【推荐1】Britain Today

Food

British people like good food, and more than half of them go to a restaurant every month. Fast food is also very popular— 30% of all adults have a hamburger every three months, but 46% have fish and chips!

Sports

British people don't do a lot of sports. Only 17% of people go swimming every week, about 9% go cycling and 8% play golf—and only 6% of people play football( but 32% go to watch it ).

Cinema and TV

Films are very popular in Britain, and about 60% of people between 15 and 24 go to the cinema every month. At home, men watch TV for about three hours every day — two quarters more than women.

Holidays

British people love going on holiday, and have 56 million holidays every year. Most of these holidays aren't in the UK—27% are in Spain,10% are in the USA, and 9% are in France. Maybe this is because the weather in Britain isn't very good!

1. Which food could be more popular among British adults, a hamburger or fish and chips? ______

A．A hamburger.

B．Fish and chips.

C．Both.

D．Neither.

2. Those who are interested in movies are ____.

A．men

B．Women

C．old people

D．young people

3. How long do British women spend watching TV every day? ______

A．Three hours.	B．Three hours and a half
C．Two hours	D．Two hours and a half

4. British people's favorite country for a holiday is ____.

A．Spain

B．France

C．America

D．Australia

【推荐2】“Hungary?” I looked at my school headmaster in confusion. “I never mentioned wanting to go to Hungary.” And with that, my adventure started.

My name is Jonathan Diamond and I just finished an amazing exchange year in Hungary.

Going on an exchange had always been my dream. When my high school offered an all-year program，I jumped at the opportunity. It would pay for almost everything and all I had to do was get a plane ticket. I knew where I wanted to go: Spain, the country of dancers wearing flowing red dresses. So when I heard that I was going to Hungary, I was pretty shocked. But I decided to make the best of it, since it was，after all, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Before I knew it, I was on the airplane, leaving for Budapest International Airport, Hungary.

I had times when I almost gave up. Hungarian is the hardest language on the planet. Cultural differences occasionally embarrassed both my peer teens and me. I had to give up eating carrots, my beautiful favorite, for they think carrots are rubbish in their country. The change in the landscape was amazing, looking nothing like skyscrapers, bullet trains, cars，and people in tiny houses that I had been accustomed to. Gradually, I fell in love with the relaxing lifestyle, the warm-hearted people, and getting home at 2：30 p. m. at the latest from school. And I was sad to leave on my very last day.

Having the host family who took me as one of their own members was the best thing I have ever experienced. From my little sisters, I learned how to embrace life to its fullest. From my brothers I learned that it’s OK for a boy to run around the house. From my host parents I learned to stay positive, to smile, and that when you pick the right persons and take their hands, suddenly, you become friends.

1. How did Jonathan feel when he was told to go to Hungary?

A．Excited and satisfied.	B．Confused and shocked.
C．Amazed and embarrassed.	D．Delighted and interested.

2. Why did Jonathan still decide to go to Hungary instead of Spain?

A．He didn’t like Spain.	B．He wanted to learn Hungarian.
C．It was a rare chance.	D．Going to Hungary was much cheaper.

3. What can we learn about Jonathan during his stay in Hungary?

A．He fell in love with eating carrots.	B．He couldn’t wait to leave.
C．He was surprised by the landscape.	D．He quickly got used to the life there.

4. According to Jonathan, the host family________.

A．changed him completely	B．taught him how to dance well
C．treated him as equally as a student	D．showed him the good things of life

【推荐3】Several years ago, Jeremy Clarkson, presenter of the famous BBC television programme ‘Top Gear’, discovered that one of his guests was half German and half Irish. Immediately, he said, “That’s quite a strange combination. It’s like, ‘this must be done absolutely perfectly… tomorrow’ ”.

This joke played on stereotypes of the Germans as efficient and the Irish as lazy. Many people could understandably be offended by these kinds of assertions(断言). We do not know every Irish person, so how can we then conclude that every Irish person is lazy?

I recently read on a website that Irish business people were described as being “generally rather casual” and “more outwardly friendly than many European countries”. German business people, on the other hand, are considered to be very direct and according to the website, they “do not need a personal relationship in order to do business”. Once you hear advice like this, it becomes easier to understand where jokes like the one in the first paragraph come from.

So why do some people disapprove of the kind of stereotypes as seen in Clarkson’s joke, but not batting an eyelid(眨眼) when it comes to generalizations. What is the difference between the two?

By definition, a stereotype is a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. A cultural characteristic, on the other hand, is a pattern of behaviour that is typical of a certain group.

So what does this really mean? Stereotypes are simply overstated assumptions about groups of people. Imagine if a tourist visited a small town in Switzerland and saw a number of locals playing the alphorn instrument, and then claimed that Swiss people can play the alphorn. This would be a stereotype! This is an overstated image of the Swiss which is based on one tourist’s experience.

If, however, this tourist were to say that the Swiss are very punctual, this could be seen as a cultural characteristic. This is because it is a pattern of behaviour which is very typical in Switzerland: from their transport system to their business meetings. In this way, some people argue that generalizing another culture is not just useful, but important. Politicians always have to be mindful of the cultural characteristics of different countries. By becoming aware of different cultural characteristics, they can avoid causing offence in those cultures. However, others argue that generalizing cultures will always lead to offensive stereotypes. They argue that the best thing we can do is to stop generalizing cultures and start treating people as individuals.

All this raises important questions: can making generalizations about groups of people be a positive thing? Or should we always avoid making broad assumptions about different groups?

1. When he said, “It’s like, ‘this must be done absolutely perfectly…tomorrow’”, Jeremy Clarkson really meant ________.

A．the stereotypes of the Germans and the Irish are not so good

B．the combination of half German and half Irish is interesting

C．the characteristics of the Germans and the Irish are opposite

D．the Germans will do it perfectly tomorrow while the Irish won’t

2. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The Swiss can play the alphorn quite well.

B．The Irish people are considered as lazy, direct and casual.

C．The Germans are thought to be efficient, friendly and direct.

D．The Swiss tend to arrive on time on various occasions.

3. Politicians think it important to generalize another culture because ________.

A．they don’t want to offend other people

B．generalizing will lead to offensive stereotypes

C．cultural characteristics are better than stereotypes

D．they think different cultural characteristics are useful

4. The main purpose of this passage is to ________.

A．illustrate the importance of making generalizations

B．show it is wrong to play jokes on stereotypes of different people

C．tell us the differences between stereotypes and cultural characteristics

D．discuss whether it is good to make generalizations about groups of people

【推荐2】根据短文内容,从短文后的七个选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两个为多余选项。
Skin-to-skin Effort Aims to Cut Newborn DeathsA social media campaign has been launched in China to cut down the number of newborns babies who die in the first 24 hours of life. The campaign, called First Embrace(拥抱)，promotes skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby immediately after birth, a practice proven to keep the baby warm and help it to fight infections.There are 16 million babies born in China each year, and approximately 150,000 of them die before they reach one month of age.     1     Zhang Shuyi, a researcher at the Capital Institute of Pediatrics in Beijing, said there was strong evidence for the First Embrace approach.“When babies are cold, they are more likely to catch infections or have difficulty breathing,” she said,”     2     It provides direct protection against infection, promotes bonding between the parent and child and supports breast-feeding.” Health workers who shifted from the normal practice of separation to skin-to-skin contact have observed that babies are more pink, calm and comfortable.The WHO has developed the First Embrace approach to help reduce newborn deaths across the Western Pacific region, including China. Bernhard Schwartlander , the WHO Representative in China, said, “As many as two-thirds of newborn deaths could be prevented using simple, low-cost methods, including the First Embrace.”    3    The WHO will be posting information about the campaign, and hosting online question-and-answer sessions with Chinese and international experts. The public can participate by following the WHO on Weibo and joining the conversation. Schwartlander said, “We are targeting new parents, pregnant women and couples thinking about having a baby.     4     ”Just last month, a new research shows that child and mother health outcomes in Shanghai are equal to those in the USA and Canada.     5    Hopefully, the messages conveyed by the new campaign could help to bridge that gap.

A．The campaign has now been launched via Weibo.

B．Of that number, half die in the first 24 hours of life.

C．Skin-to-skin contact keeps a baby warm by transferring heat.

D．Those parents who lost their newborn babies can get supports on the platform.

E．In other parts of China, however, the statistics are like those of poor countries.

F．It indicates that related methods for health care and birth quality should be improved.

G．We also aim to involve health professionals in the importance of early essential newborn care.

【推荐3】People have always been defined by their generation. We had the baby boomers of the 1960s, followed by Generation X and then Generation Y, often referred to as millennials, and the new kids on the block are Generation Z - aged between 16 and 22. It's easy to classify these young people as all being the same, sharing the same attitudes towards life—but is that fair?

People from Generation Z, informally called "Z-ers", may be viewed by others as digital natives, incapable of real-world friendships. But they actually view themselves as hardworking, ambitious and about to change the world for the better. The previous generation, born between the mid-1980s and late 1990s - the millennials were also thought to have these characteristics. But many people view this new generation as “mini-millennials" because Z-ers are different and they have their own set of values and preferences which consumer brands need to cater for.

It's true to say that technology is playing an important part in the lives of Generation Z, particularly in the area of social media. In fact, they have not known life without it and using it to communicate, share ideas and campaign is second nature. It means they have more of a say on what we eat, drink and buy than any generation before them. These young people certainly need to be listened to by retailers （零售商） and businesses - they are the people with time on their hands and money.

But being a Z-er comes with pressure. One young person says "Many people in Generation Z have mental health issues because they're unsure what the future will bring." The future always brings uncertainties but maybe there is pressure for this generation to be the most successful ever.

1. When was a Z-er likely to be born?

A．In 1964.	B．In 1975.
C．In 1987.	D．In 1999.

2. What do Z-ers see themselves as?

A．Diligent and ambitious.	B．Hardworking and incapable.
C．Promising and different.	D．Stressed and successful.

3. What're Paragraphs 2&3 trying to argue?

A．Z-ers have known life without social media.

B．Z-ers pay too much attention to digital devices.

C．Z-ers and the millennials have the same personality.

D．Z-ers become a key driving force in the consumer market.

4. What docs the author think is the real cause of the Z-ers' pressure?

A．Their ambition to be the best.

B．Their uncertainty of the future.

C．Their addiction to digital devices.

D．Their lack of real-world friendship.

【推荐2】In most situations, light helps us see. But when it comes to looking at the night sky, light is actually a kind of pollution. It prevents our view of some of life’s most striking sights: stars, planets, and even galaxies(银河系).

“When I was a little boy, I loved the night sky. I remember looking up and the sky was filled with stars. I became an astronomer because I was amazed by their beauty, ”says Robert Gent, “Now in most big cities kids can’t see the stars like I did.”

Normally, about 2, 500 stars are visible(可见的) to the human eyes without using any special equipment. But because of light pollution, you actually see just 200 to 300 and fewer than a dozen from some cities. Only one in three Americans can see our own galaxy with the naked eyes. Those people live far away from the lights of big cities, office buildings, and shopping malls.

Fortunately, there’s an inexpensive and useful way. If we shine lights down at the ground instead of up into the sky, and use lower brightness levels, we can save big amounts of energy and keep the beauty of the night sky. Many cities and towns have passed laws limiting(限制) lights at night, making sure enough shine for safety without creating much light pollution.

Light pollution affects more than our view of the heavens and can harm wildlife. Migrating birds(候鸟) sometimes fly over cities and become confused by the brightness, flying in circles until they drop from exhaustion. Sea turtles need dark beaches for nesting and won’t approach bright lights. Too much light at night may even affect human health. For all these reasons, researchers are working on ways to use lights only when and where they are truly needed. Everyone deserves to look up at the sky.

1. According to the text, using our naked eyes,     .

A．people in remote areas can see more stars than those in big cities

B．over one third Americans can see our own galaxy

C．about one in three Americans in big cities can see our own galaxy

D．Americans can only see 200 to 300 stars

2. Many cities and towns have passed laws limiting lights at night mainly to      .

A．save the electricity	B．make sure of migrating birds’ safety
C．avoid much light pollution	D．let you count the number of stars

3. What does the fourth paragraph mainly talk about?

A．The cause of light pollution.	B．people’s attitude towards light pollution.
C．The effect of light pollution.	D．The way to reduce light pollution.

4. The underlined word “ exhaustion” in the last paragraph means      .

A．air pollution	B．tiredness
C．breath	D．brightness

5. Which would be the best title for the text?

A．Stars in the Sky	B．Seeking the Sky
C．Light Pollution	D．City Pollution

【推荐3】Students used to be taught shop classes, in which they learned skills like woodworking. Nowadays, most schools have given up shop class in favor of academic subjects. However, the National Science Foundation STEM Guitar Project thinks that academic subjects and carpentry (木匠活) can be combined. This organization aims to get students excited about science, math, and arts all at once, by teaching students how to make a guitar.

Experts forecast that technical skills like this one could be in great demand in the future. Unfortunately, many high schools don’t offer students access to mechanical design skills, due to the fact that they are not on the list of standardized subjects and the schools can’t scientifically assess students’ performance. But, is STEM really needed in order to build a guitar? Actually, it’s impossible to make a guitar without knowing science and math.

Joshua Cruz, a design teacher, said that building a guitar also teaches troubleshooting and problem-solving skills. He thinks the STEM Guitar Project provides opportunities to challenge students to apply their own creativity to STEM problems. “I’m still figuring out how we can apply it,” Cruz explained. “I think we’re going to use a lot of the same theories behind how strings and stringed instruments work and try and get them to make stringed instruments of their own, and thus improve their academic performance.”

Because of its effectiveness and creativity, the guitar initiative (倡议) was offered the Gerhard Salinger award, which recognizes outstanding STEM school programs. “Through this project, we have become part of this community of businessmen, engineers and artisans,” said Mark French, one of the six people who received the award for his work with STEM guitar. “It’s a great group and I’m pleased to be part of it. I get to combine something I love doing with an activity that really makes the world a little bit better place. It really does help people.”

Thanks to people like Mark French, and to the STEM Guitar Project, the world is a little bit of a better, more educated, and more musical place.

1. Why are mechanical design skills unavailable to high school students?

A．Students are not excited about these skills.

B．Students’ performance can’t be properly evaluated.

C．They are not necessary for the students’ growth.

D．They are of no help to students’ academic performance.

2. What benefit can students get from building a guitar?

A．The ability to find faults with others.

B．The skills of making a guitar independently.

C．The opportunity to challenge scientific theories.

D．The improvement of creativity and learning ability.

3. What is Mark French’s attitude towards the STEM Guitar Project?

A．Critical

B．Indifferent

C．Positive

D．Doubtful

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．The combination of skills in a project

B．The award for the STEM Guitar Project

C．The STEM Guitar Project promotes Music

D．The STEM Guitar Project benefits students

【推荐1】Recently, two parents who live in the state of Maryland, near Washington, D.C., were found guilty. What was their crime? The parents let their two children walk home together unsupervised(无人监管的) from a neighborhood park.

The children are a 10-year-old boy named Rafi and his 6-year-old sister Dvora, both of whom like to play at their neighborhood park. After playing, they walk home- by themselves. On December 20, 2014, police officer stopped the children as they walked along a busy street. They drove the children home.

What happened next came as a shock, says Alexander Meitiv, their father. Mr. Meitiv says the police would not let him go to his children. They physically blocked him.

This incident has restarted a debate in the U.S. about the amount of independence parents should give their children. Some people object to courts telling parents how to raise their children. They also think children benefit from exploring the outside world without a lot of supervision. Opponents(反对者)say this so called “free-range parenting” can put children in danger.

Free-range is usually a term used to describe farm animals that live uncaged. With parents, it means loosening control over children. Being out in the world alone is how most American children played just a generation ago. This is the way children still do play in many parts of the world.

Rafi and Dvora's parents. Danielle and Alexander Meitiv, are both trained scientists. They defend “free-range parenting”. Dannielle Meitiv explains, “The idea of free-range parenting is really that your children need the freedom to explore. They need to be alone, without parents. They learn to take risks. They learn to be independent.”

But opponents say children may not be able to safely explore the world alone. They may not be able to cross the street safely. They may got lost. They could get hurt or, a parent's worst nightmare, kidnapped(绑架).

Supporters of free-range parenting argue that many more children die in car accidents than are kidnapped. But, they say, parents still put children in cars all the time.

1. Danielle and Alexander Meitiv were found guilty of          .

A．Abandoning their children	B．Scolding their children unfairly
C．Inadequate supervision of their children	D．Disapproval of their children's playing by themselves

2. Free-range parenting is a kind of parenting characterized by parents’         .

A．walking freely together with children	B．allowing children freedom to explore independently
C．having children under supervision at all times	D．providing children with the basic necessities for free

3. Which of the following sentences can best express the supporters' opinion according to the last paragraph?

A．Honesty is the best policy	B．Spare the rod(棍子) and spoil the child
C．We cannot throw the baby out with the bath water	D．All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Safety of the Children in the Park	B．Problems with Free-range Parenting
C．Children are suffering Physical Abuse	D．Old Style Parenting starts Debate in the USA

【推荐2】You have probably heard of the Mozart effect. It's the idea that if children or even babies listen to music composed by Mozart, they will become more intelligent. A quick Internet search reveals plenty of products to assist you in the task. Whatever your age is there are CDs and books to help you taste the power of Mozart's music, but when it comes to scientific evidence that it can make you more clever, the picture is more mixed.

The phrase “the Mozart effect” was made up in 1991, but it was a study described two years later in the journal Nature that sparked real media and public interest about the idea that listening to classical music somehow improves the brain. It is one of those ideas that sound reasonable. Mozart was undoubtedly a genius himself; his music is complex and there is a hope that if we listen to enough of it, we'll become more intelligent.

The idea took off, with thousands of parents playing Mozart to their children, and in 1998 Zell Miller, the Governor of the state of Georgia in the US, even asked for money to be set aside in the state budget so that every newborn baby could be sent a CD of classical music. It was not just babies and children who were exposed to Mozart's music on purpose, even an Italian farmer proudly explained that the cows were played Mozart three times a day to help them produce better milk.

I'll leave the debate on the impact on milk yield to farmers, but what about the evidence that listening to Mozart makes people more intelligent? More research was carried out but an analysis of sixteen different studies confirmed that listening to music does lead to a temporary improvement in the ability to handle shapes mentally, but the benefits are short－lived and it doesn't make us more intelligent.

1. What can we learn from Paragraph 1?

A．Mozart composed many musical pieces for children.

B．Children listening to Mozart will be more intelligent.

C．There are few products on the Internet about Mozart's music.

D．There is little scientific evidence to support the Mozart effect.

2. Why did many people believe in the idea of the Mozart effect?

A．Because a study described it in the journal Nature.

B．Because Mozart himself was a genius.

C．Because Mozart's music is enjoyable.

D．Because Mozart's music makes people relaxed.

3. The underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 suggests that ________.

A．people were strongly against the idea

B．the idea was accepted by many people

C．Mozart played an important part in people's life

D．the US government helped promote the idea

4. What is the author's attitude towards the Mozart effect?

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

【推荐3】American businessman Tom Stevens thinks that a robot dog could help people with Alzheimer's disease. He recently presented a test of a yellow dog to old people of a nursing home in California.

To develop the device, Stevens company Tombot worked with Jim Henson's Creature Shop, a company set up by the famous creator of the Muppets.

Stevens believes the robot dog, which moves its head from side to side and shakes its tail, can help people with Alzheimer's. It is also easier to care for than a real dog, he said. The robot has 16 motors to control its movements and has sensors that cause it to respond to voice commands and discover how people are touching it.

Stevens said he came up with the idea for the robot after his mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2011. Stevens had a background in investing in robotics and he wondered whether the technology could help people like his mother.

The Sage Mountain nursing home is a place where many people suffer from Alzheimer's disease and other memory-related illnesses. People there often pet the robot, which puts smiles on their faces. “The dog is very interactive, the tail shaking, responding to them calling her name.” said Caroline Gibson, a spokeswoman for the nursing home. She added that it was "rally, amazing" to see the nursing home's old people feel at ease.

Tombot plans to have its first commercial sales of its robot dogs in 2020. It will enter a robot dog market that includes Sony's Aibo, among others. P&S Market Research guesses that the market for personal robots may reach over. $30 billion by 2022.

1. What can we infer from the text?

A．Tombot developed the robot by himself.

B．A robot dog is a good helper for old people.

C．It is easier to care for a real dog than a robot dog.

D．A robot dog can respond to people's facia1 expressions.

2. Why did Stevens develop the robot dog?

A．He had befitted a Tot from robotics.

B．He wanted to help a nursing house.

C．He was interested in making robot dogs for the old.

D．He wanted to help people with Alzheimer's disease.

3. What's the attitude of Caroline Gibson towards the robot dog?

A．Discouraged.

B．Supportive.

C．Unconcerned.

D．Doubtful.

4. What's the purpose of the text?

A．To introduce a new device.	B．To tell a moving story.
C．To give a useful advice.	D．To present a research test.