The views reflect some of the tensions between the nations’ leaders. The United States has been strongly against China’s construction of artificial islands and military facilities along the disputed South China Sea. And there have been disagreements over how to respond to recent North Korean nuclear and missile tests.

　　A joint statement from U.S. and China after Thursday’s Obama-Xi meeting said both countries agreed to work together on nuclear security. The Obama administration said China has agreed to sanctions to protest recent North Korean nuclear tests.

　　But Xi expressed opposition to a new missile defense system for South Korea, according to Chinese media reports. Such a system is being considered by U.S. and South Korean leaders to protect South Korea from a North Korean attack.

　　At the start of his meeting with Xi, Obama said, “Of great importance to both of us is North Korea’s pursuit of nuclear weapons, which threatens the security and stability of the region.” Xi said China and the United States “have a responsibility to work together.”

　　As for issues dividing the two nations, Xi said both sides could “seek active solutions through dialogue and consultation.”

　　The two leaders met during a 53-nation conference on nuclear security in Washington, D.C.

　　24. According to a 2015 Pew survey, ________.

　　A. Most of the Chinese surveyed gave a positive view to the U.S.

　　B. Neither country was given a high positive rating from each other.

　　C. Americans believed that China held the most of U.S. government debts.

　　D. Chinese people surveyed believed that China would become as powerful as the U.S.

　　25. The American government has a(an) _____ attitude towards China’s construction along the South China Sea.

　　A. supporting B. uninterested C. opposing D. doubtful

　　26. Both American and Chinese governments agree on _________.

　　A. a new missile defense system for South Korea

　　B. what to do with recent North Korean nuclear and missile tests

　　C. the cooperation on nuclear security

　　D. territorial disputes in the South China Sea

　　27. Which of the statements is not true according to passage?

　　A. President Obama attached great importance to North Korea’s pursuit of nuclear weapons.

　　B. China supports the UN sanctions on North Korean nuclear tests.

　　C. China is unlikely to work together with the U.S. on North Korean nuclear issues.

　　D. President Xi suggests dialogue and consultation to settle down the problems between the two nations.

　　C

　　The Beijing Youth Daily on Thursday called attention to the struggles of traditional operas in China.

　　The newspaper said the number of unique traditional Chinese opera styles had decreased to 286 from 368 in 1959, with three disappearing every two years on average. Altogether, 74 opera styles had only one troupe left, and most were at the risk of fading away.

　　Xie Boliang, a professor at the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts, said, “It is well known that people should be held accountable for soil erosion, but why do we feel at ease when traditional operas fade away?”

　　Overwhelmed by modern culture and entertainment such as movies, TV programs and pop music, traditional Chinese operas have been severely marginalized. Despite being included on the state-level Intangible Cultural Heritage list, some operas still have no place to perform.

　　Because of the market slump (衰退) and low salaries, more traditional Chinese opera practitioners are finding other work, as are many directors and playwrights. Sun Jiazheng, chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, said traditional operas are important carriers of Chinese culture, and should be preserved.

　　The State Council issued a circular in July calling for the promotion and protection of traditional Chinese operas, saying that it would allocate financial support and extend preferential policies to opera troupes and schools.

　　28. Which of the following words is the closest in meaning to the underlined word “marginalized”?

　　A. Emphasized. B. Promoted. C. Prevented. D. Ignored.

　　29. Many directors and playwrights find other jobs because ______.

　　A. Chinese operas are booming

　　B. they do not enjoy their work any more

　　C. the market is not promising and they get paid poorly

　　D. they are not considered as important inheritors of Chinese culture

　　30. What is the purpose of this passage?

　　A. To call for more people to watch traditional Chinese operas.

　　B. To tell people traditional Chinese operas are facing danger.

　　C. To inform us of the notice of the State Council.

　　D. To criticize the market slump and low salaries.

　　31. The passage might come from _________.

　　A. a science fiction B. a news website

　　C. the introduction of an art gallery D. a brochure about operas

　　D

　　It took 100 years, but finally, scientists proved Albert Einstein’s theory that gravitational waves exist.

　　The waves were predicted as part of Einstein’s general theory of relativity nearly 100 years ago. It was the theory of the physics behind the workings of our world and the universe.

　　The idea was that the waves are like ripples in space, caused by some of the violent and energetic processes in the universe. For example, two black holes crashing into each other.

　　Now a group of scientists, including ones from Caltech, MIT and the LIGO Scientific, Collaboration finally found the gravitational waves.

　　David Reitze is the executive director of the LIGO observatory at Caltech.

　　“We have detected gravitational waves. We did it!”

　　What are these gravitational waves?

　　Well, imagine throwing a rock into a pond. When the rock hits the flat surface of the water, it creates ripples or waves. Space-time is like the surface of the water. So that means gravitational waves are like the ripples moving out from where the rock hits the water.

　　It might be hard to understand, but those gravitational waves expand and contract space and time as they move through space. And when they get to the Earth, the waves pass through, and they contract and expand the planet as the waves go by.

　　It was Einstein who said these gravitational waves should be observable.

　　But these are not huge waves. They are very, very small, which is why it took so long to find them. You cannot see them with your eyes. They are smaller than the size of an atom.

　　How did the scientists find them?

　　They used a giant scientific tool called LIGO, which stands for the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory. The billion-dollar LIGO project is two L-shaped observatories. One is in Louisiana and the other in Washington state.

　　For years, scientists have been watching two black holes in another faraway galaxy. The two were spinning around each other, moving closer and closer together. When they finally crashed into each other, it was with such power and force that gravitational waves rang throughout the universe, like a giant bell.

　　Those waves, traveling at the speed of light, finally reached the Earth, some l. 3 billion years later. They are the same waves that the scientists announced this past week.

　　So, what does this discovery mean?

　　Our understanding of the heavens changed dramatically.

　　32. What are gravitational waves about?

　　A. About the workings of the universe. B. About how black holes form.

　　C. About how the universe began. D. About how the ripples form on the surface of water.

　　33. The underlined sentence “two black holes crashing into each other” is intended to express ________.

　　A. how the universe begins to exist B. how gravitational waves form

　　C. how new black holes appear D. how the earth is affected

　　34. Why are gravitational waves difficult to detect?

　　A. Because they are too small. B. Because they are far away.

　　C. Because they seldom occur. D. Because they have disappeared.

　　35. With the discovery of gravitational waves, we’ll ___________.

　　A. create a new world B. make full use of gravitational waves

　　C. view the universe in a new way D. avoid being hit by black holes

　　第二節(jié)(共5小題：每小題2分，滿分10分)

　　根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，從短文后的選項(xiàng)中選出能填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)。選項(xiàng)中有兩項(xiàng)為多余選項(xiàng)。

　　How to Become an Effective Leader

　　The key to becoming an effective leader is not to focus on making other people follow, but on making yourself the kind of person they want to follow. 36________ It takes time to become a trustworthy leader.

　　As you prepare yourself to become a better leader, use the following guidelines to help you grow:

　　 Don’t be self-centered.

　　The truly great leaders are not in leadership for personal gain. 37________ Perhaps that is why Lawrence Bell remarked, “A man who cannot bother to do little things for others are unlikely to become a good leader.”

　　 38________

　　Rare is the effective leader who didn’t learn to become a good follower first. That is why a leadership institution such as the United States Military Academy teaches its officers to become effective followers first.

　　 Work with excellence.

　　No one respects and follows mediocrity(平庸). Leaders who earn the right to lead give their all to what they do. They bring into play not only their skills and talents, but also great passion and hard work. 39________

　　 Give your power away.

　　What makes leadership so special is that you become a better leader by sharing whatever power you have, not by saving it all for yourself. 40________ If you use your power to empower others, your leadership will extend far beyond your grasp.

　　A. Become a good follower first.

　　B. You are meant to be a river, not a pool.

　　C. They lead in order to serve other people.

　　D. Leaders help people to reach their potential.

　　E. Leadership isn’t learned or earned in a moment.

　　F. Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less.

　　G. They perform on the highest level of which they are capable.