34. Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage.The United States is facing a housing crisis: Affordable housing is inadequate， while luxury homes abound (充裕)， and homelessness remains a persistent problem.Despite this， popular culture and the housing industry market happiness as living with both more space and more amenities (便利设施).Big houses are advertized as a reward for hard work and diligence， turning housing from a basic necessity into a luxury.This is reflected in our homes.The average single-family home built in the United States before 1970 was less than 1，500 square feet in size.By 2016， the average size of a new， single-family home was 2，422 square feet.What’s more， homes built in the 2000s were more likely than earlier models to have more of all types of spaces: bedrooms， bathrooms， living rooms， dining rooms， recreation rooms and garages.There are consequences of living big.As middle-class houses have grown larger， two things have happened.First， large houses take time to maintain， so cleaners and other low-wage service workers are required to keep these houses in order.Second， once-public spaces， where people from diverse backgrounds used to come together， have increasingly become privatized， leading to a reduction in the number of public facilities available to all， and a reduced quality of life for many.Take swimming pools.While in 1950， only 2，500 U.S.families owned pools， by 1999 this number was 4 million.At the same time， public municipal pools were often closed， leaving low-income people nowhere to swim.The trend for bigger housing thus poses ethical questions.Should Americans accept a system in which the middle and upper classes enjoy a luxurious lifestyle， using the low-wage labor of others? Are we willing to accept a system in which an increase in amenities purchased by the affluent means a reduction in amenities for the poor?I believe neither is acceptable.We must change the way we think: living well does not need to mean having more private spaces; instead， it could mean having more public spaces.A better goal than building bigger houses for some is to create more publicly accessible spaces and amenities for all.What kind of social system does the author think is unacceptable?

4.The price of beer ()from 50 cents to $ 4 per liter during the summer season.

A. 　altered

B. 　ranged

C. 　separated

D. 　differed

3. Passage SeventeenNo one knows how man learned to make words.Perhaps he began by making sounds like those made by animals.Perhaps he grunted like a pig when he lifted something heavy.Perhaps he made sounds like those he heard all round him——water splashing， bees humming， a stone falling to the ground.Somehow， he learned to make words.As the centuries went by， he made more and more new words.This is what we mean by language.People living in different countries made different kinds of words.Today there are about fifteen hundred different languages in the world.Each contains many thousands of words.A very large English dictionary， for example， contains four or five hundred thousand words.But we do not need all these.Only a few thousand words are used in everyday life.The words you know are called your vocabulary.You should try to make your vocabulary bigger.You’re supposed to read as many books as you can.There are plenty of books written in easy English for you to read.You will enjoy them.When you meet a new word， you should find it in your dictionary.Your dictionary is your most useful book.People from different countries ().

41.A hobby is something that you never get tired of—the more time you devote to it， the more fun you will have.

3. Passage Twenty-NineHow can we get rid of garbage (垃圾)? Do we have enough energy sources to meet our future energy needs? These are two important questions that many people are asking today.Some people think that man might be able to solve both problems at the same time.They suggest using garbage as an energy source， and at the same time it can save the land to hold garbage.For a long time， people buried garbage or dumped (倾倒)it on empty land.Now， empty land is scarce.But more and more garbage is produced each year.However， garbage can be a good fuel to use.The things in garbage do not look like coal， petroleum， or natural gas; but they are chemically similar to these fossil fuels.As we use up our fossil-fuel supplies， we might be able to use garbage as an energy source.Burning garbage is not a new idea.Some cities in Europe and the United States have been burning garbage for years.The heat that is produced by burning garbage is used to boil water.The steam that is produced is used to make electricity or to heat nearby buildings.In Paris， France， some power plants burn almost 2 million metric tons of the city’s garbage each year.The amount of energy produced is about the same as would be produced by burning almost a half million barrels of oil.Our fossil fuel supplies are limited.Burning garbage might be one kind of energy source that we can use to help meet our energy needs.This method could also reduce the amount of garbage piling up on the earth.According to the passage， which of the following is NOT true?

1.The Words of his old teacher left a ()impression on his mind.He is still influenced by them.

A. 　long

B. 　lively

C. 　lasting

D. 　liberal

1. Passage TenNowadays， children heavily cling to digital devices such as computers and smart phones.Some spend up to six hours a day on their digital devices.They can be playing games online with people elsewhere， updating their status on social media， texting friends， or looking for the latest apps to download to their computers or smart phones.This worried Martin Strott.He is the headmaster of the Old Hall School in Wellington， England.He was so concerned that he challenged his students to take part in a week of (“digital detox”)， a program to reduce their reliance on digital devices.Mr.Strott told the local newspaper， the Shropshire Star， that too much screen time would affect the development of their social skills.At another interview with a magazine， he mentioned that this over-reliance on digital devices “takes away family time and reduces their chances of face-to-face communication”.The parents are happy with the program.But what about the children? Nine-year-old Fred usually spends around two hours on his digital devices at home after school and around 12 hours on weekends.For him， the digital detox experience was “really hard”.He said that he had been engaged in many interesting outdoor activities organized by the headmaster， but still missed his phone and online games.The idea of keeping children away from their digital devices for a while to prevent too much dependence on them is not particularly new.There have been similar practices in the United States.But are they effective in the long run? According to Mr.Strott， even if kids go back to their digital devices， the hope is that at least they will think about how they will use their time.According to Paragraph 1， what would children do when they cling to their digital devices?

37. Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage.Some people have said aging is more a slide into forgetfulness than a journey towards wisdom.However， a growing body of research suggests that late-in-life learning is possible.In reality， education does an aging brain good.Throughout life， people’s brains constantly renovate themselves.In the late 1960s， British brain scientist Geoffrey Raisman spied growth in damaged brain regions of rats through an electron microscope; their brains were forging new connections.This meant brains may change every time a person learns something new.Of course， that doesn’t mean the brain isn’t affected by the effects of time.Just as height usually declines over the years， so does brain volume: Humans lose about 4 percent every decade starting in their 40s.But that reduction doesn’t necessarily make people think slower; as long as we are alive and functioning， we can alter our brains with new information and experiences.In fact， scientists now suspect accumulating novel experiences， facts， and skills can keep people’s minds more flexible.New pathways can strengthen our ever-changing mental structure， even as the brain shrinks.Conventional fixes like word puzzles and brain-training apps can contribute to mental durability.Even something as simple as taking a different route to the grocery store or going somewhere new on vacation can keep the brain healthy.A desire for new life challenges can further boost brainpower.Research about aging adults who take on new enterprises shows improved function and memory as well as a reduced risk of mental disease.Openness—a characteristic defined by curiosity and a desire for knowledge—may also help folks pass brain tests.Some folks are born with this take-in-the world attitude， but those who aren’t as genetically gifted aren’t necessarily out of luck.While genes can encourage an interest in doing new things， a 2012 study in the journal Psychology and Aging found completing reasoning tasks like puzzles and number games can enhance that desire for novel experiences， which can， in turn， refresh the brain.That’s why brain scientist Richard Kennedy says “It’s not that old dogs can’t learn new tricks.It’s that maybe old dogs don’t realize why they should.”What can we conclude from Geoffrey Raisman’s finding?

A. 　Brain damage seriously hinders one’s learning.

B. 　Brain power weakens slower than we imagine.

C. 　Brains can refresh and improve with learning.

D. 　Brains forge connections under new conditions.

1. Passage Thirty-FourMuch unfriendly feeling towards computers has been based on the fear of widespread unemployment resulting from their introduction.Computers are often used as part of automated (自动化的)production systems requiring a least possible number of operators， causing the loss of many jobs.This has happened， for example， in many steelworks.On the other hand， computers do create jobs.They are more skilled and better paid， though fewer in number than those they replace.Many activities could not continue in their present form without computers， no matter how many people are employed.Examples are the check clearing (交换)system of major banks and the weather forecasting system.When a firm introduces computers， a few people are usually employed in key posts (such as jobs of operations managers)while other staff are re-trained as operators， programmers， and data preparation staff.After the new system has settled down， people in non-computer jobs are not always replaced when they leave， resulting in a decrease in the number of employees.This decrease is sometimes balanced by a substantial increase in the activity of the firm， resulting from the introduction of computers.The attitudes of workers towards computers vary.There is fear of widespread unemployment and of the takeover of many jobs by computer-trained workers， making promotion for older workers not skilled in computers more difficult.On the other hand， many workers regard the trend toward wider use of computers inevitable.They realize that computers bring about greater efficiency and productivity， which will improve the condition of the whole economy， and lead to the creation of more jobs.This view was supported by the former British Prime Minister， James Callaghan in 1954， when he made the point that new technologies hold the key to increased productivity， which will benefit the economy in the long run.The unfriendly feeling towards computers is developed from ().

47.The best way to make friends is to start a conversation with someone and ()what your common interests are and go from there.

A. 　lead to

B. 　lay down

C. 　keep on

D. 　find out

32.He ()on this essay for half an hour but he has written only about a hundred words.

A. 　was working

B. 　had worked

C. 　has been working

D. 　worked