2017互联网外研社杯阅读大赛样卷

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外研社国才杯全国英语阅读大赛样题

外研社国才杯全国英语阅读大赛样题在英语学习的过程中，阅读是一项至关重要的技能。

外研社国才杯全国英语阅读大赛样题，作为一项旨在提高学生阅读能力的比赛，对于学生们来说具有重要意义。

今天，我们就来深入探讨一下外研社国才杯全国英语阅读大赛样题，以及如何有效地利用这些样题来提高阅读能力。

让我们来了解一下外研社国才杯全国英语阅读大赛。

这是一项面向全国中小学生的英语阅读比赛，旨在提高学生的阅读能力和英语综合运用能力。

比赛的样题设计丰富多样，内容涵盖了各个年级的学科知识和语言要求，既考察了学生的词汇量和语法知识，也注重了学生的阅读理解能力和批判性思维能力。

参加这样的比赛对于学生来说是一次难得的锻炼机会，能够有效地提高他们的英语阅读水平和应试能力。

接下来，让我们来讨论一下如何有效地利用外研社国才杯全国英语阅读大赛样题来提高阅读能力。

学生可以选择一些适合自己年级的样题进行练习。

通过仔细阅读和理解样题的内容，学生能够提高自己的阅读速度和阅读理解能力。

学生可以结合样题中的阅读材料进行词汇和语法的学习。

通过对样题中生词和句型的积累和掌握，学生能够提高自己的语言水平。

学生可以通过分析样题的答案解析来发现自己的阅读不足和错误，从而及时纠正和改进自己的阅读方式和答题技巧。

外研社国才杯全国英语阅读大赛样题对于提高学生的英语阅读能力来说具有重要意义。

通过充分利用这些样题，学生能够有效地提高自己的阅读速度、阅读理解能力和语言水平。

我们鼓励学生们多多参加这样的比赛，并将比赛的样题作为提高自己英语阅读能力的重要练习材料。

在我看来，外研社国才杯全国英语阅读大赛样题是一份宝贵的资源，它不仅可以帮助学生提高英语阅读能力，还可以激发学生对英语学习的兴趣和热情。

我们应该充分利用这些样题，并将其作为提高英语阅读能力的重要工具。

通过本文的深入探讨，我相信读者对外研社国才杯全国英语阅读大赛样题有了更深入的了解。

希望大家能够充分利用这些样题，提高自己的英语阅读能力，取得更好的学习成绩。

全国英语阅读大赛题

“‘外研社杯’全国英语阅读大赛”样题一、“‘外研社杯’全国英语阅读大赛”比赛内容包含四个环节：PartⅠRead and Know（读以明己）PartⅡRead and Reason（读以察世）PartⅢ Read and Question（读以启思）PartⅣ Read and Create（读以言志）二、比赛样题仅为2015年阅读大赛赛题的内容和形式样例，并非完整试卷。

三、大赛的模拟赛、复赛和决赛都将包含样题的四个环节，但各环节的赛题内容和形式会根据不同阶段比赛有所变化。

四、大赛的初赛由参赛学校参考样题内容自行命题，组委会不做硬性规定。

五、“PartⅣ Read and Create（读以言志）”部分，组委会将在赛前公布大赛推荐阅读书单。

Part I Read and KnowIn this part, you will read some questions about your abilities or personalities. Read as fast as you can and choose the answer that you think best describes yourself.Are You Charismatic?Charisma is the magnetic power that attracts people to you. It won’t affect the quality of your work or provide you with wonderful original ideas, but it remains one of the most vital talents if you want to make it b ig in life. If people who don’t even understand what you’re talking about believe that you are a genius, you will have made it. The following test will decide whether you’ve got what it takes.1) Do people find themselves attracted to you?A. Yes, it can be embarrassing sometimes.B. No, no more than other people.C. I suppose they do a bit.2) Do you find that people agree with you regardless of the quality of your arguments?A. No, never.B. Not that often.C. All the time.3) Would you find it easy to attract followers?A. No, not at all.B. Not very easy.C. Yes, it’s really no problem.4) Do you find casual acquaintances open up and tell you their life stories in intimate detail?A. Occasionally.B. Never.C. Happens all the time. Sometimes I just can’t get away....Part II Read and ReasonIn this part, you will read texts of different forms and genres. Read the instructions carefully and answer the questions based on your comprehension, analysis and inferences of the texts.1. Among the four statements below, one statement is the main point, and the other three are specific support for the point. Identify the main point with P and the specific support with S.___A. Hungry bears searching for food often threaten hikers.___B. Hiking on that mountain trail can be very dangerous.___C. Severe weather develops quickly, leaving hikers exposed to storms and cold.___D. When it rains, the trail, which is very steep at some points, becomes slippery.2. Read the following cartoon. Put a tick by the three statements that are most logically based on the information suggested by the cartoon.___A. Lucy has just criticized the boy, Linus.___B. Linus feels Lucy’s criticism is valid.___C. Lucy feels very guilty that Linus has taken her criticism badly.___D. Lucy doesn’t seem to realize that people may accept constructive criticism but reject destructive criticism.___E. The cartoonist believes we should never criticize others.___F. The cartoonist believes it’s best to criticize others in a constructive way.3. Read an extract of an advertisement. Choose the answer which you think fits each question best according to the text.Young Environmental Journalist CompetitionHow to Enter:☆If you’re aged 16-25, we’re looking for original articles of 1,000 words (or less) with an environmental or conservation theme. The closing date for entries is 30 December, 2015.☆ Your article should show proof of investigative research, rather than relying solely on information from the Internet and phone interviews. You don’t have to go far. A report on pollution in a local stream would be as valid as a piece about the remotest rain forest.☆ Your article should show you are passionate and knowledgeable about environmental issues. It should also be objective and accurate, while being creative enough to hold the reader’s interest. We are not looking for “think pieces” or opinion columns.☆ Your aim should be to advance understanding and awareness of environmental issues. You should be able to convey complex ideas of readers of this general interest magazine in an engaging and authoritative manner.☆Facts or information contained in short-listed articles will be checked.☆ Read the rules carefully.1) Before entering for the competition, young people must have_______.A. conducted some relevant research in their local areaB. gained a qualification in experimental researchC. uncovered some of the evidence in the research by themselvesD. consulted a number of specialists on the subject under research2) The articles submitted must_______.A. focus on straightforward conceptsB. include a range of viewsC. be accessible to non-specialistD. reveal the writer’s standpoint4.Read the passage below. Then choose the best answer to each question that follows.(1) Johnny Appleseed, one of the gentlest and most beloved of American folk heroes, was born in 1774in Leominster, Massachusetts. (2) His real name was John Chapman. (3) Chapman’s early life was full of misfortune. (4) First, his father left home to fight in the Revolutionary War. (5) Then John’s mother and baby brother died before John’s second birthday. (6) However, John’s fortunes improved when his father returned and remarried, and by the time John was in his teens, he had ten brothers and sisters.(7) As a young man, John began traveling west on foot, stopping to clear land and plant the apple seeds he always carried with him. (8) Settlers who followed John’s path were delighte d to find young apple orchards dotting the landscape.(9) John was a friendly fellow who often stopped to visit with families along his way, entertaining them with stories of his travels. (10) Tales of his exploits followed him through Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. (11) Many of the stories were true. (12) For instance, John really did travel barefoot through the snow, lived on the friendliest of terms with Indian tribes, and refused to shoot any animal. (13) Other tales about John, however, were exaggerations. (14) Settlers said, for example, that he slept in the treetops and talked to the birds or that he had once been carried off by a giant eagle. (15) Johnny Appleseed never stopped traveling until his death in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1845.1) Sentence 1 is a statement of_______.A. factB. opinionC. fact and opinion2) The details in sentences 4 and 5 support the point or points in _______.A. sentence 1B. sentence 2C. sentence 3D. sentence 63) The relationship between sentences 3 and 6 is one of _______.A. contrastB. additionC. cause and effectD. comparison4) We can conclude that Johnny Appleseed _______.A. provided apples for numerous settlersB. was quickly forgotten by the settlersC. grew wealthy by selling his apple treesD. left home because of problems with his family5) The passage suggests that Johnny Appleseed _______.A. grew weary of travelingB. had great respect for other people and animalsC. lived a very short but rich lifeD. planted many trees other than apple trees6) The tone of the passage is _______.A. pessimisticB. bitter and impassionedC. amused and excitedD. straightforward with a touch of admiration7) Which is the most appropriate title for this selection?A. The Planting of American Apple OrchardsB. Folk Heroes of AmericaC. Settlers Recall Johnny AppleseedD. The Life and Legend of John Chapman5.Read the passage below. Then choose the best answer to each question that follows.(1) Television has transformed politics in the United States by changing the way in which information is disseminated, by altering political campaigns, and by changing citizens’ patterns of response to politics. (2) By giving citizens independent access to the candidates, television diminished the role of the political party in the selection of the major party candidates. (3) By centering politics on the person of the candidate, television accelerated the citizens’ focus on cha racter rather than issues.(4)Television has altered the forms of political communication as well. (5) The messages on which most of us rely are briefer than they once were. (6) The stump speech, a political speech given by traveling politicians and lasting 11/2 to 2 hours, which characterized nineteenth-century political discourse, has given way to the 30-second advertisement and the 10-second “sound bite” in broadcast news. (7) Increasingly the audience for speeches is not that standing in front of the politician but rather the viewing audience who will hear and see a snippet of the speech on the news.(8) In these abbreviated forms, much of what constituted the traditional political discourse of earlier ages has been lost. (9) In 15 or 30 seconds, a speaker cannot establish the historical context that shaped the issue in question, cannot detail the probable causes of the problem, and cannot examine alternative proposals to argue that one is preferable to others. (10) In snippets, politicians assert but do not argue.(11) Because television is an intimate medium, speaking through it requires a changed political style that was more conversational, personal, and visual than that of the old-style stump speech. (12) Reliance on television means that increasingly our political world contains memorable pictures rather than memorable words. (13) Schools teach us to analyze words and print. (14) However, in a world in which politics is increasingly visual, informed citizenship requires a new set of skills.(15)Rec ognizing the power of television’s pictures, politicians craft televisual, staged events, calledpseudo-event, designed to attract media coverage. (16) Much of the political activity we see on television news has been crafted by politicians, their speechwriters, and their public relations advisers for televised consumption. (17) Sound bites in news and answers to questions in debates increasingly sound like advertisements.1) What is the main idea of the passage?A. Citizens in the United States are now more informed about political issue because of television coverage.B. Citizens in the United States prefer to see politicians on television instead of in person.C. Politics in the United States has become substantially more controversial since the introduction of television.D. Politics in the United States has been significantly changed by television.2) The word “disseminated” in sentence 1 is closest in meaning to_______.A. analyzedB. discussedC. spreadD. stored3) It can be inferred that before the introduction of television, political parties _______.A. had more influence over the selection of political candidatesB. spent more money to promote their political candidatesC. attracted more membersD. received more money4) The author mentions the “stump speech” in sentence 6 as an example of _______.A. an event created by politicians to attract media attentionB. an interactive discussion between two politiciansC. a kind of political presentation typical of the nineteenth centuryD. a style of speech common to televised political events5) The word “that” in sentence 7 refers to _______.A. audienceB. broadcast newsC. politicianD. advertisement6) According to the passage, as compared with televised speeches, traditional political discourse was more successful at _______.A. allowing news coverage of political candidatesB. placing political issues within a historical contextC. making politics seem more intimate to citizensD. providing detailed information about a candidate’s private behavior7) The author states that “politicians assert but do not argue” in sentence 9 in order to suggest that politicians _______.A. make claims without providing reasons for the claimsB. take stronger positions on issues than in the pastC. enjoy explaining the issue to broadcastersD. dislike having to explain their own positions on issues to citizens8) The purpose of paragraph 4 is to suggest that_______.A. politicians will need to learn to become more personal when meeting citizensB. politicians who are considered very attractive are favored by citizens over politicians who are less attractiveC. citizens tend to favor a politician who analyzed the issue over one who did notD. citizens will need to learn how to evaluate visual political images in order to become better informed9) Which of the following statements is supported by the passage?A. Political presentations today are more like advertisements than in the past.B. Politicians today tend to be more familiar with the views of citizens than in the past.C. Citizens today are less informed about a politician’s character than in the past.D. Political speeches today focus more on details about issues than in the past.Part III Read and QuestionIn this part, you will read about related or contradictory views on a variety of issues. You will be required to identify the writer’s position and evaluate the effectiveness of the writer’s arguments.Read the following two passages and answer the questions.Passage AWhile On the origin of Species created a great stir when it was published in 1859, Darwinian thought was almost completely out of vogue by the turn of the twentieth century. It took Ronald Fisher’s “Great Synthesis” of the 1920s, which combined the genetic work of Gregor Mendel with Darwin’s ideas about natural selection, and Theodosius Dobzhansky’s “Modern Synthesis” of the 1930s, which was built upon Fisher’s work with genetics within a species by focusing on how genetic variation could cause the origin of a new species, to begin to rehabilitate Darwin.Yet, what is remarkable is how very prescient Darwin, working without knowledge of the mechanisms of heredity, proved to be. As prominent biologist Ernst Mayr notes, what made Darwinian theory so remarkable was his emphasis on “population thinking”. This contrasts to Jean-Baptiste Lamarck’stheory of evolution, popular throughout the nineteenth century, which posited that individuals changed personal actions and will. Lamarckian theory is often exemplified by a giraffe constantly reaching up to eat leaves off high branches and passing on its lengthened neck to its children.Such e xplanations bore a strong resemblance to children’s fables (and indeed Rudyard Kipling’s late-nineteenth-century Just So Stories was built upon Lamarckian theories). Where Darwin differed was his insistence that significant variation was not based within one particular individual, but rather in the breeding population as a whole. Natural selection was not based on the actions or goals of one individual, but variations in the average character of the species.Passage BAs Peter Bowler points out in his aptly named The Non-Darwinian Revolution: Reinterpreting a Historical Myth, nineteenth-century Darwinism was quite different from the Darwinism of today. Thomas Huxley, “Darwin’s Bulldog”, so called because of his tireless public campaigning for Darwinian thought, exemplifies this difference. As a result of his advocacy, by the end of the nineteenth century Huxley was the vehicle for Darwinian thought. Noted science fiction writer H. G. Wells, for instance, garnered all of his information about natural selection and evolution through Huxley’s lectures. Yet Huxley’s theory varied significantly from th at of Darwin, focusing on the will of humankind.In the preface to Evolution and Ethics, Huxley wrote that “We cannot do without our inheritance from the forefathers who were the puppets of the cosmic process; the society which renounces it must be destroyed from without. Still less can we do with too much of it; the society in which it dominates must be destroyed from within.” According to Huxley, humankind has move d past physical evolution to the realm of self-directed moral evolution. Huxley, then, acknowledges that humankind has evolved under the pressure of natural selection and must remain aware of the fact or be “destroyed from without”, but he argues that a so ciety that continues in the path that Nature has placed it will be “destroyed from within” because it will no longer be adapted to itself.1) Based on the information in the passage, Rudyard Kipling most likely wrote stories ______.A. dedicated to enlightening humans by using animals as positive examples of proper behaviorB. based on futuristic worlds which were populated by evolved subjectsC. featuring individuals developing variation through the power of their desiresD. seeking to exhibit the effects of population thinking in breeding populationsE. portraying the effects of parental inheritance through examining the lives of children2) Which of the following best represents Huxley’s beliefs?A. Focusing on physical evolution leaves man as nothing more than a “puppet” of forces beyond his control; to succeed in life it is necessary to reject physical evolution in favor of moral change.B. The ideas of Charles Darwin needed to be carefully delineated through lectures so that his ideas about individual variation could be fully understood.C. By exerting personal will, humankind will be able to enact significant, lasting variation which will be demonstrated through the bodies of the children of those who seek change.D. While humankind is inescapably linked to its physical past and the material conditions of its evolution, it must be wary of being too attached to the path dictated by natural selection.E. Certain elements of Darwin’s theory about evolution had to be disc arded so that the public would be willing to accept the thrust of the theory as a whole.3) Which of the following would the authors of Passage A and Passage B mostly likely agree to be most closely aligned in their thinking?A. Lamarck and Huxley.B. Kipling and Wells.C. Mayr and Bowler.D. Mendel and Huxley.E. Dobzhansky and Wells.4) Which of the following statements about Darwin is supported by both passages?A. Darwin differed significantly from other theorists of evolution because he focused on breeding populations as a whole.B. The modern understanding of Darwin varies significantly from nineteenth-century beliefs about his theories.C. It was not until the early twentieth century that Darwinism as we know it began to emerge.D. Fiction writers were particularly interested in disseminating ideas about Darwin.E. Delineating the specific inheritance of the child is crucial to understanding how natural selection proceeds.5) Which of the following best represents the difference between the two passages?A. The first passage begins with current understandings of Darwinism and moves back in time, while the second passage begins with older understanding and moves forward in time.B. While the first passage focuses on the difference between two theories of evolution, the second paragraph traces differences between two individual interpreters of evolution.C. The first passage introduces a general theory, offers specific evidence, and then considers the ramifications of that theory, while the second passage does not consider the ramifications of the evidence it represents.D. The first passage is concerned with demonstrating a way in which Darwin is closely linked with modern thinkers, while the second passage is focused on how he differed from one of his contemporaries.E. The first passage provides a historical retrospective of the primary interpreters of Darwin, and the second passage centers on one particular interpreter.6) Based on the information in Passage B, which of the following claims in Passage A would Thomas Huxley be most likely to object to?A. It is impossible to truly understand natural selection without the benefit of modern genetic theory.B. It is likely that the giraffe developed a long neck due to the fact that it constantly stretched it to gain access to food.C. There are different ways to understand how evolution functions to change individuals.D. Variations in the average character of a population are the most crucial factor in the proper evolution of man.E. Allowing natural selection to dominate our society will lead to the destruction of humankind.7) Which of the following situations is most closely analogous to the Lamarckian mode of variation?A. An adult bird tries to change the environment for the benefit of its children.B. Seeking to morally adapt to its environment, a chimpanzee changes the way it woos its mate.C. A giraffe’s bodily shape changes because it is unable to fit into the caves it traditionally sleeps in.D. Because of a change in the environment, a number of chimpanzees die out while others thrive and pass on their genes.E. Because it hunts for salmon with its mouth wide open, a bear gradually develops a straining mechanism between its teeth.Part IVRead and CreateIn this part, you will be required to write a short essay on a given topic based on your general reading. You should write with clarity, logic and creativity.1.Write an essay of about 200 words on one of the following topics.1) Hamlet is characterized by his melancholic mood and delay in action. Give a character analysis of Hamlet and list the possible reasons for his melancholy and delay.2) A Tale of Two Cities can be regarded as a historical novel, a moral novel and a novel strongly concerned with themes of resurrection, redemption and patriotism, as well as of guilt, shame and love. What is your understanding of the themes of the novel?2.Read the essay below. Answer one of the following questions by writing an essay of about 200 words.Of StudiesStudies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability. Their chief use for delight, is in privateness and retiring; for ornament, is in discourse; and for ability, is in the judgment and disposition of business. For expert men can execute, and perhaps judge of particulars, one by one; but the general counsels, and the plots and marshalling of affairs come best from those that are learned. To spend too much time instudies is sloth; to use them too much for ornament is affection; to make judgment wholly by their rules is the humor of a scholar. They perfect nature and are perfected by experience: for natural abilities are like natural plants, that need pruning by study, and studies themselves do give forth directions too much at large, except they be bounded in by experience. Crafty men contemn studies, simple men admire them, and wise men use them, for they teach not their own use; but that is a wisdom without them and above them, won by observation. Read not to contradict and confuse; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider. Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read, but not curiously; and some few to be ready wholly, and with diligence and attention. Some books also may be read by deputy and extracts made of them by others; but that would be only in the less important arguments, and the meaner sort of books; else distilled books are, like common distilled waters, flashy things.Reading makes a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man. And therefore, if a man write little, he had need have a great memory; if he confer little, he had need have a present wit; and if he read little, he had need have much cunning to seem to know that he doth not. Histories make men wise; poets witty; the mathematics subtle; natural philosophy deep; moral grave; logic and rhetoric able to contend. Abeunt studia in mores. Nay there is no stond or impediment in the wit, but may be wrought out by fit studies: like as diseases of the body may have appropriate exercises. Bowling is good for the stone and reins; shooting for the lungs and breast; gentle walking for the stomach; riding for the head; and the like. So if a man’s wit be wandering, let him study the mathematics; for in demonstrations, if his wit be called away never so little, he must begin again. If his wit be not apt to distinguish or find differences, let him study the schoolmen; for they are cymini sectores. If he be not apt to beat over matters, and to call up one thing to prove and illustrate another, let him study the lawyers’ cases. So every defect of the mind may have a special receipt.1)We are now living in the age of “information explosion”. What lessons can we learn from Bacon’s “Of Studies” to access information”2)In what sense does reading make a full man?。

外研社·国才杯全国英语阅读大赛样题(附答案)

Part I Read and KnowIn Part I,you will read short texts of various kinds.Read the instructions carefully and answer the questions.(Suggested completion time:20minutes)Questions1-3(Suggested completion time:3minutes)Directions:Read the following quotes.Match the quotes with the people.Please note there are two extra options you do not need.Question4(Suggested completion time:2minutes)Directions:Read the text and answer the question according to the text.To ensure the high standards of facilities we need to build new wards,laboratories and consulting rooms.In short,we need your help plete the coupon today and rest assured that your donation is going to the best possible cause.4.Where is the piece of text taken from?A.an advertisementB.an instruction bookletC.a storyD.a newspaperQuestion5(Suggested completion time:2minutes)Directions:Read the text and answer the question according to the text.Few corners of the world remain untainted by intrepid tourists,and their impact is often devastating.Too frequently they trample heedlessly on fragile environments, displacing wildlife and local populations in their insatiable quest for unexplored locations.5.What is the best title for this text?A.The Future of TourismB.The Role of TourismC.The Price of TourismD.The Benefits of TourismQuestion6(Suggested completion time:2minutes)Directions:Read the text and answer the question according to the text.With E-book sales increasing by more than300%for the second year,publishers delivering new revenue streams through E-book Apps,and academic publishers long having derived some90%of their revenue online,it is a travesty to describe all this as the publishing world being"in denial"about digital.6.What is the main idea of this text?A.Publishers are making profits from E-book sales.B.Not all publishers are threatened by digital storms.C.E-books become a main source of revenue for publishers.D.Traditional publishing industry is dying out.Question7(Suggested completion time:2minutes)Directions:Read the text and answer the question according to the text.With our travel agency,the holiday you book is the holiday you get.If you arrive and find we've failed to live up to our promises,let us know what the problem is within one day of your arrival.We'll spend24hours doing everything possible to sort the problem out.In the unlikely event that we can't resolve your problem and make you happy within24hours,we'll fly you home and give your money back.7.The text could best be described as__________.A.a commitmentB.an appealC.a warningD.a vowQuestion8(Suggested completion time:2minutes)Directions:Read the text and answer the question according to the text.The new digital cameras are great fun and very easy to use.They let you review your pictures the moment you take them,so you can re-shoot right away if you're not satisfied.But remember,a digital camera is just a computer XXXX.It's not a replacement for your ordinary camera.8.What is the meaning of the missing word XXXX in the text?A."something that is poor quality"B."an item that is not essential,something extra"C."something expensive but good value for money"D."a fashion which always remains popular"Question9(Suggested completion time:2minutes)Directions:Read the text and answer the question according to the text.She had gone alone,but the children were to go to the station to meet her.And loving the station as they did,it was only natural that they should be there a good hour before there was any chance of Mother's train arriving,even if the train were punctual,which was most unlikely.9.What can you say about their mother's train?A.It would probably be early.B.It would probably be on time.C.It would probably be late.D.It had been cancelled.Question10(Suggested completion time:5minutes)Directions:The bar chart shows the number and proportion of undernourished people in the developing regions,from1990-1992to2014-2016.Answer the question according to the information in the chart.Source:The Millennium Development Goals(MDG)Report201510.Choose the INCORRECT description about the chart.A.The latest estimates suggest that nearly one in nine individuals do not have enough to eat between2014and2016.B.Projections indicate that the2015MDG target is nearly reached,with12.9per cent of undernourished population.C.The situation noticeably improved during the years1995-1999,but went down in the first five years of the new millennium.D.The proportion of undernourished people in the developing regions has fallen by almost half since1990.Part II Read and ReasonIn Part II,you will read short texts on different subjects.Read the instructions carefully and answer the questions based on logical inference and reasoning. (Suggested completion time:55minutes)Question11(Suggested completion time:4minutes)Directions:Read the following definition of a logical fallacy.Answer the question according to the definition.11.Which of the following provides a typical example of poisoning the well?A.That's my stance on funding the education system,and anyone who disagrees with me hates children.B.You are so weird.That means—we are pretty much sure—that your whole family is weird,too.C.God exists because the Bible says so.The Bible is inspired.Therefore,we know that God exists.D.I don't care what you say.We don't need any more bookshelves.As long as the carpet is clean,we are fine.Question12(Suggested completion time:4minutes)Directions:Look at the following picture and then answer the question.12.Which of the following logical fallacies does the picture illustrate?A.False Dilemma:an argument that presents a limited set of two possible categories and assumes that everything in the scope of the discussion must be an element of that setB.Guilt by Association:a fallacy used to discredit an argument for proposing an idea that is shared by some socially demonized individual or groupC.No True Scotsman:an argument coming up after someone has made a general claim about a group of things and then been presented with evidence challenging that claimD.Hasty Generalization:a fallacy committed when one forms a conclusion from a sample that is either too small or too special to be representativeQuestions13-14Reasoning(Suggested completion time:10minutes)13.Many people report that exposure to certain foods and drinks such as cheese, chocolate,and red wine,is associated with the onset of migraine headaches.Other people report that exposure to certain smells(especially strong perfumes)seems to trigger a migraine headache,and some note that exposure to bright and flickering lights can be followed by a migraine.It would seem that a person with a tendency to get migraines should try to find out which of these situations is associated with the onset of the headache and then avoid this stimulus.All of the following,if true,would make the above recommendation impractical except:A.The time delay between the trigger and the onset of the headache can make it exceptionally difficult to identify the trigger.B.The presence of a known trigger doesn't always cause a migraine.C.In a high proportion of cases the patients report multiple triggers for their headaches.D.Most of the known triggers are common and almost unavoidable features of modern life.14.Richard:The national budget should provide significant increases in alllevels of education in the upcoming year.Natalie:That's not fair.A reduction in defense spending in peacetime maybring us excessive risks.We can't afford it.Which of the following is the best interpretation of Natalie's argument?A.Funds saved from defense have been diverted to all levels of education.B.Highlighting spending on education dangerously impacts on spending on the military.C.The size of the military budget reflects a state's ability to fund educational activities.pared with military spending,investing in education will create a financial crisis.Questions15-17(Suggested completion time:6minutes)Directions:Read the text about a science discovery.Answer the questions according to the text.Manipulating MemoryMemory is notoriously malleable.Our recollections fade and take on new meanings; sometimes we remember things that never even happened.But15.Recently,however,scientists have started to grasp and tinker with memory's physical st year,in work evocative of films such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Inception,researchers discovered ways to manipulate specific memories in mice using optogenetics,a powerful technique that can trigger nerve cells in animals' brains by zapping them with beams of laser light.In a series of experiments,they showed that they could delete existing memories and"incept"false ones.This year,researchers went even further:switching the emotional content of a memory in mice from bad to good and vice versa.Under the laser,for example,male mice that had once associated a certain room with being shocked were tricked into acting as though they had once met friendly female mice there instead.Whether the mice in these experiments actually experienced vivid false memories or just a fuzzy sense of pleasure or fear is unclear.Nor is it clear whether the findings apply to the tricks of memory so familiar to people.Long-sought therapeutic advances,such as treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder,could remain far off.One thing is certain, however:Once considered beyond scientific dissection,memory is finally starting to yield its secrets.15.Which of the following best fits the numbered space in the text?A.what is really happening in our brain as memories are remodeled remains mysteriousB.scientists are curious about why people are oblivious to what have happened to themC.advanced technology has helped scientists discover the workings of our brainD.some scientists argue that what we observe about human memory is not what it really is16.The word"incept"is closest in meaning to________.A.operateB.startC.detectD.occupy17.Which of the following can be inferred from the text?A.People's false memories result from the impact of different emotion provoked by later experience on the same spot.B.The success in research indicates that it won't be long that a therapy is worked out for people disturbed by painful memory.C.By zapping the brain cells of mice with light,researchers are able to create,erase,or alter their memories,good or bad.D.Many fancy ideas in science fictions or movies that are based on them actually draw greatly upon scientific achievement.Questions18-19(Suggested completion time:4minutes)Directions:Read the text about cholera.Decide whether the statements are True or False according to the text.A child receives the oral cholera vaccine ShancholCholera is caused by a bacterial infection of the intestine.Approximately one in20 people infected with cholera has a serious case,with symptoms including severe diarrhea, vomiting,and leg cramps.These symptoms quickly cause dehydration and shock,and can result in death within hours if the infected person doesn't receive treatment.Cholera is typically transmitted by contaminated food or water.In areas with poor treatment of sewage and drinking water,the feces of people with cholera can enter the water supply and spread quickly,resulting in an epidemic.The cholera bacterium may also live in the environment in some coastal waters,so shellfish eaten raw can be a source of cholera in affected areas.18.Cholera is known to be a life-threatening disease which easily causes death of most of the patients.True()False()19.Cholera typically occurs in areas near the sea or the river where contaminated food isa major source of the disease.True()False()Questions20-21(Suggested completion time:5minutes)Directions:Read the abstract of a research paper from the DeepMind website.Decide whether the statements are True or False according to the abstract.Teaching Machines to Read and ComprehendAuthors:K.M.Hermann,T.Kočiský,E.Grefenstette,L.Espeholt,W.Kay,M. Suleyman,P.BlunsomPublished:NIPS2015Abstract:Teaching machines to read natural language documents remains an elusive challenge.Machine reading systems can be tested on their ability to answer questions posed on the contents of documents that they have seen,but until now large scale training and test datasets have been missing for this type of evaluation.In this work we define a new methodology that resolves this bottleneck and provides large scale supervised reading comprehension data.This allows us to develop a class of attention based deep neural networks that learn to read real documents and answer complex questions with minimal prior knowledge of language structure.20.Previous studies didn't take constant effort to evaluate the reading ability of artificial intelligence machines,which was why the present research was conducted.True()False()21.One implication of the research is that a methodology that helps gather and handle big data is indispensable to artificial intelligence related studies.True()False()Questions22-23(Suggested completion time:6minutes)Directions:Read the text about the"Think small"advertising campaign.Answer the questions according to the text.Think SmallI f you're interested in marketing and advertising,Volkswagen's"Think small"campaign for the Beetle when it was first introduced to North America in1959looms large as one of the greatest advertising campaigns of all time.It wasn't just a revolution in automotive advertising;it changed the entire industry.Until the Beetle hit the market,automotive marketing copy was full of bluster,and the images were flights of fancy,emphasizing low,long lines and a fantasy lifestyle.The clean,simple photography on a white background that emphasized the Beetle's compact,practical form may seem commonplace these days,but it was a revolution in a world where Americans grew up obsessed with muscle cars,horsepower,and tire smoke. Making the car small,when the convention was to make it fill the page,was also novel. The simplistic approach to design and layout was totally contrary to the advertising conventions of the time.____22_____The text was minimalist in both look and content,presenting the facts simply instead of trying to weave tall tales and fantasies;and instead of bluster,it ushered in an intelligent sense of humor that made readers feel like they were in on the joke.The message was one of smart anti-luxury,and took gentle aim at an industry obsessed with superficiality and styling,rather than the substance underneath the car bodies.Not only does"Think small"continue to inspire Volkswagen advertising to this day,it ushered in a creative revolution in the advertising business and changed the world of marketing forever."Think small"showed the power of humor and honesty,and its photographic and design principles brought about a major shift in the look and feel of marketing around the world.22.Which of the sentences below best fits the numbered space in the text?A.What defined the ad even more than its visual style was the tone of its copy.B.This ad starts off doing the exact opposite of what you would expect in a car ad.C.This was an exercise in minimalism and a very accurate reflection on the product itself.D.The car wasn't depicted as an integral piece of the daily lives of a middle class family.23.It can be inferred that the advertising conventions of the1950s were reflected in the following except that___________.A.The ads in the1950s typically showed proud owners and passengers evoking great joy about new shiny big acquisitions.B.The marketing concept then focused on providing as much information as possible to the reader such as the way it's created.C.The marketing schemes associated the advertised product with an idea or a way of living from average consumers'perspective.D.The marketing practice may attach importance to a sense of humor brought by the use of exaggerated language.Questions24-25(Suggested completion time:4minutes)Directions:Read the following six remarks concerning the crowd.Four of them are taken from Gustave Le Bon's book,The Crowd:A Study of the Popular Mind.Choose the two remarks that may NOT be taken from the book.24-25._______The CrowdA.In crowds it is stupidity and not mother wit that is accumulated.B.Crowds most envy the lonely man who walks confidently as if he is walking with the great crowds!C.A crowd is not merely impulsive and mobile.Like a savage,it is not prepared to admit that anything can come between its desire and the realization of its desire.D.I walked with them,as crowds have that effect on me,I want to do what they do,to journey towards some point of revelation,which of course never comes.E.Crowds,being incapable both of reflection and of reasoning,are devoid of the notion of improbability;and it is to be noted that in a general way it is the most improbable things that are the most striking.F.…the individual forming part of a crowd acquires,solely from numerical considerations,a sentiment of invincible power which allows him to yield to instincts which,had he been alone,he would perforce have kept under restraint.Questions26-28(Suggested completion time:5minutes)Directions:Read the text about a fly.Answer the questions according to the text.The FlyAt that moment the boss noticed that a fly had fallen into his broad inkpot,and was trying feebly but desperately to clamber out again."Help!Help!"said those struggling legs.But the sides of the inkpot were wet and slippery;it fell back again and began to swim.The boss took up a pen,picked the fly out of the ink,and shook it on to a piece ofblotting-paper.For a fraction of a second it lay still on the dark patch that oozed round it. Then the front legs waved,took hold,and,pulling its small,sodden body up,it began the immense task of cleaning the ink from its wings.Over and under,over and under,went a leg along a wing,as the stone goes over and under the scythe.Then there was a pause, while the fly,seeming to stand on the tips of its toes,tried to expand first one wing and then the other.It succeeded at last,and,sitting down,it began,like a minute cat,to clean its face.Now one could imagine that the little front legs rubbed against each other lightly, joyfully.27.26.Which of the following is NOT true according to the text?A.The boss saved the fly out of his broad inkpot.B.The fly was trapped by the thick ink on its wings.C.The passage describes how a fly survived an accident.D.The passage shows how a fly conquered a challenge.27.Which of the following statement can best fit in the numbered space?A.The horrible danger was over;it had escaped;it was ready for life again.B.The boss was relieved now,reassured that the fly had been out of danger.C.But the front legs waved,caught hold,and,more slowly this time,the task restarted.D.But such a grinding feeling of wretchedness seized him that he felt positively frightened.28.The tone of the text can be described as a complex mixture of anything but_______.A.sympatheticB.humorousC.cheerfulD.depressingQuestions29-30(Suggested completion time:7minutes)Directions:Read the text about Chaco Culture.Answer the questions according to the text.The"Chaco Culture",as modern-day archaeologists call it,flourished between roughly the9th and13th centuries A.D.and was centered at Chaco Canyon in what is now New Mexico.The people of the Chaco Culture built immense structures that at times encompassed more than500rooms.They also participated in long-distance trade that brought cacao, macaws(a type of parrot),turquoise and copper to Chaco Canyon.29_______,researchers have to rely on the artifacts and structures they left behind,as well as oral accounts that have been passed on through generations,to reconstruct what their lives were like.Archaeologists generally agree that Chaco Canyon was the center of Chaco Culture. Today the canyon is a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.The National Park Service estimates that there are about4,000archaeological sites in the park, including more than a dozen immense structures that archaeologists sometimes call "Great Houses".Archaeological research has revealed many discoveries,including a system of roads that connected many Chaco Culture sites,and evidence of astronomical alignments that indicate that some Chaco Culture structures were oriented toward the solstice sun and lunar standstills.“There has been more archaeological research conducted in Chaco and on the subject of Chaco than on any other prehistoric district in North America,”says a National Park Service statement posted on Chaco Culture National Historical Park's website."Today,twenty Puebloan groups in New Mexico,as well as the Hopi in Arizona, claim Chaco as their ancestral homeland and are tied to this place through oral traditions and clan lineages.A number of Navajo clans are also affiliated with Chacoan sites through their traditional stories,"the National Park Service statement says.Despite the fact that there has been an immense amount of archaeological research carried out at Chaco Canyon,and at other Chaco Culture sites in the American Southwest, modern-day archaeologists disagree over what the people of the Chaco Culture were like.Some archaeologists think that the people of the Chaco Culture were not politically united,while some think they controlled an empire centered on Chaco Canyon."Whatwas Chaco?Opinions vary widely,perhaps wildly.Interpretations range from a valley of peaceful farming villages to the monumental capital of an empire,"wrote Stephen Lekson, a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder,in an article published in the book The Architecture of Chaco Canyon,New Mexico(University of Utah Press,2007).Lekson noted that there are different interpretations among archaeologists as to what the Great Houses were.Some archaeologists believe that they were villages inhabited by thousands of people,while others think that they were elite residences that housed a small number of residents.29.Which of the following best fits in the numbered space in the text?A.The people of the Chaco Culture did not use a writing system and as suchB.While archaeologists are not certain what caused this dramatic population bumpC.When thinking about archaeological sites,we tend to think of them as dead silentD.Since Chaco's national monument status may not protect it from development pressures30.Which of the following statements can we know from the text?A.The people of the Chaco culture were good at foreign trade.B."Great Houses"were built from approximately the9th to13thcentury A.D.C.Most descendants of ancient Chaco people live in New Mexico now.D.Archaeologists hold different ideas about how the people of the Chaco Culture lived. Part III Read and QuestionIn Part III,you will read passages on the same subject.You will be required to identify the writer's position and evaluate the effectiveness of the writer's arguments.(Suggested completion time:35minutes)Questions31-40(Suggested completion time:35minutes)Directions:Read three passages about fashion.Answer the questions according to the passages.Passage AIt's not that easy to answer the question,"what is fashion?"because it means different things to different people.Fashion is an art.It's a religion.It's a job.It's a peek into a personality.It's playfulness.It's an escape or a disguise.It is a feast for the eyes.But ultimately,32.French fashion designer Coco Chanel once said,"Fashion is notsomething that exists in dresses only.Fashion is in the sky,in the street,fashion has to do with ideas,the way we live,what is happening."It's true.Fashion isn't defined solely by our clothing choices,but is also conveyed through the way we carry ourselves,our personalities and our views of the world.At its most fundamental,fashion is simply the prevailing style or custom,as in dress or behavior. So,who exactly answers the question"what is fashion"?Who decides what's fashionable and what isn't?What's in or what's out?Fashion Designers.The iconic fashion houses—Prada,Gucci,Chanel—are referred to as haute couture,French for"high sewing".These designers lead the way in creatingtrend-setting fashion.While some of their designs are outrageous and completely unrealistic when it comes to everyday wear,generally the theme is adapted into versions suitable for wearing.Media.Fashion trends are often sparked by characters on popular television shows and movies as well as adopted from magazine pages."Sex and the City","The Devil Wears Prada",these shows introduced us to new,cutting-edge designs.While you might not be caught dead wearing a Carrie Bradshaw original,you might take ideas inspired from her look and piece together your own creation.Celebrities.A prime example of a celebrity-driven fashion trend?UGGs.Until Kate Hudson and Jessica Simpson were spotted wearing them around L.A.several years ago, no one had given any thought to UGG boots.Now they are everywhere. Musicians.Musicians have always been very influential when it comes to dictating fashion.Rock'n'roll is fashion.Elvis is an iconic example.In the1950s,everyone wanted to dress like Elvis.What about the heavy metal hair bands so popular in the1980s? Axl Rose reinvented the head bandana while Poison,Motley Crue and Bon Jovi set the pace for big,rocker hair.Just because you don't know if a Prada bag is fall2007or spring2008doesn't matter.All that matters is that you like it and it's an expression of you.That is fashion.Passage B[A]Fashion is more prevalent in modern society than in primitive tribes or peasant communities.The modern society is an open society where class distinctions are not so rigid as in primitive society.Its urban and mobile class structure enables people to cultivate individual taste and adopt new course.[B]Our standards of judgment have also changed.Today the individual is rated more by observable externalities than by his ancestry,his character or his genuine accomplishments.The clothes a man wears,the language he speaks,the manners he shows have more weight in ascribing a status than his simplicity,patriotism and integrity.If he can keep himself up to date in the matters of his dress,speech and manners,he will assure himself a high social esteem.[C]Not only the mobile and urban character of modern society but its affluence also speaks for greater prevalence of fashion in it.Men today are richer than their ancestors and have more leisure.They have the necessary means and time to play with luxuries and to think of fashion.Maclver writes:We do notthink of fashion in overalls;there is more of fashion in the body of an automobile than in its chassis.There is no fashion in steam shovels.[D]Consequently the higher the standard of living the more material there is for fashion to operate upon.Passage CAs summer has officially faded into the colder weather of autumn,I assumed the days of Nike shorts,comically large T-shirts and polos would be only a memory of yesterday. This has not been the case.Fashion,in and of itself,is already a type of conformism.In order to be considered fashion,a look,a garment or a stylistic choice must be deemed fashionable.Who gets to decide this—what is fashionable?While certain fashion heavyweights play a role in this decision,the ultimate decision is left to the public.As I was surfing the Web recently for inspiration for this column,I came across the Prada website.What I discovered literally caused me to gasp.Of course,everyone knows Prada is an expensive brand—a luxury—but what I discovered shocked me:a keychain priced at$180.No,this keychain was not solid gold or encased in diamonds.It was simply a keychain:a skull with the word"Prada"on a small charm.How can a company charge$180for a keychain?The answer:people are willing to pay for it.People know the brand and conform to the idea of owning a piece of such an Italian "luxury".This is nonsensical.Why do we choose to wear miniscule shorts in frigid weather or spend nearly$200on a charm?Such decisions are influenced by peers,the media and the personal resolution to not make rational,individualistic choices.We cling to the idea of acceptance.In short,we often choose to abide by the pressures of social conventionality,and this leads us to make ridiculous selections—pairing Ugg boots with shorts or wearing neon with camouflage—which we would otherwise not make.I am certainly shamefaced in my occasional conformity to these ludicrous fashion folkways.I am guilty of donning Crocs in public.Yikes!Transient,often preposterous trends referred to as fads inspire some rather strange ideas. Who can recall the pet rocks of the'70s or Popples of the'80s?Such pop trends are not confined to behavior;they bleed into the fashion world,evidenced in overly distressed jeans,the most painful of neon shades,shoes that resemble Swiss cheese and a host of other fads I do not have the space to mention.I refuse to give up hope for societal common sense.One day we will comprehend that shorts are for the summer and ridiculously expensive keychains are for“never.”Do not allow others to dictate for you.Be bold.Be an individual.Do not buy the keychain.31.The phrase"might not be caught dead"in Passage A most probably means______.A.would rather not die anywayB.might not be caught red handed。

“外研社杯”全国英语阅读大赛样题05140精编版

2016“外研社杯”全国英语阅读大赛样题Part I Read and KnowIn Part I, you will read short texts of various kinds. Read the instructions carefully and answer the questions. (Time allowed: 22 minutes)Questions 1-3 (Suggested completion time: 5 minutes)Directions: Read the following quotes. Match the quotes on the left with the people on the right. Please note there are two extra options you do not need to use.Questions 4 (Suggested completion time: 2 minutes)Directions: Read the text, and answer the question according to the text.To ensure the high standards of facilities we need to build new wards, laboratories and consulting rooms. In short, we need your help now. Complete the coupon today and rest assured that your donation is going to the best possible cause.4. Where is the piece of text taken from?A. an advertisementB. an instruction bookletC. a storyD. a newspaperQuestions 5 (Suggested completion time: 2 minutes)Directions: Read the text, and answer the question according to the text.Few corners of the world remain untainted by intrepid tourists, and their impact is often devastating. Too frequently they trample heedlessly on fragile environments, displacing wildlife and local populations in their insatiable quest for unexplored locations.5. What is the best title for this text?A. The future of tourismB. The role of tourismC. The price of tourismD. The benefits of tourismQuestions 6 (Suggested completion time: 2 minutes)Directions: Read the text, and answer the question according to the text.Buying and selling anything is your forte now. If you visit a jumble or car-boot sale or the like, a romantic encounter is more than probable! News linked to the family is brilliant!6. What type of text is this?A. A personal advertisement.B. A personal horoscope.C. A friend’s letter of advice.D. A written warning.Questions 7 (Suggested completion time: 2 minutes)Directions: Read the text, and answer the question according to the text.With our travel agency, the holiday you book is the holiday you get. If you arrive and find we’ve failed to live up to our promises, let us know what the problem is within one day of your arrival. We’ll spend 24 hours doing everything possible to sort the problem out. In the unlikely event that we can’t resolve your problem and make you happy within 24 hours, we’ll fly you home and give your money back.7. The text could best be described as __________.A. a commitmentB. an appealC. a warningD. a vowQuestions 8 (Suggested completion time: 2 minutes)Directions: Read the text, and answer the question according to the text.The new digital cameras are great fun and very easy to use. They let you review your pictures the moment you take them, so you can re-shoot right away if you’re not satisfied. But remember, a digital camera is just a computer XXXX. It’s not a replacement for your ordinary camera.8. What is the meaning of the missing word (XXXX) in the text?A. “something that is poor quality”B. “an item that is not essential, something extra”C. “something expensive but good value for money”D. “a fashion which always remains popular”Questions 9 (Suggested completion time: 2 minutes)Directions: Read the text, and answer the question according to the text.She had gone alone, but the children were to go to the station to meet her. And loving the station as they did, it was only natural that they should be there a good hour before there was any chance of Mother’s train arriving, even if the train were punctual, which was most unlikely.9. What can you say about their mother’s train?A. It would probably be early.B. It would probably be on time.C. It would probably be late.D. It had been cancelled.Question 10 (Suggested completion time: 5 minutes)Directions: The bar chart shows the number and proportion of undernourished people in the developing regions, from 1990¬1992 to 2014¬2016. Answer the question according to the information in the chart.Source: The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Report201510. Choose the INCORRECT description about the chart.A.Current estimates suggest that nearly one in nine individuals do not haveenough to eat between 2014 and 2016.B.Projections indicate that the 2015 MDG target is nearly reached, with 12.9per cent of undernourished population.C.The situation noticeably improved during the years 1995-1999, but wentdown in the first five years of the new millennium.D.The proportion of undernourished people in the developing regions hasfallen by almost half since 1990.Part II Read and ReasonIn Part II, you will read short texts on different subjects. Read the instructions carefully and answer the questions based on logical inference and reasoning. (Time allowed: 38 minutes)Question 11-12 (Suggested completion time: 10 minutes)Directions: Read the definitions of two types of logical fallacy. Answer the11. Which of the following provides a typical example of poisoning the well?A. That’s my stance on funding the education system, and anyone whodisagrees with me hates children.B. You are so weird. That means—we are pretty much sure—that your wholefamily is weird, too.C. God exists because the Bible says so. The Bible is inspired. Therefore, weknow that God exists.D. I don’t care what you say. We don’t need any more bookshelves. As long asthe carpet is clean, we are fine.12. Which of the following provides a typical example of a false dilemma?A. Smoking is harmful to health, so you are supposed to quit smoking.B. If the government doesn’t reduce public spending, our economy will collapse.C. You may as well avoid overeating, or else you might be obese in no time.D. You are the worst of the classmates; therefore, what you say is incredible. Questions 13 (Suggested completion time: 4 minutes)Directions: Read the passage about syllogism. Decide whether the reasonings are Valid or Invalid based on the principles of syllogism.Syllogism is a kind of logical argument that applies deductive reasoning to arrive at a conclusion based on two or more propositions that are asserted or assumed to be true. It is perha ps today’s most commonly accepted form of logical reasoning in aptitude tests. The most commonly used type of syllogisms is elucidated in a frequently used example:Premise 1: All men are mortal.Premise 2: Socrates is a man.Conclusion: Socrates is mortal.Now practice syllogisms for IQ tests. Please note that the conclusion is based on logical reasoning and doesn’t necessarily represent the “truth” always.13. Valid ( ); Invalid ( )Premise 1: All human action is conditioned by circumstances.Premise 2: All human action involves morality.Conclusion: All that involves morality is conditioned by circumstances. Questions 14 (Suggested completion time: 4 minutes)Directions: Read the passage about contraposition. Decide whether the reasonings are Valid or Invalid based on the principles of contraposition.In logic, contraposition is a law that says that a conditional statement is logically equivalent to its contrapositive. The contrapositive of the statement has its antecedent and consequent inverted and flipped. The most commonly used type of contraposition is elucidated in the following example:Premise 1: If it is raining, then there are clouds in the sky.Premise 2: There are no clouds in the sky.Conclusion: It is not raining.Now practice contraposition for IQ tests. Please note that the conclusion is based on logical reasoning and doesn’t necessarily represent the “truth” always.14. Valid ( ); Invalid ( )Premise 1: If he is not an American, he is not from Texas.Premise 2: He is from Texas.Conclusion: He is an American.Questions 15-17 (Suggested completion time: 6 minutes)Directions: Read the text about a science discovery. Answer the questions according to the text.Manipulating MemoryMemory is notoriously malleable. Our recollections fadeand take on new meanings; sometimes we rememberthings that never even happened. But 15 .Recently, however, scientists have started to grasp andtinker with memory’s physical basis. Last year, i n workevocative of films such as Eternal Sunshine of the SpotlessMind and Inception, researchers discovered ways to manipulate specific memories in mice using optogenetics, a powerful technique that can trigger nerve cells in animals’ brains by zapping t hem with beams of laser light. In a series of experiments, they showed that they could delete existing memories and “incept” false ones.This year, researchers went even further: switching the emotional content of a memory in mice from bad to good and vice versa. Under the laser, for example, male mice that had once associated a certain room with being shocked were tricked into acting as though they had once met friendly female mice there instead.Whether the mice in these experiments actually experienced vivid false memories or just a fuzzy sense of pleasure or fear is unclear. Nor is it clear whether the findings apply to the tricks of memory so familiar to people. Long-sought therapeutic advances, such as treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder, could remain far off. One thing is certain, however: Once considered beyond scientific dissection, memory is finally starting to yield its secrets.15. Which of the following best fits the numbered space in the passage?A.what is really happening in our brain as memories are remodeled remainsmysteriousB.scientists are curious about why people are oblivious to what havehappened to themC.advanced technology has helped scientists discover the workings of ourbrainD.some scientists argue that what we observe about human memory is notwhat it really is16. The word “incept” is closest in meaning to ________.A. operateB. startC. detectD. occupy17. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?A.People’s false memories result from the impact of different emotionprovoked by later experience on the same spot.B.The success in research indicates that it won’t be long that a therapy isworked out for people disturbed by painful memory.C.By zapping the brain cells of mice with light, researchers are able to create,erase, or alter their memories, good or bad.D.Many fancy ideas in science fictions or movies that are based on themactually draw greatly upon scientific achievement.Questions 18-19 (Suggested completion time: 4 minutes)Directions: Read the following passage about cholera. Decide whether the statements are True or False according to the passage.A child receives the oral cholera vaccine ShancholCholera is caused by a bacterial infection of the intestine. Approximately one in 20 people infected with cholera has a serious case, with symptoms including severe diarrhea, vomiting, and leg cramps. These symptoms quickly cause dehydration and shock, and can result in death within hours if the infected person doesn’t receive treatment. Cholera is typically transmitted by contaminated food or water. In areas with poor treatment of sewage and drinking water, the feces of people with cholera can enter the water supply and spread quickly, resulting in an epidemic. The cholera bacterium may also live in the environment in some coastal waters, so shellfish eaten raw can be a source of cholera in affected areas.18. Cholera is known to be a life-threatening disease which easily causes death of most of the patients.True ( ) False ( )19. Cholera typically occurs in areas near the sea or the river where contaminated food is a major source of the disease.True ( ) False ( )Questions 20-21 (Suggested completion time: 5 minutes)Directions: Read the abstract of a research paper from the DeepMind website. Decide whether the statements are True or False according to the abstract.Teaching Machines to Read and ComprehendAuthors: K. M. Hermann, T. Kočiský, E. Grefenstette, L. Espeholt, W. Kay, M. Suleyman, P. BlunsomPublished: NIPS 2015Abstract: Teaching machines to read natural language documents remains an elusive challenge. Machine reading systems can be tested on their ability to answer questions posed on the contents of documents that they have seen, but until now large scale training and test datasets have been missing for this type of evaluation. In this work we define a new methodology that resolves this bottleneck and provides large scale supervised reading comprehension data. This allows us to develop a class of attention based deep neural networks that learn to read real documents and answer complex questions with minimal prior knowledge of language structure.20. Previous studies didn’t take constant effort to evaluate the reading ability of artificial intelligence machines, which was why the present research was conducted.True ( ) False ( )21. One implication of the research is that a methodology that helps gather and handle big data is indispensible to artificial intelligence related studies.True ( ) False ( )Questions 22-23 (Suggested completion time: 5 minutes)Directions: Read the passage about the “Think small” advertising campaign. Answer the questions according to the passage.Think SmallI f you’re interested in marketing and advertising, Volkswagen’s “Think small” campaign for the Beetle when it was first introduced to North America in 1959 looms large as one of the greatest advertising campaigns of all time. It wasn’t just a revolution in automotive advertising; it changed the entire industry.Until the Beetle hit the market, automotive marketing copy was full of bluster, and the images were flights of fancy, emphasizing low, long lines and a fantasy lifestyle.The clean, simple photography on a white background that emphasized the Beetle’s compact, practical form may seem commonplace these days, but it was a revolution in a world where Americans grew up obsessed with muscle cars,horsepower, and tire smoke. Making the car small,when the convention was to make it fill the page, wasalso novel. The simplistic approach to design andlayout was totally contrary to the advertisingconventions of the time.__ 22__ The text was minimalist in both look andcontent, presenting the facts simply instead of tryingto weave tall tales and fantasies; and instead ofbluster, it ushered in an intelligent sense of humorthat made readers feel like they were in on the joke.The message was one of smart anti-luxury, and took gentle aim at an industry obsessed with superficiality and styling, rather than the substance underneath the car bodies.Not only does “Think small” continue to inspire Volkswagen advertising to this day, it ushered in a creative revolution in the advertising business and changed the world of marketing forever. “Think small” showed the power of humo r and honesty, and its photographic and design principles brought about a major shift in the look and feel of marketing around the world.22. Which of the sentences below best fits the numbered space in the passage?A.What defined the ad even more than its visual style was the tone of itscopy.B.This ad starts off doing the exact opposite of what you would expect in acar ad.C.This was an exercise in minimalism and a very accurate reflection on theproduct itself.D.The car wasn’t depicted as an integral piece of the daily lives of a middleclass family.23. It can be inferred that the advertising conventions of the 1950s were reflected in the following except that ___________.A.the ads in the 1950s typically showed proud owners and passengersevoking great joy about new shiny big acquisitions.B.the marketing concept then focused on providing as much information aspossible to the reader such as the way it’s created.C.the marketing schemes associated the advertised product with an idea ora way of living from average consumers’ perspective.D.the marketing practice may attach importance to a sense of humorbrought by the use of exaggerated language.Part III Read and QuestionIn Part III, you will read passages on the same subject. You will be required to identify the writer’s position and evaluate the effectiveness of the writer’s arguments. (Time allowed: 30 minutes)Questions 24-35 (Suggested completion time: 30 minutes)Directions: Read three passages about fashion. Answer the questions according to the passages.Passage AIt’s not that easy to answer the question, “what is fashion?” because it means different things to different people. Fashion is an art. It’s a religion. It’s a job. It’s a peek into a personality. It’s playfulness. It’s an escape or a disguise. It is a feast for the eyes. But ultimately, 25 . French fashion designer Coco Chanel once said, “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”It’s true. Fashion isn’t defined solely by our clothing choices, but is also conveyed through the way we carry ourselves, our personalities and our views of the world. At its most fundamental, fashion is simply the prevailing style or custom, as in dress or behavior.So, who exactly answers the question “what is fashion”? Who decides what’s fashionable and what isn’t? What’s in or what’s out?Fashion Designers. The iconic fashion houses—Prada, Gucci, Chanel—are referred to as haute couture, French for “high sewing.” These designers lead the way in creating trend-setting fashion. While some of their designs are outrageous andcompletely unrealistic when it comes to everyday wear, generally the theme is adapted into versions suitable for wearing.Media. Fashion trends are often sparked by characters on popular television shows and movies as well as adopted from magazine pages. “Sex and the City,” “The Devil Wears Prada,” these shows introduced us to new, cutting-edge designs. While you might not be caught dead wearing a Carrie Bradshaw original, you might take ideas inspired from her look and piece together your own creation. Celebrities. A prime example of a celebrity-driven fashion trend? UGGs. Until Kate Hudson and Jessica Simpson were spotted wearing them around L.A. several years ago, no one had given any thought to UGG boots. Now they are everywhere.Musicians. Musicians have always been very influential when it comes to dictating fashion. Rock ‘n’ roll is fashion. Elvis is an iconic example. In the 1950s, everyone wanted to dress like Elvis. What about the heavy metal hair bands so popular in the 1980s? Axl Rose reinvented the head bandana while Poison, Motley Crue and Bon Jovi set the pace for big, rocker hair.Just because you don’t know if a Prada bag is fall 2007 or spring 2008 doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you like it and it’s an expression of you. That is fashion.Passage BFashion is more prevalent in modern society than in primitive tribes or peasant communities. The modern society is an open society where class distinctions are not so rigid as in primitive society. Its urban and mobile class structure enables people to cultivate individual taste and adopt new course. The modern society is more tolerant of differences and therefore places few shackles on the cycle of fashion. Our standards of judgment have also changed. Today the individual is rated more by observable externalities than by his ancestry, his character or his genuine accomplishments. The clothes a man wears, the language he speaks, the manners he shows have more weight in ascribing a status than his simplicity, patriotism and integrity.If he can keep himself up to date in the matters of his dress, speech and manners, he will assure himself a high social esteem. Not only the mobile and urban character of modern society but its affluence also speaks for greater prevalence of fashion in it. Men today are richer than their ancestors and have more leisure. They have the necessary means and time to play with luxuries and to think of fashion. Maclver writes: We do not think of fashion in overalls; there is more of fashion in the body of an automobile than in its chassis. There is no fashion in steam shovels. Consequently the higher the standard of living the more material there is for fashion to operate upon.Passage CAs summer has officially faded into the colder weather of autumn, I assumed the days of Nike shorts, comically large T-shirts and polos would be only a memory of yesterday. This has not been the case.Fashion, in and of itself, is already a type of conformism. In order to be considered fashion, a look, a garment or a stylistic choice must be deemed fashionable.Who gets to decide this—what is fashionable? While certain fashion heavyweights play a role in this decision, the ultimate decision is left to the public.As I was surfing the Web recently for inspiration for this column, I came across the Prada website. What I discovered literally caused me to gasp. Of course, everyone knows Prada is an expensive brand—a luxury—but what I discovered shocked me: a keychain priced at $180. No, this keychain was not solid gold or encased in diamonds. It was simply a keychain: a skull with the word “Prada” on a small charm.How can a company charge $180 for a keychain? The answer: people are willing to pay for it. People know the brand and conform to the idea of owning a piece of such an Italian “luxury.”This is nonsensical. Why do we choose to wear miniscule shorts in frigid weather or spend nearly $200 on a charm? Such decisions are influenced by peers, the media and the personal resolution to not make rational, individualistic choices. We cling to the idea of acceptance.In short, we often choose to abide by the pressures of social conventionality, and this leads us to make ridiculous selections—pairing Ugg boots with shorts or wearing neon with camouflage—which we would otherwise not make.I am certainly shamefaced in my occasional conformity to these ludicrous fashion folkways. I am guilty of donning Crocs in public. Yikes!Transient, often preposterous trends referred to as fads inspire some rather strange ideas. Who can recall the pet rocks of the ‘70s or Popples of the ‘80s? Such pop trends are not confined to behavior; they bleed into the fashion world, evidenced in overly distressed jeans, the most painful of neon shades, shoes that resemble Swiss cheese and a host of other fads I do not have the space to mention.I refuse to give up hope for societal common sense.One day we will comprehend that shorts are for the summer and ridiculously expensive keychains are for “never.” Do not allow others to dictate for you. Be bold. Be an individual. Do not buy the keychain.24. The phrase “might not be caught dead” in Passage A most probably means ______.A.would rather not die anywayB.might not be caught red handedC.would refuse completely to do somethingD.might be uneasy though doing something25. Which of the following best fits the numbered space in Passage A?A.fashion is an individual statement of expression for each of usB.fashion facilitates social change by providing a transitional stageC.fashion is not an individual choice but a group choiceD.fashion determines our speech, opinion, dress, music, art, etc.26. It can be inferred from Passage A that fashion designers, media, celebrities and musicians share the following views except ______.A.that fashion is anything but separated from the daily life of ordinarypeople.B.that nothing completely absurd and unrealistic can finally becomefashion.C.that fashion is what society accepts and has an element of social sanctionbehind it.D.tha t if a particular choice remains confined to an individual it can’t becalled fashion.27. The word “affluence” in Passage B is closest in meaning to ______.A. versatilityB. wealthinessC. peculiarityD. charisma28. According to Passage B, which of the following attributes may probably be more important than others for an individual to be favorably received now?A. A wide range of erudition.B. Loyalty to his or her friends.C. A passion for popular novels.D. Good virtues such as honesty.29. Which of the following is NOT true about the author’s attitude towards fashion according to Passage C?A.The author thinks it a waste of time mentioning a list of examples ofirrational fads.B.People are mad about fashion and therefore lose their own goodjudgment.C.The author never allows himself to be carried away by the fashion trends.D.Behind the behavior of keeping up with fashion is a need to stay in thecrowd.E.30-31. Decide whether the statements are True or False according to the three passages.30. All the three passages agree that fashion plays a role in the interplay of class relations that it satisfies the contrary desires for novelty and for conformity.True ( ) False ( )31. None of the three passages are denying conventional social values in people’s judgment, for example, what’s considered good about things or people.True ( ) False ( )Part IV Read and CreateIn Part IV, you will read a passage and then write a short essay according to it. You should write with clarity and logic. (Time allowed: 40 minutes)Question 32 (Suggested completion time: 40 minutes)Directions: Read a passage from Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting the Reason and Seeking the Truth in the Sciences. Write a short essay according to the passage.… And as a multitude of laws often only hampers justice, so that a state is best governed when, with few laws, these are rigidly administered; in like manner, instead of the great number of precepts of which logic is composed, I believed that the four following would prove perfectly sufficient for me, provided I took the firm and unwavering resolution never in a single instance to fail in observing them.The first was never to accept anything for true which I did not clearly know to be such; that is to say, carefully to avoid precipitancy and prejudice, and to comprise nothing more in my judgment than what was presented to my mind so clearly and distinctly as to exclude all ground of doubt.The second, to divide each of the difficulties under examination into as many parts as possible, and as might be necessary for its adequate solution.The third, to conduct my thoughts in such order that, by commencing with objects the simplest and easiest to know, I might ascend by little and little, and, as it were, step by step, to the knowledge of the more complex; assigning in thought a certain order even to those objects which in their own nature do not stand in a relation of antecedence and sequence.And the last, in every case to make enumerations so complete, and reviews so general, that I might be assured that nothing was omitted.The long chains of simple and easy reasonings by means of which geometers are accustomed to reach the conclusions of their most difficult demonstrations, had led me to imagine that all things, to the knowledge of which man is competent, are mutually connected in the same way, and that there is nothing so far removed from us as to be beyond our reach, or so hidden that we cannot discover it, provided only we abstain from accepting the false for the true, and always preserve in our thoughts the order necessary for the deduction of one truth from another. And I had little difficulty in determining the objects with which it was necessary to commence, for I was already persuaded that it must be with the simplest and easiest to know, and, considering that of all those who have hitherto sought truth in the sciences, the mathematicians alone have been able to find any demonstrations, that is, any certain and evident reasons, I did not doubt but that such must have been the rule of their investigations.32. Answer the topic questions with no less than 300 words. You should write in YOUR OWN words:What is the main issue that Descartes explores in this part of the text, and w hat’s his method? What’s your OWN understanding of the methods proposed by Descartes?。

2017阅读大赛样卷(完整资料).doc

【最新整理，下载后即可编辑】2017“外研社杯”全国英语阅读大赛初赛试卷Read and CreateYou will read a passage and then write a short essay according to it. You should write with clarity and logic. (Time allowed: 40 minutes)Question 32 (Suggested completion time: 40 minutes) Directions: Read a passage from Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting the Reason and Seeking the Truth in the Sciences. Write a short essay according to the passage.… And as a multitude of laws often only hampers justice, so that a state is best governed when, with few laws, these are rigidly administered; in like manner, instead of the great number of precepts of which logic is composed, I believed that the four following would prove perfectly sufficient for me, provided I took the firm and unwavering resolution never in a single instance to fail in observing them.The first was never to accept anything for true which I did not clearly know to be such; that is to say, carefully to avoid precipitancy and prejudice, and to comprise nothing more in my judgment than what was presented to my mind so clearly and distinctly as to exclude all ground of doubt.The second, to divide each of the difficulties under examination into as many parts as possible, and as might be necessary for its adequate solution.The third, to conduct my thoughts in such order that, by commencing with objects the simplest and easiest to know, I might ascend by little and little, and, as it were, step by step, to the knowledge of the more complex; assigning in thought a certain order even to those objects which in their own nature do not stand in a relation of antecedence and sequence.And the last, in every case to make enumerations so complete, and reviews so general, that I might be assured that nothing was omitted.The long chains of simple and easy reasonings by means of which geometers are accustomed to reach the conclusions of their most difficult demonstrations, had led me to imagine that all things, to the knowledge of which man is competent, are mutually connected in the same way, and that there is nothing so far removed from us as to be beyond our reach, or so hidden that we cannot discover it, provided only we abstain from accepting the false for the true, and always preserve in our thoughts the order necessary for the deduction of one truth from another. And I had little difficulty in determining the objects with which it was necessary to commence, for I was already persuaded that it must be with the simplest and easiest to know, and, considering that of all those who have hithertosought truth in the sciences, the mathematicians alone have been able to find any demonstrations, that is, any certain and evident reasons, I did not doubt but that such must have been the rule of their investigations.Answer the topic questions with no less than 300 words. You should write in YOUR OWN words:What is the main issue that Descartes explores in this part of the text, and w hat’s his method? What’s your OWN understanding of the methods proposed by Descartes? 2017“外研社杯”全国英语阅读大赛初赛答题纸Read and Create。

2017“外研社杯”全国英语阅读大赛初赛样题.doc

2017“外研社杯”全国英语阅读大赛初赛（90min）Part I Read and KnowIn Part I, you will read short texts of various kinds. Read the instructions carefully and answer the questions. (Time suggested: 20 minutes) Questions 1-3 (Suggested completion time: 3 minutes)Directions: Read the following quotes. Match the quotes with the people. Please note there are three extra options you do not need._____1. Fair is foul, and foul is fair: Hover through the fog A. William ShakespeareB. Nelson Mandelaand filthy air.C. Thomas A. Edison_____2. I haven ’ t failed. I ’ ve just found 10,000 ways thatwon’ t work. D. Steve JobsE. Mark Zuckerberg_____3. Design is not just what it looks like and feels like.F. Lucius Annaeus SenecaDesign is how it works.Questions 4 (Suggested completion time: 2 minutes)Directions: Read the text, and answer the question according to the text.A few intuitive, sensitive visionaries may understand and comprehend XXXX(the book title), XXXX(the author) ’ s new and mammoth volume, withoutgoing through a course of training or instruction, but the average intelligent reader will glean little or nothing from it —even from careful perusal, one might properly say study, of it —save bewilderment and a sense of disgust. It should be companioned with a key and a glossary like the Berlitz books...4. Which of the following works does the book review address?A.UlyssesB.The OdysseyC.In Search of Lost TimeD.One Hundred Years of SolitudeQuestion 5 (Suggested completion time: 2 minutes)Directions: Read the text and answer the question according to the text.I like the fact that the study focuses on a French classroom, which receives less attentionin Second Language Acquisition research than other foreign language classrooms.However, for reasons that I elaborate on below, I do not recommend this manuscript for publication. I recommend that the author consults the Journal of Language, Identity, and Education. That journal might be a better fit for this paper.5. The text could best be described as __________.A. a conclusionB. a summaryC. a reviewD. a pledgeQuestion 6 (Suggested completion time: 2 minutes)Directions: Read the text, and answer the question according to the text.My Lord,I have been lately informed, by the proprietor of The World , that two papers, in which my Dictionary is recommended to the public, were written by your lordship. To be so distinguished isan honor which, being very little accustomed to favors from the great, I know not well how to receive, or in what terms to acknowledge.Seven years, my lord, have now passed, since I waited in your outward rooms, or was repulsed from your door; during which time I have been pushing on my work through difficulties,of which it is useless to complain, and have brought it, at last, to the verge of publication, withoutone act of assistance, one word of encouragement, or one smile of favor. Such treatment I didnot expect, for I never had a patron before.6. This text is taken from a letter which showed the writer’s__________ the Lord.A.gratitude towardsB.indifference toC.contempt forD.respect forQuestion 7 (Suggested completion time: 2 minutes)Directions: Read the text and answer the question according to the text.Because of social media, words are moving around theworld within weeks and months, whereas in the past, itcould take a few years, says Julie Coleman, author of TheLife of Slang.“ It’ s not necessarily that language is changingmore quickly, but technologies have developed and theyallow the transmission of slang terms to pass from onegroup to another much more quickly.”7. The main purpose of the text is to ________.A.explain the quick migration of slangB.imply the unnecessary change of languageC.exemplify the advancement of technologyD.introduce the book The Life of SlangQuestions 8 (Suggested completion time: 2 minutes)Directions: Read the text, and answer the question according to the text.When hunting raccoons for fur was a popular sport, huntingdogs were used to sniff them out of trees. As they are XXXXanimals, the hunting party had to work at night, and the dogswould sometimes end up choosing the wrong tree, or as the idiomgoes, “ bark up the wrong tree. ” The term was first printed in a book byDavy Crockett in 1833.8. Which word is the best substitution for the missing word XXXX?A.solitaryB.aggressiveC.nocturnalD.herbivorousQuestion 9 (Suggested completion time: 2 minutes)Directions: Read the details about a euphemism, and answer the question according to the details.It was first used by British journalists in 1967 to describe a state ofalcohol intoxication exhibited by Labour Cabinet Minister George Brown.It is now used as a stock phrase. The Guardian describes it as having joinedthose that“ are part of every journali st s’vocabulary. ”In fact, one source cautions professional British journalists against itsuse “even if the journalist meant it literally .”9. The euphemism described above most probably refers to __________.A.people with special needsB.downright overwroughtC.tired and emotionalD.mentally challengedQuestion 10 (Suggested completion time: 5 minutes)Directions: The bar chart shows the share of UN procurement from Global Compact members from 2010 to 2014. Answer the question according to the information in the chart.Source: 2014 Annual Statistical Report on United Nations Procurement , the United Nations Office for Project Services, 201510. Choose the INCORRECT description of the chart.A.The share of UN procurement volume from Global Compact members grew steadily over thefive years in terms of absolute volume.B.In 2013, the total procurement volume dropped noticeably, and so did the procurement fromGlobal Compact members.C.In 2014, the total procurement volume increased greatly, causing a drop in the share ofprocurement from Global Compact members.D.The proportion of procurement from Global Compact members was not in line with the generaltrend of procurement from Global Compact members.Part II Read and ReasonIn Part II, you will read short texts on different subjects. Read the instructions carefully and answer the questions based on logical inference and reasoning. (Time suggested: 40 minutes)Question 11 (Suggested completion time: 3 minutes)Directions: Read the following definition of a logical fallacy. Answer the question according tothe definition.Confusion of“ Necessary” with“ Sufficient” ConditionA causal fallacy. You commit this fallacy when you assume that a necessary condition ofan event is sufficient for the event to occur. A necessary condition is a condition thatmust be present for an event to occur. A sufficient condition is a condition or set ofconditions that will produce the event. A necessary condition must be there, but it alonedoes not provide sufficient cause for the occurrence of the event. Only the sufficientgrounds can do this. In other words, all of the necessary elements must be there.11. Which of the following provides a typical example of Confusion of“ Necessary” with“ Sufficient” Condition?A.You said that I would have to run the mile in less than six minutes to be on the track team,and I did. So why did I get cut from the team?B.Dina has to be rich or at least to be an heiress. She after all belongs to the Alpha Phi Lambdasorority which is the richest sorority on campus.C. It ’ s supposed to be in the low twenties tonight, so surely we ’ re not going to the football game, are we?D.To see viruses, one must have a microscope. This follows if William Carroll said hesaw viruses, he must have used a microscope.Question 12 (Suggested completion time: 3 minutes)Directions: Read the definition of one type of logical fallacy. Answer the question according to thedefinition.Texas Sharpshooter FallacyTexas Sharpshooter fallacy is an informal fallacy which occurs when someonejumps to the that a cluster in some data must be the result of a cause, usually onethat it is clustered around.12. Which of the following provides a typical example of Texas Sharpshooter fallacy?A. I won ’ t pay the parking ticket because the traffic sign here says“ Fine for Parking”B.Cola is healthy because it sells best among the top five healthiest countries in the world.C.We can’texploit the outer space because many people on Earth hardly make ends meet.D.Nobody at school can speak French because neither teachers nor the principal can speak it.Questions 13-14 Reasoning. (Suggested completion time: 8 minutes)In a swimming competition, Matt, Alen and Johnson won a medal respectively: the gold medal,the silver medal and the bronze medal. The coach made a guess : Matt“ won the gold medal, Alendidn ’twin the gold medal and Johnson didn ’twin the bronze medal . ”Unfortunately, only one ofthem is right.13. Who won the gold medal, who won the silver, and who won the bronze medal?A.Matt: gold medal; Johnson: silver medal; Alen: bronze medal.B.Alen: gold medal; Johnson: silver medal; Matt: bronze medal.C.Johnson: gold medal; Alen: silver medal; Matt: bronze medal.D.Matt: gold medal; Alen: silver medal; Johnson: bronze medal.14. Richard: The national budget should provide significant increases in all levels of education inthe upcoming year.Natalie: That’s not fair. A reduction in defense spending in peacetime may bring us excessiverisks. We can’ t afford it.Which of the following is the best interpretation of Natalie’ s argument?A.Funds saved from defense have been diverted to all levels of education.B.Highlighting spending on education dangerously impacts on spending on the military.C. The size of the military budget reflects a state’ s ability to fund educational activities.pared with military spending, investing in education will create a financial crisis.Questions 15-16 (Suggested completion time: 5 minutes)Directions: Read the text and decide whether the statements are True or False according tothe text.QuestionsQuestions define tasks, express problems, and delineateissues. They drive thinking forward. Answers, on the otherhand, often signal a full stop in thought. Only when ananswer generates further questions does thought continue as inquiry. A mind with no questions is a mind that is not intellectually alive. No questions (asked) equals no understanding (achieved). Superficial questions equal superficial understanding, unclear questions equal unclear understanding. If your mind is not actively generating questions, you are not engaged in substantial learning.15. The main purpose of the text is to define“ questions”.True () False ( )16.It can be inferred that a mind filled with questions will surely be engaged in substantial learning.True ( ) False ( )Questions 17-18 (Suggested completion time: 7 minutes)Directions: Read the text about the sugar industry, and answer the questions according to the information in the text.How the Sugar Industry Shifted Blame to FatThe internal sugar industry documents, recently discovered by a researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, and published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine , suggest that thesugar industry may have manipulated the research into the role of sugar in heart disease.The documents show that a trade group called the Sugar Research Foundation, known today as the Sugar Association, paid three Harvard scientists the equivalent of about $50,000 in today terms to publish a 1967 review of research into sugar, fat and heart disease. The studies used in the reviewwere handpicked by the sugar group, and the article, which was published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine , minimized the link between sugar and heart health and castaspersions on the role of saturated fat.Even though the influence-meddling revealed in the documents dates back nearly 50 years,more recent reports show that the food industry has continued to influence nutrition science.Last year, an article in The New York Times revealed that Coca- Cola, the world’ s largest producer of sugary beverages, had provided millions of dollars in funding to researchers who sought to playdown the link between sugary drinks and obesity. In June, The Associated Press reported thatcandy makers were funding studies that claimed that children who eat candy tend to weigh less than those who do not.The revelations are important because the debate about the relative harms of sugar and saturatedfat continues today, Dr. Glantz said. For many decades, health officials encouraged Americans to reduce their fat intake, which led many people to consume low-fat, high-sugarfoods that some experts now blame for fueling the obesity crisis.Today, the saturated fat warnings still remain a cornerstone of the government ’dietarys guidelines, though in recent years the American Heart Association, the World Health Organization and other health authorities have also begun to warn that too much added sugarmay increase risks of cardiovascular disease.17. The word handpicked in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to __________.A.carefully chosen in a highly scientific wayB.carried out with the best research findingsC.tailored to the needs of the sugar industryD.done by scientists from Harvard University18. Which of the following can be inferred from the text?A.Manufacturers of sugar related food are funding studies aimed at finding the relationshipbetween sugar and health.B.Scientific research may not produce accurate results when funding for the research is providedby agents who are not impartial.C.It is now accepted in the US that sugar and saturated fat are both responsible for an increasingrisk of heart disease.D.The industry-funded research plays an important and informative role in that it shapes theoverall scientific debate.Questions 19-20 (Suggested completion time: 7 minutes)Directions: Read the passage about MasterCard. Answer the questions according to the passage.MasterCardis making it easier for charities to get help quickly to the people who really need it, and ensurethat donations are actually being used for good. The MasterCard Aid Network, launched last September, distributes a version of the company ’splastic cards that come loaded with points that can be redeemed at certain merchants for groceries, medicine, shelter and even building materials or business supplies. The chip-enabled system can be deployed in a day or two compared to the weeks required to create and import paper vouchers.The system doesn’trequire an Internet connection —a boon in off-the-grid areas where many refugees and disaster victims are concentrated. Still, the transactions enable organizations to collect data on what card recipients redeem, allowing charities to protect against fraudulent use and gather insight into beneficiaries ’needs.So far, organizations including Save the Children, World Vision and Mercy Corps have distributed cards to more than 75,000 people, from earthquake victims in Nepal to those in war-torn Yemen. MasterCard, which charges the charities fees for the service, says the program is profitable. The United Nations also recently named MasterCard the leader of an initiative to improve the distribution of humanitarian aid in emergencies, with a focus on the data management and privacy aspect.19. What is the passage mainly about?A.How MasterCard as for-profit company joins hands with world charity organizations.B.How MasterCard can keep an edge by its technological innovation in the world market.C.How MasterCard made its transformation from a for-profit company to a non-profit one.D.How MasterCard shortened the path between troubled populations and the aid they need.20. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?A. Without the efforts of the Company, charities could not have protected against fraudulent useof donations.B.MasterCard will perform a more important role in the international rescue and aid programswith technology developments.C.The plastic cards the MasterCard Aid Network distributes to needed people are similar to creditcards but paid by donators.D.MasterCard earns money from charging fees for service and then gives the money to refugeesand natural disaster victims.Questions 21-23 (Suggested completion time: 7 minutes)Directions: Read the text about virtual reality and augmented reality, and answer thequestions according to the information in the text.Virtual Reality vs. Augmented RealityOne of the biggest confusions in the world of augmented reality is the difference between augmented reality and virtual reality. Both are earning a lot of media attention and are promising tremendous growth.Virtual reality (VR) is an artificial, computer-generated simulation or recreation of a real-life environment or situation. It immerses the user by making them feel they are experiencing the simulated reality firsthand, primarily by stimulating their vision and hearing.Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that layers computer-generated enhancements atop andeveloped into apps and used on mobile devices to blend digital components into the real worldin such a way that they enhance one another, but can also be told apart easily.Augmented reality and virtual reality are similar in that both are inverse reflections of one in another with what each technology seeks to accomplish and deliver for the user. Virtual reality offers a digital recreation of a real-life setting, while augmented reality delivers virtual elementsas an overlay to the real world. Both leverage some of the same types of technology, and theyeach exist to serve the user with an enhanced or enriched experience.However, the two also differ from each other in various ways. Augmented reality enhances experiences by adding virtual components such as digital images, graphics, or sensations as a new layer of interaction with the real world. It is being used more and more in mobile devicessuch as laptops, smart phones, and tablets to change how the real world and digital images, graphics intersect and interact. Contrastingly, virtual reality creates its own reality that is completely computer generated and driven. It is usually delivered to the user through a head-mounted or hand-held controller. This equipment connects people to the virtual reality, and allows them to control and navigate their actions in an environment meant to simulate the real world.21-23. Which THREE of the following statements can be inferred from the text?A.Augmented reality shows virtual elements on top of the real world, while virtual reality recreatesreal-life situations in a digital way.B. A virtual reality dressing room may allow shoppers to virtually try on their purchasesquickly and easily without really having to put them on.C.Virtual reality is able to transpose us by taking us to some other place, while augmented reality,in contrast, never moves us elsewhere.D.With augmented reality, you can , and with virtual reality, you can .E.Both augmented and virtual realities utilize some of the same types of technology andoffer people enriched experiences .F.Augmented reality will enable an immobile patient to go out of the room and enjoyhis/her favorite sights, sounds and smells in the country.Part III Read and QuestionIn Part III, you will read passageson the same subject. You will be required to identify the writer ’position and evaluate the effectiveness of the writer ’ s arguments. (Time allowed: 30 minutes)Questions 24-31 (Suggested completion time: 30 minutes)Passage ANonverbal communication is often spontaneous and unintentional, and its meaning may be ambiguous. For one thing, different nonverbal codes can indicate the same meaning while one nonverbal code can have different meanings in diverse contexts. Think about your expression of love toward your parents. Have your affective words or behavior remained the same over the past 18 years? Do you feel the same when a friend gives you a hug at the news that you have failed an exam and at the time when you have won an award? In addition, people may use masking, a facial management technique, to replace an expression of true feeling with one appropriate for a given interaction. For instance, your friend Mary is suffering from a fever butstill smiles at you to co nfirm that she ’ s OK.Culture, technology, and situation all serve as powerful influences on our nonverbal behavior. What may be an innocent gesture in one group, context, region, or country can convey a different and possibly offensive message elsewhere. For example, American people are accustomed to making direct eye contact when speaking to someone, whether a friend or a professor. However,in some East Asian cultures, such as China, Japan, and South Korea, direct eye contact in interactive communication is not required. In fact, such long-time direct eye contact, when facing superiors or elders, might be considered a sign of disrespect and challenge. Similarly, some cultures are contact cultures so that touch is an important form of communication, whereas other cultures are non-contact cultures so touching is generally avoided. For example, a socially polite touch involves a handshake between American men but may include a kiss between Arabor European men. Some religions prohibit opposite-sex touching between unmarried or unrelated individuals.Nonverbal communication can be found in our electronic written communication such as email,text messaging, and Internet chat rooms.25We use all capital letters to indicate shouting, random punctuation (#@*&!) to substitute for obscenities, and type treatments suchas boldfacing and italicizing for emphasis. We use color, font styles and sizes, animations, figures, diagrams, and pictures in attempts to express emotion or help users visualize the sender or the message in context. We expect others to use emoticons to express emotion in mediated texts (). Since we can’ t hear voice inflection or see facial expressionsmany mediated situations, your preferences for screen text size, whether you leave a few explanatory lines, and whetheryou attach or compress files all say something about you to others. As the Internet allows usersto have visual, audio, and text contact, with refinements, speakers have the potential to be even more persuasive than in face-to-face conversations across distances.Passage BNo one likes taking out the garbage. But in Japan the chore is compounded by an added element:The neighbors are watching. No, I’ m not being paranoid. They’ re watching.Every time I take my trash down to the curb, in its regulation translucent white bag, I can feeltheir eyes peering through the plastic at my milk cartons, my egg containers, and mydisposable chopsticks. They can see everything.I first realized my garbage and I were not alone on a Monday a few months ago, when I was bringingdown a bag of old cereal boxes, soggy refrigerator leftovers, and coffee grounds. My landlady, wholives on the first floor, was outside watering her garden. Her eyes took in the contents of my trash.“ No, today is Monday. It’ s plastics day,” she said.“ Oh,” I replied,“ I guess they changed- uptheschedulepick.” Her eyes fluttered to the ground,studiously avoiding mine.“ No, Monday has always been plastics day,” she said.Over the next few minutes, in the muddled mix of Japanese and English we use to communicate,my landlady explained that she often would take my garbage away if I had put it out on the wrongday, store it in her house, and then bring it out again on the proper day.As I walked back upstairs, lugging m y unwanted trash, it hit me: For the year and a half since I’been living in the apartment, she ’beend watching me, peeping from behind her rose bushes:scurrying to the curb after I ’beend there, checking to see whether I ’followed the correctgarbage protocol. That ’whens I learned the hard truth: When it comes to garbage in Japan, there ’ sno such thing as privacy. Garbage is public property, something to which your neighbors can claimsnooping privileges. As a foreigner in this homogenous land, my activities garner moreattention, and more criticism, than most. I’ ve started wondering what else my neighbors notice.What else am I doing wrong?What I found most disturbing about the exchange was that my landlady had been reluctant for solong to confront me directly. We see each other constantly, sometimes we have pleasant little chats,or she comes upstairs when something is broken. Yet she could never bear to tell me that Ihad mixed up the trash schedule. Pointing out one’ s mistakes is consideredJapan. rude inAs a foreigner with rudimentary Japanese, I expected the language barrier to be the biggestobstacle to living here. I was wrong. Learning to navigate Japan, perhaps any foreign country, is allabout reading the subtle cultural cues, not the alphabet. Most things in Japan remain unspoken,especially the improper and the unpleasant.Passage CThe most powerful voice you have, no one else can hear. It is a voice shaping your destiny, abilityto cope with triumph or disaster, and how you engage with and inspire others in any quest youface. This voice ultimately determines your success as a communicator and the success of your communications. It is the voice within your head.The starting point for being an outstanding public relations communicator is recognizing thatyou deliver communications not just through your words, signs or gestures. Nor do you deliverjust through your body language. You communicate through the way you think.You probably know of people who can easily comment on other people ’ s problems but are blind to their own shortcomings. The ability to understand yourself, your own emotions, and know how your mind works is known as your intrapersonal skill. Having self-awareness and understanding of yourself makes it possible subsequently to develop fully your interpersonal skills. Your intrapersonal skill is essentially how you can manage your own thinking —the ability to understand how your thinking works and ultimately master the voice in your head.Everyone has an inner voice that creates an internal dialogue, a self-talk, which shapes and progresses their thinking and communication. (Your self-talk is not a sign of delusional behavior!)This self-talk lies at the heart of your subsequent communications. If you are unclear in your mind about how you feel and understand about an issue, the probability is that your subsequent communications will reflect this uncertainty, or fail to convince.The image of Sir Bob Geldof when he launched Band Aid in 1984 is a good example of someonewith a clear sense of passion and belief, who initially had limited resources—at the outset his campaign was just him and his intense reaction to watching BBC news coverage of famine scenes in Ethiopia. Yet he succeeded in creating a major brand and raising valuable funds for famine relief.His clear sense of purpose fueled his passion to overcome the odds. A committed communityactivist can likewise often outwit and outperform a well-oiled and well-funded formal public relations programme; witness the success of groups like Greenpeace against major oil companies.The potential of the focused few was recognized by sociologist Margaret Mead: “ Neverdoubtthat a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the onlything that ever has. ”The starting point for your journey in understanding and becoming an outstanding public relations communicator is to examine what shapes your thinking and how it is manifested in your communications.24. Which statement is true about the ambiguity of nonverbal communication?A.It leads to vagueness in nonverbal codes in a given context.B.Intended meanings of nonverbal codes cannot be conveyed fully.C.It stems from the spontaneity and randomness of nonverbal codes.D.True feelings can be hidden by the ambiguity of nonverbal codes.。

2017外研社杯全国英语写作样题

2017外研社杯英语写作大赛样题篇1Sample task 1Write a passage based on the chart below, which shows the influences of various factors on work performance in two age groups. You should summarize the features of the two groups and make comparisons. You should write about 600 words.Sample task 2Write a passage to introduce the Chinese Moon Festival to foreigners. You should write about 600 words.English Reading Contest2017外研社杯英语写作大赛样题篇2Read the story starter and continue the story. Complete the story in 600-800 words.The little man came up to me as I was about to enter the telephone box, and asked me whether I had a match.“I’m sorry,”I said. “I don’t smoke, so I haven’t any. You had better ask someone else.”He looked rather disappointed, hesitated, and then turned away. I watched him walk slowly down the street before I picked up the telephone directory to look up the number I meant to dial. I am not used to a public call box so, at my first attempt to get through, the warning pips had stopped before I realized I had to insert a coin.When I was at last able to speak, I was told that the person whom I urgently wanted to give a message to had just that minute gone out.Swearing slightly under my breath, I emerged from the box and came face to face with the little man, who was looking as pathetic as a stray dog. As he raised his hat again, I could see he was quitebald. A thin line, resembling a duelling scar, crossed one cheek. He spoke nervously.“Excuse my troubling you again,”he said. “May I walk along with you a little way? I must confide in someone. I need help desperately.”2017外研社杯英语写作大赛样题篇3Write a passage in response to the report below. You should discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the report and explain your reasons for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the report’s opinion might or might not hold true and explain how these considerations shape your position. You should write about 800 words.Newsweek, the venerable weekly publication that will be remembered for its decades-longeffortsfor a spot on consumers’coffee tables, has shut down its print edition at the end of 2012, but it lives onin a new digital tablet edition known as Newsweek Global. As Tina Brown, the Newsweek editor, said,this tablet edition will target a “new highly mobile, opinion-leading audience who want to learn aboutworld events in a sophisticated context.”The move should not shock. The publication has faced major financial problems in recent years. The numbers tell the tale: Newsweek’s circulation has fallen in the number of subscribers from 3 million to 1.5 million in the last decade; annual losses were thought to be $40 million. More broadly,the company faces a more existential problem in that a “weekly news”magazine has become an anachronism in the digital world.Newsweek is not the only one that has to tackle the challenge in the digital time; other outlets will continue to change their business models for a digital future. With the “imminent death”of print,digital formats come out as an inevitable development that could turn the industry’s fortune around.Sample task 2Read the following two paragraphs with contradicting views, and write a passage on the issue. You should clearly state your opinion and explain the reasons for your opinion. You should write about 800 words.Tablets are the ideal system of organization in schools. They are convenient, in which muchinformation is stored in small sizes and kept together in one place, and cheap, as digital informationis now becoming more affordable than print. As evolution continues to rock the modern world, digitaldevices will become more and more reliable. Someday, they will entirely replace print books, and hopefully, that day will come soon.Many may argue that tablets are much more convenient than paper books. But not everyone sharesthis preference of tablets or finds them convenient. In fact, in a study conducted by Book Industry Study Group (BISG), it was found that 75% of college students preferred traditional textbooks in which they can highlight the key words and write notes. Also, some may suggest that it is cheaper toinvest in tablets than textbooks. In fact, in a 2008 study of public schools in Kentucky it was estimatedthat the cost of textbooks and supplies totaled around $44 million. The cost per school was around $988for textbooks and supplies. That is roughly the cost of only two tablets. To provide tablets to all thestudents in a school would be an enormous sum. Therefore, we may conclude that while tablets have。

“外研社杯”全国英语写作大赛初赛样题.pptx

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65.2%
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Have you noticed that when different people google the same thing, for example, “Chinese culture” or “America”, they get different search results? Websites selectively guess which information is appropriate to a user based on his/her location, past-click behavior and search history, and tailor information and recommendations accordingly. The more one uses the Internet, the more likely one is kept away from different opinions, and trapped in one’s own cultural ideological bubble. The situation worsens when Internet-boosted social networks creep into every corner of our lives. Although there seems to be a large amount of information updated almost every second, the information is only available from people’s friend-circles or the subscriptions (公众号) they choose. Beyond these circles and choices, people do not really have access to the unknown. They become imprisoned in a confined world.

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“外研社杯”全国英语阅读大赛样题Part I Read and KnowIn Part I, you will read short texts of various kinds. Read the instructions carefully and answer the questions. (Time allowed: 22 minutes) Questions 1-3 (Suggested completion time: 5 minutes)Directions: Read the following quotes. Match the quotes on the left with the people on the right. Please note there are two extra options you do not need to use.Questions 4 (Suggested completion time: 2 minutes)Directions: Read the text, and answer the question according to the text.To ensure the high standards of facilities we need to build new wards, laboratories and consulting rooms. In short, we need your help now. Complete the coupon today and rest assured that your donation is going to the best possible cause.4. Where is the piece of text taken from?A. an advertisementB. an instruction bookletC. a storyD. a newspaperQuestions 5 (Suggested completion time: 2 minutes)Directions: Read the text, and answer the question according to the text.Few corners of the world remain untainted by intrepid tourists, and their impact is often devastating. Too frequently they trample heedlessly on fragile environments, displacing wildlife and local populations in their insatiable quest for unexplored locations.5. What is the best title for this text?A. The future of tourismB. The role of tourismC. The price of tourismD. The benefits of tourismQuestions 6 (Suggested completion time: 2 minutes)Directions: Read the text, and answer the question according to the text.Buying and selling anything is your forte now. If you visit a jumble or car-boot sale or the like, a romantic encounter is more than probable! News linked to the family is brilliant!6. What type of text is this?A. A personal advertisement.B. A personal horoscope.C. A friend’s letter of advice.D. A written warning.Questions 7 (Suggested completion time: 2 minutes)Directions: Read the text, and answer the question according to the text.With our travel agency, the holiday you book is the holiday you get. If you arrive and find we’ve failed to live up to our promises, let us know what the problem is within one day of your arrival. We’ll spend 24 hours doing everything possible to sort the problem out. In the unlikely event that we can’t resolve your problem and make you happy within 24 hours, we’ll fly you home and give your money back.7. The text could best be described as __________.A. a commitmentB. an appealC. a warningD. a vowQuestions 8 (Suggested completion time: 2 minutes)Directions: Read the text, and answer the question according to the text.The new digital cameras are great fun and very easy to use. They let you review your pictures the moment you take them, so you can re-shoot right away if you’re not satisfied. But remember, a digital camera is just a computer XXXX. It’s not a replacement for your ordinary camera.8. What is the meaning of the missing word (XXXX) in the text?A. “something that is poor quality”B. “an item that is not essential, something extra”C. “something expensive but good value for money”D. “a fashion which always remains popular”Questions 9 (Suggested completion time: 2 minutes)Directions: Read the text, and answer the question according to the text.She had gone alone, but the children were to go to the station to meet her. And loving the station as they did, it was only natural that they should be there a good hour before there was any chance of Mother’s train arriving, even if the train were punctual, which was most unlikely.9. What can you say about their mother’s train?A. It would probably be early.B. It would probably be on time.C. It would probably be late.D. It had been cancelled.Question 10 (Suggested completion time: 5 minutes)Directions: The bar chart shows the number and proportion of undernourished people in the developing regions, from 1990¬1992 to 2014¬2016. Answer the question according to the information in the chart.Source: The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Report201510. Choose the INCORRECT description about the chart.A.Current estimates suggest that nearly one in nine individuals do nothave enough to eat between 2014 and 2016.B.Projections indicate that the 2015 MDG target is nearly reached, with12.9 per cent of undernourished population.C.The situation noticeably improved during the years 1995-1999, butwent down in the first five years of the new millennium.D.The proportion of undernourished people in the developing regionshas fallen by almost half since 1990.Part II Read and ReasonIn Part II, you will read short texts on different subjects. Read the instructions carefully and answer the questions based on logical inference and reasoning. (Time allowed: 38 minutes)Question 11-12 (Suggested completion time: 10 minutes)Directions: Read the definitions of two types of logical fallacy. Answer the questions according to the definitions.11. Which of the following provides a typical example of poisoning the well?A. That’s my stance on funding the education system, and anyone whodisagrees with me hates children.B. You are so weird. That means—we are pretty much sure—that your wholefamily is weird, too.C. God exists because the Bible says so. The Bible is inspired. Therefore,we know that God exists.D. I don’t care what you say. We don’t need any more bookshelves. Aslong as the carpet is clean, we are fine.12. Which of the following provides a typical example of a false dilemma?A. Smoking is harmful to health, so you are supposed to quit smoking.B. If the government doesn’t reduce public spending, our economy will collapse.C. You may as well avoid overeating, or else you might be obese in no time.D. You are the worst of the classmates; therefore, what you say is incredible.Questions 13 (Suggested completion time: 4 minutes)Directions: Read the passage about syllogism. Decide whether the reasonings are Valid or Invalid based on the principles of syllogism.Syllogism is a kind of logical argument that applies deductive reasoning to arrive at a conclusion based on two or more propositions that are asserted or assumed to be true. It is perhaps today’s most commonly accepted form of logical reasoning in aptitude tests. The most commonly used type of syllogisms is elucidated in a frequently used example:Premise 1: All men are mortal.Premise 2: Socrates is a man.Conclusion: Socrates is mortal.Now practice syllogisms for IQ tests. Please note that the conclusion is based on logical reasoning and doesn’t necessarily represent the “truth”always.13. Valid ( ); Invalid ( )Premise 1: All human action is conditioned by circumstances.Premise 2: All human action involves morality.Conclusion: All that involves morality is conditioned by circumstances. Questions 14 (Suggested completion time: 4 minutes)Directions: Read the passage about contraposition. Decide whether the reasonings are Valid or Invalid based on the principles of contraposition.In logic, contraposition is a law that says that a conditional statement is logically equivalent to its contrapositive. The contrapositive of the statement has its antecedent and consequent inverted and flipped. The most commonly used type of contraposition is elucidated in the following example:Premise 1: If it is raining, then there are clouds in the sky.Premise 2: There are no clouds in the sky.Conclusion: It is not raining.Now practice contraposition for IQ tests. Please note that the conclusion is based on logical reasoning and doesn’t necessarily represent the “truth”always.14. Valid ( ); Invalid ( )Premise 1: If he is not an American, he is not from Texas.Premise 2: He is from Texas.Conclusion: He is an American.Questions 15-17 (Suggested completion time: 6 minutes)Directions: Read the text about a science discovery. Answer the questions according to the text.Manipulating MemoryMemory is notoriously malleable. Our recollectionsfade and take on new meanings; sometimes we rememberthings that never even happened. But 15 .Recently, however, scientists have started to grasp and tinker with memory’s physical basis. Last year, in work evocative of films such as EternalSunshine of the Spotless Mind and Inception, researchers discovered ways to manipulate specific memories in mice using optogenetics, a powerful technique that can trigger nerve cells in animals’ brains by zapping them with beams of laser light. In a series of experiments, they showed that they could delete existing memories and “incept” false ones.This year, researchers went even further: switching the emotional content of a memory in mice from bad to good and vice versa. Under the laser, for example, male mice that had once associated a certain room with being shocked were tricked into acting as though they had once met friendly female mice there instead.Whether the mice in these experiments actually experienced vivid false memories or just a fuzzy sense of pleasure or fear is unclear. Nor is it clear whether the findings apply to the tricks of memory so familiar to people. Long-sought therapeutic advances, such as treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder, could remain far off. One thing is certain, however: Once considered beyond scientific dissection, memory is finally starting to yield its secrets.15. Which of the following best fits the numbered space in the passage?A.what is really happening in our brain as memories are remodeledremains mysteriousB.scientists are curious about why people are oblivious to what havehappened to themC.advanced technology has helped scientists discover the workings ofour brainD.some scientists argue that what we observe about human memory is notwhat it really is16. The word “incept” is closest in meaning to ________.A. operateB. startC. detectD. occupy17. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?A.People’s false memories result from the impact of different emotionprovoked by later experience on the same spot.B.The success in research indicates that it won’t be long that a therapyis worked out for people disturbed by painful memory.C.By zapping the brain cells of mice with light, researchers are ableto create, erase, or alter their memories, good or bad.D.Many fancy ideas in science fictions or movies that are based on themactually draw greatly upon scientific achievement.Questions 18-19 (Suggested completion time: 4 minutes)Directions: Read the following passage about cholera. Decide whether the statements are True or False according to the passage.A child receives the oral cholera vaccine ShancholCholera is caused by a bacterial infection of the intestine. Approximately one in 20 people infected with cholera has a serious case, with symptoms including severe diarrhea, vomiting, and leg cramps. These symptoms quickly cause dehydration and shock, and can result in death within hours if the infected person doesn’t receive treatment. Cholera is typically transmitted by contaminated food or water. In areas with poor treatment of sewage and drinking water, the feces of people with cholera can enter the water supply and spread quickly, resulting in an epidemic. The cholera bacterium may also live in the environment in some coastal waters, so shellfish eaten raw can be a source of cholera in affected areas.18. Cholera is known to be a life-threatening disease which easily causes death of most of the patients.True ( ) False ( )19. Cholera typically occurs in areas near the sea or the river where contaminated food is a major source of the disease.True ( ) False ( )Questions 20-21 (Suggested completion time: 5 minutes)Directions: Read the abstract of a research paper from the DeepMind website. Decide whether the statements are True or False according to the abstract.Teaching Machines to Read and ComprehendAuthors: K. M. Hermann, T. Kočiský, E. Grefenstette, L. Espeholt, W. Kay, M. Suleyman, P. BlunsomPublished: NIPS 2015Abstract: Teaching machines to read natural language documents remains an elusive challenge. Machine reading systems can be tested on their ability to answer questions posed on the contents of documents that they have seen, but until now large scale training and test datasets have been missing for this type of evaluation. In this work we define a new methodology that resolves this bottleneck and provides large scale supervised reading comprehension data. This allows us to develop a class of attention based deep neural networks that learn to read real documents and answer complex questions with minimal prior knowledge of language structure.20. Previous studies didn’t take constant effort to evaluate the reading ability of artificial intelligence machines, which was why the present research was conducted.True ( ) False ( )21. One implication of the research is that a methodology that helps gather and handle big data is indispensible to artificial intelligence related studies.True ( ) False ( )Questions 22-23 (Suggested completion time: 5 minutes)Directions: Read the passage about the “Think small” advertising campaign.Answer the questions according to the passage.Think SmallI f you’re interested in marketing and advertising,Volkswagen’s “Think small” campaign for theBeetle when it was first introduced to NorthAmerica in 1959 looms large as one of the greatestadvertising campaigns of all time. It wasn’t justa revolution in automotive advertising; it changedthe entire industry.Until the Beetle hit the market, automotive marketing copy was full of bluster, and the images were flights of fancy, emphasizing low, long lines and a fantasy lifestyle.The clean, simple photography on a white background that emphasized the Beetle’s compact, practical form may seem commonplace these days, but it was a revolution in a world where Americans grew up obsessed with muscle cars, horsepower, and tire smoke. Making the car small, when the convention was to make it fill the page, was also novel. The simplistic approach to design and layout was totally contrary to the advertising conventions of the time.__ 22__ The text was minimalist in both look and content, presenting the facts simply instead of trying to weave tall tales and fantasies; and instead of bluster, it ushered in an intelligent sense of humor that made readers feel like they were in on the joke. The message was one of smart anti-luxury, and took gentle aim at an industry obsessed with superficiality and styling, rather than the substance underneath the car bodies.Not only does “Think small” continue to inspire Volkswagen advertising to this day, it ushered in a creative revolution in the advertising business and changed the world of marketing forever. “Think small” showed the power of humor and honesty, and its photographic and design principles brought about a major shift in the look and feel of marketing around the world.22. Which of the sentences below best fits the numbered space in the passage?A.What defined the ad even more than its visual style was the tone ofits copy.B.This ad starts off doing the exact opposite of what you would expectin a car ad.C.This was an exercise in minimalism and a very accurate reflectionon the product itself.D.The car wasn’t depicted as an integral piece of the daily lives ofa middle class family.23. It can be inferred that the advertising conventions of the 1950s were reflected in the following except that ___________.A.the ads in the 1950s typically showed proud owners and passengersevoking great joy about new shiny big acquisitions.B.the marketing concept then focused on providing as much informationas possible to the reader such as the way it’s created.C.the marketing schemes associated the advertised product with an ideaor a way of living from average consumers’ perspective.D.the marketing practice may attach importance to a sense of humorbrought by the use of exaggerated language.Part III Read and QuestionIn Part III, you will read passages on the same subject. You will be requiredto identify the writer’s position and evaluate the effectiveness of the writer’s arguments. (Time allowed: 30 minutes)Questions 24-35 (Suggested completion time: 30 minutes)Directions: Read three passages about fashion. Answer the questions according to the passages.Passage AIt’s not that easy to answer the question, “what is fashion?” becauseit means different things to different people. Fashion is an art. It’sa religion. It’s a job. It’s a peek into a personality. It’s playfulness. It’s an escape or a disguise. It is a feast for the eyes. But ultimately, 25 . French fashion designer Coco Chanel once said, “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”It’s true. Fashion isn’t defined solely by our clothing choices, but is also conveyed through the way we carry ourselves, our personalities and our views of the world. At its most fundamental, fashion is simply the prevailing style or custom, as in dress or behavior.So, who exactly answers the question “what is fashion”? Who decides what’s fashionable and what isn’t? What’s in or what’s out?Fashion Designers. The iconic fashion houses—Prada, Gucci, Chanel—are referred to as haute couture, French for “high sewing.” These designers lead the way in creating trend-setting fashion. While some of their designs are outrageous and completely unrealistic when it comes to everyday wear, generally the theme is adapted into versions suitable for wearing. Media. Fashion trends are often sparked by characters on popular television shows and movies as well as adopted from magazine pages. “Sex and the City,”“The Devil Wears Prada,” these shows introduced us to new, cutting-edge designs. While you might not be caught dead wearing a Carrie Bradshaw original, you might take ideas inspired from her look and piece together your own creation.Celebrities. A prime example of a celebrity-driven fashion trend? UGGs. Until Kate Hudson and Jessica Simpson were spotted wearing them around L.A. several years ago, no one had given any thought to UGG boots. Now they are everywhere.Musicians. Musicians have always been very influential when it comes to dictating fashion. Rock ‘n’ roll is fashion. Elvis is an iconic example. In the 1950s, everyone wanted to dress like Elvis. What about the heavy metal hair bands so popular in the 1980s? Axl Rose reinvented the head bandana while Poison, Motley Crue and Bon Jovi set the pace for big, rocker hair.Just because you don’t know if a Prada bag is fall 2007 or spring 2008 doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you like it and it’s an expression of you. That is fashion.Passage BFashion is more prevalent in modern society than in primitive tribes or peasant communities. The modern society is an open society where class distinctions are not so rigid as in primitive society. Its urban and mobile class structure enables people to cultivate individual taste and adopt new course. The modern society is more tolerant of differences and therefore places few shackles on the cycle of fashion. Our standards of judgment have also changed. Today the individual is rated more by observable externalities than by his ancestry, his character or his genuine accomplishments. The clothes a man wears, the language he speaks, the manners he shows have more weight in ascribing a status than his simplicity, patriotism and integrity.If he can keep himself up to date in the matters of his dress, speech and manners, he will assure himself a high social esteem. Not only the mobile and urban character of modern society but its affluence also speaks for greater prevalence of fashion in it. Men today are richer than their ancestors and have more leisure. They have the necessary means and time to play with luxuries and to think of fashion. Maclver writes: We do not think of fashion in overalls; there is more of fashion in the body of an automobile than in its chassis. There is no fashion in steam shovels. Consequently the higher the standard of living the more material there is for fashion to operate upon.Passage CAs summer has officially faded into the colder weather of autumn, I assumed the days of Nike shorts, comically large T-shirts and polos would be only a memory of yesterday. This has not been the case.Fashion, in and of itself, is already a type of conformism. In order to be considered fashion, a look, a garment or a stylistic choice must be deemed fashionable.Who gets to decide this—what is fashionable? While certain fashion heavyweights play a role in this decision, the ultimate decision is left to the public.As I was surfing the Web recently for inspiration for this column, I came across the Prada website. What I discovered literally caused me to gasp. Of course, everyone knows Prada is an expensive brand—a luxury—but what I discovered shocked me: a keychain priced at $180. No, this keychain was not solid gold or encased in diamonds. It was simply a keychain: a skull with the word “Prada” on a small charm.How can a company charge $180 for a keychain? The answer: people are willing to pay for it. People know the brand and conform to the idea of owning a piece of such an Italian “luxury.”This is nonsensical. Why do we choose to wear miniscule shorts in frigid weather or spend nearly $200 on a charm? Such decisions are influenced by peers, the media and the personal resolution to not make rational, individualistic choices. We cling to the idea of acceptance.In short, we often choose to abide by the pressures of social conventionality, and this leads us to make ridiculous selections—pairing Ugg boots with shorts or wearing neon with camouflage—which we would otherwise not make.I am certainly shamefaced in my occasional conformity to these ludicrous fashion folkways. I am guilty of donning Crocs in public. Yikes! Transient, often preposterous trends referred to as fads inspire some rather strange ideas. Who can recall the pet rocks of the ‘70s or Popples of the ‘80s? Such pop trends are not confined to behavior; they bleed into the fashion world, evidenced in overly distressed jeans, the most painful of neon shades, shoes that resemble Swiss cheese and a host of other fads I do not have the space to mention.I refuse to give up hope for societal common sense.One day we will comprehend that shorts are for the summer and ridiculously expensive keychains are for “never.”Do not allow others to dictate for you. Be bold. Be an individual. Do not buy the keychain.24. The phrase “might not be caught dead” in Passage A most probably means ______.A.would rather not die anywayB.might not be caught red handedC.would refuse completely to do somethingD.might be uneasy though doing something25. Which of the following best fits the numbered space in Passage A?A.fashion is an individual statement of expression for each of usB.fashion facilitates social change by providing a transitional stageC.fashion is not an individual choice but a group choiceD.fashion determines our speech, opinion, dress, music, art, etc.26. It can be inferred from Passage A that fashion designers, media, celebrities and musicians share the following views except ______.A.that fashion is anything but separated from the daily life ofordinary people.B.that nothing completely absurd and unrealistic can finally becomefashion.C.that fashion is what society accepts and has an element of socialsanction behind it.D.that if a particular choice remains confined to an individual it can’t be called fashion.27. The word “affluence” in Passage B is closest in meaning to ______.A. versatilityB. wealthinessC. peculiarityD. charisma28. According to Passage B, which of the following attributes may probably be more important than others for an individual to be favorably received now?A. A wide range of erudition.B. Loyalty to his or her friends.C. A passion for popular novels.D. Good virtues such as honesty.29. Which of the following is NOT true about the author’s attitude towards fashion according to Passage C?A.The author thinks it a waste of time mentioning a list of examplesof irrational fads.B.People are mad about fashion and therefore lose their own goodjudgment.C.The author never allows himself to be carried away by the fashiontrends.D.Behind the behavior of keeping up with fashion is a need to stayin the crowd.30-31. Decide whether the statements are True or False according to the three passages.30. All the three passages agree that fashion plays a role in the interplay of class relations that it satisfies the contrary desires for novelty and for conformity.True ( ) False ( )31. None of the three passages are denying conventional social values in people’s judgment, for example, what’s considered good about things or people.True ( ) False ( )Part IV Read and CreateIn Part IV, you will read a passage and then write a short essay according to it. You should write with clarity and logic. (Time allowed: 40 minutes)Question 32 (Suggested completion time: 40 minutes)Directions: Read a passage from Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting the Reason and Seeking the Truth in the Sciences. Write a short essay according to the passage.… And as a multitude of laws often only hampers justice, so that a state is best governed when, with few laws, these are rigidly administered; in like manner, instead of the great number of precepts of which logic is composed, I believed that the four following would prove perfectly sufficient for me, provided I took the firm and unwavering resolution never in a single instance to fail in observing them.The first was never to accept anything for true which I did not clearly know to be such; that is to say, carefully to avoid precipitancy and prejudice, and to comprise nothing more in my judgment than what was presented to my mind so clearly and distinctly as to exclude all ground of doubt.The second, to divide each of the difficulties under examination into as many parts as possible, and as might be necessary for its adequate solution.The third, to conduct my thoughts in such order that, by commencing with objects the simplest and easiest to know, I might ascend by little and little, and, as it were, step by step, to the knowledge of the more complex; assigning in thought a certain order even to those objects which in their own nature do not stand in a relation of antecedence and sequence.And the last, in every case to make enumerations so complete, and reviews so general, that I might be assured that nothing was omitted.The long chains of simple and easy reasonings by means of which geometers are accustomed to reach the conclusions of their most difficult demonstrations, had led me to imagine that all things, to the knowledge of which man is competent, are mutually connected in the same way, and that there is nothing so far removed from us as to be beyond our reach, or so hidden that we cannot discover it, provided only we abstain from accepting the false for the true, and always preserve in our thoughts the order necessary for the deduction of one truth from another. And I had little difficulty in determining the objects with which it was necessary to commence, for I was already persuaded that it must be with the simplest and easiest to know, and, considering that of all those who have hitherto sought truth in the sciences, the mathematicians alone have been able to find any demonstrations, that is, any certain and evident reasons, I did not doubt but that such must have been the rule of their investigations.。