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Task 1

The problem of robocalls has gotten so bad that many people now refuse to pick up calls from numbers they don't know. By next year， half of the calls we receive will be scams（欺詐）. We are finally waking up to the severity of the problem by supporting and developing a group of tools， apps and approaches intended to prevent scammers from getting through. Unfortunately， it's too little， too late. By the time these “solutions”（解决方案） become widely available， scammers will have moved onto cleverer means. In the near future， it's not just going to be the number you see on your screen that will be in doubt. Soon you will also question whether the voice you're hearing is actually real.

That's because there are a number of powerful voice manipulation （ 处理 ） and automation technologies that are about to become widely available for anyone to use. At this year's I/O Conference， a company showed a new voice technology able to produce such a convincing humansounding voice that it was able to speak to a receptionist and book a reservation without detection.

These developments are likely to make our current problems with robocalls much worse. The reason that robocalls are a headache has less to do with amount than precision. A decade of data breaches （数据侵入） of personal information has led to a situation where scammers can easily learn your mother's name， and far more. Armed with  this  knowledge， they're able to carry out individually targeted campaigns to cheat people. This means， for example， that a scammer could call you from what looks to be a familiar number and talk to you using a voice that sounds exactly like your bank teller's， tricking you into “confirming” your address， mother's name， and card number. Scammers follow money， so companies will be the worst hit. A lot of business is still done over the phone， and much of it is based on trust and existing relationships. Voice manipulation technologies may weaken that gradually.

We need to deal with the insecure nature of our telecom networks. Phone carriers and consumers need to work together to find ways of determining and communicating what is real. That might mean either developing a uniform way to mark videos and images， showing when and who they were made by or abandoning phone calls altogether and moving towards databased communications—using apps like FaceTime or WhatsApp， which can be tied to your identity.

Credibility is hard to earn but easy to lose， and the problem is only going to get harder from here on out.

1. How does the author feel about the solutions to the problem of robocalls？

A. Panicked. B. Confused.

C. Embarrassed. D. Disappointed.

2. Taking advantage of the new technologies， scammers can                   .

A. aim at victims precisely B. damage databases easily

C. start campaigns rapidly D. spread information widely

3. What does the passage imply？

A. Honesty is the best policy. B. Technologies can be doubleedged.

C. There are more solutions than problems. D. Credibility holds the key to development.

4. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage？

A. Where the Problem of Robocalls Is Rooted

B. Who Is to Blame for the Problem of Robocalls

C. Why Robocalls Are About to Get More Dangerous

D. How Robocalls Are Affecting the World of Technology

Task 2

What makes one person more intelligent than another？ What makes one person a genius， like the brilliant Albert Einstein， and another person a fool？ Are people born intelligent or stupid， or is intelligence the result of where and how you live？    1

We know， however， that just being born with a good mind is not enough. In some ways， the mind is like a leg or an arm muscle.    2    Mental exercise is particularly important for young children. Many child psychologists think that parents should play with their children more often and give them problems to think about.    3    If， on the other hand， children are left alone a great deal with nothing to do， they are more likely to become dull and unintelligent.

4    According to some psychologists， if parents are always telling a child that he or she is a fool or an idiot， then the child is more likely to keep doing silly and foolish things. So it is probably better for parents to say very positive things to their children， such as “That was a very clever thing you did.” or “   5   ”

A. It needs exercise.

B. You are such a smart child.

C. What people want to express is like this.

D. A healthy body contributes to one's intelligence.

E. Parents should also be careful about what they say to young children.

F. The children are then more likely to grow up brightly and intelligently.

G. These are very old questions and the answers to them are still not clear.

Task 3

“Just sign here， sir，” the deliveryman （送貨员） said as he handed Oscar Reyna a package.

The package consisted of a long， narrow box    1    wrapped in brown paper.    2    the box， Oscar saw an umbrella inside—a very old one with a beautifully carved handle.    3    he had not seen it for more than 20 years， he recognized it immediately.

Oscar was 16 when he first saw the    4    umbrella. He had gone to a concert with his grandparents. As they were leaving， he noticed an umbrella on an empty seat. Impressed by its    5   ，  Oscar felt a strong desire to find its owner.

Oscar    6    the manager to notice the record of advance ticket sales. Just as he thought， a name matched the seat    7    Oscar had found the umbrella. The name was Mrs Katie O'Brien.

Oscar talked his grandparents into going by Mrs O'Brien's house on their way home. He rang the bell; the door opened， and an elderly woman appeared. “May I    8    you？” she asked. “I'd like to return it if it's yours，” Oscar said，    9    the umbrella as if presenting a gift that had long been wished for. “Why， yes！ it's mine，” replied Mrs O'Brien with a    10    smile and shining eyes. “It was given to me by my father years ago. Thank you so much for returning it. May I offer you a reward you're your    11   ？” “No， ma'am，” he said， “my grandmother says that a good deed is its own reward.” “Well， that's    12    what my father used to say. What is your name， young man？”

Years later， Oscar was staring at the finely carved handle of the umbrella as he remembered Mrs O'Brien. It was in perfect condition， considering how    13    it was. Why had it arrived here today？ As if    14   ， a note fell from the paper. It read： Mrs O'Brien wanted you to accept this umbrella as a present for a kind，    15    gesture long ago.

1. A. strictly B. carefully C. seriously D. carelessly

2. A. Opening B. Seizing C. Watching D. Searching

3. A. After B. When C. Since D. Although

4. A. ordinary B. unusual C. simple D. typical

5. A. beauty B. shape C. size D. history

6. A. persuaded B. forced C. encouraged D. advised

7. A. until B. before C. which D. where

8. A. invite B. help C. bother D. know

9. A. putting up B. turning out C. picking up D. holding out

10. A. wide B. confident C. proud D. shy

11. A. patience B. kindness C. courage D. determination

12. A. clearly B. naturally C. exactly D. probably

13. A. old B. rare C. valuable D. nice

14. A. in turn B. in vain     C. in exchange D. in answer

15. A. attractive B. mean C. selfless D. thoughtful

Task 4

Ⅰ. 语法填空

China has become the first country to land a spacecraft on the far side of the moon. The unmanned Chang'e4 probe （探测器）—the name was inspired by an ancient Chinese moon goddess—1.             （touch） down last week in the South PoleAitken basin. Landing on the moon's far side is 2.             （extreme） challenging. Because the moon's body blocks direct radio communication with a probe， China first had to put a satellite in orbit above the moon in a spot 3.              it could send signals to the spacecraft and to Earth. The far side of the moon is of particular 4.             （interesting） to scientists because it has a lot of deep craters （環形山）， more so 5.              the familiar near side. Chinese researchers hope to use the instruments onboard Chang'e4 6.             （find） and study areas of the South PoleAitken basin. “This really excites scientists，” Carle Pieters， a scientist at Brown University， says， “because it 7.              （mean） we have the chance to obtain information about how the moon 8.              （construct）.” Data about the moon's composition， such as how 9.              ice and other treasures it contains， could help China decide whether 10.              （it） plans for a future lunar （月球的） base are practical.

Ⅱ. 书面表达

假定你是李华，你与同学王明约好去他家讨论将要举行的英语演讲比赛，但因在路上目睹了一起交通事故，并把伤者送往了医院，所以没能赴约。请你给他写一封道歉信，信的内容如下：

1. 向王明表示歉意;

2. 解释未能赴约的原因;

3. 约定下次讨论的时间。

注意：

1. 词数100左右;

2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

Dear Wang Ming，

Sincerely yours，

Li Hua

Task 5

阅读下面的短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。

“Wanted： A violin. Can't pay much. Call...”

Why did I notice that？ I wondered， since I rarely looked at advertisements. I laid the paper on my lap， remembering what had happened many years before. When my family struggled to make a living on our farm， I， too hard wanted a violin， but we didn't have the money.

It was not a good year. At harvest time the crops did not bring as much as we had hoped. Yet， even though times were hard， I couldn't wait any longer to ask， “Daddy， may I have a violin of my own？” Daddy's face looked sad.

One evening， we all sat around the table. Daddy wrote a letter to his friend Mr Finkle， in Columbus. As he wrote， Daddy read a part of his letter out to Mother. Weeks later， I discovered he'd written lines he didn't read aloud： “Would you look for a violin for my daughter？ I can't pay much， but she enjoys much， and we'd like her to have her own instrument.”

When Daddy received the letter from Columbus a few weeks later， he announced， “We will be driving to Columbus to spend the night with Aunt Alice as soon as I can find someone to care for the farm.”

At last the day arrived and we drove to Aunt Alice's. After we arrived， Daddy made a phone call. He hung up and asked， “Mary， do you want to go with me to visit Mr Finkle？” “Sure，” I answered.

He drove into a residential area and stopped in the driveway of a fine house. A tall man， older than Daddy， opened the door. “Mary， I've been hearing things about you. Your daddy has arranged a big surprise for you.” Mr Finkle led us into the living room. He picked up a case， opened it， lifted out a violin， and started to play. The melody（旋律） surged and flowed like waterfalls.

注意：

1. 所续写短文的词数应为 150 左右;

2. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好。

Paragraph 1：

“I found it in a secondhand shop for seven dollars，” Mr Finkle said， handing the violin to me.

Paragraph 2：

I forced my thoughts to the present and read again the advertisement.

河南省固始縣蓼城中学的常国红老师为自己班的同学点歌Roar，愿每个同学都成为自己生活的王者。

Katy Perry在2013年8月发行的单曲Roar有强烈的节奏感和非常励志的歌词。这首歌的MV讲述了这样一个故事：Katy乘坐的飞机失事，她和一位男同伴流落到一片陌生的森林，同伴不久就命丧虎口;原本胆小、顺从的Katy独自在森林中克服重重困难，学会了在险象环生的森林中独立生存，通过不断努力、拼搏，最终成为森林之王。

这个MV委婉地讲述了Katy的经历。飞机失事似乎代表了最初她的事业遭受打击——2001年，她推出了第一张专辑Katy Hudson，但销量惨淡，据说十多年过去了，这张专辑还没卖到300张;男同伴被咬死则代表她失败的经历;在森林中的奋斗代表了她对梦想的不懈努力;最终成为森林之王则代表她事业的成功——她共有9支冠军单曲、11项格莱美提名、2项美国音乐奖、14次人民选择奖等。

人生路上沉浮起落。每个人都应做自己生活的王者，主宰自己的命运，哪怕坠入深渊，仍旧可以倔强地站起，一步步攀上高峰，让全世界听到王者那震颤大地的咆哮——I am a champion！

...

I got the eye of the tiger， the fire， dancing through the fire

‘Cause I am a champion and you're gonna hear me roar

Louder， louder than a lion

‘Cause I am a champion and you're gonna hear me roar

...