Section I Use of English
Directions:
Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on the ANSWER SHEET. (10 points)
The beauty of poker is that on the surface it is a game of utter simplicity, yet beneath the surface it is profound, rich and full of subtlety. Children can learn the 1 in just a few open hands—that is, rounds played with all cards visible and all the principles 2 . The lessons they gather will last a lifetime.
To sceptics, poker 3 them of images of casinos, late nights and smoky back rooms—all places 4 for kids. And, yes, poker is a form of gambling, 5 it is primarily a game of skill and nerve.
6 plays a larger role than in purely skill-driven games such as chess, but that is what makes poker so appealing for oppressed parents: you will be a better player than your children, but the children will still
7 often enough to keep them interested.
Just as a parent is excited to see their offspring reading, even if what the child chooses to read is not what the adult would, a poker-enthusiast parent will 8 play Five-card Draw with his child. The 9 is always straightforward: collect a better five-card hand than your opponents. But the paths to success are many and 10 . Sometimes it involves deceiving, a practice that, initially, children embrace with reckless 11 . However, 12 they will learn that they cannot always 13 their way to victory. They will also learn the lesson: sometimes deceiving works.
Soon they will figure out how to read their opponents— 14 that arrogance can be a cover for 15 , and silence a maneuver to 16 others into overconfidence. They will see that a lost hand is not a lost game, and a lost game today does not signal the same tomorrow.
But the only way they will learn any of these lessons is if these lessons can hurt them. 117 a few practice rounds, the stakes must be actual money—and adults must keep it when they win. But this may be 18 : children come into the world lovable but penniless, and no parent wants to make their own children further 19 . On the other hand, raising children is 20 . Consider any victory a partial repayment for their upbringing.
1.[A] results[B]letters[C]pictures[D]rules
2.[A] rewarded[B]counted[C]explained[D]watched
3.[A] reminds[B]deprives[C]accuses[D]convicts
4.[A] unnecessary[B]inappropriate[C]unavoidable[D]invariable
5.[A] and[B]but[C]or[D]so
6.[A] Temper[B]Luck[C]Analysis[D]Proficiency
7.[A] win[B]pause[C]exit[D]calculate
8.[A] intentionally[B]gradually[C]happily[D]irregularly
9.[A] notice[B]trial[C]goal[D]concept
10.[A] direct[B]controversial[C]exclusive[D]diverse
11.[A] caution[B]generosity[C]patience[D]enthusiasm
12.[A] immediately[B]eventually[C]conversely[D]similarly
13.[A] battle[B]cheer[C]lie[D]innovate
14.[A] observing[B]mentioning[C]promising[D]determining
15.[A] weakness[B]suspicion[C]illusion[D]indifference
16.[A] turn[B]persuade[C]tempt[D]force
17.[A] Below[B]After[C]Above[D]Before
18.[A] necessary[B]interesting[C]promising[D]difficult
19.[A] sillier[B]lazier[C]fatter[D]poorer
20.[A] expensive[B]perplexing[C]enlightening[D]accessible
Section II Reading Comprehension
Part A
Directions:
Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. (40 points)
Text 1
Two decades ago Microsoft was a technological walled garden. One of its bosses called free open-source programs a “cancer”. That was then. On April 21st the tech firm joined a movement to liberate data. The company plans to launch 20 data-sharing groups by 2022 and give away some of its digital information.
Microsoft is not alone in its recent fondness for sharing. Mark Zuckerberg, the boss of Facebook, regarded the ability to share data as a superpower in the face of crisis. Despite the EU’s strict privacy rules, some Eurocrats now argue for data-sharing, too.
The benefits of data-sharing have been confirmed by many individuals and organizations. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reckons that if data were more widely exchanged, many states could enjoy gains worth 1–2.5% of GDP. Economists agree that readie
r access to data is generally beneficial, because data are “non-rivalrous”: unlike oil, say, they can be used and re-used without being used up.
Many governments have recognized the potential. Cities from Berlin to San Francisco have “open data” initiatives. Companies have been more cautious. Firms fear losing intellectual property, endangering users’ privacy and hitting technical obstacles. Less than half of “data collaboratives” involve corporations. Those that do have been small or limited in scope.
Microsoft’s campaign is the most consequential by far. Besides encouraging non-commercial sharing, the firm is developing software, licences and rules frameworks to let firms trade data or provide access without losing control. Optimists believe that the foresight behind the giant’s move is novel, unique and likely to have a lasting impact.
Brad Smith, Microsoft’s president, notes that fewer than 100 firms collect more than half of all data generated online. More sharing would counteract the concentration of economic—and political—power. Bridging the “data divide” won’t be easy. People in charge of data often come from different industries without a common vocabulary.
Indeed, Microsoft has reasons other than unselfishness to support open data. It makes
most of its money not by extracting value from data through targeted advertising, like Facebook, but by selling services and software to help others process digital information. The more data that are shared, the better for Microsoft. Mr. Smith argues that this makes his firm the perfect campaigner for open data.
That may be so. But this also points to a bigger obstacle. Even if technical and legal barriers to sharing could be removed, many data-rich firms will be reluctant to loosen their lucrative grip on user information. Despite Mr. Zuckerberg’s declarations, don’t expect Facebook to follow Microsoft’s lead any time soon.
21.What does Microsoft plan to do according to the first paragraph?
[A]To upgrade environmental technology.
[B]To provide a health care program.
[C]To lead a movement to analyze data.
[D]To share some digital information for free.
22.According to Paragraph 4, companies have been more cautious about “open data” because
they are fearful of ______.
[A]being cheated by governments
[B]breaking the intellectual property law
[C]violating their users’ privacy
[D]competing with other corporations
23.Brad Smith believes that bridging the “data divide” won’t be easy because ______.
[A]data generated online are hard to collect and manage
[B]the movement may be hindered by economic power
[C]people from different industries have conflicting interests
[D]data holders have difficulty communicating with each other
24.In addition to unselfishness, what motivates Microsoft to support open data?
[A]Economic benefit
[B]Moral concern
[C]Legal obligation
[D]Prior commitment
25.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
[A]Microsoft Allies With Facebook
[B]Microsoft Embraces Big Data
[C]Microsoft: A Technological Walled Garden
[D]Microsoft: A New Business Model Promoter
2021英语二答案Text 2
Interruptions have always been a reality of work, as meetings, text or chat messages, emails, and con
versations with coworkers endlessly fragment our time and thus our attention. Research across several surveys suggest that employees—from IT professionals to health care providers—are interrupted every six to 12 minutes.
Earlier research by Sophie Leroy, a professor at the University of Washington Bothell, has shown that our brains find it difficult to switch attention between tasks. More often than not, part of our attention stays focused on the interrupted task and does not fully switch to the interrupting demand—a term she coined attention residue. This happens because we have a fundamental need for completion that makes switching our attention quite difficult for the brain to execute; we hold on to incomplete work instead of putting it aside even when a switch of focus is necessary.
Leroy proposes the “Ready-to-Resume Plan” as a way to manage interruptions, prevent attention residue, and perform at full capacity on interrupting tasks. The premise of the plan is that if we can put the brain at ease about our ability to complete the interrupted task upon return, we would be able to switch our attention more effectively.
To test this idea, Leroy and her team ran a series of lab experiments. Participants started working on Task A and were interrupted to switch to another task, Task B. In the control group, participants immedi
ately switched to the interrupting task, Task B, following the interruption. In the treatment group, the researchers asked participants to take a few minutes before switching to create a “Ready-to-Resume” plan; essentially, to take a minute to note where they
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