1、Section I Use of English Directions:Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle viewed laughter as “a bodily exercise precious to health.” But _1_some claims to the contrary, laughing probably has little influence on physical fitness Laughter does _2_short-term changes in the function of the heart and its b
2、lood vessels, _3_ heart rate and oxygen consumption But because hard laughter is difficult to _4_, a good laugh is unlikely to have _5_ benefits the way, say, walking or jogging does._6_, instead of straining muscles to build them, as exercise does, laughter apparently accomplishes the _7_, studies
3、dating back to the 1930s indicate that laughter_8_ muscles, decreasing muscle tone for up to 45 minutes after the laugh dies down.Such bodily reaction might conceivably help _9_the effects of psychological stress. Anyway, the act of laughing probably does produce other types of _10_ feedback, that i
4、mprove an individuals emotional state. _11_one classical theory of emotion, our feelings are partially rooted _12_ physical reactions. It was argued at the end of the 19th century that humans do not cry _13_they are sad but they become sad when the tears begin to flow.Although sadness also _14_ tear
5、s, evidence suggests that emotions can flow _15_ muscular responses. In an experiment published in 1988,social psychologist Fritz Strack of the University of wrzburg in Germany asked volunteers to _16_ a pen either with their teeth-thereby creating an artificial smile or with their lips, which would
6、 produce a(n) _17_ expression. Those forced to exercise their smiling muscles _18_ more exuberantly to funny cartons than did those whose mouths were contracted in a frown, _19_ that expressions may influence emotions rather than just the other way around _20_ , the physical act of laughter could im
7、prove mood.1Aamong Bexcept Cdespite Dlike2Areflect Bdemand Cindicate Dproduce3Astabilizing Bboosting Cimpairing Ddetermining4Atransmit Bsustain Cevaluate Dobserve5Ameasurable Bmanageable Caffordable Drenewable6AIn turn BIn fact CIn addition DIn brief7Aopposite Bimpossible Caverage Dexpected8Ahardens
8、 Bweakens Ctightens Drelaxes9Aaggravate Bgenerate Cmoderate Denhance10Aphysical Bmental Csubconscious Dinternal11AExcept for BAccording to CDue to DAs for12Awith Bon Cin Dat13Aunless Buntil Cif Dbecause14Aexhausts Bfollows Cprecedes Dsuppresses15Ainto Bfrom Ctowards Dbeyond16Afetch Bbite Cpick Dhold
9、17Adisappointed Bexcited Cjoyful Dindifferent18Aadapted Bcatered Cturned Dreacted19Asuggesting Brequiring Cmentioning Dsupposing20AEventually BConsequently CSimilarly DConverselySection II Reading Comprehension Part A Directions:Text 1The decision of the New York Philharmonic to hire Alan Gilbert as
10、 its next music director has been the talk of the classical-music world ever since the sudden announcement of his appointment in 2023. For the most part, the response has been favorable, to say the least. “Hooray! At last!” wrote Anthony Tommasini, a sober-sided classical-music critic.One of the rea
11、sons why the appointment came as such a surprise, however, is that Gilbert is comparatively little known. Even Tommasini, who had advocated Gilberts appointment in the Times, calls him “an unpretentious musician with no air of the formidable conductor about him.” As a description of the next music d
12、irector of an orchestra that has hitherto been led by musicians like Gustav Mahler and Pierre Boulez, that seems likely to have struck at least some Times readers as faint praise.For my part, I have no idea whether Gilbert is a great conductor or even a good one. To be sure, he performs an impressiv
13、e variety of interesting compositions, but it is not necessary for me to visit Avery Fisher Hall, or anywhere else, to hear interesting orchestral music. All I have to do is to go to my CD shelf, or boot up my computer and download still more recorded music from iTunes.Devoted concertgoers who reply
14、 that recordings are no substitute for live performance are missing the point. For the time, attention, and money of the art-loving public, classical instrumentalists must compete not only with opera houses, dance troupes, theater companies, and museums, but also with the recorded performances of th
15、e great classical musicians of the 20th century. There recordings are cheap, available everywhere, and very often much higher in artistic quality than todays live performances; moreover, they can be “consumed” at a time and place of the listeners choosing. The widespread availability of such recordi
16、ngs has thus brought about a crisis in the institution of the traditional classical concert.One possible response is for classical performers to program attractive new music that is not yet available on record. Gilberts own interest in new music has been widely noted: Alex Ross, a classical-music cr
17、itic, has described him as a man who is capable of turning the Philharmonic into “a markedly different, more vibrant organization.” But what will be the nature of that difference? Merely expanding the orchestras repertoire will not be enough. If Gilbert and the Philharmonic are to succeed, they must
18、 first change the relationship between Americas oldest orchestra and the new audience it hops to attract.21. We learn from Para.1 that Gilberts appointment hasAincurred criticism. Braised suspicion. Creceived acclaim. Daroused curiosity.22. Tommasini regards Gilbert as an artist who isAinfluential.
19、Bmodest. Crespectable. Dtalented.23. The author believes that the devoted concertgoersAignore the expenses of live performances. Breject most kinds of recorded performances.Cexaggerate the variety of live performances. Doverestimate the value of live performances.24. According to the text, which of
20、the following is true of recordings?AThey are often inferior to live concerts in quality. BThey are easily accessible to the general public.CThey help improve the quality of music. DThey have only covered masterpieces.25. Regarding Gilberts role in revitalizing the Philharmonic, the author feelsAdou
21、btful. Benthusiastic. Cconfident. Dpuzzled.Text 2When Liam McGee departed as president of Bank of America in August, his explanation was surprisingly straight up. Rather than cloaking his exit in the usual vague excuses, he came right out and said he was leaving “to pursue my goal of running a compa
22、ny.” Broadcasting his ambition was “very much my decision,” McGee says. Within two weeks, he was talking for the first time with the board of Hartford Financial Services Group, which named him CEO and chairman on September 29.McGee says leaving without a position lined up gave him time to reflect on
23、 what kind of company he wanted to run. It also sent a clear message to the outside world about his aspirations. And McGee isnt alone. In recent weeks the No.2 executives at Avon and American Express quit with the explanation that they were looking for a CEO post. As boards scrutinize succession pla
24、ns in response to shareholder pressure, executives who dont get the nod also may wish to move on. A turbulent business environment also has senior managers cautious of letting vague pronouncements cloud their reputations.As the first signs of recovery begin to take hold, deputy chiefs may be more wi
25、lling to make the jump without a net. In the third quarter, CEO turnover was down 23% from a year ago as nervous boards stuck with the leaders they had, according to Liberum Research. As the economy picks up, opportunities will abound for aspiring leaders.The decision to quit a senior position to lo
26、ok for a better one is unconventional. For years executives and headhunters have adhered to the rule that the most attractive CEO candidates are the ones who must be poached. Says Korn/Ferry senior partner Dennis Carey:”I cant think of a single search Ive done where a board has not instructed me to
27、look at sitting CEOs first.” Those who jumped without a job havent always landed in top positions quickly. Ellen Marram quit as chief of Tropicana a decade age, saying she wanted to be a CEO. It was a year before she became head of a tiny Internet-based commodities exchange. Robert Willumstad left C
28、itigroup in 2023 with ambitions to be a CEO. He finally took that post at a major financial institution three years later.Many recruiters say the old disgrace is fading for top performers. The financial crisis has made it more acceptable to be between jobs or to leave a bad one. “The traditional rul
29、e was its safer to stay where you are, but thats been fundamentally inverted,” says one headhunter. “The people whove been hurt the worst are those whove stayed too long.”26.When McGee announced his departure, his manner can best be described as beingAarrogant. Bfrank. Cself-centered. Dimpulsive.27.
30、 According to Paragraph 2, senior executives quitting may be spurred byAtheir expectation of better financial status. Btheir need to reflect on their private life.Ctheir strained relations with the boards. Dtheir pursuit of new career goals.28.The word “poached” (Line 3, Paragraph 4) most probably m
31、eansAapproved of. Battended to. Chunted for . Dguarded against.29.It can be inferred from the last paragraph thatAtop performers used to cling to their posts. Bloyalty of top performers is getting out-dated.Ctop performers care more about reputations. Dits safer to stick to the traditional rules.30.
32、 Which of the following is the best title for the text?ACEOs: Where to Go? BCEOs: All the Way Up?CTop Managers Jump without a Net DThe Only Way Out for Top PerformersText 3The rough guide to marketing success used to be that you got what you paid for. No longer. While traditional “paid” media such a
33、s television commercials and print advertisements still play a major role, companies today can exploit many alternative forms of media. Consumers passionate about a product may create “owned” media by sending e-mail alerts about products and sales to customers registered with its Web site. The way c
34、onsumers now approach the broad range of factors beyond conventional paid media.Paid and owned media are controlled by marketers promoting their own products. For earned media , such marketers act as the initiator for users responses. But in some cases, one marketers owned media become another marke
35、ters paid media for instance, when an e-commerce retailer sells ad space on its Web site. We define such sold media as owned media whose traffic is so strong that other organizations place their content or e-commerce engines within that environment. This trend ,which we believe is still in its infan
36、cy, effectively began with retailers and travel providers such as airlines and hotels and will no doubt go further. Johnson & Johnson, for example, has created BabyCenter, a stand-alone media property that promotes complementary and even competitive products. Besides generating income, the presence
37、of other marketers makes the site seem objective, gives companies opportunities to learn valuable information about the appeal of other companies marketing, and may help expand user traffic for all companies concerned.The same dramatic technological changes that have provided marketers with more (an
38、d more diverse) communications choices have also increased the risk that passionate consumers will voice their opinions in quicker, more visible, and much more damaging ways. Such hijacked media are the opposite of earned media: an asset or campaign becomes hostage to consumers, other stakeholders,
39、or activists who make negative allegations about a brand or product. Members of social networks, for instance, are learning that they can hijack media to apply pressure on the businesses that originally created them.If that happens, passionate consumers would try to persuade others to boycott produc
40、ts, putting the reputation of the target company at risk. In such a case, the companys response may not be sufficiently quick or thoughtful, and the learning curve has been steep. Toyota Motor, for example, alleviated some of the damage from its recall crisis earlier this year with a relatively quic
41、k and well-orchestrated social-media response campaign, which included efforts to engage with consumers directly on sites such as Twitter and the social-news site Digg.31.Consumers may create “earned” media when they areA obscssed with online shopping at certain Web sites.B inspired by product-promo
42、ting e-mails sent to them.C eager to help their friends promote quality products.D enthusiastic about recommending their favorite products.32. According to Paragraph 2,sold media featureA a safe business environment. B random competition.C strong user traffic. D flexibility in organization.33. The a
43、uthor indicates in Paragraph 3 that earned mediaA invite constant conflicts with passionate consumers.B can be used to produce negative effects in marketing.C may be responsible for fiercer competition. D deserve all the negative comments about them.34. Toyota Motors experience is cited as an exampl
44、e ofA responding effectively to hijacked media. B persuading customers into boycotting products.C cooperating with supportive consumers. D taking advantage of hijacked media.35. Which of the following is the text mainly about ?A Alternatives to conventional paid media. B Conflict between hijacked an
45、d earned media.C Dominance of hijacked media. D Popularity of owned media.Text 4Its no surprise that Jennifer Seniors insightful, provocative magazine cover story, “I love My Children, I Hate My Life,” is arousing much chatter nothing gets people talking like the suggestion that child rearing is any
46、thing less than a completely fulfilling, life-enriching experience. Rather than concluding that children make parents either happy or miserable, Senior suggests we need to redefine happiness: instead of thinking of it as something that can be measured by moment-to-moment joy, we should consider being happy as a past-tense condition. Even though the day-to-day experience of raising kids can be soul-crushingly hard, Senior writes that “the ve