【推荐3】Protecting Yourself Against COVID-19

You’re probably really worried about the new COVID-19 coronavirus, especially if there are confirmed cases near you. Fortunately, you can take action to protect yourself and your family from the infection.     1    

Stay away from people who are coughing or sneezing (喷嚏) .

Since COVID-19 is a respiratory (呼吸) infection, coughing and sneezing are common symptoms (症状).     2    They may increase your risk of infection. Keep your distance from people who appear to have such symptoms.

Wash your hands with soap and water to reduce your infection risk.

The best way to prevent COVID-19 is to wash your hands as often as possible. Wet your hands with warm water, and then apply a little soap. Work the soap into lather (泡沫) for 20-30 seconds.     3    This is about how long it takes to sing the “Happy Birthday” song to yourself twice, so pretend you’re celebrating someone’s birthday.

Keep your hands away from your eyes, nose, and mouth.

    4    When this happens, the virus can stay on your hands, so you can easily infect yourself if you touch your face with dirty hands. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth in case the virus is on your skin.     5    

Unfortunately, people who are infected with COVID-19 may spread the illness even if they aren’t showing symptoms.

A．Clean surfaces that people often touch.

B．Here are some simple things that can help you stay well

C．Then wash your hands clean under warm running water.

D．Always wash your hands before you eat or drink anything.

E．You may touch coronavirus on a surface like a door handle.

F．Don’t shake hands with people, whether they show symptoms or not.

G．Additionally, coughing and sneezing both send the virus into the air.

【推荐1】When you’re having a hard time with your homework or when you’re preparing for your term paper, these student-focused websites can help you with just about anything you need. The key to getting the most out of these online resources is to know how they can best be used to your advantage.

Facebook

Although Facebook can be one of your biggest time-wasters and distractions when you are supposed to be getting work done, it can also be one of your most valuable resources. Most of your classmates will probably have a Facebook account, so anyone you need to connect with about a class you missed or about a problem is usually just a few clicks away.

SparkNotes

With a free library of history timeline, philosophy study guides and library summaries, SparkNotes has covered just about any reading-related jam you find yourself in. Just run a search for the book, play, or short summary of the material you are supposed to read.

Amazon.com

Do you finish every term with many expensive textbooks you will never open again? Instead of letting the money spent go to waste, get back some of your cash by selling your books on Amazon.

RateMyProfessors.com

Choosing new classes can sometimes be like trying to pick out your clothes in the dark, a total guessing game. Which teacher gives out the hardest problem sets? How much homework will that history professor give you every week? At RateMyProfessors.com, students all over the country rate their professors on quality, helpfulness, and how hard their classes are.

Wikipedia

While Wikipedia isn’t aimed specifically at students, it is difficult to think of another website that does more to reduce the pain of paper writing and researching. Wikipedia gives you a quick way to find sources and get the details of almost any topic you need to research — all without walking to the library.

1. The passage was mainly written to ________ .

A．explain some websites for parents

B．compare some educational websites

C．introduce different parts of a website

D．offer some websites that may help students

2. While you are taking great pains to write a research report, ________ can most probably be a help.

A．Facebook	B．SparkNotes
C．Amazon.com	D．Wikipedia

3. RateMyPorfcssors.com is a place       .

A．where you can make friends all over the country

B．where you can communicate with your professors

C．that gives you information about professors in advance

D．that gives tips on how to get along with your professors

【推荐3】Field Trip Day

On Friday, May 16, our class will take a field trip to North Park Zoo. The zoo has lions, elephants, and other interesting animals. Many of the animals we have been studying will be there for us to closely examine.

Our class will be divided into six teams. Each team will have five students and one leader. The leaders are listed in the table.

Team 1	Miss Banker
Team 2	Mrs. Lopez
Team 3	Mr. Harper
Team 4	Miss Abel
Team 5	Mr. Soto
Team 6	Mrs. Thomas

What You Need to Know

The cost is $1.00 for students to enter the zoo. We will leave the school at 9:00 a.m. and return at 2:30 p.m.

On the morning of the trip, the students will be divided into teams. One student from each team will receive a camera. The cameraman will take pictures of the team, the animals, and other fun sights at the zoo.

All members should wear blue shirts. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes because we will be walking all day. Please bring a bag lunch and a drink. We will have a picnic at the park inside the zoo. Bring a healthy snack, such as a piece of fruit and a drink, for later in the day.

When we are at the zoo, always remain with your team. Do not leave the team without asking permission from the team leader.

Feeding the Animals

The ONLY animals that students are allowed to feed are those in the children’s Zoo. Special food can be bought at the zoo for 25 cents and given to these animals. Do not feed your lunch to them. It is not food for the animals.

1. Any student taking part in this field trip should       .

A．carry a camera	B．spend at least $1.00
C．draw pictures of the animals	D．arrive at the zoo at 9:00 a.m.

2. In the Children’s Zoo, students can       .

A．move freely	B．get special food for free
C．enjoy their lunch	D．feed the animals

3. What type of writing is this text?

A．An announcement	B．A news report
C．An introduction to a zoo	D．A photo competition guide

【推荐1】The sun is going to expand into the orbit of Mercury (水星) according to scientific calculations, which will result in the entire Earth catching fire, destroying all life. In order to survive, the United Earth Government prepares 10,000 giant engines on Earth to drive it away from its original orbit. The whole trip is expected to last 2,500 years.

This imaginative tale is at the heart of the science-fiction movie The Wandering Earth. The original novel was written by Liu Cixin, one of China’s most outstanding science-fiction writers and a prize winner of the Hugo Award in 2015 for his novel The Three-Body Problem.

Perhaps thanks to Liu’s fame, as well as the huge marketing efforts of the movie team, The Wandering Earth posted ticket sales of 670 million yuan when it was shown on the first day. More importantly, The Wandering Earth is the first “made-in-China” science-fiction movie on the big screen, as the director, Guo Fan, is also Chinese.

As a fan of Liu, having read almost all of his science-fiction books, I should mention the movie follows a rather different form from his novel. Actually, it only borrows from the novel the idea of the Earth having to escape the solar system. That’s just the point. It means Chinese movie production teams have grown enough to develop new ideas on the creative basis of science-fiction writers, while the writers are willing to work together with movie productions so that the film results in the best possible performance.

Liu may be a highly regarded science-fiction writer in China, but he is not the only one. There are many writers with rich imaginations, and their works can be adapted into movies, too. Someone has predicted that 2019 will mark the starting year of success for Chinese science-fiction movies. Only time will tell whether that prediction will come true. But if more professional movie teams and creative writers could work together, we can certainly expect more success for the domestic (国内的) science-fiction movie industry.

1. Why does the Earth have to escape from its original orbit in the story?

A．Because the sun is about to hit the Earth.

B．Because its original orbit will be occupied by Mercury.

C．Because the giant engines’ strong power will drive it away.

D．Because it has to avoid being destroyed by the coming disaster.

2. What can we learn about the movie from the passage?

A．It is adapted from a science-fiction novel.

B．Its author was once awarded for The Wandering Earth.

C．It achieved huge success mainly because of its author’s fame.

D．Its director Guo Fan is also a famous science-fiction writer in China.

3. What does the underlined word “it” in the fourth paragraph refer to?

A．The unexpected success of the movie.

B．The great success of the original novel.

C．The creative adaptation from the novel.

D．The imaginative idea from the novel.

4. What does the author think of the future of Chinese science-fiction movies?

A．There is a long way to go.

B．They will definitely success.

C．They have great potential.

D．It cannot be predicted.

【推荐2】Eating red meat is linked to cancer and heart disease, but are the risks big enough to justify giving up juicy burgers and delicious steaks? Probably not, according to researchers who reviewed data from 12 clinical trials involving about 54,000 people. In a series of controversial papers, the researchers argue that the increased health risks tied to red meat are small and uncertain, and that cutting back likely wouldn't be worth it for people who enjoy meat.

Those conclusions go against established medical advice. They were swiftly attacked by a group of famous U.S. scientists who took the unusual step of trying to stop the papers from being published until their criticisms were addressed.

The new work does not say red or processed meats like hot dogs and bacon are healthy, or that people should eat more of them. The team’s reviews of past studies generally support the ties to cancer, heart disease and other bad health outcomes. But the authors say the evidence is weak, and that there’s not much certainty meat is really the cause, since other diet and lifestyle factors could be at play.

If the latest example of how divisive nutrition research has become, with its uncertainties leaving the door open for conflicting advice. Critics say findings often aren't backed by strong evidence. Defenders counter that nutrition studies can rarely be conclusive because of the difficulty of measuring the effects of any single food, but that methods have improved.

Based on their analyses, the researchers said people do not have to cut back for health reasons. But they noted that their own advice is weak, and acknowledged that they didn't consider factors such as animal welfare and the environment. Indeed, the case that meat production is bad for animal welfare and the environment is stronger than the case that it's bad for human health, according to an editorial that accompanies the report.

Not all of the report authors agreed with its conclusions. Three of the 14 researchers said they support reducing red and processed meats. A coauthor of one of the reviews is also among those who called for a publication delay.

Those who pushed to postpone publication also questioned why certain studies were included in the reviews while others were left out.

As for his own diet, Dr. Gordon Guyatt, a member of the international research team that conducted the reviews, said he no longer thinks red or processed meats have significant health risks. But he said he still avoids them out of habit, and for animal welfare and environmental reasons.

1. What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

A．To introduce a new relationship between health and eating red meat.

B．To urge more people to keep away from eating red meat regularly.

C．To present a new controversial view on impacts of eating red meat.

D．To criticize nutrition studies for lacking of conclusive evidence.

2. What is the author’s attitude towards the new research?

A．Doubtful.	B．Positive.
C．Disapproving.	D．Objective.

3. Guyatt’s avoiding red meats has the weakest connection with ________.

A．health risks	B．diet habits
C．animal welfare	D．environmental protection

4. What can we learn from the recent research?

A．Red meats don’t have significant health risks.

B．Reducing meat consumption will be worth it.

C．The report authors have reached a consensus.

D．Consuming red meat will do good to health.

【推荐3】If you want to become a better reader, what should you know about the speed of reading? Some people read very quickly, while others read very slowly. But which one is better?

The quick reader may be a good reader when he reads a storybook for fun. But he may not be able to slow down enough to read directions (说明书) carefully. He may read so quickly that he does not take time to understand fully the ideas and information which are important to remember.

The slow reader may be a good reader when he reads directions for making something. But he may spend too much time in reading a simple story which is meant to be enjoyed but is not important enough to be remembered.

So, you see, either a quick reader or a slow reader is not really a good one. If you wish to become a better reader, here are four important things to remember about the speed of reading.

First, knowing why you are reading will often help you to know whether to read quickly or slowly.

Second, some things should be read slowly throughout. Examples are directions for making or doing, something, science and history books, and math problems. You must read such things slowly or remember each important step and understand each important idea.

Third, some things should be read quickly throughout. Examples are simple stories for enjoyment, letters from friends and bits of news from hometown papers.

Finally, in some of your reading, you must change your speed from fast to slow and slow to fast, as you go along. You will need to read certain pages quickly and then slow down and do more careful reading when you come to important ideas.

1. What should be read quickly according to the passage?

A．Science and history books.

B．Math problems.

C．Storybooks, newspapers, personal letters, etc.

D．Directions for making something.

2. What is the important thing you should keep in mind about speed of reading?

A．To read as fast as you can.

B．To keep your reading at a certain speed.

C．To read as slowly as possible.

D．To fit your reading speed to your needs.

3. This passage is most probably from a ________.

A．textbook	B．story-book
C．dictionary	D．novel

4. Which title best gives the main idea of the passage?

A．What Books to Choose?	B．How to Be a Rapid Reader?
C．Why Reading is Important?	D．How to Read?