Section Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
It is curious that Stephen Koziatek feels almost as though he has to justify his efforts to give his students a better future.
Mr. Koziatek is part of something pioneering. He is a teacher at a New Hampshire high school where learning is not something of books and tests and mechanical memorization, but practical. When did it become accepted wisdom that students should be able to name the 13th president of the United States but be utterly overwhelmed by a broken bike chain?
As Koziatek knows, there is learning in just about everything. Nothing is necessarily gained by forcing students to learn geometry at a graffitied desk stuck with generations of discarded chewing gum. They can also learn geometry by assembling a bicycle.
But he’s also found a kind of insidious prejudice. Working with your hands is seen as almost a mark of inferiority. Schools in the family of vocational education “have that stereotype... that it’s for kids who can’t make it academically,” he says.
On one hand, that viewpoint is a logical product of America’s evolution. Manufacturing is not the economic engine that it once was. The job security that the US economy once offered to high school graduates has largely evaporated. More education is the new principle. We want more for our kids, and rightfully so.
But the headlong push into bachelor’s degrees for all—and the subtle devaluing of anything less—misses an important point: That’s not the only thing the American economy needs. Yes, a bachelor’s degree opens more doors. But even now, 54 percent of the jobs in the country are middle-skill jobs, such as construction and high-skill manufacturing. But only 44 percent of workers are adequately trained.
In other words, at a time when the working class has turned the country on its political head, frustrated that the opportunity that once defined America is vanishing, one obvious solution is staring us in the face. There is a gap in working-class jobs, but the workers who need those jobs most aren’t equipped to do them. Koziatek’s Manchester school of Technology High School is trying to fill that gap.
Koziatek’s school is a wake-up call. When education becomes one-size-fits-all, it risks overlooking a nation’s diversity of gifts.
1、21. A broken bike chain is mentioned to show students’ lack of ________.
A academic training
B practical ability
C pioneering spirit
D mechanical memorization
答案解析：
答案精析：根据题干中的broken bike chain可定位至第二段最后一句。文中说到，科佐泰克的学校更加注重学生的实践能力（第二段），且学生通过组装自行车也能学到几何学（第三段）。作者在定位句使用问句是为了提出质疑：学生应该说出美国第十三任总统的名字，但对断了链子的自行车而手足无措，这什么时候成为了公认的智慧？可见学生在理论上学有所成，但缺乏动手实践能力，因此选择B项。
错项排除：选项A中的academic出现在第四段最后一句（academically），但作者在此处是为了说明人们对职业教育的偏见，而与学生缺乏什么能力无关，故A项错误。C选项中的pioneering出现在第二段第一句，但这里说的是科佐泰克具有开拓精神，原文中并没有提及学生是否缺乏开拓精神，故排除C项。mechanical memorization出现在第二段第二句，学生并不缺乏机械式的记忆能力，相反，作者对具有这种只会死记硬背而没有实践能力的学生持否定态度，因此D项错误。
长难句分析：When did it become accepted wisdom that students should be able to name the 13th president of the United States but be utterly overwhelmed by a broken bike chain?
本句主干是特殊疑问句：When did it become accepted wisdom，后面是that引导的同位语从句，其中使用and连接了从句的并列谓语should be able to name... and be utterly overwhelmed.
句意为：从何时开始，学生们可以说出美国第十三任总统的名字，但面对一条断了的自行车链却完全手足无措这种现象被广为认可了呢？
2、22. There exists the prejudice that vocational education is for kids who ________.
A have a stereotyped mind
B have no career motivation
C are financially disadvantaged
D are not academically successful
答案解析：
答案精析：根据题干中的prejudice和vocational education…for kids可定位至第四段最后一句，其中stereotype是prejudice的同义转述。第一个it指代的是vocational education（职业教育），此句的意思为：他说，职业教育学校有这样的偏见……，即职业教育的对象是那些学术上无法取得成功的孩子”。由此可见，正确答案为D。
错项排除：选项A中的stereotyped出现在定位句中，但原文说的是职业教育学校有这种迂腐的观念，而不是学生，A选项错误。B、C选项在原文中没有提及，故排除。
3、23. We can infer from Paragraph 5 that high school graduates ________.
A used to have more job opportunities
B used to have big financial concerns
C are entitled to more educational privileges
D are reluctant to work in manufacturing
答案解析：
答案精析：根据题干中的Paragraph 5和high school graduates可定位到第五段的第三句，此句的意思为，美国经济曾经给高中毕业生的工作保障大部分都消失了（evaporated），由此可知，过去高中毕业生有更多的工作机会，但现在数量减少了很多，因此正确答案为A。
错项排除：原文中并没有提到财务问题或教育特权，B、C错。第五段第二句中出现了manufacturing，但这里说的是制造业不再像过去一样是经济引擎，并没有提到高中毕业生愿不愿意在这个行业工作，D错。
4、24. The headlong push into bachelor’s degrees for all ________.
A helps create a lot of middle-skill jobs
B may narrow the gap in working-class jobs
C indicates the overvaluing of higher education
D is expected to yield a better-trained workforce
答案解析：
答案精析：根据题干中的The headlong push into bachelor’s degrees for all可定位至第六段第一句。此处说到大力推动学士学位……忽略了重要的一点：那并不是美国经济唯一需要的。紧接着，作者举例到，只有44%的工人得到了充分的培训。可见学历再高，也弥补不了实践应用能力，由此可得知人们对更高等教育的高估，因此正确答案为C。
错项排除：原文说到，在需要中等技能的工作中，只有44%的工人得到了充分的培训，A和D选项错误。B选项的gap in working-class jobs出现在第七段第二句，但原文并未提到要缩小工薪阶层的工作差距，因此B项错误。
5、25. The author’s attitude toward Koziatek’s school can be described as ________.
A tolerant
B cautious
C supportive
D disappointed
答案解析：
答案精析：原文中多次提到作者对科佐泰克学校的赞赏态度：科佐泰克具有开创性（第二段）、科佐泰克学校是一次唤醒。最后一段中，他同时一直在强调职业教育的重要性以及必要性，答案为C。
错项排除：文章中并没有提到科佐泰克的学校有什么问题，因此谈不上对此的态度是“宽容的”还是“谨慎的”，因此排除A、B两项。D选项意义与全文语境相反，故排除。
Section Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
While fossil fuels—coal, oil, gas—still generate roughly 85 percent of the world’s energy supply, it’s clearer than ever that the future belongs to renewable sources such as wind and solar. The move to renewables is picking up momentum around the world: They now account for more than half of new power sources going on line.
Some growth stems from a commitment by governments and farsighted businesses to fund cleaner energy sources. But increasingly the story is about the plummeting prices of renewables, especially wind and solar. The cost of solar panels has dropped by 80 percent and the cost of wind turbines by close to one-third in the past eight years.
In many parts of the world renewable energy is already a principal energy source. In Scotland, for example, wind turbines provide enough electricity to power 95 percent of homes. While the rest of the world takes the lead, notably China and Europe, the United States is also seeing a remarkable shift. In March, for the first time, wind and solar power accounted for more than 10 percent of the power generated in the US, reported the US Energy Information Administration.
President Trump has underlined fossil fuels—especially coal—as the path to economic growth. In a recent speech in Iowa, he dismissed wind power as an unreliable energy source. But that message did not play well with many in Iowa, where wind turbines dot the fields and provide 36 percent of the state’s electricity generation—and where tech giants like Microsoft are being attracted by the availability of clean energy to power their data centers.
The question “What happens when the wind doesn’t blow or the sun doesn’t shine?” has provided a quick put-down for skeptics. But a boost in the storage capacity of batteries is making their ability to keep power flowing around the clock more likely.
The advance is driven in part by vehicle manufacturers, who are placing big bets on battery-powered electric vehicles. Although electric cars are still a rarity on roads now, this massive investment could change the picture rapidly in coming years.
While there’s a long way to go, the trend lines for renewables are spiking. The pace of change in energy sources appears to be speeding up—perhaps just in time to have a meaningful effect in slowing climate change. What Washington does—or doesn’t do—to promote alternative energy may mean less and less at a time of a global shift in thought.
6、26. The word “plummeting” (Para. 2) is closest in meaning to ________.
A stabilizing
B changing
C falling
D rising
答案解析：
答案精析：plummeting位于prices之前作定语，结合四个选项可知，它应该是用来描述价格的波动情况。定位句提到可再生能源（尤其是风能和太阳能）的价格，紧接着在第二段最后一句中说到，在过去八年里，太阳能电池板的成本下降了80%，风力发电机的成本下降了近三分之一。因此C为正确答案。
错项排除：其他三个选项代入原文均与第二段最后一句矛盾，故为错误选项。
7、27. According to Paragraph 3, the use of renewable energy in America ________.
A is progressing notably
B is as extensive as in Europe
C faces many challenges
D has proved to be impractical
答案解析：
答案精析：第三段中先是提到苏格兰的风力发电为家庭提供95%的电能，接着提到在世界其他国家（主要是中国和欧洲）领先的情况下，美国也经历显著转变（remarkable shift），即美国使用的可再生能源也在增加，因此正确答案为A。
错项排除：美国在使用可再生能源方面并没有达到与欧洲比肩的程度，故B项错误。原文并没有提到在使用可再生能源方面面临诸多挑战或此举不合实际，C、D两项属于无中生有，故排除。
8、28. It can be learned that in Iowa, ________.
A wind is a widely used energy source
B wind energy has replaced fossil fuels
C tech giants are investing in clean energy
D there is a shortage of clean energy supply
答案解析：
答案精析：根据题干中的Iowa可定位到第四段。此段说到，虽然特朗普将风能视为不可靠的能源而加以否定，但很多爱荷华州人并不这么认为。风能提供了该州36%的发电量，而微软也被清洁能源为其数据中心供电的可用性吸引。由此可见，在爱荷华州，风力发电很普遍，所以正确答案为A。
错项排除：原文并没有说到风能已经取代了化石燃料，就目前来说，这也不符合常识，因此排除B项。微软等科技巨头只是对清洁能源为其数据中心供电的可用性吸引，并没有说到要进行投资，C项错误。原文也没有说到清洁能源供应短缺问题，因此排除D项。
长难句分析：But that message did not play well with many in Iowa, where wind turbines dot the fields and provide 36 percent of the state’s electricity generation—and where tech giants like Microsoft are being attracted by the availability of clean energy to power their data centers.
本句主干为that message did not play well with many，为主谓宾结构，in Iowa为地点状语，后面where引导非限制性定语从句，破折号后where同样引导非限制性定语从句，修饰Iowa，对其进一步补充说明。
句意为：但很多爱荷华州人并不这么认为，风力发电机布满田野，提供了该州36%的发电量——微软等科技巨头也被清洁能源对其数据中心供电的可用性吸引。
9、29. Which of the following is true about clean energy according to Paragraphs 5 & 6?
A Its application has boosted battery storage.
B It is commonly used in car manufacturing.
C Its continuous supply is becoming a reality.
D Its sustainable exploitation will remain difficult.
答案解析：
答案精析：第五段最后一句说到，电池储存容量的提高使得24小时保持电力流动成为可能，因此选C。
错项排除：A选项中的boosted和battery storage出现在第五段最后一句，但电池储存容量的提高并不是清洁能源的应用引起的，两者没有因果关系，因此排除A项。根据第六段第二句可知，目前街上的电动汽车仍然罕见，所以B不符合题意。第六段第二句中提到，巨额投资可能在未来迅速改变面貌，其中的“迅速”指可持续能源的开发并不会一直是难题，所以D项错误。
10、30. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that renewable energy ________.
A will bring the US closer to other countries
B will accelerate global environmental change
C is not really encouraged by the USA government
D is not competitive enough with regard to its cost
答案解析：
答案精析：原文最后一句中说到，在全球思想转变的时刻，华盛顿做什么——或不做什么——去促进可替代能源可能变得越来越不重要了。可见，美国政府并不十分鼓励推动可再生能源，因此正确答案为C。
错项排除：最后一段中并没有说到可再生能源会使美国靠近其他国家，而且“其他国家”也过于笼统，并没有专门指使用清洁能源领先的国家，A项排除。最后一段第二句提到使用清洁能源会减缓气候变化，并不是加速，B项排除。最后一段没有提到可再生能源的成本是否具备竞争力问题，D项排除。
Section Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
The power and ambition of the giants of the digital economy is astonishing—Amazon has just announced the purchase of the upmarket grocery chain Whole Foods for $13.5bn, but two years ago Facebook paid even more than that to acquire the WhatsApp messaging service, which doesn’t have any physical product at all. What WhatsApp offered Facebook was an intricate and finely detailed web of its users’ friendships and social lives.
Facebook promised the European commission then that it would not link phone numbers to Facebook identities, but it broke the promise almost as soon as the deal went through. Even without knowing what was in the messages, the knowledge of who sent them and to whom was enormously revealing and still could be. What political journalist, what party whip, would not want to know the makeup of the WhatsApp groups in which Theresa May’s enemies are currently plotting? It may be that the value of Whole Foods to Amazon is not so much the 460 shops it owns, but the records of which customers have purchased what.
Competition law appears to be the only way to address these imbalances of power. But it is clumsy. For one thing, it is very slow compared to the pace of change within the digital economy. By the time a problem has been addressed and remedied it may have vanished in the marketplace, to be replaced by new abuses of power. But there is a deeper conceptual problem, too. Competition law as presently interpreted deals with financial disadvantage to consumers and this is not obvious when the users of these services don’t pay for them. The users of their services are not their customers. That would be the people who buy advertising from them—and Facebook and Google, the two virtual giants, dominate digital advertising to the disadvantage of all other media and entertainment companies.
The product they’re selling is data, and we, the users, convert our lives to data for the benefit of the digital giants. Just as some ants farm the bugs called aphids for the honeydew they produce when they feed, so Google farms us for the data that our digital lives yield. Ants keep predatory insects away from where their aphids feed; Gmail keeps the spammers out of our inboxes. It doesn’t feel like a human or democratic relationship, even if both sides benefit.
11、31. According to Paragraph 1, Facebook acquired WhatsApp for its ________.
A digital products
B user information
C physical assets
D quality service
答案解析：
答案精析：根据题干中的Facebook acquired WhatsApp可定位至原文第一段第二句。文章说到WhatsApp给Facebook提供的是用户交友和社交生活的复杂且精细化网络，即用户信息，因此答案为B。
错项排除：原文第一句的后半句说到，WhatsApp没有任何实体产品，因此A和C错误。原文没有提到WhatsApp提供优质服务，故排除D项。
12、32. Linking phone numbers to Facebook identities may ________.
A worsen political disputes
B mess up customer records
C pose a risk to Facebook users
D mislead the European commission
答案解析：
答案精析：根据题干中的Linking phone numbers to Facebook identities可定位至第二段第一句。此句和之后的句子提到，Facebook违背了不将电话号码和用户身份绑定的约定，其结果是尽管不知道信息的内容，但也能知道是谁在向谁发送信息（who sent them and to whom），这在很大程度上泄露了信息。由此可知，泄露信息对Facebook用户造成风险，故选C项。
错项排除：选项A是对第二段第三句话的过度推理，此句中提到，哪个政治记者会不想知道特蕾莎·梅的政敌们正在WhatsApp的组件构成中谋划着什么呢？但并没有说此举会恶化政治争端，A错。选项B是根据第二段最后一句设置的干扰项，但此句只是说明亚马逊对“全食”超市（Whole Foods）客户的购买记录感兴趣，并未提及要对其扰乱，故排除B项。第二段第一句话中出现European commission，此句只是说Facebook违背了和欧盟委员会的约定，故排除D项。
13、33. According to the author, competition law ________.
A should serve the new market powers
B may worsen the economic imbalance
C should not provide just one legal solution
D cannot keep pace with the changing market
答案解析：
答案精析：根据题干中的competition law可定位至第三段。第三段第二句至第四句提到，竞争法很不灵活（clumsy），它无法跟上数字经济的变化步伐，当一个问题得到解决和修正的时候，它可能已经消失了。因此选D。
错项排除：原文中并没有提到新的市场力量，因此可排除A项。第三段第一句提到，竞争法似乎是解决这种权力不平衡的唯一方法，而不是恶化，所以B错误。文章未提及需要竞争法提供更多的解决方法，C项也可排除。
14、34. Competition law as presently interpreted can hardly protect Facebook users because ________.
A they are not defined as customers
B they are not financially reliable
C the services are generally digital
D the services are paid for by advertisers
答案解析：
答案精析：根据题干中的Competition law as presently interpreted可定位至第三段第六句。此句和后一句说到竞争法是用来处理客户的经济损失，而当用户不为这些服务支付费用时，这一点就不明显了。由此可知Facebook的这些服务的客户并不是用户，由此可知，正确答案为A。
错项排除：Facebook的用户为这些服务无需支付费用，但并不是说他们在经济方面不可靠，因此B项错误。Facebook的服务确实是数字化的，与此题无关，故排除C项。D选项中的the services指代Facebook免费获取的服务，而与advertisers（广告商）无关，此选项糅合了第八句有关广告商的内容，故D项错误。
15、35. The ants analogy is used to illustrate ________.
A a win-win business model between digital giants
B a typical competition pattern among digital giants
C the benefits provided for digital giants’ customers
D the relationship between digital giants and their users
答案解析：
答案精析：根据题干中的ants analogy可定位至最后一段第二句。此句说到，蚂蚁养殖称作蚜虫的虫子是为了获得它们在觅食时产生的蜜，而谷歌“养殖”我们是为了得到我们数字生活产生的数据。由此可见，作者进行类比是为了形象地说明数字巨头和用户之间的关系，因此正确答案为D。
错项排除：A和B中都没有提到“用户”这一关键词和文章主旨词，故错误。尽管用户确实能从数字巨头的服务中得到益处（如谷歌帮助用户从收件箱中屏蔽垃圾邮件），但作者最后说道，即使双方互利，但数字巨头与用户之间的关系并不像是人道或民主的，故作者在此处举蚂蚁的例子并不是为了说明用户得到了益处，因此C项也要排除。
长难句解析：Just as some ants farm the bugs called aphids for the honeydew they produce when they feed, so Google farms us for the data that our digital lives yield.
本句主干为Google farms us，为主谓宾结构，for the data为目的状语，后面的that our digital lives yield为定语从句，修饰data。前半句Just as引导比较状语从句，其中called aphids为分词作后置定语，修饰bugs；they produce为省略引导词的定语从句，修饰honeydew，后面when they feed为时间状语从句。
句意为：就像蚂蚁从一种叫蚜虫的昆虫身上获取它们进食时产生的蜜汁一样，谷歌从我们身上获取我们的电子生活所产生的数据。
Section Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
To combat the trap of putting a premium on being busy, Cal Newport, author of Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, recommends building a habit of “deep work”—the ability to focus without distraction.
There are a number of approaches to mastering the art of deep work—be it lengthy retreats dedicated to a specific task; developing a daily ritual; or taking a “journalistic” approach to seizing moments of deep work when you can throughout the day. Whichever approach, the key is to determine your length of focus time and stick to it.
Newport also recommends “deep scheduling” to combat constant interruptions and get more done in less time. “At any given point, I should have deep work scheduled for roughly the next month. Once on the calendar, I protect this time like I would a doctor’s appointment or important meeting,” he writes.
Another approach to getting more done in less time is to rethink how you prioritize your day—in particular how we craft our to-do lists. Tim Harford, author of Messy: The Power of Disorder to Transform Our Lives, points to a study in the early 1980s that divided undergraduates into two groups: some were advised to set out monthly goals and study activities; others were told to plan activities and goals in much more detail, day by day.
While the researchers assumed that the well-structured daily plans would be most effective when it came to the execution of tasks, they were wrong: the detailed daily plans demotivated students. Harford argues that inevitable distractions often render the daily to-do list ineffective, while leaving room for improvisation in such a list can reap the best results.
In order to make the most of our focus and energy, we also need to embrace downtime, or as Newport suggests, “be lazy”.
“Idleness is not just a vacation, an indulgence or a vice; it is as indispensable to the brain as Vitamin D is to the body—[idleness] is, paradoxically, necessary to getting any work done,” he argues.
Srini Pillay, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, believes this counterintuitive link between downtime and productivity may be due to the way our brains operate. When our brains switch between being focused and unfocused on a task, they tend to be more efficient.
“What people don’t realise is that in order to complete these tasks they need to use both the focus and unfocus circuits in their brain,” says Pillay.
16、36. The key to mastering the art of deep work is to ________.
A keep to your focus time
B list your immediate tasks
C make specific daily plans
D seize every minute to work
答案解析：
答案精析：根据题干中的key和mastering the art of deep work可定位至第二段最后一句。第二段先是提到深度工作有很多技巧，并列举了不同方法，最后指出关键是要“确定你的专注时长，并保持住”（determine your length of focus time and stick to it），故答案为A。
错项排除：原文并没有提到“立即执行的任务”（immediate tasks），B选项属于无中生有，故排除。第二段第一句中提到要“制定一个日程”（developing a daily ritual），但不是深度工作的技巧的关键（key），所以C项错误。选项D是根据第二段第一句中出现的seizing moment of deep work设置的干扰项，但它的意思是“抓住能够深度工作的时刻”，并不是指“时刻工作”，故错误。
17、37. The study in the early 1980s cited by Harford shows that ________.
A distractions may actually increase efficiency
B daily schedules are indispensable to studying
C students are hardly motivated by monthly goals
D detailed plans may not be as fruitful as expected
答案解析：
答案精析：根据题干中的study、in the early 1980s和Harford可定位至第五段。第五段提及，研究发现，那些列出更加详尽的每日目标的参与者失去了动力（demotivated），从而更加低效（ineffective），因此选项D符合题意。
错项排除：选项A是根据第五段第二句中的distractions设置的干扰项，此句说的是干扰会使每日任务无效，与A选项意思相反，故排除A项。第五段第一句说到，安排合理的每日计划在任务执行时并不十分有效，因此B项错误。实验结果表明制定月度目标的激励效果比详尽设置每日目标的激励效果要好，因此C项错误。
18、38. According to Newport, idleness is ________.
A a desirable mental state for busy people
B a major contributor to physical health
C an effective way to save time and energy
D an essential factor in accomplishing any work
答案解析：
答案精析：根据题干中的Newport和idleness，可以定位至第六段和第七段。第七段最后一句提到，似乎矛盾的是，为了完成工作，无所事事是必要的。由此得出D是正确答案。
错项排除：busy在第一段第一句中出现，此句说的是人们崇尚（putting a premium on）忙碌，而非无所事事，且与Newport无关，故排除A选项。原文第七段第一句说到，无所事事对大脑的必要性就像维生素D之于身体一样，可见B选项对原文进行了错误推断，无所事事和身体健康并不相关，因此B项错误。C选项的内容并未在原文中出现，故排除。
19、39. Pillay believes that our brains’ shift between being focused and unfocused ________.
A can result in psychological well-being
B can bring about greater efficiency
C is aimed at better balance in work
D is driven by task urgency
答案解析：
答案精析：根据题干中的our brains’ shift between being focused and unfocused可定位至第八段最后一句。定位句提及在做一项任务的过程中，当人类大脑在集中和不集中之间转换时，往往效率更高。因此选B。
错项排除：原文中说到史里尼·皮莱是一位精神病学助理教授（an assistant professor of psychiatry），但文中未提到心理健康，因此A项错误。C选项和D选项的内容并未在原文中提及，故排除。
20、40. This text is mainly about ________.
A ways to relieve the tension of busy life
B approaches to getting more done in less time
C the key to eliminating distractions
D the cause of the lack of focus time
答案解析：
答案精析：文章开篇引出“深度工作”的话题，“深度工作”的根本目的是为了提高效率。接着文章论述了“在更少的时间里做更多的事”。最后四段虽然一直围绕“无所事事”进行介绍，但其目的也是为了说明“无所事事”有助于提高效率。由此可见，B选项是本文的主题。
错项排除：文章后四段说到大脑要切换状态，但其目的是为了提高效率，而不是缓解压力，可以排除A项。第五段第二句说到不可避免的干扰常常会使每日任务无效，但文中并没有提及消除干扰的方法，因此C项错误。文中说到要安排专注时间，但并没有提及缺乏专注时间的原因，所以排除D项。
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