I. Vocabulary and structure. （20 points in all, 1 point for each.）

Directions: Choose one from the four alternatives that best completes the sentence and write the answers on the answer sheet.

1. Hurricane has been _____ for tomorrow morning.

A. amplified B. deployed C. forecast D. deformed

2. Conversely a high exposure to something of incredibly low _____ may result in a moderate or even high risk.

A. geopolitics B. valley C. oasis D. hazard

3. Scientists cultured the soil samples to see whether the spores would _____ and grow.

A. germinate B. transplant C. cultivate D. recipe

4. Damages were _____ at 2,000 RMB.

A. proved B. given C. scored D. assessed

5. The markings are so blurred that it is difficult to _____.

A. identify B.  label C. know D. evaluate

6. He _____himself to the cold weather.

A. adopted B. matched C. adapted D. modified

7. I prefer shoes that will _____ hard wear.

A. repel B. withstand C. oppose D. prolong

8. At last he succeeded in _____ his patient to life.

A. restoring B. renewing C. mending D. replacing

9. Fever is a _____ of many illnesses.

A. indication B. token C. omen D. symptom

10. Passing the English examination should _____ your chances of getting the post.

A. go up B. add up to C. enhance D. lift

11. This job offers a low salary but high probability for future _____.

A. recession B. promotion C. transaction D. consolidation

12. Belongs of those celebrities are often _____ online at a very high price.

A. displayed B. auctioned C. transferred D. stocked

13. One can understand others much better by noting the immediate and fleeting reactions of their eyes and _____ to expressed thoughts.

A. dilemmas B. countenances C. concessions D. junctions

14. According to the latest report, consumer confidence _____ a breathtaking 15 points last month, to its lowest level in 10 years.

A. soared B. mutated C. plummeted D. fluctuated

15. We had a marvelous holiday. Only the last two days were slightly _____ by weather.

A. damaged B. enhanced C. spoiled D. diminished

16. She did not like abstract painting at all, so the more she looked at the drawings exhibited in the gallery, _____ she liked them.

A. the few B. the little C. the less D. the more

17. He looked a little bit nervous, _____ could be seen from his facial expression.

A. which B. that C. and D. it

18. Sound waves travel in the air in much the same way _____ water waves spread on the water.

A. like B. of C. just D. as

19. When we think of creative people the names that probably spring to our mind are those of men such as Picasso and Einstein—a _____ and exceptionally gifted body of men with rare talent and genius.

A. selective B. selecting C. selected D. selectively

20. There was a pause of complete stillness _____ the buzzing of the bees among the pink roses sounded as loud as the fight of an aircraft.

A. when B. which C. where D. how

II. Point out the figure of speech used in the following sentences. Choose the term from the box and write the answers on the answer sheet. (10 points in all, 1 point for each)

21. It was such a splendid population---for all the slow, sleepy, sluggish-brained sloths stayed at home.

22. And so, my fellow Americans ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.

23. The wind sounded like the roar of a train passing a few yards away.

24. If winter comes, can spring be far behind?

25. The hurricane, in one mighty swipe, lifted the entire roof off the house and skimmed it 40 feet through the air.

26. Have you ever read Shakespeare?

27. We shall fight him by land, we shall fight him by sea, we shall fight him in the air.

28. Children are the flowers of our motherland.

29. You are the most beautiful girl in this world!

30. I will hate you forever! Forever!

III. Paraphrase the following sentences and write the answers on the answer sheet.  (10 points in all, 2 points for each)

31. We are elevated 23 feet.

32. “No” is a word the world never learned to say to her.

33. He will price the item high, and yield little in the bargaining.

34. The case had erupted round my head.

35. I thought somehow I had been spared.

IV. Read the following passages and answer the questions. Write the answers on the answer sheet. (40 points in all, 2 points for each)

Passage 1

When we ask people to describe a career negotiation in the job-seeking, the first thing many people think of is bargaining with a hiring manager over an offer package. Although reaching agreement on pay and benefits is important, failure to think more broadly about your career could mean losing valuable opportunities for career advancement. For instance, women are increasingly urged to negotiate for higher pay as a way to close the gender wage gap. However, recent studies have shown that women’s “80 cents on the dollar” is explained more by differences in men’s and women’s career courses than by differential pay for doing the exact same job. Our research suggests that negotiating your role (the scope of your authority and your developmental opportunities) is likely to benefit your career more than negotiating your pay and benefits does. And at times of work-life conflict, negotiating your workload and the conditions that affect it (including your responsibilities, your location, and travel requirements) may be critical to remaining employed and moving forward professionally.

36. The author suggests that _____.

A. people bargain with hiring manager about the offer

B. people consider more factors in order to grasp good opportunities for career development

C. women negotiate with hiring manager for a higher pay to close the gender wage gap

D. people not argue in case of work-life conflict

37. According to the passage, which is the major cause of gender wage gap?

A. Different career trajectories.

B. Different working intensity.

C. Unfair offer packages.

D. Different professions.

38. What does the underlined phrase imply?

A. Women are usually paid less than men.

B. Women’s wage is from 80 cents to one dollar.

C. Women usually have 80 cents as the pocket money.

D. There is a popular book entitled 80 Cents on the Dollar.

39. According to the author, what are the conditions that make the workload heavy?

A. Long commuting for work.

B. Extensive traveling.

C. The post’s complex responsibilities.

D. All of the above.

40. Which of the following is the most critical factor when negotiating for the job according to the passage?

A. Pay and benefits.

B. Responsibilities and developmental opportunities.

C. Work-life balance.

D. Remaining employed.

Passage 2

You may have heard: We live in a world that is designed to distract us. Distractions apparently make us “busy”. How many times have you received an email urging you to use your downtime to learn a new language or try a new hobby? In such pressures, we’re filling every waking moment with something to do, whether it’s finding an activity to keep us busy or spending time on our devices.

Distractions keep us from finding the mind space to sit with both good and bad feelings. Cultivating focus is about learning how to step away from the constant white noise of busyness. It’s about creating the space to be, to think clearly, and to determine what truly matters to us so that we can include more of those things in our lives.

Try removing the word “busy” from your vocabulary for just one week and observe how it impacts your mindset, your behavior, and the connection you have with others. I did this two years ago and it changed my life. When I was asked how I was, instead of saying, “I’m so busy,” I would say, “I’m positively engaged doing XYZ.” Letting go of the word busy is the first step toward owning your actions and explaining them with intentionality. Instead of telling others and yourself, “I’m overwhelmed with tasks and distractions,” you’re shifting your mindset to, “I’m choosing to invest my time and productivity into these three things.” This can help us feel less overwhelmed about our to-do list and more in control of our time. Equally it stops us from hiding behind a word that reveals no useful information to others, and more often than not, is code for something else: anxiety, loneliness, our need for self-validation or FOMO (fear of missing out).

41. Which of the following statements is NOT relevant to the consequences caused by distractions？

A. We are overwhelmed by such activities as learning a new language or trying a new hobby when we are not working.

B. Distractions make us busy with doing this and that.

C. We have mind space to sit with our feeling.

D. Distractions put us in less control of our time.

42. What is the advantage of cultivating focus according to the passage?

A. It helps us to discover what is important to us.

B. We can improve the efficiency of our work.

C. It makes us feel relaxed in our downtime.

D. It improves our communication with others.

43. What is mainly proposed by the author in this passage?

A. Focus must be cultivated if we want to live a happy life.

B. The word “busy” should be removed from our speech if we want to own our actions.

C. Distraction is harmful to one’s life so it should be avoided.

D. Our communication with others should be done with intentionality.

44. What can be affected if we remove “busy” from our vocabulary?

A. Our mentality.

B. Our behavior.

C. Our connection with others.

D. All of the above.

45. What is true about the underlined phrase?

A. This word is “busy” and it reveals the information about our activities.

B. This word represents the message of some unfavorable feeling.

C. It is a code which is not used very often.

D. It is a promise we make to send useful information to others.

Passage 3

Although when we use the word “history” we instinctively think of the past, this is an error, for history is actually a bridge connecting the past with the present and pointing the road to the future. This fact Daniel Webster expressed many years ago: “... when the mariner has tossed for many days in thick weather, and on an unknown sea, he naturally avails himself of the first pause in the storm, the earliest glances of the sun, to take his latitude and ascertain how far the elements have driven him from his true course.” Webster here indicates one of the important utilities of history. Since humanity is always more or less storm-driven, history serves as a crucial navigational instrument for the nations which would be lost in confusion if they could not identify their position.

History enables bewildered bodies of human beings to grasp their relationship with their past and helps them chart their immediate forward course. And it does more than this. By giving people a sense of continuity in all their efforts, remarkable errors, and immortal worth, it gives them a consciousness of unity, a realization of the value of individual achievement, and a comprehension of the importance of planned effort, as contrasted with aimless drifting.

Modern people, especially when perplexed by the sweep of events, peer earnestly into history for some illumination of their predicament and prospects, even though they may only read magazine articles or listen to the radio or television. And when great events rouse people to their most responsible temper, and fierce national ordeals awaken them to a new sense of their capacities, they turn readily to the writing of history, for they wish to instruct, and to its reading, for they want to learn. It was no accident that the First World War fostered such an interest in history that for a time the number of books in English devoted to history exceeded the titles in fiction.

46. The author argues that people use their nation’s history as a way to _____.

A. bring about harmony among disparate groups

B. settle disputes over important precedents

C. make decisions about future actions

D. influence citizens of other nations

47. The primary purpose of the passage is to_____.

A. define what is meant by the word “history”

B. describe the benefits of having a sense of history

C. clarify some misconceptions about history

D. justify the public’s interest in history

48. The underlined phrase mostly directly refers to events that happen _____.

A. secretly and remain disclosed

B. routinely and appear unimportant

C. swiftly and seem overwhelming

D. accidentally and inspire improvements

49. The author assumes that historians function as _____.

A. wise and respected policy makers

B. strict and disciplined instructors

C. adventurous and articulate explorers

D. knowledgeable and indispensable guides

50. What can be inferred from the last sentence?

A. WWI has attracted tremendous attention among the public to study the history.

B. That people have written a lot about WWI indicates that history is not based on accident.

C. During the First World War English people devoted more interest in reading fictions.

D. During the First World War more fictions in English were entitled like history.

Passage 4

Viewed from a star of the galaxy, Earth would be a speck and faint blue dot hidden in the blazing light of the sun. While our neighbors Venus and Mars would reflect a fairly even glow, Earth would put on a little show. Earth’s light would brighten and dim as it spins, because oceans, deserts, forests and clouds which are all too small to be seen from such a distance, reflect varying amounts of sunlight. The variations, it turns out, are so strong and distinctive that surprising amount of information could be taken from a simple ebb and flow of light. Scientists at Princeton University and the Institute for Advanced Study conducted a detailed study of Earth’s reflections as a way for human scientists to learn about distant planets that may be like our own.

“If you looked at our solar system from far away, and you looked at the terrestrial planets Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, one of the quickest ways to see that Earth is unique, is by looking at the light curve,” said Ed Turner, professor of astrophysics and a co-author of the study. “Earth has by far the most complicated light curve.” The standard thinking in the field had been that most of the information about an Earth-like planet would come from spectral analysis, a static reading of the relative component of different colors within the light, rather than a reading of changes over time. Spectral analysis would reveal the presence of gases such as water vapor, carbon dioxide and oxygen, in the planet’s atmosphere. Looking at the change in light over time does not replace spectral analysis, but it could greatly increase the amount of information scientists could learn, said Turner. It may indicate, for example, the presence of weather, oceans, ice or even plant life.

51. According to the underlined sentence, it can be inferred that _____.

A. earth, Venus and Mars all look bright

B. earth is brighter than Venus and Mars

C. earth displays a performance of light and dim

D. earth is not truly bright

52. The varying reflections in different parts of the earth _____.

A. indicate that some oceans and deserts are too small to reflect

B. are of great significance in scientific researches

C. demonstrate the great amount of sunlight on earth

D. induce the scientists to study the mysteries of the sun

53. To examine the light curve would be _____.

A. the most efficient way to notice the unique earth

B. the quickest way to see the terrestrial planets

C. helpful for scientist to study the solar system

D. hard for the professors to accomplish a detailed study

54. A conventional way for scientists to study the terrestrial planets is _____.

A. to read the light changes over time

B. catching the lights on the earth

C. to tell us the complicated curves of the earth.

D. to conduct spectral analysis

55. The purpose of the passage is to _____.

A. attract the readers to learn astrophysics

B. explain a study conducted in an university

C. describe what earth looks like

D. contrast earth and other planets

V. Translation. (40 points in all)

Directions: Translate the passage into Chinese and write your translation on the answer sheet. (20 points)

With internet becoming more accessible and popularization of electronic business in the last decade, people’s shopping habits have been gradually changing. More and more people prefer online shopping these days, and there are bunches of people around us who are “e-shopaholic”.

Directions: Translate the passage into English and write your translation on the answer sheet. (20 points)

水墨画（ink and wash painting）是中国独具特色的传统艺术形式之一， 是中国国画的代表。水墨与宣纸的交融渗透使画作善于表现丰富的想象，从而达到独特的审美效果， 被认为是衡量东方绘画艺术的标准。

VI. Writing. (30 points)

Directions: Some people think that one’s success is directly related with his monetary wealth. Others argue that the success depends on completely other factors. Discuss both of the views and give your own opinion. Write on the answer sheet.