgroup provides acampaign donationor apersonal gift.
This type ofintegrity requires will-enforced laws in government transparency, suchas records of official
meetings, rules onlobbying, and information about each elected leader’s source ofwealth.
7-Favoritism in official access can fan publicperceptions of corruption.
14But itis not always corruption.
Rather officials mustavoiddoublestandards, ordifferent types ofaccess for average peopleand the
wealthy.
If connections can be bought, a basicpremise ofdemocraticsociety –that all are equal in treatment by
government -is undermined.
Good government rests on an understanding of theinherent worth ofeach individual.
8-The court’s rulingis a step forward in thestruggle against both corruption and official favoritism.
36.Theunderlined sentence (Para.1) mostprobablyshows thatthe court____.
[A]avoided defining theextentof McDonnell’sduties.
[B]made nocompromise inconvicting McDonnell.
[C]was contemptuous ofMcDonnell’s conduct.
[D]refused tocomment onMcDonnell’s ethics.
37.According to Paragraph 4,an officialact isdeemed corruptiveonlyifitinvolves____.
[A]concrete returns for gift-givers.
[B]sizablegains in theform ofgifts.
[C]leaking secrets intentionally.
15
[D]breaking contracts officially..
38.Thecourt’s ruling is don theassumption thatpublic officialsare
[A]allowed to focus ontheconcerns oftheirsupporters.
[B]qualified to deal independently with bureaucratic issues.
[C]justified in addressing theneeds oftheirconstituents.
[D]exemptfrom conviction onthechargeof favoritism.
39.Well-enforced laws ingovernmenttransparency are needed to .
[A]awaken theconscience ofofficials.
[B]guarantee fair play inofficial access.
[C]allow forcertain kinds oflobbying.
[D]inspirehopes inaverage people.
40.Theauthor’s attitudetoward thecourt’s rulingis ____.
[A]sarcastic.
[B]tolerant.
[C]skeptical.
[D]supportive.
162018-1 Text 1
1-Among the annoying challenges facing themiddleclass is onethat willprobably go unmentioned inthe
next presidential campaign: What happens whentherobots come for theirjobs?
2-Don’t dismiss that possibility entirely.
About half ofU.S. jobsare at high risk of beingautomated, according to aUniversity of Oxford study, with
the middleclass disproportionately squeezed.
Lower-income jobslikegardening or day care don’tappeal torobots.
But many middle-class occupations —trucking, financial advice, software engineering —have aroused
theirinterest, orsoon will.
The rich own therobots, so they willbe fine.
3-This isn’t to bealarmist.
Optimistspoint out that technological upheaval has benefited workers in thepast.
17The Industrial Revolutiondidn’tgo sowell for Luddites whosejobs were displaced bymechanized looms,
but it eventually raised livingstandards and created morejobs than it destroyed.
Likewise, automation shouldeventually boost productivity, stimulatedemand bydriving down prices, and
free workers from hard, boring work.
But in themedium term, middle-class workers may need alot of help adjusting.
4-The first step, as Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee argue inThe Second Machine Age, shouldbe
rethinking education and job training.
Curriculums —from grammarschool tocollege -should evolve to focus less onmemorizingfacts and
more on creativityand complex communication.
Vocational schools shoulddoabetter jobof fostering problem-solving skillsand helping studentswork
alongsiderobots.
Online education can supplement thetraditional kind.
18It could make extratraining and instruction affordable.
Professionals trying toacquire newskillswill beable to dosowithout going intodebt.
5-The challenge ofcoping withautomation underlines theneed forthe U.S.to revive itsfading business
dynamism: Startingnew companies must be madeeasier.
In previous eras ofdrastic technological change, entrepreneurs smoothed thetransitionbydreaming up
ways tocombine laborand machines.
The best uses of3D printers and virtual reality haven’t been invented yet.
The U.S.needs thenew companies that willinvent them.
6-Finally, because automation threatens to widen thegap between capital incomeandlabor income, taxes
and thesafety net willhave to berethought.
Taxes on low-wage labor need tobe cut, andwage subsidies such as the earned incometax credit should be
expanded: This would boost incomes, encourage work, reward companies for job creation, andreduce
inequality.
197-Technology will improvesociety inways bigand smallover thenext fewyears, yet this willbe little
comfort to thosewho find theirlives and careers upended byautomation.
Destroying themachines thatare coming for ourjobs would be nuts.
But policies tohelp workers adapt will beindispensable.
21.Whowillbemost threatened byautomation?
[A]Leading politicians.
[B]Low-wage laborers.
[C]Robot owners.
[D]Middle-class workers.
22.Which ofthefollowing bestrepresenttheauthor’s view?
[A]Worries about automation are in fact groundless.
[B]Optimists’opinionsonnew tech find littlesupport.
[C]Issues arising from automation need tobetackled
[D]Negative consequences ofnew tech can beavoided
23.Education in theageof automation shouldputmore emphasison_____.
[A]creativepotential.
[B]job-hunting skills.
[C]individual needs.
[D]cooperativespirit.
2024.Theauthorsuggests thattaxpolicies beaimed at_____.
[A]encouraging thedevelopment ofautomation.
[B]increasing thereturn oncapital investment.
[C]easing thehostility between rich and poor.
[D]preventing theincomegap from widening.
25.In thistext, the authorpresents aproblemwith_____.
[A]opposingviews onit.
[B]possiblesolutions toit.
[C]its alarming impacts.
[D]itsmajor variations.
212018-1 Text 2
1-A new survey byHarvard University finds morethantwo-thirds ofyoung Americans disapprove of
President Trump’s useofTwitter.
The implicationis that Millennialsprefer news from theWhiteHouse to befiltered through othersource,
Not a president’ssocial mediaplatform.
2-Most Americans rely onsocial mediato checkdaily headlines.
Yet as distrust has risen toward all media, people maybestarting to beef up theirmedia literacy skills.
Such a trend is badly needed.
During the 2016presidential campaign, nearly aquarter of web content shared byTwitter users inthe
politically critical state ofMichigan was fake news, according to theUniversity ofOxford.
And asurvey conducted for BuzzFeed News found 44percent of Facebook users rarely ornever trust news
from themediagiant.
223-Young peoplewho are digital natives are indeed becoming more skillfulat separating fact from fictionin
cyberspace.
A Knight Foundation focus-group survey of young peoplebetween ages 14and 24found they use
“distributed trust” toverify stories.
They cross-check sources and prefernews from different perspectives —especially thosethat are open
about any bias.
“Many young people assumeagreat deal ofpersonal responsibilityfor educatingthemselves and actively
seeking outopposing viewpoints,”thesurvey concluded.
4-Such active research can have another effect.
A 2014survey conducted in Australia, Britain, andthe United States bytheUniversity of
Wisconsin-Madison found that young people’s reliance onsocial medialedto greater political engagement.
5-Social media allows users toexperience news events more intimately and immediatelywhilealso
permitting them to re-share news as a projection oftheir values and interests.
23This forces users tobe moreconscious oftheirrole in passing along information.
A survey byBarna research group found thetop reason given byAmericans forthe fake news phenomenon
is “reader error,” moreso thanmade-up stories orfactual mistakes inreporting.
About a thirdsay theproblem offake news lies in “misinterpretation orexaggeration ofactual news”via
social media．
In other words, thechoice toshare news onsocial mediamay be theheart ofthe issue.
“This indicates there isa real personal responsibilityin counteracting thisproblem,”says Roxanne Stone,
editorinchief at Barna Group.
6-So when young peopleare critical ofan over-tweeting president, theyreveal amental disciplinein
thinking skills–and in theirchoices onwhen to shareonsocial media.
26.According to theParagraphs 1and 2,manyyoung Americans castdoubts on .
[A]thejustification ofthenews-filtering practice.
[B]people's preference forsocial mediaplatforms.
[C]the administrationsability tohandle information.
24
[D]social media was a reliablesource ofnews.27.Thephrase“beer up”(Line2,Para.2) isclosest inmeaning to .
[A]sharpen
[B]define
[C]boast
[D]share
28.According to theknightfoundationsurvey, youngpeople .
[A]tendto voicetheir opinionsincyberspace.
[B]verify news byreferring todiverse resources.
[C]have s strong sense ofresponsibility.
[D]liketo exchange views on“distributed trust”
29.TheBarna survey foundthatamain causeforthefake newsproblemis .
[A]readers outdated values.
[B]journalists' biased reporting
[C]readers' misinterpretation
[D]journalists' made-up stories.
30.Which ofthefollowing wouldbethebesttitle forthetext?
[A]ARisein Critical Skills forSharing News Online
[B]A Counteraction Against theOver-tweeting Trend
[C]The Accumulation of Mutual Trust onSocial Media.
[D]The Platformsfor Projection ofPersonal Interests.
252018-1 Text 3
1-Any fair-minded assessment ofthe dangers ofthedeal between Britain’s National Health Service (NHS)
and DeepMind must start byacknowledging that both sides mean well.
DeepMind is oneofthe leading artificial intelligence (AI) companies inthe world.
The potentialof thiswork applied tohealthcare isvery great, but it could also lead to further concentration
ofpower inthetech giants.
It Is against that background that theinformation commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, has issued herdamning
verdict against theRoyal Free hospital trustunder theNHS, which handed overto DeepMind the records of
1.6million patients In 2015onthe basis ofavague agreement which tookfar too littleaccount ofthe
patients’ rights and theirexpectations ofprivacy.
2-DeepMind has almostapologized.
The NHS trusthas mended its ways.
26Further arrangements - andthere may be many -between theNHS and DeepMind will becarefully
scrutinised toensure that all necessary permissions have beenasked ofpatients and all unnecessary data has
been cleaned．
There are lessons about informed patient consent tolearn.
But privacy isnot theonly anglein this case and not even themost important.
Ms. Denham chose toconcentrate theblame ontheNHS trust, sinceunder existing lawit“controlled”the
data andDeepMind merely “processed" it.
But thisdistinctionmisses thepoint that itis processing and aggregation, not themere possession ofbits,
that gives thedata value.
3-The great question is who shouldbenefit from the analysis ofall thedata that ourlives nowgenerate.
Privacy lawbuilds ontheconcept ofdamage to an individual from identifiableknowledge about them.
That misses the way thesurveillance economy works.
27The dataofan individualthere gains its value onlywhen it iscompared with thedata ofcountless millions
more.
4-The useofprivacy law to curb the tech giants inthisinstance feels slightly maladapted.
This practice does notaddress the real worry.
It is not enough to saythat thealgorithms DeepMind develops will benefit patientsand savelives.
What matters is that they willbelong toa private monopolywhich developed them using publicresources.
If software promises to save lives onthescalethat dugs nowcan, bigdata may beexpected to behaveas a
big pharma has done.
Weare stillat thebeginning of thisrevolution and smallchoices now may turnout tohave gigantic
consequences later.
A longstruggle willbe needed to avoid a future ofdigital feudalism.
Ms. Denham’s report is awelcome start.
2831.Whatis trueof theagreement between theNHS andDeepMind ?
[A]It caused conflicts among tech giants.
[B]It failed to pay dueattention to patient's rights.
[C]It fell short ofthelatter’s expectations
[D]It put bothsides intoa dangerous situation.
32.TheNHS trustresponded toDenham’s verdict with .
[A]empty promises.
[B]tough resistance.
[C]necessary adjustments.
[D]sincere apologies.
33.Theauthorargues in Paragraph 2that .
[A]privacy protection must besecured at all costs.
[B]leaking patients’data isworse thanselling it.
[C]making profits from patients’data is illegal.
[D]thevalue ofdata comes from theprocessing ofit
34.According to thelastparagraph, thereal worry arisingfromthis deal is .
[A]thevicious rivalry among big pharmas.
[B]the ineffectiveenforcement ofprivacy law.
[C]the uncontrolled use ofnewsoftware.
[D]themonopoly ofbig data bytech giants.
35.Theauthor’s attitudetoward theapplication ofAI tohealthcare is .
[A]ambiguous.
[B]cautious.
[C]appreciative.
29
[D]contemptuous.2018-1 Text 4
1-The U.S. PostalService (USPS)continues to bleed red ink.
It reported anet loss of$5.6billionfor fiscal 2016,the10th straight year its expenses haveexceeded
revenue.
Meanwhile, it has more than $120billion inunfunded liabilities, mostly foremployee health and retirement
costs.
There are many reasons thisformerly stablefederal institutionfinds itselfat the brink ofbankruptcy.
Fundamentally, theUSPSis inahistoricsqueeze between technological change that has permanently
decreased demand for itsbread-and-butterproduct, first-class mail,and aregulatory structure that denies
management theflexibility toadjust its operations to thenew reality.
2-And interest groups ranging from postal unions togreeting-card makers exert self-interested pressure on
the USPS’s ultimateoverseer -Congress - insisting that whateverelse happens tothe Postal Service,
aspects ofthe statusquothey depend onget protected.
30This is why repeated attempts at reform legislationhave failed in recent years, leaving thePostalService
unable to pay itsbills except bydeferring vital modernization.
3-Now comes word that everyone involved —Democrats, Republicans, thePostal Service, theunions and
the system’s heaviest users —has finally agreed ona plan tofix thesystem.
Legislation is moving through the Housethat would save USPSan estimated $28.6billion overfive years,
which could help pay for new vehicles, amongother survival measures.
Most ofthemoney would come from apenny-per-letter permanent rate increase and from shifting postal
retirees intoMedicare.
The latterstep would largely offset thefinancial burden ofannually pre-funding retiree health care, thus
addressing along-standing complaint bytheUSPSand itsunions.
4-If it clears theHouse, thismeasure would stillhave toget through theSenate –where someone isbound
to point outthat it amounts tothe bare, bare minimumnecessary tokeep thePostalService afloat, not
comprehensivereform.
31There’snochange to collectivebargaining at theUSPS,amajor omissionconsidering that personnel
accounts for 80 percent oftheagency’s costs.
Also missingis anydiscussion ofeliminating Saturday letterdelivery.
That common-sense change enjoys widepublicsupport andwould save theUSPS$2billionper year.
But postal special-interest groups seem tohave killed it,at least in theHouse.
The emerging consensus around thebillis asign that legislators are gettingfrightened about apolitically
embarrassing short-term collapse at theUSPS.
It is not,however, a sign that they’regetting serious about transforming thepostal system for the21st
century.
36.Thefinancialproblemwith the USPS is caused partly by_____.
[A]itsunbalanced budget.
[B]its rigid management.
[C]the cost fortechnical upgrading.
[D]thewithdrawal ofbank support.
3237.According to Paragraph 2,theUSPS fails to modernize itselfdueto_____.
[A]theinterference from interest groups.
[B]the inadequate funding from Congress.
[C]the shrinkingdemand for postalservice.
[D]theincompetence ofpostal unions.
38.Thelong-standingcomplaintby theUSPS andits unions can beaddressed by_____.
[A]removing its burden ofretiree health care.
[B]making more investment innew vehicles.
[C]adopting a new rate-increasemechanism.
[D]attracting morefirst-class mail users.
39.In thelastparagraph, theauthorseems to viewlegislators with_____.
[A]respect.
[B]tolerance.
[C]discontent.
[D]gratitude.
40.Which ofthefollowing wouldbethebesttitle forthetext?
[A]The USPSStartsto Miss Its GoodOld Days
[B]The PostalService: Keep Away from My Cheese
[C]The USPS:ChronicIllness Requires aQuick Cure
[D]The Postal Service Needs Morethan aBand-Aid
332019-1 Text 1
1-Financial regulations in Britain have imposed a rather unusual ruleonthe bossesof big banks.
Starting nextyear,any guaranteed bonus oftop executives could be delayed 10years iftheirbanks are
under investigation forwrongdoing.
The main purposeofthis “clawback”rule istohold bankers accountable forharmful risk-taking and to
restore publictrust in financial institution.
Yet officials also hope fora muchlarger benefit: morelong term decision-making notonly bybanks but
also buall corporations, to build astronger economy for futuregenerations.
2-“Short-termism”orthedesire for quick profits, has worsened in publicly traded companies, says the
Bankof England’s top economist.
Andrew Haldane.
He quotes agiant ofclassical economies, Alfred Marshall, indescribing thisfinancial impatience as acting
like“Children who pick theplumsout of theirpudding toeat them at once”rather than putting them aside
to be eaten last.
343-The average timeforholding astock in boththeUnited States and Britain, henotes, has dropped from
seven years to seven months in recent decades.
Transient investors, whodemand high quarterly profits from companies, can hinder afirm’s efforts to
invest in long-term research or tobuild upcustomer loyalty.
This has been dubbed “quarterly capitalism”.
4-In addition, newdigital technologies have allowed morerapid trading ofequities, quicker useof
information, and thusshortens attention spans in financial markers.
“There seems to bea predominance ofshort-term thinkingat the expense oflong-term investing,”said
Commissioner Daniel Gallagher of theUS Securities andExchange Commission in speech thisweek.
5-In theUS, theSarbanes-Oxley Act of2002 has pushed mostpubliccompanies to defer performance
bonuses forseniorexecutives byabout ayear, slightly helping reduce“short-termism.”
In its latest survey ofCEOpay, The WallStreet Journal finds that “a substantialpart”ofexecutivepay is
now tied toperformance.
356-Much morecould bedonetoencourage “long-termism,” such as changes inthetax code and quicker
disclosure ofstock acquisitions.
In France, shareholders who holdonto acompany investmentfor at least two years can sometimes earn
more votingrights in acompany.
7-Within companies, theright compensation design can provide incentives for executives to thinkbeyond
theirown timeat the company and onbehalfof all stakeholders.
Britain’s new ruleis areminder to bankers that society has an interest intheirperformance, notjust forthe
short term but for thelong term.
21.According to Paragraph 1,onemotive inimposingthenew ruleis the_________.
A. enhance banker’s sense ofresponsibility
B. help corporations achieve larger profits
C. build anewsystem of financial regulation
D. guarantee thebonuses of top executives
3622.Alfred Marshall isquoted toindicate_________.
A. theconditionsfor generating quick profits
B. governments’ impatiencein decision-making
C. thesolid structureof publicly traded companies
D. “short-termism”in economics activities
23.It isargued thatthe influenceof transientinvestment on publiccompanies can be__________.
A. indirect
B. adverse
C. minimal
D. temporary
24.TheUS andFrance examples are usedto illustrate____________.
A. theobstacles to preventing “short-termism”.
B. thesignificance oflong-term thinking.
C. theapproaches to promoting“long-termism”.
D. theprevalence ofshort-term thinking.
25.Which ofthefollowing wouldbethebesttitle forthetext?
A. Failure ofQuarterly Capitalism
B. Patience as aCorporate Virtue
C. Decisiveness Required of Top Executives
D. Frustration of Risk-takingBankers
372019-1 Text 2
1-Grade inflation -thegradual increase inaverage GPAs(grade-point averages) over thepast few decades -
is often considered a product of aconsumer era in higher education, in which students are treated like
customers tobe pleased.
But another, related force -a policy often buried deep in course catalogs called “grade forgiveness”- is
helping raise GPAs.
2-Grade forgiveness allows students toretake acourse in which they received a lowgrade, andthemost
recent grade orthehighest grade is theonly onethat counts in calculatinga student’s overall GPA.
3-The useofthis little-known practice has accelerated inrecent years, as colleges continueto dotheir
utmost tokeep students in school (and paying tuition)and improve theirgraduation rates.
When thispractice first started decades ago, it was usuallylimited to freshmen, to give them a second
chance totake a class in theirfirst year ifthey struggled in their transitionto college-level courses.
But nowmostcolleges save formany selective campuses, allowall undergraduates, andeven graduate
students, toget theirlowgrades forgiven.
384-College officials tend to emphasizethat thegoal of grade forgiveness is less about thegrade itselfand
more about encouraging students to retake courses critical totheirdegree program and graduation without
incurring abig penalty.
“Untimely,”said Jack Miner, Ohio StateUniversity’s registrar,“wesee students achieve more success
because they retake a courseand dobetterin subsequent contents ormaster thecontent that allows them to
graduate ontime.”
5-That said, there is away in which grade forgiveness satisfies colleges’ own needs as well. For public
institutions, statefunds are sometimes tied partly totheirsuccess onmetrics such as graduation rates and
student retention -so bettergrades can, byboosting figures likethose, mean moremoney.
And anything that raises GPAs will likelymake students -who, at the endoftheday, are paying thebill-
feel they’ve gotten abetter valuefor theirtuition dollars, which is another bigconcern forcolleges.
6-Indeed, grade forgiveness isjust another waythat universities are responding to consumers’ expectations
for higher education.
39Since studentsand parents expect a college degree to lead a job,it is inthe best interest ofa 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 bealigned.
26.Whatis commonly regarded as thecause ofgradeinflation?
A. Thechange ofcourse catalogs.
B. Students’ indifference toGPAS.
C. Colleges’neglect ofGPAS.
D. Theinfluence ofconsumer culture.
27.Whatwasthe originalpurposeof gradeforgiveness?
A. Tohelp freshmen adapt to college learning.
B. Tomaintain colleges’ graduation rates.
C. Toprepare graduates for achallenging future.
D. Toincrease universities’income from tuition.
28.According to Paragraph 5,gradeforgiveness enablecolleges to_________.
A. obtain morefinancial support
B. boost theirstudent enrollments
C. improvetheirteaching quality
D. meet local governments’needs
4029.Whatdoes thephrase“to bealigned”(Line5,Para.6)most probably mean?
A. Tocounterbalance each other.
B. To complement each other.
C. To be identical with each other.
D. Tobe contradictory to each other.
30.Theauthorexamines thepractice ofgradeforgiveness by________.
A. assessing itsfeasibility
B. analyzing thecauses behindit
C. comparing different views onit
D. listing itslong-run effects
412019-1 Text 3
1- This year marks exactly two countries since the publication of Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus,
byMary Shelley.
Even before theinvention oftheelectriclight bulb, theauthor produced a remarkablework ofspeculative
fiction that would foreshadow many ethical questions to beraised bytechnologies yet tocome.
2-Today therapid growth ofartificial intelligence(AI) raises fundamental questions:“What isintelligence,
identify, or consciousness?What makes humans humans?”
3-What is being called artificial general intelligence, machines that would imitatethe wayhumans think,
continues toevade scientists.
Yet humans remain fascinated bytheidea ofrobots thatwould look, move, and respond likehumans,
similartothoserecently depicted onpopularsci-fi TV series such as “Westworld” and “Humans”.
4-Just howpeople thinkis stillfar too complex tobeunderstood, let alonereproduced, says David
Eagleman, a Stanford University neuroscientist.
42“Weare just in asituation where there are nogood theories explainingwhat consciousnesss actually is and
how you could ever builda machineto get there.”
5-But that doesn’t mean crucial ethical issuesinvolving AIaren’t at hand.
The coming useofautonomous vehicles, forexample, poses thorny ethical questions.
Human drivers sometimes must makesplit-second decisions.
Their reactions may bea complex combination ofinstant reflexes,input from past driving experiences, and
what theireyes and ears tell them inthat moment.
AI “vision”todayis not nearly as sophisticated as that of humans.
And toanticipate every imaginabledriving situationis a difficult programming problem.
6-Whenever decisions are basedonmasses ofdata, “you quickly get into alotof ethical questions,”notes
Tan Kiat How, chief executiveofa Singapore-based agency that ishelping thegovernment develop a
voluntary code for theethical useofAI.
43Along with Singapore, other governments and mega-corporations are beginning to establishtheir own
guidelines.
Britain is settingupa dataethics center. India released itsAI ethics strategy thisspring.
7-On June7Googlepledged not to“design ordeploy AI”that would cause “overallharm,”or todevelop
AI-directed weapons oruse AIfor surveillance that would violateinternational norms.
It also pledged not to deploy AIwhose usewould violateinternational laws orhuman rights.
8-While thestatement is vague, itrepresents onestarting point.
Sodoes theidea that decisions made byAIsystems shouldbe explainable, transparent, and fair.
9-To put itanother way: How can we makesure that thethinkingof intelligent machines reflects
humanity’s highest values?
Only then willthey be useful servants andnot Frankenstein’s out-of-control monster.
44.
31.Mary Shelley’s novel Frankensteinis mentioned becauseit
A. fascinates AIscientists all over theworld.
B. has remained popular foras longas 200years.
C. involves someconcerns raised byAI today.
D. has sparked serious ethical controversies.
32.In DavidEagleman’s opinion, ourcurrentknowledgeof consciousness .
A. helpsexplain artificial intelligence.
B. can bemisleading to robot making.
C. inspires popularsci-fi TVseries.
D. istoo limited for us toreproduce it.
33.Thesolutionto the ethical issuesbroughtbyautonomous vehicles .
A. canhardly ever befound.
B. is stillbeyond ourcapacity.
C. causes littlepublicconcern.
D. has aroused much curiosity.
34.Theauthor’s attitudetoward Google’s pledgeisoneof .
A. affirmation.
B. skepticism.
C. contempt.
D. respect.
35.Which ofthefollowing wouldbethebesttitle forthetext?
A. AI’s Future: In theHands ofTech Giants
B. Frankenstein, the Novel Predicting theAge ofAI
C. The Conscienceof AI: Complex But Inevitable
45
D. AIShallBe Killers Once Out ofControl2019-1 Text 4
1-States willbe ableto force more peopleto paysales tax when they makeonlinepurchases undera
Supreme Courtdecision Thursday thatwill leave shoppers with lighter wallets but is a bigfinancial win for
states.
2-The Supreme Court’s opinionThursday overruled apair ofdecades-old decisions that states said cost
them billionsofdollars inlost revenue annually.
The decisions made itmoredifficult forstates to collect sales tax oncertain onlinepurchases.
3-The cases thecourt overturned said that ifabusiness was shippingacustomer’s purchase to astate
where thebusinessdidn’t havea physical presencesuch as a warehouseor office, thebusiness didn’thave
to collect sales taxfor thestate.
Customers were generally responsible forpaying the sales tax to thestatethemselves ifthey weren’t
charged it,but most didn’t realizethey owed it and few paid.
4-Justice Anthony Kennedy wrotethat the previous decisions were flawed.
46“Each year thephysical presence rulebecomes further removed from economic reality and results in
significant revenue losses tothe States,”hewrote inan opinion joined byfourother justices.
Kennedy wrote that therule “limited states’ abilityto seek long-term prosperity and has prevented market
participants from competing onan evenplaying field.”
5-The ruling is avictory for big chains with apresence in manystates, since theyusually collect sales tax
ononlinepurchases already.
Now, rivals will becharging sales tax where they hadn’tbefore.
Big chains have been collecting sales tax nationwide becausethey typicallyhave physical stores in
whatever stateapurchase isbeing shipped to.
Amazon.com, with itsnetwork of warehouses, also collects sales taxin every statethat charges it,though
third-party sellers who use thesitedon’t have to.
6-Until now,many sellers that have aphysical presence in onlya single stateora few states have been able
to avoid charging sales taxes when they shipto addresses outsidethosestates.
47Sellers that useeBay and Etsy, which provideplatforms for smaller sellers, also haven’t been collecting
sales tax nationwide.
Under theruling Thursday, states can pass laws requiring out-of-state sellers tocollect thestate’s sales tax
from customers and send ittothestate.
7-Retail tradegroups praised theruling, saying it levels theplaying field forlocal and onlinebusinesses.
The losers, said retail analyst Neil Saunders, are online-onlyretailers, especially smallerones.
Those retailers may face headaches complying with various statesales tax laws.
The SmallBusiness & Entrepreneurship Council advocacy group said in astatement, "Small businesses and
internet entrepreneurs are not well served at all bythis decision."
36.TheSupreme Court decisionThursday will .
A. Dettebusiness’relutions with states
B. put mostonlinebusiness inadilemma
C. makemore onlineshoppers pay sales tax
D. forces somestates to cut sales tax
48.
37.It can belearned fromparagraphs 2and3that theoverruled decisions
A. haveled tothedominance ofe-commerce
B. have cost consumers alot overtheyears
C. were widely criticized byonlinepurchases
D. were considered upfavorable bystates
.
38.According to JusticeAnthony Kennedy, thephysical presence rule has
A. hindered economic development
B. brought prosperity tothecountry
C. harmed fairmarket competition
D. boostedgrowth in states revenue
39.Whoare most likelyto welcome the Supreme Courtruling .
A. Internet entrepreneurs
B. Big-chain owners
C. Third-party sellers
D. Small retailers
40.In dealing with theSupreme Court decisionThursday, the author .
A. gives a factual account ofit and discusses its consequences
B. describes thelong and complicated process ofits making
C. presents itsmain pointswith conflicting views onthem
D. citiessome cases related toit and analyzes theirimplications
492020-1 Text1
1-Agroup ofLabour MPs,amongthem Yvette Cooper,are bringing in thenew yearwith acallto institute
aUK "town ofculture"award.
Theproposal isthat it should sitalongsidetheexisting city ofculture title, whichwasheld byHullin 2017
andhasbeen awarded toCoventry for 2021.
Cooperand hercolleagues argue that thesuccess of thecrown forHull, whereit broughtin f220m
ofinvestment andan avalacheof arts,out not tobe confined tocities.
Britain'town, it is trueare not preventedfrom applying, but theygenerallylacktheresources to put
togethera bitto beat theirbiggercompetitions.
Atown ofculture awardcould, itis argued,become anannualevent, attracting fundingandcreatingjobs.
2-Some mightsee theproposalas aboobyprize forthe fact that Britainis nolonger beableto apply
forthe muchmoreprestigious titleof Europeancapital ofculture, asought-afterawardbagged byGlasgow
in1990and Livorpool in 2008.
50Acynic mightspeculate that theUKis ontheverge of disappearing intoanendless feverof self-celebration
inits desperation to reinventitself for thepost-Brexit world:aftertown of culture,who knowsthat
willfollow-village ofculture?
Suburb ofculture?
Hamletofculture?
3-It is alsowiseto recall that suchtitles are nota cure-all.
Abadlyrun"year of culture"washesin andout ofa place like thetide, bringingprominence for aspell
butleaving nolasting benefitsto thecommunity.
Thereally successful holdersof suchtitlesare those that doa great dealmore thanfillhotel bedrooms
andbringin high-profile artseventsand goodpressfor ayear.
Theytransform theaspirations ofthepeople wholive there;theynudge theself-image ofthecity into a
bolderand moreoptimistic light.
Itishard to getright, andrequiresa remarkable degreeof vision,aswellascooperation between
city authorities,theprivate sector,community groupsandcultural organisations.
51Butit can bedone:Glasgow'syear asEuropeancapitalof culture cancertainly be seenasone of
complexseries offactorsthat have turnedthe cityinto thepower of art,music andtheatre that it remains
today.
4-A"town of culture"couldbe notjust abouttheartsbut abouthonouring atown's peculiarities-helping
sustainits high street,supporting localfacilities andabove all celebratingits peopleandturn itinto action.
21.Cooperand hercolleagues argue that a "townof culture"award could
[A] consolidatethetown-city tiesin Britain.
[B]promotecooperationamongBritain's towns.
[C]increase theeconomic strengthofBritain's towns.
[D] focusBritain's limitedresources onculturalevents.
22. Accordingto Paragraph2, theproposal mightberegarded bysome as
[A] asensiblecompromise.
[B]aself-deceiving attempt.
[C]aneye-cotching bonus.
[D] aninaccessible target.
23.Theauthor suggests that atitle holderis successfulonly if it
[A] endeavoursto maintain itsimage.
[B]meetstheaspirations ofits people.
[C]brings itslocal artsto prominence.
[D] commitsto itslong-term growth.
24.Glasgowis mentionedin Paragraph3to present
[A] acontrastingcase.
[B]asupporting example.
[C]abackground story.
[D] arelated topic.
25.Whatis theauthor'sattitude towards theproposal?
[A] Skeptical
[B]Objective
[C]Favourable
52
[D] Critical2020-1 Text2
1-Scientificpublishing haslong beena licence to printmoney.
Scientistsneed journalsin whichto publishtheir research,so theywill supplythearticles without
monetaryreward.
Otherscientists perform thespecialised workof peerreviewalsofor free,because itis acentral element
inthe acquisition ofstatus andtheproduction ofscientificknowledge.
2-With thecontent ofpapers securedfor free,thepublisherneeds only findamarket for itsjournal.
Untilthis century, university librarieswere notvery price sensitive.
Scientificpublishersroutinelyreport profitmarginsapproaching40% ontheiroperations,at atime when
therestof thepublishingindustry is inan existential crisis.
3-The Dutchgiant Elsevier,which claimsto publish25% ofthescientificpapers producedinthe world,
madeprofitsof morethanf900m lastyear,whileUK universitiesalone spentmorethanf210m in2016
toenable researchers to accesstheir ownpublicly fundedresearch;both figuresseem to rise
unstoppably despiteincreasingly desperateefforts to changethem.
534-The mostdrastic, andthoroughly illegal, reaction hasbeen theemergence ofSci-Hub, akind of
global photocopierfor scientificpapers, setupin 2012, which nowclaimsto offeraccessto everypay
walledarticle published since2015.
Thesuccess ofSci-Hub, whichreliesonresearchers passing oncopies theyhave themselveslegally
accessed, showsthelegalecosystemhas lostlegitimacyamong itsusers andmust betransformedso that
itworks forall participants.
5-InBritain themovetowards open accesspublishinghasbeen driven byfundingbodies.
Insome ways ithas beenvery successful. Morethan halfof allBritish scientificresearchis now
published underopen accessterms; either freelyavailable fromthemoment ofpublication,orpay walled fora
yearormore so that thepublisherscan makeaprofit beforebeingplaced ongeneralrelease.
6-Yetthe newsystem hasnot worked out anycheaper for theuniversities.
Publishers haveresponded to thedemand thatthey maketheir productfreeto readers bycharging their
writersfees to coverthecosts of preparinganarticle.
These range fromaroundf500 to $5,000.
54Areport last yearpointed out that thecosts bothofsubscriptions and ofthese "articlepreparation costs"
hadbeen steadilyrising atarate above inflation.
Insome ways thescientificpublishing modelresembles theeconomy ofthe socialinternet:labour is
providedfree inexchange forthe hopeofstatus, whilehuge profitsare madebya few bigfirms whorun
themarket places.
Inboth cases, weneed a rebalancingofpower.
26.Scientificpublishingis seen as"alicence to print money" partlybecause
[A] itsfundinghasenjoyed asteady increase.
[B]itsmarketing strategy hasbeen successful.
[C]itspayment forpeerreviewis reduced.
[D] itscontentacquisition costs nothing.!
27.Accordingto Paragraphs2and3,scientific publishersElsevier have
[A] thrivedmainly onuniversity libraries.
[B]gonethrough anexistential crisis.
[C]revived thepublishingindustry.
[D] financedresearchersgenerously.
28.Howdoesthe authorfeel aboutthesuccess ofSci-Hub? [A] Relieved.
[B]Puzzled.
[C]Concerned.
[D] Encouraged.
29.It can belearnedfromParagraphs 5and6that open accessterms
[A] allowpublisherssomeroom to makemoney.
[B]renderpublishing mucheasierforscientists.
[C]reduce thecost ofpublication substantially.
[D] freeuniversities from financialburdens.
30.Whichof thefollowing characterisesthescientific publishingmodel?
[A] Trialsubscription isoffered.
[B]Labour triumphsover status.
[C]Costsare well controlled.
55
[D] Thefew feedonthemany.2020-1 Text3
1-Progressives oftensupport diversity mandates asapath toequalityand away to leveltheplaying field.
Butall too oftensuch policiesare aninsincere form ofvirtue-signalingthat benefits only themost
privilegedand doeslittleto helpaverage people.
2-Apair ofbillssponsored byMassachusetts stateSenatorJasonLewis andHouse SpeakerPro
Tempore PatriciaHaddad, to ensure "gender parity"onboards andcommissions,provide acase in point.
3-Haddad andLewis are concerned that morethanhalf thestate-governmentboard are lessthan40percent
female.
Inorder to ensure that elitewomenhave more suchopportunities, theyhaveproposed imposing
governmentquotas.
Ifthe billsbecome law,state boardsandcommissionswill berequired to set aside50percentofboard seats
forwomen by2022.
4-The billsare similar toa measurerecentlyadopted inCalifomia, which lastyearbecame thefirst state
torequire genderquotasforprivate companies.
Insigningthe measure,CaliforniaGovernor JerryBrown admitted thatthe law,which expressly
classifiespeople onthebasis ofsex, isprobably unconstitutional.
565-The USSupreme Court frownsonsex basedclassifications unless theyare designed toaddress
an"important" policy interest.
BecausetheCalifornialaw appliesto all boards,even wherethere is nohistory ofpriordiscrimination,
courtsare likely to rulethat thelaw violatestheconstitutionalguarantee of"equalprotection".
6-Butare suchgovernmentmandates even necessary?
Femaleparticipation oncorporateboards maynot currently mirrorthepercentage ofwomen in the
generalpopulation, but sowhat?
7-The numberofwomen oncorporateboards hasbeen steadilyincreasing withoutgovernment interference.
Accordingto astudy byCatalyst,between 2010and2015theshare ofwomen ontheboardsof
global corporations increasedby54percent.
8-Requiring companies tomake gendertheprimary qualificationfor boardmembership willinevitably lead
toless experienced private sector boards.
Thatis exactlywhat happenedwhenNorway adopteda nationwidecorporategender quota.
9-Writingin TheNew Republic,Alice Lee notesthat increasingthe numberof opportunitiesfor
boardmembership withoutincreasing thepool of qualifiedwomento serve onsuchboards hasledto a
"golden skirt"phenomenon, wherethe sameelitewomenscoop upmultipleseatsona varietyofboards.
57Nexttime somebodypushescorporate quotasasa wayto promotegenderequity,remember thatsuch
policiesare largelyself-servingmeasures that maketheir sponsorsfeelgoodbut dolittleto help
average women.
31.Theauthor believesthat thebills sponsoredbyLewisand Haddad will
[A] helplittleto reducegenderbias.
[B]posea threatto thestate government.
[C]raise women'spositionin politics.
[D] greatlybroadencareeroptions.
32.Whichof thefollowing istrue oftheCaliformia measure?
[A] Ithasirritated privatebusiness owners.
[B]It is welcomed bytheSupreme Court.
[C]It maygoagainst theConstitution.
[D] Itwillsettle theprior controversies.
33.Theauthor mentionsthe studybyCatalyst to illustrate
[A] theharmfrom arbitraryboarddecision.
[B]theimportance ofconstitutional guarantees.
[C]thepressureonwomen in globalcorporations.
[D] theneedlessness ofgovernmentinterventions.
34.Norway'sadoption ofa nationwidecorporategenderquotahas ledto
[A] theunderestimationofelitewomen's role
[B]theobjectionto female participationonboards.
[C]theentry ofunqualified candidates intotheboard.
[D] thegrowingtension betweenlabor andmanagement.
35.Whichof thefollowing can beinferredfrom thetext?
[A] Women'sneed in employment shouldbe considered.
[B]Feasibility,should bea primeconcernin policy making.
[C]Everyoneshould tryhard to promotesocialjustice.
[D] Majorsocialissues should bethefocus oflegislation.
582020-1 Text4
LastThursday, theFrench Senatepasseda digitalservices tax,whichwould impose an entirelynewtax
onlarge multinationalsthat providedigital servicestoconsumers or usersin France.
Digitalservices includeeverything fromproviding aplatform forselling goods andservicesonline to
targetingadvertising basedonuser data,and thetaxappliesto grossrevenue fromsuchservices.
ManyFrench politiciansand mediaoutlets have referredto thisasa"GAFA tax," meaningthat it isdesigned
to apply primarily to companies such as Google,Apple, Facebook and Amazon-in other words, multinational
techcompanies based in theUnitedStates.
2-The digitalservicestaxnowawaits thesignature ofPresidentEmmanuelMacron, whohasexpressed
support forthe measure,andit couldgointo effectwithinthe nextfew weeks.
Butit hasalreadysparked significantcontroversy,with theUnite Satestraderepresentative opening
aninvestigation intowhetherthetax discriminatesagainstAmericancompanies,which in turncould
leadto trade sanctionsagainst France.
3-The Frenchtaxis not justa unilateralmove byonecountryin need ofrevenue.Instead,the digital
services tax is part of a much larger trend, with countries over the past few years proposing or putting in place
analphabet soup ofnew internationaltaxprovisions.
59These haveincluded Britain'sDPT (diverted profitstax).
Australia'sMAAL (multinationalantiavoidance, law),and India'sSEP(significant economicpresence)test,
toname but afew.
At thesametime, theEuropeanUnion. Spain,Britain andseveral othercountrieshave
all seriouslycontemplated digitalservicestaxes.
4-These unilateral developmentsdifferin theirspecifics, butthey are all designedto taxmultinationals
onincomeandrevenue that countries believetheyshould have aright to tax,even ifinternationaltaxrules
donotgrant them that right.
Inother words,theyall share aview that theinternationaltax systemhasfailed to keep up withthe
currenteconomy.
5-In response to these many unilateral measures, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD) is currently working with 131 countries to reach aconsensus by the end of 2020 on an international
solution.
Both France and the United States are involved in the organization's work, but France's digital services tax and
theAmericanresponse raise questionsabout whatthefuture holds fortheinternational taxsystem.
60France's planned tax is a clear warning: Unless a broad consensus can be reached on reforming the
international tax system, other nations are likely to follow suit, and American companies will face a cascade of
differenttaxes fromdozens ofnations that willprove burdensome andcostly.
36.TheFrench Senate haspassed abillto
[A] regulate digitalservicesplatforms.
[B]protect Frenchcompanies interests.
[C]impose alevyontech multinationals.
[D] curbtheinfluence of advertising.
37.It can belearnedfromParagraph 2that thedigital servicestax
[A] maytriggercountermeasures againstFrance.
[B]is aptto arouse criticism athomeandabroad.
[C]aims to ease internationaltrade tensions.
[D] willprompt thetech giants toquit France.
38.Thecountries adopting theunilateral measuresshare theopinionthat
[A] redistributionof techgiants' revenuemust be ensured.
[B]thecurrentinternational taxsystem needsupgrading.
[C]tech multinationals'monopolyshould be prevented.
[D] all countriesought to enjoyequal taxingrights.
39.Itcan belearnedfromPara 5that theOECO's currentwork
[A] isbeingresisted byUS companies.
[B]needs to bereadjusted immediately.
[C]is facedwith uncertainprospects.
[D] needsto in involve morecountries.
40. Whichof thefollowing mightbethebest titlefor thistext?
[A] France IsConfrontedwith TradeSanctions
[B]France leads thechargeonDigital Tax
[C]France Says "NO"to Tech Multinationals
[D] France Demandsa Role in theDigitalEconomy
612021-1 Text1
1-Howcan thetrain operatorspossiblyjustify yetanother increaseto railpassengerfares?
Ithasbecome a grimlyreliable annualritual: everyJanuary thecostof travellingbytrainrises, imposinga
significantextra burden onthosewho have nooptionbut touse therailnetwork to getto workorotherwise.
Thisyear's rise,anaverage of 2.7percent, maybea fractionlower thanlast year's, but it isstill wellabove the
officialConsumer PriceIndex (CPI)measureofinflation.
2-Successive governmentshave permittedsuch increasesonthegrounds that thecost ofinvestingin and
runningtherailnetwork should beborne bythose whouseit, ratherthanthegeneral taxpayer.
Why,theargument goes,should acar-drivingpensioner from Lincolnshirehave to subsidise thedaily
commuteofa stockbrokerfromSurrey?
Equallythere isa sensethat thetravails ofcommutersin theSouth East,manyofwhom will faceamongthe
biggest rises,have receivedtoo muchattention comparedto those who mustendure therelatively poor
infrastructureof theMidlands andtheNorth.
623-However, overthe past12months, those commutershave alsoexperienced some ofthe worstrailstrikesin
years.
Itisall very welltrain operatorstrumpeting theimprovementstheyare making to thenetwork,but passengers
should beableto expect abasic levelof serviceforthesubstantial sums theyare nowpayingto travel.
Theresponsibility forthelatest waveof strikesrestsontheunions.
However,there is astrong case that those whohave been worstaffected byindustrial actionshould receive
compensationfor thedisruption theyhavesuffered.
4-The Governmenthas pledgedto changethelaw to introduceaminimum servicerequirement so that, even
whenstrikesoccur, servicescancontinue tooperate.
Thisshould form partofa wider packageofmeasuresto address thelong-running problemsonBritain's
railways.
Yes,more investment isneeded, butpassengerswill not bewilling topay moreindefinitely iftheymust also
endure cramped,unreliable services,punctuated byregularchaoswhen timetables are changed,or planned
maintenanceis managedincompetently.
63Thethreat ofnationalisation mayhave been seenoff fornow, butit will returnwith avengeance ifthejustified
angerofpassengersis not addressedin short order.
21. Theauthor holdsthat this year's increasein rail passengers' fares _____.
[A] willease train operation'sburden.
[B] haskept pacewith inflation.
[C] is abig surprise tocommuters.
[D] remainsan unreasonablemeasure.
22. Thestockbrokerin Paragraph 2is usedto standfor _____.
[A] cardrivers
[B] railtravelers
[C] localinvestors
[D] ordinarytaxpayers
23. Itisindicated in Paragraph 3that trainoperators _____.
[A] are offeringcompensationsto commuters.
[B] are trying to repairrelationswith theunions.
[C] have failed toprovide anadequateservice.
[D] havesuffered hugelosses owing to thestrikes.
24. Ifunable to calmdownpassengers,therailways may haveto face _____.
[A] thelossof investment.
[B] thecollapse ofoperations.
[C] areduction ofrevenue
[D] achangeof ownership.
25. Whichof thefollowing would bethebest title forthetext?
[A] WhoAre to Blame fortheStrikes?
[B] Constant ComplainingDoesn'tWork
[C] CanNationalization BringHope?
[D] Ever-risingFares Aren't Sustainable
642021-1 Text2
1-Lastyearmarked thethird yearin arow ofthat Indonesia’s bleak rate ofdeforestation hasslowedin pace.
Onereason for theturnaround maybe thecountry'santipoverty program.
2-In2007,Indonesia started phasinginprogram that givesmoneyto its poorestresidents undercertain
conditions,such asrequiring peopleto keepkids inschoolor getregularmedicalcare.
Calledconditional cashtransfersor CCTs, thesesocialassistance programs are designedto reduceinequality
andbreakthecycle ofpoverty.
They'realreadyusedin dozens ofcountries worldwide. InIndonesia, theprogram hasprovidedenoughfood
andmedicine tosubstantially reducesevere growthproblemsamongchildren.
3-ButCCT programs don'tgenerallyconsider effects ontheenvironment.In fact,poverty alleviationand
environmentalprotection are oftenviewed asconflictinggoals, saysPaul Ferraro,aneconomist at Johns
Hopkins University.
654-That'sbecause economicgrowth canbe correlated withenvironmental degradation,whileprotecting the
environmentis sometimes correlatedwith greater poverty.
However,those correlations don'tprove cause andeffect.
Theonly previousstudy analyzing causality,based onanarea in Mexicothat had institutedCCTs,supported
thetraditional view.
There,aspeople gotmore money,some ofthem may havemore clearedland forcattle to raise formeat,
Ferrarosays.
4-Such programs donot haveto negatively affecttheenvironment, though.
Ferrarowanted to seeif Indonesia'spoverty-alleviation program wasaffectingdeforestation.
Indonesia hasthethird-largest areaoftropical forestin theworld andoneof thehighest deforestation rates.
665-Ferraroanalyzedsatellite datashowing annual forestloss from2008to 2012-includingduringIndonesia's
phase-in oftheantipoverty program-in7,468forestedvillagesacross 15provinces andmultiple islands.
Theduoseparated theeffectsof theCCTprogram onforest lossfrom otherfactors,like weather and
macroeconomicchanges,which werealsoaffectingforest loss. With that, "wesee that theprogram is
associated witha 30percentreduction indeforestation," Ferraro says.
6-That'slikely becausethe ruralpoor are usingthemoney asmakeshiftinsurancepolicies againstinclement
weather,Ferrarosays.
Typically,ifrainsare delayed, peoplemayclear landto plantmore rice tosupplement their harvests.
With theCCTs,individuals insteadcan usethemoney tosupplement their harvests.
7-Whetherthis researchtranslateselsewhere is anybody'sguess.
Ferrarosuggests theimportance ofgrowing riceand marketaccess.
67Andregardlessof transferability, thestudyshowsthat what's goodforpeople mayalsobegoodfor thevalue
oftheavoided deforestation justfor carbondioxide emissionsalone is morethanthe programcosts.
26. Accordingto thefirst two paragraphs, CCTprograms aim to _____.
[A] facilitatehealthcare reform.
[B] helppoor familiesgetbetteroff.
[C] improvelocal education systems.
[D] lowerdeforestationrates.
27. Thestudy based onanareain Mexico iscited toshow that _____.
[A] cattlerearinghas beena majormeansof livelihoodfor thepoor.
[B] CCTprograms have hehelped preserve traditional lifestyles.
[C] antipovertyefforts requirethe participationoflocal farmers.
[D] economicgrowth tendsto cause environmentaldegradation.
28. Inhis study aboutIndonesia,Ferraro intendsto find out _____.
[A] itsacceptance levelofCCTs.
[B] itsannual rate ofpoverty alleviation.
[C] therelation ofCCTsto its forestloss.
[D] theroleof itsforests inclimatechange.
29. Accordingto Ferraro,theCCTprogram in Indonesia ismost valuable in that _____.
[A] itwill benefitother Asiancountries.
[B] it willreduce regionalinequality.
[C] it canprotect theenvironment.
[D] itcan boost grainproduction.
30. Whatis thetext centered on?
[A] Theeffectsof aprogram.
[B] The debatesover aprogram.
[C] The processof astudy.
[D] Thetransferability ofastudy.
682021-1 Text3
1-Asa historian who'salwayssearching forthetext orthe imagethat makesus re-evaluate thepast, I've
become preoccupiedwith lookingfor photographs that showourVictorian ancestorssmiling(whatbetter way
toshatter theimage of19th-century prudery?).
I'vefound quite afew, and- sinceI startedpostingthem onTwitter-they have been causingquite stir.
Peoplehave been surprisedto see evidencethat Victorianshad funandcould,and did, laugh.
Theyare noting that theVictorians suddenlyseem to become morehuman asthehundred-or-soyears that
separateus fade away throughour common experience oflaughter.
2-Of course, Ineed to concedethat my collectionof'Smiling Victorians' makesuponly atiny percentage of
thevast catalogue of photographicportraiture created between1840and1900,themajority of whichshow
sitters posingmiserably andstiffly in frontofpainted backdrops, orstaringabsentlyinto themiddle distance.
Howdowe explainthis trend?
3-Duringthe 1840sand 1850s, in theearlydays ofphotography,exposure timeswere notoriouslylong: the
daguerreotype photographicmethod (producing animage onasilvered copperplate)could takeseveral
minutesto complete, resulting inblurred imagesas sittersshifted positionoradjusted theirlimbs.
69Thethought ofholding afixed grinasthecamera performedits magicalduties was toomuch tocontemplate,
andso anon-committal blankstare becamethe norm.
4-Butexposure timeswere muchquicker bythe1880s,and theintroduction oftheBox Brownie andother
portablecameras meantthat, though slow bytoday'sdigitalstandards, theexposure was almost instantaneous.
Spontaneoussmileswere relativelyeasy to captureby the1890s, so we mustlook elsewhere foranexplanation
ofwhyVictorians still hesitatedto smile.
5-One explanationmight betheloss ofdignitydisplayed througha cheesygrin.“Nature gaveus lipsto
concealourteeth,”ran onepopular Victorianmaxim, alluding tothe factthat before thebirth ofproper
dentistry, mouthswereoften in ashockingstateof hygiene.
Aflashingset of healthyandclean, regularpearly whites'rare sightin Victoriansociety, thepreserve ofthe
super-rich(and even then,dentalhygiene wasnot guaranteed).
6-Atoothy grin(especiallywhen there weregapsorblackened teeth)lacked class:drunks, tramps,prostitutes
andbuffoonishmusic hall performers mightgurn andgrinwith asmile aswide asLewisCarroll's
gum-exposingCheshireCat, but it wasnot abecoming look forproperly bredpersons.
70EvenMark Twain,a manwhoenjoyeda hearty laugh,saidthat when itcame to photographic portraitsthere
couldbe"nothing moredamning thana silly,foolish smilefixed forever".
31. Accordingto Paragraph1,theauthor's postsonTwitter _____
[A] changedpeople'simpression ofthe Victorians.
[B] highlighted socialmedia'srole inVictorian studies.
[C] re-evaluatedtheVictorians' notion ofpublic image.
[D] illustratedthe developmentofVictorian photography.
32. Whatdoes authorsayaboutthe Victorianportraits hehascollected?
[A] Theyare in popular useamong historians.
[B] They are rareamongphotographsof that age.
[C] They mirror19th-century socialconventions.
[D] Theyshoweffects ofdifferentexposure times.
33. Whatmight havekept theVictoriansfrom smilingforpictures in the1890s?
[A] Theirinherent socialsensitiveness.
[B] Their tensionbefore thecamera.
[C] Their distrustofnew inventions.
[D] Theirunhealthy dentalcondition.
34. MarkTwain is quotedtoshow that thedisapprovalof smilesin pictures was _____.
[A] adeep-rootbelief.
[B] amisguided attitude.
[C] acontroversial view.
[D] athought-provoking idea.
35. Whichof thefollowing questionsdoes thetext answer?
[A] Whydid mostVictorians look sternin photographs?
[B] Whydid theVictorians startviewphotographs?
[C] What madephotography developslowly inthe Victorianperiod?
[D] Howdid smilingin photographsbecome apost-Victorian norm?
712021-1 Text4
1-From theearly daysofbroadband,advocates forconsumers andweb-based companies worried that the
cable andphone companiesselling broadbandconnectionshad thepower andincentive to favor affiliated
websitesover theirrivals.
That'swhythere hasbeen sucha strong demandfor rulesthat would prevent broadbandproviders frompicking
winnersand losersonline, preservingthefreedomand innovation thathave been thelifebloodofthe internet.
2-Yetthat demand hasbeen almostimpossible to fill-in partbecauseof pushback frombroadbandproviders,
anti-regulatoryconservativesandthe courts.
Afederal appeals courtweighed inagain Tuesday, but insteadofproviding badlyneededresolution, it only
prolongedthefight.
At issue beforetheU. S.Court ofAppeals fortheDistrict of ColumbiaCircuit was thelatest takeof the
Federal CommunicationsCommission (FCC)onnetneutrality, adoptedonaparty-line votein 2017.
TheRepublican-penned order not onlyeliminatedthe strictnet neutralityrulestheFCC hadadoptedwhen it
hada Democraticmajority in 2015,butrejected thecommission'sauthorityto requirebroadbandproviders to
domuchofanything.
Theorder alsodeclared that stateand localgovernments couldn'tregulate broadbandproviderseither.
723-The commissionarguedthat other agencieswould protectagainst anti-competitivebehavior, suchasa
broadband-providingconglomeratelike AT&Tfavoring its ownvideo-streamingservice attheexpense of
NetflixandApple TV.
YettheFCC alsoended theinvestigations ofbroadbandproviders that imposed datacaps ontheirrivals'
streamingservicesbut not theirown.
4-OnTuesday, theappeals court unanimouslyupheldthe2017order deregulatingbroadbandproviders,
citinga SupremeCourt ruling from2005that uphelda similarlyderegulatory move.
ButJudgePatricia Millettrightly arguedin aconcurringopinion that “theresultis unhingedfrom therealities
ofmodern broadbandservice,”andsaid CongressortheSupreme Court couldintervene to "avoid trapping
Internet regulationin technologicalanachronism."
6-Inthe meantime,thecourtthrew out theFCC's attempt to blockall staterules onnetneutrality,while
preservingthecommission'spower to preempt individualstatelaws that undermineits order.
Thatmeansmore battleslike theone nowgoing onbetweentheJusticeDepartment andCalifornia, which
enacteda toughnet neutralitylaw in thewake oftheFCC's abdication.
737-The endlesslegalbattlesandback-and-for attheFCC cry out for Congressto act.
Itneeds togivethe commissionexplicit authorityonce andfor all tobar broadbandproviders frommeddling in
thetrafficontheir networkand tocreate clearrules protectingopenness andinnovation online.
36. Therehaslong been concernthat broadbandprovide rs would _____.
[A] bringweb-basedfirmsunder control.
[B] slow downthetraffic ontheirnetwork.
[C] showpartiality in treatingclients.
[D] intensify competitionwith theirrivals.
37. Faced withthedemand for netneutralityrules,the FCC_____.
[A] sticksto an out-of-dateorder.
[B] takes ananti-regulatorystance.
[C] hasissued a specialresolution.
[D] hasallowedthe statestointervene.
38. Whatcan be learnedaboutAT&TfromParagraph 3?
[A] Itprotectsagainst unfaircompetition.
[B] It engagesin anti-competitivepractices.
[C] It is under theFCC's investigation.
[D] Itisin pursuit ofquality service.
39. JudgePatriciaMillett argues that theappeals court'sdecision_____.
[A] focusesontrivialities.
[B] conveys anambiguous message.
[C] is atodds with itsearlierrulings.
[D] isout oftouch withreality.
40. Whatdoes theauthorargue in thelast paragraph?
[A] Congressneedsto take actionto ensure netneutrality.
[B] The FCCshould be putunder strict supervision.
[C] Rules need tobe setto diversifyonline services.
[D] Broadbandproviders' rights shouldbe protected.
742022-1 Text 1
1-People often complain that plastics are too durable.
Water bottles, shopping bags, and other trash litter the planet, from Mount Everest to
the Mariana Trench, because plastics are everywhere and don't break down easily. But
some plastic materials change over time.
They crack and frizzle. They "weep" out additives. They melt into sludge.
All of which creates huge headaches for institutions, such as museums, trying to
preserve culturally important objects.
The variety of plastic objects at risk is dizzying: early radios, avant-garde sculptures,
celluloid animation stills from Disney films, the first artificial heart.
2-Certain artifacts are especially vulnerable because some pioneers in plastic art didn't
always know how to mix ingredients properly, says Thea van Oosten, a polymer
chemist who, until retiring a few years ago, worked for decades at the Cultural
Heritage Agency of the Netherlands.
"It's like baking a cake:If you don't have exact amounts, it goes wrong," she says.
75“The object you make is already a time bomb."
3-And sometimes, it’s not the artist’s fault.
In the 1960s, the Italian artist Piero Gilardi began to create hundreds of bright,
colorful foam pieces. Those pieces included small beds of roses and other items as
well as a few dozen “nature carpets”—large rectangles decorated with foam pumpkins,
cabbages, and watermelons.
He wanted viewers to walk around on the carpets一which meant they had to be
durable.
4-Unfortunately, the polyurethane foam he used is inherently unstable.
It's especially vulnerable to light damage, and by the mid-1990s, Gilardi's pumpkins,
roses, and other figures were splitting and crumbling.
Museums locked some of them away in the dark.
So van Oosten and her colleagues worked to preserve Gilardi5s sculptures. They
infused some with stabilizing and consolidating chemicals.
76Van Oosten calls those chemicals " sunscreens ” because their goal was to prevent
further light damage and rebuild worn polymer fibers.
She is proud that several sculptures have even gone on display again, albeit
sometimes beneath protective cases.
5-Despite success stories like van Oosten's, preservation of plastics will likely get
harder.
Old objects continue to deteriorate. Worse, biodegradable plastics, designed to
disintegrate, are increasingly common.And more is at stake here than individual
objects.
Joana Lia Ferreira, an assistant professor of conservation and restoration at the NOVA
School of Science and Technology, notes that archaeologists first defined the great
material ages of human history—Stone Age, Iron Age, and so on—after examining
artifacts in museums.
“We now live in an age of plastic, she says, "and what we decide to collect today,
what we decide to preserve...will have a strong impact on how in the future we'll be
77seen. ”
21. According to Paragraph 1, museums are faced with difficulties in_____.
A. maintaining their plastic items
B. obtaining durable plastic artifacts
C. handling outdated plastic exhibits
D. classifying their plastic collections
22. Van Oosten believes that certain plastic objects are_____.
A. immune to decay
B. improperly shaped
C. inherently flawed
D. complex in structure
23. Museums stopped exhibiting some of Gilardi's artworks to_____.
A. keep them from hurting visitors
78B. duplicate them for future display
C. have their ingredients analyzed
D. prevent them from further damage
24. The author thinks that preservation of plastics is_____.
A. costly
B. unworthy
C. unpopular
D. challenging
25. In Ferreira's opinion, preservation of plastic artifacts_____.
A. will inspire future scientific research
B. has profound historical significance
C. will help us separate the material ages
D. has an impact on today's cultural life
792022-1 Text 2
1-As the latest crop of students pen their undergraduate application form and weigh
up their options, it may be worth considering just how the point, purpose and value of
a degree has changed and what Generation Z need to consider as they start the third
stage of their educational journey.
2-Millennials were told that if you did well in school, got a decent degree, you would
be set up for life.
But that promise has been found wanting.
As degrees became universal, they became devalued. Education was no longer a
secure route of social mobility.
Today, 28 per cent of graduates in the UK are in non-graduate roles, a percentage
which is double the average amongst the OECD countries.
3-This is not to say that there is no point in getting a degree, but rather stress that a
degree is not for everyone, that the switch from classroom to lecture hall is not an
80inevitable one and that other options are available.
4-Thankfully, there are signs that this is already happening, with Generation Z
seeking to learn from their millennial predecessors, even if parents and teachers tend
to be still set in the degree mindset.
Employers have long seen the advantages of hiring school leavers who often prove
themselves to be more committed and loyal employees than graduates.
Many too are seeing the advantages of scrapping a degree requirement for certain
roles.
5-For those for whom a degree is the desired route, consider that this may well be the
first of many.
In this age of generalists, it pays to have specific knowledge or skills.
Postgraduates now earn 40 per cent more than graduates.
When more and more of us have a degree, it makes sense to have two.
816-It is unlikely that Generation Z will be done with education at 18 or 21 ； they will
need to be constantly up-skilling throughout their career to stay employable.
It has been estimated that this generation, due to the pressures of technology, the wish
for personal fulfilment and desire for diversity, will work for 17 different employers
over the course of their working life and have five different careers.
Education, and not just knowledge gained on campus, will be a core part of
Generation Z's career trajectory.
7-Older generations often talk about their degree in the present and personal tense: 'I
am a geographer' or ‘I am a classist'.
Their sons or daughters would never say such a thing; it's as if they already know that
their degree won't define them in the same way.
8226. The author suggests that Generation Z should_____.
A. be careful in choosing a college
B. be diligent at each educational stage
C. reassess the necessity of college education
D. postpone their undergraduate application
27. The percentage of UK graduates in non-graduate roles reflects_____.
A. Millennial’s opinions about work
B. the shrinking value of a degree
C. public discontent with education
D. the desired route of social mobility
28. The author considers it a good sign that_____.
A. Generation Z are seeking to earn a decent degree
B. school leavers are willing to be skilled workers
83C. employers are taking a realistic attitude to degrees
D. parents are changing their minds about education
29. It is advised in Paragraph 5 that those with one degree should_____.
A. make an early decision on their career
B. attend on the job training programs
C. team up with high-paid postgraduates
D. further their studies in a specific field
30. What can be concluded about Generation Z from the last two paragraphs?
A. Lifelong learning will define them.
B. They will make qualified educators.
C. Degrees will no longer appeal to them.
D. They will have a limited choice of jobs.
842022-1 Text 3
1-Enlightening, challenging, stimulating, fun.
These were some of the words that Nature readers used to describe their experiences
of art-science collaborations in a series of articles on partnerships between artists and
researchers.
Nearly 40% of the roughly 350 people who responded to an accompanying poll said
they had collaborated with artists ； and almost all said they would consider doing so
in future.
2-Such an encouraging result is not surprising.
Scientists are increasingly seeking out visual artists to help them communicate their
work to new audiences.
"Artists help scientists reach a broader audience and make emotional connections that
enhance learning," one respondent said.
3-One example of how artists and scientists have together rocked the senses came last
month when the Sydney Symphony Orchestra performed a reworked version of
Antonio Vivaldi's The Four Seasons.
85They reimagined the 300-year- old score by injecting the latest climate prediction data
for each season—provided by Monash University's Climate Change Communication
Research Hub.
The performance was a creative call to action ahead of November's United Nations
Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, UK.
4-But a genuine partnership must be a two-way street.
Fewer artists than scientists responded to the Nature poll; however, several
respondents noted that artists do not simply assist scientists with their communication
requirements.
Nor should their work be considered only as an object of study.
The alliances are most valuable when scientists and artists have a shared stake in a
project, are able to jointly design it and can critique each other's work.
Such an approach can both prompt new research as well as result in powerful art.
5-More than half a century ago, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology opened its
Center for Advanced Visual Studies (CAVS) to explore the role of technology in
culture.
86The founders deliberately focused their projects around light—hence the ‘visual
studies’ in the name.
Light was a something that both artists and scientists had an interest in, and therefore
could form the basis of collaboration.
As science and technology progressed, and divided into more sub-disciplines ,the
centre was simultaneously looking to a time when leading researchers could also be
artists, writers and poets, and vice versa.
6-Nature's poll findings suggest that this trend is as strong as ever, but, to
make a collaboration work, both sides need to invest time, and embrace surprise and
challenge.
The reach of art-science tie-ups needs to go beyond the necessary purpose of research
communication, and participants must not fall into the trap of stereotyping each other.
Artists and scientists alike are immersed in discovery and invention, and challenge
and critique are core to both, too.
8731. According to paragraph 1, art-science collaborations have_____.
A. caught the attention of critics
B. received favorable responses
C. promoted academic publishing
D. sparked heated public disputes
32. The reworked version of The Four Seasons is mentioned to show that_____.
A. art can offer audiences easy access to science
B. science can help with the expression of emotions
C. public participation in science has a promising future
D. art is effective in facilitating scientific innovations
33. Some artists seem to worry about in the art-science partnership_____.
A. their role may be underestimated
88B. their reputation may be impaired
C. their creativity may be inhibited
D. their work may be misguided
34. What does the author say about CAVS?
A. It was headed alternately by artists and scientists.
B. It exemplified valuable art-science alliances.
C. Its projects aimed at advancing visual studies.
D. Its founders sought to raise the status of artists.
35. In the last paragraph, the author holds that art-science collaborations_____.
A. are likely to go beyond public expectations
B. will intensify interdisciplinary competition
C. should do more than communicating science
D. are becoming more popular than before
892022-1 Text 4
1-The personal grievance provisions of New Zealand's Employment Relations Act
2000 (ERA) prevent an employer from firing an employee without good cause.
Instead, dismissals must be justified. Employers must both show cause and act in a
procedurally fair way.
2-Personal grievance procedures were designed to guard the jobs of ordinary workers
from“ unjustified dismissals”.
The premise was that the common law of contract lacked sufficient safeguards for
workers against arbitrary conduct by management.
Long gone are the days when a boss could simply give an employee contractual
notice.
3-But these provisions create difficulties for businesses when applied to highly paid
managers and executives.
As countless boards and business owners will attest, constraining firms from firing
poorly performing, high-earning managers is a handbrake on boosting productivity
and overall performance.
90The difference between C-grade and A-grade managers may very well be the
difference between business success or failure.
Between preserving the jobs of ordinary workers or losing them.
Yet mediocrity is no longer enough to justify a dismissal.
4-Consequently------and paradoxically------laws introduced to protect the jobs
of ordinary workers may be placing those jobs at risk.
5-If not placing jobs at risk, to the extent employment protection laws constrain
business owners from dismissing underperforming managers, those laws act as a
constraint on firm productivity and therefore on workers' wages.
Indeed, in " An International Perspective on New Zealand's Productivity Paradox"
(2014) , the Productivity Commission singled out the low quality of managerial
capabilities as a cause of the country's poor productivity growth record.
6-Nor are highly paid managers themselves immune from the harm caused by the
ERA'S unjustified dismissal procedures.
Because employment protection laws make it costlier to fire an employee, employers
91are more cautious about hiring new staff.
This makes it harder for the marginal manager to gain employment.
And firms pay staff less because firms carry the burden of the employment
arrangement going wrong.
7-Society also suffers from excessive employment protections.
Stringent job dismissal regulations adversely affect productivity growth and hamper
both prosperity and overall wellbeing.
8-Across the Tasman Sea, Australia deals with the unjustified dismissal paradox by
excluding employees earning above a specified “ high-income threshold" from the
protection of its unfair dismissal laws.
In New Zealand, a 2016 private members' Bill tried to permit firms and high-income
employees to contract out of the unjustified dismissal regime.
However, the mechanisms proposed were unwieldy and the Bill was voted down
following the change in government later that year.
9236. The personal grievance provisions of the ERA are intended to_____.
A. punish dubious corporate practices
B. improve traditional hiring procedures
C. exempt employers from certain duties
D. protect the rights of ordinary workers
37. It can be learned from Paragraph 3 that the provisions may_____.
A. hinder business development
B. undermine managers5 authority
C. affect the public image of the firms
D. worsen labor-management relations
38. Which of the following measures would the Productivity Commission support?
A. Imposing reasonable wage restraints.
93B. Enforcing employment protection laws.
C. Limiting the powers of business owners.
D. Dismissing poorly performing managers.
39. What might be an effect of ERA'S unjustified dismissal procedures?
A. Highly paid managers lose their jobs.
B. Employees suffer from salary cuts.
C. Society sees a rise in overall wellbeing.
D. Employers need to hire new staff.
40. It can be inferred that the “high-income threshold” Australia ____.
A. has secured managers' earnings
B. has produced undesired results
C. is beneficial to business owners
D. is difficult to put into practice
94
