3. Passage Thirty-TwoHave you ever heard of a pawpaw (木瓜)? If not， do not feel bad.Many Americans do not know of the fruit， although it is native to the U.S.Once， however， it was one of the most popular fruits in North America.Happily， those who love the pawpaw are trying to return it to its former position in American foods.A pawpaw is a tropical fruit that used to be grown along the East Coast from New York to Florida and all over the eastern U.S.At one time， it could be found as far west as Nebraska.The pawpaw was an important food for Native Americans and even early European settlers.Pawpaws reportedly were a favorite treat of George Washington， the first U.S.president， who especially liked them cold.Thomas Jefferson， the third U.S.president， was also a fan of the fruit.He planted pawpaws at his home in Virginia.He also sent pawpaw seeds to his friends in France.American explorers Lewis and Clark wrote in their journals about the pawpaw.The pawpaw is difficult to be sold commercially.The fruit requires a very special environment—low， wet areas that sometimes flood.It has a very short harvest season， from two to three weeks in September and October.In addition， the fruit is good to eat for only two to three days after harvesting.This makes it hard to sell anywhere distant from the pawpaw tree it comes from.Planters are again growing pawpaw trees and harvesting the fruit.In several states farmers have organized “pawpaw festivals” to reintroduce people to food.At such a festival in Maryland recently， farmers displayed different products made with pawpaws， like pawpaw jams， pies， ice-cream and beer.George Washington and Thomas Jefferson are mentioned in paragraph 3 as ().

37.The firm’s promise to increase our pay was a concession ()union demands.

A. 　against

B. 　for

C. 　upon

D. 　to

3. 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.The Shropshire Star is ().

8.The house was very quiet， ()as it was on the side of a mountain.

A. 　isolated

B. 　isolating

C. 　being isolated

D. 　having been isolated

43.The government should come up with a better solution to the problems caused by the high price of petrol.

44.He reads newspapers every day to keep himself ()about what’s going on in the world.

A. 　inform

B. 　informing

C. 　informed

D. 　being informed

19.Some people would like to do shopping on Sundays since they expect to pick up wonderful ()in the market.

A. 　batteries

B. 　bargains

C. 　baskets

D. 　barrels

5. Passage Thirty-FiveTelevision has changed the lifestyle of people in every industrialized country in the world.In the United States， where sociologists have studied the effects， some interesting observations have been made.Television， although not essential， has become an important part of most people’s lives.It alters people’s ways of seeing the world; in many ways， it supports and sustains (维持)modern life.Television has become a baby-sitter， an introducer of conversations， the major transmitter of culture and a keeper of tradition.Yet when what can be seen on TV in one day is critically analyzed， it becomes evident that television is not a teacher but a sustainer; the poor quality of programming does not elevate (提高)people into greater understanding， but rather maintains and encourages the life as it exists.The primary reason for the lack of quality in American television is related to both the history of TV programming development and the economics of TV.Television in America began with the radio.Radio companies and their sponsors first experimented with television.Therefore， the close relationship which the advertisers had with radio programs became the system for American TV.Sponsors not only paid money for time within programs， but many actually produced the programs.Thus， in American society， television is primarily concerned with reflecting and attracting society rather than experimenting with new ideas.Advertisers want to attract the largest viewing audience possible.To do so requires that the programs be entertaining rather than educational， attractive rather than challenging.Television in America today remains， to a large extent， with the same organization and standards as it had thirty years ago.The hope for further development and true achievement toward improving society will require a change in the entire system.The author’s attitude towards American television is ().

3. Passage FifteenBig data can be defined as information that is too big or complex to be contained or processed by any one machine or person.As a student at the University of Sussex， Julian Dailly had two majors——English and philosophy.When he completed his studies， Dailly wondered how he would ever earn a living in a world filled with machines and technology.Now， he is part of the big data industry that includes Google and Facebook.Dailly’s research company， Monar Consulting， started three years ago with five employees.The company’s earnings have increased by 25% each year.It now employs 90 people.“What we do here is we try to discover what’s meaningful for people and link that to their economic behavior，” Dailly said.He noted the importance of working with people with different skills.“We have people from traditional research backgrounds， in addition to some in social sciences， economics， people from tech backgrounds， and sales people，” Dailly said.Companies like Dailly’s employ recent college graduates.The industry profits from the ideas of these young men and women.New forms of data also make it possible for some observers to predict the future.They are more valuable to companies than the traditional forms of data recording or reporting.“We have access to the core information inside people’s heads，” Dailly said， “They tell you what people are going to do as opposed to what they’ve done.That helps people take proper action in advance.This makes it much more useful for strategy.”Julian Dailly dismisses concerns that computers have finally taken control of our daily lives.“Some may worry that humans will be allowed to be replaced by machines.I think it’s a fantasy.”The company’s staff is characterized by all the following EXCEPT ().

15.She cooked the meat for a long time so as to make it ()enough to eat.

A. 　mild

B. 　slight

C. 　light

D. 　tender

35. Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage.Lao Zi once said， “Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner.” People-pleasing， or seeking self-worth through others’ approval， is unproductive and an exhausting way to go through life.Why do we allow what others think of us to have so much power over how we feel about ourselves? If it’s true that you can’t please people all the time， wouldn’t it make sense to stop trying?Unfortunately， sense often isn’t driving our behavior.For social beings who desire love and belonging， wanting to be liked， and caring about the effect we have on others， is healthy and allows us to make connections.However， where we get into trouble is when our self-worth is dependent upon whether we win someone’s approval or not.This need to be liked can be traced back to when we were children and were completely dependent on others to take care of us: Small children are not just learning how to walk and communicate， they are also trying to learn how the world works.We learn about who we are and what is expected of us based on interactions with others， so， to a four-year-old， if Mommy or Daddy doesn’t like him or her， there is the danger that they will abandon them.We need to understand that when we desperately want someone to approve of us， it’s being driven by that little kid part of us that is still terrified of abandonment.As you become more capable of providing yourself with the approval you seek， your need for external validation will start to vanish， leaving you stronger， more confident， and yes， happier in your life.Imagine how much time we lose each moment we restrain our authentic selves in an effort to be liked.If we base our worth on the opinions of others， we cheat ourselves of the power to shape our experiences and embrace life not only for others but also for ourselves， because ultimately， there is no difference.So embrace the cliché (老话)and love yourself as it’s highly doubtful that you’ll regret it.What does the author advise us to do in the last paragraph?

A. 　Embrace life for ourselves and for others.

B. 　Base our worth on others’ opinions.

C. 　See our experiences as assets.

D. 　Love ourselves as we are.