Every day we are exposed to images, videos, music and news. In this age of visual and aural hyper-stimulation, the medium of radio is making a great comeback.
“We’re at the beginning of a golden age of audio,” said US-based podcaster Alex Blumberg in an article in The Sydney Morning Herald. In the last month alone, 15 percent of US adults listened to a radio podcast (播客). These statistics, released by Edison Research, show the successful evolution of traditional radio broadcasts to the present day’s digital podcast format. The term “podcast” was invented in 2004, but the trend only started gaining mainstream popularity in recent years. With the sharp increase in consumer demand for smartphones and tablets, podcast sales have jumped.
The appeal of the podcast partly lies in its multiplatform delivery and on-demand capabilities (功能). You can listen during those extra minutes of the day when you’re walking to the shops, waiting in a queue or riding the subway. Similar to television shows, podcasts are generally free to download and most offer new content every week.
Donna Jackson, 22, Sydney University media graduate, listens to podcasts two or three times a week, via iTurns. “I listen while I’m wandering around the house doing something else. It makes completing a boring task much more enjoyable… And it’s an easy way of keeping in touch with what’s going on in the rest of the world,” she said, “I mainly listen to BBC podcasts, but recently I’ve also been listening to This American Life and Serial. They have a special skill to really draw you in.”
Unlike television and music, the audio format has the potential to create a deep impression on readers. Blumberg says this owes to the podcast’s ability “to create close relationship and emotional connection.” Sydney University undergraduate Hazel Proust, majoring in social work and arts, agrees. “When you’re listening, it feels as if the voice of the podcast’s storyteller is talking directly to you. It’s comforting, ” said Proust.
It seems the age-old tradition of verbal storytelling is very much alive and well.From the first two paragraphs, we can learn that ________.
| A．traditional broadcast has come back |
| B．Americans love listening to the radio |
| C．podcasts have become very popular today |
| D．smartphones sell well because of podcasts |
The writer mentions Donna Jackson mainly to ________.
| A．tell how young people relax themselves |
| B．explain why young people like podcasts |
| C．introduce what programs podcasts are presenting |
| D．show how popular podcasts are presenting |
Paragraph 5 is mainly about ________.
| A．the influence of radios |
| B．the advantage of podcasts |
| C．readers’ impression on radios |
| D．people’s reaction to the medium |
What is probably the best title of the passage?
| A．Return of Radio |
| B．Opinions of Podcast |
| C．Features of Radio |
| D．Technology of Podcast |
Level 2 first aid in one day
| The name of the course |
Course in first aid （2） —apply first aid |
| The aim of the course |
To develop people’s ability and confidence in providing emergency first aid． |
| The requirement for age |
Be at least fourteen years old． |
| The contents of the course |
Apply first aid management skills to burns． Describe the recognition and management of bleeding and wounds． Apply first aid management skills to bone injuries． Manage emergency situations． Apply first aid management skills to bites, stings and poisoning． Manage severe illnesses． Describe the recognition and management of facial injury． Describe the structure and the function of the human body． Apply first aid management skills chest, hand and head injuries． |
| The requirements for successful course completion |
Attend all parts of the course． Actively take part in group activities and discussions in the training program． Successfully complete either a written test; demonstrate（演示）practical use of skills or answer questions one by one by the end of the course． |
| Course length |
1．5 to 2 hours online quiz． About 7 hours’ face-to-face lecture． |
| Places |
In our training rooms． On the spot． |
| Class size |
Mini: 10 people． Maximum: 20 people |
72．The whole course lasts at least．
A．7 hours B．7．5 hours C．8 hours D．8．5 hours
73．Which of the following is TRUE of the course?
A．One must get required marks for the course．
B．One’s performance in the class will be very important．
C．One must have given first aid before．
D．One must pass a written test and an online quiz．
74．What can we infer from the passage?
A．People don’t need to learn all the contents of the course．
B．Few people will be interested in the course．
C．The course is a short-term training program．
D．Students can choose their lessons as they like．
75．Who are the intended readers of the passage?
A．Children and parents． B．Teenagers and adults．
C．Teenagers only． D．Adults only．
For better health, many people turn to doctors or self-help books．But they don’t realize that their friends could help them fight illness and sadness, slow aging and help them live a longer life．Researchers are only now starting to pay attention to the importance of friendship in whole health．A 10-year Australian study found that old people with a large circle of friends were 22 percent less likely to die during the study than those with fewer friends．
“In general, the role of friendship in our lives isn’t well appreciated,” said Rebecca G．Adams, a professor of the University of North Carolina．“Friendship has a bigger influence on us than family relationships．” Why friendship has such a big effect isn’t clear．While friends can pick up medicine for a sick person, the advantages go well beyond physical help．
Last year, researchers studied 34 students at the University of Virginia, taking them to the foot of a steep（陡峭的）hill and fitting them with a heavy backpack．They were then asked to estimate the steepness of the hill．Some of them stood next to their friends during the research, while others were alone．The students who stood with their friends judged the hill to be lower than the hills in other students’ eyes．And the longer the friends had known each other, the less steep the hill appeared．
“People with stronger friendship feel like there is someone they can turn to,” said Karen A Roberto, director of the medical center at Virginia Tech．“Friendship is a great resource, but many people don’t realize it．The message of these studies is that friends make your life better．”
64．We can learn from Paragraph 1 that．
A．friends could take the place of doctors and medicine
B．researchers have studied the importance of friendship for a long time
C．people with few friends usually die at a young age
D．people with many friends can live longer
65．Which of the following is RTUE of Professor Adams?
A．She thinks friends affect us more than family members．
B．She likes making friends with different people．
C．She advises people to choose a close friend．
D．She knows the role of friendship in her life．
66．The underlined word “estimate” in Paragraph 3 means “ ”．
A．judge B．find C．learn D．imagine
67．What’s the best title for the passage?
A．How to keep healthy B．How to make friends
C．The importance of friendship D．The meaning of real friends
When the school year starts, it can be difficult to get up early．After a few early mornings, extreme tiredness might make you feel like you’re going to fall over．The amazing thing is that you probably manage to stay awake all day long and into the night．But how?
A chemical in the brain called dopamine（多巴胺）might be part of the answer．According to new research, dopamine is what keeps people who don’t get enough sleep from conking out．The chemical also has a complicated influence on your ability to think and learn when you don’t get enough sleep．
To study sleep loss and its effect on the brain, scientists rounded up 15 healthy volunteers．The scientists tested each person’s memory and ability to pay attention twice: once after a good night’s sleep and once after being kept up all night long．During the tests, the scientists measured levels of dopamine in the brains of the volunteers．
The results showed that when the volunteers stayed up all night, dopamine levels increased in the brain．Higher levels of dopamine kept the volunteers awake even though they felt tired．Some people are amazingly able to think clearly and react quickly, even when they haven’t had much sleep．Other people have a really hard time paying attention when tired, and their reactions are slow．All of these may be related to the dopamine levels．However, the researchers found that higher levels of dopamine don’t remove the trouble people have thinking and learning while sleep-deprived （缺乏睡眠的）．
60．The underlined phrase “conking out” in the second paragraph probably means．
A．staying awake B．falling asleep
C．paying attention D．falling over
61．With a higher level of dopamine, one．
A．will not dream dreams at night B．may have trouble in falling asleep
C．can still stay awake after staying up D．can do better in learning and working
62．We can infer from the last paragraph that．
A．not all people can react quickly after they stay up late
B．dopamine in our brain does not work when we are sleeping
C．lack of sleep has no influence on one’s learning and thinking ability
D．the higher the dopamine levels are, the more quickly one reacts
63．The passage is developed by．
A．setting up a point and discussing it
B．giving examples and drawing a conclusion
C．pointing out similarities and differences
D．showing a fact and explaining the cause
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项。
Science summer camps are one of the best ways to improve creativity of students and teach them a practical approach towards science and its applications （应用）．Students taking part in the camps can learn to appreciate science and technology at an early age, to be better positioned for further learning and finally better prepared to face challenges．Apart from theories, scientific experiments and discussions are encouraged at these camps．
The science summer camps are usually held between June and August and it’s good for parents to start planning their children’s summer camps at least 6 to 7 months in advance．This period of time provides an opportunity for them to do proper research and save money．With more than 2,000 summer camps in the US, there is a wide variety for parents to choose from．If the child doesn’t like biology, there is no point sending him to an anatomy （解剖学） science camp．Likewise （同样地）, if one thinks that his child limits himself to books throughout the school year, he should try and choose camps which provide students with an opportunity to move out in the open and be physically active．To make the task easier, there are many websites which provide online resource materials to help parents select a summer camp that fits the needs of their children．
Generally, a science summer camp costs between $ 150 and $ 500, depending on where the camp is located, how long it lasts and of course what subject it covers．Some of them also provide scholarships （奖学金） for bright students to encourage them．
56．A science summer camp offers students．
A．chances to be well prepared for future study
B．chances to research and save money
C．ways to get online resource materials
D．chances to live independently
57．What does the underlined word “them” in the second paragraph refer to?
A．Students B．Organizers CScientists D．Parents
58．We can infer （推断） from the second paragraph that．
A．it’s important for children to relax at the summer camps
B．online resource materials can help to organize a summer camp
C．proper camps should be chosen for children according to their needs
D．different parents should be chosen for children according to their needs
59．What do the costs of a science summer camp depend on?
A．Organizers’ efforts and suggestions． B．Location, time and content．
C．Students’ likes and dislikes． D．Effects and benefits．
Scientists are working to develop crop plants that can reduce the amount of water used for agriculture．Almost sixty percent of the world’s fresh water taken from rivers, lakes and other water resources go toward watering fields．
Thomas Carter is a plant scientist and he leads a group of researchers．They have been using traditional methods to develop and test soybeans（大豆）that can grow well under dry conditions．Thomas started working on soybeans in 1981．His research has taken him to as far as China, where soybeans have been grown for thousands of years．Farmers in the United States, however, have grown soybeans for only about a century．Thomas says the soybeans they grow are genetically（基因方面）similar．More differences could protect crops against climate changes that can reduce production．Those changes include water shortages which could increase because of global warming．
Thomas and his members are working on a soybean seed collection, a collection of genetic material passed from one generation to the next．They studied more than two thousand five hundred examples from the collection which are from the home of soybeans, Asia．They searched for good seeds that could survive during hot and dry summers in the United States．Unfortunately, they found only five after a few days’ hard work．But what pleases them much is that these seeds produce four to eight ones more than normal soybeans under dry conditions．The yield（产量）depends on location and the environment．Scientists will also work on other crops that either use less water or use it better．
68．Thomas Carter and his research group do research on soybeans to．
A．have them survive a sharp climate change
B．make them grow well under dry conditions
C．plant them all around the world
D．increase crop production and quality
69．According to the passage, climate changes can．
A．reduce crop yield B．protect crops
C．destroy seeds D．change the genes of crops
70．Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A．Thomas and his group have made some achievements．
B．People know a little about the relationship between water and crops．
C．Seed collections depend on climate and the environment．
D．Some crops can grow well during cold and dry winters．
71．The passage is probably taken from．
A．a report on how to save water B．a book on the environment
C．a science magazine D．an ad for agricultural products