As we enter into this new age of cities in which more than half the world’s population will live in an urban area, we must also take a hard look at how we will care for the significant increase in our elderly population. While many will be living longer, they will be doing so with age-related health issues and disease. Of special concern, the number of people living with dementia（痴呆）worldwide is set to treble by 2050. Alzheimer’s Disease International reports that 44 million people live with the disease now but that figure will increase to 135 million by 2050. With this added pressure to health systems, technology is the critical factor to success.
In Oslo, Norway, a retired engineer, Mr. Helge Farsund cares for his wife, Kari. Kari, who had been an intensive-care nurse who served with the Red Cross in Rwanda, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s three years ago. Looking to live as normal a life as possible as Kari’s condition progressed, they are participating in a pilot project studying how a smart home powered by sensors enables people with Alzheimer’s Disease to stay in their home.
The system is created by Abilia. At the center of the system is an iPad-like device. The screen has Skype, which allows carers to regularly check in with patients．
Some l,000 people now have the system installed in their homes, and 25 of them, including the Farsunds, are testing the latest version, which combines the screen with wirelessly connected sensorsaround the house to detect motion. If a door is opened or left open, or if the stove is left on, the system alerts patients and caretakers of danger. The planner also provides spoken reminders about daily tasks, such as when they need to take medicine and events like birthdays as well as enabling caretakers and family members to check in remotely via Skype.
“With this kind of system, it allows people to take care of themselves, which is the most important thing,” says vice president Oystein Johnsen. For him, any move to improve city life needs to begin with people. “Smart cities are coming and they need to start with individuals in their own home,” he says. “It also saves the government money. In Norway it cost one million Norwegian krone (￡100,000) per year to have someone in a home, while this system costs 15,000. That is a lot of money to save.”Which section of BBC news is most likely to include this passage?
| A．Health | B．Entertainment |
| C．Technology | D．Business |
The case of Helge and Kari Farsund in the second paragraph serves to .
| A．expose a social problem |
| B．introduce the main topic |
| C．show sympathy to the elderly |
| D．arouse medical workers’ interest |
Which of the following functions can all be performed by the system?
①To warn people of possible dangers
②To help check in with patients
③To offer people some medicine
④To cure people of Alzheimer's
⑤To remind people of daily tasks
⑥To play movies like an iPad
| A．①②⑤ | B．②③⑤ |
| C．①④⑥ | D．③④⑤ |
According to the last paragraph, Oystein Johnsen will approve that .
| A．smart cities should be human-based |
| B．the system should reduce its cost |
| C．mass production is still impossible |
| D．individuals are responsible for future |
The clock struck eleven at night. The whole house was quiet. Everyone was in bed except me. Under the strong light, I looked sadly before a huge pile of troublesome stuff they call “books”.
I was going to have my examination the next day. “When can I go to bed?” I asked myself. I didn’t answer, in fact I dared not.
The clock struck 12. “Oh, dear!” I cried, “ten more books to read before I can go to bed!” We pupils are the most wretched creatures ( 可怜的人 ) in the world. Dad does not agree with me on this. He did not have to work so hard when he was a boy.
The clock struck one. I was quite hopeless now. I forgot all I had learnt. I was too tired to go on. I did the only thing I could. I prayed, “Oh, God, Please help me pass the exam tomorrow. I do promise to work hard afterwards, Amen.” My eyes were heavy, so heavy that I could hardly open them. A few minutes later, with my head on the desk, I fell asleep.When the author was going over his lessons, all the others in the house were_____ .
| A．asleep | B．working in bed | C．outside | D．quietly laughing at him |
Reviewing his lessons didn’t help him because ________.
| A．it was too late at night |
| B．he was very tired |
| C．his eyes lids were so heavy that he couldn’t keep them open |
| D．he hadn’t studied hard before the examination |
What do you suppose happened to the author？
| A．He went to a church to pray again |
| B．He passed the exam by luck |
| C．He failed in the exam |
| D．He was punished by his teacher |
The best title for the passage would be __________ .
| A．The Night Before the Examination |
| B．Working Far into the Night |
| C．A Slow Student |
| D．Going Over My Lessons |
Interest in pursuing international careers has soared (increased sharply) in recent years, enhanced by chronic (lasting) personnel shortages that are causing companies to search beyond their home borders for talents.
Professionals seek career experience outside of their home countries for a variety of reasons. They may feel the need to recharge their batteries with a new challenge. They may want a position with more responsibility that encourages creativity and initiative. Or they may wish to expose their children to another culture, and the opportunity to learn a second language.
When applying for a job, one usually has to submit (present—v.) a resume or curriculum vitae (CV). The two terms generally mean the same thing: a one-or two-page document describing one's educational qualifications and professional experience. However, guidelines for preparing a resume are constantly changing. The best advice is to find out what is appropriate regarding the corporate (company) culture, the country culture, and the culture of the person making the hiring decision. The challenge will be to embrace (include) two or more cultures in one document. The following list is a good place to start.
● "Educational requirements differ from country to country. In almost every case of 'cross-border' job hunting, just stating the title of your degree will not mean adequate description. Provide the reader with details about your studies and any related experience."
●Pay attention to the resume format you use—chronological or reverse-chronological order. Chronological order means listing your 'oldest' work experience first. Reverse-chronological order means listing your current or most recent experience first. Most countries have preferences about which format is most acceptable. If you find no specific guidelines, the general preference is for the reverse-chronological format.
●If you are submitting your resume in English, find out if the recipient uses British English or American English because there are variations between the two versions. For example, university education is often referred to as 'tertiary education' in the United Kingdom, but this term is almost never used in the United States. A reader who is unfamiliar with these variations may assume that your resume contains errors.Companies are hiring more foreign employees because ________.
| A．they have difficulty finding qualified personnel at home |
| B．they find foreign employees are usually more talented |
| C．they need original ideas from employees hired overseas |
| D．they want to expand their business beyond home borders |
The author believes that an individual who applies to work overseas ________.
A. is usually creative and full of initiative
B. aims to improve his foreign language skills
C. seeks either his own or his children's development
D is dissatisfied with his own life at homeWhen it comes to resume writing, it is best to ________.
| A．learn about the company's hiring process |
| B．follow appropriate guidelines for job hunting |
| C．take cultural factors into consideration |
| D．know the employer's personal likes and dislikes |
According to the author's last piece of advice, the applicants should be aware of ________.
| A．the different educational systems in the US and the UK |
| B．the recipient's preference with regard to the format |
| C．the distinctive features of American and British cultures |
| D．the differences between the varieties of English |
Plants are flowering faster than scientists predict in reaction to climate change, which could have long damaging effects on food chains and ecosystems.
“Global warming is having a great effect on hundreds of plant and animal species around the world, changing some living patterns.” scientists say.
Increased carbon dioxide (CO2) in the air from burning coal and oil can have an effect on how plants produce oxygen, while higher temperatures and changeable rainfall patterns can change their patterns of growth.
“Predicting species’ reaction to climate change is a major challenge in ecology,” said the researchers of several U.S. Universities. They said plants had been the key object of study because their reaction to climate change could have an effect on food chains and ecosystem services.
The study, published on the Nature website, uses the findings from plant life cycle studies and experiments across four continents and 1,634 species. It found that some experiments had underestimated the speed of flowering by 8.5 times and leafing by 4 times.
“Across all species, the experiments underestimated the speed of the advance—for both leafing and flowering—that results from temperature increases,” the study said.
“The design of future experiments may need to be improved to better predict how plants will react to climate change,” it said.
Plants are necessary for life on the Earth. They are the base of the food chain, using photosynthesis (光合作用) to produce sugar from carbon dioxide and water. They let out oxygen which is needed by nearly every organism on the planet.
Scientists believe the world’s average temperature has risen by about 0.8 ℃ since 1900, and nearly 0.2 ℃ every ten years since 1979.
So far, efforts to cut emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases are not seen as enough to prevent the Earth heating up beyond 2 ℃ this century—a point scientists say will bring the danger of a changeable climate in which weather extremes are common, leading to drought, floods, crop failures and rising sea levels.What is the key information the author wants to give in Paragraph 1?
| A．The increasing speed of flowering is beyond scientists’ expectation. |
| B．Climate change leads to the change of food production patterns. |
| C．Plants’ reaction to weather could have damaging effects on ecosystem. |
| D．Food chains have been seriously damaged because of weather. |
We can learn from the study published on the Nature website that _____.
| A．scientists should improve the design of the experiments |
| B．plants’ flowering is 8.5 times faster than leafing |
| C．there are 1,634 plant species on the four continents |
| D．the experiments failed to predict how plants react to climate change |
Scientists pay special attention to the study of plants because _____.
| A．they can prove the climate change clearly |
| B．they are very important in the food chains |
| C．they play a leading role in reducing global warming |
| D．they are growing and flowering much faster than before |
What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs about the world’s temperature?
| A．It has risen nearly 0.2 ℃ since 1979. |
| B．It is 0.8 ℃ higher in 1979 than that of 1990. |
| C．It needs to be controlled within 2 ℃ in this century. |
| D．Its change will lead to weather extremes. |
For the people living in the Nile Basin, the river is their life．This 6,825 km waterway, whose watershed（流域）covers three million square kilometers, flows through mountains ,woodlands, lakes and deserts．Its potential for fishing, tourism and shipping is great—but so are its challenges.
Water shortage , already serious in Egypt and Sudan , will soon influence several other countries in the watershed as well．Today, about 160 million people depend on the Nile River for their living．Within the next 25 yeas ,the district's population is expected to double, adding to the demand brought about by growth in industry and agriculture．The frequent drought（干旱）adds to the urgency.
Water quality is also a problem．Precious soil is washed out to sea．Wastes from industry and agriculture create pollution．Higher concentrations of salt influence irrigated soils．Water-borne diseases continue unchecked．In areas where it's hot and damp, water hyacinths choke off（阻止） lakes, dams and other sections of the river, making it difficult for fishing and other businesses to move forward.
Native people along the narrow area of farmland have watched the sand move closer day by day．They’ve seen the river change course, and their only source（来源） of water thickened with mud．They’re very poor and have few choices.
But a new program, the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), is offering very practical assistance．The program is more than just a water-management project．It’s a plan for the social and economic development of a vast district: it concentrates on the needs of the poorest of the poor and the environment that supports them.
These are whole ecosystem problems, calling for united solutions．Half the Nile Basin's countries are among the world's poorest nations；yet, somehow, they must find the resources, skills and political will to overcome these challenges.What are the great challenges the Nile Basin faces？
| A．The development of shipping industry. |
| B．Over fishing of native people. |
| C．Water shortage and water quality. |
| D．Increasing population and tourism. |
The underlined word “hyacinths” （in Paragraph 3） refer to “ ”.
| A．plants | B．animals | C．rocks | D．salts |
The program NBI is mainly aimed at .
| A．preventing water pollution |
| B．improving living condition of the poor |
| C．changing the river course |
| D．preventing land from becoming desert |
| A．People’s Life in Egypt and Sudan |
| B．Frequent Drought in Egypt and Sudan |
| C．The Poorest Countries in the Nile Basin |
| D．The Ecosystem Problems in the Nile Basin |
Nickname (昵称): Hawaii’s Island of Adventure.
Size: 4,028 square miles.
Population: 148,677. The most heavily populated areas are Hilo on the east side and Kailua-Kona on the west.
Temperature: Averages between 71℉ and 77 ℉ year around —expect the mercury ( 水银柱) to drop at higher Heights.
Beaches: 47 Golf Courts: 20 Highest Peak: Mauna Kea, 13,796 feet.
Agriculture: The bulk (主体) of Hawaii’s farming products are grown and processed on the Big
Island, including coffee, macadamia nuts and papaya.
Lodging: 9,655 rooms in total; nightly rates range from $ 35 to $ 5,000.
Airports: Hilo International Airport on the east side and Kona International Airport on the west
side.
Rental Cars: All of the nationally known rental car companies have locations at Hilo International and Kona International Airports as well as many resorts. In addition, Hilo, Kona and the major resort areas are serviced by taxis.
Resources: Call (800) 648-2441 to order a video, a poster, brochures and maps from the Big Island Visitors Bureau. Turn to www. Bigisland. org for updated information.
Shopping: The largest shopping centers are in Hilo, Kona, Waimea and the Kona Coast._____ are mostly interested in reading the passage.
| A．Tourists | B．Students | C．Businessmen | D．Officials |
The average population per square mile on the island is about _____.
| A．28 | B．37 | C．32 | D．44 |
The underlined part “expect the mercury to drop at higher heights” means _____.
| A．Things are easy to lose weight at higher places |
| B．Dropping things from higher places is expected |
| C．Temperature is expected to be lower at higher places |
| D．Temperature is expected to be higher at higher places |
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