【推荐3】Google announced this week that it’s building 100 self-driving car prototypes and Lloyd wrote a great piece discussing various city and planning implications, questions, and suggestions.     1    

It’s electric!

Google didn’t make a big point of this, but the self-driving cars will be 100% electric.     2    

Their small size would further help on the green front, but one commenter noted to me that the aerodynamics could be much better. Indeed. However, my understanding is that the shape of the vehicle is centered around the laser and radar sensors, maximizing their view.

You can summon the car!

As The Guardian puts it, ＂the car is summoned by a smartphone for pickup at the user’s location with the destination set.＂    3    

    4    

A key point that was very quickly mentioned in Lloyd’s post is that the cars only contain ＂two seats, a space for passengers’ belongings, buttons to start and stop, and a screen that shows the route — and that’s about it.＂

The car will have a range of 100 miles

    5     And the infamous and overhyped ＂range anxiety＂ shouldn’t be a problem for anyone, as the car should be smart enough to know whether or not it can get to its destination.

A．It has no pedals, no steering wheel

B．Confused? Don’t worry, this isn’t just for fun.

C．The car doesn’t want you to feel too at home

D．That would certainly make them much greener than typical cars.

E．On a full charge, the car will have a range of 100 miles, which is a lot for a non-Tesla 100% electric car.

F．Here are a few more points about the self-driving cars themselves that we thought were pretty interesting.

G．I know that’s what we all think of, but I thought that step of the technology was still a long way off.

【推荐2】Children born in 2020 will experience extreme climate events at a rate that is two to seven ties higher than people born in 1960, according to a new study in the journal Science.

With the current rate of global warming and national policies that fail to make necessary cut in pollution, climate events such as heat waves will continue to rise, scientists say. That leaves children of younger generations facing “a severe threat” to their safety, according to the study’s authors.

The study researched extreme climate events such as heat waves, droughts, crop failures, floods and wildfires. Researchers used recent data from a 2021 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report that included information on global life expectancy (寿命), population trends and possible changes of global temperatures.

The forecasts for how these events could completely affect younger generations were rather surprising. The scientists compared a person born in 1960 with a child who was 6 years old in 2020. The 6-year-old will experience twice as many typhoons and wildfires, three times as many river floods, four times as many crop failures and five times as many droughts. Heat waves, though, will be the most extreme climate event, with 36 times as many occurring for the 6-year-old.

The study also shows that extreme weather events could affect younger generations in various places of the world differently. People who were younger than 25 years old by 2020 in the Middle East and North Africa will likely experience more exposure (暴露) to extreme climate events compared with other places. The researchers say overall, younger generations in lower-income countries will experience the worsening climate at a higher rate than those in wealthier countries.

The data from the study shows how limiting the increase in global warming and adapting the Paris climate accord (协议) are beneficial, the researchers argue. But even then, younger generations are still left “extreme event exposure that never happen before,” they write.

1. What does “a severe threat” in Para 2 probably mean?

A．An unexpected event.	B．A tough struggle.
C．An urgent action.	D．A serious danger.

2. What can we infer from Para 5?

A．Younger generations in lower-income nations will be most affected.

B．Young people under 25 are less likely to experience extreme climate events.

C．Climate in lower-income countries will be worse than that in wealthier countries.

D．Extreme climate will definitely destroy the life of people in lower-income countries.

3. Which of the following is likely to have a positive effect on the climate problem?

A．Fighting global warming at any cost.

B．Making use of energy resources without limitation.

C．Adapting international policies concerning climate.

D．Letting go of the development of lower-income countries.

【推荐3】Why do Chinese people love hot pot so much? As the winter months are coining in, more and people are silting around a table, enjoying this kind of traditional meal. I find myself wondering what it U about this traditional meal, which has existed for more than 1,000 years. What makes it a Chinese food favorite? It seems that the answer lies beyond the dish itself.

Hot pot isn’t just designed to keep you warm during the cold months; it’s also a social experience. It’s a “theater” cooked food that turns a meal into an event. There is a lot of fun for everyone to have in adding some foods to the hot pot.

Hot pot is eaten over two to three hours. For this reason, it is often considered an evening’s entertainment, and a time to spend with friends and families. However, many westerners would be put off by the idea of other people sticking chopsticks in their food. When we come to eat at the table in the UK, we tend to have our own shares, although the experience is still a social one.

A similar experience to the hot pot can be found in Korean barbecue restaurants, which lei you cook your own meat. This allows people to have their meat done however they want.

For most westerners, the idea of going to a restaurant to cook their own food is very strange. But having a go, I find it’s now one of my favorite meals in Beijing. The steam from the pot left my clothes smelling of food when I got home, but perhaps this was also part of the experience. When the cold wind is blowing outside, I am sitting around with my good friends, eating and drinking. For me it’s like a dinner party where my taste buds and my appetite are equally satisfied in the warm company of friends.

1. What is the main reason why hoi pot is popular in China?

A．It has a history of over 1,000 years.

B．It is a fun social experience.

C．It serves people with many kinds of foods.

D．It keeps people very warm in winter.

2. We can conclude from the article that British people generally        .

A．enjoy cooking their own food in restaurants

B．prefer a Korean barbecue to Chinese hot pot

C．don’t like sharing food with others in restaurants

D．don’t mind the smell of food staying on their clothes

3. How long do people spend in enjoying the traditional meal?

A．More than four hours.	B．Over one hour.
C．About three hours.	D．All the evening.

4. What is the author’s attitude to hot pot?

A．Serious.	B．Tired.
C．Humorous.	D．Appreciative.

【推荐1】Tea, the most typical of English drinks, is a relative latecomer to British shores. Although the custom of drinking tea dates back to the third millennium (一千年) BC in China, it was not until the mid-17th century that the drink first appeared in England. It was the Portuguese and Dutch traders who first imported tea to Europe, reaching the Continent by the way of Venice   around 1560, with regular shipments by 1610.

Curiously, it was the London coffee houses that were responsible for introducing tea to England. One of the first coffee house merchants to offer tea was Thomas Garway. He sold both liquid and dry tea to the public as early as 1657. Three years later he issued a broadsheet advertising tea at £6 to £10 per pound, touting ( 兜 售 ) its virtues at “making the body active and lusty (健壮的)”, and “preserving perfect health until extreme old age”.

Tea gained popularity quickly in the coffee houses, and by 1700 over 500 coffee houses sold it. This distressed the pub owners, as tea cut their sales of beer, and it was bad news for the government, who depended upon a steady stream of revenue (税收) from taxes on liquor sales. By 1750 tea had become the favoured drink of Britain’s lower classes.

A 1676 act taxed tea and required coffee house operators to apply for a license. This was just the start of government attempts to control, or at least, to profit from the popularity of tea in Britain. By the mid-18th century the duty on tea had reached a ridiculous 119 percent. This heavy taxation had the effect of creating a whole new industry — tea smuggling ( 走 私 ). Ships from Holland and Scandinavia brought tea to the British coast, then stood offshore while smugglers met them and unloaded the precious cargo in small vessels. The smugglers, often local fishermen, secretly moved the tea inland through underground passages and hidden paths to special hiding places. One of the best hiding places was in the local church!

Even smuggled tea was expensive, however, and therefore extremely profitable, so many smugglers began to adulterate (掺假) the tea with other substances, such as willow and sloe leaves. Used tea leaves were also redried and added to fresh leaves.

Finally, in 1784 William Pitt the Younger introduced the Commutation Act,   which dropped the tax on tea from 119% to 12.5%, effectively ending smuggling. Adulteration remained a problem, though, until the Food and Drug Act of 1875 brought in severe punishment for the practice.

1. According to the passage, tea drinking _______.

A．is the favorite pastime of the Dutch

B．is an important British tradition

C．was well-received by the Portuguese centuries ago

D．could be found everywhere in the world in 1560

2. Who might be annoyed by the popularity of the tea?

A．Coffee house owners.	B．Wine sellers.
C．Britain’s lower classes.	D．Smugglers.

3. Which of the following statements about tea smuggling is TRUE?

A．Churches provided convenience for smuggling.

B．Fishermen and farmers contributed a lot to tea industry.

C．Underground passages and boats were ideal hiding places for tea.

D．The government encouraged tea smuggling for taxes on tea.

4. How was the order of the tea market finally restored in Britain?

A．By passing an act related to a tax rise.

B．By imposing mild punishment.

C．By punishing those who sold fake tea.

D．By mixing redried used leaves with fresh tea leaves.

【推荐2】Some people preserve their tradition and old ways of life wherever they go. They eat the same food from childhood. They follow traditional religious ceremony even when they have moved away. Some people adapt a bit, but some people I know never adapt to a new environment.

In England, there are places where the English language is not needed as people have formed their own communities, where most of the residents are from the same background. Some people do not feel the need to adapt or fit in the mainstream society as their community is complete with community school, supermarkets, and places of worship.

When my son was small, it was entertaining to be creative with the seasons. I was trying to bring up a child with cultural awareness. It resulted in my vast collection of cheap commercialized New Year red items, and my effort in creating Chinese New Year atmosphere in a foreign land. Perhaps I was trying too hard.

Having lived in England for nearly 20 years, I’m more used to the festivals and traditions here. I’ve changed a great deal and the most significant change is that I no longer eat rice every day. I don’t even have a rice cooker anymore. Now I eat rice occasionally and I cook it from a saucepan. Just a few weeks ago, I left some rice cooking on the stove, made a cup of tea, and drank the tea in the chair next to my computer. Halfway through typing I smelt something from the kitchen, I had burnt the rice. A Chinese person had just burnt some rice. Now I need a new saucepan as I couldn’t remove the charred stains on the saucepan.

1. Why don’t some people choose to fit in the mainstream society?

A．It is difficult for them to fit in the new society.

B．They don’t accept the new way of life.

C．It is useless for them to learn a new language.

D．They have formed their own communities.

2. What can we infer from the third paragraph?

A．The author collected many red items.

B．Red is the main color in Chinese New Year.

C．Creativity is vital in bringing up children.

D．People’s cultural awareness is becoming weak.

3. Which of the following can be the best title for this passage?

A．Do as the Romans Do

B．Take Things as They Are

C．Keep Traditions in a Foreign Land?

D．Celebrate Chinese New Year Abroad?

【推荐3】If you are afraid of the dark，it’s not a big deal．It’s perfectly normal to feel afraid After all，animals do too. “Fear matters，”says Karen Warkentin，an ecologist．“It’s a good thing，” she adds, “because fear makes you do things that keep you alive.”
Like kids，many animals experience fear and they respond to the feeling in variety of ways．A frightened turtle pulls its head and legs inside its shell．A small fish will swim away when a big，hungry fish approaches．
Some animals respond to fear in ways you might not expect．The first example is that the fear of being eaten can scare some frogs right out of their eggs. Warkentin made the surprising discovery while studying red—eyed tree frogs in Costa Rica.
In this species，female frogs attach jellylike clumps（果冻一样的块状物）of their eggs to the undersides of leaves．The leaves hang on branches that dangle（悬挂）over ponds．After they hatch from the eggs，the tadpoles（蝌蚪）then fall into the water，where they eventually grow into adult frogs.
Tree frog eggs usually grow for 6 days before hatching．If they sense that a hungry snake is about to attack，however，they can hatch up to 2 days ahead of schedule. As the snakes are unable to swim，by falling into the water early，the tadpoles can escape.
If hatching early helps protect red—eyed tree frogs from snakes，you might wonder why their eggs don’t always hatch sooner．It turns out that hatching early brings its own danger．Once tadpoles land in the water，hungry fish and other animals like to eat them too．Staying in their eggs for a full 6 days，then，allows frog embryos（胚胎）to grow big and strong．This extra growth improves their chances of surviving in the water．
1. It can be inferred from the passage that fears      .

A．help animals grow bigger and stronger

B．are less common among young animals

C．help animals move a lot to fit the environment

D．are more or less important in order for animals to survive

2. We are told in the passage that tree frogs        .

A．face danger both inside their eggs and in the water

B．will grow fast if they fall into the water later

C．are surprisingly clever when inside their eggs

D．stay in their eggs longer if they are frightened

3. Why do the tadpoles hatch up to 2 days ahead of the schedule？Because

A．They like falling into the water early

B．They want to grow into adult frog

C．They sense a hungry snake is about to attack

D．Frog embryos can grow strong

4. What is the best title of the passage?

A．What is Fear	B．Why do we feel afraid
C．You feel afraid，animals do too	D．Fear is a good thing

5. What do you think would be discussed in the following paragraph?

A．Further explanations as to why tree frogs hatch ahead of schedule．

B．How the unborn frogs know when a snake is about to attack them．

C．Another example of animals that responds to fear in an unexpected way．

D．How tree frogs improve their chances of survival before falling into the water.

【推荐1】Exercise helps to keep us in good health. Doctors at the American Heart Association suggest getting at least 150 minutes of proper physical activity every week. Many people exercise for a few minutes every day or every other day. So, getting 150 minutes every week is easy.

But what about those times when you are sick? If you do not feel well, should you keep following your exercise habit? Following are the answers from health experts.

Edward R. Laskowski is a doctor at the Mayo Clinic. He and other experts have a general rule about exercising when you are sick. It is usually fine to exercise properly (not hard), he explains, if your symptoms are all “above the neck”. These signs may include a runny nose, sneezing or a sore throat.

Geralyn Coopersmith, a physical fitness trainer who has written several books on exercise offers similar advice. However, both Coopersmith and Dr. Laskowski suggest taking a break from exercising if signs of your illness appears “below the neck”. Pay special attention to symptoms such as chest congestion, bad cough or pain in the stomach.

There are other symptoms that can tell you to avoid exercise. They include a higher than normal body temperature, a sense of feeling very tired, and widespread muscle pain.

Both Coopersmith and Dr. Laskowski suggest listening to your body. If you feel really bad, take a break and let your body rest. If you don’t feel too bad, these experts both suggest cutting down the amount of exercise. For example, if you usually run, take a quick walk instead.

1. How long should people do exercise according to doctors?

A．No less than two and a half hours a week.	B．One hundred and fifty minutes each day.
C．At least a few minutes every day.	D．About 150 minutes every other day.

2. People with symptoms “below the neck” are advised to ______.

A．stop exercise	B．walk instead of run
C．ignore the symptoms	D．do less exercise

3. What does the underlined part “listening to your body” in the last paragraph mean?

A．Taking good care of yourself.

B．Learning to take advice of your body.

C．Making decisions according to your physical condition.

D．Listening to music when exercising to keep healthy.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．Warnings against exercise when you are ill.

B．Harmful results of exercise when you are ill.

C．Time for exercise when you are ill.

D．Professional suggestions on exercise when you are ill.

【推荐2】You choose to be a winner!
The Winners Club is a bank account specially designed for teenagers. It has been made to help you better manage your money. The Winners Club is a transaction account(交易账户)where you receive a key-card so you can get to your money 24/7—that’s 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!
It’s a club with impressive features for teenagers:
●No account keeping fees!
You’re no millionaire so we don’t expect you to pay large fees. In fact, there are no account keeping or transaction fees!
●Excellent interest rates!
You want your money to grow. The Winners Club has a good rate of interest （利息）which gets even better if you make at least two deposits(储蓄)without taking them out in a month.
●Convenient
Teenagers are busy—we get that. You may never need to come to a bank at all. With the Winners Club you can choose to use handy tellers and to bank from home using the phone and the Internet. . . You can have money directly deposited into your Winners Club account. This could be your pocket money or your pay from your part-time job!
●Mega magazine included
Along with your regular report, you will receive a FREE magazine full of good ideas to make even more of your money. There are also fantastic offers and competitions only for Winners Club members.
The Winners Club is a great choice for teenagers. And it is so easy to join. Simply fill in an application form(申请表). You will have to get permission from your parent or guardian (so we can organize that cool key-card)but it is easy. We can’t wait to hear from you. It’s the best way to choose to be a winner!
1. The Winners Club is a bank account intended for _______ .

A．parents

B．teenagers

C．winners

D．adults

2. If you want to be a member of the Winners Club, you must _______.

A．be an Internet user	B．be permitted by your parent
C．have a big sum of money	D．be in your twenties

3. What is the purpose of this text?

A．To set up a club.

B．To provide part-time jobs.

C．To organize key-cards.

D．To introduce a new banking service.

【推荐3】There is hope for our planet’s survival. Innovative products are being designed to reduce our reliance on plastic, single—use plastic in particular.

One such innovation comes from international design firm Carlo Ratti Associati with its“Feel the Peel” machine, an experimental rounded juice bar that not only makes freshly squeezed orange juice, but also 3D prints a recyclable bioplastic cup with the leftover orange peels.

Designed with global energy company Eni, the juicer is 10 feet tall and topped with a massive dome（圆顶）,feeding the juicer with oranges on demand. The dome is made up of round tracks that hold up to 1,500 oranges. A 3D printer is set up in the base of the machine.

The machine goes like magic. When an order is placed, the oranges slide down the tracks to a squeezer, and the juice is then deposited into an “orange peel” bioplastic cup, ready to enjoy. Meanwhile, the freshly squeezed peels fall down a tube and accumulate at the bottom of the machine where they are dried, milled（碾磨） and mixed with Polylactic Acid, creating a bioplastic material. The bioplastic is then heated and melted into a filament and the 3D printer then creates recyclable bioplastic cups, ready to be filled with freshly squeezed juice.

How cool that is! It seems that Carlo Ratti Associati and Eni have plans to take Feel the Peel beyond just orange juice.

“The principle of circularity is a must for today’s objects,” says Carlo Ratti. “Working with Eni, we tried to show circularity in a very tangible（有形的）way, by developing a machine that helps us to understand how oranges can be used well beyond their juice. The next improvement of Feel the Peel might include new functions, such as printing fabric for clothing from orange peels.”

1. What is the aim of creating the “Feel the Peel” machine?

A．To design innovative products.	B．To produce single—use plastic cups.
C．To carry out various experiments.	D．To take something beyond just juice.

2. What is the main idea of Paragraph 4?

A．How the new juicer works.	B．What the two companies share.
C．Where the new tool comes from.	D．Why the machine is catching on.

3. According to Carlo Ratti, we can infer that_______.

A．circularity can be shown in a very popular way

B．their new machine still has some potentials

C．his company is very interested in Eni’s design

D．a product can help us understand our world

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Orange Peels Arrive in a New Form

B．Innovative Products Are Being Designed

C．Orange Juicer 3D Prints Bioplastic Cups

D．Carlo Introduces a Recyclable Machine