Do not open any message with an attachment entitled “POSTCARD,”whoever sent it to you. It is a viruswhich opens A POSTCARD IMAGE, which “burns” the whole hard disc C of your computer.
(A)instead of
(B)in relation to
(C)regardless of
(D)in terms of
Data are ____ across different countries, and it is hard to figure out who knows what.
(A)scribbled
(B)scattered
(C)scolded
(D)scorned
We saw some irresponsible people do not care _____ dropping litter on the street.
(A)about
(B)for
(C)with
(D)of
Due to global warming, a consistent pattern ofof ice wall in Arctic is observed.
(A)reception
(B)recession
(C)recognition
(D)recreation
The new prime minister tried to stimulate economic growth in this region by offering ____to foreign investors.
(A)incentives
(B)impacts
(C)instruments
(D)intrusions
Most parks have picnic tables, park benches, drinking fountains, and playground equipment such as swings, slidesand monkey ____.
(A)nuts
(B)suits
(C)bars
(D)puzzles
More and more TV channels with the proliferation of shouting-match political talk shows make votersbyirrationality during an election season.
(A)fueled
(B)visualized
(C)fulfilled
(D)verified
In the video the driver ran away immediately as the police officers ____ him. A chase then began.
(A)approached
(B)delighted
(C)employed
(D)recommended
Robert used Alice as his alibi when the police came over to question his _____ on the night of the crime.
(A)circumstances
(B)neighborhoods
(C)surroundings
(D)whereabouts
The employer was forced to negotiate with their employees for a 7-day strike,he expected the negativeimpact of this incident.
(A)as if
(B)despite that
(C)so that
(D)what if
There was a long ____ of people waiting patiently for the bus to arrive.
(A)queue
(B)range
(C)series
(D)trail
The ever declining birthrate could have pretty serious _____ for the country’s future development.
(A)imperatives
(B)impeachment
(C)implications
(D)imperialism
An ideal meal shouldof some combination of meat, rice, beans and vegetables. Just eating one of them isnot healthy.
(A)regard
(B)locate
(C)accuse
(D)consist
The company worked hard to ____ communication with its customers in the hope of promoting mutualunderstanding.
(A)discourage
(B)enhance
(C)ignore
(D)suspend
The tall handsome left-handed pitcher, who was thought to be a rising star in baseball, has become ato histeam since a severe injury in his left shoulder.
(A)frugality
(B)liability
(C)propensity
(D)tenacity
Ivan was lucky enough to be granted theof dining with the superstar in a fancy restaurant.
(A)dignity
(B)attendance
(C)privilege
(D)submission
The book entitled A Different Angle encourages us to examine ____ issues from different perspectives.
(A)accountable
(B)controversial
(C)ferocious
(D)persistent
When Patricia walked out to the beach for a stroll, she could hardly open her eyes because of the _____ sunlight.
(A)ejecting
(B)glaring
(C)jeering
(D)ousting
In today’s global economy, a second language mayyou with the ability to understand the way business isdone overseas and maximize your potential.
(A)equip
(B)evade
(C)erupt
(D)exert
To reduce pollution, the government resorts to renewable or ____ energy resources such as solar energy andbioenergy.
(A)alternative
(B)explicit
(C)resistant
(D)skeptical
Studies have shown that early adversity can have a profound lifelong effect on one’s coping with personaldevelopment, social relationships, and career _____.
(A)counseling
(B)statistics
(C)professionals
(D)trajectories
For this examination, the first part was easy,the second part was extremely challenging.
(A)whereas
(B)whether
(C)meanwhile
(D)hence
Please handle the glassware with extreme caution. They are.
(A)feeble
(B)fragile
(C)fragrant
(D)feasible
New projects ____ to years of fighting among interest groups and endless political quarrels.
(A)capitalized
(B)succumbed
(C)interrogated
(D)approached
The instant noodle does not look particularly good, but the advertiser makes it look quiteon the TVcommercial.
(A)attractive
(B)equal
(C)individual
(D)obvious
The ____ of depression are not fully understood but are likely to be a complex combination of genetic,environmental, and psychosocial factors.
(A)causes
(B)effects
(C)resources
(D)cures
Many scholars have reported that a recent publication on the gender pay gap is highly; they particularlycriticize the reach team’s sampling procedure.
(A)contentious
(B)convincing
(C)commendable
(D)considerable
Many university graduates prefer employment in the government to that in the private.
(A)compartments
(B)eras
(C)partitions
(D)sectors請依下文回答第41 題至第45 題:We live a fast-paced life. Everything happens quickly nowadays, and efficiency is the key theme of our society.Email has replaced the paper letter. Words flow from our fingertips faster than ever before, but not everyone is happyabout it. Some people prefer writing slowly. Tom Hanks, American actor, director, filmmaker, and collector of more than100 typewriters, is one of them. The 58-year-old Oscar winner is
The police found a largeof drugs in the man’s vehicle and he was arrested on the spot.
(A)audience
(B)distance
(C)multiple
(D)quantity請依下文回答第41 題至第45 題Have you noticed the phenomenon of puppy dog eyes, the inner eyebrow raising movement of dogs? Do you believe ita result of
Countless lives are saved each year because _____ of blood make certain surgical procedures possible.
(A)transmutations
(B)transfusions
(C)transductions
(D)transfections請依下文回答第41 題至第45 題In business or in daily life, when dealing with the things we know, we can plan accordingly and expect them to go asplanned. However good business or personal plans may be, they can sometimes
the sound his typewriters make. He can choosefrom a variety of them, each of which
for dogs to appeal to humans? Researchers dissected dog and wolf heads and found that the facial muscleanatomy of both animals was almost identical --
because of unexpected eventsor circumstances, which are often called contingencies. Success sometimes reflects the number of calculated risks we arewilling to take, both personally and professionally. That is why contingency planning is so important for it allows activerisk management and
its own sound. The volume and rhythm are determined by the force withwhich the fingers hit the keys. The collecting process itself, hunting and searching for rare pieces, is also a great pleasure.The
an eyebrow muscle, found only in dogs. The inner eyebrow raisingmovement makes the dogs’ eyes appear larger and more infant like,
preparation rather than reactive decisions when faced with an emergency, which can resultin failure.In business a contingency, either externally or internally, is generally negative, and it may influence the financialhealth, professional image, or market share of a company.
, however, is often tied to the price tag. Some vintage typewriters cost hundreds of dollars or more. Luckilyhis acting career is lucrative enough to pay for his hobby. Tom Hanks is not alone. More and more young people are tiredof digital technology and looking for a better experience of writing. They enjoy typing because they can focus onthinking; they would not be
prompts a “nurturing” response in humans.When dogs make the movement, it seems to elicit a strong desire in humans to
, such unexpected development can likewise be asurprising windfall, for example, a giant order. Anything
by email, googling, or Facebook.
them. This would give the dogsthat moved their eyebrows more a selection advantage over others, reinforcing the trait in
that upsets a company’s normal operation can hurt thecompany regardless of the possibility that the interruption is a direct result of a windfall. It should, therefore, be a normalpart of the business planning process to
, typewriters are entirely powered by yourfingertips. They do not require electricity, so you can gracefully carry on writing in a sudden power outage.41
(A)attending to
(B)weary of
(C)insisting on
(D)fascinated with42
(A)produces
(B)reduces
(C)excludes
(D)includes43
(A)ignorance
(B)advantage
(C)sorrow
(D)reward44
(A)enlightened
(B)stimulated
(C)abolished
(D)distracted45
(A)By accident
(B)Better yet
(C)For starters
(D)In short請依下文回答第46 題至第50 題:Scientists say it could take at least 1,500 years before humans make contact with species of aliens, or for them tocommunicate with or find us. Astronomers from Cornell University in the USA combined two existing theories aboutthe possibility of life existing on other planets to form a new equation. One of these theories is the Fermi Paradoxdescribed by physicist Enrico Fermi in 1950. This states that while billions of Earth-like planets exist in our galaxy, notone has made contact with Earth yet. The other is the mediocrity principle, which suggests that because there is life onEarth, it will typically exist on Earth-like planets throughout the universe.Study author Evan Solomonides will soon present a research paper on his theory. He said, “We haven’t heard fromaliens yet, as space is a big place, but that doesn’t mean no one is out there.” According to Solomonides, extraterrestrialscould have received signals from Earth. However, he proposes that ET would not have been able to decipher them. Hesaid they would need to decode the light waves into sounds and analyze 3,000 human languages to understand anymessages. He said that signals from Earth have only reached about 8,500 stars and that the Milky Way galaxy alonecontains 200 billion stars. He added, “If we stop listening or looking, we may miss the signals. So we should keeplooking.”
generations. The findingsshow how important faces can be in capturing our attention, and how powerful facial expression can be in social interaction.41
(A)irritation
(B)evolution
(C)migration
(D)realization42
(A)as well as
(B)except for
(C)in addition to
(D)such as43
(A)when
(B)who
(C)what
(D)which44
(A)carry out
(B)make up
(C)look after
(D)take over45
(A)former
(B)later
(C)old
(D)past請依下文回答第46 題至第50 題Hikikomori is a psychological condition which makes people shut themselves off from society, often staying in theirhouses for months on end. There are at least half a million of them in Japan. It was once thought of as a young person’scondition, but sufferers are getting older and staying locked away for longer. It is an economic as well as a social threatto the country, and is seriously worrying Japanese government.As of 2015, there were 541,000 hikikomori aged 15-39 in Japan, according to government statistics. There is no dataon other age groups, suggesting that the figure is likely to be far larger. Some families are also loath to report hikikomoriin their households, Kingston said. Doctors began to observe hikikomori as a social phenomenon around the mid-1980s,when young men exhibited signs of lethargy, refused to communicate, and spent most of their time in their rooms. There’sno unifying reason why people become hikikomori. Some withdraw from society because they feel they don’t know whatto do with their lives and can no longer cope with the pressure from people around them. Others are triggered by eventsin their lives, like bad grades or heartbreak. Hikikomori feel a deep sense of shame that they cannot work at a job likeordinary people. They think of themselves as worthless and unqualified for happiness. Almost all feel remorse at havingbetrayed their parents’ expectations.As hikikomori refuse to participate in society, let alone go to work, Japan’s economy also suffers. They diminish thesize of the workforce, so they contribute to a tighter labor market. Also, they are not self-sufficient, so when familysupport dries up due to death or financial problems, they will need to rely on state assistance.Japanese government plans to set up counseling centers and have support staff visit hikikomori at home in a bid toboost the country’s flagging workforce. But some criticize this may put pressure on hikikomori. Professor Jeff Kingston,an Asian studies professor in Tokyo, said, “One can only hope that more access to various therapies and public healthcampaigns to destigmatize the phenomenon will encourage more to seek help, find it, and learn to manage their symptomsso that they can lead more productive and fulfilling lives.”
potential threats and opportunities. Seeing to this can ensure thatspecific contingency plans and resources are well-prepared to deal with them.41
(A)die out
(B)make up
(C)get set
(D)go awry42
(A)discriminative
(B)formidable
(C)hypothetical
(D)proactive43
(A)Also
(B)Yet
(C)In case
(D)In practice44
(A)across the board
(B)in due course
(C)out of the blue
(D)up in the air45
(A)downsize
(B)embrace
(C)pinpoint
(D)offend請依下文回答第46 題至第50 題Before there were alarm clocks, how did people wake up at a specific time they wanted to in the morning? Since theIndustrial Revolution began in the 1780s, people had been finding ways to make sure they got to work on time. Backthen, a knocker-up, also known as a “knocker-upper,” started as a profession to wake people up by knocking on theirdoors or windows.Even though alarm clocks had been invented in 1787 by American inventor, Levi Hutchins, they were not yet availableto the general public in Britain or Ireland. It was common for people in these places to hire knocker-ups to wake themup in the morning. Half a century after the invention of alarm clocks, Frenchman Antoine Redier patented an adjustablealarm clock in 1847. Still, mechanical alarm clocks were not cheap or widely available. Well into the 1920s, most workersin Britain would rather hire knocker-ups.Knocker-ups used a variety of methods to wake up their clients. Some used a baton, or a short, heavy stick, to knockon the client’s door. Some used a long and light stick made of bamboo to reach the client’s window on a higher floor.Still others used a pea-shooter, through which small objects can be blown, to shoot dried peas at their clients’ windows.Their job was to rouse the sleeping clients, and they certainly came up with creative ways to achieve this goal. Knocker-ups would not leave a client’s door or window until they made sure that the client had been awaken.There were large numbers of people carrying out the job, especially in large industrial towns such as Manchester.Knocker-ups were generally elderly men and women, but sometimes police officers would take on the job to earn extraincome by performing the task during early morning patrols. But who woke the knocker-uppers? A tongue-twister fromthe time goes like this:We had a knocker-up, and our knocker-up had a knocker-upAnd our knocker-up’s knocker-up didn’t knock our knocker upSo our knocker-up didn’t knock us up‘Cos he’s not up.By the 1950s, knocking up had gradually died out in most places due to the wide spread of electricity and affordablealarm clocks. Today, people merely read about anecdotes regarding how knocker-ups woke up their clients creatively ora fun tongue-twister like the one above.
According to the passage, what might be preventing extraterrestrials from approaching Earth any time soon?
(A)The difficulty in deciphering human languages.
(B)The long histories of 200 billion stars.
(C)The similarity among human and alien species.
(D)The number of planets in the Milky Way galaxy.
What is the passage mainly about?
(A)A group of people who suffer and make others suffer.
(B)A phenomenon caused by the flagging economy in Japan.
(C)An efficient system to take care of the unemployed.
(D)A new medical treatment for the disease called hikikomori.
What is the main idea of the third paragraph?
(A)To make noise on windows, knocker-ups often relied on long, light bamboo sticks.
(B)To accomplish their tasks, knocker-ups would not leave until their clients woke up.
(C)To wake up their clients, knocker-ups used a tool from which they could shoot dried peas.
(D)To ensure a successful job, knocker-ups had adopted several creative knocking-up methods.
According to the passage, which of the following hypotheses is made by scientists from Cornell University?
(A)The mediocrity principle rules out the possibility of life forms on other planets.
(B)Aliens from Earth-like planets might use light waves to communicate.
(C)Extraterrestrials from 8,500 planets might have translated signals from Earth.
(D)Aliens might need to interpret about 3,000 languages to understand Earth.
Which of the following is one of the causes of hikikomori mentioned in the passage?
(A)A tighter labor market.
(B)A poor family background.
(C)A failed relationship.
(D)A government policy.
According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
(A)The alarm clock was patented by an American inventor in 1787.
(B)People continued to hire knocker-ups even after the alarm clocks were invented.
(C)In Britain and Ireland today, knocker-ups are still doing their jobs in industrial towns.
(D)During their morning patrols, police officers would watch out for knocker-ups’ safety.
According to the passage, what does the word “paradox” in the Fermi Paradox imply?
(A)An observation based on coherent evidence.
(B)A theory based on contradictory statements.
(C)A conclusion based on extraterrestrial correspondences.
(D)A hypothesis based on mediocre calculations.
Which of the following is one of the features of hikikomori?
(A)They always perform well at school.
(B)They are social and reliable employees.
(C)They drain up the money in the family.
(D)They boost the country’s flagging workforce.
Which of the following best replaces “anecdotes” in the last paragraph?
(A)stories
(B)effects
(C)problems
(D)accidents
What could be the central message of the passage?
(A)Still more attempts need to be made to reach out to other planets in the Milky Way galaxy.
(B)Cornell astronomers might propose new forms of communication in our galaxy.
(C)Extraterrestrials from 8,500 stars might be speaking similar languages to those on Earth.
(D)Evan Solomonides will soon propose a theory to challenge the possibility of life on other planets.
According to the expert in the passage, which of the following may be the solution to the hikikomori phenomenon?
(A)Organizing campaigns to encourage them to seek help.
(B)Sending support staff to visit them more often.
(C)Giving money and job to families with hikikomori.
(D)Forcing them to hospitals to receive therapies.
Which of the following best summarizes the tongue-twister mentioned in the passage?
(A)Our knocker-up’s knocker-up forgot to wake us up.
(B)Our knocker-up’s knocker-up failed to wake him up.
(C)We overslept because our knocker-up took the day off.
(D)We did not sleep well because our knocker-up was sick.
What might be the most suitable title for this passage?
(A)The Scientific Methods of Extraterrestrial Communication
(B)The Aliens Are Decoding and Analyzing Human Languages
(C)We May Not Meet Extraterrestrials Until Beyond the Year 3500
(D)The Quantity of Our Galaxy Hinders Reception of Human Signals
According to the passage, which of the following is one of the bad influences that hikikomori impose on Japanesesociety?
(A)They make up the main workforce in Japan.
(B)They become financial burdens to the government.
(C)They make people in the society more indifferent.
(D)They bring shame and pain to the family and country.
Which of the following statements can be inferred from the passage?
(A)Knocker-ups preferred to get into the houses of their clients’ to wake them up.
(B)Antoine Redier made a fortune by selling mechanical alarm clocks to workers.
(C)British workers greatly appreciated Levi Hutchin’s invention of the alarm clock.
(D)Police officers during the Industrial Revolution were not paid very well at work.