Textbooks represent an 11 billion dollar industry， up from ﹩8 billion in 2014． Textbook publisher Pearson is the largest publisher-of any kind-in the world． It costs about ﹩1 million to create a new textbook． A freshman textbook will have dozens of contributors， from subject-matter experts through art editors to expert reviewers and classroom testers． Textbook publishers connect professors， instructors and students in ways that alternatives， such as open e-textbooks and open educational resources， simply do not． This connection happens not only by means of cooperative development， review and testing， but also at conferences where all the teachers of a school regularly decide on their textbooks and curricula for the coming year． It is true that textbook publishers have recently reported losses， largely due to students renting or buying used print textbooks． But this can be chalked up to the unreasonably high cost of their books-which has increased over 1000 percent since 1977． A restructuring of the textbook industry may well be in order． But this does not mean the end of the textbook itself． While they may not be as dynamic as an iPad， textbooks are not passive or lifeless． For example， over the centuries， they have simulated （模拟） dialogues in a number of days．From 1800 to the present day， textbooks have done this by posing questions for students to answer inductively （归纳性地）． That means students are asked to use their individual experience to come up with answers to general questions． Today's psychology texts， for example， ask： "How much of your personality do you think you were born with？" while ones in physics say： "How can you predict where the ball you threw carelessly will land？" Experts observe that "textbooks come in layers， something like an onion．" For an active learner， engaging with a textbook can be an interactive experience． Readers progress at their own pace． They "customize （定制）" their books by engaging with different layers and linkages． Highlighting， Post-It notes， dog-ears and other techniques allow for further customization that students value in print books over digital forms of books．（1）What does the passage say about open educational resources？ ____ A． They don't profit as much as traditional textbooks do．B． They can't connect professors and students as textbooks do．C． They contribute to teaching as much as to learning．D． They compete fiercely for customers with textbook producers．（2）What are students expected to do in the learning process？ ____ A． Give answers showing their distinctive personality．B． Ask questions based on their own understanding．C． Think carefully before answering each question．D． Answer questions using their personal experience．（3）What do experts say about students using textbooks？ ____ A． They can purchase customized versions．B． They can digitalize the prints easily．C． They can learn in an interactive way．D． They can adapt the material themselves．（4）What is the best title for the text？ ____ A． Textbooks Are Expensive to CreateB． Textbooks Are Active and InteractiveC． Textbooks Are Not Going AwayD． Textbooks Are Suffering Poor Sales

Some people think that individuals are more dependent on each other, while others think that individuals are becoming more independent. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

With the coming of big data age, data science is supposed to be starved for, of which the adaption can point a profound change in corporate competitiveness. Companies, both born in the digital era and traditional world are showing off their skills in data science. Therefore, it seems to have been creating a great demand for the experts of this type.Mr. Carlos Guestrin, machine learning professor from University of Washington argues that all software applications will need inbuilt intelligence within five years, making data scientists-people trained to analyze large bodies of information-key workers in this emerging "cognitive" technology economy. There are already critical applications that depend on machine learning, a subfield of data science, led by recommendation programs, fraud detection systems, forecasting tools and applications for predicting customer behavior.Many companies that are born digital-particularly internet companies that have a great number of real-time customer interactions to handle-are all-in when it comes to data science. Pinterest, for instance, maintains more than 100 machine learning models that could be applied to different classes of problems, and it constantly fields requests from managers eager to use this resource to deal with their business problem.The factors weighing on many traditional companies will be the high cost of mounting a serious machine-learning operation. Netflix is estimated to spend 150m a year on a single application and the total bill is probably four times that once all its uses of the technology are taken into account.Another problem for many non-technology companies is talent. Of the computer science experts who use Kaggle, only about 1, 000 have deep learning skills, compared to 100, 000 who can apply other machine learning techniques, says Mr. Goldbloom. He adds that even some big companies of this type are often reluctant to expand their pay scales to hire the top talent in this field.The biggest barrier to adapting to the coming era of "smart" applications, however, is likely to be cultural. Some companies, such as General Electric, have been building their own Silicon Valley presence to attract and develop the digital skills they will need.Despite the obstacles, some may master this difficult transition. But companies that were built, from the beginning, with data science at their center, are likely to represent serious competition.Which one is obstacle for many traditional companies to popularize learning operation?A.Technological problem.B.Expert crisis.C.High cost.D.Customer interactions.What can not be inferred from the passage about the machine learning?A.Machine learning operations are costly in Netflix.B.Machine learning plays an important role in existent applications.C.Machine learning experts are not highly paid in some non-technology companies.D.Machine learning models are not sufficient to solve business problems in Pinterest.What's the author's main purpose in writing this article?A.To point out the problems facing machine learning experts.B.To call on companies to cultivate more experts in data science.C.To tell the readers the present situation of data science.D.To advice non-technology companies to look beyond the advantages they face.Which of the following is the best title for this passage?A.Data science: A forefront force in tech businessB.Corporate competition: An obstacle to the transitionC.Machine learning: A key to smart technologyD.Technique experts: A decisive factor of the coming era.

relativelyA. ad.最近B. ad.相对地,比较地C. ad.相比较地D. ad.相反地

i’m _______ you’ve made the right choice.A. bondB. confidentC. doubleD. gravity

Part I Writing (30 minutes)-|||-Directions: For this part,you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay on the use of PowerPoint (PPT) in class.-|||-You can start your essay with the sentence"The use of PowerPoint is becoming increasingly popular in class "-|||-You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.

8Why people do sportsMy name is Roy and I want to tell you why I play hockey.Sports play a very important role at my school. The entire town comes out to watch our football team on Friday nights.At first I put my name down to play sports as a way of making friends and doing what my friends do.All of my friends do sports. Although at the beginning I was just doing what everybody else was doing, I found that the positive side of taking part in a sport was the friendship it created. The people in my hockey team are now some of my best friends and our friendship has become even stronger by the fact that we won and lost together.Of course, going to the semi-finals in our state tournament was exciting but for me it is the friendship that keeps me playing. I think parents should realise that not every child who plays sports is out there to win every time. Maybe they just play to make a few new friends.I think that if you ask young players in my area why they do a particular sport they would say probably that not only does the chance of winning play a role in why they play sports, but there is also a larger, more social aspect to playing the game. And in this the trainer plays a very important role. Young players have stopped doing a sport just because the trainer was not a pleasant person.(1) (单选题)1. Who watches the school football team?A.. All the people.B.. All the people who live in the town.C.. Everybody who is interested in football.D.. The boys from school.(2) (单选题)2. Why did Roy start to play hockey?A..He wanted to get fit.B.. He wanted to win.C.. He wanted to make friends.D.. He didn't like football.(3) (单选题)3. Does Roy's team ever win a hockey game?A.. Yes. They even won the semi-finals of the state tournament.B.. Yes, they win all their games.C.. They have only won one this season.D.. Yes, they win some and they lose some.(4) (单选题)4. What should parents realise?A..Their child wants the chance to win.B.. Their child wants to make new friends.C.. Their child might be a loser.D.. Their child is a winner.(5) (单选题)5. Why do some young people stop doing sports?A.. Because the trainer is not a pleasant person.B.. Because it is not pleasant losing a game.C.. Because they are not pleasant.D.. Because the sport is boring.

This is not what we asked you to do. You cannot get more pay for the _ _ work.A. owingB. deviceC. tiredD. extra

One of the key challenges in urban architecture over the next 50 years will be figuring out how to squeeze vast numbers of additional people into urban areas that are already extremely crowded. London, for example, will somehow have to deal with a projected 100,000 extra inhabitants every year until 2016. The current plan of building a new “satellite towns” of the city causes a lot of problems---but architecture think tanks are working on ambitious solutions that go vertical instead of horizontal in search of space. In terms of population density, London is one of the least crowded major cities in the world---four times fewer people per square kilometer than Paris, for example, six times fewer than New York and eight times fewer than Cairo. But the fact remains that the city’s population is growing at a rapid rate, and horizontal expansion into the surrounding areas is eating up increasingly important agricultural land, as well as worsening all the transport problems that come with urban growth. Popular Architecture would propose a radically different solution. The proposal is to go upwards, with vertical towers of considerable size, each representing an entire new town, by the time it’s completed. Each tower would be 1500 meters high. Beyond mere accommodation, each tower would function as an entire town unit, with its own schools, hospitals, parks and gardens, sports faculties, business areas and community spaces. The population density of such a tower could help lower the individual energy requirements of each inhabitant, reducing the ecological impact of the population as a whole. The village towers are considered as hollow tubes, with large holes to allow light and air though the entire construction. Occasional floor discs spread throughout the height of the building will give inhabitants large central areas in the middle of the tube to use as gathering spaces. While the building itself is unlikely ever to be seriously considered for construction---imagine the number of elevators it would need, let alone the safety implications of open areas at such heights and with such wind exposure---the concept can serve as conversation-starter for urban planners looking to face the challenges of the current and coming countries. One key challenging task for urban architects in the future is to ______. A.build new satellite towns B.work out ambitious plans C.design less crowded cities D.accommodate more inhabitants Which of the following cities has the largest population density？ A.Cairo. B.Paris. C.London. D.New York. Horizontal expansion not only wastes land, but makes it hard for London to ______. A.handle its safety problems B.resolve its transport issues C.control its population growth D.measure its population density The vertical tower would represent an entire new town in itself because______. A.it is energy-saving B.it is cost-effective C.it is self-sufficient D.it is comfort-oriented For city planners today, the idea of building a vertical tower can become______.A.a topic for fun B.a shocking reality C.a modest proposal D.a source of inspiration

Giving presentations is a challenging, but important part of education. A presentation is the key to making your message clear, whether you are in an interview or giving a talk in front of the class. A well-prepared and practiced presentation can improve your confidence dramatically. On presentation day, there are some ways you can take to ensure that you perform well. Practice the presentation. Before presentation, it can be helpful to practice on your own. While you are practicing your presentation, do your best to work on memorizing what you want to say, and when you want to say it. Your presentation will be a lot better if you aren’t constantly looking down at note cards or searching a piece of paper to figure out what you want to say next. Control your nerves. There are a few things you can do before the presentation to help calm your nerves — many of which you can even do right at your desk. Try breathing deeply; silently repeating affirmations (such as “I can do this. I’m going to do a great job”); or using positive visualization (imagine yourself giving your presentation successfully and knocking it out of the park). These strategies can help you settle your nerves and go into your presentation feeling calm and collected. Speak slowly and enunciate clearly. If you have practiced enough, this shouldn’t be difficult; however, some people talk too quickly and too quietly when they get nervous. Try to remind yourself to talk slowly and loudly enough so everyone can hear you. If you’re using an electronic presentation, you can use each new slide as a chance to stop for a few seconds and recognize whether you are speaking slowly and loudly enough for everyone to hear. Engage the audience. Whether you’ve got a one-on-one talk or a speech in front of 400 people, think “story telling”. Sometimes all it takes is a few seconds to connect an audience member with a story, according to Eric English, a communication teacher at the University of Pittsburgh in the US. Try to look around the room and make eye contact with various listeners for a few seconds. If you are able to make eye contact for a few seconds with several different people over the course of your presentation, you will be giving the impression that you are relaxed and confident. Don’t forget to smile!【小题1】If you want to get people’s attention, you should _______. A．prepare note cards while giving presentation B．take a deep breath before your presentation C．make eye contact with different listeners D．consider speaking in front of a trusted friend 【小题2】The expression “knocking it out of the park” probably means “_______”. A．relaxing in the park B．performing quite well C．enjoying the presentation D．knocking the rocks in the park 【小题3】What would be the best title for the passage? A．Presentation is important for education B．Presentation is the key to success C．How to give a better presentation D．How to make the presentation clear