Section I Use of English
Directions:
Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark [A], [B], [C],
or [D] on the ANSWER SHEET. (10 points)
The idea that plants have some degree of consciousness first took root in the early 2000s; the term “plant neurobiology’ was （1）_around the notion that some aspects of plant behavior could be （2） to intelligence in animals. （3） plants lack brains, the firing of electrical signals in their stems and leaves nonetheless triggered responses that （4） consciousness, researchers previously reported.
But such an idea is untrue, according to a new opinion article. Plant biology is complex and fascinating, but it （5） so greatly from that of animals that so-called （6） of plants’ intelligence is inconclusive, the authors wrote.
Beginning in 2006, some scientists have （7） that plants possess neuron—like cells that interact with hormones and neurotransmitters, （8） “a plant nervous system, （9） to that in animals,” said lead study author Lincoln Taiz, “They （10） claimed that plants have “brain-like command centers” at their root tips.”
This （11） makes sense if you simplify the workings of a complex brain, （12） it to an array of electrical pulses; cells in plants also communicate through electrical signals. （13） , the signaling in a plant is only （14） similar to the firing in a complex animal brain, which is more than “a mass of cells that communicate by electricity,” Taiz said.
“For consciousness to evolve, a brain with a threshold （15） of complexity and capacity is required,” he （16） .” Since plants don’t have nervous systems, the （17） that they have consciousness are effectively zero.”
And what’s so great about consciousness, anyway? Plants can’t run away from （18） , so investing energy in a body system which （19） a threat and can feel pain would be a very （20） evolutionary strategy, according to the article.
1.A.coined B.discovered C.collected D.issued
2.A.attributed B.directed C.compared D.confined
3.A.unless B.when C.once D.though
4.A.cope with B.consisted of C.hinted at D.extended in
5.A.suffers B.benefits C.develops D.differs
6.A.acceptance B.evidence C.cultivation D.creation
7.A.doubted B.denied C.argued D.requested
8.A.adapting B.forming C.repairing D.testing
9.A.analogous B.essential C.suitable D.sensitive
10.A.just B.ever C. still D.even
11.A.restriction B.experiment C.perspective D.demand
12.A.attaching B.reducing C.returning D.exposing
13.A.However B.Moreover C.Therefore D.Otherwise
14.A.temporarily B.literally C.superficially D.imaginarily
15.A.list B.level C.label D.local
16.A.recalled B.agreed C.questioned D.added
17.A.chances B.risks C.excuses D.assumptions
18.A. danger B.failure C.warning D.control
19.A.represents B.includes C.reveals D.recognizes
20.A.humble B.poor C.practical D.easy
Section II Reading Comprehension
Part A
Directions:
Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing [A], [B], [C], or [D]. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. (40 points)
Text 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.
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. “The object you make is already a time bomb.”
And sometimes, it’s not the artist’s fault. In the 1960s, the Italian artist Picro 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 -which meant they had to be durable.
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 Gilardi’s sculptures. They infused some with stabilizing and consolidating chemicals. Van 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.
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 seen.”
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
[B] 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
Text 2
As the latest crop of students pen their undergraduate applications and weigh up their options, it may be worth considering just how the point, purpose and value of a degree has changed and what Gen Z need to consider as they start the third stage of their educational journey.
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.
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 inevitable one and that other options are available.
Thankfully, there are signs that this is already happening, with Gen 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.
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.
It is unlikely that Gen Z will be done with education at 18 or 21; they will need to be constantly up-skilling throughout their career to stay agile, relevant and 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.
Older generations often talk about their degree in the present and personal tense: I am a geographer’ or ‘T 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.
26. 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 reflect ______.
[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
[C] employers are taking a realistic attitude to degree
[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] Depress will no longer appeal them.
[D] They will have a limited choice of jobs.
Text 3
Enlightening, challenging, stimulating, fun. These were some of the words that Nature readers used to describe their experience 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.
Such an encouraging results 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.
One example of how artists and scientists have together rocked the scenes came last month when the Sydney Symphony Orchestra performed a reworked version of Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. They 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.
But a genuine partnership must be a two-way street. Fewer artist 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. 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. The founders deliberately focused their projects around light-hance 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.
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. Artists and scientists alike are immersed in discovery and invention, and challenge and critique are core to both, too.
31. 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
[B] 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
Text 4
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.
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.
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. The 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.
Consequently — and paradoxically — laws introduced to protect the jobs of ordinary workers may be placing those jobs at risk.
If not placing jobs at risk, to the extent employment protection laws constrain business owners from dismissing under-performing 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.
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 are 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.
Society also suffers from excessive employment protections. Stringent job dismissal regulations adversely affect productivity growth and hamper both prosperity and overall well-being.
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.
36. 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 managers’ authority
[C] affect the public image of the firms
[D] worsen labor-management relations
38. Which of the following measures would be the Productivity Commission support?
[A] Imposing reasonable wage restraints.
[B] 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 well-being.
[D] Employers need to hire new staff.
40. It can be inferred that the “high-income threshold” in Australia ______.
[A] has secured managers’ earnings
[B] has produced undesired results
[C] is beneficial to business owners
[D] is difficult to put into practice
Part B
Directions:
Part C
Directions:
Read the following text carefully and then translate the underlined segments into Chinese. Your translation should be written neatly on the ANSWER SHEET. (10 points)
“Between 1807 and 1814 the Iberian Peninsula (comprising Spain and Portugal) was the scene of a titanic and merciless struggle. It took place on many different planes: between Napoleon's French army and the angry inhabitants; between the British, ever keen to exacerbate the emperor's difficulties, and the marshals sent from Paris to try to keep them in check; between new forces of science and meritocracy and old ones of conservatism and birth. 46) It was also, and this is unknown even to many people well read about the period, a battle between those who made codes and those who broke them.
I first discovered the Napoleonic cryptographic battle a few years ago when I was reading Sir Charles Oman's epic History of the Peninsular War. In volume V he had attached an appendix, “The Scovell Ciphers.” (47) It listed many documents in code that had been captured from the French army of Spain, and whose secrets had been revealed by the work of one George Scovell, an officer in British headquarters. Oman rated Scovell’s significance highly, but at the same time, the general nature of his History meant that (48) he could not analyze carefully what this obscure officer may or may not have contributed to that great struggle between nations or indeed tell us anything much about the man himself. I was keen to read more, but was surprised to find that Oman's appendix, published in 1914, was the only considered thing that had been written about this secret war.e
I became convinced that this story was every bit as exciting and significant as that of Enigma and the breaking of German codes in the Second World War. The question was, could it be told?
Studying Scovell’s papers at the Public Record Office (in Kew, west London) I found that he had left an extensive journal and copious notes a work in the peninsula. What was more, many original French dispatches had been preserved in this collection. I realized at once that this was priceless. (49) There may have been many spies and intelligence officers during the Napoleonic Wars, but it is usually extremely difficult to find the material they actually provided or worked on. Furthermore, Scovell’s story involved much more than just intelligence work. His status in Lord Wellington's headquarters and the recognition given to him for his work were all bound up with the class politics of the army at the time. His tale of self-improvement and hard work would make a fascinating biography in its own right, but represents something more than that. (50) Just as the code breaking has its wider relevance in the struggle for Spain, so his attempts to make his way up the promotion ladder speak volumes about British society.
The story of Wellington himself also gripped me. Half a century ago his campaigns were considered a central part of the British historical mythology and spoon-fed to schoolboys. More recently this has not been the case, which is a great shame. A generation has grown up
【参考译文】
46. 甚至是许多熟悉这一时期的人都不知道，这也是一场发生在密码制作者与密码破解者之间的斗争。
47. 它列出了许多从驻扎西班牙的法国军队缴获的密码文件，这些文件的秘密已为一名英国总部的军官乔治·斯科维尔的工作所揭露。
48. 他无法仔细分析这位默默无闻的官员可能或不可能对那场国家间的伟大斗争做出什么贡献，也无法告诉我们关于他本人的任何情况。
49. 在拿破仑战争期间，可能有许多间谍和情报官员，但通常很难找到他们实际提供或工作所用到的材料。
50. 正如破译密码在争夺西班牙的斗争中具有更广泛的意义一样，他在晋升阶梯上的尝试也充分说明了英国社会。
Section III Writing
Part A
51. Directions:
Write an e-mail to a professor at a British university, inviting him/her to organize a team for the international innovation to be held at your university.
You should write about 100 words on the ANSWER SHEET.
Do not sign your own name at the end. Use “Li Ming” instead.
Do not write the address. (10 points)
【参考范文】
Dear professor,
I, as a senior student from Tsinghua, am writing this e-mail to invite you to organize a team for the international innovation which will be held at our university from June 5th to June 10th .
Innovation is the core factor of economic growth and the source of human wealth, but it is accomplished by the outstanding person. Considering that you are a famous professor and has made great achievements in innovation, we do hope you can organize a great team made up of innovative talents to participate in this activity.
Since your presence is of vital importance to our school, I sincerely hope you can come on that day. I am anxiously looking forward to your reply to tell me whether you can be here or not.
Yours sincerely,
Li Ming
【参考译文翻译】
尊敬的教授，
我是一名来自清华大学的大四学生，我写这封邮件的目的是想邀请您为国际创新大赛组建一个团队，该活动将于6月5日至6月10日在我校举行。
创新是经济增长的核心要素和人类财富的源泉，但它是由杰出的人才完成的。鉴于您是一位著名的教授，并且在创新方面取得了很大的成就，我们非常希望您能组织一支由创新人才组成的优秀团队来参加这次活动。
因为你们的到来对我们学校来说是至关重要的，我真诚地希望你们能在那天按时到来。我急切地期待着您的答复，在回复中您将告诉我你是否能来我们学校。
谨启，
李明
Part B
52. Directions:
Write an essay of 160-200 words based on the following drawing. In your essay, you should
1) describe the drawing briefly,
2) explain its intended meaning, and then
3) give your comments.
You should write neatly on the ANSWER SHEET. (20 points)
【参考范文】
Graphically depicted in the picture is a scene, in which there are two students standing in front of a poster of a campus lecture. The individual on the left airs his perspective that it doesn’t belong to his major and it is useless to listen to the lecture. Conversely, his counterpart holds the opposite idea that it may be useful to our study and growth. We are informed that various folks take different attitudes toward the same scene.
Undoubtedly, the author strives to convey a conspicuous message that we should be a prepared person. It is intensive learning that keeps us continually doing something valuable and admirable in spite of difficulties and discouragement. Besides, not only does a prepared mind makes us be full of energy to face the coming challenges and competitions but also offers us the foundation for the coming success. According to a latest survey conducted by an international organizations, approximately 76.5% of the respondents hold the view that they are willing to learn extensively and to be a prepared person because a theory that opportunities don’t come to those who aren’t prepared.
Weighing up the above several aspects, I suppose that not until we realize the significance of being a prepared person and learning extensively and put this attitude into practice, can we foster it gradually and make a better progress. Therefore, the mass media, such as television and the Internet, should make every effort to propagate and advocate the positive mentality. In addition, as for our college students, we ought to do our part to learn any useful knowledge in our spare time. Only in this way can we embrace a prospective future.
【参考译文翻译】
图画清晰地描述了一个场景，在这个场景中，两个学生站在一张校园讲座的海报前面，左边的学生说：“不是我们专业的，听了也没用。”；相反，另一个学生说：“听了或许也有用。” 不同的人对待同一场景可能会有不同的态度。
毫无疑问，作者向我们传达了一个明显的信息：我们应该做一个有准备的人。尽管有困难的沮丧，但是正是广泛学习使我们不断地做一些有价值和令人钦佩的事情。此外，一个有准备的头脑不仅使我们充满活力以面对未来的挑战和竞争，也为我们未来的成功奠定了基础。根据国际机构做的最新的一项调查，76.5% 的受访者持有的观点是：由于机会总是留给那些有准备的人，所以他们愿意广泛学习，做一个有准备的人。
考虑到这个现象的方方面面，我认为直到我们意识到广泛学习做一个有准备的人的重要性并且付诸实践，我们才能逐渐地培养这种态度并且取得进步。因此，大众媒体，比如电视和网络，应该尽全力去宣传这种积极的心态。此外，作为我们大学生而言，我们应该尽自己的最大努力在空余时间学习有用的知识。只有这样，我们才会拥抱一个更加美好的明天。
