【推荐1】Scientists have developed a water treatment system that they say is a powerful but simple way to save lives. Four grams of chemicals can treat ten liters of dirty water for a low cost, about ten cents.

Experts say infections from dirty water kill several thousand children in developing countries every day. The Procter and Gamble company has been developing the “PUR Purifier of Water” system since 1995. The company has been working with the United States Centers for Disease control and Prevention (C.D.C.).

C.D.C. researchers tested it in Guatemala, Pakistan and Kenya. Procter and Gamble researcher Greg Allgood says cases of diarrhea (腹泻) in those studies fell by about 50 percent. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University in Maryland tested the system at a refugee camp in Liberia. Mr. Allgood says that study found a reduction of more than 90 percent. Use of the system is being expanded worldwide.

The treatment contains bleach (漂白剂) to kill disease-causing organisms. It also contains something that dirt and other particles stick to. Mr. Allgood says the chemicals can remove lead and other dangerous metals and even agricultural poisons like D.D.T.

Mr. Allgood heads the Children’s Safe Drinking Water program at Procter and Gamble. He says about forty million packets of the treatment have been given to countries for free. They have been used in emergencies and in areas with limited supplies of clean water.

Clean water is a limited resource in many parts of the world. Delegates from about 130 nations attended the Fourth World Water Forum last month in Mexico City. Scientists, policy experts and others discussed ways to provide clean water to the world’s poor. Organizers say more than twenty percent of the world population lacks clean drinking water. The final declaration did not go so far as to declare water a human right. But it did say that governments, not private companies, must take the lead in improving the public’s ability to have clean water.

1. What is mainly talked about in this passage?

A．Water pollution around the world.

B．The causes of diarrhea in African countries.

C．A newly developed water treatment system.

D．The Fourth World Water Forum in Mexico City.

2. Which of the following developed the water treatment system?

A．The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

B．The Procter and Gamble Company and C.D.C.

C．The Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program.

D．Johns Hopkins University.

3. Which of the following about the new water treatment system is NOT true?

A．It is effective but very expensive.

B．It was tested in Guatemala, Pakistan and Kenya.

C．It is being expanded worldwide.

D．It can remove dangerous metals in the water.

4. Which of the following shows that the shortage of clean water is a serious problem?

A．Forty million packets of the treatment have been given to countries for free.

B．Delegates from about 130 nations attended the Fourth World Water Forum.

C．Four grams of chemicals can treat liters of dirty water for a low cost.

D．Infections from dirty water kill several thousand children every day.

5. The best title for this article is ______.

A．A Small Packet of Chemicals, a Big Effect on Dirty Water

B．The Procter and Gamble Company and C.D.C.

C．The Shortage of Clean Water

D．How to Cure Diarrhea

【推荐3】Washing windows on a skyscraper is a dirty job. Hanging off the side of a building can also be dangerous, notes Oliver Nicholls, 19. So this 12th-grader invented a robot to handle the job.

Some recent incidents inspired his project. In one, a couple of high-rise window washers were standing on a platform that fell down. No one died, but the pair was seriously injured. Oliver also witnessed someone fall and break his leg while cleaning a glass awning (雨篷) over the entrance to a building.

The new robot is about the size of a medium-sized picnic cooler and weighs 12 to15 kilograms. It's designed to hang off the side of a building from ropes, just as current window－washing platforms do. A hose（软管）carries water to the robot. A cable (电缆) delivers it electric power. The computer controls the robot up-and-down movements by adjusting the ropes from which the robot hangs. When the robot needs to move from one window to another, a set of propellers（螺旋桨） starts to work. They push the robot a short distance away from the building, while the ropes slide along a railing（栏杆）to carry the robot over to the next window. Then, as a different set of propellers holds the robot tight against the window, the cleaning cycle repeats. Oliver tested his robot by cleaning sample windows he'd built in his backyard. The robot’s propellers can hold the robot against a building even in winds as high as 45 kilometers per hour, the teen reports. He performed those tests using his family’s leaf blower.

Besides limiting the chance of injury, this window-washing robot could save building owners a bit of money. If commercialized, Oliver estimates it would cost about ＄11,000. That's about the same cost as hiring a crew to clean a 7-story building. So Oliver suspects his robot might be able to pay for itself after cleaning just one such building.

1. What encouraged Oliver to develop his project?

A．His interest in housework.	B．The accidents he experienced.
C．The high costs of washing windows	D．Risks facing high-rise window washers.

2. What do we know about the robot?

A．It carries water itself.	B．It is supported by a platform.
C．It hangs from ropes while working.	D．It can produce power while working.

3. Why did Oliver test his robot with a leaf blower?

A．To record its working speed	B．To see its wind-resistance ability
C．To test whether it could remove the windows	D．To know if it needed a different set of propellers

4. What does the last paragraph imply about the robot?

A．It is costly but time-saving.	B．It still has many limitations.
C．It has huge commercial potential	D．It has become a favorite of building owners

【推荐1】After entering high school, you may find there are many clubs (俱乐部) at your school. You may think you’re too busy to join one. But as a former high school student, I can tell you joining a school club can greatly benefit (有益于) you.

Your old friends may have left you after entering high school. And it means you need to meet new people. Joining a club allows you to talk with others and find those who have similar interests as you. Based on my experience, I have met some of my best friends from club activities which opened up many new doors for me.

Another really nice thing about joining a club is that it looks really good on your applications (申请书). Trying new things is something that looks really good on any application. Being outgoing is considered a very good quality, which shows that you are determined and willing to put yourself out there and best of all try new things. What’s more, it can help you develop skills that can serve you during future college interviews.

Besides, joining a club can make students use their free time wisely. Most teens go to schools, then go back home and spend the rest of the day in front of a screen. Teens are also very likely to fall into the wrong crowd, which could lead to some bad results. Clubs are good places to spend time, with good people to fall back on.

The most important reason why you should join a club is the long-term benefits it brings. The classroom isn’t the only learning environment in a school. The skills you learn in clubs are necessary ones that can be used in everyday life, which I think is the final goal of joining a club. Things such as meeting and speaking to new people, making the most of time, and being organized are those you will meet every single day of your life, but you can learn all of them in clubs.

So if you haven’t joined a school club yet, you know what you should do now.

1. What can we learn from the second paragraph?

A．Friends should share common interest.	B．Joining a club helps one make friends.
C．Joining a club benefits one’s mental health.	D．Friends may leave each other sooner or later.

2. What does Paragraph 4 imply(暗示)?

A．Teens today aren’t so interested in joining clubs.

B．Some classrooms are not big enough for students.

C．Doing club activities can help teens attend a good university.

D．Joining a club helps keep students away from doing bad things.

3. In the author’s opinion, what’s the greatest benefit of joining a club?

A．Developing new hobbies.	B．Meeting different people.
C．Getting useful life skills.	D．Making use of your free time.

4. What’s the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A．To give tips on making new friends.

B．To show ways to set up school clubs.

C．To teach students to enjoy a better school life.

D．To encourage high school students to join a club.

【推荐2】Independence is something that can be difficult to achieve. But don’t worry because here we have four books that can help you. If you don’t buy less than three of them, you’ll be given a 20% discount!

The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey

Taking care of your finance is hard. Dave Ramsey, a famous businessman, is here to take you on the whole process of planning your finance, and show the myths of cash advances and debt consolidation (债务重整), to make sure your finance is healthy.

Price: $14.49

Grace’s Guide by Grace Helbig

Grace Helbig shared her tips to becoming a grown-up. The book is full of personal stories of Helbig, her struggles and the lessons she learnt from failing many times. This book is your on-the-go fun read with pictures and drawings of Helbig, and worksheets (作记录) to practice.

Price: $7.95

The Oh She Glows Cookbook by Angela Liddon

Having suffered from eating disorder and living on diet, Angela Liddon promised to eat healthily forever. She threw out her fat-free butter spray (黄油喷雾) and low-calorie frozen dinners after learning how to properly cook. This book contains more than 100 recipes (食谱) covering breakfast, salads, soups, power snacks and the main dishes for a healthy meal at any time of the day. We all know that healthy eating is all part of being independent.

Price: $22.22

Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed

Life can be hard, especially when it comes to relationships with others. In the book, Strayed gives advice on love and life. She writes about different subjects: a son rejected by his parents, a mother who has lost her child. And the message hidden throughout all her advice is always that, if you want a good life, you have to create it.

Price: $8.76

1. How much will you save at least if you buy three of the listed books?

A．$5.68.

B．$6.24.

C．$8.95.

D．$9.10.

2. What is special for the book Grace’s Guide?

A．It is about how to grow up healthily.

B．It is mainly about how to work better.

C．It is based on its author’s life experience.

D．It teaches readers to learn from others’ life stories.

3. Which book should you choose for someone who is bad at getting along with others?

A．Grace’s Guide.	B．Tiny Beautiful Things.
C．The Total Money Makeover.	D．The Oh she Glows Cookbook.

【推荐3】To get a sense of how spending in my generation is different from that of my parents’, just consider one simple transaction: a utility bill. When my parents paid their utility bill, they had to take out their checkbook, put pen to paper, write a check, and then record it in their checkbook. If they did not know how much their utility bill was, they had to be purposefully ignorant.

My utility bill is paid automatically from my banking app. For me to know how much my utility bill is, I have to be purposefully diligent. And the truth is, I’m not in most cases.

Of course, I’m not just talking about utility bills here. As with most millennials (千禧一代), technology has made the payment of bills so simple that we tend to take it for granted and hardly have to think about it anymore. And that is the problem: By streamlining our personal finances, technology has also made it so much easier to ignore the costs. However, in doing so, it has broken the connection between the things we buy and the cost of having them. And it is precisely that connection that keeps our financial lives on track—making sure that we save enough and spend our money on the things that really matter.

The question now is: How do we get that connection back, without giving up the convenience that technology has brought us?

The good news is that whatever is given can be taken back. Much of the battle is simply to recognize what we have lost. The first thing is thus to be aware of how much we are spending by using personal-finance apps. These apps can categorize purchases and send you a spending report. They can detect—and warn you—if a repeated payment is going to get you in trouble. And they can send you a notification when each automatic payment is being made. These real-time tools, used together, are probably better practice than balancing a checkbook on a Saturday morning.

The fact, however, is that all of these tools require the user to make a conscious effort to sign up for these services, and to actually use them. And that is where the ”stop me before I do something foolish“ process must begin. If we millennials want to be smart about our money, it seems that we have no choice: We need to bridge that gap between what we spend and how we pay. We need to feel the connection between the value of our purchases and the effort it takes to make them.

1. The example mentioned in the first two paragraphs was meant to suggest that__________.

A．spending habits vary from generation to generation

B．banking apps have quickly developed in recent years

C．the younger generations are much lazier than their parents

D．the payment process has greatly changed over the past decades

2. The underlined word ”streamlining“ in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to “__________”.

A．handling	B．stretching
C．improving	D．simplifying

3. According to the passage, which of the following sayings best describes the financial problems that most millennials are facing today?

A．Out of sight, out of mind.	B．The devil is in the details.
C．Rome wasn’t built in a day.	D．You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

4. According to the author, millennials will be able to take back control over their personal finances by__________.

A．stopping the use of automatic paying apps

B．setting aside a regular time to pay their bills

C．making the best use of personal-finance apps

D．thinking twice before making expensive purchases

【推荐1】Have you ever thought of quitting your job when you feel exhausted? Maybe most of you would say “yes”. After a particularly busy period at work, I decided to get away from it all by going on a hike in the mountains in southern France.

Before I left, I read an interesting story in a magazine. It read, “Once, while I was riding on a crowded bus, the man sitting next to me threw his cell phone out of the window when his phone rang. I was surprised. He looked at me, shrugged (耸耸肩) and looked away. I had no idea whether it was his or stolen or whether he even knew what a cell phone was or not, but he clearly wanted to be free of it, because it clearly troubled him.”

Billions of people across the world use cell phones. Though cell phones are a wonderful way for communication, they often do the exact opposite. Using cell phones can increase stress within families and friends.

So when I recently returned home, I got rid of my cell phone. Now I go outside without taking my phone with me. I’ve noticed things in my neighborhood I never noticed before, such as gardens. I’ve met new people, started conversations with neighbors I didn’t speak to before and talked with some of my friends face to face instead of chatting over the phone.

Instead of keeping me off from the world, stopping using my cell phone has helped me get even closer to my family and friends.

1. According to the story, the man on the bus threw away his cell phone because            .

A．it didn’t work properly	B．it was stolen from someone else
C．he didn’t like the phone’s style	D．he didn’t want to be bothered by it

2. We can learn from the passage that cell phones             .

A．are too expensive for many people

B．are of no use to the author

C．can also get people into trouble

D．can make life more interesting

3. What can we learn about the author?

A．He wants to own a garden now.

B．He always chatted with his neighbors.

C．He used to take his cell phone when going outside.

D．He once threw away his cell phone.

4. The main purpose of the passage is to               .

A．tell us not to let cell phones control our lives

B．encourage others to hike with him in France

C．share his experiences in France with us

D．teach us how to get along with neighbors

【推荐2】NOT all memories are sweet. Some people spend all their lives trying to forget bad experiences. Violence and traffic accidents can leave people with terrible physical and emotional scars. Often they relive these experiences in nightmares.

Now American researchers think they are close to developing a pill, which will help people forget bad memories. The pill is designed to be taken immediately after a frightening experience. They hope it might reduce ,or possibly erase(抹去),the effect of painful memories.

In November, experts tested a drug on people in the US and France. The drug stops the body releasing chemicals that fix memories in the brain. So far the research has suggested that only the emotional effects of memories may be reduced, not that the memories are erased.

The research has caused a great deal of argument. Some think it is a bad idea, while others support it.

Supporters say it could lead to pills that prevent or treat soldiers' troubling memories after war. They say that there are many people who suffer from terrible memories.

"Some memories can ruin people's lives. They come back to you when you don't want to have them in a daydream or nightmare. They usually come with very painful emotions," said Roger Pitman, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. "This could relieve a lot of that suffering."

But those who are against the research say that changing memories is very dangerous because memories give us our identity (特质). They also help us all avoid the mistakes of the past.

"All of us can think of bad events in our lives that were horrible at the time but make us who we are. I'm not sure we want to wipe those memories out, "said Rebecca Dresser, a medical ethicist.
1. The passage is mainly about ___________.

A．a new medical invention

B．a new research on the pill

C．a way of erasing painful memories

D．an argument about the research on the pill

2. The drug tested on people can ___________ .

A．cause the brain to fix memories

B．stop people remembering bad experiences

C．prevent body producing certain chemicals

D．Wipe out the emotional effects of memories

3. We can infer from the passage that ___________.

A．people doubt the effects of the pills

B．the pill will stop people's bad experiences

C．taking the pill will do harm to people's health

D．the pill has probably been produced in America

4. Which of the following does Rebecca Dresser agree with?

A．Some memories can ruin people's lives.

B．People want to get rid of bad memories.

C．Experiencing bad events makes us different from others.

D．The pill will reduce people's sufferings from bad memories.

【推荐3】POETRY CHALLENGE

Write a poem about how courage, determination, and strength have helped you face challenges in your life.

Prizes

3 Grand Prizes:Trip to Washington, D.C. for each of three winners, a parent and one other person of the winner’s choice. Trip includes round-trip air tickets, hotel stay for two nights, and tours of the National Air and Space Museum and the office of National Geographic World.

6 First Prizes:The book Sky Pioneer:A Photobiography of Amelia Earhart signed by author Corinne Szabo and pilot Linda Finch.

50 Honorable Mentions:Judges will choose up to 50 honorable mention winners, who will each receive a T-shirt in memory of Earhart’s final flight.

Rules

Follow all rules carefully to prevent disqualification.

■Write a poem using 100 words or fewer. Your poem can be any format, any number of lines.

■Write by hand or type on a single sheet of paper. You may use both the front and back of the paper.

■On the same sheet of paper, write or type your name, address, telephone number, and birth date.

■Mail your entry to us by October 31 this year.

1. How many people can each grand prize winner take on the free trip?

A．Two.

B．Three.

C．Four.

D．Six.

2. What will each of the honorable mention winners get?

A．A plane ticket.	B．A book by Corinne Szabo.
C．A special T-shirt.	D．A photo of Amelia Earhart.

3. Which of the following will result in disqualification?

A．Typing your poem out.	B．Writing a poem of 120 words.
C．Using both sides of the paper.	D．Mailing your entry on October 30.

【推荐1】Popular music in America is what every student likes. Students carry small radios with earphones and listen to music before class, after class, and at lunch. Students with cars buy large speakers and play the music loudly as they drive on the street. Adult drivers listen to music on the car radio as they drive to work. They also listen to the news about sports, the weather, and the life of American people. Most of the radio programmes are music.

Pop or popular music singers make much money. They make a CD or tape which radio stations use in many places. Once the popular singer is heard all over the country, young people buy his or her tape. Some of the money from these tapes goes to the singer. Wherever the singer goes, all the young people want to meet him or her. Now the singer has become a national star.

There are other kinds of music that are important to Americans. One is called folk (民间) music. It tells stories about the common life of Americans. Another is called western or country music. This was started by cowboys (牛仔) who would sing at night to the cows they were watching. Today, any music about country life and the love between a country boy and his girl is called western or country music.

1. Which of the following is talked in this passages?

A．popular, folk and country music	B．pop music, folk music
C．pop music and western music	D．folk, pop and classical music

2. When pop singers _________ , they will become national stars.

A．are loved by all the young people	B．make a CD or tape
C．make much money	D．are wanted to sing on the radio

3. From the passage we know that country music is about the ________.

A．common life of Americans	B．school life in America
C．life of cowboys	D．country life and love stories

4. Which of the following is TRUE according to this passage?

A．Everyone in America wants to meet pop singers wherever they go.

B．Students with cars in America like to listen to music while driving.

C．Adult drivers in America listen to music all the time while driving.

D．Most students in America like popular music.

【推荐2】A study involving 8,500 teenagers from all social backgrounds found that most of them are ignorant when it comes to money. The findings, the first in a series of reports from NatWest that has started a five-year researeh project into teenagers and money, are particularly worrying as this generation of young people is likely to be burdened with greater debts man any before.
University tuition fees (学费) are currently capped at £3,000 annually, but this will be reviewed next year and the Government is under enormous pressure to raise the ceiling.
In the researeh, the teenagers were presented with die terms of four different loans but 76 per cent failed to identify the cheapest. The young people also predicted that they would be earning on average £ 31.000 by the age of 25, although the average salary for those aged 22 to 29 is just £ 17,815. The teenagers expected to be in debt when they finished university or training, although half said that they assumed the debts would be less than £ 10.000. Average debts for graduates are £ 12，363.
Stephen Moir, head of community investment at the Royal Bank of Scotland Group which owns NatWest, said. "The more exposed young people are to financial issues, and the younger they become aware of them, the more likely they are to become responsible, forward-planning adults who manage their finances confidently and effectively."
Ministers are deeply concerned about the financial pressures on teenagers and young people because of student loans and rising housing costs. They have just introduced new lessons in how to manage debts. Nikki Fairweathcr. aged 15. from St Helens, said that she had benefited from lessons on personal finance, but admitted that she still had a lot to learn about money.
1. Which of the following can be found from the five-year researeh project?

A．Students understand personal finances differently.

B．University tuition fees in England have been rising.

C．Teenagers tend to overestimate their future earnings.

D．The students' payback ability has become a major issue.

2. The phrase "to raise the ceiling" in paragraph 2 probably means "______".

A．to raise the student loans	B．to improve the school facilities
C．to increase the upper limit of the tuition	D．to lift the school building roofs

3. According to Stephen Moir, students_______.

A．are too young 10 be exposed 10 financial issues

B．should learn 10 manage their finances wellC- should maintain a positive attitude when facing loans

C．benefit a lot from lessons on personal finance

4. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Many British teenagers do not know money matters well

B．Teenagers in Britain are heavily burdened with debts.

C．Financial planning is a required course at college.

D．Young people should become responsible adults.