Conversation 1

【主题分类】长对话：物理学

【高级表达】

1. enrichment 充实，丰富；

2. refreshing 使人耳目一新的；

3. distortion 变形，扭曲；

4. peculiarity 特性，奇特；

5. a host of 许多，大量；

【关键句型】

1. … it promises enrichment for any reader, from those who know little about science to the career physicist. 它为任何读者提供了丰富的知识，从那些对科学知之甚少的人到职业物理学家。

2. I like how the book is clearly written with each chapter brought to life by pieces of fascinating knowledge. 我喜欢这本书布局清晰，每个章节都有一些精彩的知识片段使得该章节生动有趣。

3. … this equation-free book is an ideal read for scientists of all stripes… 这本无方程式的书是所有科学家的理想读物。

【听力原文】

M: Hey, I just read a great book about physics. I think you'd like it. It's called ThePhysics of the World. It's written by a scientist named Sylvia Mendez.

W: Oh, I read that book. It was great. The writer is a warm and competent guide to the mysteries of physics. I think it promises enrichment for any reader, from those who know little about science to the career physicist.

M: And it's refreshing to see a strong, curious, clever woman adding her voice to the scientific discourse in a field that has been traditionally dominated by men. I think she is to be commended for making an effort to include anecdotes about little-known female scientists. You know, they were often victims of “a generation firmly convinced that the woman's place was in the home.”

W: I like how the book is clearly written with each chapter brought to life by pieces of fascinating knowledge. For example, in one chapter she exposes a myth that I’ve heard taught by university physics professors. I’ve often heard that medieval glass windows are thicker at the bottom because glass “flows” like a fluid. This, she shows, is not true. The distortion is actually thanks to a peculiarity of the glass maker’s process.

M: Yeah. I like how she cultivates scientific engagement by providing a host of do-it-yourself experiments that bring the same foundational principles of classical physics that govern everything from the solar system to your kitchen table. From using complex laws or physics to test whether a spinning egg is cooked to measuring atmospheric pressure by lifting a piece of cardboard, her hands-on examples make her book a truly interactive read.

W: Yes. I must say this equation-free book is an ideal read for scientists of all stripes, anyone teaching science and even people who dislike physics.

Questions 1 to 4 are based on theconversation you have just heard.

【答案解析】

预测：浏览四道题的选项，由反复出现的physicists和physics可以初步预测该对话内容与物理学家、物理学有关，在结合describes, books, stories, anecdotes等词可以进一步推测对话内容有可能围绕某本书展开。

Q1. What does the woman say about the book the man recommended?

A）。该题可定位到对话第一轮中女士所说的最后一句：I think it promises enrichment for any reader, from those who know little about science to the career physicist. 我认为它能为任何读者提供丰富的知识，从那些对科学知之甚少的人到职业物理学家。 professionals对应career physicist，non-professionals对应those who know little about science，因此答案为A)。

Q2. What can we find in the book the man recommended?

B)。从男士所说的“I think she is to be commended for making an effort to include anecdotes about little-known female scientists”可知这位女作家努力将鲜为人知的女性科学家的趣事写入书中，因此书中有女性物理学家的故事，答案B)。

Q 3. How does the author bring her book to life?

C)。这个问题需定位到女士在第二轮中所说的第一句话：I like how the book is clearly written with each chapter brought to life by pieces of fascinating knowledge. 这本书的布局清晰每个章节都有一些精彩的知识片段使得该章节生动有趣，fascinating knowledge是关键信息，因此答案为C)。

Q4. How does the book cultivate readers’ interest in physics?

D)。对话末尾男士说“I like how she cultivates scientific engagement by providing a host of do-it-yourself experiments…” 他喜欢作者通过提供大量可以让读者亲手一试的实验来培养人们对科学的参与性的方式，因此答案为D)。

Conversation 2

【主题分类】长对话：教育

【高级表达】

1. aesthetics 美学；

2. accessible 可到达的，可进入的；

3. adhere to 坚持；

4. parameter 参数；

5. manifest 表明，清楚地显示；

【关键句型】

1. I was hoping you could give me some advice on how to begin. 我希望你能给我一些如何开始的建议。

2. You really need to narrow it down in order to make it moreaccessible. 你真的需要缩小范围，使它更容易写。

3. I’m afraid you have to adhere to the assigned topic. 恐怕你必须坚持指定的题目。

4. to get a good idea of … 对……有个很好的了解

【听力原文】

M: Hi, professor. I was hoping I could have a moment of your time if you're not too busy. I’m having some problems getting started on my dissertation, and I was hoping you could give me some advice on how to begin.

W: Sure. I have quite a few students, though. So can you remind me what your topic is?

M: The general topic I chose is aesthetics, but that’s as far as I’ve got. I don't really know where to go from there.

W: Yeah. That's much too large a topic. You really need to narrow it down in order to make it more accessible. Otherwise, you'll be writing a book.

M: Exactly. That's what I wanted to ask you about. I was hoping it would be possible for me to change topics. I’m really more interested in nature than beauty.

W: I’m afraid you have to adhere to the assigned topic. Still, if you're interested in nature, then that certainly can be worked into your dissertation. We've talked about Hume before in class, right?

M: Oh, yeah. He's the philosopher who wrote about where our ideas of beauty come from.

W: Exactly. I suggest you go to the library and get a copy of his biography. Start from there, but remember to stick to the parameters of the assignment. This paper is a large part of your cumulative grade, so make sure to follow the instructions. If you take a look at his biography, you can get a good idea of how his life experiences manifest themselves in his theories of beauty, specifically the way he looked towards nature as the origin of what we find beautiful.

M: Great. Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, professor. I’ll let you get back to class now.

W: If there’s anything else you need, please come see me in my office anytime.

Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have justheard.

【答案解析】

预测：从第5以及第8题选项中的finish his assignment、 professor、 dissertation、 improve his cumulativegrade等基本可以推测对话是关于学生论文作业的。

Q5. What is the man's problem?

D)。从对话开头男士问女士有没有时间，“I’m having some problems getting started on my dissertation…”以及后面又提到“The general topic I chose is aesthetics, but that’s as far as I’ve got. I don't really know where to go from there.”, 由此可知，他在论文如何开头遇到问题，且美学这个题目他不知道从哪里开始写，希望女士能给他一些建议，因此答案为D)。

Q6. What does the professor think of the man's topic?

A)。女士得知男土要写的题目后很明确地指出，“That's much too large a topic. You really need to narrow it down in order to make it more accessible.”这个题目太大了,需要缩小范围，因此答案为A)。

Q7. What is the man really more interested in?

B)。对话中，男士明确提到“I’m really more interested in nature than beauty.”即他对自然更感兴趣，因此答案为B)。

Q8. What does the professor say the man has to do?

C)。当听到男士希望换题目的想法时女士对男士说“I’m afraid you have to adhere to the assigned topic.(恐怕他必须按照指定的题目来写)”，因此答案为C)。

Passage 1

【主题分类】短文听力：气候

【高级表达】

1. hover 盘旋，徘徊；

2. temperature surge 气温飙升；

3. loop 圈，环，环状物；

4. penetrate 渗透，穿透；

5. indigenous 本土的；

【关键句型】

1. Weather conditions that drive this bizarre temperature surgehave visited the Arctic before. 导致这种奇怪的气温飙升的天气状况以前也曾出现在北极。

2. This is troubling as climbing Arctic temperatures combined with rapid sea-ice loss are creating a new type of climate feedback loop which could accelerate Arctic warming. 这是令人担忧的，因为不断上升的北极气温，加上快速的海冰融化，正在形成一种新型的气候反馈回路，可能会加速北极变暖。

3. … faster than expected …比预期的要快

3. This raises unique challenges for Arctic wildlife and indigenous people who depend on Arctic ecosystems to survive. 这给依赖北极生态系统生存北极野生动物和原住民带来了罕见的挑战。

【听力原文】

During theArctic winter from October to March, the average temperature in the frozen north typically hovers around minus 20 degrees Celsius. But this year, theArctic is experiencing much higher temperatures. On February 20, the temperature in Greenland climbed above freezing or zero degrees and it stayed there over 24 hours. Then on February 24, the temperature on Greenland’s northerntip reached six degrees Celsius. Climate scientists described the phenomenon as “stunning”.

Weather conditions that drive this bizarre temperature surge have visited the Arctic before. They typically appear about once in a decade. However, the last such increase in temperature took place two years ago. This is troubling as climbing Arctic temperatures combined with rapid sea-ice loss are creating a new type of climate feedback loop which could accelerate Arctic warming. Indeed, sea-ice cover in the Arctic is melting faster than expected. Without those masses of cooling sea ice, warm air brought to the Arctic can penetrate further inland than it ever did before. The air can stay warmer longer, too. This drives additional melting.

Overall, Earth is warming at a rapid pace - 2014 through 2017 rank as the hottest years on record – and the Arctic is warming twice as fast as any place else on Earth.This raises unique challenges for Arctic wildlife and indigenous people who depend on Arctic ecosystems to survive. Previously, climate forecasts predicted that Arctic summer ice would disappear entirely by around 2060. But based on what scientists are seeing now, the Arctic may be facing summers without ice within 20 years.

Questions 9 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard.

【答案解析】

预测：预览三道题的选项，由选项中反复出现的Greenland、Arctic可以初步推测短文内容与北极有关；此外，选项中的high temperature,climate，iceless,ecosystems等词还可进一步推测，短文主要讨论的是气候变化对北极的影响。

Q9. What did climate scientists describe as “stunning”?

A)。本题考察的短文开头介绍的内容，北极的冬季是从10月到来年的3月，平均气温-20℃左右，但今年北极的气温要高很多。2月20日，格陵兰岛的气温攀升至冰点(0℃)以上，并且持续了24小时。然后在2月24日，格陵兰岛北端的气温达到6℃。“Climate scientists described the phenomenon as ‘stunning’”, the phenomenon即指上述现象，所以答案为A)“格陵兰岛前所未有的高温”。

Q10. What does the passage say about the temperature surge in the Arctic?

C)。短文中提到，“Weather conditions that drive this bizarre temperature surge have visited the Arctic before. They typically appear about once in a decade.” 由此可知，气温飙升的现象曾出现过，通常每十年就会出现一次，因此答案为C)。

Q11. What may occur in 20 years according to scientists’ recent observations?

B)。短文最后提到, “Previously, climate forecasts predicted that Arctic summer ice would disappear entirely by around 2060. But based on what scientists are seeing now, the Arctic may be facing summers without ice within 20 years.” 根据现在北极的温度情况，很有可能会在20年内出现无冰的夏天，因此答案为B)。

Passage 2

【主题分类】长对话：科技

【高级表达】

1. willpower 意志力，毅力；

2. validity 有效性；

3. boost 促进，增加；

4. an abundant supply of … 充足供应；

5. perception 看法，感知；

【关键句型】

1. what matters most is …  最重要的是…

2. … view their willpower as a limitless resource 把他们的意志力看作是无限的资源

3. … Americans were more likely to admit to needing breaks after completing mentally challenging tasks 美国人更愿意承认在完成具有挑战性的任务后需要休息

4. the key to boosting your willpower is to believe that … 增强意志力的关键是要相信…

【听力原文】

A good dose of willpower is often necessary to see any task through, whether it's sticking to a spending plan or finishing a great novel. And if you want to increase that willpower, a new study suggests you just simply have to believe you have it. According to the study, what matters most is what we think between demanding mental tasks. However, people who view their willpower as a limitless resource get energized instead. The researchers used a psychological assessment tool to test the validity of the study. They asked 1, 100 Americans and 1, 600 Europeans to grade different statements such as “After a challenging mental activity, my energy is depleted, and I must rest to get it refueled again.” or “I can focus on a mental task for long periods without feeling tired.” Although there was little difference between men and women overall, Americans were more likely to admit to needing breaks after completing mentally challenging tasks. European participants, on the other hand, claimed they were able to keep going. Based on the findings, the researchers suggest that the key to boosting your willpower is to believe that you have an abundant supply of it. “Your feelings about your willpower affect the way you behave. But these feelings are changeable,” they said. “Changing your beliefs about the nature of yourself - control can have positive effects on character development. This leads to healthier behaviors and perceptions of other people.”

Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.

【答案解析】

预测：预览四道题各选项，由选项中的energized, energy, take breaks, keep on working longer, sufficient rest, willpower等词可以大致推测短文内容与人的精力、意志力等有关。

Q12. What is often necessary for carrying through a task?

C)。短文第一句就提到“A good dose of willpower is often necessary to see any task through, whether it's sticking to a spending plan or finishing a great novel.”即是说，对于完成任何一项任务，良好的意志力往往是必要的，a strong determination与a good dose of willpower同义，因此答案为C)。

Q13. What is the finding of the new study?

D)。短文中提到“According to the study, what matters most is what we think between demanding mental tasks. However, people who view their willpower as a limitless resource get energized instead.”研究显示我们对自己意志力的看法是非常重要的，认为意志力是无穷的那些人总能保持精力充沛。选项D)“人们要对自己的意志力有信心，这一点非常重要”与短文内容相符，因此D）为答案。

Q14. What do we learn about European participants as compared with their American counterparts？

A)。短文中提到研究显示，美国人更倾向于承认在完成挑战脑力的任务后需要休息。而欧洲人则表示他们还可以继续下去“European participants, on the other hand, claimed they were able to keep going”，因此答案为A）。

Q15. What do the researchers say concerning people's feelings about willpower?

B)。短文末尾提到，研究者说“Your feelings about your willpower affect the way you behave. But these feelings are changeable,” 即你对自己意志力的看法会影响你的行为，但是这些看法是可以改变的，因此答案为B)。

Recording 1

【主题分类】讲座：科技

【高级表达】

1. the cutting edge 尖端，最前沿，领先阶段；

2. make one’s way into … 设法进入；

3. outperform 胜过，比…做得好；

【关键句型】

1. One in every two jobs has a high risk of … 每两个工作中就有一个有很高的…风险

2. This gives us a unique perspective on …这给了我们一个独特的视角

3. Now, given the right data, machines are going to outperform humans at tasks like this. 现在，有了正确的数据，机器将在这类任务中胜过人类。

4. We have no chance of competing against… 我们不可能与…竞争

【听力原文】

Here is my baby niece Sarah. Her mom is a doctor and her dad is a lawyer. By the time Sarah goes to college, the jobs her parents do are going to look dramatically different. In 2013, researchers at Oxford University did a study on the future of work. They concluded that almost one in every two jobs has a high risk ofbeing automated by machines. Machine learning is the technology that’s responsible for most of this disruption. It's the most powerful branch of artificial intelligence. It allows machines to learn from data and copy some of the things that humans can do.

My company, Kaggle, operates on the cutting edge of machine learning. We bring together hundreds of thousands of experts to solve important problems for industry and academia. This gives us a unique perspective on what machines can do, what they can't do and what jobs they might automate or threaten. Machine learning started making its way into industry in the early ’90s. It started with elatively simple tasks. It started with things like assessing credit risk from loan applications, sorting the mail by reading handwritten zip codes. Over the past few years, we have made dramatic breakthroughs. Machine learning is now capable of far, far more complex tasks. In 2012, Kaggle challenged its community to build a program that could grade high-school essays. The winning programs were able to match the grades given by human teachers. Now, given the right data, machines are going to outperform humans at tasks like this. A teacher might read 10,000 essays over 40-year career. A machine can read millions of essays within minutes. We have no chance of competing against machines on frequent, high-volume tasks.

But there are things we can do that machines cannot. Where machines have made very little progress is in tackling novel situations. Machines can't handle things they haven't seen many times before. The fundamental limitation of machine learning is that it needs to lean from large volumes of past data. But humans don’t. We have the ability to connect seemingly different threads to solve problems we’ve never seen before.

Questions 16 to 18 are based on therecording you have just heard.

【答案解析】

Q16. What do the researchers at Oxford University conclude?

A)。讲座开头提到“In 2013, researchers at Oxford University did a study on the future of work. They concluded that almost one in every two jobs has a high risk of being automated by machines.”牛津大学的研究人员得出的结论是，几乎每两份工作中就有一份有被机器自动化所取代的风险。选项A)“现有工作中大约有一半可能会被机器自动化取代”与之相符，故答案为A)。

Q17. What do we learn about Kaggle company’s winning programs?

D)。讲座中提到“The winning programs were able to match the grades given by human teachers.”那些赢得比赛的程序给的评分与教师所给出的评分基本一致，因此答案为D)。

Q18. What is the fundamental limitation of machine learning?

C)。讲座最后提到“The fundamental limitation of machine learning is that it needs to lean from large volumes of past data.”即是说，机器学习根本的局限性在于它需要依赖大量的过往数据才能够掌握某种技能，故答案为C)。

Recording 2

【主题分类】讲座：能源

【高级表达】

1. sustainable energy 可持续能源；

2. self-proclaimed 自称的，自命的；

3. visionary 有眼力的人，有远见卓识的人；

4. an array of 一批，大量；

5. calcium compound 钙化合物；

【关键句型】

1. … offering city commuters a green alternative to their cars 为城市通勤者提供一种绿色的汽车替代品

2. When heated, these materials turned from a solid into a liquid absorbing energy as they change phase. 当加热时，这些材料从固体转变为液体，并在相变过程中吸收能量。

3. The liquid is maintained above its melting point until steam is required, at which point the liquid is allowed to turn back into a solid, releasing its stored energy. 液体保持在其熔点以上，直到需要蒸汽，液体也可以变回固体，释放其储存的能量。

【听力原文】

We’ve talked recently about the importance of sustainable energy. We've also talked about the different theories on how that can be done. So far, our discussions have all been theoretical. Now I havea practical question for you all.

Can you run a 140,000 kilogram train on just the steam generated by solar power? Well, one engineer, Tim Castleman, believes it’s possible. And his home city of Sacramento, California should see the technology’s first test. As part of the upgrading of its rail yard, Castleman,who is an inventor and self-proclaimed steam visionary, is campaigning for a new steam train that runs without any fire and could run on an existing ten-kilometre line, drawing tourists and perhaps offering city commuters agreen alternative to their cars. Castleman wants to build an array of solar magnifying mirrors at one end of the line to collect and focus heat onto water-filled tubes. This would generate steam that could be used to fill tanks on a small steam train without the use of fire. “Supplying power to trains in this way would offer the shortest distance from well to wheels,” he says, “with the least amount of energy lost.” According to Harry Valentine, a Canadian engineer who is researching modern steam technology, a special tank measuring 2 by 10 metres could store over 750 kilowatt hours of energy as high-pressure steam, enough to pull a 2-car train for an hour or so.

Energy to drive a steam locomotive can be stored in other materials besides water. For example, a team at Tohoko University in Japan has studied materials that can store large amounts of heat.When heated, these materials turned from a solid into a liquid absorbing energy as they change phase. The liquid is maintained above its melting point until steam is required, at which point the liquid is allowed to turn back into a solid, releasing its stored energy. Another team at Nagoya University in Japanhas tested calcium compound as an energy storage material. Heating this chemical compound drives off carbon dioxide gas, leaving calcium oxide. The gas can be stored under pressure in a tank. To recover the energy, the gas is fed back over the calcium oxide. “In theory,” says Valentine, “this can create a high enough temperature to generate superheated steam.”

Questions 19 to 21are based on the recording you have just heard.

【答案解析】

预测：预览三道题各选项，由选项中的solar power, new energy sources, sustainable energy等表达可初步推测讲座内容与新能源或可持续能源有关，由trains, railway等可进一步推测讲座内容涉及火车。

Q19. What has the speaker previously talked about?

D)。讲座开头提到“We’ve talked recently about the importance of sustainable energy. We've also talked about the different theories on how that can be done. So far, our discussions have all been theoretical.” 由这几句可知最近讨论的是可持续能源，最后一句提到“到目前为止，我们的讨论都是理论层面的”，因此答案为D)“可持续能源的理论方面”。

Q20. What is Tim Castleman trying to do in Sacramento?

A)。讲座中提到，工程师Tim Castleman认为一列14万公斤的火车仅依靠通过太阳能产生的蒸汽就可以运转。“And his home city of Sacramento, California should see the technology’s first test.”可见，他想在他的家乡萨克拉门托进行这项技术的首次测试，也就是说他将在萨克拉门托尝试使用太阳能驱动火车，因此答案为A)。

Q21. What has a Japanese research team tried to do?

B)。讲座中提到了两所日本大学的研究团队，而题干中并没有明确指出哪个团队。根据讲座，“a team at Tohoko University in Japan has studied materials that can store large amounts of heat.”以及“Another team at Nagoya University in Japan has tested calcium compound as an energy storage material.” 可知，两个团队都是在寻找能够储存能量的材料，因此答案为B)。

Recording3

【主题分类】讲座：经济

【高级表达】

1. subsidize 补贴；

2. eligibility 资格；

3. life expectancy 预期寿命;

4. unprecedented 前所未有的;

5. erosion 侵蚀；

【关键句型】

1. This required local governments to provide residential accommodation for older people … 这就要求地方政府为老年人提供住宿…

2. It delivered the best health care for all. 它为所有人提供了最好的医疗保健。

3. … has risen from ... in 1948 to … now 从1948年的…上升到现在的…

4. … preference for private over public services made management even more difficult 比起公共服务，私人服务更受青睐，这使得管理更加困难

5. Unless you were prepared to pay, they were increasingly difficult to obtain for any but the most severely disabled. 除非你愿意付钱，否则除了严重残疾的人以外，任何人都越来越难得到这些钱。

【听力原文】

Today's crisis in care for older people in England has two main causes. First, people are living longer with a lot more complex needs. Second, they rely on a system that has long been marked by a poor relation between national health and social care services. Current services originate in two key measures. They are the National Health Service and the 1948 National Assistance Act. This required local governments to provideresidential accommodation for older people and supervise care homes run by independent organizations. They also provided home and community services, including meals, day centres and home helpers and other subsidized services.The National Health Service was free and wholly publicly provided. It deliveredthe best health care for all.

No such vision guided residential and community care though. The care was substantially provided by voluntary services which worked together with local authorities as they long had, with eligibility based on income. Today, life expectancy has risen from 66 for a male at best in 1948 to around 80 now. In addition, there is better overall health and improved medical knowledge in care. This means an unprecedented number of people are surviving longer in conditions requiring experts’ support. Families provide at least as much care as they ever did. Even so, they can rarely, without subsidized support, address serious personal needs.

Care for older people faced persistent criticism as these trends became apparent. From the early 1960s, local authorities were required to plan health and welfare services. The aim was to enable older people to remain in their own homes for as long as possible. But this increased concern about the lack of coordination between free health and paid-for social care. Through the 1970s, a number of measures sought to improve matters. However, at a time of financial crisis, funding diminished and little changed. In the 1980s, the government cut spending. Meanwhile, preference for private over public services made management even more difficult. Simultaneously, the number of sick older people grew. Governments emphasized the need to improve services. They did so, though, while doing little to stop the erosion of available aid. Services were irregular across authorities. Unless you were prepared to pay, they were increasingly difficult to obtain for any but the most severely disabled.

Why has 60 years of criticism produced so little change? Discrimination against older people has a long history. Additionally, those affected by inadequate health and social care are too vulnerable to launch the protests that have addressed other forms of discrimination.

 Questions 22 to 25are based on the recording you have just heard.

 【答案解析】

预测：预览四道题的选项，由选项中的 day centres, home help services, social care services和heath services等可初步推测讲座内容与护理机构和社会保障服务有关。

Q22. What is one cause of the current crisis in care for the elderly in England？

D)。讲座开头提到，当今英格兰老年人的护理危机主要由两个因素所导致，提到的第二哥因素“Second, they rely on a system that has long been marked by a poor relation between national health and social care services.”即国家医疗服务与社会护理服务之间的不良关系，因此答案为D)。

Q23. What does the speaker say about residential and community care?

A)。讲座中提到“The care was substantially provided by voluntary services which worked together with local authorities…”，即是说，社区护理主要是由与当地政府合作的志愿性机构提供的，因此答案为A）。

Q24. What made management of care for the elderly more difficult in the 1980s?

C)。讲座中提到，20世纪80年代政府削减开支，同时“preference for private over public services made management even more difficult（人们对私人护理机构的偏爱使得对老年人护理的管理愈加因难）”，故答案为C)。

Q25. What does the speaker say about older people in England?

B)。讲座最后提到“Discrimination against older people has a long history（对老年人的歧视由来已久）”，因此答案为B)。