【推荐2】If you live near a park, you’ve probably observed this unique squirrel behavior. As winter approaches, these creatures begin what looks like preparation for a wide scavenger（觅食）hunt. In great numbers, these squirrels begin to bury nuts! This kind of behavior raises a lot of questions for squirrel enthusiasts—the most pressing being how the squirrels find their nuts again. Eastern gray squirrels, in particular, bury their nuts far and wide. Scientists themselves aren’t even quite sure of everything that goes into this hiding behavior, but they have some ideas.

For one, scientists have observed gray squirrels frequently burying and reburying their nuts. The scientists assumed that this behavior was to help always keep a fresh memory of the nuts! locations. However, it’s not only memory that the squirrels need to combat（战斗）in order to find their nuts! The gray squirrel community is rampant(猖獗的)with nut stealing. The squirrels can lose up to 25% of their hidden nuts to such thieves! Luckily, the squirrels have developed some clever methods to protect their nuts. Scientists have observed the squirrels creating false caches（储藏）in order to trick thieves. If the squirrels are worried about thieves, they will also start to hide their nuts in difficult-to-reach places（like under bushes or in muddy areas）.

While it might be frustrating for squirrels to lose their carefully hidden nuts, it can be beneficial for other organisms. In particular, it can help the forest itself! A study done at the University of Richmond reports that squirrels fail to recover up to 74% of the nuts they bury. This misplacing of so many acorns (the seeds of oak trees), the study says, is likely responsible for oak forest regeneration. When squirrels misplace these buried acorns, they allow for these seeds to eventually grow into full oak trees! The squirrels’ habit of widespread caching is also important to the growth of the forest, as it allows the genetic（基因的）information to spread far.

What seemed like a harmless scavenger hunt is actually part of an endless complex ecosystem in our forests!

1. In what aspect do squirrels puzzle people most?

A．The way they search for food.	B．The places they hide in winter.
C．The location of their hidden food.	D．The way they recover hidden nuts

2. What can we learn about the gray squirrels?

A．They often fight with each other for food.

B．They tend to feel more secure in bushy places.

C．They are cautious about storing food for winter.

D．They survive largely thanks to their team spirit.

3. What’s the message conveyed in the third paragraph?

A．Squirrels can starve due to lack of food.

B．It can be beneficial that squirrels lose their nuts.

C．It’s easy to get squirrels’ genetic information.

D．Squirrels always misplace their nuts deliberately.

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

A．Why do squirrels steal nuts?

B．How do squirrels survive the winter?

C．The secrets behind squirrels’ burying nuts.

D．The ecosystem in the forest.

【推荐1】In 2020, Jamie Whitmore was considered one of the most successful athletes in America.She was a six-time USA champion for XTERRA racing, a two-time European tour champion, and held a world title.

Everything changed during a triathlon that seemed like so many others she had conquered. As a professional athlete, Jamie Whitmore was used to suffering, but she never imagined the pain in her leg could be a deadly cancer.

After a friend recommended she go to the University of California, San Francisco, Whitmore took his advice and was quickly admitted. What doctors found during surgery shocked them all: Whitmore had spindle cell sarcoma, a soft tissue tumor that can start in the bone, and the tumor was wrapped around her sciatic nerve and touching several vital organs. They couldn’t cut it out for fear of bursting the tumor.

When she heard the diagnosis for the first time, Whitmore said time stood still. “I couldn’t breathe. They were talking about treatment and I just started crying and saying ‘I don’t want to die.’” Finally, the doctors enlisted the help of several specialists to remove the tumor. Whitmore developed sepsis(败血症) from the surgery and endured a grueling two-month recovery. When she began to feel sick again, Whitmore was certain her cancer was back. Instead, doctors gave her unexpected news: She was pregnant—with twins. “That was a whole other freak-out,” Whitmore recalls.

Jamie Whitmore isn’t used to slowing down. She has never met a challenge she couldn’t overcome, whether it was an XTERRA mountain bike race—or cancer. Today, Whitmore is a mother of two sons and cancer-free. She’s competing again, and has won a gold medal in the Paralympics, nine world titles, and has set two world records. She travels as a motivational speaker when she’s not spending time with her sons. Whitmore has some words of advice for others with limitations: “Never let anyone tell you what you can and cannot do. Some doctors told me I would never ride anything more than a stationary bike. And yet I rode my mountain bike 104 miles climbing from 9,000 feet to 14,000 feet. People with two good legs have fallen short of that task! You just can’t give up.”

1. Why couldn’t the doctors cut out the tumor at first?

A．Because Jamie was against the plan.

B．Because Jamie was pregnant with twins.

C．Because it was developing too quickly.

D．Because it was near several important organs.

2. When learning about her cancer, what did Jamie feel?

A．Sad and scared.

B．Ashamed and regretful.

C．Annoyed and frightened.

D．Astonished and inspired.

3. The underlined word “freak-out” refers to 　　　.

A．something demanding

B．something rewarding

C．something unusual

D．something meaningful

4. What is the purpose of Jamie’s traveling as a motivational speaker?

A．To build up her character.

B．To inspire those with limitations.

C．To spend more time with her children.

D．To earn more money in her spare time.

【推荐1】“The main surprise is how widespread the effects were,” says senior author Martin Genner, an evolutionary ecologist at the University of Bristol. “We found the same trend across all groups of marine life we looked at, from small forms of plants and animals to marine invertebrates (无脊椎动物), and from fish to seabirds.”

The new study builds on early evidence of the impact of climate changes on the distribution, diversity and seasonality of marine species. Based on those findings, Genner’s team reasoned that marine species should be doing well at the leading (pole-ward) edge of their ranges but poorly at their trailing (equator-ward) side. They also realized that existing global species distribution databases could be used to test this idea.

Based on a thorough search of available data in the literature, the researchers now report on a global analysis of diversity trends for 304 widely distributed marine species over the last century. The results show that — just as predicted — diversity increases have been most obvious where sampling has taken place at the pole-ward side of species ranges, while diversity declines have been greatest where sampling has taken place at the equator-ward side of species ranges.

The findings show that large-scale changes in the diversity of species are well underway. They also suggest that marine species haven’t managed to adapt to warmer conditions. The researchers therefore suggest that projected sea temperature increases of up to 1.5°C over pre-industrial levels by 2050 will continue to lead to shifts in the diversity of marine species, including those of importance for coastal livelihoods.

“This matters because it means that climate changes are not only leading to diversity changes, but naturally affecting the performance of species locally,” Genner says. “We’re seeing fewer and fewer species like emperor penguins as water becomes too warm at their equator-ward edge, and we see some fish such as European seabass growing well at their pole-ward edge where historically they were uncommon.”

The results show that the effects of climate changes on marine species are highly uniform and not a little. “While some marine life may benefit as the ocean warms, the findings point toward a future in which we will also see continued loss of marine life,” Genner says.

1. According to the passage, what did Genner’s team conclude?

A．Climate changes have a great effect on the growth of fish.

B．Species data can be used to test the study.

C．Arctic marine species grow better than those at the equator.

D．Marine species can adapt to the warm environment.

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

A．Some sea creatures may benefit from warming oceans.

B．Climate Changes have little to do with the richness of species.

C．The effect of climate changes on marine life has improved.

D．Marine life will benefit from ocean warming in the future.

3. What does the underlined part of the last paragraph mean?

A．similar and slight	B．nowhere and a little bit
C．everywhere and enormous	D．nothing and uneventful

4. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

A．Study of the Disappearance of Marine life.

B．Impact of Climate Changes on Marine Species.

C．Analysis of Species Distribution Database.

D．Comparative Analysis of Ocean Temperatures.

【推荐2】Teen Party Venues in Nashville, TN

Nashville, Tennessee, known as “Music City,” is home to around 601,000 residents, where you will find a broad range of places to choose from when it comes to planning a birthday party.

Pools and Resorts

If you plan your teen’s party at Nashville Shores Lakeside Resort, your teen and her guests will have a variety of activities to choose from. In the waterpark, guests can float down the lazy river, zip down the slides and play in the humongous wave pool.

Dinner or Dance

Teens looking for something a little more sophisticated or grown up to do on their birthday can have their party at one of the area’s finest restaurants or party venues. Rocketown offers facility rentals for teen events, to help create a safe environment for teens. You can choose which building you would like to rent to plan your teen’s dinner, dance or whatever else you have in mind and be confident knowing your teen’s party will be spectacular.

Bowling and Skating

Jaymar Family Entertainment Center is another fantastic venue for holding a fun teen party. Party packages can help make the planning a bit easier and may include things like bowling for all your guests, a private party room, food and drinks, etc. Teens that enjoy roller skating can hold their party at one of the Skate Centers in Nashville.

Additional Venues

Parents who are looking for something a little different to plan for their teen’s party could take the group to Nashville Paintball for some paintball action. Whether your party guests are new to paintball or old pros, the entire group is sure to have a great time. Alternatively, you can take your teen and his buddies to Climb Nashville for some climbing fun, which offers birthday and private parties that may include climbing, instruction, snacks and drinks.

1. Which place offers a private party room?

A．Rocketown.

B．Jaymar Family Entertainment Center.

C．Nashville Shores Lakeside Resort.

D．Nashville Paintball.

2. What can teens do at Climb Nashville?

A．Have dinner.

B．Learn to climb.

C．Float down the river.

D．Enjoy roller skating.

3. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A．You can rent facilities in Rocketown.

B．You cannot hold a party in the waterpark.

C．Jaymar Family Entertainment Center offers party packages.

D．You may enjoy yourselves at Nashville Paintball.

4. Where is the text most probably taken from?

A．In a feature story.

B．In a geography textbook.

C．In a leisure magazine.

D．In a business website.

【推荐3】An era in which an Alzheimer’s diagnosis can begin in a doctor’s office is now arriving. Advances in technologies to detect early signs of disease from a blood sample are helping doctors to identify the memory-robbing disorder more accurately and to screen participants more quickly for trials of potential treatments for the more than five million people in the U.S. afflicted with Alzheimer’s. Estimates predict that, by 2030, there will be 76 million people worldwide who will receive a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or other dementias.

Last fall, a blood test developed by C2N Diagnostics in St. Louis, Mo., became available to most of the U.S. as a routine lab test—regulated under the CMS Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) program. It has also received a CE mark as a diagnostic medical device in the European Union—indicating it has met safety, health and environmental protection standards for the region.

“The development of a blood-based test for Alzheimer’s disease is just amazing,” says Michelle Mielke, a neuroscientist and epidemiologist at the Mayo Clinic. “The field has been thinking about this for a very long time. It’s really been in the last couple of years that the possibility has come to fruition.”

The C2N test, called PrecivityAD, uses an analytic technique known as mass spectrometry to detect specific types of beta-amyloid(ß-淀粉样蛋白), a protein fragment that is a pathological-hallmark of disease. Beta-amyloid proteins accumulate and form plaques visible on brain scans two decades before a patient notices memory problems. As plaques build up in the brain, levels of beta-amyloid decline in the surrounding fluid.

Such changes can be measured in spinal fluid samples—and now in blood, where beta-amyloid concentrations are significantly lower. PrecivityAD is the first blood test for Alzheimer’s to be cleared for widespread use and one of a new generation of such assays that could enable early detection of the leading neurodegenerative disease—perhaps decades before the onset of the first symptoms.

1. What can we know about Alzheimer’s diagnosis from the text?

A．It has been used widely by doctors.	B．It may have a brilliant market.
C．It cannot be used in the future	D．It is hard for doctors to accept.

2. According to the text, which description about the blood test developed by C2N is false?

A．It is difficult to be applied in the future.	B．Its development to the disease is remarkable.
C．It has been approved by EU.	D．It has achieved the goal of testing recently.

3. What does the underlined word “such changes” in the last paragraph refer to?

A．Decrease in plaques of the brain	B．Vanishment of a protein fragment.
C．Reduction in the levels of beta-amyloid.	D．Plaques visible on brain scans.

4. What would be the best title for this text?

A．A creative test for detecting Alzheimer’s.	B．Research on the test about detecting Alzheimer’s.
C．Development of the C2N test.	D．The development of a blood-based test.

【推荐1】To develop one’s taste in English, the most effective way is to read English books extensively (广泛地). Yet one may be at a loss to choose the suitable books, especially as a beginner. As a native Spanish, I would like to share some of my experience.

My first English novel was Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, recommended by many English teachers and professors as an ideal book for English learners. But my experience was somewhat disastrous. I had great difficulty in understanding the novel, let alone enjoying it. It's not the vocabulary that troubled me, but rather the way Austen made sentences, and her way of thinking, which seemed too distant to me at that time. My fading enthusiasm was much recovered after reading Hemingway's novel A Farewell to Arms. No long and complicated sentences. And I particularly liked his brief and simple style. So my first suggestion is, as a beginner, you’d better choose contemporary (当代的) novels instead of classical ones.

However, if you limit yourself to novels you will miss lot of treasures. English essays (散文) can at once inform you, interest you, and improve your taste in English. The best example is Bertrand Russell's work. Its language is plain, yet you cannot help feeling the simplicity and the sense of humor. His simple language enables his philosophy within the reach of ordinary people. Here comes my second suggestion — essays are indispensable.

Never follow others' recommendations and opinions blindly, however famous the person might be. We should open to different ideas, but always think and determine for ourselves. As a saying goes, one man’s meat is another man’s poison. With that in mind, we are sure to find out our favorite writers through reading and develop our fine taste in English.

1. What made the first English novel that the author read hard to understand?

A．Complicated conversations.	B．Sentences and Austen’s thinking pattern.
C．The old-fashioned vocabulary.	D．Not knowing the social background.

2. When can best replace the underlined word “indispensable”?

A．Necessary.

B．Challenging.

C．Expert.

D．Responsible.

3. What advice does the author give in the last paragraph?

A．Choose books that challenge us most.	B．Read books that are amazing.
C．Don't be affected by others’ choices.	D．Compare books before buying.

4. What is the author’s purpose of writing the passage?

A．Give comments on literature works.

B．Tell beginners how to choose English books.

C．Encourage people to read more English books.

D．Recommend first class books to English learners.

【推荐2】Every year, thousands of new high school graduates pack their bags, move to new cities, and sign papers accepting loans, the money borrowed from a bank or lenders etc, which they might not be able to pay back. Without proper education on personal finance, especially as it relates to paying for college, young adults are guided into improper loan plans that result in years of debt after graduation. In order to set students up to succeed financially, it is important to educate students and parents on their financial options before school in the fall. The best way to support families heading for college is to require that every high school student take a personal finance class before graduation. This will help smooth the transition into adulthood.

The average student takes out at least one loan to cover the costs of their education each year. In 2014 the average student graduating from college carried a negative balance of about $20,000 in debt, which often spread over multiple lenders. Upon graduation, students rarely know exactly how much money they owe, and even though they are in the state of being unable to pay their debts, they cannot wipe out student loans. These students spend much of their adult lives paying off the gradual increasing debts.

A personal finance course would teach students how to manage their income and expenditures, while helping to significantly reduce the amount of debt students carry into adulthood. By teaching students how to save money and live within their means, this course will provide the next generation with a foundation to progress financially. Students choosing to get a job straight out of high school would also benefit from finance education for these very reasons. With education on how to manage their finances, all young people will have the knowledge to make healthy decisions, leading them to improve good credit and purchase needed items like cars and homes with skill and confidence.

While not every young person makes financial mistakes, those who do can face years of difficulty trying to get their finances back under control. Rather than help them through these hard times when they happen, we should try to prevent them from happening at all. Making the completion of personal finance coursework a requirement for graduation would ensure that young people are at least aware of the basics of preserving a financial stability.

1. After graduation from college, many young people ______.

A．struggle to support their families

B．spend years paying off their debts

C．get through the hard times smoothly

D．are able to manage their own finances well

2. What is the third paragraph mainly about?

A．Ways to improve financial credits.

B．Advantages of taking a finance course.

C．Skills of balancing income and expenditures.

D．Introduction to the education on personal finance.

3. Having financial knowledge, high school students are probably able to ______.

A．smooth their way for college

B．get out of their financial trap

C．free from the cost of their college education

D．avoid the risk of the future financial trouble

4. The main purpose of the passage is to_______.

A．inform and explain	B．argue and persuade
C．analyze and evaluate	D．discuss and examine

【推荐3】When you go to St. Petersburg, the number of attractions can seem large. If you are short of time, or just want to make sure to hit the highlights, these are the top must-see sights in St, Petersburg.

● The Hermitage Museum

The Hermitage Museum is one of the most important sights to see for any visitor to St. Petersburg. There are lots of different paintings by the old masters in the Hermitage. Prepare to come face-to-face with classic Western artists.

● Kizhi Island

Kizhi Island is an open-air museum of wooden architecture from the Karelia Region of Russia. These impressive structures are made entirely without nails - the wood fits together with joints and grooves (沟槽）.

● Peterhof

Peterhof is as beautiful as it is fun. You’ll be charged for admission, but go to Petethof when the fountains are working-during the day in the summer. They are shut off in winter evenings,

● The Church of Our Savior on the Spilt Blood

Love it or hale it, the Church of Our Savior on the Spilt Blood in St. Petersburg is an enthralling must-see sight. The beautiful look may make y our eyes brighten, and the painting inside the church will make you say “Wow!”

● The Bronze Horseman Statue

The so-called Bronze Horseman is a part of Russian culture and a symbol of St, Petersburg. Made famous by Alexander Pushkin, this statue of Peter the Great sitting on his horse can truly show Peter the Great’s influence on the Russian idea of greatness.

1. If you are interested in paintings, you'd better go to ______

A．Peterhof arid Kizhi Island

B．the Hernatage Museum and Peterhof

C．Kizhi Island and the Church of Our Savior on the Spilt Blood

D．the hermitage Museum and the Church of Our Savior on the Spilt Blood

2. We can learn from the passage that ______

A．visitors can visit Peterhof for free

B．the buildings of Kizhi Island are made of wood

C．the fountains in Peterhof can be seen all year round

D．the largest collection of Russian arts is in the Hermitage Museum

3. The main purpose of the passage is to ______

A．show the wonderful history of Russia

B．persuade artists to study St. Petersburg

C．recommend the famous buildings in Russia

D．introduce the must-see sights in St. Petersburg