What is destroying America today is not the liberal breed of politicians, or the International Monetary Fund bankers, misguided educational elite, or the World Council of Churches. These are largely symptoms of a greater disorder. But if there is any single institution to blame, it is television. Television, in fact, has greater power over the lives of most Americans than any educational system or government or church. Children particularly are easily influenced. They are fascinated, hypnotized(着迷的) and tranquilized by TV. It is often the center of their world. Even when the set is turned off, they continue to tell stories about what they’ve seen on it. No wonder, then, that when they grow up they are not prepared for the frontline of life; they simply have no mental defenses to confront the reality of the world. One of the most disturbing truths about TV is that it eats books. Once out of school, nearly 60% of all adult Americans have never read a single book, and most of the rest read only one book a year. Alvin Kernan, author of The Death of Literature, says that reading books "is ceasing to be the primary way of knowing something in our society." He also points out that bachelor’s degrees in English literature have declined by 33% in the last twenty years. American libraries, he adds, are in crisis, with few patrons to support them. Thousands of teachers at the elementary, secondary and college levels can testify that their students’ writing exhibits a tendency towards superficiality(肤浅) that wasn’t seen, say, ten or fifteen years ago. It shows up not only in the students’ lack of analytical skills but in their poor command of grammar and rhetoric. The mechanics of the English language have been tortured to pieces by TV. Visual, moving images can’t be held in the net of careful language. They want to break out. They really have nothing to do with language. So language, grammar and rhetoric have become fractured. Recent surveys by dozens of organizations also suggest that up to 40% of the American public is functionally illiterate. The problem isn’t just in our schools or in the way reading is taught. TV teaches people not to rean. It makes them incapable of engaging in an art that is now perceived as strenuous(费力的) and active. Passive as it la, television has invaded our culture so completely that you see its effects in every quarter, even in the literary world. It shows up m supermarket paperbacks, from Stephen King to pulp .fiction (低俗小说). These are really forms of verbal TV-literature that is so superficial that those who read it can revel, in the same sensations they experience when they are watching TV. Even more importantly, the growing influence of television-has changed people’s habits and values and affected their assumptions about the world. The sort of reflective, critical and value- laden thinking encouraged by cooks has been rendered out of date. In this context, we would do well to recall the Cyclops(独眼巨人)--the race of one-eyed giants in Greek myth. The following is Hamilton’s description of the encounter between the adventurer Odysseus and Polyphemus, a Cyclops. As Odysseus was on his way home, he and his crew found Polyphemus’ cave. They stayed in it as a shelter and waited for the owner to come back. At last he came, hideous and huge, tall as a great mountain crag. Driving his flock before him he entered and closed the eave’s mouth with a ponderous slab of stone. Then looking around he caught sight of the strangers. He roared out and stretched out his mighty arms and in each great hand seized one of the men and dashed his brains out on the ground. Slowly he feasted off them to the last shred, and then, satisfied, stretched himself out across the cavern and slept. He was safe from attack. None but he could roll back the huge stone before the door, and if the horrified men had been able to summon courage and strength enough to kill him they would have been imprisoned there forever. What I find particularly appropriate about this myth as it applies today is that first, the Cyclops imprisons these men in darkness, and that, second, he beats their brains out before he devours them. It doesn’t take much imagination to apply this to the effects of TV on us and our children. Quite literally, TV affects the way people think. In Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television (1378), Jerry Mander quotes from the Emery Report that when we watch television "our usual processes of thinking and discernment (识别能力) are semi-functional at best." The study also argues that while television appears to have the potential to provide useful information to viewers, the technology of television and the inherent nature of the viewing experience actually inhibit learning as we usually think of it. When we watch TV we think we are looking at a picture, or an image of something, but what we are actually seeing is thousands of dots of light blinking on and off in a strobe(屏闪)effect that is calculated to happen rapidly enough to keep us from recognizing the phenomenon. More than a decade ago, Mander and others pointed to instances of "TV epilepsy(癫痫症)," in which those watching this strobe effect overextended their capacities, and the New England Journal of Medicine recently honored this affliction with a medical classification: video game epilepsy. Television also teaches that people aren’t quite real; they are images or little beings who move in a medium no thicker than a sliver of glass. Unfortunately, the tendency is to start thinking of them in the way children think when they see too many cartoons, that people are merely objects that can be destroyed. Or that can fall over a cliff and be smashed to pieces and pick themselves up again. This violence of cartoons has no basis in reality. Actual people aren’t images but substantial, physical, corporeal beings with souls. And, of course, the violence on television leads to violence. TV eats books. It eats academic skills. It eats positive character traits. It even eats family relationships. How many families do you know that spend the dinner hour in front of the TV, seldom communicating with one another How many have a television on while they have breakfast or prepare for work or school And what about school I’ve heard college professors say of their students, "Well, you have to entertain them." One I know recommends using TV and film clips instead of lecturing, "throwing in a commercial every ten minutes or so to keep them awake." A teacher should teach. But TV eats the principles of people who are supposed to be responsible, transforming them into passive servants of the Cyclops. TV eats our substance. What we see, hear, touch, smell, feel and understand about the world has been processed for us. TV teaches that all life-styles and all values are equal, and that there is no clearly defined right and wrong. Muggeridge concluded: "There is a danger in translating life into an image, and that is what television is doing. In doing it, It is falsifying(窜改)life. Far from the camera’s being an accurate recorder of what is going on, it is the exact opposite. It cannot convey reality, nor does it even want to.One of the most disturbing truths about TV is that it makes reading books cease to be ______ in our society. A．the most popular recreationB．the only method of acquiring literacyC．the primary way of getting informationD．the financial resources

What do we learn from the passage about ebikes?A growing number of U. S. bike riders are attracted to electric bikes for convenience, health benefits and their fun factor. Although ebikes first appeared in the 90s, cheaper options and longer-lasting batteries are breathing new life into the concept.A. Their health benefits and fun values outweigh their cost.B. They did not catch public attention in the United States until the 1990s.C. They did not become popular until the emergence of improved batteries.D. Their widespread use is attributable to people’s environmental awareness.

Who is Uncle Sam? He has a long white beard. He wears a tall hat and a red, white, and blue suit. He is Uncle Sam, and he is a symbol of the U.S. government. Is Uncle Sam a made-up cartoon character? Or is he based on a real person?One idea is that Uncle Sam was named after a man named Samuel Wilson. He was born in Arlington, Massachusetts, September 13, 1776. At the age of 14 Sam joined the American Revolutionary War, and served in the army under George Washington until the end of the war. He then moved to Troy, New York, and began a meatpacking business. On October 2 that year, a group of visitors came to Sam’s meatpacking plant. The meat was packed in barrels stamped with the lettersU.S. Actually it was the short form for the United States. Some people joked thatU.S. stood for “Uncle Sam” Wilson.In 1838 Thomas Nast created a picture of Uncle Sam. Nast drew political cartoons. In these cartoons, Uncle Sam has a beard. Samuel Wilson, who didn’t have a beard, was probably not Nast’s model.By 1916 the United States was at war again. The comics artist James Flagg painted a poster to get people to join the Army. On it, a determined-looking Uncle Sam points and says, “I WANT YOU.”To this day, Uncle Sam is a symbol for American strength and determination. “Uncle Sam” had come to symbolize the character of the nation and the government. In 1961, the U.S. Congress made a decision that “Uncle Sam” is the America’s national symbol.1.What did Sam do in Troy, New York?A) He began a meatpacking business.B) He served in the army.C) He delivered letters in a town.D) He painted posters for the war.2.Why did the comics artist James Flagg create the Uncle Sam poster?A) To call for people to fight for their dreams.B) To unite people outside the U.S.C) To get people to join the army.D) To show people a political cartoon.3.Why is “Uncle Sam” a national symbol of the U.S.?A) Because it was created at a time when the country was founded.B) Because it is one of the favorite images of the American people.C) Because it stands for American strength and determination.D) Because it was the first political cartoon character in the U.S.4.What is the passage mainly talking about?A) The birth of the first cartoon in the United States.B) The life of a famous person in the American history.C) The origin of a famous American symbol.D) The introduction of an American meat brand.

13. The Chinese government planned to establish several _ (试点示范区) to promote integrated urban-rural development and test innovative policies.A. policy sandboxesB. pilot demonstration zonesC. experimental regionsD. comprehensive reform zones

题干:papayaA 木瓜B 芒果C 菠萝D 榴莲

Today we'll examine the role that private transportation—namely, the automobile—plays in city planning. A number of sociologists blame the automobile for the decline of the downtown areas of major cities. In the 1950's and 1960's the automobile made it possible to work in the city and yet live in the suburbs many miles away. Shopping patterns changed; instead of going to downtown stores, people in the suburbs went to large shopping malls outside the city and closer to their home. Merchants in the city failed, and their stores closed. Downtown shopping areas became deserted. In recent years there's been a rebirth of the downtown area, as many people moved back to the city. They've done this, of course, to avoid highways blocked with commuters from the suburbs. I've chosen this particular city planning problem—our dependence on private transportation—to discuss in groups. I'm hoping you will all come up with some novel solutions. Oh, and don't approach the problem from a purely sociological perspective; try to take into account environmental and economic issues as well.1.According to the speaker, how did the automobile affect the workforce in the 1950's and 1960's?A) It eliminated many factory jobs.B) It allowed workers to live far from their jobs.C) It gave workers opportunity for better training.D) It allowed workers to spend more time at home.2.What problem did downtown city merchants face in the 1960's?A) Increased transportation costs.B) The lack of a qualified sales force.C) A decline in the number of customers.D) Difficulty in transporting merchandise.3.According to the speaker, why are some people moving back to the city?A) Because property is more valuable in the city.B) Because prices are higher in downtown stores.C) Because job opportunities are better in the city.D) Because highway commuting has become unpleasant.

Directions: Write an essay on the topic Advantages of Reading Books. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.

题目中的 “upgrade”是什么意思？Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a letter to your university to suggest an upgrade of the campus network. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.请根据写作要求作答。A、升级B、成绩C、维护

6.The scientist's groundbreaking research served as a___of inspiration, lighting the way for young researchers in the field.A. beaconB. milestoneC. catalystD. paradigm

SectionCPassageDirections： In this section， you will hear three passages. At the end of each passage， you will hear three or four questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question， you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A），B），C）, and D）.Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.(1) (单选题)Question 16A.) Rewarding them for eating vegetables.B.) Exposing them to vegetables repeatedly.C.) Improving the taste of vegetable dishes for them.D.) Explaining the benefits of eating vegetables to them.(2) (单选题)Question 17A.) They were disliked most by children.B.) They were considered most nutritious.C.) They were least used in Belgian cooking.D.) They were essential to children's health.(3) (单选题)Question 18A.) Vegetables differ in their nutritional value.B.) Children's eating habits can be changed.C.) Parents watch closely what children eat.D.) Children's choices of food vary greatly.(4) (单选题)Question 19A.) Space exploration has serious consequences.B.) India has many space exploration programs.C.) There is quite a lot to learn about the moon.D.) A lot of garbage has been left on the moon.(5) (单选题)Question 20A.) It is costly to bring back.B.) It is risky to destroy.C.) It is of no use on Earth.D.) It is damaged by radiation.(6) (单选题)Question 21A.)Recorddetailsofspaceexploration.B.)Monitorthechangeoflunarweather.C.) Study the effect of radiation and vacuum on its materials.D.) Explore the possibility of human settlement on the moon.(7) (单选题)Question 22A.) It is likely to remain a means of business communication.B.) It is likely to be a competitor of various messaging apps.C.) It will gradually be replaced by social media.D.) It will have to be governed by specific rules.(8) (单选题)Question 23A.) Save the message in their file.B.) Make a timely response.C.) Examine the information carefully.D.) See if any action needs to be taken.(9) (单选题)Question 24A.) It is to be passed on.B.) It is mostly junk.C.) It requires no reply.D.) It causes no concern.(10) (单选题)Question 25A.) Make it as short as possible.B.) Use simple and clear language.C.) Adopt an informal style of writing.D.) Avoid using capitals for emphasis.