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Some College Students Are Angry That They Have to Pay to Do Their HomeworkA) Digital learning systems now charge students for access codes needed to complete coursework, take quizzes, and turn in homework. As universities go digital, students are complaining of a new hit to their finances that’s replacing—and sometimes joining—expensive textbooks: pricey online access codes that are required to complete coursework and submit assignments.B) The codes—which typically range in price from $80 to $155 per course—give students online access to systems developed by education companies like McGraw Hill and Pearson. These companies, which long reaped big profits as textbook publishers, have boasted that their new online offerings, when pushed to students through universities they partner with, represent the future of the industry.C) But critics say the digital access codes represent the same profit-seeking ethos (观念)of the textbook business, and are even harder for students to opt out of. While they could once buy second-hand textbooks, or share copies with friends, the digital systems are essentially impossible to avoid.D) "When we talk about the access code we see it as the new face of the textbook monopoly (垄断)，a new way to lock students around this system,” said Ethan Senack, the higher education advocate for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, to BuzzFeed News. “Rather than $250 (for a print textbook) you’re paying $120,” said Senack. “But because it’s all digital it eliminates the used book market and eliminates any sharing and because homework and tests are through an access code, it eliminates any ability to opt out.”E) Sanna Harper, a 19-year-old student at Virginia Tech, was faced with a tough dilemma when she first started college in 2015 — pay rent or pay to turn in her chemistry homework. She told BuzzFeed News that her freshman chemistry class required her to use Connect, a system provided by McGraw Hill where students can submit homework, take exams and track their grades. But the code to access the program cost $120 — a big sum for Harper, who had already put down $450 for textbooks, and had rent day approaching.F) She decided to wait for her next work-study paycheck, which was typically $150-$20(), to pay for the code. She knew that her chemistry grade may take a dive as a result. “It’s a balancing act,” she said. “Can I really afford these access codes now?” She didn’t hand in her first two assignments for chemistry, which started her out in the class with a failing grade.G) The access codes may be another financial headache for students, but for textbook businesses, they’re the future. McGraw Hill, which controls 21% of the higher education market, reported in March (hat its digital content sales exceeded print sales for the first time in 2015. The company said that 45% of its $140 million revenue in 2015 “was derived from digital products.”H) A Pearson spokesperson told BuzzFeed News that “digital materials are less expensive and a good investment” that offer new features, like audio texts, personalized knowledge checks and expert videos. Its digital course materials save students up to 60% compared to traditional printed textbooks, the company added. McGraw Hill didn’t respond to a request for comment, but its CEO David Levin told the Financial Times in August that "in higher education, the era of the printed textbook is now over."I) The textbook industry insists the online systems represent a better deal for students. “These digital products aren’t just mechanisms for students to submit homework, they offer all kinds of features,” David Anderson, the executive director of higher education with the Association of American Publishers, told BuzzFeed News. “It helps students understand in a way that you can’t do with print homework assignments.”J) David Hunt, an associate professor in sociology at Augusta University, which has rolled out digital textbooks across its math and psychology departments, told BuzzFeed News that he understands the utility of using systems that require access codes. But he doesn’t require his students to buy access to a learning program that controls the class assignments. “I try to make things as inexpensive as possible,” said Hunt, who uses free digital textbooks for his classes but designs his own curriculum. “The online systems may make my life a lot easier but I feel like I’m giving up control. The discussions are the things where my expertise can benefit the students most.”K) A 20-year-old junior at Georgia Southern University told BuzzFeed News that she normally spends $500-$600 on access codes for class. In one case, the professor didn’t require students to buy a textbook, just an access code to turn in homework. This year she said she spent $900 on access codes to books and programs. “That’s two months of rent,” she said. “You can’t sell any of it back. With a traditional textbook you can sell it for $30-$50 and that helps to pay for your new semester’s books. With an access code, you’re out of that money.”L) Benjamin Wolverton, a 19-year-old student at the University of South Carolina, told BuzzFeed News that “it’s ridiculous that after paying tens of thousands in tuition we have to pay for all these access codes to do our homework.” Many of the access codes he’s purchased have been required simply to complete homework or quizzes. “Often it’s only 10% of your grade in class,” he said. “You’re paying so much money for something that hardly affects your grade—but if you didn’t have it, it would affect your grade enough. It would be bad to start out at a B or C.” Wolverton said he spent $500 on access codes for digital books and programs this semester.M) Harper, a poultry (家禽)science major, is taking chemistry again this year and had to buy a new access code to hand in her homework. She rented her economics and statistics textbooks for about $20 each. But her access codes for homework, which can’t be rented or bought second-hand, were her most expensive purchases: $120 and $85.N) She still remembers the sting of her first experience skipping an assignment due to the high prices. “We don’t really have a missed assignment policy,” she said. “If you miss it, you just miss it. I just got zeros on a couple of first assignments. I managed to pull everything back up. But as a scared freshman looking at their grades, it’s not fun.”

An office tower on Miller Street in Manchester is completely covered in solar panels. They are used to create some of the energy used by the insurance company inside. When the tower was first（） in 1962, it was covered with thin square stones. These small square stones became a problem for the building and continued to fall off the face for 40 years until a major renovation was （） . During this renovation the building’s owners, CIS, （） the solar panel company, Solarcentury. They agreed to cover the entire building in solar panels. In 2004, (he completed CIS tower became Europe’s largest （） of vertical solar panels. A vertical solar project on such a large （） has never been repeated since.Covering a skyscraper with solar panels had never been done before, and the CIS tower was chosen as one of the “10 best green energy projects”. For a long time after this renovation project, it was the tallest building in the United Kingdom, but it was （） overtaken by the Millbank Tower.Green buildings like this aren’t （） cost-efficient for the investor, but it does produce much less pollution than that caused by energy （）through fossil fuels. As solar panels get （） , the world is likely to see more skyscrapers covered in solar panels, collecting energy much like trees do. Imagine a world where building the tallest skyscraper wasn’t a race of （） , but rather one to collect the most solar energy.

Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on the importance of speaking ability and how to develop it. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.

For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English.泰山位于山东省西部。海拔1500余米，方圆约400平方公里。泰山不仅雄伟壮观，而且是一座历史文化名山，过去3000多年一直是人们前往朝拜的地方。据记载，共有72位帝王曾来此游览。许多作家到泰山获取灵感，写诗作文，艺术家也来此绘画。山上因此留下了许许多多的文物古迹。泰山如今已成为中国一处主要的旅游景点。

For the past several decades, it seems there’s been a general consensus on how to get ahead in America: Get a college education, find a reliable job, and buy your own home. But do Americans still believe in that path, and if they do, is it attainable?The most recent National Journal poll asked respondents about the American dream, what it takes to achieve their goals, and whether or not they felt a significant amount of control over their ability to be successful. Overwhelmingly, the results show that today, the idea of the American dream—and what it takes to achieve it—looks quite different than it did in the late 20th century.By and large, people felt that their actions and hard work—not outside force — were the deciding factor in how their lives turned out. But respondents had decidedly mixed feelings about what actions make for a better life in the current economy.In the last seven years, Americans have grown more pessimistic about the power of education to lead to success. Even though they see going to college as a fairly achievable goal, a majority —52 percent —think that young people do not need a four-year college education in order to be successful.Miguel Maeda, 42, who has a master’s degree and works in public health, was the first in his family to go to college, which has allowed him to achieve a sense of financial stability his parents and grandparents never did.While some, like Maeda, emphasized the value of degree rather than the education itself, others still see college as a way to gain new perspectives and life experiences.Sixty-year-old Will Fendley, who had a successful career in the military and never earned a college degree, thinks “personal drive” is far more important than just going to college. To Fendley, a sense of drive and purpose, as well as an effective high-school education, and basic life skills, like balancing a checkbook, are the necessary ingredients for a successful life in America.It used to be commonly acknowledged that to succeed in America, one had to have（） .What is the finding of the latest National Journal poll concerning the American dream?What do Americans now think of the role of college education in achieving success?How do some people view college education these days?What is one factor essential to success in America, according to Will Fendley?

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