We meet in a week that could change the United Kingdom forever. Indeed, it could end the United Kingdom as we know it. On Thursday, Scotland votes, and the future of our country is at stake. On Friday, people could be living in a different country, with a different place in the world and a different future ahead of it.

This is a decision that could break up our family of nations, and rip(撕) Scotland from the rest of the UK. And we must be clear. There is no going back from this. No re-run. This is a once-and-for-all decision. If Scotland votes yes, the UK will split, and we will go our separate ways forever. When people vote on Thursday they are not just voting for themselves, but for their children and grandchildren and the generations beyond. So I want to speak directly to the people of this country today about what is at stake.

I speak for millions of people across England, Wales and Northern Ireland—and many in Scotland too who would be completely heart-broken by the break-up of the United Kingdom. Completely heart-broken to wake up on Friday morning to the end of the country we love, to know that Scots would no longer join with the English, Welsh and Northern Irish in our Army, Navy and Air Force, in our UK-wide celebrations, in UK sporting teams from the Olympics to the British lions. The United Kingdom would be no more. No UK pensions, no UK passports, no UK pound. It would be the end of a country that launched the Enlightenment (欧洲启蒙运动), that abolished slavery, that drove the industrial revolution, that defeated fascism(法西斯主义); the end of a country that people around the world respect and admire ; the end of a country that all of us call home.

21. According to the speech, what’s the influence of a Yes vote on the UK?

A. It promises a better future for the country.

B. It will protect the country from getting split.

C. It means a risky future for people of the country.

D. It will break up many families in the UK.

22. It can be inferred from paragraph 3 that _________.

A. people in Scotland will be extremely happy to see a Yes vote

B. the Prime Minister is very confident in a No vote

C. England will get independent as a result of a Yes vote

D. the UK is a country that made great contributions to the human history

23. The Prime Minister made the speech mainly to ________________.

A. support the vote campaign                         B. call on people to vote Yes

C. keep the UK united                                 D. express his regret over the vote     

The Edge office building in Amsterdam prides itself on good coffee, lots of natural light---no desk is far from a window — and a gym that allows you not just to get fit but also to contribute to the energy supply of the office.

It also cleans its toilets with rainwater, has a robot security guard that will challenge you if you wander around at night and a whole range of clever technology to make the building sustainable.

The developers behind it, Dutch firm OVG, likes it so much that they moved in when it was finished.

So is the office that has already been called the world’s greenest, really as smart as it seems?

The building, whose main tenant (租客) is consultancy firm Deloitte and was designed by London-based architects PLP Architecture, has “smart” ceilings equipped with 28000 sensors, which measure temperature, light, motion and humidity. The lighting, designed by Phillips, is also smart — each one of the LED panels is ultra-efficient and requires only a tiny amount of electricity.

Workers can control the temperature, lighting and blinds via a series of apps on their smartphones and work is ongoing to consist with them.

Users select the temperature they want from a sliding gauge (计量器) on their phone and it will in turn adjust the valves (阀门) in the pipes above their head. Each valve controls the temperature of around four desks so they do have to hope that the colleague sitting next to them is also happy with the change.

Facilities manager Wybe Van der Mey tells me, with some degree of pride, that in the first year of opening he only received a handful of complaints about the heating. In a traditional building that would be our headache number one,” he said.

24. Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?

A. Office Building in the Future                      B. Well-equipped Office Building

C. A Modern Building                               D. Tomorrow’s Smart Building

25. It can be learned from the passage that in the office building _______.

A. no robbery will take place in the daytime

B. more electricity will be required

C. users complain a lot about the lighting problem

D. people will be able to work more efficiently

26. Phones used to control the temperature are mentioned in the text to show _______.

A. it is easy for people to communicate with each other

B. it is convenient for people to use the building

C. it is interesting to use phones sitting in the building

D. it is fun to check the progress of the ongoing work

Parents annoyed by their children’s picky eating habits have taken to social media to share a host of creative ways to deal with them in a new thread gaining popularity online. In these lunch box notes posted onto sites, mothers and fathers have used threats, persuasion and even little white lies to talk their youngsters into finishing their sandwiches.

One talented father created the tag “Dadfact” in an effort to persuade his child into eating their sandwiches using information that might not be completely reliable. He scribbled on a napkin, “Every time you don’t eat your sandwich a unicorn(独角兽) dies Dadfact Love, Dad”. A further technique from a separate note was a drawing of a scary monster, ordering the little one to, “Eat your food!”

Everyone knows coming to terms with bread crusts is a difficult job. One parent’s inspiring note encouraged their child to leave the world of crustless sandwiches behind. They wrote, “I left the crusts on. Today is the first day of the rest of your life.”

Another cheered on their child with a note which read, “You can do it! Love yourself.” A father appeared to be laying down the law when he wrote, “New rule: I will keep packing this sandwich until you eat it. Good luck. Love, Dad.”

One youngster Julian retorted (反驳) with a handwritten moan of his own. When his mother wrote to him, saying, “Dear Julian, have a great day, love Mom”, he replied simply on the same piece of paper, in big letter, “I will not.”

But cheery parents shared more positive feelings on post— it’s attached to their children’s lunch. A mother wrote, “Have a great day! I love you.” Another simply put, “You are my sunshine.”

Other parents shared jokes in their children’s lunchbox to perk them up during the day. One included, “When do astronauts eat? At launch time.” And another shared, “Why did the student eat his homework? Because the teacher said it’s a piece of cake.”

27. What does the underlined phrase “perk...up” mean in the last paragraph?

A. make active           B. make feel proud               C. give promise             D. give praise

28. By saying “Every time you don’t eat your sandwich a unicorn dies Dadfact Love, Dad”, the parents are actually giving their children ________.

A. persuasion.           B. encouragement.                C. threats.                    D. white lies.

29. Most parents leave notes in their children’s lunch boxes by _____________.

A. drawing pictures                                              B. playing word games  

C. quoting sayings                                               D. using further technique

30. How do the children respond to the notes according to the passage?

A. The children are very particular about the notes.

B. The children are greatly motivated by the encouraging notes.

C. Not all children feel cheered and inspired at the notes.

D. None of the children are touched by the messages in the notes.

If you want to have a garden full of life and motion, you have to attract some wildlife.

It’s not as difficult as it may sound. Your garden will attract insects, bugs, birds and mammals.   31    You will make yourself happy and at the same time you will provide a living space for these beautiful creatures. All you need to do is to follow this advice and you will have the garden of your dreams. If you think your garden has to be messy and untidy, you’re wrong. You need waves and long-living plants and strong curves of hedges(树篱) and paths.    32    It’s important to provide everything animals will need to live in your garden.

Provide food.    33    Planting native plants is what you have to do in order to attract wildlife. Plants like roses, honeysuckle and lavender attract different insects like bees and butterflies. Hummingbirds are fans of fuchsia and geraniums. Trees and shrubs that produce fruit, berries and seed are good sources of food for your little friends.

Provide some shelters for wildlife. You need to plant evergreen plants, too, because they are a suitable place for wildlife to take shelter.

Provide water. It’s important to provide water. Some animals can use even your pool to have a bath. Bees love shallow water.    34    It’s vital to change the water in your pond regularly to avoid breeding mosquitoes.

Provide a place for wildlife to raise young. A birdhouse or a pile of brush can be a nice place for wildlife to raise their young. It’s good to have climber-covered walls and fences to increase the possibilities not only for raising children, but also for feeding, nesting, roosting and hibernating.

   35    Some species will overtake your garden and make it unfriendly. If there are wild cats that threaten the wildlife in your garden, it would be wise to take steps to keep those out.

A. It’s advisable to have the grass.

B. Keep invasive species away.

C. Silence won’t bother you anymore and you won’t be alone.

D. It’s reasonable to keep native species.

E. Kill invasive species as soon as it appears.

F. This can be as simple as placing a bird feeder.

G. You can have a fountain and a small artificial pond.

How often do you have something you want to achieve (e.g. lose weight, start a business, travel more) : — only to end up confused by all of the    56    (choose) in front of you and never make progress?

This upsets me    57    no end because while all the experts are busy    58   (debate) about which is the best, the people who want to improve their lives    59    (leave) confused. The end result is that we feel like we can’t focus or that we are focused on the wrong things, and so we take less action, make less progress and stay the same    60    we could be improving.

It doesn’t have to be that way.    61    you need to do is focus on one thing. You just need to get started. Starting before you feel ready is one of the habits of    62    (succeed) people. If you have somewhere you want to go, something you want    63   (accomplish), someone you want to become…start right now. If you are clear about where you want to go, the rest world will    64    help you get there or get out of    65    way.