Part II Reading Comprehension (40 points)
Passage One
Big data can be defined as information that is too big or complex to be contained or processed
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, Morar 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 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.”
1、Dailly has an education background of ______ .
A engineering
B arts
C sciences
D business
2、Dailly' s company focuses on businesses in ______ .
A marketing strategy
B machine selling
C staff training
D big data research
3、The company's staff is characterized by all the following EXCEPT ______ .
A fresh ideas
B young age
C mixed education backgrounds
D rich experience in the fie
4、The company is aimed at making use of the information to help people ______ .
A take predictive action
B remember the past
C learn from each other
D stick to the tradition
5、According to Dailly, the idea that humans may be replaced by machines ______.
A is a wise warning
B is pure imagination
C may come true
D needs further study
Part II Reading Comprehension (40 points)
Passage Two
A new record for the oldest woman to run a marathon has been set, but it may not stand for more than a year: Harriette Thompson, 92, said that she hasn't ruled out running the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in San Diego again next year. Harriette finished in 7 hours, 24 minutes, 36 seconds, the BBC reports, coming close to the over-90 record of 7 hours. 7 minutes. and 42 seconds she set in 2014, despite having a very difficult year between marathons. "I couldn't train very well because my husband was very ill and I had to be with him for some time. and then when he died in January I had some treatments on my leg, Thompson, who was in her 70s when she ran her first marathon, tells the AP. "I was just really thrilled that I could finish today. "
At 92 years and 65 days old, Thompson is 46 days older than Gladys Burrill was when Burrill finished the 2010 Honolulu Marathon." I can't believe I made it, " Thompson tells the Charlotte Observer." I was really tired at one point. Around Mile 21, I was going up a hill and it was like a mountain, and I was thinking, "This is sort of crazy at my age. I can't do it.' But then I felt better coming down the hill. And my son Brenny kept feeding me all these wonderful carbohydrates(碳水化合物) that kept me going." Thompson- whose parents, three brothers, and husband all died of cancer--tells the Observer that the San Diego marathon's fundraising for the Leukemia(白血病) Society is what inspired her to run and may even bring her back again next year ？
6、What does Thompson say about the San Diego marathon next year?
A She may not be able to be there.
B She hasn' t thought about it
C She is sure to take part in it.
D She is likely to run again.
7、When did Thompson set her first over- 90 marathon record?
A In2010
B In2012
C In2014
D In2016
8、What did Thompson mainly do in that difficult year?
A She took care of her husband
B She hurt her leg and had to rest
C She received some new training
D She traveled around with her family
9、During this year's marathon, Thompson ________ .
A ran faster than last time
B once considered giving up
C was confident she could make it
D could hardly move in the end
10、What inspired Thompson to run the marathon?
A Setting her son a good example
B Setting new marathon records
C Raising money for cancer treatment
D Living up to her own promise
Part II Reading Comprehension (40 points)
Passage Three
Before the grass has thickened on the roadsides and leaves have started growing on the trees is a perfect time to look around and see just how dirty Britain has become. The pavements are stained with chewing gum and the ditches are full of discarded fast food packets. Years ago I remember traveling abroad and being saddened by the plastic bags and discarded bottles. Nowadays, Britain seems to look at least as bad. What has gone wrong?
The problem is that the rubbish created by our increasingly mobile lives lasts a lot longer than before. If it is not cleared up and properly thrown away, it stays in the undergrowth(下层灌木)for years.
It is estimated that 10 billion plastic bags have been given to shoppers. These will take anything from 100 to 1, 000 years to rot. However, it is not as if there is no solution to this. A few years ago, the Irish government introduced a tax on non-recyclable carrier bags and in three months reduced their use by 90%. When he was a minister, Michael Meacher attempted to introduce a similar arrangement in Britain. The plastics industry protested, of course. However, they need not have bothered; the idea was killed before it could draw breath, leaving supermarkets free to giveaway plastic bags.
What is clearly necessary right now is some sort of combined action, both individual and collective, before it is too late. The alternative is to continue sliding downhill until we have a country that looks like a vast rubbish tip. We may well be at the tipping point. Yet we know that people respond to their environment. If things around them are clean and tidy, people behave cleanly and tidily. If they are surrounded by rubbish, they behave like rubbish. Now, much of Britain looks pretty dirty. What will it look like in five years?
11、What might be the best title for the passage?
A Plastic Bags
B Environment Protection
C Dirty Britain
D Rubbish Disposal
12、The plastics industry in Britain protested because ______.
A a tax was proposed on non-recyclable carrier bags
B supermarkets no longer gave away plastic bags
C they were blamed for causing plastic pollution
D the government did not support them
13、The expression "sliding downhill"(Para. 4)probably means “______”.
A working hard to reduce rubbish
B producing more plastic bags
C encouraging people to use plastic bags
D making things worse by taking no action
14、Which of the following best describes the author's outlook on the environment?
A Optimistic.
B Confused
C Concerned
D Indifferent
15、The purpose of the article is to ________ .
A encourage the public to take action against rubbish
B discourage people from supporting the plastics industry
C call on the government to protect the environment
D encourage supermarkets to give away recyclable bags
Part II Reading Comprehension (40 points)
Passage Four
Those who work in the Netherlands often feel that a lot of time is wasted in discussions that lead to nothing. There are often meetings with documents, an agenda and a chairman. All those present will have their say, after which their remarks are discussed.
He who decides to skip a meeting though he has nothing more urgent to attend to, will find it unwise. The interacting that takes place during a meeting is very important for the general process He who does not appear is saying that he does not think the subject is sufficiently important, or that he apparently does not take his colleagues seriously. Furthermore, he might miss some of the essential information that may become evident during the meeting. Those who are present show an interest in the problems of their colleagues. They supply questions, rather than commands, and thus declare themselves "co-responsible". The Dutch, in their final conclusions, like to use such metaphors as "We are all in one line" or "Our noses are pointing in the same direction again. "
If you present a decision, you will find that everyone has something to say about it and has questions to ask. This is why the Dutch will not be quick to present something as the only correct solution. The advantage to this approach is that such a meeting will often lead to genuine suggestions for improvement on certain aspects of a plan. As a result, the plan will be a joint approach.
This time-consuming and seemingly useless process helps colleagues become a team The amount of time that is lost around the table is more than what made up for inefficiency, once everyone goes back to work. Statistics show Dutch employees are among the world leaders when it comes to work productivity.
16、According to Paragraph 1, meetings in Dutch companies seem to ________ .
A be held usually for important issues
B waste a lot of time in fruitless discussions
C enable employees to know each other better
D be good occasions for employees to show their talent
17、To Dutch employees, one who is absent from a meeting ________ .
A does not take his colleagues seriously
B may have something more urgent to do
C does not miss much critical information
D may have nothing to say at the meeting
18、According to Paragraph 3, why can't Dutch employees come to a quick decision?
A People are constantly in dispute.
B An idea usually undergoes a full discussion
C Suggestions often lead nowhere
D People often forget the aims of meetings
19、What does the last paragraph tell us ?
A Many leaders in the world are Dutch
B Dutch employees are highly productive
C Dutch companies are the most successful in the world
D Dutch employees work hardest in the world
20、The author's attitude towards the Dutch meeting is quite ________ .
A unclear
B negative
C positive
D neutral
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