【推荐1】Language is a major problem for the European Union(EU). The agreement or treaty(条约)which created the organization that finally became the EU, the Treaty of Rome, stated that each country’s language must be treated equally. The original six countries had only three languages between them：French, German and Dutch/Flemish. However, there are now 15 countries in the EU, with a total of 12 languages.EU documents must be translated into all these languages，and at official meetings the speeches must be translated into all the languages by interpreters.

All this translating is very expensive and time-consuming. It is said that nearly half of all employees of the EU are engaged in translating documents and speeches, and nearly half of the EU’s administrative(管理方面)costs are spent on this task. In the near future it is probable that several more countries, most of them having their own languages, will join the EU, thus making the situation even worse.

The problem is not just cost; there are practical difficulties as well. With 12 languages, there are 132 possible “translation situations” that might be needed. It is often difficult to find people in the right place at the right time who can translate from(for example)Danish into Greek, or Dutch into Portuguese, at a high professional standard.

In practice the problem has been made less serious by the use of English in many contacts(接触)between EU officials, since almost all of them speak some English. However, any move to reduce the number of official languages (perhaps to four or five)would be a blow to the pride of the smaller countries. Another commonly suggested solution is to make English the official language for all EU business. However, this is strongly resisted by powerful member countries like France and Germany.

1. The organization that finally became the EU________.

A．was started by France and Germany	B．started with three countries
C．included 132 languages	D．was set up by the Treaty of Rome

2. What’s the main purpose of this passage?

A．To give a solution to a problem.

B．To criticize the European Union for inefficiency(低效率).

C．To find out a problem and show how serious it is.

D．To show that the problem cannot be solved.

3. According to the writer, the use of English in contacts among EU officials has________.

A．angered the officials who don’t speak English

B．lessened the effect of the problem

C．reduced the number of official languages

D．been opposed by powerful member countries

4. The writer mentions “Danish into Greek” as an example of________.

A．languages easily being interpreted

B．a situation that occurs often

C．one of the 12 situations that requires an interpreter

D．a situation that might be difficult to deal with

【推荐2】A simple, yet powerful UK program has been fighting elderly loneliness by recruiting young adults as volunteers to read to seniors with vision problems and mental diseases.

Lily has benefited from the program having her vision “restored” by 15-year-old Amy, a school girl who was paired with Lily through the Reading Friends project. Lily was a librarian and enthusiastic reader who would read “two to three books every week”. After developing a terrible disease, however, Lily found herself unable to read or watch television for any length of time without her eyes hurting.

Not only have Lily’s regular reading sessions with Amy helped to reconnect her with her passion for literature, they have also built a strong intergenerational friendship between the two ladies. “I chose a book and she would come along and read it to me,” Lily said. “But we have only got through two books so far because we end up chatting too much. We have read two historical novels and get on very well.”

Research shows that reading together can help older people to build social networks and connect with others. Evidence also shows that reading has a positive impact on the elderly’s wellbeing and can reduce the risk of developing mental diseases.

Rose, a teacher, is responsible for connecting schoolchildren like Amy with the program and she says that it has had an amazing impact on the youngsters. “We have wonderful young people at our school and we wanted to get them into the community,” Rose said. “It has been fantastic to see them blossom as well as improving their literacy and social skills. They are meeting community members like Lily that they are making friendships with, and library staff can help them, not only with education but outside as well.”

1. What is the main responsibility of volunteers according to the passage?

A．Read books to seniors.	B．Have a chat with seniors.
C．Fight diseases for seniors.	D．Make friends with seniors.

2. What can we learn from Lily’s reading sessions with Amy?

A．They benefit Lily a lot by restoring her vision.

B．They help Amy pick up her love for literature.

C．They help Lily volunteer in the reading project.

D．They build up the friendship between two ladies.

3. How does the program mostly benefit the elders?

A．By reducing elderly loneliness.

B．By curing the elders of vision problems.

C．By improving their literacy and social skills.

D．By enabling them to read books for a long time.

4. Where is this text most likely from?

A．A diary.	B．A guidebook.
C．A magazine.	D．A novel.

【推荐3】Changing the definition of a library

Now that the Internet provides us with direct access to all kinds of information, some people say we don't need public libraries.     1    

Finnish designers have used the new concept of a useful public space.     2    The library opened its doors at the end of last year.

Antti Nousjoki, one of Oodi's architects, said the idea is to make the place “an indoor town square.”     3    According to Tash Reith-Banks of the Guardian, this is quite different from the normal idea of libraries - “stale (陈腐的) and silent.”

Of course, Oodi still serves as a traditional library, with a catalogue of about 100,000 books.     4    But considering the fact that Oodi has attracted almost a million viewers during the past four months, with around 7,500 daily visitors, it's providing more than just books.

While most libraries around the world offer Internet access and other services, Finnish libraries often differ themselves in services, including access to e-publications, power tools and even karaoke.     5    Its multi-function rooms are designed to accommodate both noisy and quiet activities. It also offers devices like a 3D printer and recording studios.

“Oodi has been designed to give citizens and visitors a free space to actively do what they want to do —not just be a consumer," said Nousjoki.

A．Oodi goes even further.

B．It attracts many visitors with each new month.

C．Oodi has many advantages over traditional libraries.

D．Since opening, Oodi lends out 5,000 books each day.

E．Library Oodi pushes the boundaries (边界) of what a library can be.

F．This may be why some public libraries are finding new ways to serve the public.

G．The building was designed without inner support columns(柱子), so the inside is mostly a large open space.

【推荐1】People with genetic syndromes(综合症) sometimes have telltale (泄露秘密的) facial features, but using them to make a quick and cheap diagnosis can be tricky given there are hundreds of possible conditions they may have. A new neural network that analyzes photographs of faces can help doctors narrow down the possibilities.

Yaron Gurovich at biotechnology firm FDNA in Boston and his team built a neural network to look at the gestalt --- or overall impression --- of faces and return a list of the 10 genetic syndromes a person is most likely to have.

They trained the neural network, called DeepGestalt, on 17,000 images correctly labelled to match more than 200 genetic syndromes. The team then asked the AI to identify potential genetic disorders from a further 502 photos of people with such conditions. It included the correct answer 91 per cent of the time.

Gurovich and his team also tested the neural network’s ability to distinguish between the different genetic mutations (变异) that can lead to the same syndrome. They used photographs of people with Noonan syndrome, which can result from mutations in any one of five genes. DeepGestalt correctly identified the genetic source of the physical appearance 64 per cent of the time. It’s clearly not perfect, but it’s still much better than humans are at trying to do this.

As the system makes its assessments, the facial regions that were most helpful in the determination are highlighted and made available for doctors to view. This helps them to understand the relationships between genetic make-up and physical appearance.

The fact that the diagnosis is based on a simple photograph raises questions about privacy. If faces can reveal details about genetics, then employers and insurance providers could, in principle, secretly use such techniques to discriminate against people who have a high probability of having certain disorders. However, Gurovich says the tool will only be available for use by clinicians(临床医生). Clinically, this technology can help narrow down the search space of diagnosis and then confirm through checking genetic markers. Besides, it could perhaps add means of finding other people with the disease and, in turn, help find new treatments or cures.

1. What’s the best title of this text?

A．Tricky facial features

B．Faces let AI spot genetic disorders

C．Facial features give you away to doctors

D．DeepGestalt: a magic cure for genetic syndromes

2. What can we know about DeepGestalt?

A．It can be trained to correctly label the images of people.

B．It can correctly identify genetic mutations 91% of the time.

C．It was built to look at faces and identify genetic disorders.

D．It is much better than humans at trying to identify physical appearance.

3. Why are certain facial regions highlighted in the assessment process?

A．To help confirm the diagnosis.

B．To make the system more understandable.

C．To help the system quickly recognize people.

D．To help identify a condition and make a diagnosis.

4. What’s the author’s attitude towards the technology?

A．Positive.	B．Neutral.
C．Indifferent.	D．Critical.

【推荐2】Your school asked parents about the social development in children in the last Parents’ Meeting. Here are some opinions. Read following information and answer the questions.

Parent 1: Social development in children is an important part of childhood. Social activities can help enhance children’s social abilities and make them more confident.	Parent 3: Many ball games are a great way to encourage children to communicate with other kids. It’s a good idea for them to play basketball or football together. They can learn teamwork.
Parent 2: Social development should begin at a very young age. It is important for young children before starting school. Playing with other children can help them get skills needed to make friends.	School headmaster: Parents should try to allow children to deal with the situation on their own first. Children can learn what works and what doesn’t work from their failures, which help children act properly in the future’s society.

1. The underlined word, “enhance”, can be replaced by ________.

A．spend

B．improve

C．expect

D．handle

2. What kind of activities may be supported by the third parent for his/her children?

A．Playing basketball with friends.

B．Playing computer games.

C．Holding parties at home.

D．Watching TV alone.

3. Which is NOT the advantage from social development according to these parents and headmaster’s opinions?

A．Children become more confident.

B．Children get skills needed to make new friends.

C．Children learn teamwork.

D．Children are afraid of making mistakes.

【推荐3】For a 400-year-old art form, opera had a bad fame: overweight actresses singing the words which were hard to understand in one of those romance languages you were supposed to learn in high school. And with tickets costing as much as $145 a performance, opera goers also had a certain appearance in people’s mind: rich, well-dressed and old.

But now opera companies around the country are loosening their ties and kicking off their shoes in an attempt to keep opera alive and take it to a younger and not so wealthy audience.

Opera producers have found that to attract this crowd, they need to associate opera with the common people. That means no formal suits, old-styled theatre or bank-breaking ticket prices. And because young people don’t or won’t come to the opera, companies are bringing the opera to them, giving performances in such usual places as parks, libraries and public schools.

The Houston Grand Opera’s choice is the public library, where it performs “mobile operas”, shortened versions of child-friendly operas. This summer’s production is Hansel & Gretel. By performing smaller versions of large productions, producers are able to make people interested while keeping costs at a reasonable level. The San Francisco Opera, which will be celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, is staging Cinderella free of charge, keeping costs down by employing students from its Young Artists’ Training Program.

1. Which is the main idea of this passage?

A．Opera is famous for its long history.	B．Opera is only performed for rich people.
C．Opera companies are trying to keep opera alive.	D．Young people are not interested in opera.

2. The underlined phrase in the second paragraph means____.

A．breaking up the old rules	B．changing the dresses
C．making the audience at ease	D．advertising themselves

3. Opera companies prefer to perform short versions because ____.

A．they can be performed in public libraries	B．short versions are easy to perform
C．it is hard to find long versions	D．they can make people interested

4. The San Francisco Opera employs students in order to____.

A．celebrate its 75th anniversary	B．reduce the costs
C．attract young people	D．make Cinderella popular

【推荐1】When I was a kid in Minnesota, watermelon was a delicacy(美味). One of my father's buddies, Bernie, was a successful fruit-and-vegetable wholesaler, who operated a warehouse in St. Paul.

Every summer, when the first watermelons rolled in, Bernie would call. Dad and I would go to Bernie's warehouse and take up our positions. We'd sit on the edge of the dock, feet dangling（摇晃）, and lean over, minimizing the volume of juice we were about to spill on ourselves.

Bernie would take his machete（刀）, crack our first watermelon, hand us both a big piece and sit down next to us. Then we'd bury our faces in watermelon, eating only the heart - the reddest, juiciest, firmest, most seed-free, most perfect part - and throw away the rest.

Bernie was my father's idea of a rich man. I always thought it was because he was such a successful businessman. Years later, I realized that what my father admired about Bernie's wealth was less its substance than its application. Bernie knew how to stop working, get together with friends and eat only the heart of the watermelon.

What I learned from Bernie is that being rich is a state of mind. Some of us, no matter how much money we have, will never be free enough to eat only the heart of the watermelon. Others are rich without ever being more than a paycheck ahead.

If you don't take the time to dangle your feet over the dock and chomp into life's small pleasures, your career is probably overwhelming your life.

For many years, I forgot that lesson I'd learned as a kid on the loading dock. I was too busy making all the money I could.

Well, I've relearned it. I hope I have time left to enjoy the accomplishments of others and to take pleasure in the day. That's the heart of the watermelon. I have learned again to throw the rest away.

Finally, I am rich.

1. Why did the author's father think Bernie was a rich man?

A．Because Bernie was a successful businessman.

B．Because his father admired Bernie's wealth.

C．Because Bernie was good at making friends.

D．Because Bernie knew how to fully enjoy life.

2. What did the author learn from Bernie?

A．Being free is what he pursues.

B．Being rich is a state of mind.

C．A lot of money makes him happy.

D．He likes paying all the bills.

3. According to the text, what does “the heart of the watermelon” mean to the author?

A．Making a lot of money.

B．Having more watermelons.

C．Being a wholesaler.

D．Enjoying every day.

4. What's the purpose of the text?

A．To introduce a successful person in business.

B．To warn us of the hardships of becoming rich.

C．To remind us of the true meaning of richness.

D．To give tips on how to work with others.

【推荐2】While many young people were enjoying the summer vacation, Zach Bonner was working his hardest. Zach started walking from Valrico, Florida, his hometown, on Christmas, 2009. He reached Los Angeles nine months later in September, 2010. He covered a total of 2,478 miles and raised $120,000 for kids in need. Along the way, Zach attended school online. His mother brother and sister took turns to walk or drive together with him.

Although he is very young, Zach has a long history of helping others. When a terrible storm hit town in 2004, Zach, when six, pulled a wagon (小推车) through his community and collected food for people in need.

He has raised $400,000 for his Little Red Wagon Foundation since then. It gives money to projects which help homeless children. In 2007, Zach began walking to support children’s charity (慈善组织) in Tampa, Florida. He finished his journey 23 days later, 280 miles away in Tallahassee. Then in the summer of 2009, he trekked about 670 miles from Atlanta to Washington D. C., in just two months.

“As long as there are homeless kids, I will never stop walking for them.” Zach says.

1. What did Zach do during the summer vacation in 2010?

A．He stayed at home to look after his family.

B．He travelled to his hometown with his family.

C．He joined in school activity with other kids.

D．He walked to collect money for kids in need.

2. We can learn from Paragraph 2 that Zach ________.

A．began to help people at a very early age	B．made money to pay for his education
C．enjoyed playing around in his community	D．worked very hard for his family

3. At what age did Zach start walking to support a Tampa children’s charity?

A．At six.

B．At nine.

C．At eleven.

D．At twelve.

4. The underlined word “trekked” in Paragraph 3 probably means “________”.

A．延伸

B．挖掘

C．跋涉

D．飞行

5. Which of the following best describes Zach?

A．Friendly and shy.	B．Silly but lovely.
C．Kind and helpful.	D．Clever but lazy.

【推荐3】In India, most of the women wear a red dot between their eyebrows. While it is generally taken as an indicator of their marital（婚姻的）status, the practice is primarily related to the Hindu（印度教的）religion. The dot goes by different names in different Hindi dialects, and “bindi” is the one that is most commonly known.Traditionally, the dot carries no gender restriction Men as well as women wear it. However, the tradition of men wearing it has faded in recent times, so nowadays we see a lot more women than men wearing one.

The position of the bindi is standard center of the forehead, close to the eyebrows. It represents a third, or inner eye. Hindu tradition holds that all people have three eyes The two outer ones are used for seeing the outside world, and the third one is there to focus inward toward God. As such, the dot means piety（虔诚）and serves as a constant reminder to keep God in the front of a believer’s thou ghts.

Red is the traditional color of the dot. It is said that in ancient times a man would place a drop of blood between his wife’s eyes to seal their marriage. According to Hindu beliefs, the color red is believed to bring good fortune to the married couple. Today, people go with different colors depending upon their preferences. Women often wear dots that match the color of their clothes. Decorative of sticker bindis come in all sizes, colors and variations, and can be worn by young and old, married and unmarried people alike. Wearing a bindi has become more of a fashion statement than a religious custom.

1. Why did people in India start wearing a red dot on their forehead?

A．To stress their family background.

B．To indicate their social rank.

C．To show their religious belief.

D．To display their financial status.

2. What is the function of the third eye in Hindu tradition?

A．To help the other eyes see better.

B．To look to the distance.

C．To see the outside world.

D．To pay respect to God.

3. Why was red chosen as the original color of the bindi?

A．The word “bindi”means “red” in some Hindi dialects.

B．Red was believed to be a lucky color for husband and wife.

C．The red dot represented the blood of God.

D．Red stood for a wife’s love for her husband.

4. Which of the following statements is true about bindis today?

A．Bindis are now used to make people look better.

B．Bindis are worn anywhere on the face now.

C．Most Indian women do not wear bindis anymore.

D．More men than women wear bindis in India.

【推荐1】One of the first things that Jim discovered while living with the Greens was that there were different television channels（频道）in Britain, the BBC broadcasts on two channels: BBC1 and BBC2. There is a mixture of serious and light programmes on BBC1; there are mainly serious programmes on BBC2. ITV is an independent（独立的）channel which carries advertisements（广告）. There are no advertisements on the BBC, so everyone must pay some money to the BBC each year. There are both serious and light programmes on ITV. Because of the different channels, it is not surprising that you often see each member in Mg. Green’s house wants to choose his or her own favorite channel. This is the sort of thing you hear:

“There’s sports programme on ITV.”

“What’s that, children?”

“We were wondering if we could watch the sports programme on ITV.”

“But I was wondering whether to watch the other programme on BBC1.” And so on. The children like ITV; mother prefers BBC1; father prefers BBC2. Jim hasn’t made up his mind.

1. There are no advertisements on       .

A．ITV	B．BBC1 only
C．BBC2 only	D．BBC1, nor on BBC2

2. What programme did the children want to watch?

A．A sports programme.	B．A serious programme.
C．A light programme.	D．An advertisement.

3. How many persons are mentioned in the passage?

A．Three.	B．Four.
C．Five.	D．At least five.

【推荐2】First, there was the standard phone selfie(自拍), then the selfie stick, and now the next evolution of the selfie has arrived! This new type of selfie has taken off across the world! What are we talking about? It's the new DroneX Pro, a brand new type of drone made so that anyone can fly it!

How does it work?

First, you have to have a certain app in your smartphone. Then plug in the battery, connect to your drone and start up the app. In less than 10 seconds you're ready to fly your drone! Once the drone is in the air, you can take the most wonderful pictures and videos from otherwise impossible angles and impress your friends with the coolest selfies!

What makes this drone so special?

It can stream live and record videos to your phone!

The drone is the same size as a large smartphone. It will comfortably fit in any pocket or bag!

The drone is made of ABS plastic, making the drone much lighter and stronger.

It is so simple to use the drone that you can fully concentrate on taking unbelievable shots. Film nature, friends and even yourself in amazing quality!

How much is it?

The regular price is $200 with free shipping.

PROMOTION: Now with 30% off!

Just think of the amazing pictures and videos you can take with the DroneX Pro. Now it is the time for you to start! Don't hesitate!

1. How much should you pay for one drone now?

A．$140

B．$170

C．$200

D．$60

2. What do we know about the DroneX Pro?

A．It is expensive.

B．It is simple.

C．It is handy.

D．It is heavy.

3. What type of writing is this text?

A．A guide.

B．A review.

C．An instruction.

D．An advertisement.