“Come in, Kim. Have a seat, please,” said Bill Williams, the manager. This was Kim's first experience with an assessment. After only six months he was due for a raise if this assessment was satisfactory.
“Kim,” began Bill Williams, “I am very pleased with the quality of your work. I have nothing but praise for your devotion and your hard work. My only concern is that you are not active enough in putting forward your suggestions.”
“But,” replied Kim, “I have always completed every assignment you have given me. Mr. Williams.”
“I know that, Kim. And please, call me Bill. But what I expect is for you to think independently and introduce new ideas. I need more input from you—more feedback on how things are going. I don’t need a “yes man”. You never tell me what you think. You just smile as though everything is fine.”
“But,” said Kim, “I feel that since you are my superior, it would be presumptuous of me to tell you what to do.”
“I’m not asking you to tell me what to do, but what you think we could do. To make suggestions, I employed you because I respect your experience in this field, but you are not communicating your thoughts to me.”
“Yes. I see. I’m not accustomed to this, but I will try to do as you say…Bill.”
“Good, then, I expect to hear more from you at staff meetings or at any other time you want to discuss an idea with me.”
“Yes, of course. Thank you, Mr. Will…Bill.”
69. Kim is the sort of employee who_______.
A. does not speak out his own ideas B. is not devoted to the job
C. laughs too much over work D. can not finish his work on time
70. The word “presumptuous” in the middle of the passage is closest in meaning to “_____”.
A. full of respect B. too confident and rude
C. lacking in experience D. too shy and quiet
71.From the passage we can learn that______________.
A.Kim has been invited to take charge of the staff meetings
B.the manager appreciates those who just do that he tells them to do
C.the manager is pleased with Kim’s hard word and his suggestions
D.Kim is likely to have a higher salary if he can pass the assessment
International teams have spent nearly half a year looking for evidence of the missing Malaysian Airlines plane, a search that includes the hunt for the aircraft’s so-called black box, which holds flight data that would likely explain what caused MH370 to move away from its course. But many aviation experts wonder why, in our increasingly networked world, divers are searching the Indian Ocean for a metal box when technology already exists that would enable planes to stream black box data to the ground in the event of an emergency.
Black boxes have been on planes since the late 1950s, and now every commercial aircraft has two: a flight data recorder and a voice recorder. (Although they are referred to as black boxes, they are typically orange in color, making them easier to spot in waters.) Black box recorders are mainly used to investigate the cause of in-flight accidents.
While black boxes are built to survive a crash and long-term submersion(浸没）in water, it can be a real challenge to find the device if a plane has gone down in the ocean. While each box contains a beacon(无线电信标台), the unit only has enough battery power to transmit a signal for 30 days. After the crash of Air France Flight 447 in the Atlantic Ocean in June 2009, it took divers two years to find the black box.
Pierre Jeanniot, a Canadian engineer who helped perfect black box technology about 40 years ago, feels that the device, in its current form, is “obsolete”. He started to question its effectiveness more than a decade ago, after seeing the broken pieces of the black boxes in the 2001 attacks on the World Trade towers in New York. Jeanniot is now on the advisory board of a Toronto-based firm that has built a live-streamed black box system. When a plane experiences an irregular event, the system can send streaming data off the aircraft to one of the satellites and then down to ground-based servers, where the message is interpreted and sent to the airline. It seems necessary that the loss of MH370 and other similar cases wake more people up to the fact that the tools being used at this stage are inadequate for dealing with emergency situations, Jeanniot says. He also estimates that if this technology had been on board the missing Malaysian Airlines flight and live-streaming for the estimated seven hours after the flight first experienced a problem, it would have cost about $3,000.
While there is widespread approval of a live-streamed black box system, most airlines see its cost prohibitive. The airline industry is an industry with small profits, and is reluctant to add costs that will further cut the bottom line.
However, given how much time, money and effort has been spent on the luckless search for MH370, s black box, the cost of operating a live-streaming version seems like a trifle(区区小数)In this passage, the underlined word “obsolete” probably means .
| A．out of date | B．out of use |
| C．on the move | D．on the increase |
Which fact is mentioned to support aviation experts’ doubt about the effectiveness of the black box?
| A．MH370’s black box holds flight data that might explain what happened to the aircraft. |
| B．The recorders are actually orange in color though referred to as black boxes. |
| C．The beacon in the black box has limited battery power to send out a signal for 30 days. |
| D．It’s necessary for people to wake up to the weaknesses of the black box |
What’s airlines’ attitude towards the live-streamed black box system?
| A．They approve of the system since it may save time, money and effort. |
| B．They consider using the system as the bottom line of costs. |
| C．They are reluctant to start the system because it still needs improving. |
| D．They are unwilling to equip planes with the system as it cuts their profits. |
From the passage, we can learn that__________.
| A．it takes divers one or two years to find the black box after a crash |
| B．the new system does not live stream black box data for the whole flight |
| C．Jeanniot changed his view on black box technology when working for a Canadian firm |
| D．operating a live-streamed black box system costs only three thousand dollars |
At Japan’s Studio Ghibli, which has produced extraordinary animated films(动画片）since 1985, the best-known figure has always been one of the company’s founders, Hayao Miyazaki.
But an equally key figure is co-founder Isao Takahata, who has recently made a new feature, The Tale of Princess Kagnya. It is an unforgettable feature with an unusual hand-drawn aesthetic(美感).
The title character is a tiny baby girl who appears in a bamboo plant. She is found by a woodcutter, who takes her home and brings her up. He believes the little girl is a princess, and sets about preparing what he regards as a suitable world for her.
This original story is the oldest work of fiction in Japan; every child knows it in its simplified folktale form.
“It is a fascinating story with elements of wonder, humour, and sorrow,’’ Takahata says, “but these three elements are scattered(分散）about.” The chief challenge for anyone trying to adapt it is that “we are completely unable to comprehend what was in the heart of Princess Kaguya. Because of this, despite its being well known, few people consider it interesting. There have been several attempts at making a film out of the story, but they ended up being abandoned.”
He was connected with one of these attempts, but no one paid any attention to his concept.
“Fifty-five years later, I thought my concept was still appealing, and used it as a basis for turning the story into a feature film.”
His concept involves the princess’s origins, her expectations and her access to “the full range of human emotions”.
To realize his vision, Takahata says, “I needed to take the extremely individualistic brushwork and key designs of Osamu Tanabe and Kazuo Oga, two brilliantly talented artists, and have them permeate(扩散）throughout the film. The two of them drew many pictures, but they weren’t nearly enough. The most challenging part was to have all the other animation staff copy their styles in a free and easy way.”
The Tale of Princess Kaguya has been released, and people are saying that the two founders, now in their seventies, have directed their final films. But is it as clear-cut as that? When I ask Takahata about a scene of escape and urgency with a particularly distinctive (独特的) visual style, he says he had intended to use “this type of rough-drawn, forceful animation, in a project before this film.
“That project hasn’t been realized yet, but if it comes to pass, this style is essential.”
A hint, perhaps, there's still more to come.Which of the following choices has got the right match?
| ①Hayao Miyazaki |
a. one of the founders of Studio Ghibli |
| ② Isao Takahata |
b. fictional character |
| ③ Kazuo Oga |
c. famous artist |
| ④ Princess Kaguya |
d. animation staff member of The Tale of Princess Kaguya |
A.① d B. ② a C.③ b D.④ cWhy is it challenging to adapt the original story to a feature film according to the passage?
| A．Because people are in the dark about the feelings of Princess Kaguya. |
| B．Because the story itself offers a combination of wonder, humour and sorrow. |
| C．Because the story is too old to appeal to the audience nowadays. |
| D．Because every Japanese has been familiar with the story ever since childhood |
From the Takahata version of The Tale of Princess Kaguya, we can expect the following except ________.
| A．more details about the Princess’s origins and expectations |
| B．a forceful animation type featuring fine images and gentle brushwork |
| C．the distinctive brushwork and key designs from two gifted artists |
| D．a hand-drawn visual effect that brings out a unique sense of beauty |
This advertisement is mainly about_______.
| A．some unmissable films this winter |
| B．a way of booking film tickets |
| C．the company of Cineworld |
| D．a certain Clubcard |
Which of the following is true?
| A．This advertisement is probably taken from a magazine. |
| B．For every adult ticket you will have to pay £ 4.50 in cash. |
| C．You will receive two emails after you place your order using the basket. |
| D．Cineworld encourages viewers to be involved in its management for experience. |
An old man in a faded yellow shirt sat in a windowless room on a raised concrete form. The only source of heat came from somewhere beneath the plastic mattress and the rough blanket the blank-faced police woman had handed him after taking his thumb prints. He heard voices and metallic clang as the cell door swung open.
At the front desk a tired looking policeman handed the old man back his belongings, his worn-out cap and the Seiko watch that had stopped working the day his beloved Evelyn left. The policeman dramatically held the blue plastic bag at an arm’s length to the old man who took it and made sure its contents were undamaged: the goat meat, palm oil, leaves and spices. He ignored the confused expression on the officer’s face and signed the document declaring he had been returned the possessions they had taken off him the night before.
No one spoke to him as he walked slowly towards the exit.
“Mr. Easy-nwa?” He stopped and prayed to the God who now took care of Evelyn to please take him far away from this unhappy place of expressionless faces, clipped accents and people who did not even attempt to pronounce his name right.
“Ezenwa,” He said and looked at a woman with tangerine lips, her name tag said Jessica Harlow, Social Services. “A bit far from home，she said as she drove fast and with confidence the way Evelyn used to. He wondered if she meant the 50 miles from Liverpool or the 50,000 miles from Enugu，a city in Nigeria. He did not bother replying as this woman had plenty to say about the weather, bad drivers, her daughter’s school play...
At last she drew up outside the block of flats where he lived.
“Got here in the end”，said she seriously, “Really Mr. Easy-nwa, if you keep getting lost, we will have to consider moving you into a home”.
“No need, I was not lost，he answered. He carefully rolled up the sleeves of the oversize bomber jacket he wore and turned on the tap to wash his hands, relieved the pipes were not frozen. In a clean pan he placed the chopped pieces of goat meat. The herbs and spices that had taken him three months to track down, the uziza seeds had taken him into the heart of Granby Market in Liverpool, his uchanwu leaves down a shady back alley in Manchester, and yesterday, among other food items, the finest goat meat from a Sierra Leonean Butcher in Birmingham. That had taken some time, so much he missed the last train and when the police found him shivering outside the locked up station, so cold he couldn’t answer loudly enough the pink-faced big copper who yelled in his face, “What’s your name sir?” spraying his face with spittle (吐沫）as he did so, leaving them with no choice but to search an exhausted, frozen old black man and finding him in possession of mysterious condiments (调味品）including a bag of dried bitter-leaf which could of course be mistaken for anything that resulted in him getting read his rights and charged with ...possession???
He lifted the lid of the bubbling soup, the room was filled with the rich and spicy scent of his culinary (烹饪的）effort. He served two bowls, taking the chipped one and placing the other opposite where Evelyn would have sat. He would tell her about his adventure, it was their anniversary and this was the perfect pepper soup to celebrate.
Ken Onyia, UK (Nigeria) Commonwealth Sport Short Story PrizeWhy was Mr. Ezenwa taken to the prison for a night?
| A．He was too weak to move. |
| B．He couldn’t find his way back home. |
| C．He then had nowhere else to go. |
| D．He was suspected of possessing drugs. |
When Mr. Ezenwa was to leave the prison, •
| A．his thumb print was taken immediately |
| B．the policeman was confused about what he had |
| C．a social worker was assigned to drive him back home |
| D．the policeman was so kind as not to damage his belongings |
What did Mr. Ezenwa do for his wedding anniversary?
| A．He collected all sorts of valuables as presents. |
| B．He cooked native food as a surprise for his wife. |
| C．He prepared a special Nigerian pepper soup carefully. |
| D．He travelled a lot, attempting to get his wife back. |
What words can be used to describe Mr. Ezenwa?
| A．Hopeless and pessimistic.. |
| B．Mysterious and troublesome. |
| C．Affectionate and persistent. |
| D．Energetic and sympathetic. |
What theme does the author want to express through the story?
| A．Racial prejudice. |
| B．Hard life of the elderly. |
| C．Struggle for freedom. |
| D．Preservation of tradition. |
For centuries, medical pioneers have refined a variety of methods and medicines to treat sickness, injury, and disability, enabling people to live longer and healthier lives.
“A salamander (a small lizard-like animal) can grow back its leg. Why can't a human do the same?” asked Peruvian-born surgeon Dr. Anthony Atala in a recent interview. The question, a reference to work aiming to grow new limbs for wounded soldiers, captures the inventive spirit of regenerative medicine. This innovative field seeks to provide patients with replacement body parts.
These parts are not made of steel; they are the real things --- living cells, tissue, and even organs.
Regenerative medicine is still mostly experimental, with clinical applications limited to procedures such as growing sheets of skin on burns and wounds. One of its most significant advances took place in 1999，when a research group at North Carolina’s Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine conducted a successful organ replacement with a laboratory-grown bladder. Since then, the team, led by Dr. Atala, has continued to generate a variety of other tissues and organs 一 from kidneys to ears.
The field of regenerative medicine builds on work conducted in the early twentieth century with the first successful transplants of donated human soft tissue and bone. However, donor organs are not always the best option. First of all, they are in short supply, and many people die while waiting
for an available organ; in the United States alone, more than 100,000 people are waiting for organ transplants. Secondly, a patient’s body may ultimately reject the transplanted donor organ. An advantage of regenerative medicine is that the tissues are grown from a patient’s own cells and will not be rejected by the body’s immune system.
Today, several labs are working to create bioartificial body parts. Scientists at Columbia and Yale Universities have grown a jawbone and a lung. At the University of Minnesota, Doris Taylor has created a beating bioartificial rat heart. Dr. Atala’s medical team has reported long-term success with bioengineered bladders implanted into young patients with spina bifida (a birth defect that involves the incomplete development of the spinal cord). And at the University of Michigan, H. David Humes has created an artificial kidney.
So far, the kidney procedure has only been used successfully with sheep, but there is hope that one day similar kidney will be implantable in a human patient. The continuing research of scientists such as these may eventually make donor organs unnecessary and, as a result, significantly increase individuals’ chances of survival.In the latest field of regenerative medicine, what are replacement parts made of?
| A．Donated cells, tissues and organs. |
| B．Rejected cells, tissues and organs. |
| C．Cells, tissues and organs of one’s own. |
| D．Cells, tissues and organs made of steel. |
What have scientists experimented successfully on for a bioartificial kidney?
| A．Patients. | B．Rats. |
| C．Sheep. | D．Soldiers. |
Why is regenerative medicine considered innovative?
| A．It will provide patients with replacement soft tissues. |
| B．It will strengthen the human body’s immune system. |
| C．It will shorten the time patients waiting for a donated organ. |
| D．It will make patients live longer with bioartificial organs. |
What is the writer’s attitude towards regenerative medicine?
| A．Positive. | B．Negative. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Reserved. |