B
Car registration plates (车牌) are just a series of numbers and letters, right? Well, yes… but not for everyone.
Amazingly, number plates existed before cars. The city of Victoria in Canada gave horse-drawn carriages number plates as early as 1884. And France was the first country to introduce plates in 1893. Early number plates were different shapes and sizes, and made of lots of different materials. In fact, it was not until 1957 that car manufacturers and governments agreed on standardized plates, and even today there are three different sizes.
The first car registration number in the UK was A1. This was sold to Earl Russell by the London County Council in 1903. The letter “A” showed the number was from London, while the number “1” showed it was the first number issued. However, since then, the system has changed many times. At the moment, number plates in the UK consist of letters and numbers. Let’s look at the registration number plate “LK51 FTN”. First of all, “LK” shows which registration office has issued the registration number (in this case, it’s London Stanmore). The numbers 51 show the age of the car (51 means the car was licensed in the second half of 2001). And the last three letters are random.
Different EU countries use different arrangements of numbers and letters. For example, Spain uses four numbers and three letters, while Sweden uses three numbers and three letters, and Norway and Denmark use two letters and five digits. The system has changed many times because the letter-number combinations keep running out. UK number plates don’t have to include the European Union symbol although most EU countries use the symbol.
Some number plates have become extremely valuable, particularly those that spell out words. Basically, numbers on the plates can be used to represent words or parts of words. For example, “8” can mean “ate”; “4” can be “four” or “for”; and “2” can symbolize “to”, “two” or “too”. For example, “NVERLA8” means “Never late”.
Plates that represent words or phrases are commonly known as “vanity plates”. And they can be extremely expensive. Russian businessman Roman Abramovich is supposed to have paid over ￡250,000 for the plate “VIP 1”. Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton has bought the plate “LEW 1S” and the most expensive number plate ever was “M1” which an anonymous buyer has acquired for ￡331,000.
So, what’s your number plate? It might be worth a fortune. 58. What can we learn from the development of car plates?
A. Canada, France and UK have invented three different plate sizes. B. In terms of giving car plates, Canada acted much earlier than France.
C. UK has always been consistent in its system for car registration numbers. D. Car producers and governments cooperated to form standards for plates.
59. Why have EU countries had to change their systems of arranging numbers and letters? A. No such agreement has been reached among different EU countries. B. Much confusion has arisen from different digits adopted by EU countries. C. Old letter-number arrangements were not adequate for increasing needs. D. The British design of number plates differs from that of most EU countries. 60. “LEW 1S” has fetched a high priced mainly because __________. A. it can be read out just the way of its master’s name B. Lewis Hamilton believes that it can bring luck to him C. the public consider it as a symbol of higher social classes D. it has a long history and is different from current EU plates
C
Psychological stress is likely to surface during a human mission to Mars. Prof Jeff Johnson thinks an on-board “comedian” could keep spirits up during the long journey. He is drawing on his research on the differing teambuilding approaches of competing polar explorers Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott to prove his point. Amundsen’s team made it to the South Pole and back while Scott’s died on the return journey.
Well, Roald Amundsen actually put people through tests before they set off to make sure that they would take orders and, in particular, whether they would challenge any of them. Amundsen would set up situations where there would be an ambiguous context to see what their responses would be, and if somebody questioned him, they were out. However, if you read Amundsen’s diary, he writes that Lindstr?m, the cook, was basically the most important person on the expedition.
Lindstr?m was the comedian. He didn’t actually go to the South Pole, but you’ve got to remember that the walking expedition was a small component of the overall time that they were on the ice. They were there for well over a year, waiting to walk to the Pole. They had to wait during the winter and it’s a very tense time when people are idle (懒散的). Lindstr?m played an essential role in keeping the peace in the group when there were tense moments, and he would do something funny to get everybody to laugh, which would break the tension.
There are individuals who have these certain natural abilities that you want to be able to recognize and include when you’re putting together groups that are going to be isolated, such as those going into space. There are a number of different roles that we’ve discovered are important, but one of them is somebody who has humour. That’s clearly important. So, you’d want to have somebody like Lindstr?m, somebody who is not only good at what they have to do (he was a very good cook) but who also has another skillset beyond what’s in the job description.
We can put people together thinking that they’re going to work together in a certain way, but over the course of time a crisis is bound to happen. There are the kinds of things that make groups more adaptable and help them function better. You can think about it in terms of atoms: when you put different elements together, they produce different kinds of things. It’s the same with people. They may have their own characteristics, but when you put them together, they’re going to create a different kind of situation and we want to have a better idea of what that might be.
61. By comparing Amundsen with Scott, the author intends to __________. A. contradict his previous statements B. introduce the topic of the passage C. illustrate the importance of a comedian D. emphasize the necessity of team spirits 62. What was the very quality Amundsen was valuing in his interview? A. Willingness to take orders. B. Optimism about success. C. Eagerness to make progress. D. Curiosity about mysteries. 63. For what reason was Lindstr?m regarded as a key figure on the expedition? A. He went against the command of the Amundsen in every circumstance. B. He could make up many jokes about other team members to ease tension. C. Besides cooking tasty dishes, he was capable of easing tension when it arose. D. When a vacancy appeared, he was always ready to fill it in and made it work. 64. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage? A. Comedians, keys to landing on Mars B. Atoms, roles of members in a team C. Teamwork, secret to overall success D. Amundsen, example for group leaders
D
When I was growing up, Oprah was my favorite imaginary auntie. She lived inside the TV and I looked forward to visiting her every day at 4 P.M. For one hour every Monday through Friday, I got to watch a Black woman command the airwaves and have control over the world. As a little black girl in a big White
world, that was a powerful thing to witness—especially in a culture where girls like me seldom saw ourselves positively reflected in the media.
The kind of beauty celebrated around us had a way of making little black girls feel as if the bodies we were born into were somehow inferior. Apart from Auntie Oprah, the media’s portrayal of Black women was to a great extent limited in variety. Luckily, I had strong examples of women of color in my real life who watered the seeds that helped me believe I could dream beyond what I saw around me.
Fast-forward to two years ago, when I was appointed by longtime Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour to lead Teen Vogue. I thought I was just a girl getting her dream job. But then the headlines hit. Suddenly, I was a Black woman making history. At 29 I had become only the second Black person and the youngest ever to helm (掌舵) a Condé Nast magazine.
Shonda Rhimes, Hollywood supreme black screenwriter, coined the term “First. Only. Different.” Being an FOD in your filed comes with a responsibility and an opportunity to rewrite the rules, to redefine standards, to represent for your communities. In my new position, I had an opportunity to help ensure that little black girls would never doubt their value. I was able to help undo some of the damaging accounts by changing the pages of the magazine to make them more reflective of my world.
My first book, More Than Enough, is not a career guide, because I believe only you can write your own blueprint for success, but I do share some of the hard-earned lessons that I am still learning to live by. My book is not intended as self-help but a love letter to anyone who has ever felt overlooked, overwhelmed, underestimated and undervalued—and who still chose to overcome.
My story, as it’s played out so far, is for all my fellow people of color out there, standing proudly as First, Only and Different. I am writing with love to all those who know what it is to be the lone Black voice in the room, because my story is your story. Trust that you will find your own rhythm and carve out a space to succeed in your own lane. I am also speaking up for anyone in her dream job, facing the barriers no one talks about. When you exist in spaces that weren’t originally built for you, remember that sometimes, just being you is the revolution. And this is especially for the ones who are Next Up, those of you who are responsible for taking the same systems that my generation is now breaking down and building better ones.
As you continue crafting the life you want, I hope you will always bear in mind that it is the very things you underestimate about yourself that will help you to create your own magic. Find it. Use it. Trust it. We spend too much time telling ourselves that we are not enough. Not smart enough. Not beautiful enough. Not successful enough. Not young enough. Not old enough. I want to be the voice reminding you to say “Enough!” to all that. You are enough. You were born enough.
The world is waiting for you. Let’s go.
65. The author adored Oprah mainly because of __________. A. a new culture reflected in the TV B. her positive image represented in the media C. her absolute control of the program D. the resemblance with the author’s favorite auntie 66. Which of the following can best interpret the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2? A. Black women tended to have rigid image in the media. B. Little attention was paid to black women except Oprah. C. There were too few TV hosts like Oprah to fight for equality.
D. Not enough TV programs were produced to display black women.
67. The underlined word in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to “__________”. A. made up B. brought up C. turned up D. polished up 68. By helming Teen Vogue, what was the author able to do? A. Re-arrange all the pages she used to hate a lot. B. Make herself as influential as Vogue editor-in-chief. C. Totally remove prejudice against the minority groups.
D. Partly change the conventional impression of black girls. 69. What is the focus of the author’s first book? A. Carving out a blueprint for her followers. B. Sharing hard-earned lessons with editors. C. Salute to those fighting against discrimination. D. Instructions on how to achieve career success. 70. Which type of writing does the article belong to?
A. An address in a fierce debate. B. Acknowledgements of a book. C. A biography about a black girl. D. Scripts of a TV programme. 第四部分 任务型阅读（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）
请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。 ．．
注意：请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。每个空格只填1个单词。
Most students have had a love-hate experience relationship with procrastination (拖延症). We all come up with magic ways to bring ourselves moments of joy to temporarily relieve our stress and productivity. When deadlines draw near, though, these moments of lost time often become regrettable. Here are five tips to help you reduce this age-old practice. Set goals
Students often procrastinate because they think that they can put off the work for a while and enjoy their time at the moment. This thought tends to worsen the situation, though, when the deadline becomes one day away and the essay has yet to be started. In order to stay on track, you should constantly set and update goals. It can be vital to mark all deadlines in a planner and think about how much time you need to meet them all. Reward yourself
In order to keep productivity and mind levels up, set breaks at the end of a period of time or once you finish a section of your work so that you can reward yourself with some deserved, scheduled, and controlled procrastination-like activities: have a coffee with a friend, cook, or watch an episode of a television show. Breaks like these are proven to increase productivity and keep you focused, and they will make the process of studying much more bearable! Remind yourself of what you’re doing
Sometimes you may begin to think that the reading that you are doing, the assignment that you are writing, or the lab that you are performing does not correspond to what you ultimately want to do. You may consider some work or a class pointless and not useful to your further studies. However, when these thoughts arise and you think that getting a beer is a better idea than getting a good grade, remind yourself what the ultimate goal of your schooling is. Evaluate your priorities in a serious manner and you may understand why you should focus on completing your work and postpone the beer until the weekend. Turn off the Internet
If you do not need the Internet to do your work, turn it off so that you are not receiving notifications while completing your work. The same goes for your cell phone; you can take a break from being connected to the cyber world in order to do your school work. If you feel the need to check messages and websites often, set times when you will allow yourself to do so rather than constantly staying connected. Have something to look forward to
Being productive for all hours of every day does not work—you do need breaks. So, in order to balance productivity and amusement, plan times to go out with friends or do something relaxing to complement your school work. Ideally, social and relaxation plans should be made for after a significant portion of work is completed. This way, while you are working, you can keep in mind that once you have finished your work you can go out and not worry about your assignments.
Say Goodbye to Procrastination Passage outline Introduction Supporting details ● Facing procrastination, most students may struggle with a(n) (71) ▲ feeling of love and hate. ● Students enjoy having stress and productivity relieved. Nevertheless, with the deadlines (72) ▲ , sense of regret grows. ● Avoid the thought that you can put off the work and enjoy time temporarily because it is (74) ▲ to make things worse. ● Setting and updating your goals constantly according to your schedule is a (75) ▲ . ● Breaks like having a coffee or enjoying an episode of TV show prove to be of great value to keep you (76) ▲ and focused. ● Pointless and (77) ▲ as the present work seems, you should remember the ultimate goal of schooling and make a(n) (78) ▲ on your priorities. ● Never stay (79) ▲ to the Internet or cell phones constantly provided your work can be finished without them. ● Don’t be too hard on yourselves, try to (80) ▲ work with amusement and plan on something to relax yourself after work. You can always have some ways to deal with procrastination, making your school work more effective and efficient. 第五部分 书面表达（满分25分）
Conclusion 81. 请阅读下面图文材料，并按要求用英语写一篇150词左右的文章。
International Museum Day falls on May 18 this year. The number of visitors to museums across China increased by 16 percent year-on-year to reach 1.13 billion in 2018, said Liu Yuzhu, chief of the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA), on Saturday. The number of museums increased by 218 year-on-year to 5,354 in 2018 and they held about 26,000 exhibitions and 260,000 cultural events in 2018, Liu said at an event in Changsha, China. “With their number growing and their services improving, museums have become a new destination for people to spend festivals and holidays,” he added. 【写作内容】 1．用约30个单词概述上面图文的主要内容；
2．简要分析近年来参观博物馆人数越来越多的原因；
3．就博物馆如何更好地发挥其教育功能提出你的建议(不少于两点)。 【写作要求】
1．写作过程中不能直接引用原文语句； 2．作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称； 3．不必写标题。 【评分标准】
内容完整，语言规范，语篇连贯，词数适当。
(73) ▲ to help reduce the practice.
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