Another day begins with the call of the phone’s alarm, Where are you? Open your eyes. Turn the alarm off and you will start working out on your apps（应用软件）.
First stop, weather: Sunny day. Look outside the window. Oh, no, it isn’t. Second stop, Air Quality Index: 344, dangerous, Level 6 Severely Polluted. Mental recheck required: It really is a sunny day and the weather app isn’t lying or in need of being replaced, it’s just that you can’t see the sun through the thick fog. Note to self: Cycling to work is out, face mask is in.
Has the world stopped turning? News app merely confirms that it’s business as usual. Another government has fallen, your soccer team has lost again, and China’s economy is still increasing steadily.
Diary app informs you of all the things you failed to do the previous day and loads you up with another half-dozen tasks. Next, browse a couple of social networking apps to determine the status updates of friends.
Another sound from the phone, it’s a message from your significant friend who is already at work, saying the Taobao. com order for Italian cheese is about to arrive.
Apps have become part of our “every-moment” lives. Apps provide so much information. But the dark side to all this connectivity would be lack of privacy, being a slave to the app. The only real problem is that once you lose your smartphone, you lose your life.
Some friends and family do not have smartphones, but prefer the old-fashioned Nokia that merely makes phone calls and sends instant messages. While I respect their purity and desire to be free of the control of technology, it’s obvious they are outsiders, and their lives are loaded up with paper and old devices. They’re still buying books at stores, complaining the lack of CDs on the market, watching TV and missing out on complete news cycles. Though I would add, they have lives that aren’t spent inside small screens.
My phone is a palm-sized one-stop shop and about the only thing it doesn’t do is teleport（心灵运输）. What’s not to like?The functions of apps mentioned in the passage can be listed as follows EXCEPT that _______.
| A．the apps can show you weather forecast |
| B．the apps can tell you how to work directly |
| C．the apps can inform you the latest news |
| D．the apps can tell you what you failed to do |
According to the passage, the author thinks that _______.
| A．people’s life is governed by apps |
| B．people feel bored about the use of apps |
| C．people can’t live without apps |
| D．people hate apps with powerful functions |
It can be inferred from the last paragraph but one that _______.
| A．more and more people like Nokia more than apps |
| B．using Nokia can be free of the control of technology |
| C．all people don’t like the advanced smartphones |
| D．ordinary people don’t like shopping online |
Early fifth-century philosopher St．Augustine famously wrote that he knew what time was unless someone asked him．Albert Einstein added another wrinkle when he theorized that time varies depending on where you measure it．Today's state-of-the-art atomic（原子的） clocks have proven Einstein right．Even advanced physics can't decisively tell us what time is, because the answer depends on the question you're asking．
Forget about time as an absolute．What if，instead of considering time in terms of astronomy, we related time to ecology？What if we allowed environmental conditions to set the tempo（节奏） of human life？We're increasingly aware of the fact that we can't control Earth systems with engineering alone，and realizing that we need to moderate（调节）our actions if we hope to live in balance．What if our definition of time reflected that？
Recently，I conceptualized a new approach to timekeeping that's connected to circumstances on our planet，conditions that might change as a result of global warming．We're now building a clock at the Anchorage Museum that reflects the total flow of several major Alaskan rivers，which are sensitive to local and global environmental changes．We've programmed it to match an atomic clock if the waterways continue to flow at their present rate．If the rivers run faster in the future on average，the clock will get ahead of standard time．If they run slower，you'll see the opposite effect．
The clock registers both short-term irregularities and long-term trends in river dynamics．It's a sort of observatory that reveals how the rivers are behaving from their own temporal frame（时间框架），and allows us to witness those changes on our smartwatches or phones．Anyone who opts to go on Alaska Mean River Time will live in harmony with the planet．Anyone who considers river time in relation to atomic time will encounter a major imbalance and may be motivated to counteract it by consuming less fuel or supporting greener policies．
Even if this method of timekeeping is novel in its particulars，early agricultural societies also connected time to natural phenomena．In pre-Classical Greece，for instance，people"corrected"official calendars by shifting dates forward or backward to reflect the change of season．Temporal connection to the environment was vital to their survival．Likewise，river time and other timekeeping systems we're developing may encourage environmental awareness．
When St．Augustine admitted his inability to define time， he highlighted one of time 's most noticeable qualities：Time becomes meaningful only in a defined context．Any timekeeping system is valid，and each is as praiseworthy as its purpose．
31. What is the main idea of Paragraph 1？
| A． |
Timekeeping is increasingly related to nature． |
| B． |
Everyone can define time on their own terms． |
| C． |
The qualities of time vary with how you measure it． |
| D． |
Time is a major concern of philosophers and scientists． |
32. The author raises three questions in Paragraph 2 mainly to__________．
| A． |
present an assumption |
B． |
evaluate an argument |
| C． |
highlight an experiment |
D． |
introduce an approach |
33. What can we learn from this passage？
| A． |
Those who do not go on river time will live an imbalanced life． |
| B． |
New ways of measuring time can help to control Earth systems．. |
| C． |
Atomic time will get ahead of river time if the rivers run slower． |
| D． |
Modern technology may help to shape the rivers' temporal frame． |
34. What can we infer from this passage？
| A． |
It is crucial to improve the definition of time． |
| B． |
A fixed frame will make time meaningless． |
| C． |
We should live in harmony with nature． |
| D． |
History is a mirror reflecting reality． |
Hundreds of scientists，writers and academics sounded a warning to humanity in an open letter published last December：Policymakers and the rest of us must engage openly with the risk of global collapse．Researchers in many areas have projected the widespread collapse as"a credible scenario（情景） this century"．
A survey of scientists found that extreme weather events，food insecurity，and freshwater shortages might create global collapse．Of course，if you are a non-human species，collapse is well underway．
The call for public engagement with the unthinkable is especially germanein this moment of still-uncontrolled pandemic and economic crises in the world's most technologically advanced nations．Not very long ago，it was also unthinkable that a virus would shut down nations and that safety nets would be proven so disastrously lacking in flexibility．
The international scholars' warning letter doesn't say exactly what collapse will look like or when it might happen．Collapseology，the study of collapse，is more concerned with identifying trends and with them the dangers of everyday civilization．Among the signatories（签署者）of the warning was Bob Johnson，the originator of the"ecological footprint"concept，which measures the total amount of environmental input needed to maintain a given lifestyle．With the current footprint of humanity，"it seems that global collapse is certain to happen in some form，possibly within a decade，certainly within this century，"Johnson said in an email．
Only if we discuss the consequences of our biophysical limits, the December warning letter says，can we have the hope to reduce their "speed，severity and harm"．And yet messengers of the coming disturbance are likely to be ignored．We all want to hope things will turn out fine．As a poet wrote，
Man is a victi m of dope（麻醉品）
In the incurable form of hope ．
The hundreds of scholars who signed the letter are intent（执着） on quieting hope that ignores preparedness．"Let's look directly into the issue of collapse，"hey say，"and deal with the terrible possibilities of what we see there to make the best of a troubling future．"
28. What does the underlined word "germane" in Paragraph 3 probably mean？
| A． |
Scientific． |
B． |
Credible． |
| C． |
Original． |
D． |
Relevant． |
29. As for the public awareness of global collapse，the author is__________．
| A． |
worried |
B． |
puzzled |
| C． |
surprised |
D． |
scared |
30. What can we learn from this passage？
| A． |
The signatories may change the biophysical limits． |
| B． |
The author agrees with the message of the poem． |
| C． |
The issue of collapse is being prioritized． |
| D． |
The global collapse is well underway． |
I remember the day during our first week of class when we were informed about our semester（学期） project of volunteering at a non-profit organization．When the teacher introduced us to the different organizations that needed our help，my last choice was Operation Iraqi Children （OIC）．My first impression of the organization was that it was not going to make enough of a difference with the plans I had in mind．
Then，an OIC representative gave us some details，which somewhat interested me．After doing some research， I believed that we could really do something for those kids．When I went online to the OIC website，I saw pictures of the Iraqi children．Their faces were so powerful in sending a message of their despair（绝望） and need that I joined this project without hesitation．We decided to collect as many school supplies as possible，and make them into kits--one kit，one child．
The most rewarding day for our group was project day，when all the efforts we put into collecting the items finally came together．When I saw the various supplies we had collected，it hit me that every kit we were to build that day would eventually be in the hands of an Iraqi child．Over the past four months，I had never imagined how I would feel once our project was completed．While making the kits，I realized that I had lost sight of the true meaning behind it．I had only focused on the fact that it was another school project and one I wanted to get a good grade on．When the kits were completed，and ready to be sent overseas，the warm feeling I had was one I would never forget．
In the beginning，I dared myself to make a difference in the life of another person．Now that our project is over，I realize that I have affected not only one life，but ten．With our efforts，ten young boys and girls will now be able to further their education．
24.How did the author feel about joining the OIC project in the beginning？
| A． |
It would affect his/her initial plans． |
| B． |
It would involve traveling overseas． |
| C． |
It would not bring him/her a good grade． |
| D． |
It would not live up to his/her expectations． |
25. What mainly helped the author change his/her attitude toward the project？
| A． |
Images of Iraqi children． |
B． |
Research by his/her classmates． |
| C． |
A teacher's introduction． |
D． |
A representative's comments． |
26. The author's OIC project group would help ten Iraqi children to__________．.
| A． |
become OIC volunteers |
B． |
further their education |
| C． |
study in foreign countries |
D． |
influence other children |
27. What can we conclude from this passage？
| A． |
One's potential cannot always be underrated． |
| B． |
First impression cannot always be trusted． |
| C． |
Actions speak louder than words． |
| D． |
He who hesitates is lost． |
If you are planning to start a career in the field of education，science，or culture，then an internship（实习） at UNESCO will be ideal for you．
Who can apply ？
You have completed your full-time university studies；or
You are studying in a graduate program for a master's degree．
Applicants in technical assignments must have reached the last year of their studies in a technical institution．
What are the requirements ？
You must be at least 20 years old．
You should have a good command （掌握） of either English or French．
You must have an excellent knowledge of office-related software．
You should be able to work well in a team and adapt to an international working environment．
You should possess strong interpersonal and communication skills．
What do you need to prepare ？
Visa：You should obtain the necessary visas．
Travel：You must arrange and finance your travel to and from the location where you will do your internship．
Medical insurance：You must show proof of a comprehensive health insurance valid（有效的）in the target country for the entire period of the internship．UNESCO will provide limited insurance coverage up to USD30,000 for the internship period．
Medical certificate：You must provide a medical certificate indicating you are fit to work．
Motivation letter：You should have your motivation letter ready before filling out the application form．
Your application will be accessed by UNESCO managers and will stay in our database for six months．We do not respond to every candidate．If selected，you will be contacted by a manager．If you do not receive any update within six months，it means that your application has not been successful．
21. According to this passage，applicants are required to_________．
| A． |
hold a master's degree in science |
| B． |
have international work experience |
| C． |
be fluent in either English or French |
| D． |
present a letter from a technical institution |
22. What will UNESCO provide for the internship period？
| A． |
Limited medical insurance coverage． |
| B． |
Training in communication skills． |
| C． |
A medical certificate for work． |
| D． |
Financial support for travel． |
23. What should applicants do before filling out the application form？
| A． |
Contact UNESCO managers． |
B． |
Get access to the database． |
| C． |
Keep a motivation letter at hand． |
D． |
Work in a team for six months． |
Understand the Economic Concept of a Budget Line
The term "budget line" has several related meanings， including a couple that are self﹣evident and a third that is not．
The Budget Line as an Informal Consumer Understanding
The budget line is an elementary concept that most consumers understand intuitively without a need for graphs and equations it's the household budget， for example．
Taken informally， the budget line describes the boundary of affordability for a given budget and specific goods．
Given a limited amount of money， a consumer can only spend that same amount buying goods． If the consumer has X amount of money and wants to buy two goods A and B， she can only purchase goods totaling X． If the consumer needs an amount of A costing 0.75 X， she can then spend only 0.25 X， the amount remaining， on her purchase of B．
This seems almost too obvious to bother writing or reading about． As it turns out， however， this same concept one that most consumers make many times each day with reflecting on it is the basis of the more formal budget line concept in economics， which is explained below．
Lines in a Budget
Before turning to the economics definition of "budget line"， consider another concept： the line﹣item budget． This is effectively a map of future expenditures， with all the constituent expenditures individually noted and quantified． There's nothing very complicated about this： in this usage， a budget line is one of the lines in the budget， with the service or good to be purchased named and the cost quantified．
The Budget Line as an Economics Concept
One of the interesting ways the study of economics relates to human behavior generally is that a lot of economic theory is the formalization of the kind of simple concept outlined above a consumer's informal understanding of the amount she has to spend and what that amount will buy．
In the process of formalization， the concept can be expressed as a mathematical equation that can be applied generally．
A Simple Budget Line Graph
To understand this， think of a graph where the vertical lines quantify how many movie tickets you can buy and where the horizontal lines do the same for crime novels． You like going to the movies and reading crime novels and you have ＄150 to spend． In the example below， assume that each movie costs ＄10 and each crime novel costs ＄15． The more formal economics term for these two items is budget set．
If movies cost ＄10 each， then the maximum number of movies you can see with the money available is 15． To note this you make a dot at the number 15 （for total movie tickets） at the extreme left﹣hand side of the chart． This same dot appears at the extreme left above "0" on the horizontal axis because you have no money left for books the number of books available in this example is 0．
You can also graph the other extreme all crime novels and no movies． Since crime novels in the example cost ＄15 and you have ＄150 available， if you spend all the available money crime novels， you can buy 10． So you put a dot on the horizontal axis at the number 10．
You'll place the dot at the bottom of the vertical axis because in this instance you have ＄0 available for movie tickets．
If you now draw a line from the highest， leftmost dot to the lowest， rightmost dot you'll have created a budget line． Any combination of movies and crime novels that falls below the budget line is affordable． Any combination above it is not．
（1）Which sentence about the budget line is NOT TRUE？
| A． |
It is a limitation of affordability for a given budget and specific goods． |
| B． |
Most costumers will be confused with this concept because of its complex． |
| C． |
It is the effectively a map of future expenditures． |
| D． |
It can be expressed as a mathematical equation． |
（2）What is the purpose of the passage？
| A． |
To tell us any concept can be expressed as a mathematical equation． |
| B． |
To help us figure out the meaning Budget Line． |
| C． |
To tell us we should budget before we buy goods． |
| D． |
To give an instruction of drawing a budget Line． |
（3）Assume that each movie costs ＄10 and each crime novel costs ＄15， you have ＄150． Which is RIGHT according to this passage？
| A． |
The maximum number of movies you can see is 10． |
| B． |
The maximum number of crime novels you can buy is 15． |
| C． |
You can buy 7 crime novels and see 5 movies． |
| D． |
You can buy 7 crime novels and see 4 movies． |
（4）What is the best title of this passage？
| A． |
Do we really know the economic concept of a budget line？ |
| B． |
The Budget Line as an Economics Concept |
| C． |
The Budget Line as an Informal Consumer Understanding |
| D． |
The Complex Concept Budget Line |