【推荐1】Looking for a way to be happier? Are you seeking deeper connections with friends or looking for more friends?     1     Try a little compassion.

Compassion, as one scholar describes, is “experiencing feelings of loving kindness toward another person’s suffering”. The compassionate tend to have deeper connections with others and have more friends. They are more forgiving and have a stronger sense of life purpose.     2     The compassionate tend to be happier, healthier, more self-confident, and less self-critical.

Practicing compassion doesn’t have to cost you money. All you need is a quiet place.     3     Focus on your breath and try to clear your mind. Then mentally focus on your heart area and think about someone you feel tenderness toward. This could be your friend or your family.

    4     As time allows, add more people to that circle. This may sound a little strange, but studies have shown this simple exercise really strengthens your sense of compassion.

Even short-term exercises like this broaden your attention, your thinking and your overall sense of well-being in a way that lasts.     5     Compassion helps your brain become more flexible, and lets your brain have a wider sense of what’s going on, and it gives you access to more ideas on how to act.

This practice is beneficial to physical health and can help reduce physical signs of stress. And the happiness that can come from compassion training is the kind that lasts.

A．Want to relate better to other people?

B．That’s in part because it changes your brain.

C．Compassion training is helpful to reduce stress.

D．In that quiet space, sit in a comfortable position.

E．Then expand that feeling to yourself and to others.

F．However, it is important to create a comfortable environment.

G．Compassion also has direct personal benefits.

【推荐3】Kindergarten outside? Yes，indeed. It’s part of a growing worldwide trend toward outdoor education. The schools are called Forest Kindergartens.

Now the numbers are small in the U. S.，but the idea is well established in Europe, with schools in Scotland, England, and Switzerland. By far most of such schools are in Germany, which has more than 400W aldkindergartens.

Children attending such particular school enjoy a good amount of outdoor education each day,rain or shine. Some lessons are focused on nature ； others are academic topics delivered in a natural setting. In all cases，students are active — not sitting at desks or on mats on the floor but walking, running, jumping, solving problems like how to get the mud off the bottoms of their shoes before their parents find out.

At these forest kindergartens, students learn science by observing and doing it, learn math by applying it to the natural world around them，learn letters and words by putting them together using sights and sounds. The children learn to make comparisons using natural things like apples and rocks. They develop an appreciation for animals and plants in their natural environment — not just by looking at pictures in a book or on a computer screen.

Some of the science activities involve teamwork, like explaining the best way to move a heavy object, showing how a lever(杠杆)works. In other sessions，teachers encourage students to develop their motor skills by building wooden tools such as hammers and knives.

These students also learn how to get along with one another, individually and in a group. They also develop healthy levels of self-confidence,just from being able to do the everyday activities that the school offers.

In a time when so many children are being classified as obese because of long time watching television and playing video games, these outdoor schools help children learn just as much, if not more，from opening their eyes to the world around them.

1. Which of the following country has the most Forest Kindergartens?

A．The U. S.

B．Germany.

C．The U. K.

D．Switzerland

2. What is the purpose of the fourth paragraph?

A．To analyse how children learn socially.

B．To compare different teaching approaches.

C．To show how children learn academically.

D．To describe how active children are in the class.

3. Which may be seen in Forest Kindergartens?

A．Children are doing an experiment with chemicals.

B．Teachers are writing something on the blackboard.

C．Smart phones are widely used to help children learn.

D．Everything in nature is likely to be applied to teaching.

4. What is the author’s attitude to Forest Kindergartens?

A．Negative.

B．Doubtful.

C．Positive.

D．Uncertain.

【推荐1】Looking for something entertaining to do? Check out some wonderful festivals around the world.

Koningsdag — The Netherland

Koningsdag or King’s Day is a national holiday in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is celebrated on 27 April (26 April if the 27^th is a Sunday), the date marking the birth of King Willem-Alexander. Orange is the national color, and the streets become a sea of feather boas (羽毛围巾) and body paint as crowds gather in the plazas and on the boats in the rivers. Amsterdam is the center of this outdoor party, with many live music events, but nearly every town is alive with orange on this day.

Thai National Elephant Day — Thailand

Thai National Elephant Day is a national holiday in Thailand. Thai National Elephant Day has been celebrated on March 13^th of every year since 1998. Because the elephant is the national animal of Thailand, it is highly respected and treasured. During the festivals elephant are honored during a ceremony (典礼) in which they are fed with bananas, other fruit, and sugarcane.

The Fire Festival — Shetland

On the last Tuesday of January the entire town of Lerwick, Shetland is in flames. At the festival, you’ll find yourself sitting, dancing, or stumbling around the largest bonfire you’ve ever seen in your life. The festival lasts only one day but takes the entire year to plan. Be prepared for an evening of singing, dancing, and fast paced activities, and don’t worry about making it to work next day — it’s a national holiday!

Holi — India

Holi, the Festival of Color, is a Hindu celebration full of joy and one of India’s most important holidays. On the last full moon day of the lunar month, usually late February or early March, the air is full of bright-colored powder. The festival is celebrated differently throughout the country, with bonfires and music, but the cheerful spirit is common throughout Hindu communities around the world.

1. The festival celebrated on March 13^th in Thailand is held to ______.

A．show people’s respect for their Queen

B．show Thai people’s respect for elephants

C．ask people to protect endangered animals

D．help people relax by singing and dancing

2. Why don’t people have to worry about working the day after the Fire Festival?

A．Because people are allowed to sleep at work next day.

B．Because the activities are too simple to get people tired.

C．Because people don’t have to go to work next day.

D．Because the festival ends very early at night.

3. Where should you go if you are interested in the Festival of Colors?

A．India.	B．Shetland.
C．Thailand.	D．The Netherlands.

【推荐2】Earth Day is the name given to two different annual activities that are intended to raise awareness about a wide range of environmental issues and problems and to inspire people to take personal action to address them. Except for that general goal, the two events are unrelated, even though both were founded about a month apart in 1970 and both have gained wide acceptance and popularity ever since.

In the United States, Earth Day is celebrated by most people on April 22, but there is another celebration that predates that one by about a month and is celebrated internationally.

The first Earth Day celebration took place on March 21, 1970, the vernal equinox that year. It was the brainchild of John McConnell, a newspaper publisher and influential community activist who proposed the idea of a global holiday called Earth Day at a UNESCO Conference on the Environment in 1969. McConnell suggested the day to remind people of their shared responsibility of environmental protection. He chose the vernal equinox—the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere and the first day of autumn in the southern hemisphere—because it is a day of renewal.

At the vernal equinox (always March 20 or March 21), night and day are the same lengths everywhere on Earth. McConnell believed that Earth Day should be a time of equilibrium when people could put aside their differences and recognize their common need to protect Earth's resources. On February 26, 1971, the United Nations announced that it would celebrate Earth Day annually on the vernal equinox, thereby officially establishing the March date as the international Earth Day.

1. Which of the following is probably NOT included in Earth Day's issues?

A．Climate changes.	B．Green travel.
C．World peace.	D．Industrial pollution.

2. The reason why the first Earth Day was celebrated on March 21 is that     .

A．it was proposed by a famous person who had wide influences in public

B．people usually share responsibilities of environmental protection on that day

C．it is a day that indicates spring or autumn is going to come in

D．it inspires people's common concern for protecting Earth's resources

3. What does the underlined word “equilibrium “in paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Celebration.

B．Equipment.

C．Definition.

D．Balance.

4. What is the common feature of the two Earth Days?

A．They are both celebrated worldwide.	B．They are related with each other closely.
C．They cover many environmental issues.	D．The United Nations admitted them officially.

【推荐3】Some British and American people like to invite friends for a meal at home. You should not be upset if your English friends don’t invite you home. It doesn’t mean they don’t like you!

Dinner parties usually start between 7and 8 pm and end at about 11pm. Ask your hosts what time you should arrive. It’s polite to bring flowers, chocolates or a bottle of wine as a gift.

Usually the evening starts with drinks and snacks. Do you want to be extra polite? Say how much you like the room, or the pictures on the wall. But remember –it’s not polite to ask how much things cost. In many families, the husband sits at one end of the table and the wife sits at the other end, they eat with their guests.

You’ll probably start the meal with soup or something small, then you’ll have meat or fish with vegetables, and then dessert, followed by coffee. It’s polite to finish everything on your plate and to take more if you want to. Did you enjoy the evening? Call your hosts the next day, or write them a short “thank you” letter. British and American people like to say “thank you, thank you, thank you” all the time!

1. An English doesn’t invite you to his or her home, which ________.

A．doesn’t mean he or she doesn’t like you

B．means he or she likes you

C．doesn’t mean he or she likes you

D．means he or she doesn’t like you

2. You are going to attend a dinner party, and ________.

A．you must arrive at it before 8 pm

B．you must leave home for it at 7 pm

C．you should ask your host when you should leave

D．you’d better bring a certain present with you

3. Usually the evening starts with ________.

A．soup or something small	B．meat or fish
C．drinks and snacks	D．dessert

4. In which order will you eat or drink the following things at the meal?

A．Snacks, vegetables, meat, coffee.

B．Coffee, drinks, soup, fish, vegetables, dessert.

C．Drinks, soup, something small, fish and vegetables.

D．Soup, meat with vegetables, dessert and coffee.

【推荐2】America’s top comic book stores

New York City, NY － JHU Comic Books

NYC has a number of impressive comic book stores. While other comic book stores in the city fill their shelves with other products like cards and board games, JHU focuses only on the comics themselves, with shelves filled with great selections of the latest releases and back issues from wall to wall. (32 East 32nd St, 212 — 268 — 7088)

Austin, TX－Austin Books & Comics

Opened in 1977, Austin Books &. Comics is one of Texas’ biggest and longest running comic book stores. Not only do they sell the latest issues, they also carry many first editions and back issues. Good news is that they often hold regular book purchase discount activities, which means that you’d better consult them before your visit. (5002 N Lamar Blvd, 512－454－4197)

Washington D. C. － Big Planet Comics

This store, originally from Georgetown, prefers the more independent, small-press titles as well as stuff from Europe and Japan that your kids probably haven’t even heard of, but they also carry the more popular ones. True to its name, BPC has established its own comic book world, with book signing and meet-and-greet events, and their very own, though tiny, comic book publishing house. (1520 U St NW, 202 —342 —1961)

Portland 9 OR － Floating World Comics

Floating World Comics is not only a comic book store but a community hosting art shows. Priding itself on cool style, this is an ideal place for comic books, where art books fill shelves just as much as the more mainstream comics. Both the future artists and the comic book lovers in your family will more than appreciate a stopover during your Portland vacation. (400 NW Couch St, 503－241－0227)

1. Which of the following can you purchase at JHU Comic Books?

A．Cards.	B．Board games.
C．Comic books.	D．Art books.

2. Where can you learn about art shows besides buying comic books?

A．JHU Comic Books	B．Austin Books & Comics
C．Big Planet Comics	D．Floating World Comics

3. Which number should you dial if you want to buy comic books at a discount?

A．212－268－7088	B．512－454－4197
C．202－342－1961	D．503－241－0227

【推荐1】What does an outdoor cat do all day? A study of more than 900 house cats shows when they kill small birds and mammals, their influence is concentrated in a small area, having a bigger effect than wild predators (食肉动物) do.

Roland Kays, a scientist at North Carolina State University and his colleagues collected GPS data from cats in six countries. “These cats are moving around their own backyard and a couple of their neighbors' backyards, but most of them are not ranging very much further,” Kays said. “So initially I thought, 'Oh, this is good news. They're not going out into the nature preserves.’”

Then Kays took how much cats kill m that small area into consideration. Some cats in the study were bringing home up to 11 dead birds a month, which doesn't include what they ate or didn't bring home.

“It actually ends up being" a really high rate of predation," Kays said. He calculates that cats can have 4-to-10 times the influence of a wild predator. Native predators, like jungle cats, also kill a lot of small animals, but their influence is spread out over a larger area. One study indicates that house cats kill billions of birds every year.

“The simplest thing to do is to keep your cat indoors,” Kays said.

For those who refuse to keep their cats inside, there are potential options. St. Lawrence University associate professor Susan Willson went looking for one. She found a special brightly colored collar online. “The whole idea is that the bird will be able to visually see the cat creeping (爬) up on it before the cat attacks it,” she said. Willson tested the collar on both her cat and dozens of others. It greatly reduced the number of birds the cats brought home.

“I'm not saying these collars can make a significant difference in the massive bird death that we're seeing,” she said. “But each individual bird that somebody in their backyard is not finding dead, I think matters.”

1. Why does Kays say “this is good news”?

A．House cats can be tracked by GPS.

B．House cats won't kill birds in large numbers.

C．House cats are protected from wild predators.

D．House cats feel comfortable in their own backyard.

2. How do wild predators differ from house cats in terms of killing animals?

A．They prefer to attack larger animals.

B．They kill 4-10 times the number of house cats.

C．Their victims are distributed in a bigger range.

D．They kill less than house cats on a monthly basis.

3. What can we infer from the passage?

A．Birds can't sense the danger when cats attack them.

B．Willson considers keeping her cat inside a good idea.

C．The only way to protect birds is to keep them indoors.

D．The colored collar can be a sign of potential danger to birds.

4. Which word can best describe Willson's attitude to using collars to save birds?

A．Concerned.	B．Positive.
C．Doubtful.	D．Cautious.

【推荐2】To deal with a changing world, we have to change as well. Transforming land into farms removes forests and worsens climate change. But we need to grow more food to support a growing global population. What can we do?

Scientists have discovered that plants grow best under a certain type of light, which can be provided by red and blue LEDs. The combination of these lights at the right level makes a space look pink. Since “pinkhouses” supply their own light, they don't need to have fragile glass walls and ceilings. And they can be set up anywhere, including places that don't get the amount of light greenhouses need.

Since pinkhouses can pack food in huge columns, one of these farms doesn't need a lot of land. Farmers can set up pinkhouses in cities. They completely control temperature and light, which can help some plants grow twice as well in pinkhouses as they do in traditional farming. Pinkhouses can allow for many more harvests per year since farming doesn't have to stop in the winter.

Even though pinkhouses are a great way to grow crops, lighting and heating an indoor space is very expensive. It doesn't make sense to grow foods that take up a lot of space or that we need to grow lots of, like wheat, rice, and corm, in a pinkhouse. We will still need to grow those crops in fields. We can start farming smarter.

Farmers will use satellite imagery to figure out exactly where to plant each crop. Think of a mixture of just the right crops, rather than a rectangle(长方形) of one type of plant.Sensors in the fields will measure the soil's water level,temperature, and chemical content. They will even be able to detect insects and send out notifications to a smartphone app.Irrigation systems will be tied to weather forecasting programs, allowing very precise watering and care, all calculated to get the best plant growth and yield.

1. From the text, we know that the pinkhouse

A．covers lots of space	B．needs enough sunlight
C．is made of glass or plastic	D．can make plants grow larger

2. What does the author intend to do in Paragraph 4?

A．Summarize the previous paragraphs.

B．Emphasize the advantage of pinkhouses.

C．Introduce a new topic of the discussion.

D．Add some background information.

3. What is the result of the smart farming?

A．Farmers will have a better harvest.

B．Farmers can grow different plants.

C．Farmers needn't care about the weather.

D．Plants can protect themselves against insects.

4. What's the best title for the text?

A．Building Pinkhouses	B．Feeding the Future
C．Changing the World	D．Getting Outdoor Farming Smart

【推荐3】More than 25 years ago, Saroo Brierley lived in rural India. One day, he played with his brother along the rail line and fell asleep. When he woke up and found himself alone, the 5-year-old decided his brother might be on the train he saw in front of him—so he got on.

That train took him a thousand miles across the country to a totally strange city. He 1ived on the streets, and then in an orphanage（孤儿院）. There, he was adopted by an Australian family and flown to Tasmania.

As he writes in his new book, A Long Way Home, Brierley couldn't help but wonder about his hometown back in India. He remembered landmarks, but since he didn't know his town's name, finding a small neighborhood in a vast country proved to be impossible.

Then he found a digital mapping program---Google Earth. He spent years searching for his hometown in the program's satellite pictures. In 2011, he came across something familiar. He studied it and realized he was looking at a town's central business district from a bird's-eye view. He thought, "On the right-hand side you should see the three-platform train station"—and there it was. "And on the left-hand side you should see a big fountain（喷泉）"—and there it was. Everything just started to match.

When he stood in front of the house where he grew up as a child, he saw a lady standing in the entrance. "There's something about me," he thought—and it took him a few seconds but he finally remembered what she used to look like.

In an interview Brierley says, "My mother looked so much shorter than I remembered. But she came forth and walked forward, and I walked forward, and my feelings and tears and the chemical in my brain, you know, it was like a nuclear fusion（核聚变）. I just didn't know what to say, because I never thought seeing my mother would ever come true. And here I am, standing in front of her."

1. Why was Brierley separated from his family about 25 years ago?

A．He got on a train by mistake.

B．He got lost while playing in the street.

C．He was taken away by a foreigner.

D．He was adopted by an Australian family.

2. How did Brierley find his hometown?

A．By analyzing old pictures.	B．By studying digital maps.
C．By travelling all around India.	D．By spreading his story via his book.

3. What does Brierley mainly talk about in the interview?

A．His love for his mother.	B．His memory of his hometown.
C．His long way back home.	D．His reunion with his mother.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．A Long Way Home

B．Saroo Brierley, the inspiration for the film Lion

C．With Memories and Online Maps, A Lost Child Finds His "Way Home"

D．A Lost Child Reunited with Mother After 25 years