【推荐1】Driving to a friend’s house on a recent evening,I was attracted by the sight of the full moon rising just above my friend’s rooftops.I stopped to watch it for a few moments,thinking about what a pity it was that most city people,myself included,usually miss sights like this because we spend most of our lives indoors.

My friend had also seen it.He grew up living in a forest in Europe,and the moon meant a lot to him then.It had touched much of his life.

I know the feeling.Last December I took my seven-year-old daughter to the mountainous jungle of northern India with some friends.We stayed in a forest rest-house with no electricity or hot water.Our group had campfires outside every night,and indoors when it was too cold outside.The moon grew to its fullest during our trip.Between me and the high mountains lay three or four valleys.Not a light shone in them and not a sound could be heard.It was one of the quietest places I had ever known,a bottomless well of silence.And above me was the full moon,which struck me deeply.

Today our lives are filled with glass,metal,plastic and fibre-glass.We have televisions,cellphones,heaters,ovens,air-conditioners,cars and computers.

Struggling through traffic that evening at the end of a tiring day,most of it spent indoors,I thought:before long,I would like to live in a small cottage.There I will grow vegetables and read books and walk in the mountains.I may become an old man there,and wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled and measure out my life in coffee spoons.But I will be able to walk outside on a cold silent night and touch the moon.

1. The writer felt sorry for himself because .

A．there was too much pollution

B．he usually missed the full moon sights

C．he didn’t adapt to modern inventions

D．there were too many accidents on the road

2. What impressed the writer most in the mountainous jungle of northern India?

A．No modern equipment.

B．Complete silence.

C．The nice full moon.

D．The high mountains.

3. In Paragraph 4,modern things are mentioned mainly to .

A．show that the writer likes city life very much

B．tell us that people greatly benefit from modern life

C．explain that people have few chances to enjoy nature

D．show that we can also enjoy nature at home through them

4. The best title for the passage would be .

A．Touched by the Moon

B．The Pleasures of Modern Life

C．A Bottomless Well of Silence

D．Break away from Modern Life

【推荐2】A new study suggests Earth could have lost up to 60 percent of its atmosphere in the collision of space objects that created the moon. Most scientists believe this event happened about 4 billion years ago when Earth was still developing. They think a massive object, possibly the size of the planet Mars, hit the Earth, sending vaporized particles （颗粒）into space. Gravity is believed to have brought these particles together to form the moon.

The study presents evidence that this collision might have caused Earth to lose between 10 to 60 percent of the atmosphere it had. A report on the study appeared in the publication Astrophysical Journal Letters. The researchers‘ impact assumption is one of three leading theories of how the moon was formed. The others suggest the moon was either created at the same time as Earth, or that it was captured by Earth's gravitational field as it traveled through space.

The researchers decided to explore how massive collisions of objects affected rocky planets with thin atmospheres. To do this, they carried out more than 300 “supercomputer simulations （模拟）The experiment considered the positions at which the objects hit the planet, the speed of the impacts, as well as the size and mass of the colliding objects. Earlier research suggested that impact collisions during the latter stages of the formation of a planet can affect its atmosphere. The computer models in this study expanded on this idea. They showed that a collision like the one that may have formed the moon likely took a large part of Earth's atmosphere.

1. What do most scientists believe?

A．Earth has lost its atmosphere in the collision.

B．The moon was created in the collision of space objects.

C．The planet Mars hit Earth about 4 billion years ago.

D．The collision of space objects caused the atmosphere to increase.

2. What can we infer from Paragraph 2?

A．The collision of Earth and the moon affected gravity.

B．The atmosphere on Earth is the cause of the collision.

C．Scientists hold different points on how the moon was formed.

D．An agreement on the formation of the moon has been reached.

3. What does the passage talk about?

A．The process of the moon's being formed.

B．The heated debate among different scientists.

C．The supercomputer experiment of planets’ collision.

D．The collision of space objects affected Earth's atmosphere.

4. What is the purpose of the passage?

A．To inform.

B．To persuade.

C．To debate.

D．To warn.

【推荐3】When we look at Earth from space, we see a blue, watery world. It is no coincidence that three quarters of the surface is covered by oceans. Water is very common in the universe and is essential for lives. But life needs water in the form of liquid, not ice, and not vapor and that is a little bit less common.

For a planet to have liquid water at its surface, three things are important. First, the planet needs to be large enough that the force of gravity keeps the water molecules （分子）from flying off into space. For example, Mars is smaller than Earth, so it has less gravity, and that is one important reason that Mars has a very thin atmosphere. Second, the planet needs to have an atmosphere. Without an atmosphere, the planet is in a vacuum （真空）,and liquid water isn't stable in a vacuum. For example, our moon has no atmosphere, so if you spill some water on the moon, it will either boil away as vapor, or freeze solid to make ice. Third, the planet needs to be at the right distance from its star.

If you were an alien astronomer, you'd think Venus is a pretty good bet for life. It is the right size. It has an atmosphere and it is in the habitable zone of our sun. But Venus is not habitable, at least not at its surface. It is too hot, because Venus' atmosphere is full of carbon dioxide, an important greenhouse gas. In fact, its atmosphere is almost entirely carbon dioxide, and almost 100 times thicker than our own. As a result, the temperature on Venus is hot enough to melt lead, and the planet is dry as a bone.

So finding a suitable planet for humans to live on is only a beginning. Don't expect much.

1. What do we know about water from the text?

A．Water has two forms.

B．Water is a necessity for humans.

C．It is common to see liquid water on the moon.

D．Water flies into space easily with the help of gravity.

2. Venus is not suitable for humans to live on because       .

A．It is very hot	B．It has no atmosphere
C．It is far from the Sun	D．It is smaller than Earth

3. What is the author's attitude to finding a planet for humans to live on?

A．Positive.	B．Passive.
C．Hopeful.	D．Desperate.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．Water changes its forms.

B．A living problem on Venus.

C．The research of an alien astronomer.

D．Conditions for a habitable globe for humans.

【推荐1】The number of weather-related disasters has increased by five times over the past 50 years, the latest report by the World Meteorological (气象) Organization (WMO) said on September. However, thanks to improved early warning systems and disaster management, the number of death from these hazards (危险) has been almost three times less.

According to the WMO, from 1970 to 2019, weather, climate and water hazards accounted for 50 percent of all disasters. Among the top 10 hazards that led to the largest loss of human life during this period were droughts, storms, floods and extreme temperatures. However, deaths fell from over 50, 000 in the 1970s to less than 20, 000 in the 2010s.

“Weather, climate and water extremes are increasing and will become more frequent and severe in many parts of the world as a result of climate change,” says WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas.

“That means more heat waves, drought and forest fires such as those we have observed recently in Europe and North America. We have more water vapor in the atmosphere, which is worsening extreme rainfall and deadly flooding. The warming of the oceans has affected the frequency and area of existence of the most intense tropical storms.”

“Economic losses are increasing as exposure increases. But behind the statistics lies a message of hope. Improved multi-hazard early warning systems have led to a significant reduction in deaths. Quite simply, we are better than ever before at saving lives,” Taalas said.

1. What do we know from the first paragraph?

A．Disasters connected with weather have gone up.

B．The number of weather-related disasters has decreased.

C．The number of deaths from hazards has been increasing.

D．Early warning systems have made disasters decline much.

2. What will happen according to Petteri Taalas?

A．There will be more extreme weather.

B．Extreme rainfall will no longer exist.

C．Water vapor in the atmosphere will go down.

D．Humans will defeat extreme weather in the end.

3. What is hopeful behind the bad news?

A．Improved warning systems will save economic losses.

B．Economic losses are going down as exposure increases.

C．More lives will be saved thanks to early warning systems.

D．Improved early warning systems will control extreme weather

4. Where may the text be taken from?

A．A novel.

B．A brochure.

C．A magazine.

D．A guideline.

【推荐2】This photograph taken and released on Sep 28, 2018 by Indonesia’s National Agency for Disaster Management shows a house destroyed by a 7.5 magnitude (级) earthquake in the small town Donggala on Sulawesi Island. The quake brought down many buildings while tsunami waves hit into its beachfront. “All the things in my house were shaking and it left a small crack on my wall. Anyway, I survived!” one of the local people Mohammad Fikri said by telephone.

But the biggest killer was probably soil liquefaction (地基液化), which happens when a powerful quake turns the dry ground into a liquid mire (泥沼) and this totally destroyed several neighborhoods.

The official death reports rose to 1,948, and most of them were in Palu, the center of the Sulawesi Island. Bodies are still being dug out and the numbers from less populated areas are increasing but they seem to have suffered fewer deaths than the city. No one knows how many people are missing, especially in the areas hit by liquefaction, but it could be as high as 5,000, the National Disaster Agency said.

At a Palu middle school, fewer than 50 of its 697 students came. School principal Abdul Rashid said at least four students were killed in the quake. “Classes haven’t started. We’re only collecting data to find out how many students are safe,” he said. One boy chatting in the school with friends said he was disappointed that so few of his classmates had shown up. “I’m still waiting for the Ministry of Education to give us instructions on when to begin classes. For now, I don’t think we’re ready. Many children are so frightened that they need time to calm down.”

The government has collected $37 million to help victims of the earthquake. With the efforts of rescue workers and volunteers, the supply of gas and electricity has been recovered. Ruins would be cleared and areas hit by liquefaction would be turned into parks, gymnasiums and other public spaces, a spokesman said.

1. It can be learned from paragraph 1 that ________.

A．the photo is released by Mohammad Fikri

B．no death was reported in the small town

C．the quake damaged many local buildings

D．Donggala is a town located off the Sulawesi island

2. What caused the most damage in the quake?

A．A power failure.	B．The cutoff of gas supply.
C．Soil liquefaction.	D．The cracks of houses.

3. Which of the following statements about the earthquake is TRUE?

A．Few people in Palu were killed in the quake.

B．People in the countryside suffered more from the hit.

C．Few students showed up because of their disappointment over the school.

D．The government is taking active measures against the disaster.

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

A．To make a brief introduction of the damage caused by the tsunami.

B．To give a detailed news report of the Donggala quake.

C．To stress the importance of the rescue work after the quake.

D．To describe the students’ concern for safety at school.

【推荐3】1. Summer came early to Middlesbrough yesterday, as temperatures shot up to 22°C (71°F), a record for March. But local NFU agent Jim Wilkes says it could be bad news for farmers. “The crops will think it's summer,” he told our reporter, “and start sprouting (发芽) four weeks before time.”
2. The death toll (死亡人数) of the Burnside train crash rose to four yesterday when John Phillips, 32, of Petersville died in Wallsend Hospital. Another six people are still on the danger list. Mr. Phillips, an electrical engineer leaves a wife and two children.
3. China and the United States reached an agreement on the protection of intellectual property rights (知识产权) yesterday, after difficult marathon talks.
The agreement is good news for all parties concerned. The Chinese Foreign Trade Minister described the agreement as a "turning point" in Sino-US trade relations that "promises further progress" in the future. The agreement will not only favorably influence trade relations between China and the United States. It may favorably influence the overall relations between the two countries.
1. What do you get to know from article 1?

A．It is as cold as usual in Middlesbrough, and the farmers are pleased.

B．It is hotter than usual in Middlesbrough, and the farmers are pleased.

C．It is hotter than usual in Middlesbrough, and the farmers are worried.

D．It is colder than usual in Middlesbrough, and the farmers are worried.

2. How many people have died in the train crash in article 2 ?

A．Only John Phillips has died.

B．Ten people have died in the crash, including John Phillips.

C．Four people have died in the crash, including John Phillips.

D．John Phillips, his wife and children all died in the crash.

3. Who are on the danger list?

A．Petersville and Wallsend.	B．An electrical engineer and John Phillips.
C．John Phillips' wife and two children.	D．Another six people who were on the train.

4. What agreement did China and the United States reach in article 3?

A．It is an agreement on a marathon race.

B．It is an agreement on trade relations.

C．It is an agreement on overall relations.

D．It is an agreement on intellectual property rights protection.

5. What are relations going to be like between China and the United States?

A．Relations between China and the United States are going to be sometimes worse and sometimes better.

B．Relations between China and the United States are going to be better.

C．Relations between China and the United States are going to be worse.

D．Relations between China and the United States are going to remain the same.

【推荐2】

Tamworth Short Story Competition

Across the Tamworth area of Staffordshire, children who enjoy writing short stories are being encouraged to put their creative imagination to the test. They are being given the chance to enter a competition during these times of self isolation (隔离）.

Tamworth Borough Council's Arts and Events and Assembly Rooms teams have joined forces to look at ways of helping people entertain their families at home. They have now set a challenge for children living in Tamworth, which is to write a maximum 500-word story using a topic of their choice. However, it must include the name of Tamworth somewhere in the story. Prizes are given to all age groups. The winning stories are to be recorded by a celebrity and then shared with the local media! Other prizes will include tickets to future shows at Tamworth Assembly Rooms.

Adey Ramsel, Theatre, Artistic and Events Manager for the Assembly Rooms, said,＂We've been really pleased by the response so far; it seems we have quite a lot of gifted young authors out there. The competition will run till July 31st, giving everyone plenty of time to prepare their best work. So get writing and discover the hidden author in you today.”

Cost:Free

Phone:01827709618

Website:www.Tamworthassemblyrooms.co.uk

1. What is the requirement for the story entries?

A．They must include at least 500 words.

B．They must be submitted before mid-July.

C．They must focus on lives of local people.

D．They must mention the word Tamworth.

2. Winners of the competition will get                   .

A．their stories collected into a set of books

B．their stories read by a well-known person

C．chances to deliver a speech on local media

D．tickets to visit Tamworth Assembly Rooms

3. What can be inferred from Adey Ramsel' s words?

A．Few children signed up for the competition.

B．The hidden author would be given a free gift.

C．He was content with the high-quality entries.

D．He was forced to entertain people at home.

【推荐3】Learning a new language is a long and difficult process. This process can become easier if you set goals. Goals help guide language learners and give them reasons to continue studying a language. However, if your goals are too difficult, then you will probably become upset.

Many English learners set difficult and even unreasonable goals, such as sounding like a native speaker, or losing their accents. The problem with the goal of sounding like a native speaker is that it is not a reasonable goal for many people.

When English learners begin studying English after a certain age, they are not able to sound exactly like a native English speaker. That is the opinion of Eli Hinkel, a professor at Seattle Pacific University. She says that people who have not reached puberty still have enough muscle and brain plasticity (可塑性) to allow their brain to control their mouth muscles. Puberty is the period of life when a child becomes an adult. After your physical growth has stopped, the brain loses some of its ability to change the way it controls the muscles of the mouth. This is what results in an accent, according to Hinkel. In other words, having an accent is a natural part of the aging process of the brain.

That you might not sound like a native speaker does not mean that you should give up trying to improve your pronunciation. And that you have an accent does not mean that your language skills are poor. Hinkel suggests that English learners should not be too upset about their accents.

Another teacher says sounding like a native speaker is not necessary. Marla Yoshida is a teaching English as a foreign language teacher at the University of California, Irvine. She says that improving your pronunciation is surely possible — if you choose a reasonable goal. Marla Yoshida says that when you decide to diet, you are more likely to have success if you set reasonable goals. She suggests working on specific areas of pronunciation that you can improve, instead of trying to sound like a native speaker.

1. What does the underlined part “unreasonable goals” in Paragraph 2 probably refer to?

A．Goals that are meaningless.

B．Goals that are very small.

C．Goals that are based on facts.

D．Goals that are impossible to reach.

2. According to Paragraph 3, why are English learners unable to sound like a native speaker?

A．They have no native speakers to talk to.

B．They don’t have enough time to practice.

C．Their brain can’t control their mouth muscles.

D．Their mother tongue prevents them from doing so.

3. Which of the following statements would Eli Hinkel probably agree with?

A．Having an accent is acceptable.

B．Improving pronunciation isn’t that important.

C．Sounding like a native speaker is impossible.

D．Poor pronunciation means poor language skills.

【推荐1】Walking is good for you.It’s good for your heart, for your lungs, for the muscle and bone growth of your children.Strong scientific evidence now supports the many benefits to health of regular walking.

Walking is connected with reduced death rates for both older and younger adults.In other words, walkers live longer!

In particular, walking has a great effect on cardiovascular disease(心血管病).Fit and active people have around half the risk of cardiovascular disease compared to unfit inactive people.

Even 10-minute walks can increase fitness.One study at Loughbrough University found that women walking continuously for 30 minutes 5 days a week had almost the same increases in fitness as women who divide their 30 minutes into three 10-minute walks.

The majority of studies of young people indicate falling participation in physical activity.Only half of 11-36-year-olds currently walk for ten minutes a day.Children in Britain walk 50 miles a year less than they did a decade ago.Around 20% of children can be classed as overweight.TV, computers, cultural changes and fears for children’s safety out of doors play a large part.

Walking offers a great way to help kids get the active habit.If parents express excitement about the prospect (前景) of a walk in the countryside, they are more likely to pass this feeling to their children.It’s important to treat the walk as an exploration or adventure and to go at the child’s pace, no matter how often they want to stop and look at things, take treats to eat and plenty to drink, and head for some landmarks that will attract them such as a castle, a playground, an ice cream car or a boating pond.If children experience walking as part of a fun activity, they are more likely to want to go again.

1. We know from the passage that regular walking __________.

A．can make people live longer and healthier

B．has nothing to do with cardiovascular disease

C．increases fitness only if you walk as fast as you can

D．will help you put on much weight in a short time

2. Which of the following is a reason why young people walk less than before?

A．They have more homework to do.

B．They have fitness equipment at home.

C．Their parents worry about their safety.

D．They want to learn more knowledge on TV.

3. In the last paragraph the author suggests that __________.

A．children should be led by parents when they play outdoors

B．parents should help their children form a habit of walking

C．parents should not care about their children too much

D．children should do more explorative and adventure activities

【推荐2】Tired of seeing so much garbage along the bank of River Schie in Rotterdam Dutch artist Tommy Kleyn decided to step up and do something about it. He alone organized a cleanup of the entire bank without leaving any garbage, proving that anyone can indeed make a difference if they want to.

Kleyn would cycle past a part of the Rotterdam riverway and see so much garbage along the bank. The situation troubled him, so he decided to spend 30 minutes every day cleaning the place up, filling one garbage bag a time. And when he posted pictures of his work on Facebook, a few of his friends volunteered to join as well. In five weeks, they had a 100 meter riverbank clean and completely rubbish-free.

Kleyn's action has received great support online, and he has managed to turn it into a small movement. He has set up a Facebook page through which he challenges people to spend 30 minutes a year to fill a garbage bag with rubbish. “It feels great and you'll make a big difference," he wrote. “People are free to share their 'before' and 'after' pictures on the page. The challenge has attracted people in countries・ The people came from as far as China to respond with their own photos and stories!"

“I want to show how easy it is to remove rubbish," he added. “Hopefully there will come a time when makers are thoughtful and their goods are no longer wrapped in layers of plastic."

Local officials praised Kleyn's work on the riverbank and helped him raise money for future projects as well. “People can sign up to help me one day a year. For this, they received a coupon, like going to a local restaurant at the lowest price. You can imagine what I've man- aged to do in 22 days, and what 22 men could do in a day. he said.

1. What happened after Kleyn posted pictures of his work on Facebook?

A．Some of his friends were forced to join him.

B．The whole riverbank was completely rubbish-free.

C．His Pictures received little attention from foreigners.

D．His work on the bank of River Schie started to pay off.

2. What do we know about Kleyn's action?

A．It has influenced many people.

B．It is opposed by local officials.

C．It is difficult for Chinese to accept.

D．It has made people stop using layers of plastic.

3. What does the underlined word "coupon” in the last paragraph refer to?

A．A job lasting 22 days.

B．A kind of plastic garbage.

C．A piece of printed discount paper.

D．A fund for supporting future projects.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．River pollution in Dutch has been solved by Tommy Kleyn.

B．A Dutch eco-hero proves that one man can make a difference・

C．Environmental protection needs support from the government・

D．Facebook plays an important role in environmental protection.

【推荐3】When I was 16 years old，I made my first visit to the United States. It wasn’t the first time I had been abroad. Like most English children，I learned French at school and I had often been to France，so I was used to speaking a foreign language to people who didn’t understand English. But when I went to America I was really looking forward to having a nice easy holiday without any language problems.

How wrong I was! The misunderstanding began at the airport. I was looking for a public telephone to give my friend Danny a ring and tell her that I had arrived. A friendly old man saw me looking like being lost and asked if he could help me.

“Yes，” I said.“I want to give my friend a ring.”

“Well，that’s nice，” he said.“Are you getting married? But aren’t you a bit young？”

“Who is talking about marriage？” I replied.“I just want to give my friend a ring to tell her I’ve arrived. Can you tell me where there’s a phone box？”

“Oh！” he said.“There’s a phone downstairs.”

When at last we did meet up，Danny explained the misunderstanding to me.

“Don’t worry，” she said to me.“I had many difficulties at first. There are lots of words which the Americans use differently in meaning from us British. You’ll soon get used to all the funny things they say. But most of the time British and American people can understand each other！”

1. Where was the writer from?

A．He was from America.

B．He was from France.

C．He was from England.

D．He was from China.

2. The writer wanted         .

A．to buy a ring for his friend

B．to make a call to his friend

C．to go to the telephone company

D．his friend to see him off

3. From the passage we can see that “give somebody a ring” _____________.

A．means the same in America as in England

B．means “call somebody” to the old man

C．means “be going to get married”

D．has different meanings in America and in England