Harvard University in the United States has been ranked as the university with the best "reputation" in the world.

The Times Higher Education magazine has listed 200 top universities all over the world based on how they are regarded by a group of international college teachers. That is to say the list measures how universities are regarded, rather than how they actually performed.

A subjective, word-of-mouth（口碑的）quality such as "reputation" has genuine economic value for universities, said Simon Marginson, professor of higher education at the University of Melbourne in Australia.

    "Reputation is not just an impression, though it might be not as reliable as performance by objective indicators（客观指标）," said Prof Marginson.

    Based on the views of 13,000 college teachers around the world, it confirms the power of the big US universities, which dominate this list. Seven of the top 10 are US universities, headed by Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Furthermore, 14 of the top 20 are from the US. Cambridge is the highest ranking UK university in the list, in third place, with Oxford ranked as sixth.

For students applying to university, reputation might be hard to quantify, but was an important part of the attractiveness, said the president of Cambridge University's students' union, Rahul Mansigani.

"Reputation makes a huge difference. If there is an idea that somewhere is great, it will get lots of good people applying whether it's true or not. Factors such as a sense of history and the presence of outstanding college teachers were part of the reputation of Cambridge," he said.

21.  The underlined word “dominate” in Paragraph 5 probably means __________.

A. affect          B. control              C.  decide          D.  improve

22.  What can be inferred from the text?

A.       No Asian universities are among the Top 10.

B.       At least five UK universities are among Top 20.

C.       Reputation affects students’ decisions when choosing universities.

D.       The Times Higher Education magazine is from the US.

23.  Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?

A.       Turning ideas into reputation

B.       The top 200 universities in the USA

C.       Reputable Universities attractive to more students

D.       World’s best universities ranked in order of reputation

Lagoon Hostel–Pousada  (0.28 Km » Rio de Janeiro)

from BRL 110.00

Score from 3 reviews

Superb 9.5

Rua Vitória Régia, 797, Casa, Rio de Janeiro 22471-190

    Featuring an outdoor pool and BBQ facilities, Lagoon Hostel–Pousada offers quiet accommodation 2 km from Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas and 5 km from Copacabana beach. Free Wi-Fi is available in all areas. With air conditioning, Hostel Lagoon offers single beds or double rooms featuring a private bathroom, flat-screen TV and cable channels. Rio de Janeiro Santos Dumont Airport is 12 km from the property.

Oztel  (0.48 Km » Rio de Janeiro)

from BRL 49.90

Score from 212 reviews

Excellent 7.7

Rua Pinheiro Guimarães, 91, Rio de Janeiro 22281-080

    This hostel features accommodation with unique décor and free Wi-Fi and a stylish bar. Private rooms and dormitories are available. Botafogo Subway Station is 1 km away. The air-conditioned rooms at Oztel offer a modern bathroom and an LCD TV with cable channels. Dormitories include air conditioning and a private locker, while the bathroom is shared. Guests are advised to bring their own lock, or one can be purchased at the reception desk. Guests enjoy exotic drinks and gourmet snacks at the bar. Restaurants are found within 200 metres. Downtown Rio can be reached in a 15-minute bus ride. The Sugarloaf mount is 4 km away. Guests at Oztel can benefit from a daily breakfast buffet with seasonal fruits, natural juices and bread rolls. 

Guesthouse Claudia  (0.52 Km » Rio de Janeiro)

from BRL 200.00

Score from 10 reviews

Exceptional 8.4

Rua Santa Clara, 397/ ap 402, Rio de Janeiro 22041-010

    Guesthouse Claudia is located in Rio de Janeiro, only 900 metres from popular Copacabana Beach. Free Wi-Fi access and a 24-hour reception are available. Guests can also make use of the shared lounge and a shared kitchen. Rooms here will provide a flat-screen TV with cable channels, a fan and shared bathroom facilities with a bathtub. The guesthouse is 8.8 km from Santos Dumont Airport, 9.6 km from Novo Rio Bus Station and 8 km from downtown Rio de Janeiro. Corcovado Mountain is 12.2 km away, while the famous Sugarloaf mount is 6.1 km from the property. 

Hotel Santa Clara (0.68 Km » Rio de Janeiro)

from BRL 200.00

Score from 54 reviews

Excellent 7.8

Rua Decio Vilares, 316, Rio de Janeiro 22041-040

    Hotel Santa Clara is located in Bairro Peixoto, between the hills of Morro da Saudade and Morro de São João. It offers free Wi-Fi and air-conditioned rooms with cable TV. All guest rooms at Santa Clara enjoy wooden furnishings. Each is equipped with a telephone and a private bathroom. In-room breakfast is available. Guests can relax in the lounge area. 24-hour front desk service is also provided. Hotel Santa Clara is less than 10 km away from Santos Dumont Airport and just 500 metres from the famous Copacabana Beach. It is a 5-minute walk to Siqueira Campos Subway Station, and a 25-minute drive to Corcovado.

24. The advertisements about the four hotels are put in order of ______.

    A. the number of reviews of the guests          B. the price of each room per night   

    C. the shortest distance to Rio de Janeiro       D. the score from the reviews of the guests

25. Desk service is provided around the clock at ______.

    A. Lagoon Hostel–Pousada and Oztel             B. Oztel and Guesthouse Claudia

    C. Hotel Santa Clara and Lagoon Hostel–Pousada     D. Guesthouse Claudia and Hotel Santa Clara

26. Hotel Santa Clara is different from the other three hotels in that ______.

    A. guests can watch cable TV in their room

    B. guests can order breakfast from room service

    C. each room is equipped with a private bathroom

    D. guests can have a rest in the lounge area

There is no doubt that leading a low-carbon lifestyle is a popular trend in the modern society, where a considerable number of individuals begin to undertake the responsibility to protect the environment．One of my Chinadialogue colleagues in Beijing recently bought a Philips energy-saving light bulb to replace a standard one．He was happy with his choice．It may have cost 30 yuan （just under US$4．50）—ten times the price of a filament （灯丝） bulb—but he wanted to save energy as part of his low-carbon lifestyle．And according to the shopkeeper, he would save, in the long run, much more than the 30 yuan he was spending．

Yet only one month later, his expensive light bulb blew up, before he had saved even a small part of the purchase price．Will he stick to his high-cost, low-carbon lifestyle?

    China’s environmental organizations have started to advocate low-carbon lifestyles and the decrease of carbon footprints to help fight against climate change．But they have overlooked one fact: in China, low-carbon living comes at a high cost．

It means buying energy-saving bulbs and appliances, and environmentally friendly building materials and daily goods．Cost can no longer be the only standard for purchases．An energy-saving and environmentally friendly product is more expensive than a standard alternative—whether it’s a simple light bulb or the house it shines．For average consumers, even buying an ordinary house is a huge burden．How can we persuade ordinary people to choose an energy-saving residence? This is not a trend they can afford to follow; perhaps this fashion is only for the rich．

    Most consumers today do not cause huge carbon dioxide （CO₂） emissions．Their responsibility lies not in choosing a low-carbon lifestyle today, but in avoiding a high-carbon life in the future．The principle of “common but differentiated （可区分的）responsibility” —a basis of sustainable（可持续的）development—can be applied here as well．

    In China, low-carbon living is still resisted by a lack of social infrastructure （基础设施）．Even if your salary allows you to make that choice, nobody is there to help you accomplish it．Many so-called energy-saving buildings are even more energy-hungry than the average home．

27．What may probably be the best title of this passage?

    A．To purchase a cheap bulb—your wise alternative

    B．To live a low-carbon lifestyle—a promising but difficult purpose

    C．To choose an energy-saving residence—a must of your life

    D．To live a low-carbon lifestyle—each citizen’s responsibility

28．Why did the writer’s colleague get an energy-saving light bulb?

    A．He wanted to save some money．

    B．He was asked to do so by some organizations．

    C．He wanted to try living his low-carbon lifestyle．  

    D．He wanted to use a more powerful light bulb．

29．We can infer from the passage that ________．

    A．it’s difficult for most Chinese to try to live a low-carbon lifestyle

    B．not all citizens have the same responsibility—live a low-carbon lifestyle

    C．using energy-saving bulbs and appliances is a fashion

    D．most Chinese families cannot afford to purchase an energy-saving residence

30．What is the writer’s attitude towards the low-carbon lifestyle?

    A．negative but wise                B．optimistic and entertaining 

C．supportive but cautious          D．positive and active

Flash Mob: The Pop Culture

If you see a group of people dancing and singing on the street or in the railway station, you don’t need to feel surprised．They are a flash mob．Who are they? Are they mobs （暴民）?   31   Actually, a flash mob is a group of people who gather suddenly in a public place, do something unusual for a brief period of time, and then quickly separate．

A flash mob is usually organized with the help of the Internet or other digital communications networks． 32   At a predetermined time, they gather and perform some tasks such as exchanging books, coming together to look at the sky, waving their hands and yelling something at the top of their lungs for 30 seconds．Then, they quickly disappear before the police can arrive．

Bill Wasik, senior editor of Harper’s Magazine, organized the first flash mob in Manhattan in May 2003 and the first successful flash mob gathered on June 3, 2003 at Macy’s department store．More than one hundred people stepped onto the ninth floor carpet department of Macy’s department store, gathering around an expensive carpet．Following this flash mob, about 200 people flooded the lounge of the Hyatt hotel and applauded for about fifteen seconds． 33

Flash mob gatherings can sometimes shock people．Such an activity might seem amusing, but it might also frighten people who are not aware of what is taking place． 34  They also have enormous economic potential, such as using flash mobs to advertise a product．

  35   People use it to do many things．For example, in 2009, Michael Jackson’s fans took part in a flash mob to remember him．Hundreds of his fans gathered outside the railway station in Liverpool．They were singing and dancing Michael’s famous song “Beat It” together．And in another example, some people took part in a flash mob to tell more people not to use negative words．

Flash mobs give people from all walks of life an opportunity to come together to create a memory．

    A．People are attracted by the silly and harmless activities．

    B．The flash mob is now becoming more and more popular．

    C．Using mobile phones, the flash mob can change their gathering place．

    D．Undoubtedly, flash mobs can serve as good political tools in any direction．

    E．The messages may be forwarded to friends, who forward to more people．

    F．Don’t be confused by their name．

    G．A later mob saw hundreds of people in Central Park making bird noises．

  Parks provide people with a place to amuse    66     for a while. In recent decades, however, many parks have been designed to provide    67    (entertain). We call them theme parks. The new parks are usually huge places and have a   68    (vary) of things to see and do. A theme park has a certain idea—a certain theme — that the whole park is based   69    .The   70   （old）theme park in the world is Disneyland. It seemed like a magical world which can make your dream come true. But if you are interested in   71   (tradition) culture and history, go to Dollywood ,   72     you can have fun     73   (learn) all about America’s historical southeastern culture,  74     you can go to Camelot Park,    75    world of fantasy about ancient England.